Retake mother tongue? No, D7 is good
enough
A-level students glad to focus on other subjects, now that mother
tongue not counted for varsity entry
By Jane Ng and Yvonne Koh and Lynn Lee
ALMOST all A-level students who have secured at least a D7 for
mother tongue at the AO level said they will not sit for the exam
again, now that they have the minimum grade needed in that subject
to enter a university here.
Only five of 70 students from seven junior colleges (JCs) polled by
The Straits Times yesterday want to do the test once more, even
though the grade no longer has to be counted in the university
admission exercise.
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Previously the students would take the subject in JC1 and retake it
in JC2 to better their marks, first in the middle of the year and
then again at the year-end.
Some JCs said that as many as half their second-year students would
retake the exam.
Now, like St Andrew's JC student Suffian Hakim, 17, who got a C6
for his Malay language paper, they say they would rather
concentrate on their other subjects.
Said Catholic JC student Alan Phua, 17, who got a D7 and is not
retaking the exam: 'Now that the stress of studying for Chinese is
not there, it frees me to focus on my biology S paper.'
Second-year Anglo-Chinese JC student, William Yonathan, 19, said
that while he was not satisfied with his B4 grade for Malay, he
would not retake the paper, 'because the subject takes up a lot of
time, about four hours of lesson time, plus homework'.
His schoolmate Chan Wei Xuan, 17, who got a C5 for Chinese
language, said he was satisfied with his grade, as it is 'one of my
best ever for the subject'.
The change in policy also puts students who do the simpler mother
tongue B syllabus on a par with those who do not.
Previously, they also needed a pass in the subject, but could not
use their grade in their university application, which meant they
had one fewer set of marks to count on for entry.
St Andrew's JC student Joel Gopalan, 18, who got an E8, said that
because of the change in thinking, he no longer feels he will lose
out by switching to the B paper.
'I know I'll pass it for sure and it won't affect my chances of
going to university here,' said the JC2 student, who is of
Indian-Chinese descent.
While Catholic JC student Joseph Tey, 18, is sticking with his D7
grade for Chinese language, he wonders if it will affect his job
prospects.
The five who say they will retake the test scored between A2 and C5
for the subject.
Terence Quek, 17, a second-year student at Temasek JC who scored an
A2, wants to get a scoresheet 'as perfect as possible'.
JC2 student Joanne Quek, 18, who had a C5, is retaking it for her
mum, who is 'worried it'll affect my chances of getting
scholarships'.
Mother tongue teachers, however, are disturbed by the change in
policy. They believe some students would get a better grade the
second time round. Some also fear their own jobs will become
redundant.
Said one: 'Some of us will probably be transferred to secondary
schools because of this, as we'll probably be teaching only one
batch of students - the JC1s - instead of two.'
However, Catholic JC's principal, Brother Paul Rogers, believes
that as there is now no longer pressure to produce grades, it could
make mother tongue a more exciting subject to teach and to
learn.
'The emphasis is now not just on imparting information necessary
for passing an exam but teaching the students in a way that they're
in a better position to use the language later on in life.'
HENG i no Do a Levels sia...if nt
sure fail like sai...aso forgt wat is my chinese o level grade
liaoz....
if oral can test hokkien nt chinese gd liao hor...
btw wats KAO PEH KAO BU
in chinese ?
