Month: December 2021

Top 5 Junior Colleges in Singapore – Cut Off Points for JC in 2022

Posted on by thelearningspace.sg
Cut Off Points for JC in 2022

 

The 2021 GCE O-Level results is scheduled to be released somewhere between Wednesday, 12 January and Friday, 14 January 2022. Some students are thinking of entering Polytechnics, others are hoping to go to Junior Colleges. For students who are thinking of entering Junior Colleges, it is important to know consider your options carefully. 

What should you do after you received your O’levels results?

Your form teachers will hand you a JAE (Joint Admissions Exercise) booklet and this booklet will provide more information on entry to JC, Millennia Institute, Polytechnics and ITEs. 

What is the admission criteria for Junior College?

To qualify for a Junior College, you need to have an aggregate of no more than 20. (L1R5) Your L1 can be English or Higher Language Mother Tongue (MTL) and you need to add a R1 (which can come from Any 1 of these subjects: Humanities, Higher Art, Higher Music, Malay (Special Programme), Chinese (Special Programme), Bahasa Indonesia, R2 will be a Math or Science subject and R3 can be another science subject or the subjects in R1, the R4 and R5 can be any O’levels subjects except Religious Knowledge. 

Advertisements

Click here for link to JAE admissions website. 

So you got 20 and below for L1R5, now what?

The first question that pops in your head will be “What are the cut-off points for Junior Colleges in 2022?” This information has yet be to be released and vary from year to year. However, most students will take reference from the cut off points from the previous year as an indicator of their standing. This is a relatively good gauge because most JC maintain their “rankings” for the past few years, with exception of Eunoia Junior College. EJC whose cut off points in 2018 was 10, 11, on par with Temasek Junior College but in 2021, Eunoia Junior College’s cut off point shoot up to 7 (same as traditionally top colleges like Victoria Junior College and National Junior College). This is not surprising, given the fact that the dominant student base of EJC hails from IP schools like Catholic High, Singapore Chinese Girls and CHIJ St Nicholas Girls. 

What are the top 5 Junior Colleges in Singapore?

The top 5 or actually 6 junior colleges (three JCs share the same cut off points) in Singapore ranked according to their cut off points is presented below. The JC Cut Off Points in 2021 (according to MOE) for the top five junior colleges are all unsurprisingly below ten. They include:

  1. Hwa Chong Institution (Cut off Points for Science 4, Art 5)
  2. Raffles Institution (Cut off Points for Science 4, Art 5)
  3. Nanyang Junior College (Cut off Points for Science 6, Art 6)
  4. Eunoia Junior College, National Junior College (Cut off Points for Science 7, Art 8)
  5. Victoria Junior College (Cut off Points for Science 7, Art 8)

How do you choose a Junior College that suits you? 

We interviewed our students from different JCs and this is what they have to say.

1) CCA

“I was lucky enough to get my top choices. I was considering RI and HCI as my first choices, but I ended up choosing RI because of my CCA. Through the help of my seniors, I went for a CCA tryout session at RI and found out more their CCAs, training programme et cetera. I was also attracted by the “prestige” of the RI name.” said Zarmin, Year 5 student from RI 

Advertisements

2) Family Influence

“My dad was from ACJC and he met my mother there. Naturally, it was their first choice for me since I was from ACS and all.” said Christopher Gomez, Graduate from ACJC. 

3) School Culture 

“I chose VJ over HCI even though I could qualify for both due to the school culture. I felt that for some reason, VJC’s performing arts culture beckons to me more and it helps that my friends were going there too. ” said Tan JY, who chose the drama elective programme in VJC.

It is paramount to note that the cut-off points do not reflect the quality of the JCs and their programmes. Going to top ranking colleges do not promise top A’Levels results. In fact, top colleges give students more independence and ‘free rein’ compared to the middle or lower ranking colleges. According to MOE and SEAB, “(they) encourage students to continue choosing JCs based on each school’s distinctive programmes, CCAs (co-curricular activities) and school culture – factors that can further develop their strengths and interests,”. 

Advertisements

What happens if I cannot make it to the top 5 Junior Colleges?

Que será, será, whatever will be, will be. Fortunately, your choice of a Junior College will not define you. Going to a “lower tiered” junior college, going MI or taking A’levels as a private candidate, ultimately leads you to A’levels and your future depends on yourself. Take heart, the outrageously talented Asian Comedian from The Daily Show, Ronny Chieng was a graduate from Pioneer Secondary School and Pioneer Junior College. He eventually took a law degree in Australia and is currently working side by side with top comedians like Trevor Noah. Kid, The world is your oyster. 

Whatever JC you choose, the ultimate challenge of A’Levels awaits in less than two years. To help you prepare effectively for your A’levels, we are offering a one time trial of just $60 for all Year 5 or JC 1 students (Usual Price $90 per lesson valid till 30 June 2022) for our General Paper Online Tuition. You will gain access to our team of top JC Tutors and Lecturers, receive model essays and exclusive notes. Whatsapp or email us today. For existing secondary students who are keen to continue GP tuition with us, you will enjoy a special discount for our GP classes, watch out for our eDM in January 2022. 

Click here to find out more about H1, H2 and H3 subjects at A’Levels

 

 

Advertisements

Useful Editing Tips for Secondary O’Levels English 

Posted on by thelearningspace.sg

GRAMMAR QUIZ: 
Should you say “I am wearing an or a uniform.” ?

Read on for the answer below. 
When do you use An or A?
Simply put, you use ‘An’ when initials sound a e i o u. In uniform ‘u’ sounds like ‘you’ which starts with ‘y’ not ‘u’ sound like the one in an umbrella. Hence a uniform is correct.’
How can you improve on your Editing? 
In O’levels English Paper 1 (1128), Editing is a weighty section worth 10 marks. Many students are unable to score a good grade for this section because they may not be familiar with some key rules of grammar. Read on for some quick tips for editing and common preposition mistakes. 

