Is Your Child Struggling In Sec 1 Math? Here’s Why.

As a parent, it can be extremely worrying when you find out that your child is not doing well in school. For some, it can be a lack of motivation or interest. But it is even more puzzling when a student who used to do well suddenly doesn’t. You may ask yourself – what went wrong?

We often find that students in ‘top secondary schools’ feel the burn from this decline in their grades the most. Because they used to score 90% and above, suddenly getting Bs, Cs, and Ds seem unfathomable. Our math tutors observe this a lot especially for the math subject, where there is a stark change in the way math is taught, the concepts students learn, and demands of the subject.

Our math tutors share some reasons why even good students struggle particularly with math when they enter Sec 1, and offer suggestions on how you can help your child’s grades rise again!

1. There are more abstract concepts in Secondary Math

Naturally, with every academic year in school, the difficulty of learning material gets harder. But from primary school math to secondary school math, there is an added challenge. Students who could understand math easily in primary school may find it much tougher to grasp math concepts in secondary school because the concepts are more abstract and difficult to visualise.

For example, in primary school, most word problems made use of everyday situations like buying fruits, counting coins, measuring water, and the like. The problem-solving methods that primary school students learn are also very visual – such as drawing models and making lists or tables.

But in secondary school, there are many more math questions that are simply algebraic, with no diagrams or context to the question. Students are expected to be able to manipulate equations and algebraic expressions, being comfortable with variables, unknowns and symbols, and dealing with math in a theoretical way.

2. The marking scheme is stricter on workings and presentation

In our tutors’ reviews of our Sec 1 tutees’ math tests and assignments, we noticed a trend. Apart from challenges in understanding the more difficult Sec 1 topics, students also lost a lot of marks for workings and presentation of answers. In Secondary School math, there is a stronger emphasis on proper presentation of answers and workings in the math paper. Presentation errors like missing or wrong units, wrong use of equal sign or arrows, wrong number of significant figures, missing working steps can all be penalised.

As Sec 1 students are still new to these requirements, it is possible to lose a lot of marks accumulatively in one test paper. Even if the student knows how to solve the questions, they may get a lower grade than expected due to poor presentation.

What to do: Help your child see why they are losing so many marks, and help them understand the seriousness of having proper presentation and workings. Ask your child to collate a list of rules on how to present their answers properly, and refer to it as a checklist when checking their assignment answers.

3. Schools expect students to be more independent in Secondary School

In Secondary School, teachers will no longer explain every single thing to students as they did in Primary School. There will be less spoon-feeding, and instead, teachers will facilitate activities to let students learn more independently.

For Sec 1 students who have grown used to the Primary School style of teaching, having to take charge of their own learning in Secondary School can be a huge shock. It may feel like the teacher is not teaching or the teacher moves on too quickly before their students can understand the content fully. However, this is all part of the plan for students to learn how to play a more proactive role in their own education.

What to do: Help your child understand that the expectations have changed. Encourage your child to do their independent readings/pre-class activities, teach them ways to research independently, and encourage them to prepare questions to ask their teacher in school. You may also consider hiring a tutor to provide more structured teaching for them, especially if your child seems to have particular trouble with math.

Conclusion

Given that Sec 1 students face so many new challenges in secondary school math, it is quite natural for their grades to drop somewhat compared to when in primary school. However, most students get the hang of it after a while and see their grades stabilising soon after.

If your child seems to have trouble adjusting to the demands of secondary school math, know that there is no shame in asking for help through secondary school tuition! Our IP math tuition classes are specially designed for students in Singapore’s elite secondary schools, helping understand the demands of the school syllabus, and developing their critical and problem-solving skills to become independent, able learners.

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