How Does Upper Sec Science Differ From Lower Sec Science?

Is your child one of those who breezed through Sec 1 and Sec 2 science? Do you think that Sec 3 is just ‘any other year’ in secondary school, because after all, the hard part is in Sec 4 when O Levels come?

Well, that’s not entirely true.

Sec 3 is actually a crucial time in a secondary student’s life, as it is the first year they enter into their new subject combination – the combination they will be taking for O Levels. Even though some subjects carry the same name, there is a noticeable difference in difficulty level, which is one reason why we see many students requesting for Sec 3 Physics Tuition! This is especially true for the sciences, which are very content-heavy and conceptual subjects!

If you want to understand why your child may begin to struggle with the sciences in Sec 3, let’s diver deeper into what makes upper sec science so different.

Differences between lower sec science and upper sec science

• There are 3 sciences instead of ‘one’

In Sec 1 and 2, students take Combined Science or Integrated Science (depending on what their school calls it). It counts as one subject in the calculation of their mean subject grade, but in actuality, contains topics that span across Physics, Chemistry and Biology. At this level, the content is quite simple and forms the foundation of their knowledge for more in-depth teaching in upper sec.

In Sec 3 and 4, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology become regarded as separate subjects – or students can combine two sciences as one, but more on that in the next point.

• Pure vs Combined Science

Here’s where it gets a little complicated. Depending on your child’s sec 2 subject streaming choices, they may take:

• Triple Science (Pure Physics, Pure Chemistry, Pure Biology)
• Double Science (Any 2 pure sciences)
• Combined Science (Any 2 sciences, but each with half weightage)

Generally, students who are strong at the sciences will take Triple Science, while students who wish to take more humanities subjects will take Double or Combined Science. In most Integrated Programme schools or Express classes, students won’t take combined science unless they are really struggling with the science subjects.

• More in-depth

It goes without saying that upper sec science is a step up in difficulty from lower sec science. But what differences exactly can we expect?

Biology

The biology topics in lower sec give a macro view of what happens in living systems in the world. For example, students will learn about the ecosystem, the digestive and circulatory system in humans, and photosynthesis and respiration in plants.

Then, students are led to explore these systems at the cellular and molecular level when they go to upper sec. They will learn more about the chemical reactions involved and expand their knowledge of biological processes in plants and humans.

Chemistry

Chemistry in lower sec offers a foundational overview of what chemistry is: chemical bonding, classification of matter, how to form chemical formula and equations, and so on.

Things get real in upper sec, during which they will dive further into different types of reactions like electrolysis, acids and bases, and organic chemistry. One of the biggest struggles we see with our Sec 4 Chemistry Tuition students is trouble with calculations in topics like mole concept and thermochemistry.

Physics

The lower sec syllabus for physics introduces key scientific skills like measurements, as well as some topics that will also be covered in sec 3 and 4 – but on a simpler level.

For example, in lower sec, students get to learn about light waves. In Sec 3 and 4, they will continue to learn about how light behaves in different mediums like water, air, and solids, and apply them to more varied situations.

Preparing for upper sec science

Reading all these, you are probably thinking right now: if upper sec science is going to be such a huge jump for my kid, how can they prepare themselves for it?

Well, knowing and bracing yourself for such a change is one step. Then, you can encourage your teen to do pre-reading of the topics before school starts, or even just find out more about the topics through some fun science videos or books.

Or, an easier way might be to enrol them in Future Academy’s headstart classes, happening this year end! We prepare students before the school year starts, so they can have an easier time later on.

And not to worry if you’ve missed out on the headstart classes or wish to take it easy this holidays. Anytime you wish to begin with O Level tuition or IP Physics tuition, drop us a call, email, or Whatsapp and schedule your class in one of our small group tuition classes, taught by an expert and experienced tutor. See you in class!