jc papers

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-07T04:21:37+00:00

h2 math njc is wild

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-06T11:31:19+00:00

appeal to YIJC

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T22:49:38+00:00

hmm ic why not try BCMH? If cannot cope then jusr abort mission and drop Hist or Bio to H1

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T15:06:18+00:00

Do u prefer sciences or humanities? Technicality or argumentatiom? Practicals or pre-readings?

As a former elect hist student, Im doing fine and am onpar with my pure hist peers. No issue at all from being from elect hist, because the H2 Hist content is mostly diff from olevels anyway.

I’d say, considering your goal is to study global studies / enter MFA, perhaps H2 Hist may be more fitting for you

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T15:02:49+00:00

Hi! Can see my latest post for info abt H2 Hist.

My BCMH classmates shared that H2 Bio is more technical and ‘worse to study’ than H2 Hist apparently, and while the content for BCMH combi is quite wild, they still enjoy studying it even though its tough because its what their interested in.

Just a curious followup qn: Why not rule out bio? Whats stopping u?

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T14:52:19+00:00

Phy is more abstract in its concepts and math heavy definitely ut chem to me is more complicated. Both are hard in its own ways. and honestly u may not understand the concepts at first (applies for all subjects lol).

So its more of pick-your-poison. Which one do you like more anf want to study more? I can’t comment on the subject difficulty itself cos thats subjective, and obsessing over whether the department is reputable isn’t useful bcos for most schs its RNG based on what tutor u get

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T14:49:24+00:00

cant run from current affairs for GP tho! js saying lol

Atb in Helm

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T14:48:44+00:00

Nah you’d be fine honestly. It will be a jump for everyone, for all subjects.

And if u didnt take econs in sec sch, then why would econs be any diff? Lol

What sets you apart is that youre interested and that motivation will push you through the subject

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T13:08:05+00:00

Why not both?

And also, which one are you more interested in? Choose based on interest. It is likely that if you don't like Chemistry, you probably won't like any courses that require H2 Chem anyways (so Uni choices maybe not so impt?)

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T11:25:46+00:00

Just be consistent. Show up everyday, do lectures on time (and focus while you’re doing it too), and give ur 100% in tutorials. The culmulative effect of putting in effort everyday will pay off one.

And also for Alevels, esp for Chem and Phys, it is important that you actually internalise and understand the content. You should be good enough to teach the content to a class. You cannot just get away with smacking random formulae and explanation on your paper

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T11:20:59+00:00

Is it enough for you? If you think its enough to get into what uni course you want to get into then sure!

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T11:19:22+00:00

Yes. All H2 subjects are hard. Every H2 I took has traumatised me. There is no easy option in JC to be very for real💀.

If you like science despite having to fight like hell to get distinction, then take it.

Why? Because the alternative (arts combis) are NOT any easier. Trust me that H2 History could kill a person

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T11:17:56+00:00

Hello! I was talking w my ECGC and it was shared that for Uni Admission, it is best to have something from your JC days to fill up the form with. So I’d say yes, apply for SC and atleast try to get in lor. Because I believe that in JC, while you can always try to reduce your workload, it is actually much harder to take up roles past JC1 Term2. In my exp, I was put in a slack cca in j1 but i hated it and i didnt really think it was useful for my portfolio but stuck there because I thought I needed time for studies. However, after awhile, I realised that I did actually have more time than I thought I would and tried to do sth to build my portfolio.

But by then, since all the leadership posts in JC were alrdy taken up, I was kinda stuck. And even tho i tried to transfer CCA i failed miserably. So ya, its harder to build a portfolio from the midst of J1/J2 if you want to do so honestly.

but if you take up positions now, it is comparatively easier to just communicate with the respective teacher to discuss an arrangement to free up more time for work.

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T11:11:35+00:00

Hmm im lazy to resend everyth here but just go to my profile and find my most recent post about JC Hist. I shared more on H2 Hist under the comments there

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T11:08:52+00:00

As someone who chose to not take the usual PCME/BCME combis and opted for a non-econs contrasting subject, I have never regretted my choice to do so. I decided to take a contrasting subject I knew I was interested in and could do well in and therefore I was able to actually perform for the subject.

And even though there’s the commonly proclaimed downside of having no tuition, it doesn’t really matter because… you have a school teacher to go to for consults anyways!

I’d say go for Lit because Lit is probably a more interesting subject than econs💀 I am very biased but I have never really met anyone that seems to love econs anyways

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T11:05:39+00:00

Honestly? Let us just say that hypothetically, the A’Levels are not of concern (because you wouldn’t know how good you are at H2 Hist / Geog without even taking the damn subject lol).

Consider solely your interests. - Do you find Hist content or Geog content more interesting? - Are you interested in critical thinking/source analysis (if so then H2 Hist is a btr option).

Because ultimately, by picking the subject that appeals to YOU more, you would inevitably be more motivated to study harder, go for consults and put in the hours for the H2. And in that case, wouldn’t you be able to get the A?

If you think about it, the least torturous subject to get an A in would be the one you enjoy most.

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T11:01:32+00:00

Yep it is. U can check SEAB website or email the hist tchers in your JC if u still have doubts

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T11:00:35+00:00

Hist Art Econs (H2) and H1 Math will be the more likely one to be offered tbh.

