Category: Tuition

How I teach J1 group tuition with students from different JC?

In 2023, I have one VJC and one NYJC student in the same group.

Common J1 topics: System of linear equations, inequalities, graphing, transformation, techniques and applications of differentiation, series expansion, conics, summation, APGP, functions

These are the topics that are tested in one JC’s promo but not the other:

VJC: integration techniques, complex numbers

NYJC: vectors

So I covered all the common J1 topics and also integration techniques, complex numbers and vectors in the same group tuition. The VJC student learnt vectors (VJC J2 topic), and the NYJC student learnt integration techniques (post promo J1 topic) and complex numbers (J2 topic). In order to cover more topics than their school promo, I have to teach at a faster pace than their school, with only two hours tuition weekly.

Both students managed to score A in promo and even learnt in advance J2 topics.

VJC student improved from E to A in 2023 alevel

I tutored a VJC student after he got 46% for J1 MYE, 20-40 percentile. Since 6 in 10 VJC students got A in alevel 2023, tuition helped him improved to at least 40 percentile to get A in 2023 alevel

He eventually got straight As in 2023 alevel

Over the years, I have tutored many VJC and TJC students. If they start tuition shortly after J1 MY or promo and their results are at least 20-40 percentile before tuition, it is highly possible they can get A in alevel.

How my VJC student topped her class in 2023 J1 promo

My VJC student improved from 69% J1 MYE to 85% in promo, topping her class. She was given 5 promo practice papers by her school. What I did is to select the more challenging questions from her promo practice paper to do, and then we go through J2 prelim questions that are relevant in promo.

Because from my past experience, if this year promo paper turns out to be much harder than the previous, then students who merely practice the promo practice papers will not do well this year. Doing just promo practice papers will give just average results since that is what the majority of students are doing. To shine in class, a student needs to master beyond the difficulty level in promo practice papers.

Value added by tuition: A better way to gauge

As alevel is easier than school internal exams, students often improve by 2 to 3 grades from their prelim results even without tuition.

So how to better gauge the value-added by tuition? Using percentile improvement is one way.

improvement-from-j1-to-j2
Student started tuition after failing J1 MYE. He improved from lowest banding to highest banding by J2 MYE.

1.Student scored 16 percentile in school internal exams before joining tuition.Her school distinction rate in 2018 is 68%. So to be on track for distinction, she has to improve to at least 32 percentile to get A in alevelStudent got A in alevel. So there is value add of at least 16 percentile.
2.Student scored S grade in J2 MYE before joining tuition.S grade is around 20 percentile in her school. Her school distinction rate in 2019 is 65.5%. So to get A, she must have improved to at least 34.5 percentile.Student got A in alevel. So there is value add of at least 14 percentile.
based on my students’ 2019 alevel results

Percentile improvement is not easy to achieve. Imagine running the alevel marathon, one has to overtake more than 16% of people along the journey to get A.