SECONDARY SA2 REVISION GUIDE - thelearninglab.com.sg · ), or ionic bonding to form hydride ion...

SCIENCEMATHEMATICSENGLISH

SECONDARY SA2 REVISION GUIDE

English

SECONDARY REVISION GUIDE

COMMON PITFALLS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

Composition Writing Comprehension Short Questions

Summary Writing

TLL TOP TIPS

Common Pitfall The Learning Lab’s Top Tips

Gaps in logic • If attempting a personal recount or narrative question, plan out your essay before writing to make sure that there are no

• If attempting an argumentative or expository essay, the

Awkward phrasing • Take the time after writing to proof read your essay to make

No sophistication of language • Use vivid description to spice up your writing instead of

• Vary sentence structures to introduce sophistication to your

EXAMPLES OF A LACK OF SOPHISTICATION IN LANGUAGE

Example One: Narrative Writing

Improved Version:

precipitously close to my shoulder before he jerked into an upright posture in an abrupt motion, as if

Example Two: Expository Writing

Improved Version:

Campaigns and movements have the power to alert the authorities to the tides of public sentiment, thus

COMPOSITION WRITING — COMMON PITFALLS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

English


Sourcing answers from the wrong part of the passage

• When analysing the questions, highlight all the question requirements, including the paragraphs to

Incomplete answers • Always check to see that your response addresses all

Ignoring question instructions • Pay attention to instructions like “name”, “state”,

EXAMPLE OF AN INCOMPLETE ANSWER

Incomplete answer:

Suggested answer: As the generation has grown up being surrounded by digital media, [1] it probably has numerousinsights about the workings of the media and thus knows how to control it. [1]

COMPREHENSION SHORT QUESTIONS — COMMON PITFALLS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

English

SUMMARY WRITING — COMMON PITFALLS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM


Sourcing points from the wrong paragraphs

• When analysing the question, highlight all the question requirements, including the paragraphs to

Summary points do not answer thequestion

• Make sure each individual point answers the summary

Summary points have not beenrephrased properly

• Do not lift directly from the passage

• Remember that you cannot use words that are used in

EXAMPLE OF INACCURACY

English

FOR CONTINUOUS WRITING

FOR COMPREHENSION SHORT QUESTIONS

FOR SUMMARY WRITING

For each section of your English paper, remember these top TLL tips!

MathematicsCOMMON PITFALLS AND

HOW TO AVOID THEM

Secondary 1 Secondary 2 Secondary 3

TLL TOP TIPS


Number of workers Number of days

14 9

1 126

18 7

Mathematics

SECONDARY 1 – RATE, RATIO AND SPEEDCOMMON PITFALLS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM


PRESENTATION ERRORStudents might have used the incorrect symbols in presenting their solutions, leading to an incorrect

• Check whether mathematical symbols, especially

• Do not use the equal sign more than once in the

•

CONCEPTUAL ERRORStudents might have misunderstood the underlying

• Revise the formulae or key concepts of each topic

• Annotate the formulae or key concepts at the side

UNIT ERRORStudents might have forgotten to write the units in

• that there is a unit at the end of each answer if

• Make it a good habit to write the units in each step

INCORRECT APPROACH:

An assembly line manager hired 14 workers to

have equal productivity, how long would it take for 18 workers to complete the same job?

CORRECT APPROACH:

An assembly line manager hired 14 workers to

have equal productivity, how long would it take for 18 workers to complete the same job?

14 workers = 216 hours

1 worker = hours = 15 hours

18 workers = 18 x 15 hours = 277 hours

The number of workers is inversely proportional to

21614

37

37

57

PRESENTATION ERRORAn equal sign should only be used when two quantities

Equal signs should not be used more than once in the

CONCEPTUAL ERROR

same job, the amount of time needed to complete the job

UNIT ERROR

x 14÷ 14

÷ 18x 18

Good habit 1:Highlight and annotate key information in the

Good habit 2:Present the solution using

appropriate diagram or

Mathematics

SECONDARY 2 – DIRECT AND INVERSE PROPORTIONSCOMMON PITFALLS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM


PRESENTATION ERRORStudents might have missed out in labelling their

• Check whether mathematical symbols, especially

• Do not use the equal sign more than once in the

•



• Annotate the formulae or key concepts at the side

ACCURACY ERRORStudents might have rounded off immediate

• Always leave the intermediate steps in 2 more

UNIT ERRORStudents might have forgotten to write the units in

• that there is a unit at the end of each answer if

• Make it a good habit to write the units in each step

INCORRECT APPROACH:

The outer radius of a hollow iron ball is 15 cm and

of the iron ball in kg if 1 cm3

CORRECT APPROACH:

The outer radius of a hollow iron ball is 15 cm and

of the iron ball in kg if 1 cm3

spherical in shape

3 3

3

43

43

2 – 798= 145

43

Good habit 4: Leave only

Good habit 1:

Good habit 2:Label what is

found in working

Good habit 3: Write units in each step of the working

CONCEPTUAL ERRORUsed wrong formulae

ACCURACY ERROR

UNIT ERRORDid not label units

PRESENTATION ERROR

the working is about

show intermediate workings

PRESENTATION ERROR

Mathematics

SECONDARY 3 – SURDSCOMMON PITFALLS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM


CALCULATION ERRORStudents might have incorrectly added, subtracted, multiplied or divided in the process of solving the

•



INCORRECT APPROACH:

Find the values of a and b such that

= , where a and b are rational

CORRECT APPROACH:

