Common Challenges Students Face in Sec 3 and 4 Math

Sec 3 is a challenging transition year for students. From sec 2 to sec 3, they will have new classmates, new teachers, new subjects, and possibly new commitments in their CCAs. All of these happen while they only have less than 2 years left to prepare for their O Levels or IP year 4 exams, which will determine their eligibility for JC or other pathways.

When it comes to the Math subject, things are not easy too! Sec 3 is not a major exam year, but it’s not a time to risk falling behind as it will affect one’s progress in Sec 4. As tutors, we see many students looking for Sec 3 Math tuition and IP Math Tuition, because they finally get to a point where they realise they cannot keep up with their own effort.

Below are the most common struggles we see amongst Sec 3 and 4 students, and how our tutors help students overcome them!

• New subject: Additional Math

For O Level students, they may take up Additional Math in Sec 3 and 4. Additional Math introduces new concepts that students would not have learnt in Sec 1 and 2, so some students may find it quite challenging to understand the new content. Schools with the Integrated Programme also have their own versions of ‘A’ Math, like having 2 math subjects instead of just 1.

For students who struggle with understanding the new topics in A math, our tutors will spend more time explaining the concepts to them – a luxury that most teachers in school cannot afford. We will also provide more practices when we notice students having trouble with a particular topic.

We find that the trouble is often with ‘visualising’ the concepts, because many of the new topics such as trigonometry are very abstract in nature. So, we will teach them technique on how to visualise, understand, and tackle related problems. With enough exposure, most students will be able to get familiar and master those topics in time for their exams.

• Increase in difficulty for E Math

This might surprise you: Many students actually think E Math is more difficult than A Math! While A Math’s difficulty lies in the new-ness of concepts, E Math builds upon lower sec knowledge and goes further in-depth into those topics. This results in more difficult questions, including novel word problems and questions that require creative solutions.

The most straightforward way to deal with this is to expose students to as many question types as possible. However, we know it is also impossible to cover all question types in the world. That is why we also emphasise critical thinking skills and question analysis techniques to help them tackle novel questions in a systematic way.

• Gaps in lower sec knowledge

About 30% of E Math builds upon existing knowledge from Sec 1 and 2, and teachers in school expect students to have already mastered those areas. But in reality, not all Sec 2 students can remember everything they’ve learnt by the end of sec 2! Those gaps in knowledge will carry over and make Sec 3 Math very challenging if the gaps are not addressed early.

That’s why we highlight the importance of catch-up and headstart classes for Sec 2 students at the end of the year, after their year-end exams. From their year-end exams, we can see which areas they require help with and can close those gaps before year 3 commences. The issue is that students often don’t realise this until later in the year, and by then, there is even more they will need to catch up on. 

Start your year 3 right with Future Academy!

Many issues with going into Sec 3 math can be solved with adequate preparation in the end of Sec 2 or early in Sec 3! If you expect your child to have some difficulties with Sec 3 math, engaging a tutor for them early is important as your child will be able to consult the tutor whenever they need help, rather than letting the problems pile up.

Your child’s Sec 3 Math tutor will also build up their foundation so they can go into Sec 4 and O Level preparation strong, instead of playing catch-up only in year 4.

At Future Academy, we prioritise learning and take pride in emphasising on concepts and skills rather than blindly memorising or drilling questions.