Month: September 2022

IB chemistry has garnered a reputation as one of the most challenging and rigorous IB courses. However, it is still achievable for anyone to score well on the exam if they have done their homework. After all, good grades cannot be achieved overnight; they require a solid foundation to build on.

So if you are fretting over how your child can prepare for their IB chemistry exam, worry not. We are here to help! Let us share several excellent tips to aid your child in passing their test with flying colours.

Tip #1: Establish any gaps in your child’s knowledge

Your child must possess a solid foundation of basic chemistry concepts to score well for the IB chemistry exam. This is because various questions in the exam paper require students to have an in-depth understanding of the underlying concepts to answer them correctly. Surface-level comprehension of the materials is not going to cut it.

We recommend looking through the IB chemistry syllabus with your child to establish the gaps in their knowledge. Subsequently, you can encourage them to clarify any doubts or queries they have on their weaker topics with their chemistry teacher or tutor to ensure these gaps are addressed.

Additionally, do not neglect to scope through the IB chemistry guide, as it is paramount for your child’s success in the subject. This guide provides an overview of the syllabus and the crucial topics your child should focus on during revision.

Tip #2: Devise a suitable revision plan

Once you have established the gaps in your child’s knowledge, it is much easier to devise a suitable revision plan to tackle the IB chemistry syllabus. Naturally, you will want to focus on your child’s weaker topics first so that they have sufficient time to brush up on their knowledge before the exam.

Do not forget to schedule adequate breaks in between each revision session to ensure your child gets enough rest. While it is tempting to maximise the number of hours for revision, cramming is often ineffective and achieves the opposite effects. This practice places tremendous stress on the brain, causing it to overwork, resulting in fatigue, frustration, and confusion, which is hardly conducive to studying.

Tip #3: Regular practice

When your child has a firmer grasp of the IB chemistry syllabus, you can consider providing them with mock exam papers to practise. It is essential to expose your child to practice questions from past exam papers so that they have a better understanding of whether they are well-prepared for the exam and the sorts of questions to expect during the actual test.

We also recommend timing your child’s practice sessions to check if they can finish the paper promptly. Many students often lack proper time management, causing them to struggle to complete the entire exam paper, thereby affecting their grades significantly. Replicating real exam scenarios during your child’s practice sessions allows them to learn how to manage their time properly and check if they can finish the paper on time consistently.

Subsequently, review each practice paper with your child and compare their answers with the marking scheme. This way, your child can take note of what they are doing correctly and what things are missing in their responses. As a result, they have a clearer idea of what to include in their answers when tackling similar questions in the future.

Tip #4: Enrol your child in IB chemistry tuition classes

Yes! It may seem obvious, but enrolling your child in IB chemistry tuition can make a world of difference to their grades, especially with a reliable tutor offering guidance.

Most IB chemistry topics build on previously covered topics. Without a solid foundation, your child can find themselves miles behind their classmates. An experienced tutor can work with your child and help them brush up on their weaker topics so that your child does not fall behind schedule.

Your child can also clarify any question with their tutor if they do not understand a particular concept in class. Since most IB chemistry tuition classes feature smaller group sizes, the tutor can dedicate more time and attention to explaining the chemistry concepts in detail so that students better grasp the syllabus.

Scoring 7 points for IB chemistry SL/HL is challenging but not impossible. With the adequate revision, your child can achieve their goal of performing well in their IB chemistry exam. And as parents, you can play a part in helping your child too! If you notice your child is struggling with the subject, you can enrol them in an IB chemistry tuition class in Singapore to help them cope with the syllabus.

At Studious Minds, our tutor, Mr Alex Toh, is well-versed in the IB chemistry syllabus and possesses over 10 years of experience guiding various local and international students to excel in the subject. As such, you can rest easy knowing your child is in assured hands. Do not hesitate to contact us today if you are interested to learn more about our IB chemistry programme.

Additional Mathematics (A Math) is a fun but challenging subject. Many students often struggle with the more complex concepts introduced in this subject initially. This learning curve has undoubtedly led to some levels of frustration among students taking their Sec 3 A maths or O-level A maths exams. 
However, acing an A maths exam need not be a daunting prospect. With adequate preparation, it is possible for your child to perform well for their exams. If you are wondering what else your child can do to obtain a good grade beyond enrolling for additional maths tuition in Singapore, fret not! Let us share five helpful study tips to ensure your child is sufficiently prepared for their A maths tests.

Tip #1: Practice makes perfect

Everyone is familiar with the adage, “Practice makes perfect”. And this saying is especially appropriate when it comes time for your child to revise for their A maths exams. Identifying and understanding which techniques to utilise when tackling the questions is crucial to solving them.

To achieve this, your child must be familiar with tackling all sorts of maths problems. When they fully understand the questions, it improves the odds of them performing well for their exams. An excellent way to achieve this is for your child to tackle past A maths exam papers from established schools teaching O-level A maths. The O-level A maths ten-year series, in particular, is an excellent revision tool. 

Tip #2: Focus on the fundamentals

The mathematical concepts that students learn from a young age served as the foundation upon which the more advanced maths concepts build. This is why students with weak fundamentals often struggle to cope with the subject as they progress through the semester. And this is no different for O-level A maths.

