2024 ACJC Prelim P1

11 This document consists of 2 printed pages. GP 8881_1 ACJC 2024 Anglo-Chinese Junior College General Paper Department [Turn over ANGLO-CHINESE JUNIOR COLLEGE JC2 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2024 GENERAL PAPER Paper 1 Additional Materials: Cover Page and Answer Paper 8881/01 August 2024 1 hour 30 minutes READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your index number and name on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the paper. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. Answer one question. Note that up to 20 marks out of 50 will be awarded for your use of language. At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together. All questions in this paper carry equal marks.

Answer one question. Answers should be between 500 and 800 words in length. 1 Have digital media made artists worse off? 2 ‘Being healthy is a luxury only the rich can afford.’ How far is this true of your society? 3 Is there any point in studying history when we should look to the future? 4 ‘Ignorance is bliss.’ To what extent is this true? 5 Consider the view that there is too much emphasis on individualism today. 6 Assess the view that our world today is more divided than before. 7 Is noise pollution increasingly a problem in your society? 8 ‘We are scientific giants but ethical infants.’ Comment.

8881 H1 General Paper 2024 ACJC Preliminary Exam Paper 1 Essay Outlines Overall Examiners’ Comments Content • Introductions were often able to establish a clear stand and outline the two opposing sides, though appropriate contextualisation was less commonly observed. Weaker responses lacked explicit focus on the key words in the question, instead regurgitating generic information about the broader topic. • Weaker responses outlined the scope of the discussion before abruptly ending their introduction by saying that they therefore agree or disagree with the statement. In their concluding paragraphs, many students did not provide an overall evaluation or weigh ing of the points they had discussed, and hence appeared to be sitting on the fence. • Weaker responses often relied on listing examples instead of evaluating specific reasons (e.g. Questions 2, 6 and 8), being more descriptive instead of having focused analysis, or making multiple generalised assertions which may not necessarily be relevant to begin with. • Weaker responses failed to maintain consistent focus on the specific debatable issues, instead discussing the key words and topics more broadly, which hence compromised on the degree of relevance. • Most students showed an awareness of the need for a balanced discussion, though several only briefly presented and instantly refuted cherry-picked counter arguments. Planning / Structure • The frequent use of the caret symbols, the need for extensive crossings out or other untidy revisions in various parts of the essays revealed insufficient planning before students started constructing each paragraph. • Attempts to link paragraphs were mostly evident, though the use of such links were sometimes insecure, even contradictory (e.g. using ‘furthermore’ even though the paragraph takes on an opposing stand as the previous one). Language • Some students are still using phrases such as ‘I agree to a small / large / certain extent…’, mistaking it as an attempt at showing nuance. • Some students often did not form letters clearly enough, affecting the legibility of their handwriting and hence the ability of examiners to understand and possibly credit their responses. Students are also reminded that illegible handwriting will be marked out as spelling errors, and the frequency of these errors affects their language score. • Students should bear in mind that clarity of logic is key to the flow of writing and argumentation. Avoid the use of flowery language as it can muddle one’s overall point. • Students are reminded to use a formal register (i.e. avoid a conversational tone) and to avoid the use of slang e.g. “normies”, “legit” “super good”. Common Language Errors 1. Subject Verb Agreement – Singular/Plural especially for “The artists are…” (not “The artists is…”). 2. Countable vs Uncountable nouns e.g. “the number (not “amount”) of people”, “the elderly” (not “the elderlies”), “research” (not “researches”) 3. Tense errors – when engaging in comparison of past and present -day contexts or giving examples of past events, students should use the past tense. 4. Inconsistent use of pronouns – e.g. using ‘one’ and ‘their’ / ‘themselves’ interchangeably when referring to the same subject. 5. “Its” is a possessive pronoun vs. “it’s” is a contraction of “it is” which should not be used in formal writing. 6. Omission of hyphens e.g. “fast-paced society”, “well-being”, “long-term effects”, “one-sided views” 7. Omission of the definite article “the” – e.g. the USA, the majority, the elderly, the state, the internet, the Arts. 8. The first letter of proper nouns should be capitalised e.g. Instagram, Asian, YouTube, Western, TikTok. 9. Ungrammatical sentence structure – e.g. sentence fragments, run -on sentences without appropriate use of commas, sentences without verbs. 10. Spelling errors – “portrays”, “o ccasion”, “pers everance”, “prev alent”, “privile ge”, “occur rence”, “legitimacy”, etc. 11. Expression errors • “Thus, this shows that…” – “thus” & “this shows that” cannot be used together • “Hence, solving the problem.” – incomplete sentence 12. Writing style • Do not describe the writing process, e.g. “In this essay, I will …” / “This essay will discuss…” • Do not conclude every paragraph by merely repeating the entire question. Vary the phrasing.

1. Have digital media made artists worse off? Question Type: Cause and Effect / Time-based Debatable Issue: made artists worse off vs not made artists worse off Keywords: ‘digital media’: creative content that can be accessed through electronic devices, via online platforms, streaming services, and social media etc ‘artists’: creative individuals, from musicians and painters to filmmakers and writers ‘made… worse off’: situation has deteriorated compared to the past, can apply to various aspects such as financial, creative, recognition, reach Context: Modern world: democratisation of artistic creation; a plethora of online platforms which facilitate global reach and exposure; information overload online which can make it difficult for artists to gain attention; digital piracy and copyright issues; the need to go viral and staying relevant requires constant adaptation by content creators; the rise of the gig economy and its impact Recommended/ possible approaches: • Students should discuss the reasons why the impact of digital media on artists has been positive or negative, and how that compares with the past. • Students can consider whether the impact of digital media may vary depending on the art form (music, visual arts etc.), or differ across societies. Pitfalls: • Students merely list or describe examples of digital media/artforms without considering the impact on artists specifically, and whether they are worse off today as compared to the past. • Students simply focus on digital media as social media. Possible Stand 1: Digital media have made artists worse off. A. Digital media have the potential to foster piracy and copyright infringement, making it more difficult for artists to make a living from their work today. E.g. The rise of “remix culture”, where copyrighted material is used and repurposed without permission, blurs the line between artistic tribute and infringement of copyright. While this can be positive for exposure, it can also lead to artists' work being used for free in fan art, remixes, or memes without proper compensa