INFO PACK 2023

INTERNATIONAL
SIMCC Competition Timeline
Feb APR MAY JUL AUG OCT NOV
MARCH

Mustang Mini Math Singapore International Arts Tournament

Tournament BMT

FEB APR JUN AUG OCT DEC

MAR MAY JUL SEP NOV

IT

Feb APR MAY AUG AUG OCT DEC

JUN

SIMCC Competition progression

What is your award? Eligible to join VANDA Science Eligible to join STEAM AHEAD?
Global Finals?

Gold winner
and Perfect
Scorer

Yes Yes
Silver winner Eligible to join Eligible to join

VANDA
INTERNATIONAL Bronze winner
SCIENCE
COMPETITION

Honorable
Mention
(HM) COP not COP not
eligible to join. eligible to join.
HM is eligible HM is eligible
to join after to join after
training. training.
Certificate
of Participation
(COP)
 SIT 2022/23
There is a strong demand globally for STEAM talent led by corporations to get talent for their
businesses. Hence, SIT is a great initiative to identify these talents for corporations and also
various organisations giving scholarships to prepare talent for STEAM.

Combination of AMO/SASMO, DrCT, VANDA, SIAT.

Can use only 1 math = AMO or SASMO, not both Score points from these competitions and win a
personalized STEAM medal and cert for 4 points and above
SIT Star Award  ≥ 8 points
SIT Platinum Award = 6 to 7 points
SIT Tri Award = 4 to 5 points
SIT Award = 3 points

No Travel needed, and earn more IJHS Scholarship points to advance to top schools and universities
with scholarships
Earn additional scholarship points
SIT Star Award = 3 Scholarship points
SIT Platinum Award = 2 Scholarship points
SIT Tri Award = 1 Scholarship point

Table of scholarship points from all SIMCC competitions

SIT awards will be announced together with the induction of IJHS Scholars annually on
September 15, 2023.
Contents
01 - 02
About VANDA

03
Format of the Test

04 - 05
Awards

06
VANDA Science Global Finals

07
Scholastic Trust (Singapore) Limited (STS)
and Young Achievers Leadership Academy (YALA)

08 - 10
Syllabus

11 - 15
Sample Questions

• Grades 3 - 4 (Primary 3 - 4)

• Grades 5 - 6 (Primary 5 - 6)

• Grades 7 - 8 (Secondary 1 - 2)

• Grades 9 (Secondary 3)

• Grades 10 (Secondary 4)

16
Registration Information
About VANDA
Overview

VANDA International Science Competition is held annually around the globe. It focuses on the
student’s ability to think critically and creatively to pick out hidden information to aid them in
solving the question.

VANDA is for students from primary 3 to secondary 4 (Grade 3 to Grade 11). It follows the Singapore
School Science Syllabus with a focus on higher order thinking skills. This allows participants to do
better compared to pure-Olympiad papers since they are familiar with most of the topics.

Science Questions in the competition have a strong foundation in scientific knowledge and
methodology which include the development of reasoning and analytical skills, decision, and
problem-solving skills, flexible to respond to different context and possessing an open and
inquiring mind that is willing to explore new territories and learn new things which are aligned to
the desired 21st century competencies.

Objectives

IGNITE YOUR PASSION AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL

VANDA ignites students’ hidden passion for VANDA exposes students to a Science Olympiad
science! Vanda provides a range of interesting Competition that focus on higher order thinking
content in questions to spark their curiosity and skills. This gives them the confidence to take part in
encourages them to venture deeper into the more challenging science competitions and start
world of science. scoring “A*” in Science.

REACHING GREATER HEIGHTS

VANDA helps students to be comfortable with

various science Olympiad papers in the right
environment. VANDA wants students to utilize
this experience to continue to take part in more
challenging Science Olympiad Competitions in
the future.

2023: INFO PACK

VANDA 2022: 1
 About STS

Scholastic Trust Singapore Ltd (STS) is a non-profit foundation that supports international academic and cultural
competitions. With donations from revenue generated from these contests, STS awards scholarships and mentorship
programs for students and teachers to transform lives. Using knowledge building pedagogies and Singapore’s
expertise in education, STS supports and mentors teachers and students through ACAs. We provide leading edge
professional development for teachers in English, Mathematics, Science, IT, Pedagogy, and School Leadership to
improve education in many developing countries. STS manages the International Junior Honor Society (IJHS), Young
Achievers Leadership Academy (YALA), a live-in 5-day 4 night leadership camp, and Southern Illinois University (SIU)
Dr. Jared Dorn Scholarship and SIU International Student Tuition Grants.

