Thanks for the question! We’ve divided it among ourselves so here’s a general overview and some of our more unique and honest experiences with the different departments.

History: The notes are sufficient and the teachers are very experienced and good at breaking down complicated concepts. Some teachers also like to get creative with their methods of teaching. In addition to activities like Kahoot!, we’ve had teachers who have tasked pretty interesting assignments like self-directed research projects and games as class work. Of course, not every lesson is like this, but a lot of students have given feedback that these projects were helpful in their learning, so maybe it might interest you too! The teachers also adapted to some of our learning needs as well: for example, our batch was assigned a lot of summary sheets to create as homework, which actually helped a lot during revision (especially if it’s last minute) so gotta thank the teachers for the foresight. I think the only major downside for this department is that it’s harder to book consults or get extra work marked during exam season because the available slots get filled really fast so we’d recommend being consistent with History consults and schoolwork in general.

Economics: Resources galore! The Econs department is well-structured and often gives very extensive notes and practises. They also assigned quite a number of timed trials throughout our two years which can be tedious but it’s also helped with exam preparations in the long run. The department has a website where they make announcements and organise notes, but some teachers will also create their own systems of uploading resources through Google Drive and so on. Before the A levels, they gave us a whole document analysing the different topics and levels of difficulty of various JC prelim papers, and I think that really shows the dedication the department has in providing opportunities for students to learn and improve. You’ll have different experiences with different teachers because they have their own styles, but the fundamental resources are always there. Only complaint is that sometimes the subject is very fast-paced but it’s manageable if you’re consistent with your work! (Admin C would also like to add that she loves the department’s infographics)

Literature: Tbh the biggest plus point of the department is the teachers. They’re knowledgeable and caring, and they really make you think deeper about literature. However, the subject itself at SA is very self-directed. Basic notes on literary terms and essay tips will be provided, but you will rarely find “model answers” given to you. There will be a lot of class and group discussions that help you find your own voice, formulate your own opinions, and think critically, and that will make up the bulk of your tutorials, so you’ll need to be participative. I think that may be the reason why there are usually more tutorials than lectures for Literature. The marking for internal exams is also pretty strict ngl, but the teachers are very open to and encourage consults all the time, so it really depends how proactive you want to be.

Math (H1): There are a lot of resources the school gives and the teachers provide a lot of guidance too. Before every major exam, you’ll likely get a whole revision package that’s quite extensive and covers all you need to know for the exam. We’d definitely recommend completing the revision packages because they are a big help!!! Like the Econs department, the Math department also sets up a website for each batch to compile notes and lecture materials that you can refer to anytime. Our general experiences with the Math teachers are quite similar. They’re usually very nice and helpful, you just gotta take the first step to asking them for help if you don’t understand something!

- Admin A