TMJC 2022 J1 Mid-Year Examination GP Bulletin

1 General Paper Bulletin 2022 (JC 1) Welcome to the first issue of TMJC’s GP Bulletin for 202 2! We bring you a selection of the essays written by your schoolmates during the recent JC1 Mid-Year Examination. We would like to express our thanks to the students who have contributed their essays. While these essays are not perfect or model essays, there is a lot of merit in them, and they are clear evidence that good quality writing is possible! You may find some of the content and vocabulary useful for application to other questions, but do be judicious in using such information in a manner that is relevant to the question you are answering. Pay extra attention to the comments on the right column, which are based on some of the key criteria that essays are marked for. Lastly, you should not attempt to copy and hand them in as your own! All the best for the Year-End Examination! Editorial Team ___________________ Mdm Aslindah Mrs Annie Clayton Ms Jacqueline Tan Mr Max Cheong Contents Q7: To what extent is a globalised world desirable?...................................................……....................... 2 Q10: Are examinations still useful in education today?...………………………….……………………….... 4 Q12: Do you agree that young people today lack empathy?..................................................................... 7

2 Q7. ‘To what extent is a globalised world desirable?’ Sample Essay Marker’s Comments The Kpop industry is flourishing in the United States of America, with millions of albums sold to Americans and this is only possible due to globalisation. With the advancement of technology and transportation, we have easy access to information, entertainment and others from another country. The increased mobility of transportation and easy exchange of information has boosted productivity and innovation in different fields such as the medical field. However, a globali sed world also means greater exposure to a grea ter variety of people who may be of a different color, sexuality and social status. This exposure to greater differences amongst people may bring about prejudice and misconceptions of each other. Though a globali sed world does create problems, I still beli eve that a globalised world is desirable. Clear Stand: Stand is explicitly stated at the end of the paragraph. Understanding of POC: Clearly shows understanding of POC – mentioning both the desirable and undesirable aspects of globalisation. Contextualisation: Some key aspects of globalisation are mentioned, giving a glimpse of what globalisation entails. Suggestions for Improvement: The paragraph starts off with Kpop, and whilst this is well-known, perhaps mentioning that it is from South Korea (which is far away from the USA) could better show the reach of globalisation. A globalised world is very desirable since it provides easy exchange of information across borders. With the advancement of technology, a country is able to share her knowledge with another country through the means of the internet efficiently and quickly. During the recent pandemic, the world was desperately tryin g to control the spread of COVID-19 in order to protect their people as well as their economy. Singapore came up with an app lication, ‘Tracetogether’, to allow the government to track down anyone who had been in close contact with a person who contracted the virus. This way they are able to carry out preventive measures to lessen the number of COVID-positive cases. With the easy exchange of information and knowledge through the means of the internet, Malaysia learned from this experience and created a simil ar app lication for Malaysians. As a result, the situation in Malaysia improved. The ease of exchange of information across borders due to the advancement of technology, allows the world to learn and gain knowledge from around the world and improve their country’s economy or societal welfare. Quality of Topic Sentences: A clear topic sentence expressed as a reason, helped by the explicit use of the word from the question: desirable. Understanding of POC: Shows a clear understanding of the POC, however more could be said about the nature or process of how globalisation has brought about the said benefit. Relevance of Examples: The example on Singapore and how Malaysia ‘learned’ through the internet is not irrelevant but is rather simplistic. Given their close diplomatic ties, such information or methods would have been shared anyway, and so Malaysia would not have had to only learn it from the internet. Contextualisation: There is a clear understanding of the global nature of the question but the example cited is about 2 neighbouring countries- which may not be apt in proving ‘globalisation’. Suggestions for Improvement: See comment under ‘Contextualisation’.

3 A broader spectrum of entertainment is acquired as globali sation brings about hybridisation of cultures. In a globali sed world, there is easy exchange of cultures and people are able to learn more about another culture through the internet. ‘Running Man’ i s a Korean variety show that is popular not just in South Korea but also in many other countries. Kpop has also become a phenomenon. Because of the globalised world, people from all over the world are able to enjoy Korean culture and their forms of entertainment. Not just the Korean culture, people are able to enjoy any other cultures that are not based in their own country. As a result, people are able to appreciate different cultures and have a greater variety of entertainment. Quality of Topic Sentences: Clear topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph, though it sounds rather specific. The bigger picture is perhaps about cultural exchange. Understanding of POC: There is some repetition of the previous point in that the cultures are shared via the internet. Relevance of Examples: The example is relevant, though more could be said about what aspect of Korean culture is being shared/transmitted globally. Contextualisation: Clear reference made to globalisation today. Suggestions for Improvement: See above section on ‘Relevance of Examples’. In a globali sed world, companies can easily recruit a highly skilled member from another country. With the advancement of transportation, anyone is able to travel to another count ry with ease. They are also able to learn more about another country and their culture through the means of the internet and decide if they would like to work and live there for the time being. Because we live in a globali sed world, MNCs like Amazon or Apple no longer simply recruit locals but also recruit foreigners who are highly skilled or demand a lower wage. This enhances the workforce and brings about higher quality of work. As a result, there will be greater revenue and hence improvement to the economy. Therefore, I believe that a globalised world is highly desired. Quality of Topic Sentences: Clear topic sentence stated. Understanding of POC: There is an understanding that globalisation has created more job opportunities which cuts across geographical boundaries. Relevance of Examples: Though relevant, the example needs to explain how globalisation enhances the recruitment process: is it simply the internet and modern transportation that enables this? Suggestions for Improvement: There needs to be much deeper examination of international recruitment. Does it really bring in greater revenue or improve the economy- for the company or the country? How about the loss of talent from the country which the company recruited from? These could have been explained. However, some critics may argue that a globali sed world is not so desirable as it brings about greater social problems. In a glob