FAQ Frequently asked questions from parents like yourself

Who are your teachers?

We are a tiny group of passionate and experienced teachers. In our own classroom interactions with our students, past and present, we recognise that they desperately need more composition practice. We can teach till we are exhausted, but unfortunately, the writing techniques are only cemented if our students can practise what we, the teachers, preach. However, due to our big class sizes in school, we’ve never been able to do more than 2 compositions per term. Thus, Compo Owl was born. We like to see ourselves as the wise owl – we have a bird’s eye view of the problems our students face, but have never been able to do anything substantial about it, until now.
Why should I use Compo Owl? My child already has a school teacher and a tuition teacher.

The teachers in school are so bogged down by administrative and teaching duties that they will find it impossible to give more composition practice. A tuition teacher will be unable to mark any additional compositions that were not assigned by him/her. That’s where we come in. Our collective teaching experience means that we’ve seen a myriad of various compo questions, compo styles, and of course, we’ve graded countless compos. Compo Owl allows your child to apply the skills he/she learns in school and very importantly, the composition will be marked by a teacher who knows her stuff.

This means the feedback you get will be similar to the ones they get in school.
I consider my English quite good. Why can’t I mark my child’s compos?

It’d be superb if you do that, because it’s important to have awareness of the compositions that your child is submitting. Some parents know their child’s work so well that they are even able to predict an End-of-Year Exam grade! However, compo-marking can be a real challenge for many parents as they are not privy to the school marking rubrics. For example, there are numerical values assigned to Spelling or Grammatical errors in a composition. Logical errors are also considered major sins – the bigger the error, the bigger the loss in marks. Furthermore, a long composition doesn’t necessarily mean a good one! Script-markers prefer compositions that are efficient, sharp and well-planned.
How can my child improve after having a composition marked by Compo Owl?

In school, students are expected to do corrections for their compositions. Likewise, we would like students to submit corrections (in the form of a Draft 2). Students should pay close attention to the detailed feedback given by us and conscientiously apply it to the Draft 2. We will mark the Draft 2 and return it. In this way, students end up with a final draft of their composition that is a distinct improvement from their first draft. Do this often enough and there we go – a competent writer is born.
Can Compo Owl replace tuition lessons?

We’ll be honest. Compo Owl can only take the place of tuition lessons if you, the parent, take a proactive role in reviewing our weekly comments and making sure that your child does the required corrections.

For parents who have little time, Compo Owl is complementary to their school or tuition lessons. Students are meant to use the writing techniques taught in their schools and consistently apply them to every composition they write. Compo Owl’s job is to mark these compositions with a detailed teacher’s eye. This process allows students to practise their writing techniques with us, grow in confidence and make their way towards stellar results.
How will I know if my child is improving if he/she is just doing random compo questions on Compo Owl?

Compo Owl uses an algorithm to track your child’s progress. With every completed composition, the teacher enters the data into your child’s profile. A detailed report will accompany your child’s graded composition and all the details regarding Content and Language will be tracked in a report card. This way, you can graphically see and gain valuable insight into the areas that need to be worked on, as well as the areas that your child has achieved commendable improvement. In this way, we can gently work on the lows and most definitely, celebrate the highs.
Will the same teacher mark my child’s composition each week?

Considering that we’re a small group of teachers, it is likely that the same teacher might sporadically see your child’s work. However, your child’s composition will not be specifically sent to the same teacher each week. Compo Owl’s aim is to ensure that a student’s compositions are seen by different sets of eyes. There’s no way you can decide who the script-marker is in an exam, so our system will help your child learn to write compositions that are deemed AWESOME by all teachers, not just one! However, for continuity, Draft 1 and Draft 2 of the same composition will be marked by the same teacher.
Compo Owl lacks face to face interactions. How will this help my child?

In the PSLE, the script-marker does not know the student. Students, unfortunately are only known by their IC numbers – hugely impersonal! Thus, a student’s PSLE composition is graded based only on its content. Our teachers will ensure that your child’s composition is graded in the same way as in the PSLE, but the giant difference is that we give detailed and constructive feedback for every single composition we read. Yes, even the Draft 2s! Using Compo Owl is a helpful way to ascertain how your child will fare under exam conditions and at the same time, receive the all-important feedback to ensure that he/she gets the best shot at a great grade.
$28 per composition is really expensive!

We know. It probably feels expensive, seeing as how most group tuition lessons cost about $50 for 1.5 hours. However, our teachers are not just grading your child’s work. It’s not a 5-minute affair that we do on the bus while travelling from the grocery store to home. What we’re really doing is that we’re taking all our years of teaching experience and injecting it into your child’s composition to give it the focused and individualised attention it deserves. This is evident in the personalised comments, specific tips and suggested changes that we send back to you. You will have to forgive us when your child’s composition is returned, covered in pink or red handwriting!
I don’t want my child to have so much screen time on your app.

We get it! Our own children have limited screen-time as well. This is an easy problem to resolve – simply print the composition worksheet for them to refer to. This also helps your child to have an experience closer to an exam setting. They should be brainstorming their ideas and planning on the worksheet itself. Despite the digitisation of this service, we also insist that your child writes his/her composition on foolscap paper, just like they would under exam conditions.
My child will probably be unwilling to do more compositions. How can I incentivise him/her?

This question might receive an eye-roll if you were to ask us this in a Parent-Teacher Meeting. LOL! But as parents ourselves, we know that getting your child to sit at the table for 50 minutes and write a composition is more difficult than resurrecting dinosaurs. The hard truth is that the combination of conscientious effort and a willingness to put in the time is the key to doing well. On your end, perhaps you can encourage your child by offering rewards (within reason!) such as a trip to their favourite café or buying them new books. On our end, we will be showcasing the excellent compositions we receive each week and sending your child little gifts every time they hit a compo milestone. Prepare to be surprised!

What grades does Compo Owl support?
What do you mean by MOE-standard grading?

The teachers marking compositions are current teachers under the Ministry of Education. This means they are very familiar with the expectations and rubrics of MOE-standard compositions, as they teach and grade other students in accordance with the MOE syllabus.

This means the feedback you get will be similar to the ones they get in school.
How many exercises should my child do in a month?
How do I register?
What are the subscription fees for?

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Compo Owl

Composition practice with grading done by Singaporean teachers familiar with MOE exam standards. Help your child write, imagine and communicate better today.

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