Sunday, November 8, 2009

Thank you.

Thank you all for a wonderful year. I've enjoyed myself thoroughly this year. It has been beautiful getting to know some of you so well. I hope we remain friends for life. I will be doing JC2 again next year, so the journey begins again soon.

I can honestly say that there is a realistic chance of all of my 63 students passing GP. You guys have worked hard and I pray that you get the scores you deserve. I pray that you remain calm and perform to potential. I pray that those of you have studied so hard (some since January) will get the questions you need and deserve.

God Bless you all.

RA
8 Nov 2009

Pls feel free to respond, especially to encourage your schoolmates.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

A few things to remember

Howdy! Here are a few things to remember. These comments are a collation of things I've said to students in the last four weeks of consultation.
  • Remember to go through the revision sheets. Depending on how prepared you are, you may choose to make these the last things you look at before the exam. Pls remember not to take them into the exam hall.
  • Use the revision sheets in tandem with the revision you've done and all the essays, AQs and summaries.
  • You may wish to make reference to a previous post just before the prelims where I offered some tips.
Paper 1
  • By now you should have a keen sense of what topics suit you best. You should have about 4 broad topics. Studying only narrow sub-topics like 'cloning' is too much of a gamble.
  • Study the revision sheet and all the essays and essay plans you've written. What works? What does not? What did you bomb? What booby-trap words killed you? What did you do really well in? Take notes and remember your findings as you begin choosing questions.
  • As always, the first 15 minutes decide your grade. So be very cool and calm and don't rush in. Weigh your options in a scientific manner.
  • The 'predictable' questions on Science and the Environment are always booby-trapped with language that can be misunderstood. So be very careful. For that matter, the language in any P1 question must be viewed with caution. So make a good and decisive choice.
  • Choose questions that suit your content knowledge (no examples no Ev) and your language abilities. If your language is really weak, aim to write a simple yet effective essay (read the NOVA essays I attached in the revision package). Play defensive and you win. If your language is stronger you can be a bit more adventurous, but weigh your choices carefully and never jump in mindlessly. Stay in control.
  • If an essay is not balanced it can't get more than 12 for content.
  • Watch SVA, Tenses and Articles.
  • Remember you should always speak last. The opponent speaks first. Make sure the signposting makes clear who is talking.

Paper 2

  • Revise using the revision sheets and practice simultaneous using the practice papers provided. Never use the revision sheets in isolation. It is pointless. Execution is key.
  • Before you read the passage, read the AQ qn, Summary Qn and Short Qns. Once you know where the Summary will come from slow down a little as you read it. This will save time later when doing the Summary.
  • Be very clear how you are going to allocate your time before you enter the exam room. Perhaps 15 min to read, 15 min short Qs, 20 min Summary, 25 min AQ and 15 Vocab and remaining difficult Short Qn. You must adapt this according to your sense of how doable the paper is. No matter what your plan is, the Summary and AQ should be towards the end as they require a macro view of the passage and the ARGUMENTS in it. Being familiar with the arguments saves time when doing the AQ.
  • If you think you don't have examples for AQ, cut down the time (spend time where you feel you can do well) and just write three simple paras for 4 marks - Preamble (intro and stand), and two paras. In each para just provide textual reference, a quick Ex and zero in on EV where the marks are. Never leave the AQ or Vocab undone. You must pass all sections to pass.
  • To do well, you must try to show some sort of balance or alternative view in your AQ answer. Gabriel Teh from S16 made a great observation when he said that no matter how the AQ question is phrased, it will in some way involve showing extent. Large extent vs small extent, more convincing vs less convincing, agree vs partially disagree or agree vs partially agree, more applicable vs less applicable to my society etc. This is the sort of maturity required of GP. You never answer anything in a Yes and No fashion, but in a nuaced fashion. Try to avoid situations where you are totally moving in one direction. Like "No, both passages are inapplicable". That's too simple. How about "Both passages are not applicable but one of them has shades of relevance to my society." Your signposting must again clearly indicate who is talking.
  • With time in mind, please try to ensure you plan your AQ answer such that the section with the most Ev is at the top, in case you don't finish. It helps if your intro includes your entire stand. That way, if you don't finish, the markers knows what you meant to say. This really helps.

Stay cool.

  • This is the most important thing I have to say. Many of you don't do well because you descend into a panic in the exam hall. I should know. I used to do it too.
  • It is really important to regulate your breathing throughout the exam. If you're breathing in an unusual way, we can assume your brain is not operating at its optimum and your work may be erratic or careless.
  • So, before the paper make sure you're relaxed. Use music, prayer or just breathe and calm down.
  • After you are seated there will be quite a few minutes before you start. Again, regulate your breathing. Pray if you need that to calm you down.
  • The night before, don't panic. Instead, go to sleep early thinking about how well you will do. Sportsmen do this. Remember, if you can't even imagine doing it, how will you ever do it in reality?

Friday, November 6, 2009

Get into the mood.

Two excellent sites to get you into the mood. The Temasek Review (brilliant local analysis - thanks for introducing me Paula) and Project Syndicate (excellent commentaries and international themes and general discussions - quite a few compre passages are found in this site).

Do also have a look at the White House website (thanks to the obsessive tweeter for bringing it to my attention!).

http://www.temasekreview.com/

http://www.project-syndicate.org/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/