Foreign students topped O levels again
-
Kind of contradictory, in a previous thread, you get loinnoisy complaining that a certain percentage of mainland China graduates in Australia failing their English.
In this thread we have people claiming that they passed their English through sheer brilliance.
I can't deny that some of them are brilliant, some just memorize, but one thing is for sure, they put in alot of effort because they paid lotsa money to study here. -
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by maurizio13:
Some of them have fantastic memory skills, they memorized all the essays and regurgitate them out during exams.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
you really believe that anybody can score 9 A1 by memorizing?? up to date, these students have got out of their old China and have done well as students in Singapore, do we see anything missing in their life ?Originally posted by FireIce:they may pass exams with this but they will fail in life.......
There are lessons for local parents and students to learn from these students, those who fail to see and learn, WILL FAIL IN LIFE. -
THey got Outcomes Based Education in the works. Must be a real piece of cake.Originally posted by Y_Shun:my rich china fren...cannot endure my teacher's scoldings etc..just shifted to australia to study...
-
I think going through the 10 years series, students get to practice how theories can be applied, may be also learn some exam technique, but don't think anybody can memorize the answers in the 10 years series. We memorize the theory, the technique of applications, but certainly not the solution and answers.Originally posted by Fatum:I'm not sure about that ... I think PSLE math is a much more cerebral exercise than O' level E or A maths ...
at O' levels with a couple of decades of 10 years series you can hardly get surprised by anything they throw at you ...
it's no distinction when approximately 70 to 90 % of students get distinctions for E and A maths and certain schools (yes, I'm talking about mine, a non-SAP neighbourhood school )
ditto the sciences ...
Last time students never had 10 years series, and there were little practices they could do with the theory they learned. Now, with the 10 years series, more students, not so intelligent, can also score, with practice. In the end, it is hard work that really matters. -
Big deal. Standards have dropped significantly as schools take more students per cohort and our education system is being revamped to being creative than academic. Anyway this is wake up call for SG parents that not only jobs will be lost to foreigners, even places in school will go to them.(Those that pay gahmen lots of money to get in). Hurray for Pay and Pay.
-
eh pls la, alot of the really smart ones, like those gifted program, they take the other route which is the take A lvl straight one right?
-
I have seen people attempting to memorize management essays, because the questions tend to repeat itself after a certain number of seatings. So they just get the past year answers to memorize, I have seen students attempting to memorize 30 plus model answers, each answer is about 1.5 pages to 2 pages long. Are the topics in the essays repeating in the English exams or are they ALL distinctly different.Originally posted by sgdiehard:quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by maurizio13:
Some of them have fantastic memory skills, they memorized all the essays and regurgitate them out during exams.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
you really believe that anybody can score 9 A1 by memorizing?? up to date, these students have got out of their old China and have done well as students in Singapore, do we see anything missing in their life ?
There are lessons for local parents and students to learn from these students, those who fail to see and learn, WILL FAIL IN LIFE.
I remembered while I was studying Chinese during secondary school, our teacher told us to memorize Chinese essays as well, so that we can vomit out during exams. -
If people are really attempting to memorize essays as you described, instead of learning to write, then they really can't go far. This is really new to me.Originally posted by maurizio13:I have seen people attempting to memorize management essays, because the questions tend to repeat itself after a certain number of seatings. So they just get the past year answers to memorize, I have seen students attempting to memorize 30 plus model answers, each answer is about 1.5 pages to 2 pages long. Are the topics in the essays repeating in the English exams or are they ALL distinctly different.
I remembered while I was studying Chinese during secondary school, our teacher told us to memorize Chinese essays as well, so that we can vomit out during exams.
-
PRC students only know how to study...it is useless elsewhere except SG...
Originally posted by oxford mushroom:FOREIGN students have aced the O-level examinations again.
Of the 25 students who scored nine A1s, half were from outside Singapore: nine of the 25 were from China, two from Malaysia and one from Korea.
Last year, about a dozen out of 39 students with nine A1s - also about a third - were from China.
