Hello everyone,

My sincere apology for missing in the month of June. =)

I was busy with coaching several groups of committed O Levels / IGCSSE / IB / IP students that wanted to improve their Chemistry Concepts (and thus their academic grades) in an intensive manner during the June School Holidays in Singapore. Phew! It’s finally over!

Topics that were discussed included the followings:

1. Atomic Structure & Chemical Bondings - Basic but Most Important Essential Concepts
2. Acids & Bases - relate to our everyday life actvities i.e. shampoo, coffee, rainwater, etc
3. Salts & Qualitative Analysis - Super Memory Techniques & Flow-Charts for effective learning and ease of memorisation
4. Periodic Table Trends & Metals - discussion on O Level Examination Application Questions
5. Rate of Reactions & Energy Changes - Applications questions in O Levels Chem Exam. No way you can score well just by memorising definitions
6. Redox & Electrolysis - a “4-Step System” taught to ensure students will always get the answer correctly with confidence
7. Mole Calculations - “See-Saw Method” plus other Systems taught to ensure students answer questions confidently & correctly

The above topics will cover about 70 - 80% of the syllabus for GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations.

This Intensive Revision Programme (in which ALL essential concepts were discussed for each topic) was physically tiring but mentally & emotionally fullfilling. The feeling was estatic each time when we finished one workshop (2 topics), when i see students having more interest in the topics and scoring better in the Post-Tests (as compared to their Pre-Tests). I am confident to say that the students leave the workshops with more confidence and desire to score the grades they truly deserved.

You can view the video below on selected photos that were taken:

You can check out the URL HERE.

If you have missed our June Intensive Revision Programme, you can be posted of our upcoming workshops by filling up your details HERE. In addition, we will also be conducting our annual ‘O’ Levels Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop 2009 in late July. More information will be furnished within the week.

In the next 2 weeks, i will be blogging more on the misconceptions and common mistakes that i observed during this June Intensive Programme.  Stay Tuned! =)

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O levels Chemistry & E-Math / A-Math June Intensive Revision Programme Early Bird Registration Extended!

We would like to thank all parents and students for the overwhelming response for our O level June Holidays Intensive Revision Programme. We hear you and understand that many schools have yet to give their students the holidays extra classes schedule. As such, we have decided to extend our early bird registration to 1st June 09, 11.59pm (Singapore time) so that more students can benefit and be prepared for their O levels this holidays.

Here’s the scope of programme for Chemistry:
(You may sign up on a workshop basis, example, you can choose C1 and C3)

C1.*ATOMIC STRUCTURE & BONDING
C2.*ACIDS, BASES
C3.*SALTS & QA
C4.PERIODIC TABLE & METALS
C5.RATE OF RXN & ENERGY CHANGES
C6.REDOX & ELECTROLYSIS
C7.*MOLE CONCEPTS & CHEMICAL CALCULATIONS

* Suitable for Sec 3 also. Please check with your child for confirmation.

Here’s the scope of programme for A-Math & E-Math:
[Conducted by Ai Ling Ong, Author of singaporeolevelmaths.com]
(You may sign up on a workshop basis, example, you can choose A2 and E3)

To have the schedule of these workshops, click here.

Reigster early and enjoy $325 worth of bonuses + savings!
Act fast as some workshops are almost full!

To register, please call 9685 7675 or 9828 7357

Copyright issue involving reprints of past Cambridge exams has been resolved!

Ten Years Series (TYS) will be available in July 2009, after missing in the major bookstores since January 2009 due to copyright issues.

You can read the newspaper article HERE.

For those that can’t wait till July to come, cos you want a copy of Ten Years Series (TYS) immediately, you can refer to my previous blogpost on where to get a 2nd Hand “older versions” Ten Years Series (TYS).

Hope you will find this blogpost useful to you. =)

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Hi Students / Parents / Follow Educators,

We thank you for the many email questions regarding our O level A/E-Math & Chemistry June Intensive Revision Programme.

In this video, we will personally answer the following commonly asked questions by students (Secondary 3 & 4 + IP + IB + IGCSE Programme) & parents:

• Scope of programme
• Benefits of attending our programme
• Fees
• Proven track record (on the effectiveness of our coaching)

If you can’t view this video, please go to the direct video link:
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB-einkLHK4

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Where to find GCE O Levels Ten Years Series (TYS) Questions / Books?

If you have been searching for “older versions” of the Ten Years Series (TYS), you still have a way to get it. =)

Check out the 2nd-Hand Bookstores in Brass Basah or other “older independent bookstores” to get your copy of the Ten Years Series (TYS).

Hope this information helps in your quest for academic excellence for GCE O Levels Chemistry.

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Most of local students should be done with their Mid-Year Examinations. Phew! It must be really stressful for you students during the last 2-3 weeks. Now it is time to relax a little bit, and celebrate any small success that comes your way.

