Tips For Poor Essay Writers - Part II - KiasuParents

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Tips for Poor Essay Writers - Part II

See Also: Forum Thread
I posted an article entitled Important tips for
students who are weak in essay writing some time
back and since then there has been a steady stream
of enquiries of varying nature. In order to follow-up
on almost all the enquiries I have received, this
article addresses 5 issues:
Elaboration of Point 1 Essay Flow
Elaboration of Point 2 Character emotions
Question of reading and its materials
Expository writing
About me & my teaching preference
Disclaimer: My essay tips are targeted at students who are weak in essay writing and
require structured help. As such, students who likes change or are highly creative may
find such structured approach boring.
Elaboration of Point 1 - Essay flow
Do recall that in my earlier article, I cited a crucial problem of students inability to link
sentences which result in disjointed narrative.
Annie was walking back home from school. Suddenly, she saw a cat stuck in
the tree.
I have received comments that a lot of time is spent on just encouraging students to
discover the link or lack thereof between sentences. I agree. It takes a lot of work
and disjointed narrative aggravates a lot of educators/parents for their student/children
just dont see it.
If you think narrative essays are bad, I can assure you that the situation is a lot worse
for argumentative essays, where underperforming A level students possess an inherent
inertia that is resistant to change (including attempts at pointing out disjointed
narrative). I invite parents to share their tactics or stories of their attempts at making
their children see the light.
Disjointed narrative gripes aside, do consider this essay:
One day after school, Anne was walking back home from school when she saw a
cat stuck in the tree. The cat seemed to be falling off the branch.
Concerned for its safety, Anne hurriedly called for the firemen. The
firemen arrived in ten minutes. One fireman placed the ladder against the
tree and began climbing up to save the cat. Anne was very happy when the
cat was saved that she thanked the firemen profusely.
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This short, report writing-like style which provides an account of the incident is not a
sign of disjointed narrative. It is a probable sign of bigger problems with likely reasons
listed below in increasing severity:
The student is not exposed to narrative writing structure
The student is lazy for elaboration requires too much work
The student has weak English foundation which hinders his/her ability to
express and elaborate
The student lacks imagination
Students who are not exposed to narrative writing structure are usually lower Primary
students who just need more time to get used to narrative essays. Their problem is not
severe.
In mild cases, students with weak English foundation do not possess extensive vocab to
elaborate in detail. For instance, my student wanted to write:
She was afraid that she would plunge to her death
but was unable to do so as her vocab was limited. She certainly had enough sense to
refrain from writing
drop and die
and without other alternatives, she refrained from writing that sentence altogether.
Severe cases will see students experiencing difficulties in structuring sentences due to
grammar and language deficiencies.
In addition to point (3), my current student is firmly embedded in point (4). She claims
that she is unable to imagine a situation without experiencing them in reality
beforehand. Without plot inspiration, no amount of aid in the mechanics of writing is
able to salvage her writing.
It should be obvious that there are multiple problems compounded into and there is no
one-size-fits-all solution. Some are weak in vocab, some are unable to form sentences,
some have no inspiration, some have all the problems mentioned earlier. Let me phrase
it another way.
Recall that I included a highly simplified essay lesson plan that spanned over 5 lessons.
If the problem of disjointed narrative surfaces in the 2nd lesson when the student
attempts to length his/her essay, this problem rears its ugly head in the 1st. It is a
foundational problem with multiple root causes that vary among students.
For my students, including my existing one, I stress on developing actions or motions
for characters in essays. Character motions are the most basic elements in an essay for
value-added components like vocabulary and complex sentence structures are built upon
it.
Example. Original sentence
One day after school, Anne was walking back home from school when she saw a
cat stuck in the tree.
Simple motion added
School had ended for the day. Anne waved goodbye to her friends and walked
back home from school.
More motion added
School had ended for the day. Anne waved goodbye to her friends. She picked
up her schoolbag, exited via the back gate and began to walk back home.
I dont demand for anything more. No vocab, complex sentence structures nor other
requirements. Only when students achieve this basic objective of elaboration of
actions/motions are they allowed to moved on to higher level stuff.
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Elaboration of Point 2 Character emotions

