One of my students pointed out that I didn't update my blog for the entire 2022! 

It had been a really busy 2022. The days passed too fast and I didn't have time to share my thoughts in this blog. It has always been my passion to share study tips, and useful advice with my students. It's so much more convenient to just share my thoughts through Whatsapp with my current students.

To make up for my 'absence', I shall share 6 steps to tackle the Structured Questions in Paper 2. This is also relevant for students taking Combine Chemistry as the skills required are similar.

Paper 2 of the ‘O’ Level Chemistry Paper carries 80 marks and accounts for 50% of the overall ‘O’ Level Chemistry grade. Since the demands of Paper 2 are high and the given duration for you to complete the paper is relatively short, you have to strategise in order to manage this paper.

Time: 1hr 45min

Section A:  Consists of 7 to 9 compulsory structured questions, each with several parts
Section B: Consists of 3 questions

• The first 2 questions are compulsory questions. These questions are 8 to 12 marks each.
• One of the questions will be a data-based question which requires you to interpret, to evaluate or to solve problems using information in the form of tables, graphs, texts, images, diagrams, etc.
• The last question will be presented in an either/or form and will carry 10 marks.

Do note that for students taking the O level exams in 2024, there will be a slight change in the format. 

The Periodic Table has a wealth of information that can help you solve questions. Some information such as proton number, mass number, group number and period number can be obtained directly from the Periodic Table.

Tip: For all my students, they will get a personalised Periodic Table from the 1st session. 

Paper 2 questions require you to use knowledge from more than one specific topic.

Hence, you should be able to link several concepts across different topics to answer questions. A good way to prepare for such questions would be to have strong content knowledge in foundational topics.

Key foundational topics to master by Sec 3 are:

• Chemical Formulae & Equations (the first topic to master)
• Acids Bases Salts
• Mole Calculation

Normally, teachers like to set exam questions with a mix of topics. For example:

• Acids, Bases and Salts + Metals + Qualitative Analysis
• Elements, Compounds and Mixtures + Separation Techniques
• Periodic Table + Metals/Salts + Redox
• Electrolysis + Redox + Mole calculations
• Atomic Structure + Chemical Bonding + Periodic Table

The time crunch in an exam situation means that the more quickly you can recall knowledge, the better you can focus on applying their knowledge to application questions. These basic concepts can help you deduce or predict other scientific information that you will need to solve questions. ​One way to do so is to commit certain basic scientific information to memory. *Read on to get some tips on how to do it*

Identify the Directive Word
Questions which begin with the words, “define”, “state”, “describe”, “explain” or “outline” will test factual knowledge and understanding. Such questions will require you to recall and explain specific concepts.

Questions which ask you to “describe” will require them to use results or observations from the question in their answers. On the other hand, questions which ask you to “explain” will require them to use scientific concepts to back up the observations you pen in their answers.

Identify the Tested Topic(s)
You should identify the topic(s) and/or concept(s) tested in a question by looking out for key words.

For example, such key words or phrases may include “rate of reaction” or “displacement reaction”. You should include related key words/ phrases in their answers.

Detect Extended Questions
In the case of questions which are split into parts, you must ensure that your answers for subsequent parts are consistent with earlier parts. Some key words/phrases you may look out for to identify such questions are “Use your answer from ...” or “Based on your observations from ...”

Questions which involve a novel set-up or application will require you to apply what you have learnt. Additional information may be provided by the question if advanced concepts are being introduced. Such questions tend to be longer because a lot of information and/or data is provided.

Questions may begin with the following words: “predict”, “suggest”, “calculate” or “determine”. Such higher-order questions require you to study the given trends and to predict any changes based on the variable changed. For questions which ask you to “suggest” an outcome, you can give a relevant or plausible answer so long as the suggestion is based on facts.

You should provide a full answer complete with elaboration. You may choose to craft you answer in a chronological manner (step-by-step) or to use the “cause and effect” format which lists a cause and explains the resulting effect. In order to ensure that your answer is relevant and accurate, you are encouraged to use named examples within your answer.

Hope you find these useful! Have a wonderful 2023!

Many tutors face the difficulty of helping students improve as they see all students as similar student type. In this blog post, I will share 4 types of challenges that my students usually face.

