Believe in Yourself

In 1999, we embarked on a journey with the desire to help students improve their results and turn around their score during major examinations: PSLE, GCE O and A level. Studying developed educational practices and training methods, tapping on the years of interacting with students, and leaning back on our learning experience, we think hard on what the best means of helping students improve was.

After 7 years of diligence in implementing teaching methodology and

curriculum by many of our teachers, we understand that the “mental” state of the student is the most important. The best revision materials and worksheets cannot be learnt and used for examination preparation unless the learners fully want and like to. The most knowledgeable teacher would not be able to effectively share and make a difference to an unwilling student. We believe that the most important factor is to build the self-confidence of students, to believe in them, to mentally gear and condition them for their major examinations and to run with them and cheer them on. In 2006, these same desires in most of the students caused numerous of them to perform extremely well.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our teachers, past and

present, who have worked selflessly in wanting to make a difference to the students’ performance. We would like to thank all the parents for believing in us, and allowing us to participate in your child's journey. Lastly, for the students, we salute you and continue to believe in each and everyone as you scale for higher heights and take on greater challenges in your life.

Believe in Yourself

Mr Tony Tan Founder, Smartlab Education Centre Master Trainer, Cambridge International Diploma for Teacher and Trainer Winner of Spirit of Enterprise 2006

In this issue of our newsletter, we will be speaking to a few SmartLab students who have done well for their PSLE or O level examinations, including students who have done poorly in the past but made a great comeback. How did they do it? The students and their parents share with us their secrets of success…

Subjects enrolled in SmartLab: A1 for Physics A1 for Chemistry

He has been well-known among the teachers in

SmartLab for being intensely inquisitive and participative in class.

SmartLab: Congratulations on your achievements. Jun Yang, which school are you studying now? JY: I am now in National Junior College. SmartLab: Please describe your feelings as your received your O-level results, which were excellent by the way. JY: I was satisfied with my results. SmartLab: So, any celebrations over your success? JY: Not really. SmartLab: Please share your secrets of your success with us! JY: Prediction of all possible scenarios, just like in a battle. For example, predict and prepare for the different types of questions that could surface in the examination paper. SmartLab: Any good advice for SmartLab students sitting for their coming O-Level examination later this year? JY: For Physics and Chemistry, the keywords are very important when you write the answers. Confidence plays an important role as well. If a student is unconfident with the answer, there will be hesitation time which could affect the quality of the answer. Besides, lesser hesitation time means more time to check the paper. SmartLab: In what other areas do you believe has SmartLab helped you? JY: For Physics, SmartLab's materials provide different angles and different perspectives. As for Chemistry, the questions provided by SmartLab were thought-provoking and they complemented the notes provided. In other words, the materials were good because they covered areas which my school did not teach. SmartLab: JunYang, thank you for your time and all the best to you! JY: You are welcome.

SmartLab: How have you guided Tai Rong in his preparation for his PSLE examinations? Mr. Ng: I have to push him at times as students have to put in effort in order to do well. SmartLab: Is there any other advice you’d like to offer to fellow parents? Mr. Ng: Spend more time with the children. Can't just place them in tuition centres and expect everything will be alright. Family support is very important as we need to give them relief and not pressurise them. SmartLab: Thank you very much for your time. I would like to speak to Tai Rong. Mr. Ng: You are welcome. SmartLab: Congratulations on your achievements. Tai Rong, which school are you studying now? TR: St. Andrew's Secondary School, which was the school of my choice. SmartLab: Any good advice for SmartLab students sitting for their coming PSLE examination later this year? TR: Work harder and students should not assume that PSLE is going to be easy. SmartLab: In what other areas do you believe has SmartLab helped you? TR: Mr. Tan and Ms. Ng were my teachers in Maths and Science. They were good in the way they taught me as I could understand very well. SmartLab: Tai Rong, thank you for your time and all the best to you! TR: Thank you.

Ng Tai Rong St. Andrew's Primary School

Subjects enrolled in SmartLab:

A* for Science

A for Maths

Tai Rong is an inquisitive student in class and would not hesitate to raise any doubts with the

lesson. Teaching him is a pleasure as he is able to grasp concepts taught quickly.

Subjects enrolled in SmartLab: A* for Science A for Maths

For his resilience as he scored 50s in Math and

Science for his preliminary examination. He was originally quite disturbed over these results. Hence, a great comeback for his PSLE results.