Many individuals find vocab to be beyond them. Upon receiving a list of 40 sentences or
phrases, their minds proceed to shut down at the seemingly endless -and useless vocab phrases. I totally agree with the sentiment. A lot of vocab phrases are useless to
those who are just starting to grapple with essay writing. They are unable to memorise
that many, much less apply the phrases to their essays.
Let's begin to explore why.
You have to understand that when essay writing is deemed as a chore, many students
have 2 main wishes:
To lengthen their essay as long as possible to make it seem like they are
writing a decent length essay, quality notwithstanding. As such, their
priority is word count. Chuck in as many words as possible to fulfil
minimal word count and be done with it. Some students tend to favour
interesting expressions that run for miles.
To possess a set of vocabulary that can be used for every essay in order
to refrain from expending energy to learn additional vocab.
Let me provide an example. Do compare the two expressions below:
Happiness bubbled within him
versus
He was so happy, he felt like the luckiest person on earth
My student only remembers the latter. She finds it interesting, unique and most
importantly, long and logical (How can happiness bubble? she questions). She uses
this expression of happiness in almost every composition, even in situations that doesnt
warrant the character to count his blessings.
She is in Upper Secondary.
Now that I have hopefully- stated my point, lets move on. For a child weak in essay
writing, I always promote emotive vocab as emotions are required in every essay
without fail. Even then, there are so many kinds of emotive vocab out there and while
parents tend to hoard vocab books, they soon began to realise that it is impossible for a
student to remember and utilise so many different kinds of emotive expressions (unless
they are interested of course), much less a student who hates essay writing.
How do you then pinpoint what vocab to remember to reduce time wasted on
memorising useless vocab and maximise efficiency in learning?
After reading countless of vocab lists offered by schools/assessment books/internet/etc
for years, I am of the view that emotive vocab falls under 4 categories:
Cat 1. Words summarising feelings. Examples:
filled with indignation
happy
elated
furious
Cat 2: Feelings / Reactions occurring internally. Examples:
adrenaline coursed her veins
blood turned cold
fingers of fear crept up on me, turning my blood to
ice
fire raged in his blood
warning bells started clashing in my head
Cat 3: Physical (Bodily) reactions [external]. Examples:
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clenched fist
forehead creased
fury in her eyes
turning red with fury
Cat 4: Situational reactions. Examples:
she broke down and cried
he snapped and hit his friend
she screamed her head off
he stormed off and slammed the door behind him
Cat 4 emotive vocab depicts the mechanics of action according to the

environment/setting the character is embedded in. If a character is placed in a room
with furnishings, the character might smash vases or slam the door in a fit of anger. If a
character is upset, he/she might dive into the bed and sob into his/her pillow.
That being said, Cat 4 emotive vocab is the most undesirable among the 4 when
individuals are learning emotive vocab. It may be useful in certain essay settings but
individuals are looking for vocab phrases that can be used in almost ANY essay. They
want universality. In addition, a child who is finding ways to extend and improve his/her
essay quality usually does not require cat 4 type of emotive vocab.
For instance, the child has the gist of the essay plot on his/her paper. Example:
Bob was so angry, he hit his friend.
The child already has the mechanics of the action down as part of his intended storyline.
And even if he/she were to replace it with a cat 4 example as shown above (this
expression was taken from a vocab list provided by a school teacher), the sentence
becomes:
Bob was so angry, he snapped and hit his friend.
While it did increase the quality by a TINY notch, it does not have that great an impact
in quality anyway. In addition, Word length did not increase much. Only three extra
words
Cat 1 vocab is not very useful in beginners essay. Indeed, learning 5 synonyms of
'happy' might increase your child's chances in Paper 2 (vocab and comprehension), but
in essay writing, the child does not need to emphasize how happy he is 5 times in 5
different words. Learning a word or two for each emotive state would be suffice.
Cat 3 is pretty useful as it is pretty universal across essay settings to a large degree.
When a character experiences anger, no matter the essay setting, there are certain
bodily reactions that will always surface. The problem is that devoted a whole paragraph
of bodily reactions is just odd. Imagine describing areas of the character's body from
his/her eyes, to the ears, to the nose, the mouth, the cracked voice, tensed shoulders,
fisted palms... You get what I mean. In some cases, cat 3 vocab for certain type of
emotions are highly lacking. Vocab describing sadness is a prime example.
I lifted this from some vocab list (targeted at Upper Secondary school students) I found
a while back. The list offers these ten expressions for sadness.
Tears welled up in her eyes
Tears rolled down here rosy cheeks.
No word could express his agony.
She sobbed sorrowfully.
She broke into tears.
With a heavy heart, he left the hospital.
A dark mood came over her.
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Her eyes were puffy and red after all the crying.
She cried her heart out after hearing the tragic news.
The frightened child was on the brink of tears.
There's an overwhelming number of phrases devoted to crying (which is pretty useless you don't need to know 6 different ways to cry in an essay). There is very little
description on other forms of sorrow. Always using O levels essay standards as a
benchmark, I struck the list off immediately.
Cat 2 types are not common. Period. It is difficult to find them in vast amounts in most
storybooks or assessment books. But cat 2 types are the emotive vocab types to look
out for. They are universal across all essay settings as those reactions occur internally.
For instance, panic alarm (Warning bells started clashing in my head) is a
classic example that can be used in ANY essay so long as panic is required. And given
that essays thrive on conflict and resolution, with characters getting into heart stopping
moments rapidly, I say that cat 2 types are godsend at least it was for me when O
levels Paper 1 loomed near.
Can you imagine how utterly useful and time-saving it is going to be if you have say, a
panic template which spans over 85 words of cat 2 and 3 vocab that can be utilised in
any essay that requires the character to panic?
(Of course, a Primary school student does not need to have that much emotive vocab
attrition, which makes lives a lot easier)
Parents have been asking how to get cat 2 vocab in bulk. As emphasized earlier, the
unfortunate thing is that a purely cat 2 vocab paperback isnt going to surface.
Storybooks will definitely offer expressions and students/parents will have to make a
conscious effort in penning them down in order to collect cat 2 vocab in bulk.
(I collect cat 2 and 3 vocab through my online reading material (fanfiction.net) which is
not an advisable online community for young minds to lurk for ff.net has a minefield of
rated material.)
If you cant locate any cat 2 vocab however, dont panic. Cat 3 vocab should be more
than enough for Primary school students.
Side enquiry to parents: I am curious to know the rough breakdown of cat 1 to 4 vocab
provided in vocab lists that are offered by vocab books that you have bought for your
child. What Ive seen are a flood of cat 1 and 4, some cat 3 and very little cat 2.
Question of reading and its materials
Fact: Reading aids students in improving their essay writing
Myth: Students who dont read will fail to see improvements in essay writing
Myth: Students who read will see improvements in essay writing
Raise your hand if you have a child who is an avid reader yet fails to write decent
essays, and you are scratching your head wondering why.
I will raise mine. I dont have a child but I was certainly one of those who read a lot but
was lacking in the essay writing department. Problem is, only the content is being
eagerly sought after. I overlooked language - skipping tedious passages and difficult
words/grammar structure- in favour of the story plot.
Students find language structure to be boring and as such, not too concerned about
improving their language through reading of books.
Mindless attrition of reading material without knowledge of how to utilise them is simply
not productive and yields little result. As I aged, I maintained a conscious effort on my
part to keep a look out for of good emotive vocab and essay structure.
Students, on the other hand, may not be aware of what to take note in storybooks. They
should identify their weak point(s) in essay writing dialogues, character descriptions,
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setting descriptions, other vocabs (emotives, adverbs, others), complex sentence

