TMJC JC2 GP Bulletin 2020 Prelim final version for publication

1 General Paper Bulletin 2020 (JC 2) Welcome to the final issue of TMJC’s GP Bulletin for 2020! Here are a few more essays written by your peers during the recent Preliminary Examination. Once again, thanks to the students who have contributed their essays, who have proven that good writing is very possible despite the exam conditions. Do take note again that these essays are not perfect or model essays, and while reading these essays, you may find some of the examples and points useful for application to other questions. Please exercise judgment and discretion in using such information in a man ner that is relevant to the question you are answering. Pay extra attention to the comments on the right column, which corresponds to the marking rubrics on which essays are assessed. Lastly, you should not attempt to copy and hand them in as your own! All the best for the upcoming A-Level Exam! Editorial Team ___________________ Mdm Aslindah Mrs Wendy Goh Mdm Sukhvinder Kaur Ms Jacqueline Tan Mr Max Cheong Contents Q2: ‘My life, my choice.’ Is this good advice for the young people in your society?...........................…….. 2 Q4: Should businesses focus solely on making profits in today’s world? ………………………………….………..… 4 Q5: ‘Digital technology is making humans intellectually and socially deficient.’ Discuss…………………..…….. 7 Q7: ‘Both developed and developing countries should bear equal responsibility for climate change.’ Discuss.………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………... 12 Q8: To what extent are museums still relevant today? ……………………....................................................... 14 Q12: ‘History has shown that Man never learns from his mistakes.’ Is this a fair comment?..................... 17

2 Q2: ‘My life, my choice.’ Is this good advice for the young people in your society? (TMJC JC2 Prelim 2020) Sample Essay Comments Adolescents today have the propensity to desire living life to the fullest. The notion of ‘you only live once’ has been reiterated time and time again when making impulsive decisions to act on their feelings. Some may say that they ought to be reined in and controlled, before they do something that is deemed to be ‘wrong’ or something that they would regret. However, the saying ‘my life, my choice’ has been uttered by teenagers who wish to do as they please and not be controlled by overbearing parents or adult figures. But should this saying be something that one advises adolescents? Especially in today’s day and age and the nature of our stressful, meri tocratic society, most would argue that the saying ‘my life, my choice’ should not be used for teenagers as it may be ruinous to them, but I, for one, do not think so. I believe that ‘my life, my choice’ would be good advice for the young people in my society. Relevance to Question Requirements: Clear definition of terms, defining what ‘my life, my choice’ means and describing the characteristics of Singapore society. Suggestions for Improvement: Avoid too many repetitions of the saying, ‘my life, my choice’. Also, a brief description of the characteristics of young people could be provided. A famous saying, ‘what does not kill you makes you stronger’ may be clichéd, but still proves true today. One would grow and learn the most when one makes mista kes, and this is why I postulate that ‘my life, my choice’ is good advice for adolescents. They should be able to know that whatever decisions they choose to make has an impact on their own life, and not anyone else’s. Being left to make possible mistakes may be the best way for them to actually know for themselves that what they have done should not be repeated, and they would thus be more careful with what they choose to do. When one gives teenagers the freedom to choose what they do, the teenagers might also tend to be more careful as they will not be guided by anyone but themselves, and this allows them to mature even as they make mistakes. There are inevitably some exceptions who would not be concerned about the consequences of their actions, but ultim ately, as human beings, deep down, they would not have the desire to destroy their own lives. Also, being able to decide for themselves is key in my society’s landscape, with overbearing and overprotective parents usually planning out one’s life from the m inute one is born. It is thus imperative for the youth to make their own decisions with whatever opportunities they have, as they should not be overly reliant on parents and what their parents have mapped out for them, as that will entail no growth since t hey are practically not allowed to make their own mistakes and thereby learn. Being told the saying ‘my life, my choice’ would let them know that the consequences which resulted from their actions would impact their lives, not their parents’ or friends’, and every decision they make would result in some form of growth. Thus I feel that it is a saying that is valuable advice for adolescents, since growth would make them stronger. Relevance to Question Requirements: Clear stating of society’s characterist ics in the form of Singapore parenting styles. Quality of argument (Depth and Scope): Clear explanation and elaboration of the argument on learning from their mistakes. Use of Illustrations: Although valid, the examples are rather generic. Suggestions for Improvement: Give clear and specific examples and the lessons learnt. Besides, the saying ‘my life, my choice’ encapsulates letting teenagers do what they love, and this is good as they make certain decisions to pursue their passions ba sed on what is important to Relevance to Question Requirements: Relevant and well -developed point on pursuing passions.

3 them. They may end up flourishing or further realising their strengths and interests. Allowing adolescents to decide what they do will give them room to either discover their previously unfound passions, or be able to do well if they make the choice that is right for them. A Harvard Business Review study found that people tend to do better when they are doing what they love. Of course, passion may not be a priority compared to income and wealth given today’s materialistic society. However, allowing the youth to make their own decisions based on their priorities in life is pivotal as, even if they choose to pursue something they do not particularly adore, they would want to do it due to other reasons. The importance is in the fact that they made the choice for themselves. Adolescence may also be the only time one can truly experiment with various activities and this may lead to teenagers changing their minds about what they want to pursue based on their experiences, thus allowing them to be on the right path. Being able to decide and do as they please will indubitably lead to them possibly doubting themselves but they learn how to figure it out along the way and not be overly dependent on external sources. Also, as hedonists would claim, doing what one loves is imperative to one’s life as one can always develop the skillset even if one starts off not being particularly talented in that area. As teenagers do what they like, they can determine for themselves if they have the grit to dev elop their skills if they are not well -versed in that area, or if they want to do something they are more talented in. Also, adolescents being able to do what they love and what they want will, more often than not, lead to success when they are able to find themselves. With specialised schools in my society such as the Singapore Sports School, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Lasalle, School of the Arts and others, teenagers will be able to find what they desire and what they want to pursue. Hence, I believe that ‘my life,