General Paper Programme Outline
This is an intensive system designed to equip you with the essential tools needed.
Duration: 3 sessions (3hours each)
Course Levels available:
-
A) FOUNDATION BUILDING SYSTEM (suitable for students with grades below C)
-
B) FINE-TUNING SYSTEM (suitable for students with grades C and above. This course will skip fundamental work and zero-in on precision writing techniques)
*note: Course fees are identical for both programmes. Choose the one that best suits your immediate needs and circumstances.
—————————————————————————————————-
Overview of primary Components:
1) Essay writing techniques- Question choice & analysis, essay structures, formulating arguments, conveying ideas in effective writing- there are essays, and then there are exam-essays.
2) Comprehension skills- critical reading, question analysis, effective paraphrasing and AQ-mastery. Work-arounds and preparation before we even start reading the text is key!
3) Content- Cut down on the need to memorize tons of facts and statistics. Solutions to content-generating that will save you hours each day!
———————————————————————————————————–
Workshop structure:
Session 1: Essay writing
Dates: (Course A- May 30th/June 13th, Course B: June 6/21st )
From planning to execution. Using time effectively to maximise the quality of your essay: a step-by-step guide on how to tackle any question in Paper 1. Materials include a 101-essential checklist for every student, sample essays/paragraphs, discussion of examination questions to cover a broad range of topics/areas of focus.
Session 2: Comprehension
Dates: (Course A: May 31st/June 14th, Course B: June 7th/22nd )
Critical reading and prepping effectively to ensure the most coverage of the passage, as well as systematic addressing of the various question types. Paraphrasing techniques and practices will also be the focus as this skill is of core importance to this paper, and one many students overlook. Finally, deciphering the AQ- how to maximise marks in a time-pressured window. Materials will include a handout covering various question types, sample/excerpts from a wide range of JC examination papers, as well as sample AQs from past year Cambridge papers.
Session 3: Content
Dates: (Course A: June 1st/15th, Course B: June 8th/23rd)
General knowledge is key to scoring well. But often times, it is not the volume, but rather the quality, and application. Content-manipulation/generation can often dramatically cut back on hours spent memorising facts and stats for the mere sake of doing so. Students will be shown, through a variety of methodologies (mind-maps, issue-linking, thinking structures etc) how to prepare for the subject efficiently. Realising that topics/modules should never be approached as separate entities also falls in-line with the changing trends of GP questions set by Cambridge, where essay questions are often multi-faceted.
—————————————————————————————————–
Course take-homes:
LET’S MAKE THINKING FUN AGAIN
Appreciation of GP beyond just a subject, but rather gaining a set of skills that can be applied throughout various aspects of life and academia. Debunking myths such as “the more I know, the better I’ll do”, and finally, re-discovering the passion for learning over the need for studying.
Attendees of the workshop will also gain unlimited access to my web-blog, which houses a repository of articles, sample essays/AQ responses, as well as revision essentials.
—————————————————————————————————–
About the tutor:
Mr Shermann is a graduate from NUS, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and History. He has 9 years of teaching experience in various Junior Colleges implementing his GP programmes, and over a decade of experience in private coaching. He specialises in General Paper and English Language, and has been credited with creating unique and functional approaches to effective writing. A fun and interactive teacher, sessions with Mr Shermann promise to be eye-opening and productive. Let’s get those grades you deserve, and let’s make learning fun again!
—————————————————————————————————–
Administrative matters:
1) Sessions will be conducted over the June School Holidays.
2) Sessions will be run once a week, from 2pm to 5pm (or any alternative time provided by Singapore Learner), from Tuesdays to Thursdays
3) Fees are $150 per session, with a discount applied for every subsequent session. 2 sessions will be charged at $130 each, whilst signing up for all 3 sessions will be charged at $110 each only.
Venue: Blk 644, Bukit Batok Central, #01-68. S(650644)
Our location is just a 3-min walk from either the Bukit Batok MRT station or the Bukit Batok Bus Interchange. Buses that stop along the roads surrounding our location are numbers 157, 178, 66, 506, 173, 174, 176, 187, 985. Buses services which terminate at Bukit Batok Bus Interchange are 61, 77, 106, 173, 177, 189, 852, 941, 945, 947
TO REGISTER, SMS <STUDENT NAME> <SESSION & COURSE NO> <DAY> TO 98530744/ 97860411
For enquries, kindly call 9108 8581
The Biggest Mistakes made in General Paper Information Research
With the coming exams, many of you out there must be feeling stress in finding information for your essays. Without proper examples, statistics or events, it would be difficult to put forward a coherent argument. Your examples provide your argument with backbone to demonstrate how you came to your opinion in a logical manner. Finding the right sort of information through research is the key to unlocking your fullest potential.
In this short write up, I’ll describe some of the usual pitfalls that students encounter in looking for information.
- Being overly fixated on the topic rather than the issue
- The topic in the question merely forms the boundaries for your essay
- Merely putting the key words (e.g energy consumption) will throw back a myriad of results
- Another common problem is copying and pasting the question into the search bar in a lazy attempt to discover the right answer (e.g ‘Traditional marriage is an outdated concept.’ To what extent is this true of your society?)
- The biggest issue is being given an information dump without a single clue about how to synthesize your information
Solution: Find someone you trust to walk you through the topic. Either your teacher or a tutor would be more equipped to tackle difficult questions in a more effective way. If you’re seeking help in the west of Singapore, approach Gerald Chew at singaporelearner.com to enquire about classes.
- Obsession with statistics
- Statistics are a means to an end
- Statistics without relevance provide a false sense of security that you are able to logically map out an argument
Solution: Pick and choose the most relevant facts. Knowing 5 key statistics that you know at your finger tips will be more helpful than a book full of redundant facts.
- Not starting with your own assumptions
- Looking for the “right” answer dulls your ability to come up with your own arguments
- Assuming there are “right” answers will be a big stumbling block to creative thinking
- Learn to adapt your opinions
- Picking evidence from poorly sourced sites
- Learn to understand Google best practices in searching to avoid outdated or biased bits of information. Remember, the more incredulous it sounds, the more it should be double checked
- Depending on pseudo scientific research papers or preliminary papers instead of curated content
Gerald Chew
- Mr Chew is a BBA (Hons) graduate from the National University of Singapore Business school. He is also an ACCA affiliate after completing the ACCA examinations with a specialisation in audit and performance management. He has been teaching General Paper for over 6 years. Gerald always aims to shore up his students’ foundation in order to help them logically solve problems. He is a firm believer in engaging students on their level in order to enhance their understanding of current affairs and their implications. At Singapore Learner, Gerald offers classes for General Paper, English, Accounting, Management of Business and Economics. For details, click on A-LEVEL | JC | GENERAL PAPER TUITION.
Copyright © 2015 by Singapore Learner. All Rights Reserved.