books,studies and tea

helloooo this year i’ve written very little notes but here’s some singapore characteristics for those that are taking GP!

i think also, if your narrative writing is strong, you should practice it a lot more! don’t just choose argumentative because there’s an obvious flow of logic etc because everyone choose argumentative, causing everyone’s compo to look roughly the same in the eyes of the examiner. creative freedom is something that can’t be replicated so if you write narrative you’re most likely to stand out and give the examiners a fresh essay to mark! and also, narrative questions can be swapped very easily. for example, i can write a compo about my biggest setback and what i learnt from it. the same compo can roughly fit the question, “what is your proudest moment”. yes the keywords changes and the question demands are different, but the flow of the story can still stay the same! hence, i think practicing with a few narrative compo and really learn how to write descriptively will be very beneficial :)

paper 1 is genuinely one of my favourite papers to do because it feels like a private yap session, except im writing instead of talking. content is #1 though, followed by grammar. i dont have that great of a vocabulary, if i had i would be using many other words in the right now. i know some big words i picked up from model essays but i wouldnt use them because it's worse if i used them wrongly. so dont be too caught up in using "good words/phrases" like "ubiquitous" or "precipice", its genuinely more on your ability to express what you should be expressing. if you care about literary devices though, those are great. i cannot come up with metaphors on the spot however, so i just give those up. if all else fails, a simple rule of 3 is actually good enough to be impressive. ("this tele channel is more than a place for social connections, its more than a place for us to just listen to dakys rants and advice, its more than a place to turn to when were bored, it is our virtual home, a place for you and me") paper 2: not gonna lie i suck at this part, consistent 1/5 for visual text LMAO, but just practice as much as you can

english tips!! contrary to popular belief, olevel english is actually MUCH easier than you think. it's actually quite skills-based so don't believe those people who tell you that you dont have to study english just because you speak it every day general: - read widely, it doesnt matter what you read honestly, as long as it increases your exposure to the language (so that your writing becomes more natural), and boosts your understanding of topics (i read mothership articles because i hate reading and mothership gives me short, easily digestible content to read) - use proper english more often, this looks like taking the effort to type and speak grammatically correct sentences, reducing the use of Singlish, using complete sentences etc. being used to speaking in broken english doesnt help at all for your oral, and itll only be evem worse when you cannot identify mistakes in editing since you would've made the same mistakes as well paper 1: - do grammar practices if you can; editing is usually where i score at because ive learnt and memorised grammar rules since primary school. but ive known people who have no idea what sva or perfect tense is, but still do decently well because theyre so used to english (through reading extensively) that they know instantly when somethinf "sounds wrong". if you ask me, memorising grammar rules is less dry and time consuming, but if you dont mind reading and youre lazy to relearn the rules and do grammar mcqs, by all means just read more - some common mistakes though: 1. perfect tenses ( do, did, done are present, past, and perfect tenses respectively) ALWAYS follow has/have/had. had done, have eaten, had sung (most people would use past tense instead, like she had sang a song when it should be she had sung a song) 2. behind a modal should ALWAYS be the root form of a verb. modals are words like will, shall, can, must, so its will eat, shall drive, can do, must do (as opposed to must done) 3. noun vs verb, i didnt know they could do this, but sometimes they can give you the word practice and have you correct it to practise, or advice and advise; the one with the C is a noun, and the one with the S is a verb - for sit writing: always remember PAC 1. Purpose -- this is where you ensure you ANSWER ALL THE POINTERS. read the question, roughly jot down the answers to the pointers, and section your essay such that each paragraph answers each pointer. if you have the tendency to miss out a point, literally repeat the question (if the pointer is "2 activities you would like to take part in", just write "the activies i would like to take part in are ...). 2. Audience and Context -- i put this together because i think these are more to do with language, as opposed to content. know who youre writing to and imagine actually sending your essay to them --- would you go "dear john, i am writing to request for your opinion on an important issue." to your best friend? would you write "so, why should we consider this event?" when writing a proposal to your teacher in charge? rhetorical questions, and exclamation marks are usually for when your audience is someone of the same status as you (students). when writing to someone of a higher status (principal, teacher), use words like "i would appreciate..., i am immensely grateful..., i sincerely hope that...", to express respect and formality - for essay: always remember to PLAN YOUR ESSAY. if youre writing discursive/argumentative essays, and you run out of statistics as examples, know that you do have valid, widely known anecdotes that you can use to illustrate your point. 2024 olevel english for example had a question on social media, and one of my points was on the misuse of social media to cyberbully others. now i obviously didn't bother to memoriae a stat on the number of cyberbullying cases being on the rise, but i used the example of nikocado avocado (whom i would assume we all know) to bring across the point. tldr you got the dog in you, you just have to find it

