Hello guys.
Welcome to my blog. I'm Stephie and my blog will be mostly on Biology issues,especially STPM. Since working life is very busy, I will try to update the blog as frequent as I can.
The new STPM Biology is divided into 3 terms which I think is easier compared to the old format prior to STPM 2013 where you have to memorize your 1.5 years facts and go for the final exam. The good news is the new STPM Biology enables you to study for less than 10 chapters before your final exam in 0.5 years duration,so it's actually a bonus for you to study thoroughly and score better.
Term 1 focuses on biochemistry of cells.
Term 2 focuses on physiology.
Term 3 focuses on ecology and genetics.
Which term is the easiest and the hardest?
Term 1 is the easiest because the topics are lesser and more of what you have learnt in Form 4 and Form 5,basically an extension of some biological molecules,cell organelles,plasma membrane,enzymes,respiration and photosyntesis,so you should aim to score here.
Term 3 is the average paper,because there will be some calculations on population genetics and ecology where you can gain easy marks if you know the formulas well.
Term 2 can be said to be the hardest,many major and minor areas to focus,essay question can be from one of the minor area which you don't focus and you easily lose marks.So it's really time consuming to focus on this term.
What books do you need for STPM Biology?
I suggest you to use Sasbadi as your main reference for Term 1 and Term 2. For Term 3,you will need your teacher's help if he/she has the Longman 2012 VOL 1&2 you can photocopy some areas from these books. As there are new topics in the new STPM system,you will still need another book,either Oxford or Pelangi. Additional reference is the Campbell Biology if you're hardworking to read the facts and atttempt the questions on the CD,otherwise,it will be pointless to buy this book. Try searching for videos to facilitate your studying process,especially last 2 chapters in Term 1,first 6 chapters in Term 2 and some chapters on genetics in Term 3, as they are mainly complicated processes which you may not get the point at glance if you just study the facts blindly.
Scoring in Biology
Section A: This section consists of 15 multiple choice questions,1 mark each=15 marks. This is the No.1 helper,the questions are straight forward and I suggest you to practice the PYQ and from other sources you can find online or tuition. For an A,you will need to score at least 13/15 in this section.
Section B: This section consists of 2 structured questions which carry another 15 marks. The No.2 helper, Questions from this section are easy as well so the best score for this section is at least 13/15.
Section C: This section consists of 3 essay questions,15 marks each choose 2 out of 3 questions. This is the killer section. Many students do not study sufficiently for this section and lack application skills which make them lose plenty of marks. Don't study only the major areas of the chapter as many essay questions will include some marks from the minor part which you don't like to focus on.That way you will automatically lose marks if you cannot answer part of the question.Remember to read the question properly and don't misinterpret! If the question asks you to state differences, compare in a table form,this will ease the examiner to mark your paper because your points can be seen clearly.
Overall,STPM Biology is still considered easier compared to other papers such as Chemistry and Maths T. Don't look at the percentage of A's in the past,just focus and do more research on the topics that you have studied if it's your favourite subject. Pay attention to the learning outcomes,Practice more essay questions. Eventually your hard work will pay off. 