Free Request For Secondary School Humanities Tuition
Why Are More Students Looking For Secondary Humanities Tuition?
According to this article by The Straits Times, more students in Singapore are now looking for Secondary Humanities Tuition on top of Mathematics and Science subjects. Why is that so? Many students require assistance and guidance with the Humanities as they face difficulties having to think independently to answer the questions that ask for their point of views. Humanities is a compulsory field for all O/N Level students and are freshly introduced to students in Secondary 1. These “foreign” subjects require new critical thinking, analytical and argumentative writing skills that many students struggle in developing. Students are required to take Secondary Humanities subjects such as Combined Social Studies with Combined Literature, History or Geography. Other students may be offered to take up Pure Humanities as well such as Pure Literature, History or Geography as well, on top of the combined Social Studies humanities combination. As it makes up 1-2 compulsory subjects, it is important that students choose the correct Humanities subject in Secondary school in order to do well for their O/N Levels Examination.
So why are the Humanities important? These subjects help to train students to manage uncertain and differing perspectives in an increasingly globalised world. Having an informed opinion is important, and these subjects help students to develop their minds to be more analytical. It is also vital that students make the right choice on what Humanities they should take. Taking the wrong Humanities subject could cause you to have difficulty and a hard time scoring well for your O/N Levels, as well as cause you to lose interest in the subject altogether. There are a few common misconceptions that people have, such as – if you enjoy reading, you should take up Literature. However, all Humanities subjects require students to do a lot of reading, just in differing contexts. Secondary School Tuition for Humanities will be able to help you cope with that. So how can you ensure that you are making the right choice on what Humanities you should take? Let’s take a look at the different Humanities that most schools in Singapore offer:
The Humanities require large amounts of time for reading and analysis, and this requires discipline and stamina
N & O Level Literature
There are 2 types of Literature subjects that students can opt to take for their O/N Level Humanities – Pure or Combined Literature. The difference between Pure and Combined Literature is that Pure Literature covers an additional text, so students who take Pure Literature would focus on 2 texts while Combined Literature students would just focus on 1 text. The format that the syllabus for Pure and Combined Literature is tested in the O/N Levels Literature Examination is also different. The format for Pure Literature is different from Combined Literature – the former has 2 Papers (Paper 1 and Paper 2), while the latter only has 1 Paper.
Pure Literature
Paper 1 covers Prose and Unseen Poetry which totals to 50% of the weightage and students have to complete it within 1 Hour and 40 Minutes. It consists of 2 sections – Section A and B. Section A covers Prose which weighs a total of 25% of the total weightage. There will be six set texts in this section, one passage-based question and two essay questions for each set text. Students will have to answer the questions based on one of the six set texts for this section. Section B covers Unseen Poetry which weighs a total of 25% of the total weightage as well. Students will be given a choice of two unseen poems with one question set for each poem. Students will have to answer one of the two questions for this section.
Paper 2 covers Drama which totals to 50% of the total weightage and students have to complete it within 1 Hour and 30 Minutes. For Paper 2, students will have to read one text from any of the given five sets of texts and answer one passage-based question with one essay question based on the selected text. Each of these questions weighs 25% of the total weightage.
Combined Literature
The format for Combined Literature is similar to Pure Literature. There is only 1 Paper for Combined Literature with a total weightage of 50% where the other 50% is from Combined Social Studies. The format for Combined Literature is the same as that of Pure Literature’s Paper 1. Students have 2 Sections to complete – Section A and B. Section A covers Prose as well with a total weightage of 25% and Section B covers Unseen Poetry with a total weightage of 25%.
Should I Choose To Take Literature?
So how should you decide if Literature is the right Humanities subject for you? You should take Literature as your Humanities subject if firstly, you have a strong English background and caliber, and secondly if you enjoy analysing dramas and different forms of texts. Students who take Literature as their Humanities tend to have a stronger English background due to the strong emphasis on inference and analysis of words, phrases and sentences in the given texts. If you have a strong interest in Literature but require some guidance, you can consider getting Literature Tuition to help you to cope in school.
Students are made to analyse a given book(s) before their O/N Level Literature Examination. This helps students learn to appreciate words, tone, and the power and meaning those words can carry in the specific way they were written. Students are able to learn to consider different perspectives and understand the complexity of human nature. A few ways to tackle Literature is that students should make use of all kinds of notes and resources to analyse their texts. Using multiple types of resources help students to break down the texts, allowing them to absorb the information better. Before students make their own notes, students have to ensure that they have a good understanding of their texts. Students have to read through their texts multiple times to familiarise themselves with it. For more information on the Secondary Literature Syllabus, you make take a look at these links for Pure Literature and Combined Literature.
