top of page

SECONDARY 1-4

CORE/UPPER SECONDARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMME

Once a pupil has completed the PSLE, they might imagine that the A they have gotten in English should hold them in good stead once they are in secondary school. The truth is that the PSLE English Language Paper is a fairly limited test of writing ability.

 

The many subjects that English Language in PSLE translates into:

English Language

English Literature

Sec 1 - 4 O’ Level Pathway

English Literature

International Schools offering the International Baccalaureate (IB)

Language Arts, in the following variations:

  • English Language merged with English Literature

    • Offered in some mainstream schools as enrichment.

    • English Language exams could still be separate from Literature exams.

  • English Language merged with Literature in English

    • Offered in some mainstream schools as enrichment.

    • This is also the slant for IB schools with a high local student intake (like ACS Independent) as the IB curriculum covers literary works translated from other languages as well.

  • Literature merged with General Paper

    • This is the most interesting variant and likely to be only confidently run by a staffing mix that is heavy on Junior College teachers (hint: the JC-driven curriculum).

Integrated Programme (IP)

Other O’Level/IP/IB Subjects where one's command of English will make a material difference:

  • Geography

  • History

  • Social Studies

  • Introduction to Philosophy

​

What we teach in our secondary programmes

To cope with the challenges of content heavy subjects like Geography, History, Literature and Biology, the Lower Secondary secondary pupil has to be taught the entire spectrum of writing skills – from creative to argumentative, from reflective to persuasive.  We might insert a current affairs lesson on the Chile Miners Rescue, or a do a lesson on the impact of Steve Jobs, or dissect (cultural snobs alert!) the cultural & political implications of a global phenomenon like the ‘Descendants of the Sun,’ or offer an insight on what writing strategy to use for an essay comparing different entities. You are unlikely to find the same range we offer in other centres.

 

Topics and skills covered:  

  • Composition – from reflective to argumentative; with an emphasis on what is not covered in school

  • Comprehension – from literary to factual passages

  • Functional Writing – all taught with nuanced templates  

  • Summary – technical and vocabulary skills and plenty of work on criticism

“Miss Woo has been a friendly teacher. I joined in Term 3 this year (2021) but my English (especially my composition) has already seen improvement because of her. She easily discovered my weaknesses ever since she started teaching me and helped me to tackle them. Highly recommended Miss Woo’s Core Sec classes.”

- Oakley Chua, Sec 2, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (2021)

 

​

Click here for more information on class timings & fees.

bottom of page