structures, punctuations, etc and just keep a look out for those when they read. They
should not be ambitious and attempt to cover too much ground at one go. Students
should just stick to a key weakness or two, lest they get overwhelmed by the amount of
information in storybooks.
Myth: Only serious reading material is beneficial
I will bring your attention to the emphasis in CAPS as this notion is ludicrous.
My language and writing skill are products of non-serious reading material that I
consumed and still am consuming years back. After witnessing my writing skills surge
from a bucket of suck of yesteryear to the decent levels of today, I became a staunch
convert in the church of the non-serious.
Some teachers advise against fantasy storybooks for students may replicate similar
fantasy plots in narrative essays. Plot notwithstanding however, fantasy books are
treasure troves of vocabulary, descriptive and expressions that are definitely essential in
essay writing.
I received some feedback of parents echoing the same sentiment, But my child does
not like reading at all. He/does not even like fantasy story books. All he/she does is to
watch cartoons/ play computer games everyday!
My reply would be, Why dont you let your child read a book that features the
cartoon/game?
If the child adores the cartoon Powerpuff girls, let him/her buy/borrow any book on
Powerpuff girls to read. You may think, but isn't it too kiddish and hey, Powerpuff girls is
a cartoon! Cartoons = not serious reading material = bode badly for results = should not
let your daughter read it as she needs to be serious to study.
Why do you think it is not serious reading material? Probably girls that are flying around
do not seem to fit well with composition where Annie is not supposed to save a cat stuck
in the tree by flying up to the cat like a Powerpuff girl. It is simply not realistic. As such,
your daughter is encouraged to read more serious books instead -those with realistic
plot.
The common misconception among parents and educators is that when a student is
having fun, they are not serious in their work and might affect their grades. But when a
student is starting to lose interest in a subject, the way to capture that student's
attention is to tempt them with something they are interested in. And if your daughter
likes Buttercup from Powerpuff Girls, she will relate to Buttercup while reading. And that
makes a pleasant reading experience.
(I am aware that books featuring cartoons have lower levels of vocabulary and very
simple sentence structures. If parents are creative however, any resource can be used
to aid their childrens essay writing techniques. For instance, if an essay-hating child
loves Ben 10, parents can consider encouraging their children to write an essay
featuring the character Ben. The same value-added components like vocab taught by
parents to their children to include in that Ben 10 essay can be applied to other
narrative essays as well. In this way, the child is able to write an essay on a character
he fancies while learning essential value-added components widely applicable to other
essays.)
Some may beg to differ, arguing that the books that their child is reading are definitely
fiction with tons of plotlines that are too surreal for reality. Titles like Peter Rabbit, Enid
Blyton etc.
I am spotting a bias here. Those titles that are listed above seemed to be titles that may
air/have already been aired on Nickelodeon. Between books adapted from cartoons
featured on Nickelodeon and Kids Central, which books do you feel that will possess
more educational value? I would think that many assume the former and disregard the
latter as time wasting material. My point exactly. What I am promoting is to allow your
child to read books that are adapted from his/her favourite cartoons featured on Kids
Central. Ben 10 seems to be in the rage now.
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I have seen WarCraft addicts (a computer game) devouring related merchandise, of