If your child only has a cursory knowledge of the fundamental A maths topics, it won’t be a surprise to find them struggling with the advanced topics. Therefore, you should ensure that your child has the basics down pat. However, this is not something that can be left to the last minute. Your child must be diligent in their practice and revise their fundamental knowledge regularly. 

Tip #3: Encourage your child to ask questions

Asking questions in class is one of the best ways for students to clear their doubts. However, we understand that some students are hesitant about asking questions in class because they fear their queries may appear silly.

If your child feels the same way, assure them there is nothing embarrassing about clarifying their doubts. In fact, every teacher appreciates their students asking questions during lesson time.

Alternatively, you can encourage them to clarify their doubts when they attend their O-level A maths tuition classes. Tuition classes generally contain a smaller group of students, which makes it easier for the tutor to clarify their questions in detail. Your child can even approach their tutor via WhatsApp if they have any urgent queries.

Tip #4: Memorise the formulae

While A maths exam papers come with a formula sheet, it only contains the basic formulae. Students are still expected to memorise the additional formulae and apply them to the relevant questions. If the student fails to recall the equations, they cannot solve the following problems, costing them precious points. 

Naturally, everyone has their unique ways of memorising things. Some students prefer writing the formulae down to help internalise them; others choose to read them aloud to ingrain them into memory. The best method for your child will likely depend on which category of the VARK model they belong to.

Another tip to boost your child’s memory is to teach them some reliable memory techniques. For example, they can relate a formula to a story, with each section of the equation representing one part of the story. Memorising this narrative will enable them to recall the formula during their exams more easily.

Tip #5: Avoid cramming

Some students procrastinate and wait till the last minute to revise for their O-level A maths exam. Meanwhile, others continue studying well into the night because they are concerned that they are not well-prepared. Whatever the reasons for burning the midnight oil, cramming should be avoided. 

A lack of sleep will make it challenging for your child to focus during their exams. They will also struggle to recall the knowledge they have worked so hard to accrue. Therefore, you should ensure that your child goes to bed early the night before their exam so that they are well-rested.

While it is true that regular practice is essential in performing better on one’s maths tests, there is a difference between frequent revision and cramming. A balance is needed to avoid your child burning out. 

An excellent study tip you can consider is to encourage your child to allocate around 30 minutes of their day to tackle several A maths questions. This way, they can avoid cramming and still expose themselves to a variety of different maths problems, thus allowing them to be more prepared for their O-level A Maths exams.

While there is no surefire way to ace an A maths exam, adequate preparation can improve one’s chances of success. So if your child wants to do well for their A maths exam, they must start early and revise regularly. If you notice that your child is struggling with the subject, you can do your part by enrolling them in an additional maths tuition class in Singapore. 

At Studious Minds, we are aware that many students struggle with A maths. Therefore, we develop a course syllabus that will allow our students to better grasp the concepts taught in O-level A maths. If you are interested to learn more about our programmes, do not hesitate to contact us today.

Does your child demonstrate excellent maths aptitude in their schoolwork but fail to perform well during their exams? In that case, they may be dealing with the dreaded silent killer we term careless mistakes.

For your child, nothing is more frustrating than losing precious marks due to a careless mistake, especially when they have studied diligently for the test. Equally, as their parent, you are also anxious since you do not want your child’s hard work to be wasted.

So is there a way for students to avoid careless mistakes during their maths exams? The answer is a resounding yes! Read on to learn how you can help your child avoid these dreaded errors during their exams, perhaps turning their ‘B’ into an ‘A’.

Tip #1: Practice makes perfect

Learning maths is a lot like riding a bicycle; it is about repetition. This is why our tutors always emphasise the importance of regular practice to the students attending our O-level maths tuition classes. When your child practises their maths skills regularly, the concepts and methodologies are reinforced in their brain, allowing them to recall their knowledge during exams better.

By providing your child with periodic assessments, they improve their skills at solving the common maths problems that appear during their exams, increasing their chances of scoring an ‘A’. Furthermore, it allows them to identify the common mistakes they make during practice so that they can avoid making the same errors during a test.

Tip #2: Ensure your child’s handwriting is legible

It is natural for your child to feel like they are racing against the clock when taking their maths test. In their rush, they may end up scribbling their calculations on their exam paper. Subsequently, when they move on to the next step, they misread their previous computation, leading to a careless mistake.

In fact, this is an error that our tutors frequently notice when they review their students’ work. Therefore, we always advise students attending our O-level maths tuition classes to maintain legible handwriting – whether it is for their schoolwork or during an exam. This is also for the examiner’s sake. If they cannot comprehend a student’s handwriting, they cannot award method marks even if it is applicable.

Tip #3: Advise your child to check their work regularly

When students rush through their maths papers, they increase their chances of making careless mistakes. Therefore, we always advise the students attending our O-level maths tuition lessons to check their work after completing the exam questions. And this advice is something your child should keep in mind as well.