To get professional help for English Tuition in Singapore, reach out to us and our team of tutors (MOE Trained Teachers, Full Time Tutors and University Undergrads) today. For a limited time, you can get a trial lesson for online Secondary English Tuition at just $40 onwards.  

Tips for Editing at O’Levels

(i) Prepositions of Time 

When do you use ‘In’ , ‘On’ and ‘At’ ?

In

  • Parts of days

Morning / Afternoon

E.g. It is 7am in the morning. 

  • Months

E.g. My birthday is in July

  • Years

E.g. I was born in the year 2005.

  • Centuries 

E.g. As we usher in the 21st Century …

On

  • Holidays that end with ‘day’

E.g. I was born on National Day.

  • Days of the week

E.g. I forgot that my homework was due on Monday. 

  • Days of the month 

E.g. Singapore’s National Day is on 9th August.

  • Dates 
At

  • Holidays without ‘day’ (Lunar New Year, Deepavali) 

E.g. I am always busy at Deepavali because I have many relatives to visit. 

  • Time (Midnight, Noon, 10am, 1pm) 

E.g.  I am going to meet my best friend for lunch at 1.30pm. 

Prepositions of Place >>  in, on, and at.

In

    • Neighbourhoods

    E.g. I live in Clementi 

    • Cities

    E.g. I work in London

    • Countries

    (China)

    E.g. My family lives in China 

On

    • Streets, Avenues

    E.g. I live on the Sixth Avenue 

    • Islands

    I live on Sentosa Island

    1. Large Vehicles or surfaces 

    E.g. Train, Bus, Ship

    E.g. I lost my wallet on the train 

At

    • Addresses

     

    E.g. I live at 210 Riverdale Street 

    1. Specific Location 

    E.g. I am at home now

For a limited time only, we are offering a special promotion for Secondary 1 to 5 O’levels Express Online Tuition at just $40 for one class (50% off). You will gain access to notes and coaching by our team of ex and current MOE Teachers. Whatsapp us or email us today.

Advertisements

What are my options after taking N’Levels?

Posted on by thelearningspace.sg

How do I get into a polytechnic after my N’Levels? What are my options?

Option 1. Apply to a Polytechnic via DPP

According to the Ministry of Education, N’level students can go for the Direct-Entry-Scheme to Polytechnic Programme (DPP). This is one of the two Normal (Academic) through-train pathways that were launched in 2013. It enables Secondary 4 N(A) students who are interested to go to Polytechnic but may not be meeting their academic targets as yet, to be admitted directly into a 2-year Higher Nitec programme at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) without having to sit for the O-Level examinations or undergo a Nitec programme.

Students would then need to complete the course with the minimum required Grade Point Average (GPA, typically around 2.5 to qualify for Polytechnic Admission) so that they can be guaranteed a place in a polytechnic diploma course which in turn will be mapped to their Higher Nitec course.

Advertisements

Who can apply ?

Secondary 4 N(A) students who have taken the most recent N-Level examinations as a school candidate. The DPP application starts right after receiving the N’levels results and will go on for around a week or so. Students can find out more by clicking this link. The posting results will typically be released after Christmas.

How do I know if I can go for DDP?

 According to MOE, Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students who scored an aggregate of not more than 19 points in English language, mathematics and the best three subjects, and at least a Grade 5 for all subjects used in the computation of this five-subject score, can apply for the Direct Entry Scheme to Polytechnic Programme (DPP). Students can also enter the PFP (Poly foundation Programme) which is a year long foundation programme conducted at polytechnics which serve to prepare students for entry to diploma courses. Students need to pass all the modules in the PFP programme to move on to a diploma course in polytechnic.  

 

Option 2: Continue to Secondary 5

Why should your child continue to promote to Sec 5? In 2021, over 79.2 per cent of the close to 9500 candidates were able to move on to Sec 5. Students who wish to go to Junior Colleges or Millennia Institute(three year Pre University course) will typically choose this route. 

Advertisements

What are the advantages and disadvantages of going to Secondary 5?

 

Advantages of going Sec 5

  1. Students will still stand a chance to continue their aspirations of going to a Junior College or taking the A’Levels.
  2. Secondary 5 helps to buy time. It is the most direct route for students to pursue when they are still uncertain of their career options. Entering a polytechnic when you are not certain of what course you want can potentially result in three years of ‘hell and misery’, although for some, having a new social circle may mitigate this. 
Disadvantages of going Sec 5
1) You have to relearn the O’levels syllabus in just one year or less. Unless you have the help of a qualified tutor, it will be extremely challenging to take on the O’levels on your own. The syllabus are largely different and students have to re-learn many subjects. 
2) What if you fail the O’levels?
Some students who have gone on to Secondary 5, realised the leap in academic expectations and simply cannot manage the stress and subjects. Having just taken the N’levels last year and to pursue another major National Levels such as O-Levels so soon is a potentially tedious process, especially in this pandemic.

With the release of O-levels results, happening on 10 January 2022, more N’levels students and their O’levels counterparts will be facing this beckoning conundrum. Whether it’s polytechnic or to continue with Secondary 5, students are well advised to attend virtual open houses and go for career fairs in order to obtain an inkling of their career directions.

Our team of qualified tutors and MOE trained teachers are standing by to give students academic support and strategies. From now till 31 January, all O’levels and N’Levels 2021 candidates are eligible to sign up for our online English and Math tuition courses at just $40 (usual price $60) for a trial lesson. 
Advertisements
The Learning Space