THE 2007 GCE “A” Level Examination marks the first cohort of Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) students taking the new JC curriculum.
In this new examination, every student is required to take a minimum of seven subjects, combining at least three Higher Two and four Higher One papers. At least one of the subjects must be a contrasting subject, i.e., a Science student must take at least one humanities subject, and an Arts student must take at least one science/maths subject.
Some students choose to take a higher difficulty level of the subject, for example, the Higher Three papers which are taken at the local university or are research papers marked by Cambridge University. The new “A” Level exam is therefore more demanding in terms of number of subjects, has greater depth because of the content of the subjects, and has more breadth because of the contrasting subjects. Hence the Ministry of Education (MOE) has released a statement that “The revised A-level curriculum is not directly comparable with the previous A-level curriculum, given the extensive changes to the curriculum structure.”
The MOE uses a new indicator of three H2 passes with a pass in GP or KI to measure achievement. The national average for this is 87.5 per cent. ACJC has surpassed this with 92.8 per cent of its students achieving at least this new indicator or better. The students have done well and set a new benchmark as the first batch of students under the new JC curriculum. ACJC has 155 students who obtained a minimum of three H2 distinctions. The top student for the class of 2007 is Chua Ee Cheong from 2SA1. He obtained seven distinctions in his H1 and H2 subjects and two merits in H3 Science Research Programme and H3 Mathematics.
There are two top students in the Arts with six distinctions. They are Hu Huiyi from 2AA1 and Amisha Kabra from 2AA4.
There are eight students with seven distinctions, and 37 students with six distinctions.
The students are the batch of students who were impacted by the through-train programme whereby students from selected schools did not take their GCE “O” Levels but automatically flowed through into their JCs. As this is the first examination of the new JC curriculum, the college is happy with the performance of this pioneer batch of students.
A college spokesman said: “ACJC wants to thank God for His blessings and give Him all glory for His continued faithfulness to the college.”
Top student an all-rounder
CHUA EE CHEONG (above) obtained seven distinctions for all H2 and H1 subjects at the “A” Level Examination and Merit for both his H3 papers.
He was the top GCE “O” Level student in 2006. It is rare to come across a student like him who is an all-rounder as he excels not only in the sciences but also in sports and drama. On top of that, he still maintains his humility and willingness to serve others.
He was a recipient of the A*Star Junior College Science Award 2006/7; an MOE Pre-University Scholar 2006/7; captain of Cross Country and led his team to win Team Award in the Singapore West Zone Schools Colours for Track and Field; actor, Chinese Language Society, and winner of SYF Gold with Honours; school representative at the 19th Science Research Congress, 2007; and bronze medallist of the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair 2007.
He also represented the college in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2006 of 26 km, and is on the Principal’s Roll of Honour.
Courage in face of adversity
SU PENG TIAN (above) was diagnosed with lymphoma and his treatment regime in his JC1 year resulted in his frequent absence from lessons, so he decided to repeat his JC1 year. He successfully managed his school commitments and maintained an active school life despite frequent hospital visits, and the adverse side effects of chemotherapy.
He was a member of ACJC’s table-tennis team in 2006 and represented the College in numerous races as part of the cross-country team. He also took part in the Standard Chartered Singapore marathon 2006 and volunteered as an Orientation Group Leader in school.
Despite his illness he remained cheerful and determined and continued to help his schoolmates with their work. His tenacity in the face of adverse circumstances earned him the respect of his peers who nominated him for the College’s Courage Award in 2007.
He scored an A for H1 General Paper, H2 Biology and H2 Chemistry, a B for H2 Geography and H2 Mathematics, and a D for H1 Chinese Language.