SmartLab: Congratulations on your son’s achievements. Are you happy with his results? Mrs. Ng: Quite happy. SmartLab: How have you guided Ryan in his preparation for his PSLE examinations? Mrs. Ng: Not very much as I relied on SmartLab to prepare him for his PSLE. The father would help him a little at times. SmartLab: Is there any other advice you’d like to offer to fellow parents? Mrs. Ng: One important element is not to pressurise students. Emotional support and having the faith that your child can do it are crucial for the intellectual development of the child. On a different note, I would like to add that SmartLab had instilled confidence in him especially after the results of his preliminary exams. That was a great relief to us, as we were originally quite concerned over his eventual performance for his PSLE. SmartLab: Thank you very much for your time. I would like to speak to Ryan please. Mrs. Ng: You are welcome. SmartLab: Ryan, which school are you studying now? RN: Maris Stella High. SmartLab: Please describe your feelings as your received your PSLE results. RN: I was happy but would have been happier if I had a higher grade for Mandarin. SmartLab: Please share your secrets of your success with us! RN: I relied on SmartLab notes, i-science textbook and some preliminary papers before the PSLE. SmartLab: Any good advice for SmartLab students sitting for their coming PSLE examination later this year? RN: Study harder for Mandarin. It's not easy. More exposure to different types of questions would be good as well. SmartLab: In what other areas do you believe has SmartLab helped you? RN: Notes were very useful. The homework provided a variety of questions that focused on topics taught by school and overall, the materials helped me to understand the topics. SmartLab: Ryan, thank you for your time and all the best to you! RN: You are welcome.

Ryan Ng Maris Stella Primary

School

Sherry Aw was known by her tutors as the girl who overcame her fear and dislike of Maths and triumphed in the 2006 O-level examination. Her discomfort in the subject was apparent since she joined SmartLab in secondary 2, but with guidance and personal determination, she was able to beat the odds and scored her best grades in her Mathematics. Sherry is a Chung Cheng High Main alumnus. She scored six distinctions last year; netting an L1R5 of 10 points. She had enrolled for A. Maths and E. Maths classes in SmartLab, and obtained A2 and A1 respectively.

SmartLab: Congratulations on your achievements. What are you doing now, Sherry? Sherry: I am now in Meridian Junior College (MJC). I am reading Maths C, Economics, Chemistry and Biology. SmartLab: How is it over there? Sherry: It is quite fun and the friends are nice. At the same time, there is a lot of competition between us, because we want the best grades and the best testimonials from the school and the teachers. I guess it’s a friendly competition or rivalry of sorts. And the homework’s starting to get stressful! SmartLab: Please describe your feelings as your received your O-level results, which were excellent by the way. Sherry: I was happy, overall. I was however slightly disappointed that I did not score an A1 for my A. Maths because I worked very hard for it. Everything else, I’m pretty satisfied. SmartLab: How did you celebrate your success? Sherry: I had lunch with my friends. It was hard to have a true celebration because while I was happy with my results, some of my friends were not. We had to take care of these friends. SmartLab: I heard that you hated Maths in the past. How did you manage to overcome this? Sherry: Actually, I started liking Maths better and better since my grades improved. You would do well in any subject you like, but you would also like a subject if you do well in it. SmartLab: Share your secrets of your success with us, please! Sherry: Practise, practise, and practise makes perfect! I completed a lot of past year papers given to me. In fact, I am so used to doing a large volume of Maths questions that I don’t find the Maths work given in my JC classes sufficient! Also, do not panic. Keep a clear head wherever you are, and everything will fall in place. If you revised enough for your paper, the answers to your questions will come naturally. SmartLab: Wouldn’t a bit of panic and pressure be inevitable? Sherry: Some people work well under pressure, and some people do not. You must know which category you belong to. SmartLab: In what other areas do you believe has SmartLab helped you? Sherry: I like the way SmartLab goes through practice papers; intensive and repetitive in a good way. Practice after all makes perfect. Especially Maths, we need to practise it a lot, a lot, a lot. By the way, I might as well thank Mr Bobby Chia and Mr Chua Wee Chong, both my tutors for being so helpful, so nice, and so willing to fulfill our requests to the best of their abilities. SmartLab: Sherry, all the best to you in your next phase of life! Sherry: Thank you!

“You would do well in any subject you like, but you would also like a subject if you do well in it.”

