The A-Level General Paper (GP) is a big leap from the O-Level English examination. It requires students to have a good grasp of general knowledge and current affairs, and to be able to articulate their thoughts and views in a coherent and persuasive manner.
The GP lessons will teach students the skills needed to do well for their Paper 1 (Essay). There are 3 main skills that are essential for Paper 1. They are:
Content knowledge
The lessons will familiarise students with the broad content of the main themes that are usually found in the GP examination. Themes include education, war and conflict, morals and ethics, science and technology, among others.
Language
The lessons will help to highlight the areas of grammar that students are still weak in and to provide the necessary support and revision for them to improve.
Argumentation
Students will learn how to structure a coherent argument, how to engage the reader and to put one’s points across in a convincing and structured manner. They will learn how to write engaging introductions, clear and succinct thesis statements, concise topic sentences and impactful conclusions.
For Paper 2 (Comprehension Paper), students will be taught the following skills for them to master the comprehension paper:
Short Answer Question (SAQ) Techniques
To tackle the various types of short answer questions. These include language questions, questions on writer’s tone and intention, use of language questions as well as questions on irony and paradox.
Summary
Students will be taught how to analyse the given summary question, identify the relevant points and finally they will be taught ways to paraphrase so that they will be able to express these points using their own words.
Application Question (AQ)
The lessons will also provide students with valuable skills to tackle the AQ. They will be taught how to make reference to the writer’s points in the passage, how to elaborate on and critically evaluate these points; and finally, to be able to support these points through the use of apt illustrations.
The demands of the General Paper are quite challenging compared to the O-Level English Paper. The lessons aim to equip the students with the necessary knowledge and skills to help them master GP.