GENERAL PAPER GCE Alternative Ordinary Level General comments Once again, the general standard of the candidates’ answers was pleasing, with some excellent responses in the higher ranges. Nevertheless, it is recommended that reference is made to previous Principal Examiners’ Reports since a number of linguistic features that cause concem continue to appear in the less Successful scripts. Indeed, whilst there is evidence that many candidates are well aware of the need for evaluation rather than mere regurgitation of ideas, together with the need for balance and relevant examples, itis often the quality of language that limits the success of the script. Of course, Examiners do not seek to over-penalise the candidates, but the effectiveness of the ideas themselves is clearly inextricably entwined with the quality of written communication. Whilst candidates are not encouraged to be over pedantic in analysing the words of the question, as in efining obvious words such as ‘today’ or ‘choices’, itis important to pay close attention to key phrases that should shape the response of the answer. For example, phrases such as ‘too closely or too many’ do invite an element of assessment of degree, not merely a regurgitation of examples of excess. Such an evaluation should, therefore, comprise a vital element in the conclusion to the script. Introductions are a vital element in establishing the potential quality of a script in the mind of the Examiner. Fewer candidates seem to engage in somewhat nebulous verbiage, only to re-state the question after ten or twelve lines. crisp, concise style is much to be preferred in the opening (as well as in the body of the script). Over-complex phrasing or sentencing, with insecure use of vocabulary can establish a detrimental impression. Great care and practice in the writing of effective introductions is to be encouraged. ‘Similarly, most questions do contain the basic elements of a structure in the response. Many candidates do show evidence of planning, but there are still those whose organisation of ideas appears somewhat random and arbitrary. Constant reference to the wording of the question should, of course, provide a range of valuable ‘signals’ in shaping the line of argument. Mention has also been made in the past of the problems that arise from crossing-out and amending what has been written. Whilst such prevalent corrections suggest a lack of premeditated thought, they do invariably result in flawed expression, not least the loss of grammatically formed sentences. Such a practice is to be discouraged. Candidates who are less secure in their command of language must think before, not as, they write, Examiners are asked to identify examples of ‘felicitous expression’. Essentially, this means the recognition of more wide-ranging vocabulary and fluent phrasing that lift the script above the sound, but mundane. The importance of wide reading in preparation for this paper cannot, yet again, be over-emphasised. Indeed, the number of candidates who referred to the debasement of written expression in the light of modem technology illustrates the danger of communication that is too easy and accessible. In terms of specific grammatical difficulties, the detailed list offered in last year's Report remains largely valid: verb tenses, subject/verb agreements, problems of number, and variation in the use of pronouns. ‘The word ‘whereby’ instead of ‘when’ remains a constant error, as does the faulty construction linking ‘Although... with @ subsequent clause beginning with ‘but...’. Uncertainty about the use, and omission, of the definite articie is stil present, usually with the same nouns, or often countries. (A common error here is to describe Africa as a ‘country, often followed by sweeping generalisations about its poverty, population growth or starvation). ‘Several words also recur in their plural form (machineries, mails, researches, damages as examples) when the singular is required. ‘Sport’ and ‘sports’ stil require clarification, although this error did appear less frequently in scripts this year. Where a plural is often omitted is in such a phrase as ‘One of the inventions, or ‘One of the acvertisements...’. This can easily be rectified with practice. 112ther common confusions were quite commonplace: economicieconomical, agricutture/agricultural, spendispent, extend/extent, build/bult, practise/practice, ‘Once again, the list of points is not to cast any negative shadow over the achievement of candidates, but to emphasise the need to ensure that language competence, or indeed excellence, remains on a par with the other organisational and knowledge-based skills required for this paper. Comments on specific questions Question 1 Sport and Money ‘A very popular question that attracted a wide range of candidates. Inevitably, sports such as soccer and basketball tended to dominate with some standard exampies offered. Nevertheless, the range of knowledge ‘was quite impressive. Where less successful candidates fell down was in a failure to focus on the idea of ‘Sport being ‘too closely linked to money. Often candidates merely resorted to examples of the impact of money in sport the impact of the media, sponsorship, advertising, endorsements, monetary incentives, and investment in the infrastructure of sport. Consequences were also raised — the loss of the Olympic ideal, a ‘win-at-all-costs’ mentality, drug abuse, cheating. Nevertheless, there was a realisation that sport exists at various levels and that many participated purely for enjoyment, fies purposes anc so on. Some mention was also made of sport for the disabled and its value. Question 2 Global and National interests ‘This challenging question was attempted by relatively few candidates, relying largely on economic and