About SIMCC

SIMCC is a social enterprise and donates 20% of her contest revenues to support students and teachers. SIMCC is
one of the largest academic contest organizers in Singapore and Asia. We are committed to popularizing education
through thinking games and competitions, and allowing students to interact, cooperate and build lasting bonds of
friendship that transcend borders.

SIMCC has sales offices in Cambodia (Phnom Penh), Indonesia (Jakarta), and Singapore along with partners in 42
countries and territories with over half a million contestants in 19 competitions and assessments.

42 19

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 2

Format of the Test
Written paper - 90 Minutes, Total points: 77

2 points for correct answer

Question
Section A 0 points for unanswered question
1 - 10

Penalty point (deduct 1 point) for wrong answer

3 points for correct answer

Question
Section B
11 - 20
No points deducted for wrong answers

Question
3 points each, with no points deducted for wrong answers
21 - 23
Section C
Question
4 points each, with no points deducted for wrong answers
24 - 25

To avoid negative scores, each student will begin with 10 points.

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 3

Awards

Full Marks Perfect Score Award

qualifies as a significant award for IJHS
(International Junior Honor Society)

Gold Award
TOP 8% qualifies as a significant award for IJHS
(International Junior Honor Society)

NEXT 12%
Silver Award

NEXT 20%
Bronze Award

NEXT 10%
Honourable Mention

NEXT 50%
Certificate of Participation

The top 50% of the participants will receive an award

certificate. Top 40% of winners are invited to compete at
STEAM AHEAD 2023 – VANDA Science Global Finals on
December 8, 2023. The top 40% of the participants will receive
an award certificate and a medal. Students must register with
the SIMCC country organizer and contest entry is available on a
first come first served basis, so register as soon as possible to
avoid disappointment.

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 4

Participation Awards
Schools and participants will receive the following:

1. Cash awards for Global Perfect Scorers.

2. Certificates for Global Perfect Scorers, Gold, Silver and Bronze winners.

3. Personalized medals for Global Perfect Scorers.

4. Medals for Gold, Silver and Bronze winners.

5. E-certificates are also given to participants who qualify for Honourable Mention or attain Certificate of Participation.

6. All participants will receive an online performance report which analyses their capabilities across different topics
and benchmarks their performance with other participants in the same grade and country/territory.

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 5

Syllabus
Grades 3 - 4 (Primary 3 - 4) Grades 5 - 6 (Primary 5 - 6)

• Diversity of living and non-living things • Diversity of living and non-living things

• Diversity of Materials • Diversity of Materials

• Cycles in plants and animals • Cycles in plants and animals

• Cycles in matter and water • Cycles in matter and water Plant system

• Plant system • Human system

• Human system • Cell system

• Solar system • Electrical system

• Interaction of forces • Solar System

• Energy forms and uses • Interaction of forces

• Interaction within the environment

• Energy forms and uses

• Energy conversion

For
VANDA
more2023:
information:
INFO PACK
https://vanda.sg/ 6
Syllabus
Grades 7 - 8 (Secondary 1 - 2) Grades 9 (Secondary 3)

• Exploring Diversity of Matter by their • Experimental Chemistry

Physical Properties
• The Particulate Nature of Matter
• Exploring Diversity of Matter by its
• Formulae, Stoichiometry and the Mole
Chemical Composition

• Electrolysis
• Exploring Diversity of Matter Using
Separation Techniques • Energy from Chemicals

• Understanding Diversity of Living Things • Chemical Reactions

• Model of Cells – the Basic Units of Life • Cells Structure and

• Model of Matter – The Particulate Nature of • Organisation

Matter
• Movement of Substances
• Model of Matter - Atoms and Molecules
• Biological Molecules
• Ray Model of Light
• Nutrition in Humans
• Transport System in Living Things
• Nutrition in Plants
• Human Digestive System
• Transport in Flowering Plants
• Human Sexual Reproductive System
• Transport in Humans
• Electrical Systems

• Interactions through the application of

forces Energy and Work Done

• Transfer of Sound Energy through

Vibrations

• Effects of Heat & its Transmission

• Chemical Changes

• Interactions within Ecosystems

For
VANDA
more2023:
information:
INFO PACK
https://vanda.sg/ 7
Syllabus
Grades 10 (Secondary 4)

• Acids, Bases and Salts

• The Periodic Table

• Metals

• Air

• Organic Chemistry

• Excretion in Humans

• Homeostasis

• Co-ordination and Response in Humans

• Reproduction

• Cell Division

• Molecular Genetics

• Inheritance

• Organisms and their Environment

For
VANDA
more2023:
information:
INFO PACK
https://vanda.sg/ 8
Sample Questions
Grades 3 - 4 (Primary 3 - 4)

For more sample questions, visit https://form.simcc.org/lms-home/

Please register an account at our Member Development Portal (https://form.simcc.org/) to accss the questions.