N & O Levels History
Pure and Combined History, what is the difference? The syllabus for Pure History covers more units as compared to Combined History. Pure History covers 4 units. Unit 1 – European Dominance and Expansion In the late 19th century, Unit 2 – The World in Crisis, Unit 3 – Bi-Polarity and the Cold War, and Unit 4 – Decolonisation and Emergence of Nation-States. Combined History covers 2 units. Unit 1 – The World in Crisis and Unit 2- Bi-Polarity and the Cold War. So students taking Combined History are able to focus on 2 Units while students taking Pure History have to focus on 4 Units. The format of the O/N Levels History Examination is different as well – Pure History has 2 Papers, while Combined History has 1 Paper.
Pure History
The format for the O/N Levels Pure History consists of 2 Papers – Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 covers the first 2 Units – European Dominance and Expansion In the late 19th century and The World in Crisis. Paper 2 covers the last 2 Units – Bi-Polarity and the Cold War, and Decolonisation and Emergence of Nation-States. Both papers have an equal weightage of 50% of the total weightage. Students are given 1 Hour and 40 Minutes for each paper.
The format for both Paper 1 and Paper 2 are the same. Both papers consist of 2 sections – Section A and B. Section A is Source-Based Case Study also known as SBQs. Students will be given a maximum of 6 sources and students have to answer 5 questions based on the provided sources. This section weighs 30% of the total weightage. Section B is Structured-Essay Questions also known as SEQs. Students are given 2 different sets of questions. Students are required to answer 1 out of the 2 question sets. For each question, there will be 2 sub-parts that total to 20% of the total weightage.
Combined History
The format for the O/N Levels Combined History Examination is similar to that of the O/N Levels Pure History Examination. However, Combined History consists of only one paper that students have to complete within 1 Hour and 40 Minutes. Students are to complete Section A – Source-Based Case Study (SBQs), and Section B – Structured-Essay Questions (SEQs) that have a total weightage of 50% while the other 50% comes from Combined Social Studies. Students taking the O/N Level Combined History Examination will have to answer these sections based on the 2 Units – The World in Crisis, and Bi-Polarity and the Cold War.
Should I Choose To Take History?
How should you decide if History is the Humanities subject that you should be taking? Students should take History as your Humanities subject if firstly, you have a strong interest in past events, leaders or dictators such as Hitler or Stalin. Secondly, if you are just dying to write argumentative essays to explain and justify your points and opinions, this might be the subject for you! When you take History as your Humanities subject, you will be able to understand more on affairs, on both a local and international scale. History allows you to widen your knowledge of why certain countries handle their affairs in certain ways. You will be able to draw connections from the past and the present and find out the reasons behind certain actions of different countries. This is important in allowing you to understand the impact of past developments on our world today.History is one of the more popular subjects that students considering when looking to have Secondary Humanities Tuition. If the content gets too overwhelming, getting a History tutor would also enable you to receive additional guidance and knowledge, as well as hone your discussion and argumentative skills needed for the paper.
Students who take History for their O/N Levels Humanities will also develop critical and creative thinking as one learns to analyse information critically and understand the reasons of the various leaders/dictators in the past. In agreeing / disagreeing with the past decisions, students will develop sensitivity and openness to differing viewpoints. A few points students should take note to tackle History is that you should enjoy History like a bunch of stories about past events. Students should find different platforms to enjoy and absorb information such as documentaries or videos that explain more about these historical events. Another point is that students should highlight important points and note them down when reading through their chapters. Write down the relevant events in the chronological sequence to test help yourself remember the sequence of these events. For more information on the Secondary History Syllabus, you make take a look at these links for Pure History and Combined History.
N & O Levels Geography?
There are 2 types of O/N Levels Geography Subjects – Pure and Combined Geography. The syllabus for both Pure and Combined Geography are similar where they both touch on 3 themes – Our Dynamic Planet (Physical Geography), Our Changing World (Human Geography) and Geographical Skills and Investigations. However, the topics that students are tested on are different. Pure Geography test students on a total of 9 topics while Combined Geography test students on a total of 7 topics. The difference is that students taking Pure Geography have 2 additional topics as compared to students taking Combined Geography. The 2 additional topics are “Coasts – Should coastal environments matter?” and “Health and Diseases – Are we more vulnerable than before?”. However, the format for both Pure and Combined Geography are relatively different.