Challenge 1: Student A doesn't see the purpose in studying Chemistry and doesn't believe that he has the ability to learn.

Response: I explained the value of learning to Student A and also increased the student's ownership of learning by allowing him to dictate how much homework he gets. Whenever he shares about his difficulty in learning, I will pause and listen to help me analyse his weakness in learning. Slowly, Student A started to change his mental mindset and that's the start of seeing improvement in his Chemistry grades.

Challenge 2: Student B didn't do well in Sec 3 end-of-year exam. She has insufficient prior knowledge and prerequisite skills needed for mastery of new content for Sec 4. 

Response: I used bite-sized assessments as a platform for discussion to teach concepts using commonly tested exam questions. I also provided the key phrases and templates needed to gain scientific vocabulary in the shortest amount of time. With the correct focus, Student B managed to catch up and follow the lessons taught in school.

Challenge 3: Student C has misconceptions about many topics as he was taught inaccurate information.

Response: I will jot down his misconceptions in a notebook and ask him to justify his belief. After the discussion, the student will rephrase the concept below the original misconception. This allowed Student C to revisit the misconception and relearn the correct concept.

Challenge 4: Student D doesn't have any learning/studying strategies/exam techniques. She will only do practice questions right before her tests.

Response: I will teach study skills which have proven themselves to be effective. During lesson, I will demonstrate thinking aloud skills, do retrieval practice of information  and also stress the importance of spaced learning. I will also share the common wrong studying methods made by most students.

My slots for 2021 is currently full.

​Do contact me for a discussion if your child is keen to learn with me from November/Dec 2021 onwards to prepare for 2022.

​Thanks for reading!

Name: J
Level: Sec 4 
School: Chung Cheng High Main
Grades: E8-F9 
Marks for Prelims: MCQ 29/40, P2 - 37/80 (Failed), Practical 21/40(Just pass)
Date of first session: 27/9/19
Total number of lessons: 8  (27/9, 4/10, 6/10, 9/10, 13/10, 16/10, 18/10 and 26/10)
Total number of hours: 16
Date of O level Exam: 30/10/19

Hi Mdm W, just a quick feedback regarding my observation so far:

1. J is weak in understanding of concepts. She may be able to give the answers to certain questions, but when asked further, she doesn’t know how she formed her answer. Most likely, she uses a lot of memory work when studying, instead of understanding the concepts.

2. She lacks skills when forming equations, taking up a lot of time even when it’s a 1 mark type of question. I have given her tips on how to form equations faster and more accurately. Also taught her how to check the equations formed.

3. She is not very sure of the keywords to use for answering questions. In chemistry, there are certain sentence structure template that we use to answer questions. And most likely she lost marks when she did not answer using important keywords (which she didn’t know that they are keywords). 

4. I went through the basics to make sure that she doesn’t make the same type of mistakes again and again as these basics are repeated throughout all topics. 

5. We started with the most challenging chapter which is electrolysis. She couldn’t answer well even for the most basic type of questions. Have already gone through her mistakes and given her some homework.

6. I stressed to her the importance of understanding of concepts. Knowing how to explain how she came out with the answers is crucial as the exam questions set in recent years require students to answer questions base on new context. Remembering answers from familiar context will give her a disadvantage.

I gave her some reference materials, notes and worksheets. Hopefully she will find them useful. Will be preparing according to her request for the next session.

To win a war, we must first know our enemy well. 

Duration of Paper 1 MCQ: 1 h 
Duration of Paper 2: 1 h 45 min

MCQ: 40 marks (30% of overall grade)
Section A + B: 50 + 30 marks (50% of overall grade)

A copy of the Periodic Table of Elements will be provided.

What can I expect?

MCQ consists of 40 questions from all topics. (Tip: Do the Mole Calculation questions LAST!)

Section A consists of 7-9 compulsory structured questions, each with several parts.

Section B consists of 3 questions.
-The first is a compulsory data-based question and the second is a long compulsory questions.
-The data-based question requires students to interpret, evaluate or solve problems using a set of given data.
-The third has an either/or option. 

Be familiar with the Periodic Table and save time by knowing where the common elements are. 

