JC GP Tuition 2013

GENERAL INFORMATION

I offer both one-to-one and group GP tuition. For group tuition, the maximum number of students per class is 3. Please form your own group because this will facilitate my teaching, making the reviewing of your examination scripts and the assigning of research topics to you much easier. (Do understand that starting lessons early would guarantee the completion of all 'pet' topics included in my lesson plan early, leaving you with more time for revision.)

Lessons will only be conducted at my residential address, where the nearest MRT station is the Choa Chu Kang station. Lessons will be conducted on weekday evenings or on Saturday.

Fees are to be paid upfront, and charges for 4 lessons of 1.5 hrs per session are as follows: For one-to-one: $500; For group of 2: $300 per student; For group of 3: $250 per student

P/S: H1 GP syllabus has recently been revamped. Changes will take effect in 2013. Below are the changes:

Paper 2 Comprehension	Syllabus 8806 (YA 2007-2012)	Syllabus 8807 (YA 2013 onwards)
Descriptors: ·         Vocabulary question is removed. ·         Greater emphasis placed on the Application Question.	Text comprises one or two passages. Questions cover • Understanding, including literal comprehension and inference (10–15 marks) • Vocabulary (5–7 marks) • Summary (8–10 marks) • Application (7–10 marks) [Total marks: 35]	Text comprises one or two passages. Questions cover: • Understanding including literal comprehension, vocabulary and inference (15–17 marks) • Summary (8–10 marks) • Application (10 marks)

READING MATERIALS INCLUDE:

1. Top JCs GP model essays (RJC's KS Bulletin, HCI's GP Bulletin etc) (View samples in my March 09 Archive)

2. HCI's Issues and Ideas; From Fact to Fiction; Time Tunnel series.

3. Top JC Preliminary examination papers (based on latest H1/H2/H3 syllabus)

4. Past year Cambridge 'A' level examination papers with full set of solutions compiled by HCI English department.

5. Personal Grammar notes (on subjects like Subject-Verb Agreement, Tenses, Punctuations, Use of Auxillary verbs etc)

6. Essay writing and comprehension skills notes (from HCI Essay Skills handbooks and other sources)

7. Samples of excellent AQs (View a sample in my March 09 Archive)

8. SAT word lists

9. My personalized collection of exclusive summarized reading materials from a variety of sources such as The Straits Times, Newsweek, TIME, The Economist etc (View a sample in my March 09 Archive)

10. Thorough analysis of potential 'pet' topics that have consistently appeared in past years' GCE A level GP examinations.

MY TEACHING PEDAGOGY

1. Work on content knowledge. Why?

- Students tend to score poorly in content, especially when writing Paper 1 essays and/or when tackling the last question of Paper 2, the application question.

- Furthermore, content marks constitute a considerably large portion of the entire GP exam: 30 marks in Paper 1 and 35 marks in Paper 2.

- Gives students avenues to writing a well-enunciated piece with obvious command of ideas and illustrations.

How? Through the weekly "content building sessions".

I will spend about 30 minutes weekly improving students' content knowledge. I will engage, explain, and ensure students understand the gamut of relevant facts given, through a series of classroom activities, discussions and mock tests/exams.

"Pet" topics to be covered include:

• Science & Technology;
• Role of religion and morals in 21st century
• Globalization (Economic, Political and Cultural aspects);
• Poverty and International Aid
• National Education Issues and Singapore Geopolitics;
• Feminism and roles of men and women in society;
• War and Terrorism;
• The Mass Media.

2. Develop essay writing skills

- Aim to impart critical thinking and writing skills

- Learn the art of writing effective thesis and topic sentences

- Write a piece that incorporates the following: crisp, concise and focused introduction; mature, sophisticated and well-substantiated body paragraphs; lastly a strong conclusion.

- Apply the QTK Method of analyzing questions.

- Practise planning essays

- Internalize and use my 4-step approach to write a top grade, Band 1, Application Question answer, which fulfills the A level examiners' criteria of marking. They look out for Relevance, Elaboration, Evaluation and Coherence.

My approach: Learn from the competent writers. I will issue useful resources such as top JC GP essays and newspaper articles, and show you what's a coherent and concise piece. We will also explore the merits of writing thesis statements, topic sentences in your GP essays.

3. Time management and exam skills.

- Use of sample model answers and marking schemes given by HCI tutors and actual A level Cambridge examiners; I will teach students how to be exam smart.

- Write only what the examiners are looking for. For example, in 2000 Cambridge examiners report, examiners commented "a crisp, concise style is much preferred in the opening. Over-complex phrasing of sentencing, with insecure use of vocabulary, can establish detrimental impression." As seen from the above illustration, I know what the examiners want for introduction; therefore, when I teach, I focus on teaching the art of writing crisp, concise and focused introductions.

- How to manage time effectively, especially when under exam duress.

- Ditch the misconception and erroneous thought stating that GP cannot be revised because it is an examination that focuses on language skills and there is not much students can do about that.

- I teach my students how to revise for GP examinations and convince them why revision is required.

Lastly, do note improving one's GP grade takes time. And it certainly requires copious amounts of hard work, dedication and conscious effort, to boot. Therefore, if you are not doing well now, do not give up. Redefine your learning strategies and work even harder - so you can hopefully see the fruits of your labour one day!

Do drop me an email at gptuition2011@gmail.com if you would like to know more about the programme. I will return your email within 3 working days.

Regards,

Mr Lee