SPM Chemistry 2009 – Tips and Predictions for Papers 4541/1 , 4541/2 and 4541/3
November 16, 2009
SPM Chemistry 2009 – Tips and Predictions for Papers 4541/1 , 4541/2 and 4541/3
BIT Paper 1
Form 4 Syllabus
- Chapter 2 – The Structure of the Atom
- Chapter 3* – Chemical Formulae and Equations
- Chapter 6 – Electrochemistry
- Chapter 7* – Acids and Bases
- Chapter 9 – Manufactured substances in Industry
Form 5 Syllabus
- Chapter 1 – Rate of reaction
- Chapter 2* – Carbon compounds
- Chapter 3 – Oxidation and Reduction
- Chapter 4* – Thermochemistry
* Berry Berry Important Topic
Not so important
- Chapter 1 (F4) – Introduction to Chemistry
- Chapter 8 (F4) – Salts
BIT Paper 2
Form 4 Syllabus
- Chapter 2* – The Structure of the Atom
- Chapter 3 – Chemical Formulae and Equations
- Chapter 4* – Periodic Table of Elements
- Chapter 5 – Chemical Bonds
- Chapter 6 – Electrochemistry
- Chapter 8 – Salts
- Chapter 9 – Manufactured substances in Industry
Form 5 Syllabus
- Chapter 1* – Rate of reaction
- Chapter 2 – Carbon compounds
- Chapter 3 – Oxidation and Reduction
- Chapter 5* – Chemicals for consumers
* Berry Berry Important Topics (every year)
BIT Paper 3
Form 4 Syllabus
- Chapter 6 – Electrochemistry
- Chapter 7 – Acids and Bases
Form 5 Syllabus
- Chapter 1 – Rate of Reaction
- Chapter 4 – Thermochemistry
STPM Biology 2009 – Tips and Predictions for Papers 964/1 and 964/2
November 14, 2009
Seeing the popularity of the tips and predictions for “STPM Chemistry 2009“, Berry Berry Easy will also publish the tips and predictions for STPM Biology 2009. (This should reply the numerous e-mails which we receive regarding tips for the Biology paper.)
Berry Berry Prediction STPM Biology 964 : Book Volume #1
Paper 1 – 964/1
STPM Biology is very different from its chemistry counterpart, therefore Young Berries must use a different technique to score A! In paper 964/1 (Paper 1), all the topics are evenly distributed and there is no way for you to skip any chapters!! (Diferrent from Chemistry 962/1)
Paper 2 – 964/2
However in 964/2 (Paper 2), you actually can predict the Berry Important Topics (BIT)! In Paper 2, you must try to get full answer (full points) for each of the BIT and do a mock self-test by writing it out on a test pad. Read it for a few times and before you enter the examination hall. Why?? So you will have the most freshest Berry Brain!
Berry Important Topics (BIT):
- Chapter 1 (Basic Chemistry of a Cell)
- Chapter 3 (Control in cells)
- Chapter 4 (Photosynthesis)
- Chapter 7 (Gaseous Exchange)
Not so important topic:
- Chapter 6 (Nutrition) (Edit: Yachiru Aine highlighted that subtopic on saprophitic nutrition can be important too. So take note of it)
Semi-important topics: There are some topics that are BIT in Paper 1 but not in Paper 2 (totally did not appear in P2 from 2005 to 2007!!).
- Chapter 2 (Structure of Cells and Organelles)
- Chapter 11 (Hormone / Chemical Coordination)
Berry Berry Prediction STPM Biology 964 : Book Volume #2
Volume 2 Biology – typically 2 STPM MCQ will appear from every chapter, but still there are some chapters where the average is 1 question.
Chapters with normally least MCQ question:
- Chapter 4 (Growth)
- Chapter 10 (Taxonomy)
- Chapter 13 (Ecosystem)
Not important chapter based on Berry Teacher’s analysis:
- Chapter 10 (Taxonomy) – hardly appeared in Paper 1 and Paper 2.
STPM Biology Trends between 2006 and 2008 (Berry Berry Important)
Biology started to follow (2006) the Chemistry trend where there questions consist of elements from a variety of chapters. (Meaning, one question could involve more than one chapter) It is promoted as a good way to eliminate question-spotting. This is bad news for those who indulge in last-minute study. Luckily, there is not much changes between 2006 and 2008, so Young Berries still can choose the BIT to study.