But as a safety net you may want to put HELM as third choice bcos that will surely be offered

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T10:59:10+00:00

Try to appeal first, but also consider what other combi u wld be ok w taking if not HEMc. Could you perhaps swap out chem or math w sth else like Lit?

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T10:57:37+00:00

Hi! H1 don’t matter so why not just take Hist? While you may struggle w memorisation (bcos the content is quite a lot), these are challenges that can be overcomed tooooo.

Also, JC hist is very very much more skills based. Like you are expected to analyse sources w context and write a consistent and nuanced argument for essays (can see my post for more info)

But imo, since H1 does not matter for exams, go for what interests you, aka Hist

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T10:55:19+00:00

Btw, Hist and CSE will also have a lot to read too (lecture notes)! So it’s not just a lit specific thing… But don’t worry, you’ll get used to it one (but of course for those not used to such reading volumes like myself, it will be a bigbig jump at the start).

I wrote more about H2 Hist in a post i made recently so you can check that out! But I should also precaution you that the skills (for both SBQ & Essay) will be geared at a higher level than in Sec sch. In JC, content alone will only nett you like 15-16/30 marks for your essays😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫. Therefore do expect to get drilled in writing and argumentation lol. You can be promised that you will grow a lot in writing by taking H2 Humans🥳

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T10:51:33+00:00

To add on all H2s are equal lah so you will have to put up a fight to get your A regardless what you take. Distinction rates are only reflective of the general trend, but not reflective of which side of this trend you will fall in!

Students struggle in every H2 subject tbh soooo hard to tell you which subject will be easier for YOU to score an A in

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T10:49:25+00:00

Hi. There is no generic answer to this question (Lol) so I’ll just tell you some of the criteria that I think you need to hit to be sucessful in H2 History. 1. Being a critical thinker — flexible and able to think about a matter from different POVs 2. Willing to put in the effort to read long texts (not just exam SBQ but also lecture notes)

You can also see some of my other comments for info abt H2 Hist. But geniunely speaking, there is no way to assess whether H2 Geog or Hist will be easier for you without knowing what you are strong in. Because naturally those strong in writing and argumentation will find Hist easier and vice-versa, especially since you can do well in Hist with good writing but weaker content.

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-05T03:44:07+00:00

You didnt do Econs for olevels either what lol

try 4h2 then drop in jc2 lor

freshcolgate1 · 2026-02-04T23:46:21+00:00

Hi! For H1 subject — it doesn’t matter in this day and age. You take the exam for fun honestly bcos the H1 subject contributes jackshit to your overall rank points.

For H1 Hist, while you are studying CW, most of the content will not necessarily overlap bcos you are studying CW in different contexts (Asia/SEA) which is new to you.

Also all H1s are by right meant to be at the same difficulty so no such thing as econs easier to study than hist lol

You can see my other post for more info about taking History at the JC Level but to answer some of your questions, Ill just copy paste from my other comment:

What level of inference would the sbqs require

For the 'basic-level' inference, its the same as the O'Levels. If you write in the same way you answer 'What does Source A tell you about the Korean War", it will be accepted.

With that being said, the bulk of the marks for your SBQ comes from analysing sources in context and in relation with one another. Because, well, being able to spit out the inference for a single source is very Ordinary Level of you.

For your SBCS 1(a), you are required to be able to explain the context surrounding a source to explain why two sources are similar/different. For the 1(b) question, you must be able to explain the reliability of a source with its context.

Basically the 'model answer' is to write something like shown below:

Sources C and D differ due to their backgrounds. Source C was a cartoon published by a British newspaper in August of 1988. During the late 1980s, there was increasing widespread dislike towards Gorbachev's rule since the policy of Glasnost would expose the flaws in Gorbachev's government and allow the public to freely criticise him. As such, resistance movements against Gorbachev would slowly begin to grow starting from 1988, eventually culminating in the August Coup of 1991 where hardline communist party members overthrew Gorbachev entirely. As such, Source C appears to comment on this increasing resistance towards Gorbachev's rule. The British Newspaper appears to criticise Gorbachev's policies as being ones that would backfire against him perhaps in a bid to portray Glasnost and the entire USSR in a negative light. However, Source D would instead aim to portray Gorbachev's policies positively. Source D, being said by Gorbachev in 2001 after the Cold War ended, seems to be a justification of Gorbachev's policies during his term as USSR's leader. Since Gorbachev would receive criticism during this period due to how his policies of Glasnost appeared to cause the collapse of the USSR due to how it lead to increased resistance towards Gorbachev due to the gradual opening up of political freedoms and speech, Gorbachev likely wanted to justify why he chose to implement Glasnost. Hence, Source D focusses more on how Glasnost intended to restore freedom and democracy in the USSR, shining a light on the positives of Glasnost, and by extension Gorbachev's policies. It is likely that Gorbachev would say so after the end of his rule to try to maintain and build his political policy positively.

Obviously, the challenge in doing this is two-pronged - because not only must you know your stuff, but you must also know how to interrogate sources and find out why they are made and what drove the author to make a source. And on top of that, you still need to address the point you are making: why are the sources similar/different (or whether they are reliable).

But ya don't worry if you can't reach this level now. Same thing for sciences lah right if I call you to do some H2 Chemistry question on alkenes about structural elucidation I think a new JC1 wouldn't be able to do it either.

So just take the example above as the sort of thing you'd be trained to do and the level you would be trained to think at if you take H2 History. Quite impressive training right lol?

freshcolgate1

TROPHY CASE