“Practice after all makes perfect. Especially Maths, we need to practise it a lot, a lot, a lot.”

“Keep a clear head wherever you are, and everything will fall in place. If you revised enough for your paper, the answers to your questions will come naturally.”

Ng Jing Cheng is as playful and down-to-earth as he is intelligent and hardworking. He has constantly stood out in his classes by being inquisitive and meticulous in his work but yet knowing how to keep a sunny disposition even in the middle of a brain-warping lesson. Jing Cheng is a Catholic High alumnus. He scored a perfect eight distinctions in his 2006 O-level examinations, netting an L1R5 of 7 points. He had enrolled for A. Maths, E. Maths and Chemistry classes in SmartLab, and obtained A2 for A. Maths and A1s for the other two.

SmartLab: Congratulations on your achievements. What are you doing now, Jing Cheng? Jing Cheng: I am now in Victoria Junior College (VJC). I am reading Maths C, Economics, Chemistry and Biology. VJC’s a really cool and fun place, but students here are at the same time serious about our work. SmartLab: How are your friends over there? Jing Cheng: As I mentioned, they play hard, and they work hard. I have been having a good time. SmartLab: Please describe your feelings as your received your O-level results, which were excellent by the way. Jing Cheng: Thanks. I was elated that I did very well and could easily stay in VJC with my results, though I felt some of my A2s could have been A1s. But a distinction is a distinction; anyways, I’m still very satisfied. SmartLab: How did you celebrate your success? Jing Cheng: I didn’t party or anything! Just the satisfaction and the relief were enough! I am so busy in VJC right now. In a good way.

SmartLab: Share your secrets of your success with us, please! Jing Cheng: Well, you know it already but… hard work! I was self-motivated; I wanted to get into a good JC. I also had an effective study group composed of a bunch of extremely motivated friends who also wish to get into a good JC. Most of them did! Mixing with the right friends can be extremely effective! SmartLab: I noticed that while you’ve been showing undivided concentration in class and consistent work, deep inside you’re simply a fun-loving and cheesy guy like the rest of us mortals. How’d you balance both work and play? Jing Cheng: By the simple motto: work hard and play hard! In between our intensive studying me and my friends would play soccer in the classroom and share lame stories with one another. Play is important for de-stressing. But once the fun is over, we’d force one another to come back and start studying again. It’s all about balance. SmartLab: Not afraid of going overboard with the fun? Jing Cheng: Here’s my tip: High intensity and short-duration fun is the key to balancing work and play. Like sports. It doesn’t take a long time, but it is physically very refreshing. It helps save a lot of time and is thus highly efficient. SmartLab: In what areas do you believe has SmartLab helped you? Jing Cheng: Teachers! SmartLab has given me very good teachers in Ms Kin Peishan, Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Aldo Teng, who have offered me countless support and help. I got to ask them many questions regarding my work; they were always willing to stay back and help even after tuition hours. I love how approachable they are and how they’d always be around. SmartLab: *Blush* How else had the teachers made tuition effective? Jing Cheng: <not noticing the red cheeks> I was also given many exam practice papers, of which I have done so many; the exam paper has become second nature to me. SmartLab’s laboratory sessions are unique because most other tuition centres do not offer them. They gave me good practice. SmartLab: Is there any other advice you’d like to offer to your fellow students? Jing Cheng: Anything is possible, depending on how badly you want it. SmartLab: Jing Cheng, all the best to you in your next phase of life! Jing Cheng: Thank you!

“SmartLab’s laboratory sessions are unique because most other tuition

centres do not offer them. They gave me

good practice.”

“Anything is possible, depending on how badly you want it.”

