Dear Parents,
Please note that all classes are now at capacity.
Expressions of Interest for Unit 4 revision sessions will open soon.
Watch this space for updates.
Regards,
Jeffery Gao
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Thursday, December 19, 2013
VCE
Humanities: English / ESL, English Language, History
Social Sciences: Accounting, Economics, Legal Studies, Psychology, Business Management
Physical Sciences: Specialist Maths, Maths Methods, Chemistry, Physics, Biology
IB (SL & HL)
Humanities: English, History
Social Sciences: Economics, Information Technology, Psychology
Physical Sciences: Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science
Tertiary
Finance, Accounting, Business Law, Economics, Econometrics/Statistics
Special Examinations
UMAT & GAMSAT
CFA (All Levels)
Classes (Structured Accelerated Learning Program)
English
English Language
Specialist Maths
Maths Methods
Physics
Chemistry
Humanities: English / ESL, English Language, History
Social Sciences: Accounting, Economics, Legal Studies, Psychology, Business Management
Physical Sciences: Specialist Maths, Maths Methods, Chemistry, Physics, Biology
IB (SL & HL)
Humanities: English, History
Social Sciences: Economics, Information Technology, Psychology
Physical Sciences: Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science
Tertiary
Finance, Accounting, Business Law, Economics, Econometrics/Statistics
Special Examinations
UMAT & GAMSAT
CFA (All Levels)
Classes (Structured Accelerated Learning Program)
English
English Language
Specialist Maths
Maths Methods
Physics
Chemistry
Thursday, October 3, 2013
English Exam and Context Writing: Expository Essay vs. Expository Article
Hi Guys,
It's about 6 weeks until D-Day and I'm sure you can't wait to have me out of your lives. On that note, I've spoken to a selection of VCE English teachers from a cross section of schools over the break and there has been a number of developments regarding the approach students should take when formulating their response to Task 2: Context on the exam. The information below is especially relevant to those students who wish to write expository for that particular section.
As we're all aware, the final exam comes in three flavours: text response, context writing and language analysis. Task 1: Text Response is generally formulaic. It involves your stock standard 1-3-1 introduction, body and conclusion. Students make their case in their introduction, provide evidence and supporting arguments in the body and then a closing statement to wrap things up. The more creative pieces may try to take on a contrarian perspective and challenge the status quo but generally the writer's creative options, in particular their style and form, are limited to the rigmarole of text response writing as outlined in the study guide.
Task 3: Language Analysis is even more formulaic. Students are provided with a fictitious piece of stimulus to which they must pick apart and analyse the various elements of suasion. There's generally a regime in place where students are taught to identify and comment on the effectiveness of structural and emotive mechanisms that help the piece and its author connect with the target demographic. The stimulus is generic and contrived as its purpose is to provide enough talk points for students to pick up and expound.
The crux of the exam lies with Task 2: Context. Let's first discuss the merits of an Expository Essay. This is a piece that takes an opportunity to discuss and dissect the essence of a particular text with corroborative evidence from external references. The split between internal vs external evidence gathering is around 30:70 give or take. Students may wish to adopt the golden triangle approach (text-author-audience) whereby they formulate a piece that draws upon the dominant themes, symbols and motifs present within the text and its genre with respect to the author and target audience. The Expository Essay is structurally similar to that of a Text Response but the content is augmented with exogenous references to provide additional insight and broaden the reader's worldview. it is, for the most part, formulaic and procedural.
Conversely, an Expository Article is a persuasive piece that also draws heavily on imaginative and creative resources. The form is flexible: a letter to a Special Interest Group, correspondence between the author and a related party, an exchange of dialogue between characters from the text, a personal reflective journal etc. The choices are endless. The article format is flexible and highly responsive as it enables each student to customise and tailor their piece to their sentimentality and to address a particular section of subtext. Students are encouraged to extract a segment of the plot and take a tangential approach by proposing an alternative plausible reality whereby they create and introduce an extension to the pre-existing body of work. It is important to realise that the expository article can manifest into different things for different writers but it is not an essay in its own right.
