Preparatory Course for Admission to Government Schools (Secondary 2)

Course Aims:

International students who wish to enter secondary schools in Singapore are required to sit and pass centralised entrance examinations conducted by the Ministry of Education. And the course aim is to help students pass either of the examination (Admission Exercise for International Students (AEIS) or S(Supplementary)-AEIS examinations) to help them to admit to Singapore government school.

Major Learning outcomes:

Be able to handle secondary level English and Mathematics in a local school.

Preparation for AEIS examination, as well as syllabuses in Mathematics and English to prepare students for the new academic year, after completing the course, students will sit for the AEIS or S-AEIS examination to enter Government schools.

These are the courses conducted for the Preparatory Course for Admission to Government Schools:

English

We emphasize English in our preparatory course, both as a subject in itself and as a medium for learning other subjects. The teachers will also help students understand mathematical or scientific concepts which are expressed in English.

The English module is based on the Ministry of Education English Syllabus. Emphasis will be given to the components tested in the English AEIS test. Skills in reading, writing, vocabulary acquisition, and grammar knowledge will be emphasized and taught throughout the course. Speaking and listening skills will also be fostered through a variety of texts, media, and teaching strategies.

Mathematics

The teachers ensure that students are familiar with mathematical terms in English apart from learning mathematical skills. Our teachers will help every student master the skill of answering mathematics questions in English, rather than in his native language.

The Mathematics module is based on the Ministry of Education Mathematics Syllabus. Emphasis will be given to the components tested in the Mathematics AEIS test. Conceptual knowledge, problem-solving heuristics, reasoning skills, and procedural skills will be emphasized and taught throughout the course. Students will learn to solve both routine and non-routine problems.

The Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS) exam is a centralized admissions exercise conducted by the MOE. It will be conducted around the corner of September or October each year for international students.

International students [non-Singapore citizens or non-permanent residents] who do not have a place in the mainstream schools and wish to seek admission to Secondary 2 levels in January of the following academic year.

S-AEIS stands for Supplementary Admissions Exercise for International Students who are unable to make it for AEIS (Admissions Exercise for International Students) in September or October.

International students currently not studying in mainstream schools and who wish to seek admission to Secondary 2 are eligible to take part in the S-AEIS.

The general learning objectives and syllabus contents for each level are as detailed in the lesson plans for each level.

Secondary 2 English

The Secondary AEIS syllabus English test has two parts and applicants have 2 hours and 10 minutes to do Part 1 and 2. This paper is done in one sitting. Part 1 segment is writing with 2 topics and 4 topics for segments 2 and 3. applicants get to pick a single topic then write a 200-300 words composition on it.

Part 1: writing

Four topics are set for the Secondary 2 test

Students have to choose 1 topic and write a composition on it:

• 250 to 350 words for Sec 2 test.

Part 2: Comprehension and language use. 50 compulsory multiple-choice questions comprising:

• Comprehension based on 2 passages (15 items)

• Comprehension cloze based on 2 passages (15 items)

• Vocabulary (10 items)

• Grammar (10 items)

Secondary 2 Mathematics

The Secondary AEIS Mathematics test contains 2 parts. The applicants are given 30 minutes for completing Part 1, and an hour 45 minutes for completing Part 2. Calculators are not allowed in the exam room.

Part 1 of the AEIS syllabus test contains 34 questions with multiple-choice format questions and part 2 has 20 questions with short answer format questions.

Additionally, there are open-ended questions 10-15. applicants should clearly show the working steps for short-answer questions and place the answer in a given space.

The syllabus is as follows:

N1. Numbers and their operations

1.1. primes and prime factorisation

1.2. finding highest common factor (HCF) and lowest common multiple (LCM), squares, cubes, square roots, and cube roots by prime factorization

1.3. negative numbers, integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and their four operations

1.4. calculations with calculator

1.5. representation and ordering of numbers on the number line

1.6. use of <, >, ≤, ≥

1.7. approximation and estimation (including rounding off numbers to a required number of decimal places or significant figures, and estimating the results of computation)

N2. Ratio and proportion

2.1. ratios involving rational numbers

2.2. writing a ratio in its simplest form

2.3. problems involving ratio

N3. Percentage

3.1. expressing one quantity as a percentage of another

3.2. comparing two quantities by percentage

3.3. percentages greater than 100%

3.4. increasing/decreasing a quantity by a given percentage (including the concept of a percentage point)

3.5. reverse percentages

3.6. problems involving percentages

N4. Rate and Speed

4.1. concepts of average rate, speed, constant speed, and average speed

4.2. conversion of units (e.g. km/h to m/s)

4.3. problems involving rate and speed

N5. Algebraic expressions and formulae

5.1. using letters to represent numbers

5.2. interpreting notations:

5.3. evaluation of algebraic expressions and formulae

5.4. translation of simple real-world situations into algebraic expressions

5.5. recognizing and representing patterns/relationships by finding an algebraic expression for the nth term

5.6. addition and subtraction of linear expressions

5.7. simplification of linear expressions

5.8. use brackets and extract common factors

N6. Functions and graphs

6.1. Cartesian coordinates in two dimensions

6.2. graph of a set of ordered pairs as a representation of a relationship between two variables

6.3. linear functions 𝑦 = 𝑎𝑥 +𝑏

6.4. graphs of linear functions

6.5. the gradient of a linear graph as the ratio of the vertical change to the horizontal change (positive and negative gradients)

N7. Equations and inequalities

7.1. concept of equation

7.2. solving linear equations in one variable

7.3. solving simple fractional equations that can be reduced to linear equations

7.4. formulating a linear equation in one variable to solve problems

N8 GEOMETRY AND MEASUREMENT

8.1. Angles, triangles and polygons

8.2. area of parallelogram and trapezium

8.3. problems involving perimeter and area of composite plane figures

8.4. volume and surface area of prism and cylinder

8.5. conversion between cm2 and m2, and between cm3 and m3

8.6. problems involving volume and surface area of composite solids

N9. STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY

Data handling and analysis

9.1. simple concepts in collecting, classifying, and tabulating data

9.2. analysis and interpretation of:

• tables
• bar graphs
• pictograms
• line graphs
• pie charts

9.3. purposes and uses, advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of statistical representations

9.4. explaining why a given statistical diagram leads to misinterpretation of data

30 students: 1 teacher

Levels with more than thirty students will be divided into two classes.

This programme is offered to international students.

b) Placement Test

After applying, students are required to take an English and Mathematics Diagnostic Test. Students will be advised to the appropriate level depending on their score achieved.

c) Minimum Language Requirement

Students must pass English Year 7 in their home countries.

d) Minimum Age

13 years old or above as of 1st Jan of the year of admission

Students are given regular homework and assessment exercises that match the MOE School Curriculum. The assignment including grammar exercises, cloze exercises, reading comprehension, composition, all kinds of mathematic problems. In addition to assigned homework, students will be required to do a number of hours of self-study on daily basis.

A test will be conducted every 4 weeks to allow tutors to monitor student’s progression. In keeping with our policy of involving parents and guardians, we will be sending patents and guardians quarterly detailed course reports.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive an in-house certificate within one month from the last day of the course.

Your performance grading will be as follows: