A Personal Letter From Former MOE Subject Head Mr. Edwin Edangelus Cheng To All JC / IP Students & Concerned Parents
A-LEVEL GP TUITION IS UNLIKE ANY ENGLISH SUBJECT YOU’VE TACKLED BEFORE
HERE’S HOW TO MAKE THE SUBJECT EASY AND ACHIEVE YOUR A’S IN GENERAL PAPER EXAMS.
Dear Parents, I’m Edwin Edangelus Cheng, Founder and Principal of EduEdge Learning Hub.
My team and I specialise in transforming the General Paper grades of struggling students quickly and in time for their crucial A-Level exams,
Before founding EduEdge to help students master English easily, I was a school-appointed Head of Department (English), as well as an MOE-appointed Subject Head (Curriculum Innovation).
My specialisation is in making learning more engaging and effective for students.
My unique method of learning English & GP using Formulas has been so successful in helping students achieve remarkable improvements that they have been featured across various media such as Singapore Motherhood, The Asian Parent , The New Age Parent, our national papers (Straits Times) and national radio (93.8 Live).
JC GP Is A Big Headache For Students… And It’s Not Surprising Why.
1) JC Life Is Extremely Hectic Compared To What Students Were Faced With Earlier – Keeping Up Is Tough.
It’s no big secret that the A-levels is one CRAZY academic rush. Students are forced to learn A LOT OF CONTENT very quickly and it’s a STEEP learning curve.
From having 6 years to prepare in Primary School, and 4 years to prepare in Secondary School… at the Junior College level, students effectively only have less than 2 years (Just 1 year & 8 months to be exact) of preparation time before their A-Levels
This makes the A-Levels the MOST intense academic period of any student’s life –
And 100% of JC students feel the pressure. The story is the same when you talk to any JC student – Keeping up is really tough!
On top of that, the complexity and rigour of the subjects are much higher compared to what students were used to previously. Even students who scored well in their O-Levels find it hard to cope with their A-Levels.
2) Just Being Good In English Doesn’t Mean Good GP Grades – It’s An Entirely Different Subject.
For the first time in their academic lives, students are introduced to the new subject of GP – and while it counts as an English-related subject, it goes so much deeper, and is so much harder to score for.
Simply being good in English and having a strong command of the language is not good enough to do well in GP.
The GP subject tests students on multiple components, including depth of thought, worldview, critical thinking, and many others.
Because students are unfamiliar with the subject and its requirements, they struggle to score and grasp the subject.
3) Scoring Well For GP Is Extremely Important For University Admission
Even though GP is a H1 subject, many students tend to forget that it is a compulsory subject that is used for calculating their University Admission Score (UAS).
Hence, all students must score well for GP, or risk scoring lower Rank Points (RP) which will jeopardise their chances of getting into the university or a course of their choice – which is a huge pity if they did well in all other subjects.
Heard of students who scored ‘A’ for their Math and Sciences but were not able to gain admission to a uni course of their choice?
It’s unfortunate but true.
For many of these students, they scored poorly for General Paper. And they deeply regretted not putting in more time and effort for GP.
As you know, good GP grades is a prerequisite for extremely competitive university courses like Law and Medicine.
Now, even for the less competitive but still highly popular courses like Mass Communications, Marketing or Business, students still need to attain at least a ‘B’ for GP.
What about those who fail GP?
They find themselves in an unpleasant situation where they have to retake the subject as a Private Candidate.
This would mean having their own university entry delayed while their peers are all moving ahead of them.
MANY STUDENTS SHARE WITH US THAT THEY HAVE THESE COMMON CHALLENGES WITH GP
Have you faced these challenges too?
- The subject is so broad and diverse that students do not know where to start and how to study
- Feeling overwhelmed by the thick stacks of content notes and bulletins given by their school to read (= info overload or memorising content blindly)
- Not taught any proper answering strategies, structures or techniques to tackle the various paper components (often it is just lectures, class discussion and yes, MORE content again!)
- Unable to find the support they need from their teachers when they are lost or confused because it is commonly assumed that JC students should be independent learners and thus, are left to figure things out on their own and to “sink” or “swim”
- The feedback received for essays and comprehensions is infrequent or so vague that students do not know what areas to improve in (just some ticks here or a few scribbles there – sounds familiar?)
- Running out of time during the exams which results in precious marks being lost from sections which are uncompleted or answers which are frantically pieced together
Paper 1
For Paper 1, students have to choose 1 out of 12 given questions to write a well-structured and well-argued essay which demonstrates both breadth and depth of knowledge.
The biggest mistake that is usually committed by students is that they tend to choose the question based on what they prefer or think they have more content to write about.