The free form feature article or letter aspires to the spirit and essence of exposition. Expository writing was never about conformance. In an otherwise regimented exam, it presents students with a unique opportunity to deviate from the norm and address the prompt from a vantage point of their choice. The decisions students make with respect to language, narrative, tone, form and delivery help shape the nature of the beast and the impact it has on the reader. Hence, and most importantly, it arms students with the ability to surprise the assessor, perhaps even shocking them, and to challenge their priors. Expository writing using free form style such as feature article is a pioneering endeavour that is naturally innovative but also necessarily risky.
In general, the uncertainty in marking associated with Task 1 and 3 are low-moderate and low respectively on a risk matrix. For Task 2, it is moderate-high. As we're all aware, there's a positive correlation between subjectivity and marking uncertainty. It is entirely possible, and not altogether uncommon, for a perfect piece to be given an 8.0 or 8.5; perhaps even a 7.0 if the assessor is a real [REDACTED]. On average, each piece is allocated 4 minutes of assessment time; 2 minutes from each assessor. The average of their combined mark is the final mark you get (exceptions are rare).
As you can imagine, the margin for error in judgment and subjective interpretation is significant. If you write a mediocre piece and your message is unclear to the examiner, you will not get the mark. If you write a brilliant piece full of nuanced and eloquent ideas but the message is unclear to the examiner, you will not get the mark. And unlike your SACs which allow students to guide markers with a Statement of Intent, such a device is not available for consideration on the exam. So be clear, be concise and be succinct. Take the examiners for the rider of their lives; just don't expect them to pick themselves back up if they fall off your bandwagon.
It's about 6 weeks until D-Day and I'm sure you can't wait to have me out of your lives. On that note, I've spoken to a selection of VCE English teachers from a cross section of schools over the break and there has been a number of developments regarding the approach students should take when formulating their response to Task 2: Context on the exam. The information below is especially relevant to those students who wish to write expository for that particular section.
As we're all aware, the final exam comes in three flavours: text response, context writing and language analysis. Task 1: Text Response is generally formulaic. It involves your stock standard 1-3-1 introduction, body and conclusion. Students make their case in their introduction, provide evidence and supporting arguments in the body and then a closing statement to wrap things up. The more creative pieces may try to take on a contrarian perspective and challenge the status quo but generally the writer's creative options, in particular their style and form, are limited to the rigmarole of text response writing as outlined in the study guide.
Task 3: Language Analysis is even more formulaic. Students are provided with a fictitious piece of stimulus to which they must pick apart and analyse the various elements of suasion. There's generally a regime in place where students are taught to identify and comment on the effectiveness of structural and emotive mechanisms that help the piece and its author connect with the target demographic. The stimulus is generic and contrived as its purpose is to provide enough talk points for students to pick up and expound.
The crux of the exam lies with Task 2: Context. Let's first discuss the merits of an Expository Essay. This is a piece that takes an opportunity to discuss and dissect the essence of a particular text with corroborative evidence from external references. The split between internal vs external evidence gathering is around 30:70 give or take. Students may wish to adopt the golden triangle approach (text-author-audience) whereby they formulate a piece that draws upon the dominant themes, symbols and motifs present within the text and its genre with respect to the author and target audience. The Expository Essay is structurally similar to that of a Text Response but the content is augmented with exogenous references to provide additional insight and broaden the reader's worldview. it is, for the most part, formulaic and procedural.
Conversely, an Expository Article is a persuasive piece that also draws heavily on imaginative and creative resources. The form is flexible: a letter to a Special Interest Group, correspondence between the author and a related party, an exchange of dialogue between characters from the text, a personal reflective journal etc. The choices are endless. The article format is flexible and highly responsive as it enables each student to customise and tailor their piece to their sentimentality and to address a particular section of subtext. Students are encouraged to extract a segment of the plot and take a tangential approach by proposing an alternative plausible reality whereby they create and introduce an extension to the pre-existing body of work. It is important to realise that the expository article can manifest into different things for different writers but it is not an essay in its own right.
