To keep up with the changing demands and context of the world we live in, exam syllabi undergo changes from time to time. The latest change is for the General Paper exam from 2024 onwards, which will affect this year’s JC 1 students.
While the differences to content is slight, the exam format has been adjusted in several ways. As a result, students entering JC in 2023 and later should take note when using past year papers as practice.
Below, we have outlined the key differences in the new GP syllabus and the older, 2022 syllabus:
1. There will be fewer essay questions and topics
For a long time, the GP essay component has offered 12 topics for students to choose from. In the new format, this will be reduced to 8 questions.
To account for the reduction in questions, the topics covered will also be reduced, although they remain largely very broad – true to the subject title of “General” Paper. We examine the lists of topics from the old and new syllabus below:
Old:
- Historical, social, cultural, economic, political and philosophical topics
- Science including its history, philosophy, general principles, current developments and applications
- Mathematical and geographical topics
- Literature and language
- Arts and crafts
- Topics of local interest and global concern.
New:
- society and culture
- economics
- politics
- the arts and humanities
- science and technology
- the environment
- topics of local, regional and global significance, current affairs
Overall, the list of topics and reduction in questions don’t seem to spell any significant change for students. Most of the topics are still very general and offers plenty of choices for students. You can check out the sample paper of this revised format provided by MOE and the Cambridge Assessment International Education.
2. There will be 3 texts for comprehension
The new GP comprehension exam will include 3 texts, an increase from one or two texts (alternating between years). But according to the syllabus outline, the total length of the passages will similarly be capped at about 1200 words.
So, while it may not necessarily take more time to read the passages, it will take more effort to digest 3 different passages, along with their differing perspectives, tone, and purpose. You can view the passages provided in the sample paper 2 insert.
3. Heavier emphasis on comparison questions
With 3 comprehension passages, the short answer questions will also have an increased focus on comparison questions. These questions may ask students to compare passages 1 and 3, or passages 2 and 3, and require students to demonstrate the ability to connect ideas and cross-reference the texts.
These types of comparison questions will be new to most students, so getting the answering technique right will be an important aspect to master.
In total, there will be about 4-6 marks allocated to these comparison questions. You can refer to questions 7 and 8 from the sample paper for an example of these comparison-type questions.
4. Changes to summary question
Previously, the summary question is for a few selected paragraphs from the passage (or one of the passages for years with two texts). However, students under the revised syllabus will have to base their summary on the whole of passage 2, picking up whatever is relevant to the summary question.
From the specimen paper provided, we also notice that there is no longer an opening statement provided for the summary (question 9). It seems that students will now have to start the summary by themselves.
5. The application question will be worth 12 marks
Students and teachers all know what a challenge the application question is. Now, the GP exam will be awarding students up to 12 marks for the application question, up for 10 marks previously.
This could be a boon for students since they are already spending so much time and effort to polish their AQ skills. From the previous batch of students, those taking the new exam may need to allocate even more time to the AQ.
We think that this could make the comprehension paper more difficult overall, as it is far harder to earn marks in AQ than in the short answer questions.
Conclusion
The changes to the GP syllabus seem to indicate an increased focus on critical reading and evaluating the quality and validity of arguments. Students should expect to spend more time brushing up on their reading and comprehension skills, going deeper beyond the surface-level understanding of texts.
Accordingly, our tutors at Future Academy are here to support our students, be it in the new or old syllabus. For our JC 1 students in our General Paper tuition classes, our tutors will be adjusting the focus on certain components and ensuring all students have a good foundation on how to tackle AQ and essay questions well.
Whether it is our IP Math tuition or JC subject tuition classes, Future Academy seeks to provide quality small group tuition that can benefit students. Get closer to your A grade by joining us today!