KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Hi there! Thought I would help to give next year's students a head start for their General Paper Exams by providing this year's "A" Level Questions for reference. I'll also be happy to answer any GP-related questions in this thread so shoot away!

2014 Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level Examinations
General Paper 8807 (Paper 1)

1. 'Traditional marriage is an outdated concept.' To what extent is this true of your society?

2. How far should firms be allowed to limit their workers' rights when profits are at stake?

3. 'XXXXX on sport undermines its spirit and should be banned.' How realistic is this position?

4. Discuss the view that, with an increasing global need for energy, every possible source should be exploited to the full.

5. 'For the majority of people, the Arts are irrelevant to their daily lives.' How true is this of your society?

6. How far is it important for people to be aware of current events in countries other than their own?

7. In times of economic hardship, should a country still be expected to provide financial or material aid to others?

8. Do films offer anything more than an escape from reality?

9. To what extent can the regulation of scientific or technological developments be justified?

10. 'Getting what one wants in life is what matters.' Discuss.

11. Examine the extent to which expenditure on arms and the armed forces is justifiable in the modern world.

12. Consider the view that some careers are better suited to one gender than the other.

Found on the resource site: www.H1GeneralPaper.Com

A Quick and Dirty Guide on How to Score at General Paper in the Shortest Possible Time

2015 is a new year for junior college students all around Singapore. Whether you’re now in J1 or J2, you’ll probably be taking the much dreaded General Paper classes every week.

Here is a short guide on how you can improve your General Paper grades in as short a time as possible with the least amount of effort.

1. Figure out (ASK HER) if your GP teacher in school prefers you to state your stand up front in your introduction, at the end in the conclusion or if she’s okay with either. Some teachers will automatically give you a bad grade if you don’t state your stand up front, while others are more open to different writing styles and are okay with you stating your stand at the end as long as your over all arguments / stands make sense (they have logical consistency).
2. Learn how to Organize the content within each paragraph that you write. If you haven’t already started applying the PEEL technique to your paragraphs then you had better start doing so now. Start with your Point, follow up with an Explanation/Elaboration of your point, back it up with an Example and then finally Link back to the exam question so that your examiner knows that you’re answering the question.
3. Make sure you organise your paragraphs in a way that brings coherence to your arguments. Each paragraph must move you closer towards your final / original stand. Argue your way towards the stand you chose. With each paragraph reinforcing the next, your essay will become more and more convincing as it progresses towards its conclusion.
4. Quote famous people / politicians / personalities. Here’s a dirty little secret - sometimes students use fake quotes / statistics in their essays to troll their examiners and if used convincingly enough they often get away with it and get higher content marks for their essays. While this can be fun for day to day GP assignments, I wouldn’t recommend that you do this during your “A” levels.
5. Examine the question and its underlying assumptions. If you detect anything fishy with the question’s assumptions, mention that as you move towards your conclusion to let your examiner know that you’re a thinking student.

That’s it! Implement these 5 pointers into your essay writing and start seeing immediate improvements in your writing quality. For further elaboration of the ideas above and a sample of an essay I wrote with made up quotes from famous people, watch this video: http://bit.ly/GenPaperEssays

Good luck, have fun and remember to implement your newly acquired knowledge!
Mr. Harvey Lee

2014 "A" Levels General Paper 8807 (Paper 1) Model Answer

In an effort to discover what really goes into a grade "A" essay at the actual Cambridge "A" Level General Paper Exams, I decided to test out a few commonly held beliefs that students have about GP Essays - during the ACTUAL "A" Level examinations.

The results of my little experiment were far from shocking. (I already knew these things but had no way to prove them... until now.)

A few of the assumptions / beliefs I tested:

1) A grade "A" essay must have bombastic words and complicated sentence structures

2) The grade "A" essay requires extensive knowledge and preparation in terms of content

3) The grade "A" essay must be a mind blowing 1200 words and above

4) Science and Technology / Environment Questions are easiest to score at because... "I've prepared so much for these topics (and my teacher says they will be coming out for the exam this year)"

Nothing could be further from the truth.

In 45 minutes, I wrote an essay in

1) Plain, simple, English using basic sentence structures

2) I talked about X-Men, Iron Man and Captain America

3) Finished the essay in 777 words

4) Chose a topic that seemed "un-academic" and "difficult to prepare for"- Do films offer anything more than an escape from reality? (2014 "A" Levels")

To ensure that I had a word for word copy of the essay that I submitted to Cambridge, I spent the next 45 minutes furiously copying the essay word for word onto the rough paper that was to be brought home.

The ordeal did not end there. By the time I got to the comprehension section of the paper I was well and truly exhausted.

But the whole experience was well worth the effort when on the 3rd of March 2015, I checked the SEAB / MOE website and was rewarded with an "A" grade.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the (most likely) first ever word for word copy of an "A" Grade "A" Level General Paper Essay that was submitted and graded by Cambridge. Enjoy: http://bit.ly/gpessay

2013 General Paper 8807 (Paper 1)

Qn6) How important is it to save plant and animal species which are in danger of extinction?