The free form feature article or letter aspires to the spirit and essence of exposition. Expository writing was never about conformance. In an otherwise regimented exam, it presents students with a unique opportunity to deviate from the norm and address the prompt from a vantage point of their choice. The decisions students make with respect to language, narrative, tone, form and delivery help shape the nature of the beast and the impact it has on the reader. Hence, and most importantly, it arms students with the ability to surprise the assessor, perhaps even shocking them, and to challenge their priors. Expository writing using free form style such as feature article is a pioneering endeavour that is naturally innovative but also necessarily risky.
In general, the uncertainty in marking associated with Task 1 and 3 are low-moderate and low respectively on a risk matrix. For Task 2, it is moderate-high. As we're all aware, there's a positive correlation between subjectivity and marking uncertainty. It is entirely possible, and not altogether uncommon, for a perfect piece to be given an 8.0 or 8.5; perhaps even a 7.0 if the assessor is a real [REDACTED]. On average, each piece is allocated 4 minutes of assessment time; 2 minutes from each assessor. The average of their combined mark is the final mark you get (exceptions are rare).
As you can imagine, the margin for error in judgment and subjective interpretation is significant. If you write a mediocre piece and your message is unclear to the examiner, you will not get the mark. If you write a brilliant piece full of nuanced and eloquent ideas but the message is unclear to the examiner, you will not get the mark. And unlike your SACs which allow students to guide markers with a Statement of Intent, such a device is not available for consideration on the exam. So be clear, be concise and be succinct. Take the examiners for the rider of their lives; just don't expect them to pick themselves back up if they fall off your bandwagon.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Evans et al 'Essential: Specialist Maths'
Hi All,
To all the guys and gals studying Specialist Maths this year, I have managed to dig up a pdf of all the solutions to the chapter problems and review sections. Note that these are actual worked solutions with step by step guidance as to how the end result is derived. I think most of you should have received a copy by now, if not from me than certainly from your school teacher.
Anyhow, it has been brought to my attention that the Solution Manual does not contain solutions to the extended response questions. I've looked around but it appears that solutions to these questions don't actually exist, at least not in any official form. I'm currently in the process of compiling a set of handwritten notes which provides worked steps to all these problems. Please be patient as some of the proofs take time and can take up more than two A4 pages including graphics.
Since there are no formal solutions to compare against, I have used computational methods in many instances to derive an approximation to check my answers. However, this is not possible for every single type of question as some are theoretical proofs. If anyone spots a mistake, please bring it to my attention immediately. Also, I'm completely open to others having a go and submitting their own attempts at some of these problems. I'm about halfway through the long form questions and the plan is to get the first draft out around mid Sept, have you guys error check and then use the feedback to finalise the document hopefully 4-5 weeks before final exams.
Watch this space and stay tuned!
To all the guys and gals studying Specialist Maths this year, I have managed to dig up a pdf of all the solutions to the chapter problems and review sections. Note that these are actual worked solutions with step by step guidance as to how the end result is derived. I think most of you should have received a copy by now, if not from me than certainly from your school teacher.
Anyhow, it has been brought to my attention that the Solution Manual does not contain solutions to the extended response questions. I've looked around but it appears that solutions to these questions don't actually exist, at least not in any official form. I'm currently in the process of compiling a set of handwritten notes which provides worked steps to all these problems. Please be patient as some of the proofs take time and can take up more than two A4 pages including graphics.
Since there are no formal solutions to compare against, I have used computational methods in many instances to derive an approximation to check my answers. However, this is not possible for every single type of question as some are theoretical proofs. If anyone spots a mistake, please bring it to my attention immediately. Also, I'm completely open to others having a go and submitting their own attempts at some of these problems. I'm about halfway through the long form questions and the plan is to get the first draft out around mid Sept, have you guys error check and then use the feedback to finalise the document hopefully 4-5 weeks before final exams.
