IP HIGHER CHINESE
Interpret, infer and express with depth
Work on close reading, thoughtful narratives and reasoned opinion writing alongside the school’s actual curriculum. An IP label does not mean every school assesses Chinese in the same way.
IP · IB · BSP · CLEP
Bicultural Global
Studies Programme
BSP
Go beyond knowing Chinese.
Use it to understand the world.
For students who want to read more deeply, write with substance and speak confidently about culture and current issues. Suitable for IP Higher Chinese, IB Chinese, school BSP and CLEP learners.
Discuss my child’s learning pathway →
SLC’s BSP brings together Chinese reading, writing, literature and discussion. Lessons follow your child’s schoolwork and interests. Below, you can explore the school-based Bicultural Studies Programme and related study options.
From language proficiency to informed judgement.
A student may write accurately yet struggle to explain why an issue matters. The next stage asks for more than vocabulary: context, evidence, perspective and a voice of their own.
BICULTURAL INQUIRY
Understand China in a wider context
Explore contemporary China in relation to Singapore, ASEAN and Western perspectives. Learn to ask who is speaking, what evidence supports the claim and which viewpoint is missing.
Bicultural learning in IP schools
These schools offer bicultural programmes alongside their IP courses. Our lessons help students read widely, discuss ideas and explain them clearly in Chinese.
BICULTURAL STUDIES
Plan before Year 3 selection
The formal pathway commonly begins in Year 3 and continues towards JC2. For example, Catholic High recommends Year 2 students with exemplary English and Higher Chinese results for the scholarship; its BSP assessment includes research presentations and Year 4 thesis writing. This calls for inquiry and sustained explanation, not only exam techniques.
BICULTURAL STUDIES
Preparing for scholarship opportunities
Eunoia’s published BSP scholarship criteria include H2 China Studies in Chinese from JC1, a very good CCA record, and outstanding O-Level results with at least B3 Higher Chinese or A2 Chinese, or equivalent Joint IP assessment results. Shortlisted candidates attend an MOE interview.
Secondary programme and assessmentJC scholarship criteria
BICULTURAL STUDIES
Hwa Chong Institution
BSP in the secondary years, with further study at Hwa Chong’s college section.
What we work on in class
Read about China and Singapore, compare different viewpoints, and explain what you think with reasons and examples.
BICULTURAL STUDIES
Nanyang Girls’ High School
BSP during secondary school; plan ahead for the Hwa Chong college pathway.
What we work on in class
Look at the history behind an issue, compare how people see it, and build an argument in your own words.
BICULTURAL STUDIES
Dunman High School
Secondary and pre-university BSP
What we work on in class
Discuss Chinese articles about society and culture, then turn what you have understood into a clear, well-supported written response.
BICULTURAL STUDIES
River Valley High School
Secondary and pre-university BSP
What we work on in class
Talk through different cultural viewpoints and practise choosing the words and examples that make your meaning clear.
BICULTURAL STUDIES
Catholic High School
Secondary IP BSP; later Eunoia JC pathway
What we work on in class
Start with a question from your reading, find useful evidence, then explain your answer in writing or a short presentation.
BICULTURAL STUDIES
CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School
Secondary IP BSP; later Eunoia JC pathway
What we work on in class
Compare how an issue is discussed in China, Singapore and elsewhere, and learn to explain differences without oversimplifying them.
These six schools offer routes into bicultural study. Your child’s interests, English and Higher Chinese learning, and willingness to explore cultural issues can help you decide which pathway to discuss.
For students on an IB Chinese pathway
Reading, discussion and writing help students explore cultural questions and find the words to express their own views. We plan practice around the Chinese subject and level they study at school.
IB CHINESE
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
The school offers Chinese B. We start with your child’s course, current schoolwork and areas of difficulty, then plan focused language practice.
IB CHINESE
School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA)
SOTA offers Chinese B. We support the language side through purposeful reading, discussion and expression, alongside the student’s arts-focused school learning.
IB CHINESE
ACS (International), Singapore
ACS (International) offers Chinese B. Our on-demand Chinese B support connects reading, writing and discussion with the student’s schoolwork.
Raffles Institution
Raffles offers school-based bicultural learning in Years 3 and 4. In SLC lessons, students read beyond the textbook, discuss cultural questions and practise explaining a point of view in Chinese.
Build the skills now. Explore the next step together.
Some students enjoy literature; others are drawn to current affairs, history or media. Reading widely and expressing ideas well gives them a stronger base for the route they choose.
Bicultural study at junior college
Hwa Chong Institution, Dunman High School, River Valley High School and Eunoia Junior College offer pre-university BSP pathways. H2 China Studies in Chinese brings language, contemporary China and wider cultural questions together.
Hwa Chong Institution · College
Dunman High School · Senior High
River Valley High School · JC
Eunoia Junior College
For CLEP students, too
Our BSP also suits students in the Chinese Language Elective Programme (CLEP), or those considering it. We help them read a literary work closely, discuss characters and themes, and explain an interpretation with evidence from the text. Cultural reading and current-affairs discussion give their writing more to draw on.
Tell us the student’s year, school course and selected texts. We can focus on the reading, writing or discussion they find most challenging.
Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Students interested in Chinese, culture or media can also explore these diploma routes after secondary school.
Chinese Studies · N70
Explore Chinese language, literature, history and culture, with Education or Business specialisations. Close reading and clear explanation are useful foundations.
Chinese Media & Communication · N88
For students interested in Chinese storytelling, reporting and content creation. Commentary writing and short presentations help them explore how to communicate with an audience.
A connected curriculum, not disconnected enrichment.
The following SLC learning design connects the five areas in our programme positioning with a deliberate cycle of application and feedback. Task choice and emphasis are adjusted to the learner’s school context.
01 · GLOBAL AFFAIRS
Read the issue. Test the viewpoint.
Use age-appropriate Chinese texts about society, culture and global change. Identify claims, evidence, assumptions and stakeholders; compare Singapore, China and other perspectives without treating any culture as a single voice.
02 · OPINION WRITING
Move from examples to arguments.
Plan a position, develop evidence, consider a counterargument and explain the implication. Adapt the output to the actual school task: opinion essay, discursive response or source-based discussion.
03 · NARRATIVE WRITING
Make experience meaningful.
Develop character, tension, detail and reflection. Improve how the narrative communicates an insight, rather than adding ornate language that obscures the story.
04 · CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE
Interpret the writer’s choices.
Read selected modern Chinese texts for voice, imagery, structure and social context. Support an interpretation with textual evidence. We choose texts that stretch the learner while giving them room to build confidence.
05 · ORAL & INTERVIEW EXPRESSION
Explain. Listen. Respond.
Organise a short presentation, justify a view and respond to an unfamiliar follow-up. Draw on personal interests and experiences to make scholarship conversations thoughtful and natural.
06 · TRANSFER & REVIEW
Use the same thinking in a new context.
Revisit one issue as a discussion, written paragraph and revised response. Track reasoning, language precision and independence—not only how many model answers the student can recall.
The questions parents ask—and the learning gaps behind them.
Do any of these situations sound familiar? We use your child’s work and your observations to understand what would make the biggest difference.
STRONG MARKS, LIMITED DEPTH
“The language is correct, but the ideas feel thin.”
We connect a claim to evidence, significance and an alternative view, so the student has more to say and knows why it matters.
KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT JUDGEMENT
“My child follows the news but repeats the headline.”
Structured inquiry asks who is affected and what the source leaves out; Chinese becomes a tool for thinking rather than a container for facts.
READING WITHOUT INTERPRETATION
“How do we move beyond summary?”
Close reading links a writer’s choice to its effect, with textual evidence. Narrative practice then applies that awareness to the student’s own writing.
A SCRIPT INSTEAD OF A VOICE
“A follow-up question throws my child off.”
Short presentations and changed questions develop flexible reasoning. Feedback separates an unclear idea from a language gap so the next practice has a purpose.
PATHWAY CONFUSION
“Is BSP the same as IB, CLEP or a scholarship?”
We start with the confirmed school subject and the family’s goal. The pathway map separates school programmes, scholarship selection and independent enrichment.
TOO MANY COMPETING DEMANDS
“Will another class add pressure without solving the gap?”
Agree a small number of priorities using recent work and school feedback. If core Chinese foundations need attention first, discuss a core-support pathway instead of adding an unsuitable stretch class.
Why this class is purpose-built for this learner.
Generic exam drilling may not create cultural depth; a current-affairs talk may not improve writing; interview scripts may not build independent thought. SLC connects these needs through one idea-to-expression learning cycle.
Illustrative learning cycle
Read two views on preserving a heritage neighbourhood → examine whose interests differ → develop a supported Chinese commentary → present the view → answer a counter-question → revise the argument. Later, explore how a literary text presents identity and change. Try this as a discussion starter with your child.
Bring together what your child reads, thinks, writes and says. Our BSP lessons help them develop ideas in depth and express them more confidently in Chinese.
Find the right stretch—not simply more work.
Share your child’s school, level, confirmed Chinese subject, recent work and goal. We will discuss the learning priorities, class suitability and current arrangements with you.
IP & IB pathways: Y1 to Y6.
For the six-year secondary-to-pre-university pathways discussed here, Year 1 to Year 4 correspond to S1 to S4, and Year 5 to Year 6 to JC1 to JC2. School terminology and subject arrangements vary; the IB Diploma Programme is the later two-year stage, not the name of all six years.
Year 1 (Y1) · S1
Build reading, expression and cultural curiosity.
Year 2 (Y2) · S2
Build reading, expression and cultural curiosity.
Year 3 (Y3) · S3
Deepen Higher Chinese, interpretation and bicultural reasoning in the school context.
Year 4 (Y4) · S4
Deepen Higher Chinese, interpretation and bicultural reasoning in the school context.
Year 5 (Y5) · JC1
Explore the confirmed IB Chinese or JC Chinese-related subject and its specific requirements.
Year 6 (Y6) · JC2
Explore the confirmed IB Chinese or JC Chinese-related subject and its specific requirements.
Our BSP class focuses on secondary learners. The Y5–Y6 overview helps families look ahead to IB Chinese and Chinese-related JC subjects.