which includes WarCraft fantasy storybooks (the plot of WarCraft translated into words
on paperbacks). Well, at least they are reading storybooks.
For me, I found my reading passion in Japanese anime fanfiction (Jap anime - basically
the equivalent to Pokemon and Digimon for the current primary school kids. I am proud
to say that I have just finished watching the first season of Digimon and remain as
enamoured and starry-eyed as I was in Primary 6.) For my O levels, I took the vocab
and sentence structure from those anime fiction I've read and dumped them into my O
level compo. Worked like a charm. In fact, before every English exam, I logged on to the
website which contains fanfiction and just read them. My mother found it highly weird
and kept asking why I was playing when I should be studying for my English essay in a
couple of days time. But I was studying, and thoroughly enjoying it at the same time.
Expository writing
I have never written a single expository essay in my entire Secondary school life. After a
particular disastrous attempt by my peers, my teacher told us to stick to narrative
writing and ditch expository essays for individuals weak in English will not be able to
handle the demands of the latter. I am in full agreement with her.
I shall kick off this topic by forwarding a key point:
I used to be of the view that underperforming students should not tackle O
level expository essays.
[That being said, the new syllabus has made it increasingly difficult for
students to attempt anything but expository essays...
The advantage of this change is such that students are forced to confront
exposition regardless of their interest towards it. On the flip side, those who
are unable to keep up with the demands of exposition, alongside with the
inability of attempting narrative essays will witness a massacre in their paper
1.]
Three components of expository/argumentative essays:
Content Maturity in thinking
Essay flow thought structure
Essay organisation
Flow of narrative
Language
Let me put it this way. If your strength is only in content, you will probably achieve a
borderline grade but never excel due to the inability to express yourself well. If your
strength is in essay flow/organisation, you will pass with grades fluctuating between
borderline to an ok pass depending on the content required. If your strength is only in
language, you will experience absolute failure.
Thats probably why so many students underperform in General Paper even though they
have great foundation in language. What aggravates matters is that their grasp over the
language gives them a false sense of security/disillusionment that they will excel in
General Paper without preparation.
Problem is that for O level students, the majority underperforms in all 3 components.
However, the standards in O levels are so drastically reduced, flaws that are totally
unacceptable in A levels tend to be grudgingly accepted. However, the tolerance of
flawed argumentation at O levels undoubtedly blunts the students ability to think
critically.
Expository essays are like traps springing onto unsuspecting students, luring them into a
false sense of security of seemingly easy, crappable essays that requires no
preparation whatsoever. After all, the questions are requesting for our life experiences!
In Singapore no less! How difficult can it get?
What important lessons in life are learned away from school? ( O level 2010 Q1)
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Write about some of your worries and hopes for the future? (O level 2009 Q5)
What do you think secondary schools can do to ensure the health,well-being and safety of the
students? (O level 2006 Q3)
Questions of similar nature surface in A levels. 12 essay questions of which wide range
topics spanning over Religion, Science, Politics, Arts etc, many students who do not
increase their knowledge in those areas panic and usually choose the only question
enquiring about your opinion on a certain situation in Singapore. Such questions range
from the education system to social policies in Singapore.
Students who choose such questions are usually (not always, but usually) the first to go.
My JC teacher once remarked that the utterly sad thing about students is that while
residing in Singapore, they seem to be clueless about what is really going on in the
country. Be it their Secondary school, political system, (let me emphasize that Singapore
is in no way a democracy. We are a republic and so is America. Big difference but little
distinction has been made), etc.
As students have little content in their heads, they draw content from their immediate
reality and do not reflect critically on it. Unfortunately our immediate reality is swamped
with government rhetoric and the students proceed to parrot about the dominant
narrative in their essays.
When asked to reflect critically about the education system in Singapore, my ex-JC
student gave me a disjointed account of the streaming system in Primary schools. I felt
like I was reading a brochure from MOE. Essays praise the cleanliness of Singapore
when it is the cleaning contractors, not the civic behaviour of Singaporeans, that we are
supposed to give thanks to.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have students airing trivial grievances.
Thing is that, problems we have in Singapore are prevalent in other countries and a lot
less severe. Framing grievances in an uncritical way portray students as spoilt brats.
Airing about the stressful and rigid education system in Singapore does not give the
students brownie points, especially when other countries in the region like China have it
worse. And there is a reason why despite the touting of Western educational methods,
the educational system in America is on very shaky ground. The infamous rigid selection
criteria of basing only on grades for civil servant jobs is practiced not only in
Singapore, but in any country whose government operates as a bureaucracy (isnt that
almost every country?).
I have heard the counter argument that since grading of papers is located in Europe,
students should write about topics concerning Singapore as the European markers may
not be familiar with the situation in Singapore.
I shall commence laughter here.
(Weak thought structure is an even greater problem, but the scope of this essay does
not allow me for further elaboration)
Shallow arguments show little maturity in thinking and it reflects very badly on the
students. In fact, in my JC days, the Cambridge report explicitly stated that the students
exhibited schizophrenic tendencies in their essays.
(Schizophrenic: a severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all,
of the following features: emotional blunting, intellectual deterioration, social isolation,
disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations)
Tips for expository / argumentative writing
Fiction writing requires plot and a decent level of vocab. Some students may find
expository a lot easier. At the very least, they are able to write something.
I cant deny that logic. Rather write something than nothing at all.
However as mentioned earlier, I have never done a single O level expository. After living
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through A levels and University, it is inevitable that I view the standards for O level
expository as seriously insufficient. But I am refraining myself from unleashing a
tsunami of dos and donts for General Paper essays due to irrelevance. In addition,
unlike A level essays, I dont have any O level expository essays that I can cite
examples from. The list of tips I am offering is very, very short for my tips are catered
towards A levels (thus omitting a great deal of them in this article). I seek for your
understanding. I would suggest that students mail me a sample of their essays for more
relevant and effective diagnosis.
Why I am not offering tips on content: Maturity of thinking largely stems from the
conscious effort on the individuals part to self-reflect, think and read. I cant teach
students what to argue. As an educator, I cant impose my views on my students. I can
only provide students the materials to stimulate them to think. Moreover, the materials I
have are catered towards General Paper, not O level expository.
ESSAY ORGANISATION
IMPT: Essay stand MUST be located in the first paragraph. Not in the second, nor the
third, nor the last.
Every introduction comprises of 2 to 3 components:
Elaboration
Stand
Introduction of intended essay structure (optional, can be merged with
stand)
IMPT: If possible, a student should introduce how he/she intends to structure the essay
immediately after stating his/her stand.
I lifted this example from the O level Ten Year Series answer scheme:
O level 2008 Paper 1 Q4 Television, newspapers and the internet which of these do young people prefer as a
source of information and why?
Introduction:
Information overload!So goes the common complaint due to the constant
flood of data bombarding the common person in this day and age. Yet,
knowledge is power; information is still sought to keep abreast with the
times. The television, newspapers, and Internet are common mediums via
which information is obtained. However, which of these three is the
preferred choice of most youths?
Conclusion:
Therefore, with the control it affords, easy accessibility, and the
interactive nature of the Internet, it is the clear choice of most youths.
For some reason, the answer scheme placed the stand in the concluding
paragraph. The introduction is entirely made up of elaboration with no
stand and/nor introduction of intended essay structure. That is a big
no-no.
What should be in the introduction:
XXX (Elaboration) XXXX The Internet is the preferred choice of most youths.
(Stand) In this essay, I shall demonstrate that youths favour the Internet
due to the allure of individual empowerment, ease of accessibility and
interactive nature.(Introduction of intended essay structure)
I know there are many styles of writing. But as a student who is weak in expository, you
have to live by one basic principle your thought process has be CLEAR and thus
understandable. Even you have complex ideas, as long as the student organizes his/her
thoughts well, presentation of ideas will be simple. Regardless of the high level of
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content maturity, an examiners inability to understand an essay will warrant an