SmartLab: Congratulations on your achievements. What are you doing now, Benedict? Benedict: I am now in Jurong Junior College (JJC). I am reading Maths C, Economics, Physics and Chemistry. As I read Combined Science in O-level, other JCs wouldn’t allow me to read Science subjects at H2 level, but JJC gave me this opportunity and I am very thankful for that. SmartLab: How is your time over there? Benedict: My new friends are quite nice. I am finding it a bit of a challenge to cope due to my Combined Science background and that most of my classmates have read Pure Science subjects, but I believe through hard work, I will prevail. SmartLab: Please describe your feelings as your received your O-level results, which were excellent by the way. Benedict: I was surprised, and happy because I finally managed to realise my dream of entering a JC. I scored 24 points for my Prelims and couldn’t get into one, so I had to enrol in a Centralized Institute for the first few months of 2007. SmartLab: How did you celebrate your success? Benedict: I had some small celebrations with my friends. It was also bittersweet, because all the good friends I made in the Centralized Institute were separated after the first few months. SmartLab: Share your secrets of your success with us, please! Benedict: Repetition helps. I completed five Ten-Year Series books! I finished Prelim exam papers provided by SmartLab. I believe the latter is important, because Ten-Year Series questions are usually not challenging enough to prepare us for the O-level examinations. SmartLab: In class you used to often mention that you plan to go the library after lesson. Benedict: Yeah! I would study in the Bishan Library everyday from 9 AM to 9 PM. I spent more time on group studying than alone. I had both lazy and hardworking friends; we have to be careful about distinguishing between the two. SmartLab: In what areas do you believe has SmartLab helped you? Benedict: Are you fishing for praises? Heh. I got good teachers from SmartLab in Ms Kin Peishan, Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Aldo Teng who had helped me in more ways than one. The notes have been helpful especially when there are no teachers around to consult. The laboratory sessions have also certainly been of help. But it’s really about the teachers. Getting outside help from the school was necessary, so I decided to enrol in SmartLab. In school I was one of the very few who obtained a distinction in Combined Science. Thank you once again, Ms Kin, Ms Poa and Mr Teng, for helping me even when I was lazy. SmartLab: Benedict, all the best to you in your next phase of life! Benedict: Thank you, you too!

Benedict Ho is another example of a playful youth who values the importance of hard work and does set out to achieve his goals. In class, he stood out both for his unabashed humour and his unfaltering diligence. Benedict is a St. Andrews Secondary School alumnus. Having shown tremendous improvement in his academic performance, he achieved an O-level L1R5 of 14, which was a solid 10 points off from his Prelim L1R5 of 24. He had enrolled for A. Maths, E. Maths and Science (Chemistry) classes in SmartLab, and obtained B3 for A. Maths and A1s for the other two. SmartLab has the wonderful opportunity to obtain insight from Benedict’s mother.

SmartLab: Congratulations on your son’s achievements. Are you happy with his results? Mother: Very happy. Benedict’s strength lies in artistic creativity, not hard academics, and he has to maintain consistency and hard work to achieve good results. Benedict actually has struggled a lot in the past few years. He didn’t do well at all before and was in fact on the borderline stratum between the Normal and the Express streams. I thought of giving him a shot at the Express stream to see how hard he could work and how well he could achieve. The decision had absolutely paid off. SmartLab: How have you guided Benedict in his preparation for his O-level examinations? Mother: I couldn’t do much besides watching over his activities and how he managed his time. I played the role of the supportive mother assisting him from behind, while his dad constantly gave him challenges and pressure. I believe it was through this two-way approach that we managed to push him forward. SmartLab: It says here that Benedict has an elder brother who has been with SmartLab for numerous years? Mother: Yes, Benedict’s brother has been with SmartLab from Secondary School to Junior College. He is of great influence to Benedict, who has expressed interest in doing the exact same thing. SmartLab: Is there any other advice you’d like to offer to fellow parents? Mother: Never conclude what your child is, no matter how bad you might think it is. Always be positive. Always have faith that your child’s potential will be realised with constant encouragement and support. It took a lot for Benedict to realise his own potential and other students deserve the right to do the same. SmartLab: Thank you very much for your time. We too hope to speak to Benedict. Mother: Thank you very much too.

♦ ”I completed five Ten-Year Series books!” ♦ “I spent more time on group studying than alone. I had both lazy and hardworking friends; we have to be careful about

distinguishing between the two.” ♦ “Some of my school teachers are so lousy that I felt getting outside help was necessary, so I decided to enrol in SmartLab. In

school I was one of the very few who obtained a distinction in Combined Science.”

Amir bin Yusof’s performance in the 2006 O-level examinations was a far cry from his school examinations. In the span of a few months, his A. Maths grade jumped from an F9 to an A2, whilst his other subjects all enjoyed improvements of their own. Amir is a Temasek Secondary School alumnus. He scored five distinctions in his examinations, netting an L1R5 of 12. He had enrolled for Physics and A. Maths classes in SmartLab, and obtained B3 and A2 respectively. SmartLab has the wonderful opportunity to chat with Amir’s mother.