ENGLISH TIPS 1. READING: i always believe reading is smt vv impt when i comes to english. Cus reading not only helps u with ur grammar errors (editing) but it also helps you learn vocabulary words (compre and writing) sometimes even 5min of reading everyday can improve ur english gradually !! be self discipline and u will be able to achieve it. (also recommend to read news papers) 2. PRACTICE: i think practice for english is rlly helpful. even like a compre a week wld make a huge change in ur grades. cus through that u will start noticing patterns, and u will grasp the various answering technics. 3. USAGE OF MODEL ESSAY: when reading some model essays ur teachers gave, highlight impt phrase or “sexy” vocab like just one or two and take note of it!! after that take note of those vocab and use it for ur next essay practice. trust me by the time o levels come u will have a huge english glossary of good words n phrases in ur head:) 4. PLS PLS PLS ASK UR CHER: sometimes chers know what u need and what to do cus they know what standard u are at. I asked my eng cher abt eng advice and she gave me specific tips that rlly help improve it drastically:)) soooo yaaa 5. PRAC PRI SCH 😭: as much as it sounds weird. if ur grammar is rlly bad esp for editing it’s time to go back to the basics and do some eng psle paper (esp the editing, cloze passage, grammar mcq part) from there slowly build up ur eng foundation!! 6. always ask yourself why and how: sometimes compre qns pmo cus i can’t always hit the keywords 😔 and lowkey i realise we can answer the qn well only if we continuously asking ourselves why and how!! it helps w ur thought process:))

PSA for Students (both pre-uni and uni)! 🎓 • The latest inter-university Graduate Employment Survey (GES) has just been released! This shows the starting pay for different degrees. For pre-uni students, this may help you set goals, and for current uni students, it may help you understand your prospects and negotiate salaries with employers. NUS: https://www.moe.gov.sg/-/media/files/post-secondary/ges-2024/web-publication-nus-ges-2024.ashx NTU: https://www.moe.gov.sg/-/media/files/post-secondary/ges-2024/web-publication-ntu-ges-2024.ashx SMU: https://www.moe.gov.sg/-/media/files/post-secondary/ges-2024/web-publication-smu-ges-2024.ashx SUSS: https://www.moe.gov.sg/-/media/files/post-secondary/ges-2024/web-publication-suss-ges-2024.ashx SUTD: https://www.moe.gov.sg/-/media/files/post-secondary/ges-2024/web-publication-sutd-ges-2024.ashx SIT: (to be updated) ------------ Other useful platforms and resources: Student deals/discounts (us! 🤩): @ThisCounted Forums for all students (you can also ask school-based or admissions questions): Reddit - r/SGexams , r/NUS, r/NTU, r/SMU_Singapore, r/SingaporePoly Telegram (academic/non-academic) - @sgStudentConfess Academic resources for pre-uni students (compilation by others): For school past year papers — "Holy Grail" for school papers: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gC6GQLgcuoHzwDXtEGzTwvzCz0YsYuwg For FREE notes — O Level (diff subjects): HERE H2 Chem: HERE H2 Physics: HERE General Paper: HERE and HERE Others: HERE - Poly: “Four Blind Mice” https://fbm.exams.sg - Forward this to your friends! By @ThisCounted 😇

useful channels for jc! gp gpgenie: https://t.me/+tSOxkWs0CSMyOTI1 chem rpboost: https://t.me/+iVReCfut3khkYTQ1 bright culture A level: https://t.me/brightculturealevels physics TGC academy: https://t.me/tgcacademy maths paradigm jc: https://t.me/paradigmjcmaths econs etg: https://t.me/etgecons (there’s gp also) news (other than cna, st etc) straits time bot: https://t.me/straits_times_newsie_bot

FOR THE CHINESE PART ik I'm not supposed to be sharing tips esp when I'm barely passing.. but something I've started incorporating into my daily routine recently is reading zbschools, sec 1-3 textbooks and news articles online. i started doing this only bc my senior told me to and I actually started to see some differences in the way I phrase my sentences in chinese now this is more of a slow and gradual process, just one article a day before gg to bed is good enough and once you start building this habit I'm pretty sure your chinese will start to improve a wee bit 😃😃 okay that's all I'm gg to sleep now pls wish me luck for my ss wa thank yew

