kandc

Hello, ACS(I) Yr6 students just obtained their school prelim results today as on Sept 28, 2017. The final IB will be in coming Nov.

Does any one in this forum know how many more points could the Yr6 students gain at the final IB exam compared to their prelim results, generally speaking? This is based on the assumption that their school prelim is more difficult. Wanna to have some guess

Hi,

I am looking for 1-1 chemistry tuition for my sec 4 boy. West location is preferred. Pls. pm me if any recommendations. Thank you in advance!

messageinabottle:

autolycus:

[quote=\"messageinabottle\"]My son is neither from an affiliated school nor has met the COP...so its Adieu for now...

*grin* we do not know if he has (not) met the COP yet...

*grin* *grin* * tongue incheek*so you think we shld take a chance and apply??[/quote]
A friend's DS scored 256 this year, and they are applying RI as 1st choice, Hwa Chong as 2nd choice, and ACS(I) as 3rd choice. I think his son has more than 50% chance to enter Hwa Choong, based on 258 as this year's top 3%, moreover, girls' competition maybe higher than boys' usually when that's year's math/science papers not tough enough

autolycus:

messageinabottle:

If psle score again is a criteria then i guess his fate is sealed!!besides standing first in class he has won numerous awards in his cca and edusave awards.. Unfortunately these seem to have no weightage as it turns out to be a \"Numbers Game\"\" anyways!!!

Thanks once again! And best of luck in your future endeavours!

Here's a view from an insider. The PSLE score is used only as a gauge of potential. The thing is that a PSLE score of 250+ is very roughly equivalent to 2-sigma above the mean of the PSLE distribution. This means that the student is likely to fall into that group which would normally ace the O-levels anyway, which means that allowing them to skip the O-levels is reasonable — and that's the point of the integrated programmes.

All the other items are much more important because they are an empirical measure of how well he has done AFTER his PSLE. If he has overachieved, then clearly the PSLE (if it was sub-250) was not a good gauge of his particular talent potential (after all, the PSLE is only a fair statistical indicator of general academic performance). There is hope yet, and no, it is not all a numbers game — ACS(I) in particular values non-academic or para-academic ability!

Hi \"messageinabottle\":
don't give up! Like \"Autolycus\" said, there is hope, which needs the boy to put in effort continuously. My son scored 249 in his PSLE 2 years ago, and joined ACS(I) express. He likes science and math, probably even not as good as your DS. He was not top in his class for the past 2 years, yet, he was prompted to IP in year3. I totally agree with \"Autolycus\", psle is not all, but a \"fair statistical indicator\". Continue to incubate your DS's interests and passions, using ACS's slogon: \"the best is yet to come\".

We have a number of Y1 & Y2 express textbooks to give away, most textbooks are 85-95% new (seems DS seldom reads them). Interested pls pm me. Else if anybody knows where I can give to (quite wasteful if just throw them away), pls. pm me as well. Thanks!

IMHO, anyone without a background in biology in secondary level will find it really tough to cope with anatomy and in some part physiology in university.[/quote]


Thanks! btw, the secondary level means high level NOT standard level in IB?

[/quote]

Hi kandc,

Entrance criteria for many UK-style medical schools (i.e. where medicine is taken as an undergraduate degree) are the main problem. But nowadays, most of them (including our local medical schools) will allow admission based on Chemistry + EITHER Bio or Physics, so Chem + Physics is fine. After all, students are going to study anatomy, physiology, biochemistry etc from scratch, but they're not going to be studying much more chemistry or physics — so they should make sure they know all the chem and physics they can get.

I much prefer that all students get some history training. Even as a doctor, the ability to correlate human events with a timeline (and thus figure out what has happened and is happening) is priceless. :)[/quote]

Hi Autolycus,
Thanks a lot for your insightful views and advice! always! Need some clarifications:
1) if selecting physics, chemistry and biology, based on the IHS result, the boy still can study history at Y5 & Y6 as the Group 3 subject? Is there any min. acceptable grade for IHS at Y4 to study history at Y5?
2) if selecting physics, chemistry and history, is there any chance the boy can study biology at Y5 & Y6 assuming he drops either physics or chemistry (maintaining 2 subjects from Group 4)?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Autolycus & other parents,


After yesterday’s subject briefing, we are having a dilemma. My DS wants to choose physics, chemistry and history (his interests), but meanwhile, his dream is to enter a medical school in future. Without biology, we are hearing that it is more difficult to survive in medical school even he passes the entrance. As a parent, I hope he maintains the most flexibility by choosing the physics and chemistry, in case he cannot go into medical field at the end, he still has other possibilities for engineering/technology-based majors. Now have to choose either biology or history.

Any comments and advice? Thanks in advance!

autolycus:

WorkingAdult:

Hello I hope to get some advice regarding the sec 3 subject combi.

I would recommend a maximum flexibility choice. Think of it as preparing to choose IB Y5/6 subjects. Go for Chem+Physics, IHS+History (or Geog if he can't handle History, but History first choice), C & A Math, and the languages.
Cheers!

Hi Autolycus,
I have to agree with what you recommended here, for chemistry and history. My son was also prompted to IP next year. He is relatively stronger in science and math than others. He is considering to select all 3 science next year, e.g., physics, chemistry and biology, as well as history, C & A Math. But I am a bit concerning if he is able to cope all the subjects well. During the teacher-parent meeting in May, I also asked several of his class teachers. Some teachers said yes, some said not because of the potential heavy load for S3/S4. May I ask your opinion? If select triple science in S3, can still drop off one in S4? Thanks!

julialai:

kandc:

Hi,

I am trying to find 2-3 Sec 2 students from the west to form a Literature tuition group for my son. I've already identified a potential tutor at Stirling road, who has on-going Saturday class. However, the timing doesn't fit my son's schedule on Saturdays. Looking for possibilities to form another class group on Sundays. The tutor charges $230 per month. Interested parents/students, pls. PM me. Alternatively, if you have other tutor to recommend for a small group class, kindly contact me as well. Thanks!

Hi Kandc,

It depends on which school your DS is going to. Sec schools use different Lit texts. I'm interested if it is relevant

My son is with ACS(I) express. Starting from Jan 2013, the first book they are going to learn is \"The Merchant of Venice\". the tutor at Stirling road is a male tutor, center name is \"thinking place tuition\". You can call him at 91787633 for more info, and even a trial lesson with him. His current class on Saturdays 10-1130am has already 6-7 students, but problem is that the timing not fit my son's schedule. Prefer a slot on Sundays. Another tutor I got is a female, teaching from her home at Pine Grove Clementi area. Let me know if you are still keen. Thanks!