Doing so can help eliminate many common careless mistakes. For example, many students make the rudimentary error of failing to present the correct unit of measurement stated in an exam question. If the maths problem requires students to convert their answers from litre to millilitre, failing to comply with this requirement will cost your child precious marks. Such mistakes are easily identifiable upon a review.

Tip #4: Avoid skipping too many steps at once

In their rush to solve a problem, many students opt to use mental arithmetic rather than write everything down on the exam paper to save time. However, it is easy to make a mistake or lose focus midway through one’s calculation, especially if the problem involves multiple steps and equations.

Our tutors do not recommend that the students attending our O-level maths tuition lessons attempt mental arithmetic during exams. Instead, we always advise them to write everything down on the exam paper, even for simple calculations. This also makes it easier for them to check their work and see if their answers add up since every step is meticulously jotted down for reference.

At the end of the day, your child can attend their O-level maths tuition classes diligently and still obtain a poor grade due to careless mistakes. Therefore, it is essential for you to instil in your child a habit of checking their work. Eventually, this routine becomes second nature to your child, which will hopefully minimise the number of careless mistakes they make in their maths tests.

However, eliminating careless mistakes is only one-half of the equation. Your child still requires a deep understanding of the maths syllabus to do well in their exams. If you notice that your child is struggling with the subject, do not hesitate to enrol them in our tuition centre.

At Studious Minds, we offer a comprehensive O-level maths tuition programme in Singapore, covering every level of secondary school maths, including O-level A maths tuition. Do not hesitate to contact us today to enquire about our class schedules.

It is natural for parents to want their children to succeed in everything they do, especially at school. After all, academic results are often seen as a crucial indicator of success. Your child might even have expectations of how well they should perform during their O-level chemistry exam. While these expectations are well-intentioned, they can place additional pressure on your child.

When your child fails to live up to these expectations, they may feel like they have let you down. As a result, they get distraught and place added stress on themselves, which can have negative consequences. When this happens, you should step in as a parent to comfort and support them.

Why parental support is essential in a child’s learning journey

Learning extends beyond the classroom. With your support and guidance, your child develops a strong understanding of the curriculum, helping them better prepare for their exams. Of course, our education curricula are constantly evolving. What we learned in our school years may not apply to our children’s education. So if you are unfamiliar with your child’s study materials, you can offer support in other forms. For example, if your child is struggling with their O-level chemistry, you can enrol them in O-level chemistry tuition to brush up on their fundamentals.

Your unconditional support – whatever form it may take – is essential in helping your child develop a positive attitude towards learning. When your child is eager to learn, they are more likely to demonstrate self-discipline and dedicate their time to revisions without your reminders. Your child’s self-esteem is also bolstered when they understand you will be there for them when they require your support.

How can I help my child cope with poor exam performance?

1. Remain calm and objective

Some parents associate poor test results with a lack of dedication or poor application. However, that may not always be the case. Factors, including test anxiety, poor understanding of the subject, and stress, can contribute to poor exam performance. Therefore, you should speak with your child to discover the reasons for their poor results.

It is essential for you to remain calm and objective during the conversation. Reacting negatively to your child’s poor performance can affect their self-worth. Harsh words and criticism will only make your child more reluctant to talk to you. Instead, let them know that while you disapprove of their poor grade, you still love them very much and want to help them perform better. This way, you foster a positive environment where your child feels comfortable approaching you for anything.

2. Set reasonable expectations for your child

Everyone is unique, and not every child has a natural aptitude for chemistry. Therefore, it is crucial for you to understand your child’s strengths and weaknesses and set realistic expectations accordingly. This places less pressure on your child.

For example, if your child struggles with O-level chemistry, you should be realistic and not expect them to score an ‘A’ for every chemistry test. Nevertheless, you should still encourage them to try their best to obtain a good grade.

Additionally, never compare your child’s exam performance with their classmates. Doing so only results in poor self-esteem. Place yourself in their shoes. Would you like it if your child compared you to other parents? Of course not!

3. Help your child develop good study habits

Is your child obtaining poor grades despite their constant revisions? In that case, you might want to monitor how they approach their studies. Are they constantly drifting off in the midst of their study sessions? Or perhaps the mnemonic techniques they utilise to remember their O-level chemistry formulas are not working? If so, a change in study routine or approach may yield better results.

However, it is also essential to strike a balance between study and leisure time. Spending too much time on their studies can have the opposite effect on your child, as fatigue makes it challenging for them to absorb the material. Your child should also avoid burning the midnight oil, especially the night before their exams. Instead, they should head to bed early to ensure they are well rested for their tests. A good breakfast is also recommended to get the brain working at its peak.

At the end of the day, your child should understand that their exam results are not the be-all and end-all of their existence. This mentality will only place unnecessary pressure on themselves. Let your child know that while you wish for them to succeed in their studies, failure does not diminish your love for them.

Your support can also come in various forms. If you notice your child is struggling with a particular chemistry topic, you can consider enrolling them in secondary chemistry tuition classes in Singapore. A reliable tuition centre, like Studious Minds, can provide your child with the guidance they need to ace their chemistry exams. Do not hesitate to contact us today if you are interested to learn more about our programmes, including IB chemistry and O-level chemistry tuition.