SmartLab: Congratulations on your son’s achievements. Are you happy with his results? Mother: I feel happy for him because he generally did well. We did expect more from his Mathematics, but the significant improvement was indeed a good thing. SmartLab: How do you think had Amir achieved such a fantastic improvement from his school examinations? Mother: Amir was very active in his CCAs and that distracted him from his studies, so he was weaker during secondary 3. This had resulted in a weak foundation for his studies, which naturally would create a lot of problems during secondary 4. It was good that we hurriedly enrolled him in SmartLab tuition, because he did work hard in the end and produced good results. SmartLab: How have you guided Amir in his preparation for his O-level examinations? Mother: On top of SmartLab tuition, Amir’s father helped him every Sunday with his school work. In this new year and new school, Amir has yet to approach him for help, but he would certainly be there when his help is needed. SmartLab: Is there any other advice you’d like to offer to fellow parents? Mother: Time management is very important since we are talking about holistic education nowadays. A balanced approach is necessary when excellence in both academics and CCAs are our goals, but students may get so carried away with their CCAs that they lose focus. Because the O-level exams cover two years of work, students must learn how to manage their time well from day 1, before it is too late. SmartLab: Thank you very much for your time. Mother: You are welcome.

“I understand that not everyone is able to maintain perfect attention in class from day one, but I think it is imperative to commit full attention in any class as we approach our exams.” “I felt the (SmartLab) notes were especially helpful, because they went into details and helped in the application of knowledge that the textbooks did not.” “Perseverance!”

SmartLab: Congratulations on your achievements. What are you doing now, Amir? Amir: I am now in Meridian Junior College (MJC) and reading Maths C, Economics, Chemistry and Physics. SmartLab: How is it over there? Amir: It is a good learning environment. I am having fun with my friends. SmartLab: Please describe your feelings as your received your O-level results, which were excellent by the way. Amir: I was definitely relieved; I had expected worse grades. However, I believe that there is still room for improvement. SmartLab: Good; may you perform even better for your A-level exams. How did you celebrate your success? Amir: I did not have any major celebration, but I had a good dinner with my family. My family’s pretty close. SmartLab: Share your secrets of your success with us, please! Amir: I was diligent in finishing my Ten-Year Series (TYS) books. In fact, I completed the WHOLE TYS set TWICE for all my subjects. Also, listening to teachers and tutors is of great importance. I understand that not everyone is able to maintain perfect attention in class from day one, but I think it is imperative to commit full attention in any class as we approach our exams. It helps that I was blessed with SmartLab teachers like the very good Mr. Chua Wee Chong and the committed Mr. Ivan See-Toh. SmartLab: In what other areas do you believe has SmartLab helped you? Amir: I felt the notes were especially helpful, because they went into details and helped in the application of knowledge that the textbooks did not. Textbooks tend to be too basic in content. SmartLab: Is there any other advice you’d like to offer to your fellow students? Amir: Perseverance! It can get you to anywhere. SmartLab: Amir, all the best to you in your next phase of life! Amir: Thank you!

SmartLab: Congratulations on your son’s achievements. Are you happy with his results? Father: I am very satisfied. Yong Ann came into SmartLab without good results. In fact he didn’t even manage to pass his Science subjects at all previously. His string of distinctions could do nothing but make us proud. SmartLab: How have you guided Yong Ann in his preparation for his O-level examinations? Father: I simply made sure he had the time to digest everything he learned from both school and tuition, since workload tended to be large. I would chat with him to keep track of his progress. I would also always remind him to read up and attend tutorial classes. SmartLab: Is there any other advice you’d like to offer to fellow parents? Father: As I have mentioned, Yong Ann’s academic results were previously unsatisfactory. But for parents with similar children, never despair. I had decided to give SmartLab a try, and found its teachers professional and dedicated. They were able to give time and attention to Yong Ann, something school teachers aren’t able to do simply due to the enormous class sizes. In school, there are always fast learners and slow learners; school teachers are unable to provide for this learner differentiation. SmartLab has come in handy because the teachers know how to prepare and guide their students for their examinations. My advice is to simply join SmartLab! SmartLab: That’s very nice of you! Is there anything else you’d like to add? Father: Many thanks to the teachers in SmartLab for staying back to help Yong Ann and for rearranging make-up or additional classes for him when he missed some classes. SmartLab: Thank you very much for your time. We too hope to speak to Yong Ann. Father: You are welcome.