immediate failure. While the essay structure I have presented is the simplest form of
presentation, it is based on academic writing in University - the highest standard there is
to writing argumentative essays.
Please try NOT to imitate the essay structure (not content) of model essays. A fair
number of model essays, especially for A levels, boast complex essay structure all while
maintaining simplicity in understanding. When students imitate them, they might end up
with utterly scrambled thought structure and ease of understanding becomes
non-existent.
TABOOS
Taking a stand by Agreeing/disagreeing to a certain/small/large extend
Do note that this is flawed and absolutely FORBIDDEN in A
levels.
Unfortunately, this expression is deemed as the norm in O
levels. It surfaces in all humanities and language-based
essays.
I have a lot to say about this but since it is the norm in O
levels, I wont elaborate further on this point.
The One shall horror
The thought of expository leads many students to attempt
to speak philosophically. They will write things like One will
be led astray by the influences of the internet. My
Secondary 4 classmates maiden attempts at grandeur by
including this horror into their first expository essays blew
up in their faces.
This is NOT even accepted in O levels. If you wish to speak
about people in general, substitute one with the individual
(not the person).
Your brand of philosophy
Everyone has an opinion, but some are more valued than
others.
Unfortunately, the opinions of students are located at the
bottom of the food chain, in particular students with little
maturity of thought.
In order to give your argument more weight, you have to
cite sources of authority. These sources come in 2 forms:
(a) statistics (b) theories/arguments/examples forwarded by
accredited individuals of status.
About me & my teaching preference
A brief history of my journey in English learning is in order.
My Upper Primary English grades hovered at a constant 60. English at the Primary
School level was dead boring with a capital B. Language and comprehension were the
main culprits. I went totally brain dead during grammar lessons.
Come Secondary School and my grades plunged into the red. Remained largely
unsalvageable for the next 3.5 years, save for a crucial semester or two.
Comprehension became the bane of my life. Essay writing was unheard of.
Months before O levels, my tuition teacher made me write my first essay from a stack of
past year questions (2003 O level Paper 1 Q3) (excluding essays from CAs and SAs) in
my entire Secondary school life.
It took me days of agonizing effort to present her with a feast of grammar styles ranging from past to present to past perfect to present perfect to etc and shoddy
vocab within a piece of paper that spanned no more than 400 words. It was enough to
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drive anyone over the edge including me.

