Important Levels To Watch Out: Primary 5 and Secondary 3

In 2020, P5 and Sec3 are 2 levels that parents should be concerned about.

Being the introductory year for PSLE, N levels and O levels, the level of difficulty across all the subjects in P5 and Sec3 is a far cry from P4 and Sec2.  Students are often caught unprepared by the huge jump in standard and hence, underperform in the mid-year exams.

If you realise that your child is starting to show signs of difficulties in their studies, you should start addressing the following issues:

Is my Child Faring Adequately in School?

As the huge jump in level of difficulty is something not expected by the students, they are often caught off guard on the demands of the PSLE, N levels and O levels syllabus.

Even if they are fully aware of the challenges of the syllabus, most students still face difficulties in raising their level of performance and staying more focus during the school lessons in order to comprehend the complex concepts of the new topics.

Do keep a look out of the following signs that your child is not performing adequately:

1. School tests showing sudden or gradual drop in grades
2. Student starts to display disinterest in the subject
3. Student feedbacks that the lesson in school is beyond his or her ability to comprehend due to various reasons that is not within his or her control
4. Student is too preoccupied with other commitments such as CCAs and external activities
5. Student being too complacent, thinking that he or she can always pull through with little or no preparation or even last minute preparation.

Should I worry if my child in Secondary 3 is dropping grades or if he or she is always weak in a particular subject?

In Secondary 3, there is a greater need to map out the route that the student wishes to pursue after the O levels, be it JCs, polytechnics, ITE or private institutions.

From there, the student must be fully aware of the subjects that he or she must excel in during Sec3, N levels and O levels so that he or she can secure the desired course after N levels and O levels.

In summary, to go JCs, students must score respectable grades in English, A-math, E-math, Combined Science or Pure Science and any other subject that is a prerequisite for them to take up a related subject in JCs.

For ITEs and polytechnics, English and E-math is extremely important as it is almost a compulsory entry subject for application in a large majority of the courses.

For private institutions, the subjects of importance may vary according to the courses that the student wishes to apply for.

It is only natural for parents to show concerns towards their children’s academic performance.  If your child or children are dropping grades in certain subject(s), you can do the followings:

1. Have a good talk with the student and find out the genuine cause of his or her problems.
2. Strike a consensus with the student if he or she is disciplined enough to allocate time for self-revision at home on a daily basis.
3. Check with the school teacher to obtain a better insight of the student’s learning abilities and the challenges he or she faces.
4. Have an agreement with the student on getting external guidance to close the gaps in the weak subject, bearing in mind that the N level and O level are tested on both Sec3 and Sec4 topics, hence it is vital to establish a sound understanding of the Sec3 topics from the start.

Getting your children help during their secondary school days will help with their future education aspirations. Find out about Einstein Education Hub’s lower secondary tuition & upper secondary tuition classes today.

Should I worry if my child in Primary 5 is dropping grades or if he or she is always weak in a particular subject?

In Primary 5, the students are to produce consistent performance in all subjects, namely English, Math, Chinese and Science.  This may be an uphill task for some students but these are the subjects that develop their basics before they take on the higher level subjects in Secondary Schools.

It is only natural for parents to worry about their child’s academic performance.  If your child is dropping grades in certain subject(s), you can do the followings:

1. Have a good talk with the student and find out the genuine cause of his or her problems.
2. Strike a consensus with the student if he or she is disciplined enough to allocate time for self-revision at home on a daily basis.
3. Check with the school teacher to obtain a better insight of the student’s learning abilities and the challenges he or she faces.
4. Have an agreement with the student on getting external guidance to close the gaps in the weak subject.

Primary 5 students face a challenging time being consistent in their studies. Giving them an extra boost through our primary school tuition Singapore classes could provide them with the support they need.

What Kind of Help Does He Or She Need?

There are many helps available but finding the right one may be daunting and even frustrating.  Getting a tutor is definitely one of the options available.

The right tutor (either private tutor or tuition centre or even online tutor) should be one who:

• Able to build rapport with the student
• Develop the student’s learning potential by equipping him or her with self-confidence and effective skills and techniques to solve the problems systematically

To achieve this outcome, it definitely takes time, effort and determination.  Hence, it is important that the tutor and the students must work together as a team to overcome the challenges step by step.

Einstein’s Takeaway:

Do spend some thoughts on what subject(s) your child should really prioritise considering his or her tertiary course of study after the N levels or O levels.  Drop us a message should you require an insider’s view if your child is performing adequately in school.