Differences between IP Science VS Express Science
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)17 Jan 2025, 16:00 Z
Join our Telegram study groupQ: What does Differences between IP Science VS Express Science cover?
A: Differences between IP Science VS Express Science outlines key points and next steps for students and families.
- IPY1-Y4 Sciences are tested in a pure format with material brought down from O-level to sec1-sec2 and A-level to sec3-sec4
- On top of advanced content, the depth of questioning is also higher, with a greater emphasis placed on evaluation and deep conceptual understanding
- Questions are often presented in a way that looks like it is out of syllabus, due to use of inference and deduction assessment objectives
- Students often** struggle with recognizing the prompts**, or having a deeper understanding of science beyond memorization
- Most tuition centres who use memorization, drilling, or content designed for mainstream exams fail in addressing the problems in Integrated Programme Science
Example of IPY3 Chemistry Question (from River Valley High):

Observe how the question is phrased to the student (in this case, she is from IP Chemistry olympiad)
- A typical chemical structure question uses a lot of regurgitation
- In this case, the question asks about true/false statement on a deeper conceptual level, with substantiation
- Words such as part of a slice and 3D crystal lattice structure can confuse the student with what is really important
- Sodium ion is only bonded to the chloride ion it donated its ions to is a very specific prompt in this context
- Students who rely on regurgitation will fail to understand this question as there are many variables all linking to one final answer
As NIE/MOE-trained tutors and experts in Integrated Programme questions, we are able to identify the source of the questions and predict future trends
Source of this question: https://edu.rsc.org/resources/chemical-misconceptions-ii-ionic-bonding/1095.article#:~:text=A%20positive%20ion%20will%20be,its%20outer%20shell%20to%20donate.
As you can see, our lesson structure at Eclat also encourages students to continually ask questions to improve their thinking and understanding, as well as a no spoon-feeding policy, but instead nudging the answer out of them by allowing them to exercise their critical thinking skills





