DISTICNTION IN O-LEVEL CHEM- HOW!!ISTRY

Kahynickel SG

To UltimaOnline:

I am coaching a very good student these days. She is brilliant and hard working. I want her to get a world distinction in O-level Chemistry. So I need your advice on what I should do besides covering the syllabus and past papers.

UltimaOnline SG

To UltimaOnline:

Every student is unique, and responds differently to different approaches. As her tutor, you're in the best position to assess her learning style and tailor optimally to her needs.

One further point : unlike A levels, in which going beyond the syllabus can be helpful (eg. I teach Uni level stuff to my JC tudents, helps to give them an advantage), for O level Chemistry going beyond the syllabus is significantly less helpful, and getting a distinction is more a matter whether the student has thoroughly memorized everything the O level syllabus requires, and whether the student is careful enough not to make any careless mistake (including not reading the question carefully, not using all the data given, calculation errors, etc) that would cost the student his/her position on the treacherous bell-curve.

Kahynickel SG

Consider the following question:

Choose from the following compounds to answer the questions below

BaSO4 CH4 C2H4 C3H8 CO2 CaCO3 CF3Cl K2Cr2O7 MgSO4 NaCl ZnSO4

Each compound can be used once, more than once or not at all.

Which compound
(a) is responsible for ozone depletion,
....................................................................................................................................
(b) is formed by the bacterial decay of vegetable matter,
....................................................................................................................................
(c) is used to remove sulfur dioxide in flue gas desulfurisation,
....................................................................................................................................
(d) is an insoluble salt,
....................................................................................................................................
(e) is orange in colour,
....................................................................................................................................
(f) decolourises aqueous bromine?
....................................................................................................................................

The above compounds can be used to answer these question.

Now I have told my student that, besides making a track record of all the worksheets of relevant topics, make a list of the compounds whom she is encountering during my lectures. For example i have recently covered ionic and covalent bonding and i have used plenty of examples which to her are new entities such as MgO, AlF3, CH4, CF3Cl, N2, HCN, CO2 and many more.

Therefore as soon as the studies progresses she will be acquainted with a large supply of these new compounds specially when electrolysis will be taught. At the end of the syllabus I will ask her to consider each entity and recall where it has found applications like the question I have quoted. Although it will be quite cumbersome for a student to do that but I think this technique will surely work in not only retrieving the factual information regarding a topic but enhancing her memory skill and her ability to use chemicals.

What do you think Sir UltimaOnline?

UltimaOnline SG

Consider the following question:

Choose from the following compounds to answer the questions below

BaSO4 CH4 C2H4 C3H8 CO2 CaCO3 CF3Cl K2Cr2O7 MgSO4 NaCl ZnSO4

Each compound can be used once, more than once or not at all.

The above compounds can be used to answer these question.

What do you think Sir UltimaOnline?

Dejomel SG

Woah.

I feel completely out of place now as a H1 Chemistry student, haha.

UltimaOnline SG

Woah.

I feel completely out of place now as a H1 Chemistry student, haha.

Tis a real pity you take H1 instead of H2. Chemistry should always be taken at H2, never at H1. Because H2 Chemistry (alongside H2 Physics) is a prerequisite for a majority of Science courses in the Uni, while H1 Chemistry (or H1 Science in general) is useless for use as prerequisites.

It's not too late, you can always take H2 Chemistry as a private candidate after you leave JC. In fact, while you're at it, it's enriching to take up triple H2 Science (as a private candidate), for the fun of it!