IB vs GCSE exam

mattsmum

I had read for half an hour in VSA last sat. they got samples.

matthewdad

I agreed with your thinking and there should be most choice for broading school overseas. Do you think it is better at year 7 or year 9 ?

原文章由 阿胡 於 08-5-20 14:27 發表


有幾種方式可以試一下, 但無一種可以保證成功: 包括

(1) CIS Year 7 會多開一班而對外招生;

(2) 先讀較容易進入的國際學校, 以後再轉學. HKIS和CIS都有不少學生會去美國讀4年boarding schools再讀大學, 到時會有 ...

阿胡

原文章由 matthewdad 於 08-5-20 22:27 發表
I agreed with your thinking and there should be most choice for broading school overseas. Do you think it is better at year 7 or year 9 ?

美國學校是grade K-12, 英國學校是year 1-13. 美國好的boarding schools通常是高中4年, 即是大學之前的最後4年.

如果有錢,  如果可以進入美國top boarding schools之一, 基本上讀美國最好的大學是不成問題的. 但這些學校比YC還貴. 以Andover為例, 今年學費是US$37,000. 同讀大學差不多了.

儘管這些學校很好, 但孩子在14歲就離家, 會不會對父母的感情會淡薄, 也是中國人常常擔心的. 看到自己的孩子一天天長大, 不也是人生的一大寶貴經歷嗎?

另外, 如果孩子有能力進入美國top boarding schools之一, 我相信在香港的頭幾間國際學校畢業, 也應該是可以進入美國最好的大學的. 但如果從香港所謂名校畢業, 就很難說. 除非孩子真是數一數二的材料.





[ 本文章最後由 阿胡 於 08-5-21 02:11 編輯 ]

matthewdad

阿胡

Any comment on my plan
1. Kinder (N, K1, K2) at true international kinder (eg ESF)
2. K3 - local Kinder, P1-F2 Local top tier school
3. Year 9 or 10 (top-tier local IS or broading school in UK)
4. Undergradte in England top tier Uni
5. Postgraduate in US top tier Uni

原文章由 阿胡 於 08-5-21 02:09 發表


美國學校是grade K-12, 英國學校是year 1-13. 美國好的boarding schools通常是高中4年, 即是大學之前的最後4年.

如果有錢,  如果可以進入美國top boarding schools之一, 基本上讀美國最好的大學是不成問題的. 但 ...

[ 本文章最後由 matthewdad 於 08-5-21 12:04 編輯 ]

阿胡

原文章由 matthewdad 於 08-5-21 10:54 發表
阿胡

Any comment on my plan
1. Kinder (N, K1, K2) at true international kinder (eg ESF)
2. K3 - local Kinder, P1-F2 Local top tier school
3. Year 9 or 10 (top-tier local IS or broading school in UK)
4. Undergradte in England top tier Uni
5. Postgraduate in US top tier Uni
...

哈哈, 都不錯.

純粹個人看法:

Year 9 or 10 才轉英文第一語言, 可能會晚了一,兩年, 有可能對孩子語言發展有影響. 孩子個個不同, 但14歲左右轉語言(其實不光是語言的問題, 更多的是學習方法完全不同了), 對大部分孩子來說, 壓力都是很大的. 而且語言上的一些微妙的差異, 不是用一句英文很好, 或英文不好就可以講得清楚. 好處是, 孩子的中文他一輩子都忘不了. 但壞處是, 他的英文總是"差小小". 但有一點是肯定的, 他的英文會比絕大多數香港人好. 哈哈.

我對英國的boarding schools不了解. 我覺得去一間普通學校, 不一定會比ESF好. 當然, top boarding schools又不同.

如果孩子資質高, 香港的最好幾間國際學校畢業後就一定可以去讀好的大學. 如果孩子資質平平, 去英國讀boarding school或香港讀國際學校, 至少英文會不錯, 進入一間英美普通大學是不難的. 但外國讀完boarding school後或在香港讀完國際學校後, 千萬不要讓他在香港讀大學, 因為他有很大機會會應付不了香港大學的功課, 特別是數學方面.

[ 本文章最後由 阿胡 於 08-5-21 12:09 編輯 ]

matthewdad

Hi


This is why I put the kid in 80% -100%english environment from Nusery, K1 and K2 to develop english as the 1st language. This will be a challenge to change to local K3.

HKU have some good course such as architect, medicine and Law.

原文章由 阿胡 於 08-5-21 11:55 發表


哈哈, 都不錯.

純粹個人看法:

Year 9 or 10 才轉英文第一語言, 可能會晚了一,兩年, 有可能對孩子語言發展有影響. 孩子個個不同, 但14歲左右轉語言(其實不光是語言的問題, 更多的是學習方法完全不同了), 對大部分 ...

[ 本文章最後由 matthewdad 於 08-5-21 13:48 編輯 ]

WYmom

原文章由 matthewdad 於 08-5-21 10:54 發表
阿胡

Any comment on my plan
1. Kinder (N, K1, K2) at true international kinder (eg ESF)
2. K3 - local Kinder, P1-F2 Local top tier school
3. Year 9 or 10 (top-tier local IS or broading school in UK)
...