Ooi Yong Ann has deeply impressed the teachers in SmartLab with a spectacular turnaround of academic performance. Through sheer diligence, this previous F9 student in school went on to score an impressive six distinctions out of seven in his 2006 O-level examinations. Over the phone, Yong Ann maintained his humble and unpretentious nature, answering our questions warmly with no hesitation. Yong Ann is a Maris Stella High alumnus. Having shown tremendous improvement in his academic performance, he achieved an O-level L1R5 of 12 and an L1R4 of 10. He had enrolled for Physics and Chemistry classes in SmartLab, and obtained A2s for both, a far cry from his previous F9 days. SmartLab has the wonderful opportunity to converse with Yong Ann’s father.

“School teachers aren’t able to (give time and attention to Yong Ann) simply due to the enormous class sizes. In school, there are always fast learners and slow learners; school teachers are unable to provide for this learner differentiation.”

“Tuition in SmartLab certainly helped because it forced the studying in me, whether I wanted it or not.” “Classes in SmartLab would also cover topics before they were taught in school. This made it so much easier to understand everything taught in class. Before I joined SmartLab, I had great difficulty understanding the lessons in school.” “I have many friends who studied very hard for their Preliminary examinations but slacked off for their O-level exams since it was immediately after that. They ended up not doing so well in their O level exams.”

SmartLab: Congratulations on your achievements. What are you doing now, Yong Ann? Yong Ann: I am now waiting for enrolment into Temasek Polytechnic (TP). I will be reading a course in Aviation Management, which starts in April. It is a very competitive course because its cut-off point is a low L1R4 of 11, so students in the course could have gone into JCs had they chosen to. Meanwhile, I am getting some experience from part-time jobs. SmartLab: Please describe your feelings as your received your O-level results, which were excellent by the way. Yong Ann: I was pleasantly surprised. I expected an average of As to Bs, but I definitely exceeded my expectations by getting distinctions for practically all of my subjects. SmartLab: How did you celebrate your success? Yong Ann: No celebrations. Just happiness. SmartLab: Share your secrets of your success with us, please! Yong Ann: Just studying and studying. I was not the type to do Ten-Year Series books, though I admit I might have done even better had I done them. In fact, I would be what you consider a lazy student. But tuition in SmartLab certainly helped because it forced the studying in me, whether I wanted it or not. The one-and-a-half hours of tuition were a solid one-and-a-half hours of studying and work which I otherwise would not have done. Tuition also helped during secondary 3 where the examinations were much harder. SmartLab: You certainly think highly about tuition classes. Yong Ann: Definitely. Also, the classes in SmartLab would also cover topics before they were taught in school. This made it so much easier to understand everything taught in class. Before I joined SmartLab, I had great difficulty understanding the lessons in school. The difference is very obvious. I would love to thank my teachers Mr Vincent Lee and Mr Soh Thin Long. SmartLab: I will pass them the message, thanks. Is there any other advice you’d like to offer to your fellow students? Yong Ann: Study hard! And especially before the important examinations! I don’t mean last-minute studying. I have many friends who studied very hard for their Preliminary examinations but slacked off for their O-level exams since it was immediately after that. They ended up not doing so well in their O level exams. SmartLab: Yong Ann, all the best to you in your next phase of life! Yong Ann: Thank you!

Celebrating the Performance of Our Students in 2006 A Level

Year Subject A A/B Improves by 2 grades or more* Average Grade Improved

Chemistry 38.5% 69.2% 93.8% 3.3

Maths C 50% 66.7% 87.5% 3.1 2006

Physics 33.3% 54.2% 86.4% 2.8

Maths C 36% 57% 80% 3.4

Physics 32% 64% 92% 2.7 2005

Chemistry 34% 72% 83% 2.9

Maths C 40% 53% 100% 3.6

Physics 25% 38% 50% 1.7 2004

Chemistry 33% 100% 100% 3.4 *Based on students who scored C or below before joining SmartLab O Level

Year Subject Scoring Distinction* Improves by 2 grades or more** Average Grade Improved

Elementary Maths 55.3% 85.3% 3.3

Additional Maths 74.6% 87.7% 3.8

Comb Phy 35.7% 90% 3.2

Comb Chem 45.8% 87% 3.6

Pure Chemistry 51.4% 90.2% 2.6

2006

Pure Physics 45.2% 76.2% 2.4

Elementary Maths 43% 74% 2.4

Additional Maths 69% 90% 4.2

Comb Phy 60% 87% 3.5

Comb Chem 50% 100.0% 3.9

Pure Chemistry 46% 68% 2.7

2005

Pure Physics 46% 85% 2.8

Elementary Maths 34.2% 90% 3.1

Additional Maths 58.2% 86.5% 3.7

Combined Science 44.2% 84% 3.3

Pure Chemistry 44% 87.8% 3.3

2004

Pure Physics 54.4% 72.9% 3.1 * Based on all students ** Based on students who scored B3 or below before joining SmartLab®. The reason is because it is not possible to improve by 2 grades or more for students who already scored A1/A2.

