overview of gp in thirty minutes
TRANSCRIPT
Overview of GP in
Thirty Minutes
For GCE A Level students
By:Prem GaireFounder of General Paper Guidewww.general-paper.com
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A former General Paper student of CIE with „B‟ grade in GP
Studied A Levels from Trinity International College, Kathmandu (2008-2010)
Founder of:
www.general-paper.com
www.facebook.com/generalpaper
A blogger, hobbyist writer, artist, and student of BBA
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Prem Gaire - Introduction
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Multidisciplinary subject whose curriculum spans over all the other disciplines like science, philosophy, history, arts, economics, sociology, etc
Philosophical and based upon reasoning and analysis
It is mostly about the maturity of thoughts, means no childish logic in writing
It is about tailoring your knowledge in different contexts to prove your argument
It is mostly about proficiency in formal written English
- Adapted from GP syllabus
What is General Paper?
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International Syllabus
◦ Two variants: 8001 & 8004
◦ Global scope, i.e., for students worldwide
Localised Syllabus
◦ 8009 (for Mauritius only)
◦ 8806/8807 H1 General Paper (for Singapore only)
Different GP Syllabuses
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8001 8004
Types of Questions Essay and Comprehension passages
Essays only
Question Patterns 12 Essay Questions3 ComprehensionPassages
15 Essay Questions categorised into 3 sections
Students need to answer
1 Essay Question1 ComprehensionPassage
2 Essay Questions from two different sections
Total Exam Time 2 hour 45 minutes 2 hour only
International Syllabus
Comparison between 8001 & 8004 syllabi
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Essays questions
Need answer in either 500 – 600 words
Or 500 – 800 words
Each question carries 50 marks
Comprehension Passage &/or Data Response Questions
Each question carries 50 marks
One question consists of multiple sub-questions totalling 35 marks with additional 15 marks allocated for the use of English
Question Structure
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Essay Question
30 marks for content
20 marks for use of English
Total Marks = 50
Comprehension & Data Response Passages
Sub-questions totalling 35 marks based upon the given passage
15 additional marks available for the use of English
Total Marks = 50
Marking Patterns
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GP is easy OR GP is difficult
GP tests our general knowledge
GP is not useful to other subjects
GP doesn‟t have syllabus
If you do GP you don‟t need to do TOEFL and/or IELTS
Some Myths
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◦ No textbook or at least no book endorsed by Cambridge
◦ Too broad syllabus
◦ A lot of myths
◦ What to study
◦ A lot of confusions
Studying GP is undoubtedly challenging!
How to study?
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◦ Syllabus This will let you know the topics from which the questions are
likely to be asked
◦ Mark Schemes These are the documents which inform you on how your
answers are evaluated
◦ Examiner Reports Contains detailed report about students‟ performance
including their mistakes and valuable suggestions
◦ Internet research This is particularly necessary to have wealth of knowledge
and information (i.e., content)
Study Materials for GP
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It means:
Facts
Examples
Statistics
Ideas and their flow
Logic
Reasoning
Analysis
Evaluation
◦ In short, it is the knowledge and/or information you have at your disposal
Content
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It means:
Expression, ability to express or not
Fluency or smoothness in writing
Grammatical accuracy
Use of appropriate vocabulary
Vocabulary = knowledge of words of a particular language, & ability to make appropriate choice of words when necessary
Language
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It is the set of guidelines for marking the student‟s answer sheet
It has a reference about
the specific criteria of marking and
the basis on which the answers are evaluated by the examiners
What kind of discussion is expected in the particular GP essay question, along with the points or possible areas for discussion (This may not be available in all the mark schemes)
Mark Schemes
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It is the report published after all the answers are checked
It contains detailed information about
Mistakes made by students
What was found in answers vs what was expected
More specific guidelines on “Dos and Don‟ts” of GP
This is the document which can clear all the confusion and myths surrounding General Paper
Examiner Report
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These are the actual question papers attempted by students in the former examination sessions!
They are specifically useful to get:
Ideas about the type and nature of questions asked in GP exams
Idea about the “instructions” you are supposed to followduring the exams
Questions for practice in order to prepare for exams
Past Papers
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No need to study specifically for contents if you are sincere!
The knowledge you acquire from
Daily activities,
Studying Other subjects,
Newspaper and Media,
Hearsay,
Personal research on the web
Personal experience
can be useful for your content section.
How to study for content?
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For language usage hard work is required to:
Gain grammatical knowledge and Accuracy in writing
Develop a writing style
Achieve fluency in written English
Learn the appropriate use of vocabulary and idioms, whenever you use them
Learn how to make uses of different types of contents like facts, statistics, examples, and so on.
Develop good writing skills through persistent practice
Note: PRACTICE is the key to improve language skills
Note II: Improving language skills usually takes a lot of time -so be PATIENT!
How to study for language?
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Mythical meaning:
use of jargons,
use of difficult words,
use of words with unusually long spellings, etc
Realistic Meaning:
correct choice of words,
use of simple words as accurately as possible,
achieve preciseness in the use of words
having the right words at our disposal when we need to use them, i.e, good knowledge of wide range of words
Vocabulary
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Note the difference:
They make noise in the class.
They always make noise in the class.
They often make noise in the class.
They hardly make noise in the class.
If you are crystal clear
◦ about the different meanings
of these three sentences,
then
you have a good vocabulary.
Vocabulary (cont‟d...)
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Mostly,
argumentative forms of essays, in which,
you form your opinions (also known as arguments) based upon your knowledge on the given topic or question
you then prove your point with examples, facts, reasoning, etc
Sometimes,
discursive,
exploratory,
expository and so on.
What is GP essay?
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Introduction Introduce the topic, set scope, give main Thesis
Body◦ 3-4 arguments each on a separate paragraph to prove your
thesis One idea fully explored in one paragraph, using details, examples,
facts, statistics, whichever is appropriate or possible
◦ 1-2 balance arguments each on a separate paragraph
Conclusion Reinforce the thesis Sum up the essay Give your opinion
Composition of GP Essay
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The first paragraph = the first impression
Introduces the essay
Sets the scope of the essay
Gives the thesis through thesis statement
Arouses the interest of the audience
Very important paragraph
Introduction Paragraph
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The last paragraph = final impression and judgment
Sums up the essay
Reinforces the thesis statement
Gives the opinion of the author
Ends with a satisfactory conclusion on the issue
Quite important paragraph
Conclusion Paragraph
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Has mainly three sub-sections:
◦ Introductory sentence◦ Details and explanations,◦ Concluding sentence
These subsections need not be in any specific order
Introductory and concluding sentence can be implicit or hidden
But they should somehow be deductible
Composition of Paragraph
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Sample essays which scored A grade in GP
http://www.general-paper.com/2012/01/discuss-arguments-for-and-against.html
http://www.general-paper.com/2012/01/what-are-consequences-of-break-up-of.html
http://www.general-paper.com/2012/01/would-it-be-advantageous-if-all-people.html
http://www.general-paper.com/2012/01/should-society-punish-criminals-more.html
http://www.general-paper.com/2012/01/what-are-advantages-and-disadvantages.html
Links to Sample A Graded Essays
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For more resources on General Paper, please visit our site:
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Thank you!
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Thank You