(Image by DJ Bass)

Smile and laugh more NOW, and get ready to go into total focus revision mood during your June Holidays - which is the only time for you to revise and grasp the essential concepts in order to have a strong foundation (Workshops, Coaching, Training, Tutorial, Private Tutor, Tuition etc) to handle your Prelims and GCE O Levels Chemistry Examinations.

Let’s check out some all-time Chemistry Jokes:

Chemistry Joke 1:

During class, the chemistry professor was demonstrating the properties of various acids. “Now I’m going to drop this silver coin into this glass of acid. Will it dissolve?”

“No sir,” one student called out.

“No?” queried the professor. “Perhaps you can explain why the silver won’t dissolve in this particular acid.”

“Because if it would, you wouldn’t have dropped it in!”

PS: Indirectly linked to Metals & Reactivity Series

Chemistry Joke 2:

A female student wished to make some potassium hydroxide solution (aqueous)and decided to throw a large lump of potassium

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I would like to say a big thank you for all of my local and international readers (Students,Parents, Educators) for following my Chemistry blog all these while. It is my joy to receive questions and compliments from my readers, suggesting I have helped them using my expertise in Chemistry some way or another.

This June Holiday 2009, I would like to invite all Singapore students (Secondary 3 and 4) to join me in our annual June Intensive Revision Programme. I would be personally coaching you on the following topics:

1. Atomic Structure & Bonding (Ionic, Covalent & Metallic)
2. Acids, Bases
3. Salts & Qualitative/Chemical Analysis
4. Periodic Table and Metals
5. Rate of Reactions & Energy Changes
6. Redox & Electrolysis
7. Mole Concepts & Chemical Calculations

For more registration details, click here

It will include

• Comprehensive 100% coverage of each topics
• Understand abstract concepts in an

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Mole Calculations, or commonly known as “The MOLE” or “Mole Concepts” is regarded many of the GCE O Level Chemistry Students (as well as ICGSE and IB / IP Chemistry students) to be one of the most challenging and difficult chapter / topic.

Let’s check out a common O Level Chemistry-type question on Mole Calculations as well as the video solution on the thought process of solving it.

Question: Based on the topic “Mole Calculations”

12dm3 of polluted air is passed through limewater so that all the carbon dioxide is precipitated as calcium carbonate. The mass of calcium carbonate formed is 0.05g. What is the percentage by volume, of carbon dioxide in the air sample?

Now, before you look at the solution via the video below, i would strongly suggest that you attempt the question first to see if you have the correct answer.

And NOW, when you have the answer worked out, check if your solution is the same as mine.

Youtube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ba-t0QIFvA

PS: Similar type of questions will be discussed in the upcoming “June Intensive Revision Programme” in Singapore. Of course, i will cover 100% of the essential concepts on this topic. Check it out if you need help in this topic!

PPS: I would love to hear from you on this video question & solution on Mole Calculation. Drop me a comment at “Leave A Reply” directly below this blogpost.

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Picture 1: Can you see the 10 faces in the tree ???

This period is the time when local students are relinquished from their Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) and Singapore Youth Festivals (SYF) 2009. It is the time where you really see students “mugging” (as what my chemistry students says) for their Mid-Year Examinations.

I was surfing my Facebook account talking to friends where i realised many students are feeling the stress and strain as they go into this mid-year examinations. You will see the subject titles from their account: “Stomache-pain with E-Maths”, “I hate O-Levels Chemistry”, “Chemistry is so boring”, “I don’t understand what my Chemistry teacher in teaching all this while”, “A-Math is killing me, i should have dropped it earlier”. “how i wish mid-year is over now”, etc.

Now, examinations is always stressful, and it is especially so when the students have not been following understanding what the school is teaching for last 14 months (for Sec 4 students). What i would suggest is to DO YOUR BEST for your Mid-Year Examinations, and when June Holidays comes, get help to revise intensively for what you don’t understand.

I am always an advocate for “Study Hard; Play Hard” as well as “Work Hard; Play Hard”. Although there is not much time for you to “play”, i would still suggest that you take little “mental-breaks” in between your revision. This is even more so, when you “Celebrate the Little Success” of finishing up a topic / chapter..go read papers/eat ice-cream, etc for 20mins, and come back to your books/notes again. This gives you more reason for you to study harder.

Below are more funny pictures given by my friend, i would like to share it with you:

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For Chemistry, there is no way you can score well in examinations just by memorising the facts and definitions in your Chemistry Textbooks or Chemistry Notes.

The way to learn effectively is to make sure you understand the essential chemistry concepts. For revision, it is recommneded that you tackle it in a topical basis first, before coming back to do a summary of how the different topics are interlinked together (if you do not realised there’s interlinking in the different topics, then this be a RED ALERT for you).

Before beginning to revise a topic:

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