In general, most parents and students in Singapore will enrol for tuition for two main reasons. The first and most obvious reason for enrolling for JC Chemistry tuition is primarily driven out by out of fear for doing badly for the A level Chemistry exam. The second reason which may come out as slightly surprising for some is that parents or students enrol for A level chemistry tuition driven by the need to maintain their good results or secure an A for their A level exams.

In the spirit of not encouraging that all should go for tuition which adds to the already hectic school life that JC students are having, let’s focus our attention and discussion on the students who are enrolling for tuition for fear of getting poor results for their A level Chemistry exam. However, despite getting poor grades for the subject, some students continue to ignore the need for tuition and have the overly optimistic belief or have the false illusion that they will be able to still do well for their A level Chemistry exams despite the fact that the poor results are staring straight in their face. Their optimism stems from the fact that they recalled how they managed to ace their O level Chemistry despite cramming their studies at the last minute. However, reality is that the gap between A level Chemistry and O level Chemistry is huge which means that even for students who score an A1 for O level Chemistry, it means nothing when they are going for their A level exams.

To help students anticipate if they need Chemistry tuition, we have listed the five signs that signal that students need A level Chemistry tuition sooner rather than later

Sign 1: Scoring poorly despite working very hard

You burn the midnight oil and worked very hard in preparation for the upcoming tests/exams. However, when doing the tests, you are still unable to do well and apply what you learnt. You get bad results which don’t seem to commensurate with the efforts that you have put in and resulting in you feeling despondent and deeply disappointed. Guess you just need a tutor to guide you in tackling the key concepts and questions.

Sign 2: All the topics are difficult for me

As you try to strategise and prioritise which topic to focus well, you find that you don’t know which of the topics to start with because you find all the topics challenging which results in you feeling paralysed, not knowing where to start and how to start.

Sign 3: Looking back to your past glory

After getting successive poor results for your Chemistry test at A levels, you reassure yourself that you will eventually do well in A levels by recalling how you have managed to clear O levels and PSLE despite doing last minute cramming. Unfortunately, A levels does not work like this. The duration for A levels is very short and the content is much more difficult than the O levels. Hence, even if you have secured an A1 for Chemistry at O level, it means nothing at A levels. Hence, it is better to do a reality check and not assume that past glory will carry you forward for A levels.

Sign 4: Experiencing negative emotions in your day to day life

You may not realise that the poor results that you are getting may get into the way of how you relate to your friends and family members. You may subconsciously project your negative emotions at people around you due to the poor results which have caused you to have negative emotions. You may be wallowing in despair and blaming everyone around you except yourself for the plight that you are in. Watch out for such signs and get someone to speak to or start to do something about your studies to stop it from perpetuating.

Sign 5: Procrastinating about studies

Despite your busy schedule, you choose not to study even when you get pockets of free time. You choose to watch TV, play computer games, watch movies, spend time on social media or engage in other activities except to study despite knowing that you badly need to study to do well for A level Chemistry. The sign is clear, you are choosing an avoidance strategy to get around the actual task of studying.

Just one final thought. It is perfectly alright to get help through tuition if that is needed. So if you are experiencing one of the 5 signs mentioned above, do not hesitate and just enrol for tuition. All the best for your A level journey!

About The JC & IB Tuition Specialists: We are formed by a group of dedicated tutors who specialize in providing H2 Chemistry tuition, H2 Maths tuition, and H2 Physics tuition in Singapore.