Here’s a little known secret: Some questions are actually easier to tackle and score.
And no, you do not need to plough through thick stacks of content notes.
Heavy memorisation of content or sample essays is a sure-fire way of failing the paper.
Which is why our students adopt the smarter way to score their Paper 1 essays.
By learning the 10 Distinctive Essay Questions Types, our students can apply powerful structures to any given topic or theme. This ensures that they form strong, cogent arguments right from the start to the end of the essay.
You will learn this secret to conquer your Paper 1 too when you are on our programme.
Paper 2
Paper 2 consists of Short Answer Questions (SAQ), Summary Writing and the Application Question (AQ).
Many students find it challenging to make sense of what they are reading and how to answer the comprehension questions accurately and precisely.
They struggle to find the relevant content points for their Summary, and even if they do locate the points, it is extremely difficult for them to paraphrase in their own words.
Not forgetting the AQ where students need to know how to identify the correct Author’s Points (AP) for developing their arguments and link them to the local Singapore context.
To top it all off, students have to explain the complex language and the literary devices used by the Writer.
It’s no wonder many students find it hard to pass this paper.
What if there’s an easier and more effective way to conquer Paper 2?
You can when you have the know-how.
Just like many of our students, you will be imparted with proven techniques to read closely, answer correctly and avoid common mistakes; thereby maximising your marks for this paper!
So you see, doing well in GP requires you to not only have a strong command of the English Language.
It requires you to have a deep level of critical thinking, specifically the critical GP skill sets of analysis, evaluation and argumentation.
That is why we’ve carefully structured the GP programme here at EduEdge so that this complicated subject becomes easy for students to tackle. (You have the potential to do much better for this subject when you have the right method!)
AT EDUEDGE, HERE’S HOW WE’VE DEVELOPED OUR JC GP TUITION PROGRAMME SPECIFICALLY TO MAKE GP EASY!
For GP students who work hard to improve your performance but continue to receive mediocre grades for each assignment, here’s how our GP Tutors can help you:
THE FORMULA-STYLE TEACHING METHOD
At EduEdge, students are introduced to skills in a step-by-step manner using formula-style strategies. ANY student can apply these strategies immediately to see significant grade improvements for all Paper Components of the General Paper. This means that students can FINALLY find GP to be a subject which is learnable, understandable and doable just like Maths or Science and excel in General Paper Exams!
CUSTOMISED, PERSONALISED FEEDBACK
We recognise that each individual student comes with unique needs and learn at their own pace. As such, we ensure that each student has a personalised roadmap to help them tackle the subject. The feedback is specific and customised to each student, so it is not vague and they know exactly what areas they need to work on.
UNIQUE W-I-S ENGAGEMENT ADVANTAGE
In school, students sit in lectures and learn in a group setting. At EduEdge, students are made to engage and discuss, work in groups, work in pairs, engage in lively debates and discussions.
We encourage students to share their opinions with others to broaden their worldview and master communication of ideas in both the written as well as spoken forms. This is extremely crucial and directly translates into how students tackle and score for GP questions.
On Top Of That…
You’ll Also Have Access To Our:
SAMPLE ESSAYS
to help students familiarise with exam topics, identify question requirements and answering standards
PERSONALISED LIVEBINDERS
to provide students with specific bite-sized and relevant content examples for specific essay questions and topics
PERSONALISED + SUPER DETAILED FEEDBACK
to help students understand the Cambridge Standards – where they are currently at and how they can quickly get there in the shortest time possible
MAKE UP LESSON POLICY
to help students attend sessions amidst a hectic JC schedule
Through our A-Level GP Programme, You’ll Learn How To:
Understand the exact requirements of the question and answer systematically without going out of point.
Brainstorm ideas from different perspectives easily and quickly for a balanced argument.
Structure your paragraphs, organise your thoughts and elaborate on points with ease.
Make your arguments more coherent and persuasive.
Incorporate relevant examples at appropriate parts of your argument to sufficiently support your stand. (No more memorising content just for the sake of memorising)
Pick out the correct clues and points from the comprehension passage to provide accurate and complete answers, especially for the Application Question (AQ).
Exam strategies to maximise the limited time in the exam, especially for Paper 2.
Be more productive and effective when studying GP because all the relevant content and how they should be strategically used in essays and AQ have been summarised into bite-sized portions for ease of reference.
Overcome your psychological barriers and feel confident on the day of the exams for Papers 1 & 2.
And ultimately, achieve your A for JC GP!
Using EduEdge’s unique techniques and strategies, 82.7% of Our Students Achieved A / B For Their A-Level GP!
Stressed Out And Feeling Like You Can’t Cope With GP? Our GP Language Specialists Are Here to Give You Personal Attention and Support.