Their teachers say these students deserve their grades because they work hard and are motivated.
What is more remarkable about the China students is that most of them arrived here as recently as two years ago, with barely a Primary 4 foundation in English.
But if the foreigners seem to figure prominently among those who bag straight As, it is also because the cream of the Singapore student cohort has left the O-level route for the Integrated Programme (IP).
IP students bypass the O-levels, but go on to take the A-level or International Baccalaureate exams.
Among the China students whose results shone on Friday was 18-year-old Cai Sang of Anderson Secondary.
Just 18 months ago, she failed the first English exam she sat for at the school because she could not even understand the questions.
The only daughter of a teacher and civil servant then decided to pour all her energy into the language: She started by memorising the Longman dictionary.
She covered it in half a year, but when that did not improve her grades by much, she decided to change tack by reading the classics.
She said: 'I was frustrated and demoralised because I kept getting C5 and C6 no matter how hard I tried. But I just told myself to keep working at it. It finally paid off.'
She is one of Anderson's two students with nine A1s. The other is Singaporean Tim Wei Lun.
Local students like him are being spurred on by healthy competition from their foreign-born peers.
River Valley High English teacher Muhammed Faizad Salim, 28, who had 12 China students in his class, said they start outdoing the Singaporeans in English in Secondary 4, which stirs up the locals 'because they don't want to lose out'.
The competition pushed at least one Singaporean student to excellence.
Dunman High's Foo Wei Ting, who scored nine A1s, said she often studied with her classmates from China as they were so motivated.
'I heard they studied late into the night in the hostel...so I...wanted to work hard as well,' said the eldest daughter of a senior supervisor and a housewife.
The Ministry of Education also released lists of the top students from each ethnic group on Friday.
The top Malay student was Zulaiha Said from Tanjong Katong Girls, with eight A1s; the top Indian student was Norshima Nashi of Bukit Panjang Government High, with eight A1s and two A2s; and the top Eurasian student was Marialaura Lui from Zhonghua Secondary, with seven A1s.
A total of 38,593 took the exams last year, out of which 31,490 (81.6 per cent) got five or more O-Level passes.
This is slightly better than in 2005, when 80.7 per cent of the 30,212 students bagged five or more passes.
(Straits Times 9 Feb) -
The only daughter of a teacher and civil servant then decided to pour all her energy into the language: She started by memorising the Longman dictionary.
Haiz...I wonder who among us Singaporeans will bother to memorise even one word from the dictionary. Goes to show how lagging we are compared to these foreign students in terms of studies.
Gotta catch up! -
They scored 9 A1s for 9 subjects taken.
There is one more subject all of these top students have not taken - how to apply the knowledge they have learned in these 9 subjects which they scored well and put them to good use to solve practical problems, do a job well done or start a business.
The habit to apply knowledge even pre-existing knowledge has to be acquired as an integrated part of schooling.
Our previous education system has failed because of over-emphasis on scoring . The emphasis should be on applying what the students have learned even if their scores are not so great. Applications should be given more points higher than A1.
Otherwise we will continue to producing unthinking pupils who might well become scholars who could not really think out of their boxes.
Our schools should not just focus on knowledge learning for passing of examination as otherwise everyone will be becoming a snob.
Has our education ministry really grasped the purpose of education? -
Are we supposed to be happy?
-
same scenarios when singaporeans go oversea U eat up all the 1st class honors.
-
Quite a bit of assumption on your part, isn't it?Originally posted by robertteh:They scored 9 A1s for 9 subjects taken.
There is one more subject all of these top students have not taken - how to apply the knowledge they have learned in these 9 subjects which they scored well and put them to good use to solve practical problems, do a job well done or start a business.
The habit to apply knowledge even pre-existing knowledge has to be acquired as an integrated part of schooling.
Our previous education system has failed because of over-emphasis on scoring . The emphasis should be on applying what the students have learned even if their scores are not so great. Applications should be given more points higher than A1.
Otherwise we will continue to producing unthinking pupils who might well become scholars who could not really think out of their boxes.
