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Q: What does Raffles Institution (RI) IP Curriculum: 2025 Guide cover? A: A one-page master reference to RI's six-year IP: subject flow, assessment checkpoints, unique talent tracks.
TL;DR RI's IP splices depth (A-Level concepts two years early) with breadth (Research Ed, Raffles Academy, Bicultural Studies) - but the freedom hides early trip-wires in Mathematics and Physics. This guide maps key checkpoints, flags high-impact misconceptions, and shows how targeted support can reinforce y=mx+c and F=ma before they snowball.
1 RI at a glance
Phase
Years
Credential
Distinctives
Junior Raffles Programme
Y1 - Y4
Promotion by GPA (no O-Level)
Research Education (RE), compulsory Talent Development Programme
Senior Raffles Programme
Y5 - Y6
GCE A-Level
H2/H3 subject buffet, boarding option
RI runs a six-year Integrated Programme (Years 1–6) pathway; per MOE’s Integrated Programme overview, IP students do not sit the GCE O-Level examinations.
RI’s total roll is not broken down publicly by level; check the school’s annual report for the latest enrolment figures. PSLE Achievement Level ranges fluctuate each year - refer to the school’s current intake information rather than past T-score equivalents. MOE IP overview
2 Subject flow Y1 → Y6
2.1 Mathematics
Year
New vs Express
Typical WA / exam window
Y1
Standard form, solving inequalities, financial math
WAs and exams per school calendar
Y2
Quadratic sketching, simultaneous lin-quad systems, basic probability
WAs and End-Year per school calendar
Y3
Binomial (a+b)n, surds, Σ notation, derivative from first principles
WAs + papers per school calendar
Y4
Product/quotient/chain rules, sigma proofs, hypothesis test #1
WAs/Block/Prelim per school calendar
Y5-6
Full H2 9758 syllabus + optional H3 Math, RA modules on Number Theory, Olympiad
Block Tests, Promo, A-Level
Pain-point: Y3 squeezes binomial, surds, log and first-derivative into a single term - students relying on drill rather than pattern-recognition bleed marks. See our IP Math Roadmap & 12-Week Grade-Jump Plan.
2.2 Physics
Year
Key leap
Why tutoring helps
Y1-2 Integrated Sci
Vectors in forces, energy-power rate questions
Early vector literacy short-circuits later sign-slip errors
Y3
SUVAT, Newton II + free-body diagrams, work-energy theorem
H3 Research or Olympiad ramps up calculus & error-propagation
Worked example (Y3): A ball shot up at u=15m⋅s−1. Time to return? Kinematics: Solve 0=ut+21at2 (a=−9.81ms−2) → t≈3.1s. Energy:21mu2=mgh → peak height; double ascent time - cross-checks numerically. (Same twin-model method we teach in class; see IP Physics Crash Course.)
2.3 Chemistry & Biology (brief)
Chem dives into redox titrations Y3, equilibria Y4; Bio hits Mendelian genetics Y3, physiology Y4.
Both subjects bleed marks if Maths algebra is weak (logs in pH questions, calculus in enzymatic-rate tasks).
3 Signature programmes
3.1 Research Education (RE)
RI describes its Research Education programme as developing critical thinking, interdisciplinary competency, resourcefulness, and group dynamics for research work, with opportunities to learn from partner organisations and research institutes. For current structure and expected outputs, refer to RI’s official Research Education page and year-level information.
3.2 Raffles Academy (RA)
Raffles Academy is an invitation-based talent development programme. Specific selection criteria, module topics, and time commitments can change, so use RI’s official Year 1–4 talent development matrix and the Raffles Academy page as the source of truth.
RI lists Bicultural (China) Programme and other talent development pathways under its Year 1–4 pages; treat frequency and weekly contact hours as cohort-dependent unless the school publishes a fixed timetable.
4 Assessment architecture
Component
Weight
Features
Tutor focus
Weighted Assessments (WA)
Set by subject; check annual WA plan
Mix of timed papers, lab reports, oral presentations
Train transfer - single CO2-drag lab may test kinematics, energy and percentage-uncertainty
End-of-Year / Block Test
Subject-dependent weighting
121 h P1 short-answer + 2 h P2 long-answer (typical science format)
Teach pacing: 1 mark / 1.5 min rule
Research Education
Assessed via report + viva
APA-style report + viva
Mentor stats (t-test, regression)
Promotion GPA
Published in school handbook
GPA targets guide support meetings
Provide gap-analysis sheet
MOE’s assessment reforms emphasise creating space for deeper learning; school-level assessment structures (including whether mid-year exams are used) vary. Use your school’s published assessment plan and calendar as the primary reference.
5 Common trip-wires we see in RI tutees
Misstep
Symptom
Fix we implement
Vector-sign fog
Fx wrong sign ⇒ zero diagram marks
Five-move FBD blueprint + traffic-light margin
Binomial over-expansion
writes all terms instead of spotting zero middle term
Heuristic: dot-and-colour repeated coefficients
Spreadsheet phobia
Drops experimental percentage-uncertainty section
Pendulum mini-lab with =LINEST() worksheet demo
Under-estimating WA weight
1 missed WA drags GPA < 2.5
Build term calendar + automated score tracker
CCA time sink
Rugby season + RE draft clash
47-min pomodoro templates + asynchronous video consult
6 Tuition leverage points
6.1 Maths Y1-Y2 - Algebra Bridge
Parents say: "PSLE star, now average."
We run a 4-week algebra boot-camp: factorising quadratics, inequality graph hacks, 15min nightly Quick-Fire Quiz 🔥.
6.2 Physics Y3 - Forces & Energy Synthesis
Class bundle:
Live FBD sketch-along
SUVAT variation drills (student-created Qs)
Spreadsheet ACE walk-through for uncertainty five percent cap
6.3 Exam Sprint Y4 - Mock Prelim Pack
Six past-year RI papers (annotated)
1-page formula sheet with units via \pu{} macro
Error-log tracker Google Sheet
7 FAQs parents ask this week
“Triple Science compulsory?” - In RI yes, but students may drop one at Y4; check GPA cut-offs in our Subject-Combination guide.
“Is DSA Math easier once inside?” - Curriculum identical; DSA admits often juggle CCA commitments so early Maths support still matters.
“Boarding worth it?” - RI offers boarding; check the current RI boarding page for the latest eligibility, schedule and weekly pattern.
“Does RA add workload?” - Yes: weekly 2-h seminars + problem sets; huge payoff for Olympiad ambitions.
(Links updated 8 Jul 2025. Inline page numbers / PDF anchors available on request.)
10 Takeaway
RI's IP is less a straight road than a clover-leaf interchange: maths proofs loop into physics derivations, research papers feed A-Level practicals, CCAs collide with RE deadlines.
Parents who map the junctions early - and add precision tutoring right where lanes merge - turn traffic into flow.