Upon gaining an abrupt realisation that I was going to be very, very dead unless
immediate action was taken, I began devising ways to reap short-term, instant
improvements in my essay writing. I tracked down my reading material I had been
reading fanfiction for nearly 2 years then and started to seriously consider it as my
remedy to my lousy essay writing skill.
I saw the light and the rest was history.
Ever since my O levels, I delved into the art of essay writing. In addition, I have
developed a personal interest in determining the predictability of essay questions
(especially O level essay questions). I began looking at copies of essays by
underperforming students, buying touted essay books to find any useful information for
essay writing predictability. A month back, I trotted to The Alternate Story and bought
that touted essay book to discover the hype about it. My mom was raising eyebrows
when I came home with a book targeted at Primary School students. Granted, it was a
little pricey but anything is a valued resource in my research. If you are interested in
contributing essays of any level to aid my little hobby, feel free to contact me. *laughs*
Teaching preference (as of 29 May 2011)
I dont teach at any tuition center nor am I a full-time tuition teacher. I only teach
tuition when my schedule permits. I am currently on the brink of graduation. Tomorrow,
I will be entering the working world.
As many know, I teach students from Primary School to JC. I provide all rounded
enrichment (going beyond composition) for Primary School students. As a side note, I
only teach Primary 3 to 5 students. After teaching that Primary 2 student of mine, I
realised that Primary 1 and 2 students requires proper foundational work. Learning
shortcuts through tuition at such a young age is definitely not the way to go.
On the other hand, I only focus on Paper 1 (mainly essay writing) for Secondary and JC
students. Comprehension is not my forte. Some have voiced concerns that my lack of
focus on Paper 2 might not appeal to many Secondary or JC students. Apparently, their
concerns are unfounded. There are a lot of students who fare better in comprehension
than composition. I just happen to be the opposite.
I only teach underperforming students. (As much as I detested it, the only form of
quantitative measurement for underperformance was failure in grades.) It came as a
surprise to some when my preference was known. While some educators prefer to teach
the brilliant bunch, I target those who fell through the cracks of the system. Given my
journey in education, I found that I could understand the frustrations and perspectives
of underperforming students. In addition, I deem greater satisfaction and challenge from
teaching them.
Due to the amount of attention required by the students, tuition is highly intensive and
time-consuming in nature. As such, the number of students I have taught is extremely
low. While I have taught group tuition in the past, having 1 student per year is
commonplace. Thus in situations where I have multiple tuition requests as evident in
the past months my preference will lie towards student(s) in dire state(s).
Those who usually top the priority list are severely underperforming students who are:
Taking their O levels that very year
In JCs
Repeat students
Unable to see improvements despite extensive parental guidance and
tuition aid
Some have pointed out that my preference is biased against average students who
wish to perform better. I totally agree and even foresee that these average students
might absorb and apply my teachings even more effectively. However, my packed
agenda does not provide the luxury of teaching many students. Moreover, there are very
few avenues in society for those who fall behind.
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Tips for Poor Essay Writers - Part I
up
My Experience With Homeschooling
phppsmss's blog Login or register to post comments

Tags: Education | English
Submitted by phppsmss on Thu, 30/06/2011 - 4:18pm
Improve Enlgish Essay & Paper II for N Level

Hi Amanda
Are you tutoring for 1-1 N Level student? Thanks. May you email to :
aloha8946@yahoo.com.sg.
Login or register to post comments
theyong | Sat, 14/03/2015 - 2:21pm
Adding to your help needed list!

