New L1R4 system for JC entry
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If fewer schools offer full Literature (which contains an additional Paper 2 on a Drama text), then I really weep for our local Performing Arts scene as well.
This was a play that I’d brought my son to watch, the performance of which was excellent. The subject content, very relatable for teens, and for parents - a lens into their teenager’s world.
It would have benefitted a whole generation of O level students to study this Lit text in school & have some soul-searching discussions on the themes. I am still crying.
“We are thrilled to learn that HARD MODE, written by Associate Artistic Director and playwright Faith Ng, will be offered as an examinable text for the GCE ‘O’ Levels Literature in English! It will be the sole Singapore text included in the 2028 syllabus for Paper 2: Drama.
We have always felt it crucial that our youth are immersed in our own narratives, language, and issues – and for them to see Singapore stories represented on an international stage. Having HARD MODE on the syllabus showcases an important voice of contemporary Singapore writing, and provides an entry point to Literature, English, and Drama that’s immediately relevant to all Singapore students.
We are incredibly proud of Faith, the entire Checkpoint Theatre team, and the HARD MODE creatives who have worked tirelessly to bring this original Singapore story to the stage, including director Claire Wong and dramaturg Huzir Sulaiman.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the National Arts Council for commissioning the work and to the Ministry of Education for taking this hugely significant step.
And thank you, dear audience, for the support you’ve shown this original Singapore story, allowing it to reach and touch the lives of many more young people, and for supporting the work we do at Checkpoint Theatre.”
(Quoted from Checkpoint Theatre’s Facebook page)
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I guess it would be even worse for the non-science kids that want to take 2 humanities (1 full and 1 split with ss). At the As, I guess you could take whichever one you took in upper sec, Econ, and then ELL? Or take a swing at History (if you took EL Lit in upper secondary)? If one didn’t take in upper secondary, I feel like History is probably easier than Lit to take at the As.
Computing probably has a large self-selection bias of kids that can already do most of the stuff. I don’t think that many schools have a full computing class in upper secondary (I believe many have modules or ways to gain some exposure).
I’m also for more breadth at the secondary level. Unfortunately, the focus tends to gravitate towards exam scoring or perceived stress/workload rather than actual learning/acquiring different skills/knowledge.
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One of my kids was from a Secondary School which made Literature a full compulsory, grade counting subject for all for years for IP kids. For O level kids, it is compulsory minimally as a half subject in upper Sec, and a full subject in lower Sec.
I was one of those who could not for the life of me understand why a School would stand by such a decision - shouldn’t it be to prioritize the L1R5 or overall grades of all their students at Sec 4? After all, Literature is subjective.
Or so I thought.
Gradually, I became a convert and now I hope the School can preserve this policy/tradition for as long as it can - though I know its hard as there will be many parents and kids who believe in choice and maximizing grades.
Every other subject taken in school that is examinable, is a language or a STEM subject, to build immediately ‘useful’ foundations or skills. But which subject at the Secondary School level allows one to explore human themes, emotions, situations? Which subject allows you to engage with the material to build empathy, draw connections between various points, and have you immersed in certain circumstances and settings? A single subject, even if you score a C5, will pull your L1R5 down unless it is your single humanities.
The engagement with reading and with text, goes a little further with taking Literature throughout Sec School.
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On a separate note, I feel that the creative arts scene in Singapore has come a very long way. Many people may not be aware of how far SingTheatre has come, and how high the sciptwriting standards and production standards have come. I would encourage families to watch a Wild Rice or Pangdemonium production - it makes for a great family outing. Hotel is particularly good and I believe Wild Rice is running it again this year.
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@doodbug I have not watched the more adult local theatre shows (yet) - waiting till my son reaches a more suitable age. But so far the local kids plays by SRT (Singapore Repertory Theatre) - they even do Mandarin plays - and the teenager-friendly ones by Checkpoint Theatre have been really good. Not many in my circle are interested in local performing arts. I hope the SG Culture Pass – releasing soon in September 2025 - will make it more affordable for everyone to attend.
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@SG_KP1 said in New L1R4 system for JC entry:
I guess it would be even worse for the non-science kids that want to take 2 humanities (1 full and 1 split with ss). At the As, I guess you could take whichever one you took in upper sec, Econ, and then ELL? Or take a swing at History (if you took EL Lit in upper secondary)? If one didn’t take in upper secondary, I feel like History is probably easier than Lit to take at the As.
Computing probably has a large self-selection bias of kids that can already do most of the stuff. I don’t think that many schools have a full computing class in upper secondary (I believe many have modules or ways to gain some exposure).
I’m also for more breadth at the secondary level. Unfortunately, the focus tends to gravitate towards exam scoring or perceived stress/workload rather than actual learning/acquiring different skills/knowledge.
Rgdg O level Computing, true that the kids were already quite proficient in it prior to Sec 3. For NT (G1) they have a compulsory N level subject called CPA (Computer Applications) which is a very different matter though.
In Zac’s school, the O level Computing classes are subject-banded classes. So the timetable for that period indicates Literature/Geography/Computing/POA in the double science classes. And Literature/Computing/POA in the combined science classes. Triple science classes do not take Computing.
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@zac-s-mum When you hear of anything interesting, post on KSP? Could be a good chance to meet too! Especially since we will have money to spend!
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@SG_KP1 Not sure if A level History would be suitable for those who didn’t take O level History. The learning curve would be particularly steep (compared to Literature - I think).
Secondary school History has changed since our time, when there was only the structured essay component - just memorize the content & you can score well. Nowadays in lower sec, memorizing content will only get u 50% of the marks. The other half is from answering source-based inferential questions. Many Science-inclined students struggle with those.
In upper sec History (O levels), it gets even tougher: the structured essays are no longer simple memorized content. The questions are Argumentative-type essay questions, ie. “(Opinion statement on X historical event.) How far do you agree (with this statement)?” So the student needs to (within exam time limit), formulate the For and Against arguments, and conclude with his own opinion (agree or disagree) and why. Again, there are students weaker in English who do not even choose this essay type in their English O level compositions (preferring Narrative type like PSLE style, where they can memorize flowery descriptive phrases). They would fail both the History structured essay AND the source-based essay (which moves on to an even wider variety of qn types at upper sec).
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To add on…our education system has always imposed pre-requisites for Science subjects, but now i’m not sure why. Science content is actually fact-based, and does not change (not at the fundamental levels, at least). The scientific analytical skills (interpretation of graphs, statistics) are not difficult to pick up either.
In contrast, the analytical skills required for Humanities (starting from Sec 1) are more difficult to teach and to learn. It requires a longer runway for mindset change/training. While i do not wish to suggest imposing an onerous pre-requisite for taking up A level Humanities, I’m starting to think that maybe removing the pre-requisites for science subjects will lessen the fear of not being able to take them at higher levels later on.
I think society and workplaces in general would benefit from having citizens who are trained in considering both sides of the coin, various points of view, and evaluating any grey areas, before making a considered decision for or against. This is a human element that AI cannot replace.
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I see, you may be correct. For Lit, I feel the poetry and drama sections can be a bit foreign/awkward at first/you may not know what you are getting into. For one of my kids, Lit (either embedded in English or standalone) has consistently been the lowest scoring component/subject across everything. I guess others may feel the same way about the History questions.
Either way, I think both are good for reading and writing, neither of which seem like they are over practiced these days.
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