Goodbye and God Bless!

Please read previous post on Last Minute Pointers before you read this.

Howdy soon to be freed slaves!

Just wanted to thank everyone for a great year. Thank you for the great memories and for putting up with my hyper-cynical and rude nonsense! Some of you have been infected by this disease. My apologies in advance.

You guys have worked so hard. I pray you get the grades you deserve. I honestly believe you can ALL pass if you do what you need to do in the exam hall. Be cool, make smart decisions and be vigilant of the common errors. Be confident. You can do it!

This is probably the end of my teaching journey. I've thoroughly enjoyed working with young people and getting to know so many of you so well. I wonder what God has planned for me next.

Goodbye and God Bless you!

Stay tuned to this blog I intend to use it to chronicle my adventures Down Under!

Raymond Andrew

9th November 2010.

Some last minute pointers

I've collated these comments based on my last consultations with all of you. There are a number of issues which keep cropping up and I'll try to deal with these.

Paper 1 Question analysis

1. Please be aware that not all Absolute questions carry the usual absolute terms, so you must use your analytical skills to ascertain the nature of the question. There is a simple test. Ask yourself, "From a logical perspective, is this a question I MUST disagree with because it is an extreme comment/suggestion? Or can I from a logical perspective choose to agree?" If you find that you MUST disagree, that is an Absolute Question. There are some questions that you judge to be Absolutes, but in exceptional situations you may choose to agree if you have the evidence to prove it. Not recommended to be honest.

2. Do also note that words like 'greatest' and 'the most', 'too much', 'too little' can be interpreted as absolutes. Here the onus is on the student to say that the subject is 'great/a lot but NOT the greatest', 'good/bad but NOT the most', 'a lot, but NOT too much", 'little, but NOT too little' etc.

3. Words like 'sole', 'just', 'all' and 'every' can also be interpreted as Absolutes. I can't give you all the answers, you need to use your logical analytical skills.

4. Question analysis is something you can't mess up, so go through all the essays and outlines we have printed for you. The questions picked by SR are chosen to reflect as many concept words as possible and maximise your exposure. So you must do this to avoid 'bombing' and misinterpreting the question.

5. Practice some question selection today. It is absolutely vital that you pick a question that suits you and offers the most amount of scope as possible. These days the questions are not as general as they used to be, so you need to find the most general question in that list. Pick three and then choose one. Question selection must be done in 5 minutes flat.

6. You need to find that right balance between scope and depth. A lot of scope and little depth is also not good. You should do questions that allow you to use information from a variety of issue areas. Do not do a detailed question (Eg. Recycling or Formal Education) unless you feel you have enough content for the 4-7 paragraphs including balance.

7. Extent. Simply balancing an answer does not mean you have dealt with extent. You must show the degree. So you may argue that you agree with a certain point of view, but you would not go so far as to argue xyz. Where would you draw the line? Are there exceptions? Limitations? Conditions? Remember these phrases as well as CAL, CAF, SPERM when brainstorming.

8. You must have realised by now that a good answer always deals with Extent even when not asked for. That's just good evaluation skills.

Paper 2

1. Short Questions. You must try and analyse the question before jumping in. If you know the question type, you'll know what to do. Please go through the notes from Mr Daniel Tan's lecture on Short Questions. It was a very thorough lecture. Please go through all the Unit practices and analyse the questions and answers. If you're missing stuff sms me (98455900) with email address. I'll send it to you.

2. I expect perfect scores for certain kinds of questions such as Paraphrase (isolate key ideas and paraphrase), irony, paradox and metaphors. All two steps here.

3. Many of you can't identify metaphors! If there is no contextual reason to refer to a 'bullet' or 'chariot' or 'treadmill' or 'tapestry', surely you are staring at a metaphor. Be vigilant! Watch out for basic grammatical errors like Tenses, SVA, Articles, Determiners etc.

4. Application Question. Please remember the structural elements. Quick intro : stand and reasoning (no need to summarise authors' views). Topic sentences are important, don't start with quotes!

5. The definition of balance varies, so you must be intellectually flexible. If you have two passages and both are saying similar things, the balance may be that one is less feasible or applicable in your country or that one is more convincing because of xyz or one has elements that may be less than true etc

6. If there are two passages that are polar opposite obviously you agree with one and disagree with the other. Etc. Be flexible and forget about bloody formulas. Just answer the question directly. Use PEEL. The link back to stand is important.

7. If there is one passage check if the AV is supplied by author. If not you have to balance through your own ideas and EV.

Be COOL people. Manage your breathing and heart-rate. You must be relaxed but vigilant and sharp and constantly aware of what you need to do (steps) and the errors you always commit. Do not discuss the paper at all with anyone including me. Try your very best and move on. Pls read through the blog comments here from a year ago. The comments are still relevant.

Common Test: Some pointers

1. Read AQ question first, then summary and short qn.

2. Annotate. Identify function of para (Arg, Elab, Observ, Data). How is it linked to others? Do Para summary. Use colours, highlights, underline, circle etc. Interact with the text.

3. Analyse qn type and mark allocation. How many steps, how many marks?

4. Summary: Key step is number points and select points to paraphrase. Paraphrase key ideas not key words. Examples cannot be used. Generalise them.

5. AQ: Analyse qn req properly. Key step: You must identify the Arg that allows you to answer the qn and engage in a discussion that leads to Eg and Eval. Structure: Stand, Expl, Eval. Eg. Not neccessarily in that order, but all the ingredients must be there. Never use examples from the passage. If you do. you must complement with your own. Not sure how to Eval? Use PIPICACI!!!

Try your best. Whatever you achieve will make the next climb easier!
RA

Weekend homework 27 Feb

1. Of the three comprehension practices, DO PRACTICE 1. This should be done your third GP lesson of the week. First two lessons will be spent reviewing STAR test on GM food.

2. You are to log on to Diigo and comment on three articles Diigod in the last week. Obviously, this should involve analysis. USE PIPICACI.

3. The LISTS are the most important thing on Diigo and many of you can't find them. On the right hand side of the Group page you'll find a Group Info page. You can see my name 'Raymond Andrew' in a blue hyperlink. Click on that. You'll reach my Profile Page. Scroll down and you'll find the link to the LISTS. Click on MORE for the full list of 14. These lists will come in handy at exams.

4. The other thing you can do when you reach my Profile Page is 'Follow Me'. This will give you access to my Library. The LISTS are on the right hand side of the Library page.

I sincerely hope you guys will use Diigo. It's a fantastic tool and you're the first batch to use it.

cheers
RA

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.

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?

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/