Watch this space and stay tuned!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Service Guide and Enrolment, 2013
Dear Parents and Students,
A few structural changes have been implemented for the new year. These changes, pertaining to the manner in which tuition is delivered and charged, are detailed as follows:
English, ESL, English Language and Literature is strictly one-to-one barring exceptional circumstances. The fee is $75 per hour per student.
All other VCE subjects are offered on a one-to-one or group basis (3 maximum). Fees will be charged on the follow basis:
One-to-one tuition: $75 per hour per student
Group of two: $45 per hour per student ($90 per hour in aggregate)
Group of three: $40 per hour per student ($120 per hour in aggregate)
The range of VCE subjects taught now encompasses Biology and Psychology. As is the case with other subjects, notes and supplementary assessment material will be provided to augment the student's resources.
UMAT and GAMSAT services remain unchanged. MedEntry Standard Package ($430) is the recommended preparation resource.
The range of undergraduate and graduate subjects remain unchanged. Tertiary students are tutored on a strict one-to-one basis. The fee is $75 per hour per student.
Services for junior and middle high school students (years 7 to 10) are provided by other tutors through my network.
My contact details are as follows:
Email: focusedtuition@aol.com
Mobile: 0415940053
All questions and inquiries are welcome. We endeavour ourselves to provide a same day response. Best of luck for the new academic year.
Regards,
Jeffery Gao
A few structural changes have been implemented for the new year. These changes, pertaining to the manner in which tuition is delivered and charged, are detailed as follows:
English, ESL, English Language and Literature is strictly one-to-one barring exceptional circumstances. The fee is $75 per hour per student.
All other VCE subjects are offered on a one-to-one or group basis (3 maximum). Fees will be charged on the follow basis:
One-to-one tuition: $75 per hour per student
Group of two: $45 per hour per student ($90 per hour in aggregate)
Group of three: $40 per hour per student ($120 per hour in aggregate)
The range of VCE subjects taught now encompasses Biology and Psychology. As is the case with other subjects, notes and supplementary assessment material will be provided to augment the student's resources.
UMAT and GAMSAT services remain unchanged. MedEntry Standard Package ($430) is the recommended preparation resource.
The range of undergraduate and graduate subjects remain unchanged. Tertiary students are tutored on a strict one-to-one basis. The fee is $75 per hour per student.
Services for junior and middle high school students (years 7 to 10) are provided by other tutors through my network.
My contact details are as follows:
Email: focusedtuition@aol.com
Mobile: 0415940053
All questions and inquiries are welcome. We endeavour ourselves to provide a same day response. Best of luck for the new academic year.
Regards,
Jeffery Gao
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Saturday, March 10, 2012
UMAT and GAMSAT tuition.
UMAT:
The exam is entirely multiple choice. Each Section is separately timed and there are no rest breaks between Sections.
Section 1: Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving
Number of questions: 48
Time in minutes: 70
Focus of Tuition:
> Build familiarity with popular literary works and the interpretation of language/statements.
> Troubleshoot worded logic and reasoning passages which amalgamate multiple streams of ideas.
> Develop a cohesive set of interpretation methods to efficiently deconstruct embedded logic
Section 2: Understanding People
Number of questions: 44
Time in minutes: 55
Focus of Tuition:
> Improve the diplomacy and tactifulness of responses to empathy-related questions.
> Ensure that responses correspond with the underlying codes adopted by the AMA.
> Adopt expectations management and conflict/dispute resolution techniques in patient interactions.
Section 3: Non-verbal Reasoning
Number of questions: 42
Time in minutes: 55
Focus of Tuition:
> Develop insight into intrinsic rates of change and 'moments'.
> Effective and efficacious application of the 3/2 method in picking the middle.
> Using the concept of vectors to deduce direction and magnitude of spatial transitions.
This gives the candidate a general idea as to how much time they have to devote to each question. The manner of responses is designed such that a combination of process of elimination and logical induction/deduction is required to arrive at the most optimal solution. Our sessions are structured in a manner that teaches the candidate a diverse set of shorthands and shortcuts which can be applied to minimise the time and effort otherwise required to debug each type of question.