Pure Geography
The format for Pure Geography is that it has 2 Papers – Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 has a total weightage of 50% and students are given only 1 Hour and 40 Minutes to complete the paper. Paper 1 focuses on the topics – Coasts and Global Tourism while Paper 2 focuses on the topics – Living with Tectonic Hazards, Variable Weather and Changing Climate, Food Resources and Health and Diseases. For Paper 1, there are 2 sections – Section A and B. Each section has an equal weightage of 25%. In Section A, students are given one structured question on Geographical Investigations based on the 2 topics – Coasts and Global Tourism. Students should spend around 55 minutes on this section. Section B consists of two structured questions with one question based on a specific topic while the other a combination of topics. Students have to complete one of the provided structured questions. Students should spend around 45 minutes on this section.
While Paper 2 also has a total weightage of 50%, students are given only 1 Hour and 30 Minutes to complete this paper. For Paper 2, there are 2 sections as well – Section A and B. The format is similar to that of Paper 1 where each section has an equal weightage of 25%. In both Section A and B, students have to answer one question out of the two given structured questions. One of the given questions will be set on a specific topic while the other will be set on a combination of topics. The questions in Section A will be set based on the 2 topics – Living with Tectonic Hazards and Variable Weather and Changing Climate. Students should complete this section within 45 minutes. For Section B, the questions will be set based on the 2 topics – Food Resources and Health and Diseases. Students have to complete this section within 45 minutes.
Combined Geography
The format for Combined Geography is completely different compare to Pure Geography. Students taking Combined Geography have to complete 1 paper which has a total weightage of 50% while the other 50% will be based on Combined Social Studies. Students are given 1 Hour and 40 Minutes to complete this paper. This paper consists of 3 Sections – Section A, B and C. Section A has a total weightage of 13% with two structured questions on Geographical Investigations based on the topics – Global Tourism and Variable Weather and Changing Climate. Students are required to answer one of the two structured questions worth 13 marks that are each based on one topic. Section B has a total weightage of 12% with two structured questions based on the same topics as Section A, however, one question will be set on a specific topic while the other will be set on a combination of topics. Students have to answer one of these questions worth 12 marks. Students should complete Section A and B within 55 minutes. Section C has a total weightage of 25% where it is based on 2 topics – Living with Tectonic Hazards and Food Resources. Two structured questions will be provided, one based on a specific topic while the other based on a combination of topics. Students have to answer one question from this section worth 25 marks within 45 minutes.
Should I Choose To Take Geography?
Why should you choose Geography as your Humanities subject? You should consider taking Geography if you have a strong interest in the Earth, natural habitats, and if you feel a strong sense of responsibility and accountability to take care of our ecosystem. Students who simply enjoy reading and interpreting maps would also be more inclined to taking up Geography. Students who take Geography are able to improve their environmental awareness, as well as interpret various types of maps and analytical process diagrams. This also allows students to know more about city landscapes and what is happening to our world today, which could be very useful in the future if you intend on travelling the world. Students are able to acquire geographical skills that value adds to their lifelong learning, hopefully also instilling sense of responsibility towards the Earth and our ecosystem. Getting Geography as part of your Secondary Humanities Tuition would also be a good choice if you aim to tackle your misconceptions and consolidate your content.
Geography can be very fascinating for students who are interested in natural world processes, or for those who simply love to read maps!
A few tips that students taking Geography should take note is to write your own notes well by chapter. Writing your own notes will help you break down all the different topics and concepts using mind maps and flashcards, helping you remember the key points and processes more effectively. Students should understand how the process of each natural formation (eg. meanders / oxbow lakes / waterfalls), and make use of videos to visualise and aid their learning. Hiring a Geography tutor can be very beneficial as he/she will be able to provide these visual aids and even draw out the diagrams for you at your pace, to make sure that you comprehend the concepts completely.
Other resources that you should make use of to help you consolidate your concepts are your textbooks, assessment books, guide books, PowerPoint slides, marking schemes and other school papers. From all these resources, compile the important key points into your notes to allow for easier revision. When answering questions, students should always plan their answers carefully and write an outline to make sure that you don’t miss out on any important points. So if you have a strong interest in nature and wish to learn more about our Earth, you should consider taking Geography! For more information on the Secondary Geography Syllabus, you make take a look at these links for Pure Geography and Combined Geography.