Volume 1′s Berry Berry Important Topics (repeating in STPM 964/2):
- Chapter 2 (Structure of Cells and Organelles)
- Chapter 4 (Photosynthesis)
- Chapter 5 (Respiration)
- Chapter 9 (Homeostasis)
- Chapter 10 (Nervous System)
Volume 2′s Berry Berry Important Topics (Young Berries must not skip):
- Chapter 5 (Transmission genetics)
- Chapter 6 (Mutation)
- Chapter 9 (Modern genetics technology)
- Chapter 13 (Ecosystem)
- Chapter 14 (Quantitative ecology)
Do take notes, these are just prediction based on the STPM 964/2 question frequency, to get a better view, you must refer to the other state trial STPM Biology 964 paper! Also, spotting questions is not encouraged, understanding everything is still a better option. However, for those who still wants to spot questions, you may use this as a guide.
Good luck in your upcoming exams.
(Thanks to Yachiru Aine for pointing out the inadequacies in the earlier post. More feedback is welcomed)
Analysis of the STPM Biology Questions Volume #1 (2003-2007)
November 13, 2009
Following the previous post on “Analysis of the STPM Biology Question Volume #2 (2003-2007)” (yeah, it was posted in reverse order), Berry Berry Easy will be posting the analysis for the same analysis but for Book Volume #1. Combining with the previous post, you should be getting a full picture of the STPM Biology analysis.
Please use it as a guide. Stay tune for this year’s prediction for STPM Biology too. To be posted in an upcoming post.
Analysis of STPM Biology Questions Book Volume #1 (2003-2007)
| Chapter:Topic | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | ||||||||||
| P1 | P2 | P1 | P2 | P1 | P2 | P1 | P2 | P1 | P2 | ||||||
| A | B | A | B | A | B | A | B | A | B | ||||||
| 1. Basic Chemistry of a Cell | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||
| 2. Structure of Cells and Organelles | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||
| 3. Control in cells | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||
| 4. Photosynthesis | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| 5. Respiration | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |||||||
| 6. Nutrition | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 7. Gaseous Exchange | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||
| 8. Transport | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| 9. Homeostasis | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||
| 10. Nervous System | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| 11. Hormone / Chemical Coordination | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||
Analysis of the STPM Biology Questions Volume #2 (2003-2007)
November 11, 2009
To reward loyal berries, which are all you readers out there, Berry Berry Easy will be providing analysis of the STPM Biology questions for 2003-2007. I hope all of you benefitted from the analysis for chemistry. Please also work hard on your biology paper.
All the best to Berry Berry Easy readers and all STPM students by large.
Analysis of STPM Biology Questions (2003-2007)
| Chapter: Topic | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | ||||||||||
| P1 | P2 | P1 | P2 | P1 | P2 | P1 | P2 | P1 | P2 | ||||||
| A | B | A | B | A | B | A | B | A | B | ||||||
| 1. Immunity | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 2. Reproduction | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||
| 3. Development | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | |||||||||
| 4. Growth | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| 5. Transmission genetics | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |||||||
| 6. Mutation | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 2 | |||||||
| 7. Population genetics | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | |||||||||
| 8. Gene regulation and expression | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| 9. Modern genetics technology | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 4 | ||||||||
| 10. Taxonomy | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 11. Biodiversity | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
| 12. Variation and the theory of evolution | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 13. Ecosystem | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 14. Quantitative ecology | 2 | 2 | 1.5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||
Open letter to Form 6AFZ Class of 2009 of SMK Dato’ Jaafar – by Miss Isabelle Wong
November 10, 2009
An open letter to Form 6AFZ Class of 2009 from SMK Dato’ Jaafar – 10th November 2009
Dedicated to my beloved Form 6AFZ Class of 2009 from SMK Dato’ Jaafar,
Form 6AFZ Class 2009 - SMK Dato Jaafar
It has been a pleasure teaching all of you (yeah, all 18 of you) bubbly and lovable young adults for the past one and a half year. However, time waits for no man, it flies. And now we have reached the last stage of our chanced and fated union. The final week in class however will not be a time for nostalgic feelings or solemn goodbyes. It should be more of a time to be putting in some final effort to carve out a bright future through the biggest examination of your lives.