The following items are taken into consideration for candidates applying towards an undergraduate degree in medicine:
* ATAR Score (generally greater than 98.00 is quintessential if not higher)
* UMAT Score (At least the 90th percentile if not higher is preferred by most tertiary institutions)
* Interview (used to gauge personal qualities other than intellect eg. ethics, morals, belief systems, communication skills et al.)
* Extra-Curricular participation (volunteerism, pioneering, demonstration of initiative and leadership)
N.B: With regards to the UMAT score, some universities weigh this component more than others. For example, Flinders in townsville (QLD) does not take the UMAT into account at all and the all private Bond University under-weighs the UMAT relative to most other institutions that offer undergraduate medicine. As these requirements change over time and across different institutions, it is essential that candidates visit their respective websites on a regular basis in order to remain informed of their standing obligations with respect to their applications.
GAMSAT:
Section I Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences (100 mins)
75 questions which cover a diverse array of topics derived from history, sociology and the arts and humanities. This tests skills in the interpretation and understanding of ideas in social and cultural contexts. Different texts are used as stimulus, including passages of personal, imaginative and argumentative writing. Familiarity with classical works of art is not required though advantageous.
Section II Written Communication (60 mins)
Two essay pieces based on a combination of prescribed topic sentences to assess written communication. Written style is a combination of expository and persuasive with emphasis on the former. Consideration is given to both quantity and quality. Although examiners stress on the latter, typical essay length is 800 words (1600 for both pieces).
Section III Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences (170 mins)
Covers undergraduate biology, chemistry and physics. Although chemistry and physics is foundation level only, biology will carry more extensive coverage: cells and micro-organisms, flora and fauna, viruses, ecology, evolution.
The GAMSAT (conducted by ACER) is held annually in late March for Australian graduates holding a permissible bachelor's degree. It is not a knowledge based test; rather, the focus is on the student's ability to apply reason and logic to reach a definitive conclusion for a given set of stimuli. Needless to say, the GAMSAT is an incredibly challenging set of exams that is designed to cull the body of applicants so as to minimise the number of successful candidates down to the utmost cream of the crop. Marking criteria is rigid and failure to meet the benchmark requirement in any one of the sections will result in automatic failure.
The nature of our preparatory material and tutelage is designed to enable students to gain confidence with their approach towards analysing and deducing conclusions from written material given the context of both the question and the stimulus. In relation to essay writing skills, we focus on depth and breadth of original thought. Although easier said than done, we pride ourselves in teaching potential candidates the techniques which lead towards (1) quality of thought and content and (2) succinctness of organisation and expression. Key skills taught include: differentiating between fact and opinion, evidence-based argument, identifying logical fallacies, eloquence of written expression, use of sophisticated persuasive techniques and concept nodes.
The third portion of the GAMSAT past papers which deals with the biological and physical sciences are very hard to study due to the wide range of topics involved. Exams taken as early as 2005 are available for discussion and debugging. Most of the topics involving biology are usually taken from a certain area which could either be cell biology, genetics, zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology or botany. Since the items included in the actual exam is limited, the examiner would only take questions from three to four subject areas. We will discuss and demonstrate the range of topics which have been included in the past papers to develop familiarity.
The exam is entirely multiple choice. Each Section is separately timed and there are no rest breaks between Sections.
Section 1: Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving
Number of questions: 48
Time in minutes: 70
Focus of Tuition:
> Build familiarity with popular literary works and the interpretation of language/statements.
> Troubleshoot worded logic and reasoning passages which amalgamate multiple streams of ideas.
> Develop a cohesive set of interpretation methods to efficiently deconstruct embedded logic
Section 2: Understanding People
Number of questions: 44
Time in minutes: 55
Focus of Tuition:
> Improve the diplomacy and tactifulness of responses to empathy-related questions.
