Upper Secondary Science Tuition Programme

Upper Secondary Science in Singapore encompasses the subjects Physics, Chemistry and Biology. However, most schools usually offer only Physics and Chemistry as part of the subject combinations that students can take at Upper Secondary level. As such, most tuition centres provide mainly Physics and Chemistry tuition in their Upper Secondary Science tuition programmes. In this article, we will focus on the tough Physics and Chemistry topics that students usually need help with during their Science tuition.

Physics 101

Physics is generally about the clear comprehension of matter, energy, and how they correlate to one another. It involves the application of patterns, models, concepts, and laws to study natural occurrences and outline the physical behaviour of the universe.

Get Tough With Physics
Students usually face difficulties in the topics and themes of electricity and magnetism. Incidentally, electricity and magnetism are dependent phenomena, whereby electric current can be used to generate magnetic fields and vice versa.

In electricity, students first learn about the nature of stationary electric charges, or commonly known as static electricity. They then progress to moving charges which lead to ideas on current, potential difference and resistance. Current is generally, the amount of electric charges flowing in a circuit per second, while potential difference, on the other hand, is the energy needed to move a unit charge between two points in a circuit. And notwithstanding, resistance is the ratio of potential difference across a circuit to the current flowing through it. After being introduced to the basic concepts in electricity, students move on to more complex applications and calculations in the study of direct current (D.C) circuits and household electricity.

Subsequently, students will learn about magnets, magnetic properties and how magnetic fields interact. This will then lead into the understanding of the correlation between electricity and magnetism, in concepts such electromagnetism and electromagnetic induction. Electromagnetism involves the interaction of current carrying conductors to generate magnetic fields. By contrast, electromagnetic induction is a phenomenon where an induced current is generated when a magnetic field interacts with a moving conductor.

While the concepts explained above may sound intriguing, they can be quite a handful for many students.The topics are quite factual in nature, and contain many mathematical formulas and calculations. In addition, they are interlinked so if a student is weak in one component, this may compound over to subsequent components, and confuse the student even further.

Basic Chemistry Attraction

Chemistry is the study of elements and compounds at the atomic, molecular and ionic level. This includes the study of their components, properties, behaviour, structures, and how they change after undergoing chemical or physical reaction with other substances. In addition, students will be taught the significance of chemicals in their lives, and the impact the chemical industry has on health, society, the environment and earth’s natural resources.

Tough Chemistry Love

There are actually many heavy topics in Chemistry but the ones most students have problems in include mole concept, acid, bases and salts and organic chemistry. While not directly correlated, certain aspects of each of these topics do occasionally overlap.

Mole concept begins with the understanding of chemical reactions between atoms of reactants to produce new and different products. The chemical reactions can then be summarised in chemical equations, to deduce the masses of reactants and products involved. Further concepts of stoichiometry involving chemical formulae, reacting masses and volumes, and concentrations are imparted to students to aid in their chemical reaction calculations.

Many students are often baffled by the topic of mole concept, since it is very mathematical in nature, and involves tons of formulas and concepts to understand. Virtually all of these aspects are either prerequisite or subset of one another so if students are weak in one aspect, this might affect other aspects as they progress through the topic. In addition, the questions for this topic are application based so if students are confused by the topic, they will have a lot of difficulty in answering the questions.

Acid, bases and salts, on the other hand, involves the study of the physical properties of these chemicals and how they react with other substances. In addition, students will be exposed to information about the hazards posed by acid and alkalis, and how chemicals should be safely handled, stored and disposed of, to avoid any mishaps.

The third toughest topic in Chemistry is Organic Chemistry. In this component, students will learn in depth knowledge about fuel sources, homologous series such as alkane, alkene, alcohol and carboxylic acids, functional group, general formula, structural formula, and polymers. They will see the connection between organic compounds and common substances such as detergents, plastics, medicines and even some of the food we consume. And notwithstanding, students will explore the environmental impact of organic compounds such as plastic, and assess the consequences of using synthetic materials in the long run.

While the topics of acids, bases and salts, and organic chemistry are not as mathematical as mole concept, they do involve a lot of facts, concepts, chemical formulas, structures and reactions to understand and remember. And similar to mole concept, the various sub-topics are also interlinked so if students face difficulties in one topic, they will definitely have problems understanding the other topics.

Edufront’s Secondary Science Mastery Programmes

Edufront adopts a holistic approach in our Upper Secondary Science tuition programmes, to help students tackle their weak topics and excel in their subjects. Our tutors diligently guide students on the concepts, skills and processes needed to navigate through tough questions, and train them to become independent learners. In addition, our comprehensive lesson materials that are developed by our in-house team of curriculum specialists, help to build on subject-specific content knowledge and exam skills. So head on over to our main site to find out how you can register your child for our effective Science tuition programmes.