Some students complain that the General Paper Essays on the extinction of Plants and Animals are difficult to write.

But Is this really true? Lets find out:
View the Plant and Animal Extinction Essay here! ► http://bit.ly/ExtinctionEssay

The 2015 General Paper 8807 Exam Preparation Checklist!

In order to help you better prepare for your Paper 1, here is a checklist that you can print out and use every time you practice writing your GP Essays:

http://bit.ly/GPExamPrepCheckList

Good luck and Happy Writing.

HarveyLee wrote:Hi there! Thought I would help to give next year's students a head start for their General Paper Exams by providing this year's "A" Level Questions for reference. I'll also be happy to answer any GP-related questions in this thread so shoot away!

2014 Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level Examinations
General Paper 8807 (Paper 1)

1. 'Traditional marriage is an outdated concept.' To what extent is this true of your society?

2. How far should firms be allowed to limit their workers' rights when profits are at stake?

3. 'XXXXX on sport undermines its spirit and should be banned.' How realistic is this position?

4. Discuss the view that, with an increasing global need for energy, every possible source should be exploited to the full.

5. 'For the majority of people, the Arts are irrelevant to their daily lives.' How true is this of your society?

6. How far is it important for people to be aware of current events in countries other than their own?

7. In times of economic hardship, should a country still be expected to provide financial or material aid to others?

8. Do films offer anything more than an escape from reality?

9. To what extent can the regulation of scientific or technological developments be justified?

10. 'Getting what one wants in life is what matters.' Discuss.

11. Examine the extent to which expenditure on arms and the armed forces is justifiable in the modern world.

12. Consider the view that some careers are better suited to one gender than the other.

Found on the resource site: www.H1GeneralPaper.Com

Thank you so much for sharing~

HarveyLee wrote:Hi there! Thought I would help to give next year's students a head start for their General Paper Exams by providing this year's "A" Level Questions for reference. I'll also be happy to answer any GP-related questions in this thread so shoot away!

2014 Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level Examinations
General Paper 8807 (Paper 1)

1. 'Traditional marriage is an outdated concept.' To what extent is this true of your society?

2. How far should firms be allowed to limit their workers' rights when profits are at stake?

3. 'XXXXX on sport undermines its spirit and should be banned.' How realistic is this position?

4. Discuss the view that, with an increasing global need for energy, every possible source should be exploited to the full.

5. 'For the majority of people, the Arts are irrelevant to their daily lives.' How true is this of your society?

6. How far is it important for people to be aware of current events in countries other than their own?

7. In times of economic hardship, should a country still be expected to provide financial or material aid to others?

8. Do films offer anything more than an escape from reality?

9. To what extent can the regulation of scientific or technological developments be justified?

10. 'Getting what one wants in life is what matters.' Discuss.

11. Examine the extent to which expenditure on arms and the armed forces is justifiable in the modern world.

12. Consider the view that some careers are better suited to one gender than the other.

Found on the resource site: www.H1GeneralPaper.Com

Thank you so much for sharing~

HarveyLee wrote:2014 "A" Levels General Paper 8807 (Paper 1) Model Answer

In an effort to discover what really goes into a grade "A" essay at the actual Cambridge "A" Level General Paper Exams, I decided to test out a few commonly held beliefs that students have about GP Essays - during the ACTUAL "A" Level examinations.

The results of my little experiment were far from shocking. (I already knew these things but had no way to prove them... until now.)

A few of the assumptions / beliefs I tested:

1) A grade "A" essay must have bombastic words and complicated sentence structures

2) The grade "A" essay requires extensive knowledge and preparation in terms of content

3) The grade "A" essay must be a mind blowing 1200 words and above

4) Science and Technology / Environment Questions are easiest to score at because... "I've prepared so much for these topics (and my teacher says they will be coming out for the exam this year)"

Nothing could be further from the truth.

In 45 minutes, I wrote an essay in

1) Plain, simple, English using basic sentence structures

2) I talked about X-Men, Iron Man and Captain America

3) Finished the essay in 777 words

4) Chose a topic that seemed "un-academic" and "difficult to prepare for"- Do films offer anything more than an escape from reality? (2014 "A" Levels")

To ensure that I had a word for word copy of the essay that I submitted to Cambridge, I spent the next 45 minutes furiously copying the essay word for word onto the rough paper that was to be brought home.

The ordeal did not end there. By the time I got to the comprehension section of the paper I was well and truly exhausted.

But the whole experience was well worth the effort when on the 3rd of March 2015, I checked the SEAB / MOE website and was rewarded with an "A" grade.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the (most likely) first ever word for word copy of an "A" Grade "A" Level General Paper Essay that was submitted and graded by Cambridge. Enjoy: http://bit.ly/gpessay

wow..you did it? thanks!