As the exam season draws in, we hope that reading this will help A-Level students in their revision process pertaining to General Paper.

1. Science and Technology

As we brace ourselves for the ever-changing future that is constantly evolving, it is vital to stay updated to new developments. More often than not, questions relating to this topic will mainly be among the 12 questions given to students. Due to the extensive depth of content, it is beneficial for students to familiarise themselves with the key concepts and ideas with regards to this topic. Examples of question types could be how technology has shaped our future or ideas about artificial intelligence given its growing prevalence.

2. Arts

It’s easy to assume that only students from the arts stream would attempt such question types. That’s a common misconception we wish to address. This topic focuses on a spectrum of areas ranging from culture and heritage to literature to fantasy novels and the list is just endless. You may not have an interest in every area but if you happen to be passionate about a certain area of focus, it’s always good to acquire a greater depth of knowledge. That way, you grant yourself an additional advantage of having a more variety of choices to select during the exam. The last thing you would want is not to be confident in any of the essay questions given to you during the exam!

3. Media

Here, we delve into areas such as censorship, freedom of speech, and social media. Media is not limited to just these two areas but there’s are the ones that are commonly tested during examinations. When tackling such questions, it’s always good to consider both sides of the argument to prevent the risk of producing a biased judgment. Social media in particular has become such a part and parcel of our lives and has indeed created many revolutionary changes. We will leave to think about its degree of necessity. Can we go back to the time with the Internet? How different would our lives turn out?

4. Environment

Before I begin, this is not exclusive for Geography students to attempt only. Undeniably, the richness in content that they have is useful for application to General Paper. However, that does not mean that non-Geography students lose out entirely. Through a different approach, one can also offer insightful perspectives about key issues. The ones that are more commonly tested during A-Levels would be environmental protection and sustainability.

5. Education

This topic goes without saying. An interesting thing to read up on would be how different countries adopt different education systems. You can also formulate your own thoughts on how you perceive Singapore’s education system. Some may agree that there is still great emphasis on the regurgitation of knowledge from textbooks. What do you think?

6. Government and Politics

Another area of focus is on government and politics. Here, students should be aware of how different countries adopt different approaches. Consider the role of the government and what defines a good government. It’s a rather interesting topic in my opinion because you also have room for comparison across different countries.

7. Value and beliefs

Personally, I would say this is my favorite topic to discuss during the exam. Yes, it may seem daunting as there’s no particular area of focus for content. This is also the beauty of it. You can incorporate elements of different topics so long as it addresses the question requirements. Furthermore, you’re free to take you own stand and argue for why you stay true to such a belief!

Final Thoughts

We hope that this gave you a greater sense of key topics to focus on during your revision. It’s hard to say whether all the topics will appear in the exam but one thing for sure, it’s always better when you have more content to utilize in the exam. If you require more assistance in General Paper, do feel free to let us know and we will be happy to source for a suitable tutor for you!