Secondary 1-2 English Enrichment
Phi Learning’s PSLE graduates should already be ahead of the curve in terms of language mastery. Our Sec 1-2 curriculum then focuses on easing them into new question formats for the secondary level.
PAPER 1
Composition
- Introduction to new essay formats and types (personal recount, descriptive, expository, discursive, argumentative, hybrid)
PAPER 2
Comprehension
- Introduction to visual text comprehension (purpose, audience, context)
- Introduction to new question types (language use questions, ‘explain’ questions, ‘In your own words’ questions)
- Summary techniques (optimising phrasing with active voice)
Secondary 1-4 Schedule
Sec 1-2 Curriculum
Introduction to Different Essay Types
Learning the format of discursive, expository, argumentative, and hybrid.
Introduction to Different Types of Situational Writing
Understanding all formal and informal formats as well as purpose, audience, and context.
Comprehension Skills
Introduction to three types of comprehension – Visual text, narrative, and factual.
Summary Skills
Understanding ‘In your own words’ and the art of paraphrasing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between primary and secondary English?
Difference in paper 1: Essays will be persuasive instead of narrative. In good schools, storytelling will be scrapped in favour of expository, argumentative, and discursive essays.
E.g. Discuss the pros and cons of social media.
Difference in paper 2: No more MCQs. The entire paper 2 is made up of three comprehensions. Totally new question types and skillset.
What is taught in Secondary 1 & 2 English?
New essay types, new types of comprehension questions and summary writing. These will be the main focus for most schools.
How does Phi Learning improve my child’s English essay writing?
We familiarize our students with the commonly tested topics. There will be content to memorise and formats to master. There is one standard formula for writing a good opening (that works for every type of persuasive writing) and we practice that for 4 years.
How does Phi Learning improve my child’s comprehension skills?
Firstly, we try to make our students develop a love for reading comprehension passages. Comprehension texts set by schools are usually quite dry to read so we write our own texts that encourage in-depth reading. We drill our students to become familiar with the questions that have the highest weightage. We also practice a great deal of difficult commonly tested questions.
Do you start preparing for O-Level English in Secondary 1 & 2?
Yes. Every year after we sit for the paper, we will let our lower secondary students look through our copies and attempt some segments of it. This is to familiarize them with the ‘O’ level requirements. By the time our sec 1 student reaches sec 4, he/she would already have some knowledge of the past year ‘O’ level questions.