PSLE

Year Subject A/A* Improved by 1 grade of more *

Improves by 2 grades or more** Remarks

Math 47.1% 78.0% 43.6% - 2006

Science 71.2% 83.1% 34.0% -

Math 58.3% 72.7% 38.9% - 2005

Science 66.2% 65.6% 29% -

Math 66.3% 84.8% 44.4% - 2004

Science 55.6% 57.8% 25.9% - * Based on students scoring A or below (not possible for A* to improve by 1 grade) ** Based on student scoring B or below (not possible for A/A* to improve by 2 grades)

In line with our mission of maximising each student’s potential, SmartLab will be conducting additional classes for the weaker students in the coming June holidays for primary to secondary levels. In order to give greater individual attention to the students, the places for these classes are limited. Only those students recommended by our teachers will be given a place in these additional classes.

As SmartLab® has been receiving constant feedback and demand from parents and students for individual coaching, we’ve decided to launch a new type of service known as special customized lessons.

There are 2 modes to our special customized lessons:

1. Weekly Students (either individual or in a group of 2) attends a weekly on-going class of 2 hours, where they receive individual coaching from our tutors. Mixture of subjects could be arranged for the class subjected to availability of suitable tutor. For example, a Primary 6 student could request to be coached on both Math as well as Science. Fees are as stated in the table below.

2. Adhoc Students (either individual or in a group of 2) could request and arrange for a once-off lesson when required. This type of lesson is useful for clarifying doubts and questions prior to tests or exams. Or they could use the session to learn about topics that they have poorer understanding. Such lessons must be arranged at least one week in advance.

Weekly Adhoc Arrangement

Fees per 2-hour lesson Fees per 1-hour lesson Individual 3 X current group fees 2 x current group fees Group of 2 4.5 X current group fees 2.5 X current group fees

Collection of $100 Deposit Required Nil $20 Registration Fee Required Required

Further enquiry on special customised lesson can be made via telephone to the branch where the lesson is to be conducted.

For Weaker Students

SmartLab will be conducting intensive classes in the June holidays for primary to secondary 3 students. The main objective is to assist any student who has not achieved personal targeted grades due to a lack of understanding of basic concepts in current year’s syllabus. At the same time, we also aim to instil self-confidence in the students, and to build their interest in the subject. These are elements that are critical to shortening a student’s learning curve. Detailed discussion will be held on important topics for the current year, as well as an analysis of common past year questions from our large database of examination questions. For students who are interested in these intensive classes, please call any of our branches or e-mail us at: course@smartlab.com.sg for the latest schedule.

Each Session : S$100 (3 Hrs) Registration fees : S$20

Chemistry Venue : BLK 279 Bishan Street 24 #01-34 Singapore 570279

Session 1 Chemical Energy 20-May Session 9 Electrochem 15-Jul

Session 2 Chemical Energy 27-May Session 10 Group VII 22-Jul

Session 3 Reaction Kinetics 3-Jun Session 11 Transition Metal 29-Jul

Session 4 Reaction Kinetics 10-Jun Session 12 Alkane & Alkene 5-Aug

Session 5 Chemical Equilibrium 17-Jun Session 13 Arene Halo 12-Aug

Session 6 Ionic Equilibrium 24-Jun Session 14 Alcohol 19-Aug

Session 7 Ionic & Ksp 1-Jul Session 15 Carbonyl 26-Aug

Session 8 Electrochem 8-Jul Session 16 Carboxylic Acid 2-Sep

Physics

Venue : BLK 228 Bishan Street 23 #B1-71 Singapore 570228 Session 1 Motion in a Circle 27-May Session 9 Electric Field 22-Jul

Session 2 Gravitational Field 3-Jun Session 10 Current of Electricity / D.C.circuit 5-Aug

