Top Secret: Why is it difficult to achieve an ‘A’ for the GCE O/A-Level English Composition?

Have you ever wondered?

1. Why one often gets an A for every school English examination or test, including the prelims, but ends up with a B in O-level English or A-level General Paper (GP)?

2. How is an A-grade essay different from a B-grade essay?

3. What does the examiner look for in an A-grade essay?

4. Why does a student memorise all the important information in the school materials yet fail to get an A? Are the materials ineffective or is memorisation useless?

These are the common questions I get all the time and they are very valid, authentic questions. In this article, I hope to fully address all these queries that you, as a potential O-Level or A-Level candidate, may also have.

It has been repeatedly highlighted in the yearly O-level and A-level Examiners’ Reports that originality matters in individual essays. Indeed, the examination board routinely awards stellar grades to students exhibiting clear distinctiveness in their use of vocabulary, sentence structures and most importantly, essay content. Frankly, I’ve lost count on the sheer number of O-level and A-level Examiners’ Reports I’ve analysed that explicitly mentioned that scripts showed little originality due to the similarity of content and language. In other words, it seems like candidates have been cloning model essays instead of creating their own unique points of view and ideas.

Without a doubt, students’ O-Level English and A-Level GP results will thus suffer. This could be attributed to the fact that impressionistic marking of English essays is the set norm. What this means is that when a student submits an essay all too similar to what his or her peers have submitted, it is instinctively thought as a duplicate – trite and uninspiring. There is no personal voice. There are no outstanding qualities that shout for attention. It remains mediocre at best, amateurish at worst.

Logistically and administratively, the submitted papers won’t be mixed, rearranged or randomised before they are being sent to specific examiners. This is true for both GCE O-Level English and A-level GP examinations. Every examiner will be allotted a stack of papers that they’ll have to mark and grade. Hence, the same examiner will be most certainly marking and comparing a candidate’s essay against his or her classmates/schoolmates. Now, imagine if that entire class or worse, school, has memorised the same essay content or vocabulary provided by their teachers before the examinations? This marks the beginning of troubles brewing and a well-intended pot of stew eventually turning bad.

Besides, there is also a statistical explanation to that elusive A-grade. It is no secret that major assessments such as the GCE O-Level English and A-level GP examinations employ the normal distribution or bell curve to stream students into their respective grades. The implications are obvious. Should students submit unoriginal pieces through modelling, they naturally end up getting equally average/mediocre marks for their essays (i.e. in the middle of the bell curve) at best. What could be significantly worse is that the student’s results will take a heavy toll if he or she unknowingly makes the slightest error you can ever imagine.

Now that you are aware of the source of the problem, here are a handful of secret tips to scoring an A for your essay:

1. Get prompt and effective feedback from a reputable writer or a professional teacher who understands the need for originality. While I understand that reversing the undesirable habit of copying content may be very tough for many students in Singapore, the fruits of this labour present a rewarding challenge. Indeed, I revel in motivating and guiding my students on a 1-to-1, word-by-word basis for writing because it’s indubitably a well-established fact that the earlier bad writing habits get corrected, the earlier students can reach their aspiring distinction goals. Consequently, at every juncture of their planning and writing processes, my students are constantly taught the best or most felicitous word choices, writing routes, sentence structures and literary techniques to produce the most impactful writing. Rather than being blessed by Lady Luck, they are in reality well-endowed and primed to excel in their writing competitions, assignments, tests and examinations.

1. Avoid uncritically repeating/copying (in chunks) ideas or content you have read or written elsewhere – a memorised essay rarely fits the bill of a given essay question, and futile attempts to do so are especially apparent to the learned eye.

1. Have a voracious appetite for reading. Pick first-rate reading materials. Remember, it is quality over quantity. Relax and read as a form of hobby or leisure. Don’t read out of compulsion. It is unsustainable and not enjoyable at all. What I do as a tutor is to cherry pick quality articles and blend all impactful ideas into my daily teaching materials. This essentially lightens the student’s burden to find, filter and assimilate resources critical for English mastery.

1. Don’t copy your friend’s or school teacher’s ideas. Be original. Dare to be different. Share an alternative opinion that sheds light on a different perspective. Arouse your reader’s curiosity and a positive cycle will ensue.

1. Start your regular writing practices. Tap on your unique personality, vivid imagination and varied experiences. Obtain comprehensive and constructive feedback from your teachers, parents and friends and make better progress. Remember, to be extraordinary, you need strong support from all stakeholders.

Finally, be original in your thinking and writing. You will succeed.

For enquiries about our quality English lessons or writing services, please contact The Useful English Tutor at 9747-0937.