political concems, namely trade, population movements and pollution. Some good answers made reference to recent developments such as the Kyoto summit, whilst others recognised that more powerful countries were often more reluctant to abandon national interests. Question 3 Computers, Mobile Telephones and Communication Inevitably, perhaps, this proved to be one of the most popular questions, the discriminating factor being the focus on the key issue of whether the new technology enhanced or reduced effective communication. Some argued that ease and access improved contact, especially for shy people, whilst others highlighted the social isolation that computers often brought about. Social skills, as well as debased use of language were seen as limiting factors, as was the reduction in actual face-to-face contact. Many showed an understandable knowiedge of the new devices and their functions, with most technical phrases being expiained or ilustrated. Question 4 ‘The Location of Countries ‘This relatively straightforward question offered a good opportunity to acquire good marks provided responses were planned carefully, written clearly and showed a balanced appreciation of benefits and drawbacks. Whilst many answers took Singapore and its neighbours as their prominent examples, the higher range of responses showed a wider scope, together with reference to recent events. The main areas covered included natural resources, natural disasters, rade routes, climate and political factors. Question 5 Pay and Worthwhile’ Jobs This proved to attract relatively few answers, of varying auality. Undoubtedly those that failed to offer a meaningful definition of worthwhile’ struggled to establish a framework for the argument. Examples were not especially wide-ranging and many failed to appreciate that worthwhile jobs are not always necessary poorly remunerated! 413Question 6 Cloning and the Human Race Probably the most popular question on the paper, with the greatest range of success. As one Examiner remarked, ‘Many answers were confused about the actual nature of cioning, so that genetic engineering, global warming and even the ozone layer found their way into answers in a totally irrelevant manner. Whilst there may be some overlap between cloning and genetic engineering they are not such interchangeable concepts and practices as a number of candidates suggested. Certainly some of the ideas bordered on the fanciful, if not the fantastic. Images of clones of Hitler or Osama bin Laden roaming the Earth causing chaos abounded. Conversely, clones of Einstein were called upon to find solutions to all te problems of the world! The thought of cicning a dead relative to assuage the loss of a loved one was simpistically repeated. ‘Brave New World’ was frequently used to illustrate the horrors of a world in which clones were the subject of discrimination, being second class citizens or robots designed to do menial tasks. More successful answers focused upon the possible uses of cloning with plants and animals, as well as recognising the range of ethical issues invoived. Quite simply, the more that common sense replaced science fiction, the more successful the answer. Question 7 History and Truth Examiners reported very few responses to this question. Those that did attempt it did show knowiedge, however, as well as some awareriess of the complexities and factors connected to the whole concept of verifying historical fact. Question 8 Restrictions on Advertising ‘A discriminating factor in this question rested on the scripts that largely described advertisements, and those that analysed elements in them that might result in some form of restriction, thus identifying possible categories. These could inciude explicit sexual or violent content, or the failure to portray the truth about a product. A number of answers dealt with advertising in the wider sense than the mere seling of a product, to look at propaganda and the truth of a message. A key point arising from this question was the need to ook at the issue underiying a topic (restriction), and not simply react to the topic word (advertisements). Question 9 Films and Entertainment This question probably generated the most successful range of responses in the paper. Good answers simply acknowiedged the importance of entertainment in the film industry, ilustrated this, and then moved on to other functions: education, raising awareness, artistic interest, propaganda, human interest. Once again, a range of impressive examples from a variety of cultures was offered. Not all candidates, however, recognised that Hollywood's depiction of history may not always coincide with other accounts! Question 10 Predicting the Future This question tended to produce the widest range of responses. Predictions of weather and economics were frequently mentioned together with a variety of forms of fortune telling. Better answers evaluated the reasons for such a need, dealing with issues of planning and security, whilst noting the possible psychological effects on people and even societies. Nostradamus received a mention, as did the value of being able to predict examination questions!Question 11 One Partner For Lite ‘A popular question that again generated a varied response in terms of perspectives and ability. Weaker candidates ‘ailed to appreciate the full implication of the question ~ the changed pressures on people today where permanent relationships are concemed. Indeed, a few saw the question as a means of comparing monogamy with polygamy. Good answers saw the changes in the position of women in society and their ‘changed status and expectations, as well as their economic independence. The effects of marital break-up were examined in terms of the impact on children, and various religious attitudes