I have a friend's kid following similar path, now studying in a local top tier English primary school at P.6, now trying to switch to IS for secondary, but not successful.  For the past primary years, the kid still has to attend after school tutor class for English (which is a norm in local elite schools).  Chinese standard in local English primary is usually quite so-so.

Actually, the gap of English standard in top tier IS vs local school is quite large, it will be very difficult for the kids to catch up if they switch to IS after F2.  So the ultimate result maybe just so-so in both English and Chinese, unless your kid is very very brilliant.

阿胡

原文章由 WYmom 於 08-5-21 12:23 發表


I have a friend's kid following similar path, now studying in a local top tier English primary school at P.6, now trying to switch to IS for secondary, but not successful.  For the past primary year ...

一間國際學校都進不了? 連RC都不行?

WYmom

原文章由 阿胡 於 08-5-21 12:39 發表


一間國際學校都進不了? 連RC都不行?

Similar to mathewdad, my friend targets at top tier branded IS... so has not applied RC.  Now she decided to let the kid continue the battle to get a seat in local top tier secondary schools.

mattsmum

on IB again:

for bilingual certificate, you need group 1 - chinese A1( = mother tongue with literature component) and group 2- english B ( = second language, no literature)/ or both as AI level.

top local school kids might be able to get this cert. without great difficulty.

when the other way round, it will be very different. how to develope english into mother tongue standard as Language group 1 ( I mean on every aspect, not just spoken standard) is very challenging if the kid only shifted to IS after F2. Yet how to keep his chinese in A1 level will be also difficult. so he might just have an IB cert. not bilingual cert.

阿胡

原文章由 WYmom 於 08-5-21 12:54 發表


Similar to mathewdad, my friend targets at top tier branded IS... so has not applied RC.  Now she decided to let the kid continue the battle to get a seat in local top tier secondary schools.

哦, 如果先RC, 到Grade 9再試HKIS, 可能機會會大一點.

WYmom

原文章由 mattsmum 於 08-5-21 12:55 發表
on IB again:

for bilingual certificate, you need group 1 - chinese A1( = mother tongue with literature component) and group 2- english B ( = second language, no literature)/ or both as AI level.

top ...

mattsmum,

Personally, I don't mind it is bilingual Diploma or just IBD,  the IB result will be more important for applying U.  At this stage, the training and English standard in IS is likely to help students getting better IBD results in all subjects (not just English / Chinese).  Of course I believe SPCC and DBS must do their best to let their top students getting top results, yet they only allow part of their students to take IBD in future.  I think the average students will still take local secondary diploma.

matthewdad

This is new to me. Any article can tell more on this ?
It is nice if  you have the statistic from IS school in hk on the percentage of kids who have got passed in either group 1 and /or group 2. (good for us to choice the IS)

原文章由 mattsmum 於 08-5-21 12:55 發表
on IB again:

for bilingual certificate, you need group 1 - chinese A1( = mother tongue with literature component) and group 2- english B ( = second language, no literature)/ or both as AI level.

top ...

[ 本文章最後由 matthewdad 於 08-5-21 13:50 編輯 ]

mattsmum

i learned this from VSA's open day, most of them will have group1- chinese A1, group 2- english B (HL or SL), I guess it is the opposite for IS, they would have group 1- english A1, groip 2- chinese or spanish or french,

WYmom

原文章由 mattsmum 於 08-5-21 13:57 發表
i learned this from VSA's open day, most of them will have group1- chinese A1, group 2- english B (HL or SL), I guess it is the opposite for IS, they would have group 1- english A1, groip 2- chinese o ...

Yes, you are right.

mattsmum

i was told by teacher that "language A1 with literature element" is very difficult, almost equivalent to A level literature subjects,

i was a science student in high school, i don't know how difficult literature is.

ps.
for bilingual cert, you can also have combination of english A1 + chinese A2, but A2 is not taught at VSA yet, DBS did show this in their survey sheet.

WYmom

原文章由 mattsmum 於 08-5-21 14:02 發表
i was told by teacher that "language A1 with literature element" is very difficult, almost equivalent to A level literature subjects,

i was a science student in high school, i don't know how difficu ...

Yes, English lit is quite difficult (to me, also a science student like you).  Kids in ESF study Eng lit starting from primary.  Chinese lit appears to be easier for me as it's my mother tongue.

From what I see, the English requirement in other IB subjects is also high if you want to get high marks in IBD.

warrrren

原文章由 mattsmum 於 08-5-21 12:55 發表
on IB again:

for bilingual certificate, you need group 1 - chinese A1( = mother tongue with literature component) and group 2- english B ( = second language, no literature)/ or both as AI level.
...

This is correct.  But things can get a little more complicated.  There are other ways to get a billingual diploma.  For an example, doing language A English and writing an EE (extended essay) in Fench for a group 3 or group 4 subject.  See the the Vade Mecum of 2007, http://www.nonsensed.com/IB/Vade%20Mecum.pdf; see also http://school.vis.ac.at/esl/files/a/4%20Bilingualism%20in%20IB%20programmes%20final.doc.

For IB students in Hong Kong, a good command of English is almost a must.  Not only will they do English as a group 1 language subject, the majority of them will also do EE in English.  And, don't forget music investigation/theatre project/research comission papers for group 6 electives, which are likely to be written in English.