Did you know the National distinction rate for General Paper is only 25%? Navigating the rigorous demands of General Paper can often seem daunting for many students. Every year, a substantial number of students their A-Level GP exam due to inadequate preparation. Many students have this misconception that simply memorising and regurgitating information is sufficient to do well for GP. Some may attribute their failure to the perceived difficulty of the paper or unexpected questions. In this blog post, we will delve into two questions from the 2023 A-Level General Paper 1, from the perspective of the Subject Head of GP at Indigo Education Group, Mr Ten Ting Kai. These questions are regarded by him as the most intriguing and iconic ones of the 2023 A-Level General Paper 1. Click here for part 1.
2023 A-Level GP Paper 1 Questions
- How realistic is it for countries to implement a national minimum wage for all their workers?
- ‘Fossil fuels should no longer have a part to play in the production of energy.’ Discuss.
- Consider the view that spending money on space travel cannot be justified in today’s world.
- Consider the argument that there should be no censorship of the arts in modern society.
- ‘People who undertake voluntary work do so more for their own benefit than for the benefit of others.’ Discuss.
- Assess the extent to which all people in your society have the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
- ‘The quality of human interaction is diminished by modern communication devices.’ How far do you agree?
- To what extent are festivals and national holidays effective in promoting unity in your society?
- ‘Regret for past actions is vital for progress.’ What is your view?
- Evaluate the claim that sports personalities make good role models for young people.
- Assess the view that accurate translation between languages is always necessary.
- ‘Young people want to change the world because they do not know it is impossible.’ How far do you agree?
Most interesting
Question 11: Assess the view that accurate translation between languages is always necessary.
Firstly, at a personal level, Mr Ten studied linguistics in university, and one of the first things he learnt in linguistics 101 was the difference between linguistic and extralinguistic competence, which was conforming to grammatical rules did not guarantee that you conveyed a message to your interlocutor successfully, and communicating successfully with your interlocutor by following all sorts of invisible cues and conventions did not guarantee that you were complying with grammatical rules.
Secondly, in a professional capacity as a GP tutor, it would be a challenge to see how many unique arguments one can come up with for and against this notion. Is there a way to argue that there is something intrinsic, something infinitely valuable to accuracy in language translation that makes the whole endeavour pointless without it? Conversely, what are the exceptional cases and contexts where accuracy in language translation is unneeded, even undesirable?
This question is reminiscent of, while obviously not reducible to, ACJC’s 2022 question, “Assess the view that being understandable is more important than being grammatical today,” DHS’s 2022 question, “Language mastery is unimportant as long as one can be understood,” and RI’s 2023 question, “The world would be a better place if everyone spoke the same language.”
So, this is a question that keeps coming up, and that many people want answers to! At Indigo, a similar essay was covered, “To truly understand a culture, learn its language,”. Mr Ten stated that some of the examples from the given model essay, like culture-specific concepts (hygge in Danish, for one) that elude attempts at translation, can find use here as well.
Of course, to answer this essay question, the challenge will be unpacking “accurate translation between languages” in the exam hall – is it about faithfulness to the spirit of the text, or is it about fidelity to its letter?
Most iconic
Question 9: ‘Regret for past actions is vital for progress.’ What is your view?
Mr Ten commented that every year, there is at least one question of the 12 in the A-Level General Paper 1 that he finds the most memorable. Tracing back, for 2022, the questions that stuck with him were those that examined underexplored areas and angles, like “Dramas on television or film are never as effective as a live performance,” and “To what extent can individuals shape their own lives when the world is so unpredictable?”
In recent years, Mr Ten noticed that schools are exploring more philosophical and unique question types. He remembered being extremely impressed by RVHS, MI, and SAJC for the questions they set in their 2022 prelims: “Are live performances still relevant in this age of media streaming?”, “People make their own destiny,” and “The potential of an individual is constrained by the surroundings they are born into.” He mentioned that it was nice that not all schools fall into the trap of only testing “topical” questions about geopolitics, media, tech, etc., and in this case 2022’s unexpected questions rewarded those schools for giving underappreciated domains the love they deserve.
Additionally, for 2021, Q7, “What an individual eats or drinks should not be the concern of the state,” had stuck with Mr Ten because of how meaningfully it brought together two rather mundane topics: personal lifestyles and governance. Coincidentally, it was also Q7 of 2020’s paper that stuck with him, “Given greater levels of international cooperation, how necessary is it for countries to engage in the arms trade?” This is an example of a question with an explicit condition – where the half of the question is not up for the debate while the other half is.
For 2023, Mr Ten concluded that the question about regretting past actions takes the win because of how pertinent and poignant the sentiment behind it is. It feels random at first glance – questions about the humanities, like geography, history, and literature, do not come up as often as they should. But it is really a timely – or timeless – question of how the past weighs on the present, and by extension the future.
Many schools prepared students for this angle as well, again probably because of how important the idea of historical baggage is to unravelling contemporary conflicts. This year, schools like ASRJC, CJC, and RVHS asked, “How far is an understanding of history important in tackling major conflicts of today?”, “Without knowing our own history, we are lost,” and “Consider the view that we have merely been paying lip service to the lessons that history teaches us.”
In Mr Ten’s opinion, these are questions that more people in positions of power should be asked! At both the international (China and Japan, India and Pakistan, Russia and Ukraine…) and the intranational (the Holocaust, the Native American genocide, the re-election of Netanyahu…) level, Indigo’s GP lessons have covered way too many case studies that share this theme of regrettable – but not always regretted – past actions. At Indigo, we covered examples of recognition, responsibility, and reparations on one side and those of denialism, disavowal, and doubling down on the other.
As stated above, Indigo’s GP lessons provides students with excellent model essays and examples that double up as revision notes and demonstrate ways to improve linguistic expression. With Indigo, you will learn to apply Indigo’s trademarked critical thinking structures and develop the ability to see the link between your in-depth knowledge about the world and address your arguments effectively in the GP examinations. Additionally, Indigo’s pedagogy actively encourages students to go beyond their comfort zone to try out more novel and unique topics and questions. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a free GP trial lesson now and come experience the Indigo Advantage!