Grade 3/Primary 3: Four cars, A, B, C and D are painted black, silver, red and green respectively.
They are all identical except for their colour. An experiment is carried out to find out which
car absorbs the most radiant heat. Suggest a suitable hypothesis for this experiment.

a) Dark colours will absorb more radiated heat from the sunlight while lighter colours reflect it.
b) Light colours will absorb more radiated heat from the sunlight while darker colours reflect it.
c) Colours do not have any effect with the radiant heat.
d) None of the above.

Answer: a

Grade 4/Primary 4: The diagram below shows the life cycle of an insect.

What is your observation about the insect’s life

cycle stages ?

a) The eggs hatch after 7 hours.

b) The insect’s number of days at each stage
decreases as it progresses from one stage to
another.
c) The insect is still a larva on the 9th day.
d) It would take about 28 days maximum for
a housefly to develop from an egg.

Answer: d

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 9

Sample Questions
Grades 5 - 6 (Primary 5 - 6)

For more sample questions, visit https://form.simcc.org/lms-home/

Please register an account at our Member Development Portal (https://form.simcc.org/) to accss the questions.

Grade 5/Primary 5: Daniel wants to pull a screw out of a plank using a hammer. At which
position and direction should he apply the force to make it as easy as possible ?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D

Answer: c

Grade 6/Primary 6: Samuel bought takeaway fries from a western shop in a hawker centre
and he noticed that the hawker poked a few holes in the styrofoam box before passing it to
him. Why did the hawker poke a few holes in the styrofoam box ?

a) To allow the fries to stay hotter for a longer time.

b) To prevent water vapour from condensing.
c) To cool the fries by introducing air into the box.
d) To allow the heat to escape from the box.

Answer: b

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 10

Sample Questions
Grades 7 - 8 (Secondary 1 - 2)

For more sample questions, visit https://form.simcc.org/lms-home/

Please register an account at our Member Development Portal (https://form.simcc.org/) to accss the questions.

Grade 7/Primary 7: Pandas consume mainly bamboo shoots. Bamboos grow in cooler
environments. Due to recent climate changes, bamboos are slowly becoming a scarcity
in the native forest habitats of pandas. Taking into consideration that adult pandas do not
actually have natural predators and neglecting effects of human poaching, what is the most
logical explanation that the adult panda population is still stable ?

a) Adult pandas are moving into an omnivorous diet.

b) Pandas are adverse towards traveling further to find food.
c) Pandas are sleeping more often so as to not feel hungry.
d) Pandas started depending on other consumers in the ecosystem for survival.

Answer: a

Grade 8/Primary 8: The diagram below shows the electroplating of a necklace. The purpose of
electroplating is to coat the necklace with a layer of metal to ensure its durability.

The necklace is half submerged in the solution.

Which of the following statements is false ?

a) Metal X is can be the element, Gold.

b) Metal X will become smaller.
c) The whole necklace will be electroplated.
d) Electrons are flowing towards the necklace.

Answer: c

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 11

Sample Questions
Grades 9 (Secondary 3)

For more sample questions, visit https://form.simcc.org/lms-home/

Please register an account at our Member Development Portal (https://form.simcc.org/) to accss the questions.

The complete combustion of propane, C3H8 in the presence of an excess amount of oxygen
gas, results in the formation of carbon dioxide gas and water. If 220g of propane fully reacted,
how many grams of water were produced ?

a) 200g
b) 250g
c) 320g
d) 360g

Answer: c

The diagram below shows a cup of water filled to the brim and an ice cube with a large air
bubble inside is floating on top.

After the ice has melted, water in the cup will

a) overflow.
b) stay at the same level.
c) decrease in water level.
d) freeze.

Answer: b

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 12

Sample Questions
Grades 10 (Secondary 4)

For more sample questions, visit https://form.simcc.org/lms-home/

Please register an account at our Member Development Portal (https://form.simcc.org/) to accss the questions.

The following options shows a system of forces acting on an object. Which of the following
shows the correct vector diagram of an object in equilibrium ?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D

Answer: b

A converging lens is used to magnify a real image. Given that the distance of the image to that of the
optical centre is 1.5 times that the distance of the object to the optical centre, and the focal length of
the lens is 20 cm, what is the object’s distance to the optical centre ?

a) 0.08 m
b) 0.17 m
c) 0.30 m
d) 0.33 m

Answer: d

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 13

Registration Information

Competition Dates Registration Fees Platform

Online or Paper based.