> Ensure that responses correspond with the underlying codes adopted by the AMA.
> Adopt expectations management and conflict/dispute resolution techniques in patient interactions.
Section 3: Non-verbal Reasoning
Number of questions: 42
Time in minutes: 55
Focus of Tuition:
> Develop insight into intrinsic rates of change and 'moments'.
> Effective and efficacious application of the 3/2 method in picking the middle.
> Using the concept of vectors to deduce direction and magnitude of spatial transitions.
This gives the candidate a general idea as to how much time they have to devote to each question. The manner of responses is designed such that a combination of process of elimination and logical induction/deduction is required to arrive at the most optimal solution. Our sessions are structured in a manner that teaches the candidate a diverse set of shorthands and shortcuts which can be applied to minimise the time and effort otherwise required to debug each type of question.
The following items are taken into consideration for candidates applying towards an undergraduate degree in medicine:
* ATAR Score (generally greater than 98.00 is quintessential if not higher)
* UMAT Score (At least the 90th percentile if not higher is preferred by most tertiary institutions)
* Interview (used to gauge personal qualities other than intellect eg. ethics, morals, belief systems, communication skills et al.)
* Extra-Curricular participation (volunteerism, pioneering, demonstration of initiative and leadership)
N.B: With regards to the UMAT score, some universities weigh this component more than others. For example, Flinders in townsville (QLD) does not take the UMAT into account at all and the all private Bond University under-weighs the UMAT relative to most other institutions that offer undergraduate medicine. As these requirements change over time and across different institutions, it is essential that candidates visit their respective websites on a regular basis in order to remain informed of their standing obligations with respect to their applications.
GAMSAT:
Section I Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences (100 mins)
75 questions which cover a diverse array of topics derived from history, sociology and the arts and humanities. This tests skills in the interpretation and understanding of ideas in social and cultural contexts. Different texts are used as stimulus, including passages of personal, imaginative and argumentative writing. Familiarity with classical works of art is not required though advantageous.
Section II Written Communication (60 mins)
Two essay pieces based on a combination of prescribed topic sentences to assess written communication. Written style is a combination of expository and persuasive with emphasis on the former. Consideration is given to both quantity and quality. Although examiners stress on the latter, typical essay length is 800 words (1600 for both pieces).
Section III Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences (170 mins)
Covers undergraduate biology, chemistry and physics. Although chemistry and physics is foundation level only, biology will carry more extensive coverage: cells and micro-organisms, flora and fauna, viruses, ecology, evolution.
The GAMSAT (conducted by ACER) is held annually in late March for Australian graduates holding a permissible bachelor's degree. It is not a knowledge based test; rather, the focus is on the student's ability to apply reason and logic to reach a definitive conclusion for a given set of stimuli. Needless to say, the GAMSAT is an incredibly challenging set of exams that is designed to cull the body of applicants so as to minimise the number of successful candidates down to the utmost cream of the crop. Marking criteria is rigid and failure to meet the benchmark requirement in any one of the sections will result in automatic failure.
The nature of our preparatory material and tutelage is designed to enable students to gain confidence with their approach towards analysing and deducing conclusions from written material given the context of both the question and the stimulus. In relation to essay writing skills, we focus on depth and breadth of original thought. Although easier said than done, we pride ourselves in teaching potential candidates the techniques which lead towards (1) quality of thought and content and (2) succinctness of organisation and expression. Key skills taught include: differentiating between fact and opinion, evidence-based argument, identifying logical fallacies, eloquence of written expression, use of sophisticated persuasive techniques and concept nodes.
The third portion of the GAMSAT past papers which deals with the biological and physical sciences are very hard to study due to the wide range of topics involved. Exams taken as early as 2005 are available for discussion and debugging. Most of the topics involving biology are usually taken from a certain area which could either be cell biology, genetics, zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology or botany. Since the items included in the actual exam is limited, the examiner would only take questions from three to four subject areas. We will discuss and demonstrate the range of topics which have been included in the past papers to develop familiarity.
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