TIPS FOR O LEVELS STUDENTS THIS YEAR FROM A SENIOR ik this year is an important year for the S4 this year. So i just wanna say some few tips for the o level peeps here.. IM NOT THE BRIGHTEST KID BUT THERE R some things i regret doing/ not doing 🔥AND SOME THAT HELPED ME🔥 and im gna share some of my exp from os grinding. 1. for english.. START NOW!! English takes time to improve so it’s best to focus on eng now since there is 8 months left. it’s short but it’s not too late. Eng will also be ur first paper so just START NEOWWWW. 2. ENGLISH RELATED AGAIN. read 5min a day, it’s abt self discipline it rlly improves ur english!! i rmb reading for four months straight daily for 5min. my WA1 grade improved significantly… but i stopped after that n my grade dropped again (don’t be like me huhu) 🫡🫡 3. for any subjects (esp math and sci) JUST ASKKKK, be that type of student who won’t leave their seat to go home until they understand what they learn that day. after u understand, recap at home (spend at least 45min recapping everything u learnt) 4. some of yall struggle w chinese and dw i was in ur shoes.. for exp chinese prelim i got C5/B4 and o level i got A2. What i did in the one month was grind the WHOLE ASS TYS, all 10 years completed. and u will notice there is a certain pattern.. 5. EXPOSUREEE ( for chinese) :THIS IS JUST A MINI ADD ON. my HCL I always F9 ok then suddenly o level C5. i told everyone i did “nth”, is tru.. i barely touched the TYS and the day before when i tried practicing my 短文填空, it was 1/5😀😀 SO I GAVE UP and prayed to God. However what i realise was, that month, i was watching a lot of chinese drama, reading 早报’s tele channel. i talked to all my friend in chinese, and ig thru that exposure it rlly improved my chinese bit by bit unknowingly:) AND SINCE YALL HAVE 8 months, u have the chance to expose urself even more than me:)) so do it 6. SS/Hist. C6 prelim to B3 o levels😝😝 SOURCE BASE CAN BE HARD:(( but this is the time to start practicing. it can easily just be two source base question a week and watch ur skills improve over time!!! 7. ASK AND PRACTICEEE. MATH (wah my best comeback in os) A math D7 prelim to A2 o level 🥰🥰 lowkey what i rlly regret doing is asking and practicing. Asking was mainly cus i feel like my qns were stupid but i realise they r not, no qn is stupid so just ask. practice is cus, i thought the hw cher gave me was enuf (it wasn’t) cus despite doing the hw, i couldn’t fully grasp on the concept yet. TRY to do extras qn from the hw cher gave u so u can fully understand the concept!! i didnt.. i just ignored it and wait until prelims then i was like: shit idk this n that, i forgot this n that. that’s when i started asking and practicing to get that A for o levels 😂😂 8. PRIORITIES. i think this wld be a struggle for me cus i have a lot of commitments. but i must say it didn’t affect my os, cus i know how to manage it😝 HOWEVER set ur eyes on the prize and the prize is doing well for o levels. u can go out after o levels (u frikin have a three month free time) hence just give ur all these 8 months. It’s not enuf time!! RUNWAY IS SHORT BUT U STILL HAVE TIME. DONT PROCRASTINATE ALR, EYE ON THE PRIZE

https://t.me/zaobao_news here's the zaobao tele channel link if uw to join!!

here’s a list of some local uni course pre-requisites for the j1s choosing their subj combi, the sec 2s who will choose theirs at the end of the year and the j2s of 2024 who will need it for their uni admissions! nus: https://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/docs/default-source/admissions/h1-h2-sdp.pdf ntu: https://www3.ntu.edu.sg/corpcomms2/releases/16%20May%202005%20Univ%20Adm%20Fwk%20under%20new%20A-level%20curriculum%20(Annex%20C).pdf smu: https://admissions.smu.edu.sg/admissions-requirements/singapore-cambridge-gce-levels sutd: https://www.sutd.edu.sg/admissions/undergraduate/singapore-cambridge-gce-a-level/criteria-for-admission/ suss: https://www.suss.edu.sg/full-time-undergraduate/admissions/eligibility sit: https://www.singaporetech.edu.sg/admissions/undergraduate/requirements/a-levels uas: https://uas.edu.sg/news-and-events/NewsDetails?title=askST%3A+What+do+you+need+to+apply+for+the+new+University+of+the+Arts%3F+What+are+the+career+prospects%3F+–+The+Straits+Times

🎉 Welcome to Junior College! 🎉 Feeling overwhelmed with all the information and choices as you begin JC1? You’re not alone. Join us for a special webinar designed just for you to help make sense of everything, ease your worries, and set you up for success in your JC journey! 🗓 Date: Saturday, 8 February 2025 🕒 Time: 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM 📍 Where: Online via Zoom Here’s what you’ll gain: ✅ Clear guidance on choosing your subject combinations ✅ Insider tips to excel in A Level Economics and other subjects ✅ Strategies to balance studies and life in JC ✅ A Q&A session to get all your burning questions answered This session is hosted by Mr Eugene Toh, founder of ETG, M.Sc Applied Economics (SMU), B.A. Economics (NUS), A Level Economics TYS and published Guidebook Author 📲 Join us by scanning the QR code or visiting tuitiongenius.com/exp for access to the webinar and more as part of the ETG Open House happening this week!

