Monday 23 November 2015

Assessment Books, good to buy? 该买练习册吗?

There are many assessment books in the market. Most parents feedback they don't know which book to buy. They are very reasonable. They want to give their children suitable practices so that the children also have time for play. However, which one to buy? Or which one not to buy?


For pupils who are weak in foundation, they could explore getting a few books for practice. For a P4 pupil going to P5 next year, he could buy P3 or P4 books to practice during this school holiday.

However, for pupils who are getting 80s, these assessment books may not be suitable. I can find many Chinese characters and contents that are beyond primary school syllabus in these books. By spending time and effort on these books, meaningful learning isn't enhanced.

It is for this reason that I am writing my own materials to plug the gaps.

Chinese / Higher Chinese 华文 / 高级华文

What is the difference between Chinese and Higher Chinese (HCL)?

The expectations for HCL are much higher. This could be seen in many areas:
1) The number of Chinese characters to learn are more.
2) HCL exam is more difficult because there are no MCQs, no listening comprehension and no oral components, these are all areas most pupils tend to do well in.
3) The marks are the same for both papers - 40 marks, but the weightage in HCL is 40%, compared to CL's 20%.
4) The composition topics for HCL are more difficult to master, there is no picture-topic writing!
5) The comprehension answers are not so straightforward and lifting is not good enough.
More....

In short, pupils who are hardworking tend to do quite well for their Chinese papers. I even had pupils who got A* telling me they don't read any Chinese books. However, such pupils may not do so well for their HCL papers.

Most who find HCL easy, are those who read. There is no substitute for reading. Considering the vast amount of unsuitable materials out there, what to read?

Class Schedule for 2016


This is the class schedule for 2016. Please call 8651-2887 for more information. Thank you!
孙老师 小学华文 / 高级华文Primary school Chinese / Higher Chinese