Session 3 Temperature / Thermal Properties of Materials 10-Jun Session 11 Magnetism 12-Aug

Session 4 Ideal Gases 17-Jun Session 12 Electromagnetic Induction 19-Aug

Session 5 Thermodynamics 24-Jun Session 13 Alternating Current 2-Sep

Session 6 Oscillations 1-Jul Session 14 Charged Particles 9-Sep

Session 7 Waves 8-Jul Session 15 Quantum Physics 16-Sep

Session 8 Superposition 15-Jul Session 16 Nuclear Physics 23-Sep

* Dates are subjected to changes

Registration at BLK 228 Bishan St 23 #B1-71 S(570228)

Contacts : 6459 2351 / 6459 5282 E-mail : course@smartlab.com.sg

Understanding each student’s profile is important in providing relevant advice for students who are preparing for their examinations. It is part of our effort to better understand the learner in order to cater to their needs. We have developed models that were implemented and found to be very useful in aiding students improve and excel in their examinations. Talks on examination strategy will be conducted in Jun 2007 (details below), targeted at parents and students, so as to share our experience on how to develop strategies for your examination preparation. As part of the talk, our effort to profile students will be shared. For a package on individual student profiling, the cost is S$25/-. There will be an online questionnaire to be filled prior to a 30-min 1 to 1 discussion to provide advice to participating students based on the findings. For those interested, please e-mail to course@smartlab.com.sg to arrange for the session.

Free Talks for Parents and Students by Mr Tony Tan

Location: Blk 279 Bishan St 24, #01-34 S(570279) Exam Strategy for Parent Talk focuses on: preparing students for major examinations what are the challenges that students face the type of support that parents can provide

Exam Strategy for Students Talk focuses on: getting students to know their learning styles better developing and tailoring ways of coping with challenges

in preparing for major examination

Talks are suitable for parents. Sunday, 3 Jun 2007, 10:30-11:30am Sunday, 17 Jun 2007, 10:30-11:30am

Talks are suitable for students in Secondary 2 and above. Thu, 7 Jun 2007, 5:00-6:00pm Tue, 12 Jun 2007, 5:00-6:00pm

Call any of our branches to register or e-mail to course@smartlab.com.sg First-come, first-served basis with priority given to SmartLab students. Confirmation of seats would be via e-mail.

Understanding Marking Scheme byMr Tony Tan, 1st Class Honours, University of Cambridge

Ms Hazel Poa, 1st Class Honours, University of CambridgeLocation: Blk 279 Bishan St 24, #01-34 S(570279)

Understanding Marking Scheme - Lower Secondary Science Suitable for Sec 1 and 2 Science Students Talk focuses on:

the setting of questions and the marking schemes used in summative assessments

analysis of selective Physics, Chemistry and Biology examination questions and their marking schemes

Online student profiling would be conducted free of charge.

Understanding Marking Scheme - 'O' Level Physics Suitable for Sec 4 students (Pure or Combined Physics) Talk focuses on: the setting of questions and the marking schemes used

in GCE O Level examination for Physics examination questions from topics which are important

for the coming GCE O level examination selective questions would be flagged out for a thorough

discussion Online student profiling would be conducted free of charge.

Tue, 19 Jun 2007, 1:00-4:30pm (1/2 hr break)

Wed, 20 Jun 2007, 1:00-4:30pm (1/2 hr break)

Understanding Marking Scheme - 'O' Level Chemistry Suitable for Sec 4 students (Pure or Combined Chemistry) Talk focuses on: the setting of questions and the marking schemes used

in GCE O Level examination for Chemistry examination questions from topics which are important

for the coming GCE O level examinations selective questions would be flagged out for an in depth

discussion Online student profiling would be conducted free of charge.

Understanding Marking Scheme - 'O' Level Maths Suitable for Sec 4 students (E. Maths and A. Maths) Talk focuses on: the setting of questions and the marking schemes used

in GCE O Level examination for E. and A Maths examination questions from topics which are important

for the coming GCE O level examinations selective questions would be flagged out for a detailed

discussion Online student profiling would be conducted free of charge.

Thu, 21 Jun 2007, 1:00-4:30pm (1/2 hr break)

Thu, 14 Jun 2007, 1:00-4:30pm (1/2 hr break)

Call any of our branches to register or e-mail to course@smartlab.com.sg First-come, first-served basis with priority given to SmartLab students. Confirmation of seats would be via e-mail.