'A' Level General Paper '07 Review

Written by azhar.

Last Thursday, the HOD for General Paper (GP), Mrs Toh revealed the statistics of the performance of the 2007 batch of tpjcians in GP to the JC-2 students. The purpose of the lecture was to raise the awareness regarding our lacklustre performance in GP for the previous year, and hopefully to act as a wake up call for us, tpjcians.

The main highlight of the lecture was the statistics which indicates the 'A' level performance of tpjcians in GP over the past three years or so. Below is the data:

	2005	2006	2007
% Passes	86.6	87.2	82.5
Mean	3.9	3.6	3.7
% National Pass	93.2	92.2	91.6
Difference	-6.6	-5.0	-9.1

The Arts students seem to do better in GP rather than those in the Science stream. Below is the statistics:

	Arts	Science
% (A)	29.9	4.83
% (A-E)	96.9	80.4

Several reflections by repeat students of the year 2007 were also showcased during the lecture. Here are some important points that I manage to extract from them:

1) Candidates fail to answer question.

It does not really matter if you have a B3, an A2 or even an A1 anymore. Candidates must acquire the skills of interpreting the question correctly. The high number of failures is believed to be the result of essays which are written out of point; that is the essay does not answer the question.

2) Knowledge of recent events is fundamental.

Content seem to be lacking for the candidates last year. It may have been because some tpjcians have not cultivated the habit of reading newspapers or even magazines. According to Mrs Toh, content is imperative when it comes to answering a GP essay question. Relevant and good examples laid out by candidates in their scripts will help substantiate their points or arguments. Candidates who did well last year suggested that tpjcians should make an effort to read the Review section of the Straits Times, as it gives a very vivid example and opinion of what is happening around the world today. You may choose to use a book to archive any relevant news regarding the GP topics you have learnt.

3) Practice is essential.

One essay or comprehension per week. That should be the target every tpjcian should set in their minds , as a stepping stone to do well in GP. We need the practice not only to test our memorizing abilities in terms of content, but also to complete the essay in similar examination conditions. This will also help you revise your GP topics.

We should start learning from the previous mistakes of others and improve ourselves at the same time. Together, we can achieve good results for GP, and make our teachers and college proud.