Find the values of a and b such that

= , where a and b are rational a + b 34 + 2 3

a + b 34 + 2 3

4 + 2 35 – 4 3

4 + 2 35 – 4 3

5a + 4a 3 + 5b 3 – 12b

2

= 16 + 16 3 + 6= 22 + 16 3

5a – 4a 3 + 5b 3 – 12b

2

= 16 + 16 3 + 12= 28 + 16 3

5a – 12b – 4a 3 + 5b 3

5a – 12b = 28 1–4a + 5b = 16 2

From 2 , a =

Sub a = into 1 ,

5 – 12b = 28

25b – 80 – 48b = 112–23b = 192b = –

a =

= –

5 – – 164

5b – 164

5b – 164

5b – 164

19223

33223

19223

= 28 + 16 3= 28 + 16 3

Good habit 1: Highlight and annotate key

Good habit 2: Check and ensure accurate transfer

Good habit 3:Present solutions with explanation

to show clear understanding of the topic and the

CALCULATION ERROR

CONCEPTUAL ERRORStudent is unable to proceed with the question as the

Mathematics

Plan your time wisely – follow the general rule of 1 mark = 1.5 min

GENERAL EXAM TIPS

ScienceCOMMON PITFALLS AND

HOW TO AVOID THEM

Paper 1 – Multiple-Choice Questions Paper 2 – Free Response Questions

TLL TOP TIPS


Science


Carelessness •

Not reading the full question • Read and analyse all the options carefully before

Misconception • Revise past work to familiarise yourself with

• Especially for content-heavy topics, it is important to

Poor time management • feel stuck at any question, circle the question, make the best guess and come back to it after you have

PAPER 1 – MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

SUBJECT-SPECIFIC KEY EXAM MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

Questions may involve a few related topics, so students

should link concepts

Categorise each option as “Correct”, “Incorrect” or “Not possible to tell” to

Analyse all options before picking the right

answer to minimise

Derive answer by elimination – cross out options that are

1

4

32

5

Read question thoroughly and highlightkey information.

EXAMPLE

Arrange, in descending order, the magnitudes of the normal contact forces, X, Y and Z, exerted by

ANSWER A: CARELESSNESS The question states that the normal contact forces should be arranged in descending order,

ANSWER B: NOT READING THE FULL QUESTION While Y indeed has the greatest magnitude, the positions of X and Z in this option have been

ANSWER D: MISCONCEPTION

for each beam to be balanced, the clockwise moment about P should be equal in magnitude to

F is the applied force and d is the perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of action of the

equilibrium, the normal contact force on each beam should be equal

Correct answer: C

X Y Z

K L LP P P

J J K

Science

for each beam to be in

EXAMPLE

Which of the following statements about bonding is correct?

All non-metal atoms undergo bonding to achieve an octet electronic configuration.

Metallic bonding refers to the electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged

Science

STATEMENT I (INCORRECT): MISCONCEPTION AND/OR CARELESSNESS.This is an absolute statement, with the keywords being 'all', 'non-metal' and ‘octet’. An examplesufficient to overturn this statement is hydrogen, which is a non-metal that undergoes bonding to achievea duplet electronic configuration, e.g. covalent bonding to form hydrogen gas (H2), or ionic bondingto form hydride ion (H-). When it forms a hydrogen ion (H+), it is left with no electrons.

STATEMENT II (CORRECT): THIS IS CORRECT FOR ALL CASES OF IONIC BONDING.Even when an ionic compound contains a polyatomic ion (which is formed from covalent bonding), there isstill a transfer of electrons from an atom/group of atoms to another atom/group of atoms.

STATEMENT III (INCORRECT): MISCONCEPTION AND/OR CARELESSNESS.This is an absolute statement, with the key phrase being ‘only one pair’. More than a single one pair ofelectrons may be shared during covalent bonding. E.g., oxygen atoms share two pairs of electrons to forman O2 molecule, while nitrogen atoms share three pairs of electrons to form a N2 molecule.

STATEMENT IV (INCORRECT): MISCONCEPTION.This statement contains a ‘half-truth’, which may appear plausible as an answer to students who do nothave a clear understanding of key concepts and terms. Metallic bonding refers to the electrostatic forces of attraction between positively charged metal ions and negatively charged sea of delocalised electrons. There are no anions in a metallic structure.

Correct answer: A

Science


Missing key points • Revise past work to familiarise yourself with the phrasing or

Not answered in context of question

• Check your answer to ensure references have been made to

Inaccurate phrasing • Jot down relevant keywords based on the concept tested in the question and check that your answer demonstrates an

Explanation does not support answer

• Phrase your answer to support your choice or the

PAPER 2 – FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS

SUBJECT-SPECIFIC KEY EXAM MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

STUDY DIAGRAMS AND DATA

CAREFULLY AND JOT DOWN QUICK NOTES THAT AID IN YOUR ANALYSIS

For experiment-based questions, identify the independent and dependent

Hence, analyse the results to come to the

BE CLEAR AND CONCISE

1

3

2

• The terms used in questions indicate how they should be answered and give

• Other clues on how long the answer should be include the mark allocation and

• Some questions simply require students to recall and write down a definition or

• Some questions require students to interpret and analyse the given information using

• Some questions require students to apply their knowledge to explain non-textbook

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

EXAMPLE

White blood cells are mobile and can change in shape to squeeze through the walls of

The walls of the blood vessel are only one-cell thick, allowing Cell B to enter and exit

Cell B is mobile and can change its shape by squeezing through the walls of the blood

Suggested answer:

Science

blood vessel

Cell B

Put in your best effort and remember to check

remember to get a good night’s rest before your paper!

C O N T A C T U S

At The Learning Lab, we practise an active learning approach, where students are encouraged to engage with the text or topic being taught, think critically, and participate in class through guided

solid foundation for exam excellence is important, we also believe

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