It may not be trouble-free sailing all year long between us, but there should be no doubt that the best of my efforts have been done to share knowledge with you all. I hope all of you have gain some knowledge in the process. Let me tell you this, I may be the teacher, but I have also learnt a great deal from all of you. You might not believe this, but it is no lie, my beloved students.
The end of your school life might be near, but the journey ahead is still far and long. Some will be taking the conventional path, some will take the path less travelled. Either way, your first step into adulthood starts with doing well in your STPM exams. Doing well do not grant you a guaranteed future, but it will illuminate your path greatly.
So I will advise you to put in all your efforts in the final moments and perform to your best. Do not lose hope, because daring to dream is one half of success. Do not lose hope also, for I believe in the ability of all of you. And do not lose hope, as you are better than what you think you are.
So, forget about all the burden placed upon your shoulders to do well in your exams, you only need to do well in your STPM for yourself and no one. I wish you all the best from the bottom of my heart.
Yours sincerely,
Miss Isabelle Wong
=============================================
The characters of the class:
The characters in the class
From the photo (No.14 is a PR of the class):
- Samuel Hon, has the sweetest mouth
- Choo Sien Nien, my neighbour
- Ching Yong Han, the Wushu President – very persistent at asking question (good for future studies)
- Yeo Zhi Cheng, the treasurer – good at psychoing other people’s brains
- Pua Eng Hock – even more persistent than No.3 but also very patient
- Penny, the most disciplined among the lot
- Chua Rui Xian, the most quiet among all
- Li Yuan, left-handed and very cheerful, could brighten up the class
- Pushpah, the most beautiful and can speak fluent mandarin
- Berry Berry Teacher, Miss Isabelle Wong, the fortunate teacher of this bunch
- Tee Zhi Wei, class monitor – has both the brains and brawns
- Andrew Peh, first Berry Berry Easy member
– a charming gentleman - Wee Pei Yee – Gf of No.17 <3 – loves Japanese stuffs
- Poh Yee, Berry Berry hardworking girl
- Lim Soo Khoon – loves Gundam and Japanese animation
- Arul – the handsomest among all – can charm lower 6 girls
- Teh Kai Hong – Bf of No.13 <3 – very attentive and sweet guy to No.13
- How Tien Sem, Black belt in Tae Kwon Do (there seemed to be a lot of fighters in the class)
- Radin – A low-profile student who has a lot going on in his active mind
- Kumar (not in photo) – Has the uncanny knack of being able to produce the right answers when asked
PS: Drop me a comment to tell me your experiences and feelings for the past year or your time in SDJ.
PPS: If you have any photos or stories that you would like to share, I will be glad to post it up too.
PPPS: Anybody who wants to post anything will be also given temporary upgrade to “contributor” status for a week, then you all can post.
Analysis of the STPM Chemistry Questions (2001-2008)
November 8, 2009
In addition to the tips that was posted on “STPM Chemistry 2009 – Tips and Predictions for Papers 962/1 and 962/2” under Berry Super Tips, Berry Berry Easy hereby presents you with the complete breakdown of STPM Chemistry questions for the past 8 years between 2001 and 2008. Efforts have been made give more detail on the chapter breakdown.
So please use it as a guide to assess the importance of each topic. But always remember, the best study method is still understanding everything. Remember to spread the word around, so that all of you can group up to think of a good strategy to tackle the exams. (Exam smartness and strategy is as important as studying hard.)
