Shi En who is a student at MGS and Jeannes who comes from Orchid Park Secondary came to enrol in my lessons during the june holidays.They were getting mediocre marks for Chinese ranging from C5-C6.They decided that they needed help in order to get at least a merit which is B for the O levels.Although they have already sat for the written papers, which form bulk of the marks, they feel they are not prepared for the last component which is the Oral examination.
They came forward separately,and enrol in the small group tuition with emphasis put on Oral definitely.They were taught the techniques to score well and overcome anxiety on the actual day,at the same time with the help of multimedia,(videos,webcam,skype) overcome the fear of speaking out,even if you feel incompetent in your Chinese.These proves reliable as these students who are "putting their last gamble" in the oral component, will of course feel nervous prior to the exam. I did manage to spot questions relating to the hottest news reports during that period.For example, i did discuss the problem of eating and drinking in MRT carriages during one of the lessons and very fortunate for Jeannes the day she was assign to take, the exact question came out.Though Shi En got a different question, she also did well enough to pull her overall marks to a B3. She was worried that she had problems just to pass the Language. But nevertheless both of them "pulled through" and got a B4.Quite a remarkable performance, within such a short time span. If they had come to me earlier, they got a high possibility of attaining a higher grade,perhaps, an A2 or B3.So parents prepare your child early for the O levels,best is a year before the major examination.Sec 3 is the cut-off time you can not afford to prepare after. Do well and have no regrets. Best of luck for your children's acedemic performance and I look forward to the year 2011.
"If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail."- Benjamin Franklin