COMPILED JC & POLY GROUP CHATS (share w your friends!) Only join for your school’s chat: JC group chats JPJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LsND6nit9EAHQ84NpTQ8R7 TMJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kcj4JlqNbdP7hinB9Ih8Yi ACJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EBV6GzKxxCY7ZJcdIilr7E Raffles: https://chat.whatsapp.com/IiU7Md6bnB17x54VIEzyrA HCI: https://chat.whatsapp.com/ER7F1cGGHgZFOD6p0GEXGI RVHS: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FR9eeszaCawFJwAXL39Uyg ASRJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CjZKHyZRcBZJi5JfxAWIhQ YIJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EkZkdjO7VeS2jsVZojP3th CJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GewCHcPzlK2BzdMQzhNHZV EJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KmI0hUoCALd3s17G2jnnYy TJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hg1NUN44Zy7JVHo3EBlSYz DHS: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JURvIJniplACOQymVQTzhS NJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BFbmU4JBFGv6yv7zGmqJR1 NYJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BjxcGiX7gc0B339ymPH4Yn VJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Bj1z8b9DOUj4So35xFgz68 SAJC: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GSqP6p5FY3k4IePVpYgEjd MI: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CrQiaequBZmGi45LQDCs9s ACSI: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Ej8WEetfR3zKEZbH8iw2kX SJI: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Jm97Vk4mJqB0x1jUDaUmD3 ~~~~~~~~~~ Poly group chats Temasek Poly: https://t.me/TemasekPoly25 Nanyang Poly: https://t.me/NYP2025 Republic Poly: https://t.me/RepublicPoly2025 Singapore Poly: https://t.me/SingaporePoly2025 Ngee Ann Poly: https://t.me/NgeeAnnPoly25 Groups above compiled from #C7P7D37Q and #CHOFRPSB ! ALSO we have hit 1000 subs!! thanks for sharing @sgStudentConfess w ur friends as we continue to grow our community 💯 for those who just got JAE results, congrats!! rmb that every school is a good school and it isn’t the end of the road even if you didn’t get what you wanted 🛣️

[JC1 H2 Math Bridging Class] Hey Incoming J1s! 👋 H2 Math is a big jump from what you've been used to and getting a head start can make a huge difference in your JC Life! This Saturday, I will be covering: ⏰ Recap Important A Math Concepts ✨ Intro to H2 Maths Syllabus 💎 Key Principles & Study Tips to do well in JC and H2 Maths As always, I've prepared an amazing & meaningful session for you all :) Date: 18 Jan, Saturday Time: 8-9.30pm on Zoom Sign Up Link: https://bit.ly/J1H2Bridgingclass2025 It's been a while since our last crash course during O Levels! Can't wait to catch up and get you ready for JC! Love, Dylan ❤️

https://youtu.be/9VQNdGB7G_I?si=_xcYvLW7Or0XJYfB

https://youtu.be/9VQNdGB7G_I?si=_xcYvLW7Or0XJYfB

Study #method Of The Day Active Recall What is active recall? Active recall is a learning strategy whereby you actively stimulate your memory during the learning progress, actively and intentionally retrieving information by self-testing or other methods What forms does active recall show up as? Flashcards ~ self-testing Quizzes and practice tests ~ self-testing Summarising ~ close ties to the blurting method Teaching it to someone else (or pretending) ~ close ties to feynman method Why is active recall beneficial? This forces you to retrieve information from memory, which helps to strengthen the neural pathways responsible for storing the information. Using this, you are more likely to remember information long-term. What are some apps that help with this method? Anki & Quizlet ~ flashcards Knowt ~ insert a PDF or a powerpoint or ask the ai to generate flash cards also create notes from a video, PDF or a voice recording. - good for quizzes and tests Notability & Notes+ ~ summarising

if any of yall upper sec students take geog (pure/elect), here’s an essay bank that i kind of abandoned LOL but everything is 100% written by me okay! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-yWV2N3EkE0_NKqWOfGQcpx0Apg5ExI6QAYgbpTSJQQ/edit some of them are not finished and some are haphazardly done but out of the finished ones, my geog teacher, in addition to one of my friends, have marked the essays and okayed it :) feel free to reference them if u like and if uw me to help you out with any essays or continue one of the essays in the doc, my dms are always open :))

[5 Questions to ask during JC Open House] When I was a student, I visited the JC Open Houses with my friends.. not knowing what questions to ask.. we just wandered around aimlessly. BAD IDEA! ❌ Some of my friends made hasty decisions, picked the wrong JCs, and later regretted their choices. 😢 Questions you must ask! 🙋🏻‍♂️🙋‍♀️ 1. Do you offer XXXX Subj Combination? 2. What are the strengths of X Department (% A/B in A Levels) 3. What makes XJC different from ZJC? 4. Are there any special programmes in the area of XXX? 5. What support are there to help me achieve my aspirations of becoming XXX?