Analysis of the STPM Chemistry Questions (2001-2008)
|
Chapter |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
||||||||
|
P1 |
P2 |
P1 |
P2 |
P1 |
P2 |
P1 |
P2 |
P1 |
P2 |
P1 |
P2 |
P1 |
P2 |
P1 |
P2 |
|
| Physical Chemistry Chap 1: Matter |
3 | ⅓ |
|
1 |
2 |
⅓ |
2 |
½ |
3 |
1 |
3 |
½ |
2 |
½ |
|
|
| Chap 2: States of Matter: Gas | ||||||||||||||||
| Chap 3: States of Matter: Liquid and Solids | ||||||||||||||||
| Chap 4: Electronic Structure of Atoms | 3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
⅓ |
2 |
½ |
1 |
|
2 |
½ |
1 |
½ |
|
|
|
| Chap 5: The Periodic Table | ⅔ | 3 |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
| Chap 6: Chemical Bonding | 1 | ⅔ |
4 |
1 |
5 |
5/6 |
3
|
|
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
⅔ |
|
|
| Chap 7: Shapes of Molecules and Ions | ||||||||||||||||
| Chap 8: Intermolecular Forces | ||||||||||||||||
| Chap 9: Reaction Kinetics | 3 | 1 |
2 |
½ |
3 |
1½ |
2 |
½ |
2 |
⅓ |
2 |
½ |
1 |
½ |
|
|
| Chap 10: Chemistry Equilibrium | 6 |
2 |
7 |
1⅓ |
7 |
1 |
1½ |
9 |
1 |
8 |
½ |
9 |
1 |
|
|
|
| Chap 11: Ionic Equilibrium | ||||||||||||||||
| Chap 12: Phase Equilibrium | ||||||||||||||||
| Chap 13: Electrochemistry | 1 |
4 |
½ |
3 |
⅓ |
3 |
½ |
4 |
|
2 |
1½ |
3 |
1 |
|
|
|
| Chap 14: Thermochemistry | 2 | ⅓ |
2 |
½ |
2 |
⅔ |
2 |
½ |
2 |
1 |
2 |
½ |
2 |
⅓ |
|
|
| Inorganic Chemistry Chap 1: The Periodic Table and Periodicity |
1 |
1 |
⅓ |
2 |
|
1 |
|
2 |
|
2 |
|
2 |
⅓ |
|
|
|
| Chap 2: Group 2 Elements | ||||||||||||||||
| Chap 3: Group 13: Aluminium | 3 | 1 |
1 |
½ |
1 |
|
1 |
½ |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
| Chap 4: Group 14 | 2 |
2 |
¼ |
2 |
1 |
2 |
|
3 |
|
2 |
½ |
1 |
⅔ |
|
|
|
| Chap 5: Nitrogen | 1 |
2 |
¼ |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
1 |
½ |
1 |
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
| Chap 6: Group 17 | 2 |
1 |
⅔ |
1 |
|
1 |
½ |
1 |
½ |
3 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
| Chap 7: An Introduction to the Chemistry of d-Block Element | 2 | 1 |
3 |
⅓ |
3 |
|
3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1½ |
2 |
½ |
|
|
| Organic Chemistry Chap 1: Carbon Chemistry |
4 | 1 |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
⅓ |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Chap 2: Alkanes | 1 |
5 |
¼ |
2 |
|
4 |
⅔ |
5 |
|
4 |
|
5 |
1 |
|
|
|
| Chap 3: Alkenes | ||||||||||||||||
| Chap 4: Benzene | ||||||||||||||||
| Chap 5: Methylbenzene | ||||||||||||||||
| Chap 6: Haloalkanes | 1 |
|
½ |
3 |
|
1 |
5/6 |
2 |
⅓ |
2 |
|
2 |
⅓ |
|
|
|
| Chap 7: Alcohols and Ethers | 1 | ½ |
1 |
¼ |
2 |
|
3 |
|
2 |
1 |
3 |
1½ |
1 |
½ |
|
|
| Chap 8: Phenols | ||||||||||||||||
| Chap 9: Carbonyl Compounds | 3 |
2 |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
⅔ |
2 |
½ |
1 |
½ |
|
|
|
| Chap 10: Carboxylic Acids | 2 | 1 |
1 |
⅓ |
2 |
|
1 |
⅓ |
1 |
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
| Chap 11: Carboxylic Acid Derivatives | 2 | ¼ |
3 |
|
1 |
½ |
1 |
⅔ |
|
|
2 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
| Chap 12: Amines | 2 |
|
2 |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
½ |
2 |
⅓ |
|
|
|
| Chap 13: Amino Acids and Proteins | 1 |
1 |
½ |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
|
1 |
½ |
2 |
⅓ |
|
|
|
| Chap 14: Polymers | ½ | 2 |
½ |
|
3 |
½ |
2 |
|
2 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
⅓ |
|
|
Recipe #2 – Cooling Cucumber with Pomegranate
November 8, 2009
Berry Berry Easy presents Madam Goh’s Berry Delicious Recipe #2 – Cooling Cucumber with Pomegranate.