N & O Levels Social Studies
Now it is widely known that all students sitting for their O/N Levels are required to take the compulsory Social Studies subject. As this is a content-heavy subject that not only requires large amounts of memorisation but also requires one to possess high-order critical thinking skills, it is often a struggle for plenty of students. When looking for Secondary Humanities Tuition, Social Studies is no doubt that students need help for the most. There are 3 main issues that O/N Levels Social Studies focus on. Issue 1 is about Exploring Citizenship and Governance, Issue 2 is about Living in a Diverse Society and Issue 3 is about Being Part of a Globalised World. All students are tested on their knowledge with understanding while interpreting and evaluating the provided information from the given sources. Students then have to construct explanations and elaborate on their viewpoints, which may pose as a difficult feat and requires constant guidance and practice.
The format for Social Studies consists of 1 paper that students have to complete within 1 Hour and 45 Minutes. This paper consists of 2 Sections – Section A and B. Section A weighs 35% of the total percentage. It consists of one source-based case study with 4 sub-questions worth 25 marks and 1 sub-question worth 10 marks. Section B then consists of 2 sub-questions weighing 15% of the total percentage.
So why is O/N Levels Social Studies so important that all students are required to take it? Students are able to learn more about our Singapore Government and the reasons why certain situations happened in the past. Students are able to learn about overseas conflicts such as multi-ethnic clashes in Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland. Social Studies trains students to learn to write about their arguments convincingly and be able to use information from the provided sources as evidence to prove their points. A point students should take note of to tackle their O/N Levels Social Studies Examination is to plan out your answers before writing them down. Always plan out a framework of your answers, the points that you would like to push across and the evidence to support your viewpoints. Apply a formulaic approach when answering the source-based case studies and structured-response questions. Attending Social Studies tuition would give you plenty of additional opportunities to hone your critical-thinking and essay-writing skills, which cannot be acquired overnight.
Hire A Humanities Tutor To Help You!
Are you a student struggling with your Humanities subjects? Not sure how to acquire and hone those analysis and critical thinking skills to answer those essay questions correctly? The syllabus for O/N Level Humanities has been developing over the years and students are now required to write more from their viewpoints with a greater emphasis on the ability to analyse, argue and justify, rather than just rote content memorisation. Students are often puzzled as to why they are not scoring well (or even failing) for the Humanities, and do not know how to improve. Are they writing the wrong content, or their pointers are right but just not coherent or convincing enough? Many would argue that the Humanities are the toughest to score, as the answers and essays are graded subjectively by the marker, unlike Maths / Science subjects where the solutions are either clearly write or wrong.
Getting help via Secondary Humanities Tuition gives students additional time with their tutors to help them with various techniques to interpret a variety of sources. A Secondary Humanities tutor is able to teach students with easy-to-follow strategies in tackling various questions from Source Based Questions (SBQ) and Source Reference Questions (SRQ). Secondary Humanities tuition is able to provide students with guidance on how to develop their thoughts into comprehensible arguments so that the examiners are able to understand clearly what the student is trying to put across, as well as essay-writing skills. Students will learn to include examples and logical explanations in their SRQs, as well as include critical keywords and pointers that allows them to earn the key marks in their essays and answers.
Getting Secondary Humanities tuition caters to the student’s individual needs and weaknesses with the tutor’s undivided attention on what to improve on. For example, in Secondary Humanities tuition, students are able to learn how to make use of mind maps to learn the rationale behind how each formation is formed in Geography. Secondary Humanities tutors are also able to guide students on how to analyse their Literature texts and point out key phrases that students should take note of.
As the demands of the Humanities papers are getting tougher, students are finding it hard to grasp concepts, as well as translate them into well-written answers and essays
Conclusion
From all the points above, you can tell that Humanities is very heavily based on writing. Therefore, before even be able to tackle the Humanities well, students have to make sure that you have a good foundation of English. Students have to have a good command of English to be able to explain and elaborate on their points effectively so that examiners are able to understand them clearly giving them the marks that they deserve! Humanities is an important subject that students have to do well if they intend to pursue an Arts Course at Junior College or University. For Junior College admissions, students grades for their Humanities will be counted in their L1R5 as a relevant subject. Another point is that certain courses in Polytechnic such as Business courses prefer Humanities subjects. This is because Humanities show the student’s ability to analyse key points and be able to explain their point of views clearly in writing with a good command of English. So start your Secondary Humanities tuition now before it is too late!
