TMJC 2023 J1 Year-End Examination GP Bulletin

1 General Paper Bulletin 2023 (JC 1) Dear TMJC students, w elcome to the year-end issue of TMJC’s GP Bulletin for 20 23. This is a selection of the essays written by your schoolmates during the recent Year-End Examination. 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 under exam conditions. While reading these essays, you may find some of the content useful for application to other questions; do be judicious in using such information in a manner that is relevant to the question you are answering. Lastly, you should not attempt to copy and hand them in as your own . Editorial Team Mdm Tan Soo Lin Mr Max Cheong Contents Q1: Is ageing to be welcomed or feared today?..................................................................................…………...... 2 Q3: ‘Censorship is neither desirable nor realistic.’ How far is this true of your society? ....................................… 4 Q5: Consider the view that young people are too dependent on technology. ……………………………………………..….... 7 Q5: Consider the view that young people are too dependent on technology. ……………………………………………..….... 10 Q6: ‘It is increasingly challenging to preserve one’s culture in the modern world.’ How far do you agree?........... 13

2 Q1: Is ageing to be welcomed or feared today? Sample Essay Marker’s Comments In many countries worldwide, the ageing population has been on the rise with lower birth rates in these countries. Recently in Singapore, it has been recorded that the average number of childbirths has declined again to only about one per family. With the ageing population, it is likely that the future working population would have a heavier burden on their shoulders with higher taxes needed to care for the ageing. There may be probelms with slow economic growth with a declining workforce. However, there have been steps taken for the old to pass down skills and traditions to the young, as well as chances for upskilling to remain relevant in the ever-changing society. Travelling by the ageing population is also a crucial factor to boost economic growth in countries relying heavily on tourism for revenue. Hence, ageing is to be welcomed rather than feared today. Clear Stand: A clear stand is provided at the end of the paragraph. Understanding of POC: There should be more clarity on the concepts of ‘welcomed’ and ‘feared’, which are not simply pros and cons. Contextualisation: The global context is given, with some description of the issue within the context of Singapore society. Suggestions for Improvement: The description of the problems and benefits could be summarised, and more could be written about the current context instead. It is argued that with increased demand for healthcare due to the rise of the ageing population, more burden has been put onto tax payers. As people age, it is difficult to prevent the development of degenerative illnesses that take a toll on the health of the aged. With the average lifespan of the population being on the rise to approximately 85 in Singapore, there has been a rise in the need for healthcare. For subsidies in public healthcare, funded by tax revenue of the government, there is the need to increase income taxes for the working population. This does bring a burden to young workers with limited pay to even survive with the high cost of living in many cities today. However, this may not be true due to the initiatives by governments to help the a ged to prepare for future spendings on healthcare. In today’s world, there has been a rise in the number of knowledge or capital -intensive jobs, allowing people to have accumulated income that can be saved up and used for medical expenditures in the future. One initiative is Medishield in Singapore, where a part of people’s income is set aside and deposited into this account monthly. In the long run, even when one has retired, they would not need to rely entire ly on government subsidies to afford healthcare as they are able to fund their own healthcare. This poses little burden on tax payers as a result with less government spending required to subsidise healthcare. Quality of Topic Sentences: A clear topic sentence on tax burden. Understanding of POC: Clear addressing of the fear involved in increasing tax burden due to the healthcare needs of an ageing population in the OV. Relevance of Examples: Although the example of Singapore’s Medishield is valid, it must be noted that Singapore is an exception. For most countries, their healthcare system is not as effective. Suggestions for Improvement: The argument may have to be modified to take into consideration the rest of the world, and how, if at all, governments are able to help defray the healthcare costs of an ageing population. The rebuttal point on the rise in the number of knowledge or capital-intensive jobs also needs explanation. It can also be argued that ageing results in decline of the working population, resulting in slower economic growth for countries. The rise in ageing workforces also account for rise in retirement rates, greatly reducing the human resources available to br ing economic growth for countries. This is true in societies such as Japan, where the working population has decreased over the years with a fast rise of the ageing population. Japan’s growth economically has definitely slowed down and remained partially stagnant as compared to the past. However, there have been efforts put in place for the upskilling of the elderly workforce that enables them to continue working as they age. For instance, Singapore’s SkillsFuture initiative has introduced many technologically related courses, with its aim to equip older workers with the relevant technological skills to adapt to the shifts Quality of Topic Sentences: A clear and succinct topic sentence. Relevance of Examples: An apt example on Japan’s economic issues caused by an ageing population. Contextualisation: Todays’ context of upskilling in relation to technology-related skills is clearly elaborated. Suggestions for Improvement:

3 towards Artificial Intelligence (AI) and smart technologies in many workplaces. With relevant skills needed for work today, the aged may still be able to continue working and extend their retirement age beyond that of the past. For instance, the average retirement age has r isen to 62 as compared to 58 to 60 in the past. This allows the ageing population to continue to contribute to the economy for a longer time, or even in capital -intensive jobs that generate greater economic revenue for countries instead. Perhaps the words ‘welcomed’ and ‘feared’ could be used to more explicitly link the arguments to the POC. Ageing is also welcomed today as skills and culture, which take years to master, can be passed on from generation to generation. The ageing population in niche crafts, especially those by the indigenous people, can be passed down to their future generations. For example, rice wine making is a specialised craft by the indigenous groups in Taiwan. With its people having longer lifespans when integrating into modern life while maintaining their traditional practices, these practices are able to be passed on to their future generations. This enables many diminishing specialised crafts to remain within their small communities, giving the young a sense of belonging and identity as part of the indigenous group. With the young having a greater pride and understanding on their culture, and the importance to preserve them, they find new ways to spread awareness