Seeing that it is the examination season where everybody will be burning the midnight oil and ‘heating’ up their body, Madam Goh wishes to introduce to you all a ‘cooling’ dish to balance the yin and yang of food-food energy. (This concept will be more familiar to those who have some rudementary knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine [TCM]) Regardless whether you are a TCM fanatic or a non-believer, you got to try out this wonderful yet simple to prepare dish. (Once again, it is a halal dish. So no worries to our muslim readers.) So don’t wait and go try our this berry berry easy dish. Good for beginners who have just picked up cooking.
Berry Delicious Recipe #2 – Cooling Cucumber with Pomegranate
(This is best serve with sardine in tomato – it can get rid with the fish smell)
Servings : 4–6 people
Ingredients:
- 4 cucumbers
- 1 pomegranate
Seasoning:
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 5 tsp vinegar (preferably apple vinegar or vegetable vinegar)
Preparation:
- Wash the cucumber and slice it thinly.
- Mix the cucumber with salt.
- Leave it for 10 minutes.
- Wash it under running water.
- Add sugar and vinegar.
- Leave it for 10 minutes.
- Serve with pomegranate.
Drop a comment if you think this is delicious. Also if you attempt this dish, do give me feedback on how it taste and any variation on the recipe that you improvised upon. Will add in your invaluable feedback.
STPM Chemistry Form 6 Notes – Terminology and Concepts : Phases and Phase Change
November 6, 2009
Anybody having trouble remembering the difference between vaporisation, condensation, freezing, sublimation and the likes can look forward to this post/notes. It is not that students cannot understand the concepts, but usually student fail to recall the name of the phase change processes at crucial moments. And by crucial moments, I mean exams. Hence, Berry Berry Easy wants to impart another set of essential notes, this time on “Phases and Phase Change”
STPM Form 6 – Terminology and Concepts : Phases and Phase Change
Difference between the three phases:
|
Solid |
Liquid |
Gas |
|
Least kinetic energy (vibration and rotational forms and do not change their positions) |
More energetic than solid, yet not as energetic than gas (translation, vibrational and rotational forms) |
Most kinetic energy (translation, vibrational and rotation forms) |
Solid
Solid – a state having both a definite shape (fixed lattice structure) and a definite volume.
Unit cell – repeating structure subunits of a solid molecule (fixed lattice structure / crystal structure).
|
Solid |
|
| Simple cubic | One atom per repeating unit cell |
| Body-centred cubic | Two atoms per repeating unit cell |
| Face-centred cubic | Four atoms per repeating unit cell |
Liquid
Liquid – a state having a definite volume but no definite shape.
|
Liquid |
||||
|
Intermolecular forces |
Hydrogen bond | Polar interaction | Dipole moments | Van der Waals |
| Strongest | Strong yet weaker than hydrogen bond | Strong yet weaker than hydrogen bond and polar interaction | Weakest | |
Surface tension – the resistance of a liquid to an increase in its surface area.
Viscosity – the resistance of a liquid to flow / the resistance to flow by an object through the liquid.
Summary of phase change (berry berry important)
| Phase Change | Term |
| Liquid to gas | Vaporisation |
| Gas to liquid | Condensation |
| Solid to liquid | Melting |
| Liquid to solid | Freezing |
| Solid to gas | Sublimation |
| Gas to solid | Deposition |
Isothermal – conditions where the temperature of a system does not change.
Triple point – all three phases (solid, liquid and gas) can coexist simultaneously in the equilibrium
Critical point – highest temperature and pressure at which a liquid may be observed.
Supercritical fluid – Beyond critical point, it is impossible to distinguish between a gas and liquid.
Normal boiling point – temperature at which a material boils when the pressure is 1.00 atm.
Adapted from The Berkeley Review (2001) pg 65