Hi Amanda.
Thanks for posting this article. What you have written echoed what I usually share
with my P2 girl. However, sharing is one thing and educating is another. Sharing the
same sentiments with many parents here, providing guidance for essay writing poses
as a huge challenge for me. I've been contemplating on engaging external help until
I chanced upon your post. I'd like my girl to be guided by you. Please email me if
your schedule permits. My email address is happi_hor@yahoo.com. I look forward to
favourable reply. Thanks! Su-ann
mama mia | Mon, 14/04/2014 - 11:57pm
Dear Mummy,
Did u able to
Dear Mummy,
Did u able to find any Good Eng Tutor..
If yes.. dun mind .. to share with me the Tutor contact no..
Thanks alot.
U may email me @ekingsmen@hotmail.com
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EKK | Thu, 17/04/2014 - 2:38pm
Desperate mum for Sec 1 NT boy

Hi Thanks for sharing
May I know how to contact you. Do you offer 1 to 1 tution guide for secondary
school?
Please contact me.
Lisa HP 93202068
Email : tanglisa@rocketmail.com
thanks
yxl | Wed, 09/04/2014 - 10:46am
Desparate call of a P3 mum

hi
Thanks for the insightful sharing. My P3 girl is a avid reader but her compo is not
doing well. She hover from just pass to barely pass. She was one of the 6 students in
her class of 40 to be called up to do draft 2 or 3. Subjected to her classmates bully
for her poor grades, she felt very discouraged and suffered from low morale. I tried
Mind Map tuition but she didn't like it. I was hoping if you can teach and guide her so
she will be more confident to move on to P4. If your time is unable to permit this, will
you be able to direct me to any suitable tutor or one of your past students who can
help? I felt so bad not able to help her since I'm not so good in compo myself to
begin with. Thanks so much in advance.
Regards
a desparate mum, Mrs Tay
RTmummy | Thu, 03/04/2014 - 10:42am
Desparate Mum in P3 English Compo n Compre

Dear Mum,
I was desparate as well.. finding a good tutor same as u find a needele in the
sea.. If u got any recommended.. please text me the contact.. Please
Greatly appreciated..
Thansk
U may reach me @81613229..
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EKK | Thu, 17/04/2014 - 12:57pm
Help needed
Hi Amanda,
My son is dyslexia, hope you are available to teach him.
i can be contacted at jasgoh02@yahoo.com.sg
please pm me at 96882693.
Jassergoh | Sat, 22/02/2014 - 3:42pm
Enquiry
Hi Amanda,
This is a very good article. Thanks for sharing. I have a son 11+ years and I hope if
you can teach him. Can you pls provide your contact details?
Thank you very much!
Best Rdgs,
purpleA
purpleA | Thu, 02/01/2014 - 2:31pm
Enquiry
Hi Amanda
I have two daughters aged 7 and 12.
I am interested to sign them up for your classes.
Do you teach in a tuition centre or provide one-on-one teaching?
your contact details.
Please provide
Look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks
JOH
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JOH | Wed, 11/09/2013 - 2:09pm
great post
thanks for posting such a tremendously informative blog. it's enriched my knowledge
on essay writing.
yenfisca | Tue, 03/09/2013 - 12:58pm
How to contact you

Hi There
Thank you for sharing. Is there anyway I can get my kids age 10 to be taught by
you? Kindly advise.
My email address is as follows:
tim_emma@yahoo.com.sg
Calm2013 | Wed, 21/08/2013 - 3:53pm
Thumbs Up to Amanda!
Great article n great tips but i still can't get my P2 gal to write a proper para. If you
are unable to teach, can you recommend a good tutor please please please..? Thank
you so much!
chubby mum | Mon, 15/07/2013 - 10:25pm
My Struggles
Hi,
Thanks for such an awesome write-up.
It fully describes the anguish I went through as I scrapped through English paper and
General Paper for my O levels and A level. I am still struggling with writing and hope
to learn how to hone my writing skills.
Can we get in touch as I would like to learn from you on how to craft
critical/analytical essays.
Cheers, Ying Rui
tyingrui | Wed, 17/10/2012 - 2:47pm
Thx
Wow! What an article,amazing,splendid. I depth info. Thanks a lot...do keep it up!
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SWEETMOM9 | Tue, 24/07/2012 - 10:29pm
Hi, I felt so comforted after