Our schools should not just focus on knowledge learning for passing of examination as otherwise everyone will be becoming a snob.
Has our education ministry really grasped the purpose of education?
On what basis do you assume that top scholars are not able to use their knowledge to solve practical problems? There is no evidence that those who got 9 F9s are much better at putting into practice what they know.
Foreigners are competiting with us at every level in school and at work. Instead of recognizing the threat and confronting it, Singaporeans would downplay the achievements of FTs. Burying your head in the sand will not help you deal with the competition...you will get eaten up earlier. -
You are the perfect example.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:Quite a bit of assumption on your part, isn't it?
On what basis do you assume that top scholars are not able to use their knowledge to solve practical problems? There is no evidence that those who got 9 F9s are much better at putting into practice what they know.
Foreigners are competiting with us at every level in school and at work. Instead of recognizing the threat and confronting it, Singaporeans would downplay the achievements of FTs. Burying your head in the sand will not help you deal with the competition...you will get eaten up earlier.
Hehehe.... -
I think some of these China students do receive special coaching in English.
As some of these foreign students are here on a scholarship, they are under immense pressure to perform or they would lose their scholarship.
China's standard in math and science is probably higher, its not surprising they get top grades. I know of a Singaporean who failed math in Singapore, but top his math class in an American school . -
Or, they are intelligent, hard-working and goal-oriented. Above all, when they are out-performed by others, they constructively analyze the situation and continually improve themselves, rather than trying to find fault with the system or downplaying the success of others.
Which means that you and your like-minded Singaporeans are doomed to be beaten again and again in school and beyond...Originally posted by maurizio13:Some of them have fantastic memory skills, they memorized all the essays and regurgitate them out during exams. -
How many of our straight A1 top students who are given an fast-tracked career with peanut pays in the public sector have proven their true worth and their entrepreneurship abilities in starting successful businesses like sim wong hoo or wee chaw yaw.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:Quite a bit of assumption on your part, isn't it?
On what basis do you assume that top scholars are not able to use their knowledge to solve practical problems? There is no evidence that those who got 9 F9s are much better at putting into practice what they know.
Foreigners are competiting with us at every level in school and at work. Instead of recognizing the threat and confronting it, Singaporeans would downplay the achievements of FTs. Burying your head in the sand will not help you deal with the competition...you will get eaten up earlier.
How many of our top students competing among the bests in the world of biomedical researches have succeeded in making their mark in the scientific or engineering breakthroughs in their fields of specialization?
We need to produce more entrepreneurs who could create jobs and not more and more snobs.
I think our leaders are only praising themselves and using the A1 scholars for political tools to entrench themselves but these scholars are just human and many are just hungry to get a job which pays them peanut so that they could take it easy in life.
I have given examples in other thread to show you that many of our proclaimed scholars have failed miserably when trying to start their own businesses after a stint of public service. So they are not as talented as claimed after all by our leaders.
Why go on and claim to be world-class when they are just normal mortal who have to learn from mistakes and grow wiser with age and experience.
It is time to stop all the conning and bullshiting and start getting real with real works and accountability to create jobs or turn around some of our failing businesses.
I only see these so-called bright sparks or top students being snobs because of their being misused as political tool and they could not make any difference despite all their accolate of distinction as often painted by our leaders.
The moment they are out of the gilded public service they will be seen for what they are failing in their own ventures or being retired in their 40s without any major achievements to equal their proclaimed talents. -
Not surprised. These people can really study 24/7.
I can't do it. I admit it. I value my sanity, love coming to sgforums and like to indulge in my hobbies. You ask me study 24/7, I can't do it.
3 more months before I'm thrown out into the rat-race society.
-
very very sad,Originally posted by dreameryb:Or, they are intelligent, hard-working and goal-oriented. Above all, when they are out-performed by others, they constructively analyze the situation and continually improve themselves, rather than trying to find fault with the system or downplaying the success of others.
Which means that you and your like-minded Singaporeans are doomed to be beaten again and again in school and beyond...
but very very true. 
The locals prefer to sit around cry father cry mother and cry the government.