Create your own personalised Periodic Table. Jot down essential notes and refer to it for all assignments. (All my students will have a copy each from the first session.)

Know exactly what information can be found on the Periodic Table:
-proton/atomic number
-mass/nucleon number
-electronic configuration
-charge of an ion
-relative atomic mass
-group and period number 
-number of electron shells and valence electrons

Many parents in Singapore have invested time and money into finding suitable Chemistry tuition classes for their children. However, despite painstakingly sourcing for the tutors for their children, parents often face disappointment as the results fall short. Why is this so? 

Here are 3 reasons why typical Chemistry tuition centres wouldn’t work for students. ​

At many tuition centres, tutors are often part-timers who are transitioning between jobs or working for extra income. Although many claim to have experience and flexible schedules, their availability could be inconsistent in the long run as many are working under a short-term contract. As the part-timers usually use materials provided by the tuition centres, lessons tend to have a lack of engagement due to the routine teaching. ​

School holiday is here. It means that the chance of doing a proper revision has finally arrived!

So, how should your child start revising for Chemistry?

Step 1: "Curate" a strong set of notes

I read an article on the latest trend about #studygram and was amazed. Is this the trendy way to study nowadays?

Article link -> www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/welcome-to-my-studygram

In my opinion, writing and decorating such beautiful notes as a study method is not sustainable at all. The focus is just so wrong. So much effort is used to decorate the notes and not "curating" the information that makes a difference to your results.

For my students, I always encourage them to use notes provided by their schools (if they pass my Quality Check) so that they will use the exact keywords expected from their teachers. You'll be surprised that different school teachers have different sets of keywords.

For some schools, the teachers provide notes which are either too brief or too elaborated. In worst cases, the teacher just asked the students to refer to their textbooks! (Yes, and that teacher is currently still a HOD of Science in the East.)

My job is to help my students "curate" a strong set of notes. I will provide my notes which will complement the notes provided by the school. All my notes are customised for my students depending on their needs. Together, we will analyse notes provided by the school and add in information (from my notes, ten-year series, exam questions, school worksheets) which are crucial for getting distinction. At the same time, I will also highlight the parts which are not important at all to minimise effort for studying.

Why do you need a good set of notes? Strong notes are the core of a good study regime. A good set of notes does not mean just a set of stapled notes per topic. It includes notes written on A4 exercise books too. All these should be "curated" from the start of the year, starting from the first topic.

What type of materials does your child use for revision? Start "curating" now before it's too late!

Step 2: Do practice questions frequently (Make it a routine)

I'm a firm believer of the Spaced Review Concept. It's impossible to retain information if we do not review them. Many students may not believe this at first, thinking that it's just common sense.

This is actually proven scientifically.

From the Forgetting Curve Theory, forgetting happens most rapidly right after learning occurs and slows as time passes. The more we review it, the longer we can remember it.

Where can I find practice questions for Chemistry revision?

• Topical Ten-Year Series (For Sec 3 and 4)
• Yearly Ten-Year Series (For Sec 4 only)
• Tuition worksheets
• Tuition test papers

Please, please, please DO NOT trust the answers from Ten-Year Series Publishers. There are lots and lots of mistakes especially for the structured questions. Not minor ones, but those that will cause misconceptions. The way the answers are structured is very different from what we expect in school. There's no way a student can learn how to answer properly by looking at the answers provided. Many students and parents think that the answers provided are from the examination board. NO! That's not true. The examination board only provides the questions and NOT the answers.

I discourage students from wasting their money buying assessment books. Many assessment books are published by random authors who are not NIE-trained. The questions are very different from what teachers set during exams. Do not study using notes from assessment books. You will never be sure where the source is from.

For my students, my first priority is for them to do my worksheets and test papers, followed by the ten-year series. I will mark the ten-year series using the guidelines from the marker's report and provide immediate feedback for your child. The more feedback you get the more you’ll improve! Is your child's ten-year series still in pristine condition?

If your child dedicates at least 2 hours a week to do the above 2 steps during my lesson, he will retain much more due to constant exposure to my quality notes, practice questions and answers.

Contact me if you're looking for extra help with your child's revision.