Hi, I felt so comforted after reading your articles and the your choice of career path.
You truly are a gem to the underperorming students.You go gal ! Wishing you all the
best of luck. : )
savoury sweet | Mon, 19/03/2012 - 3:54pm
thank for sharing

hi thank for sharing.It is a indeed a valuable article.
smurf28 | Fri, 30/09/2011 - 2:54am
Keep in touch.. ;)
Heyya there Amanda, PM received with thanks! ;) Am glad some of my sharings are
useful to you n hope it can be a headstart to your chosen career path. It is not often
tt I find fellow educators who share my passion or understand my addiction in
working with children who fall btwn the cracks of the system so I find extreme
pleasure in reading you thru your writing. Yes, feel free to keep in touch n to share
your many challenges ahead as well as triumphant successes... I can be like your
own Aunt Aggy in times of distress if you like. :) I am confident for someone with an
undying passion to serve, these challenges you may face ahead are perfect obstacles
in your cause..... to keep you moving forward undeterred. Cheers, Amanda...here's
my first toast to ur journey ahead... that road less travelled. May your inner calling
bring you immense happiness.
Best regards, buds.
buds | Sat, 03/09/2011 - 2:40am
Thanks for sharing your

Thanks for sharing your insight
amylqf | Sun, 10/07/2011 - 3:47pm
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Thanks for sharing :)

Thanks for sharing :)
WCW | Mon, 04/07/2011 - 9:10am
Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing with us!
smartmummy | Mon, 04/07/2011 - 2:20am
Thanks a million!
I thank all for your kind comments :).
@angelight: You will be comforted to know that my company is filled with
like-minded peers whose passion in teaching and kid interaction are highly evident.
@buds: Hi fellow odd ball! I am glad to find other tutors who love teaching
underperforming students. And what you said is spot-on. That absolute satisfaction...
that tremendous high that I get from teaching underperforming students is terribly
addictive.
I am afraid that future articles may be a rarity though, for time is a luxury :P
phppsmss | Sun, 03/07/2011 - 10:44pm
Luxury
Quote phppsmms, "@buds : Hi fellow odd ball! I am glad to find other
tutors who love teaching underperforming students. And what you said
is spot-on. That absolute satisfaction... that tremendous high that I get
from teaching underperforming students is terribly addictive."
Hi again Amanda, i agree time is indeed a luxury especially if i have to
teach and still manage my household plus now 3 kiddies! *faintz* LOL!
Oddball i definitely am... but what's even more odd is that i am not a
tutor. I'm a semi retired educator liao, but i suppose i have that soft spot
to fill one or two of my time at home to help. I'm more into trouble
shooting foundation work. Most who come to me be it the young ones or
older, have some cracks in foundation so my challenge is really to zoom
in on where it is and patch it up so that they can go auto mode on their
own in case they were to do without my guidance anymore.
So... about that addiction, i totally geddit girl. ;)
"I am afraid that future articles may be a rarity though, for time is a
luxury :P"
I believe it is dear... i believe it is. *hugs* Just know we are your ready
audiences anytime. *wink* So to me at least, getting to read you once in
awhile would be truly a luxurious experience. I can feel you from your
writing. I've bookmarked your articles. Cheers, Amanda. ;)
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Best regards.
buds | Mon, 04/07/2011 - 2:13am
The world needs people like you

Amanda, thanks for this in-depth article on writing. As a former journalist/editor, it's
still a refreshing read to me.
I especially want to give kudos to you for having the heart to coach underperforming
students. It shows that you gave tuition becos you genuinely want to help, and not
purely for money.
Good to know that you're now working with dyslexic children. The world needs more
souls like you. :)

Angelight | Fri, 01/07/2011 - 10:52am
Thanks for the wonderful

Thanks for the wonderful insights on writing. I am most impressed with your desire
and interest to teach students at the lower rung of our education system. Kudos to
your courage and determination. All the best to all undertakings!
csc | Fri, 01/07/2011 - 9:01am
The road less travelled..

Heyya there Amanda, i read your sharing with great interest. I thought i was the only
weird one who only choose to teach underperforming students. I usually do not look
for / advertise for students to teach. The students who come to my doorstep... their
families have exhausted almost every possible help they could get or that they have
tried. Like you have mentioned, while the work is intensive and exclusive (we need to
know the child better to help the child best) to the needs of the student, i definitely
agree that the satisfaction derived from the small achievements these students
make, are immeasurable. There are not many or rather sometimes none of
those instant or quick success stories to share most of the time however, i do get a
tremendous high from just seeing them make little progresses here and there... for
these are the children / students who make teaching a purposeful journey in life.
There is much to learn from your in-depth sharings and i sincerely hope to read more
of you around the forum. All my best for your future undertakings.
Best Regards.
buds | Fri, 01/07/2011 - 2:15am
Thanks for sharing

Thank you for sharing the valable tips.
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Brenda10 | Thu, 30/06/2011 - 10:36pm
Thanks for sharing

Thanks for sharing this article!!
LKVM | Thu, 30/06/2011 - 5:06pm
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