HOW TO REGISTER

Kindly check with your country partner for registration and competition details. For more information
about your country partner, please refer to our website below

https://simcc.org/countries/

Refund Policy
The contest fees paid by students to the competition are non-refundable. To host the competition, our
organization invests a significant amount of time and resources, not to mention the various charges incurred
to process the payments and registration.

As a social enterprise, SIMCC operates with a very lean team and limited resources to keep our operating costs
low in order to make our competition affordable to all students. Hence, we will not be able to offer any refunds
for competition fees to students who withdraw or cancel beyond our control.

If any student has been wrongly charged by SIMCC, or we cancel an event due to reasons under our control, we
will happily refund the fees paid by the students.

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 14

STEAM AHEAD
(A COMBINATION OF 4 COMPETITIONS: IJMO, VANDA SCIENCE Global
Finals, DRCT Global Finals and SIAT Global Finals)
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering/Entrepreneurship,
Arts and Mathematics. STEAM AHEAD is our initiative to combine our
international academic competitions to educate students and bring them
international exposure about possible career choices in these fields.

So, STEAM AHEAD offers multiple opportunities for students to

win awards in IJMO Individual & Team, VANDA Individual & Team,
and DrCT Individual & Team, together with SIAT Global Finals, plus
Overall Champion in each grade level for IJMO, VANDA and DrCT,
and Triple Gold Medal winners in IJMO, VANDA, DrCT and SIAT will
be awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in STEAM STAR
(PAExS STAR) - more than 6 awards can be won! Students winning
2 gold medals in any of the STEAM AHEAD Competitions will be
awarded President’s Award for Excellence in STEAM (PAExS)

Please refer to the STEAM AHEAD info pack for more details or visit our
website.

VANDA Science Global Finals

Vanda has a very strong teamwork component in the competition, and the Gold-winning group will demonstrate
high levels of collaboration and mutual support. Questions in the competition have a strong foundation in scientific
knowledge and methodology which aids the development of reasoning and analytical skills, decision and problem
solving skills, flexibility to respond to different context and possessing an open and inquiring mind that is willing to
explore new territories and learn new things which are aligned to the desired 21st century competencies.

To be eligible for participation in VANDA Science Global Finals, candidates need to obtain Gold, Silver or
Bronze award winner for VANDA International Science Competition. Honorable mentions winner can participate
in the competition after training conducted by SIMCC or country partner.

WEBSITE: https://vanda.sg/vanda-global-finals-structure/

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 15

Scholastic Trust (Singapore) Limited (STS) and Young Achievers Leadership
Academy (YALA)
STS is a non-profit foundation that set up YALA and other scholarships are awarded
the International Junior Honor Society (IJHS) to students with the highest points - from
to recognize outstanding primary to junior international local SIMCC competitions based on
college students who have won Gold awards in Perfect Score and Gold awards and international
English, Mathematics, Science, Computational Global SIMCC competitions based on Individual
Thinking, Informatics, Digital Technologies, Perfect Score, Gold, Silver and Overall Champion
Arts, Music, and Cultural Competitions. Individual awards. University scholarships will
also require students to meet the university
Students are exclusively invited by STS and entrance requirements as well as receive a Gold
SIMCC to join this society to pursue excellence award and above for a specific competition,
and IJHS provides a suite of services to help such as AMO Gold award and IJHS Lifetime
them succeed. Once inducted, STS supported by membership is required in order to win the
SIMCC will enhance their abilities in leadership, Southern Illinois University (SIU) 4-year STEM
creativity, and character building through the undergraduate scholarship.
Young Achievers Leadership Academy (YALA)
and community service activities.

The Young Achievers Leadership Academy

(YALA) is a 5 days 4 nights leadership and
personal development workshop conducted
by Scholastic Trust (Singapore) Limited (STS).

YALA is an academic motivational camp for

primary 4 to junior college 2 (Grades 4 to 12)
students specially designed to cater to top
students in their pursuit to reach their highest
academic goals, such as cracking the admission
process to the top schools and universities with
scholarships.

To get inducted into IJHS, students must have 4

scholarship points or more within the previous
year in our competitions (SASMO, AMO, DrCT,
VANDA, SMC, SIAT, or any Ivy league math
Tournament managed by SIMCC.

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 16

VANDA 2023: INFO PACK 17
Singapore International
Mastery Contests Center