to the issue were explored. Question 12 Choices In Society Today ‘The final question in the paper is often a very open-ended one. This has both advantages and drawbacks, On the one nand it offers wide scope for interpretation and illustration, but it also poses the risk of encouraging a lack of focus. In this case, less successful scripts merely listed choices available, without dealing with the concept of their being ‘too many’. In this way, it mirrored the first question on the paper. Also, the word ‘today’ invited some kind of comparison with life in the past. Good answers made the point that freedom of choice remains a luxury for the members of developed countries, whilst the poorer ones rely con trying to meet basic needs. General comments ‘The subject of this year's passage, ‘The Long Goodbye’, very clearly appealed to the candidates as it touched directly on their own lives and experience. Taken from a book addressed to parents entitled “Teenagers ~ A Family Guide’, it contained descriptions of what happens to children as they mature, some ‘searching analysis of the relationship between parent and their teenage offspring, and advice to parents on how they can best meet the challenges of this difficult period. Though perfectly serious about the subject, the writer used a lively and amusing style, full of metaphor, irony, anecdote and hyperbole, in which the vocabulary was generally straightforward enough and the sentences short and pithy, moving the argument along rapidly. All this required an alert and very focused response and proved a challenging test for candidates. All were able to grasp and respond to the broad thrust of the passage — performances in the summary almost always showed a sound understanding of its overall argument — but responses to the comprehension questions revealed a very wide difference between the best, who could unpick in detail the subtleties of the language, those who were able to reproduce just one or two ideas, and a few who were sometimes quite unable to follow the writer's use of English. These five questions each contained a number of distinct ideas (in one case as many as ten) and marks were lost by candidates who concentrated repetitively on one or two ideas and failed to explore other meanings present in the selected extract. Use of English is a substantial element in the paper, accounting for up to 15 marks, and generally the standard was good to very good. Copying was rare, and most candidates had an impressive grasp of the accepted conventions of spelling and punctuation. The usual problems with agreement, artes and prepositions were evident, though not perhaps as marked as they were, say, five or ten years ago; there is @ definite upward trend as Teachers concentrate on these particular areas, which are so difficult for writers whose native language does not contain equivalents. For the better candidates, the highest marks were gained by those whose idiom was natural and vocabulary appropriate and precise. There is stil a tendency among the ambitious to try too hard, resulting in strained, awkward expression and pedantic, inappropriate choice of words. Those candidates who are really secure in the wmtten language maintain a good, accurate style throughout the script. Those wnose grasp of language is less certain often did better in their own sentences question, where they could choose their own subject-matter and vocabulary, than in the rest of the paper where their minds were preoccupied with the task of understanding and reproducing the author's meaning. 116cif Question 1 Candidates were asked to quote and explain how three phrases developed the idea that changes in adolescence are so great that itis, for the parents, like having a new-bom child — a concept which the author develops throughout the opening paragraph. There are two constituents to this idea: the magnitude of the change (for the parent) and the similanties which may be drawn between the onset of adolescence and birth. ‘The chosen phrases (and their explanations) might address either or both of these constituents. The original mark-scheme identified seven such phrases (and after seeing what candidates had chosen, Iwo more were added) though candidates sometimes quoted three phrases which, in effect, made only the same obvious points that there is a waitinglevolutionary period common to both and that the precise moment of ‘birth’ is Unpredictable: “thirteen-year wait...” “you can never be sure when a teenager will arrive’, ‘the gestation period varied...”. A better grasp of the extent to which this idea was developed in the paragraph was shown by those who found a greater variety in their choice: “Night will be turned into day” (the late-night habits of teenagers and the sleepless nights of feeding and changing newlyboms; the sense of the word being turned upside down); “house will be cluttered with the hardware of adolescence’ (the computers, Hi-F's, sports gear ‘and ciothes replacing the nappies, feeding-bottles and toys); “physical stress...emotional strain” (the tensions ‘and conflicts between parents and teenagers and the exhaustion of waiting up, femying to and from parties..examples of the physical and emotional strains surrounding the advent of a new, demanding presence in the household); “..a horrible metamorphosis took place under the bianket”. (The total change — from parents’ point of view — is unlikely to apply to childbirth, though some candidates wrote vividly of the wrinkied unsanitary reality!). The question offered plenty of scope to candidates to show what they could do with a novel sort of task. A common error was to ignore the instruction to relate the experiences to the parents’ point of view, these candidates writing feelingly but irrelevantly about their own experiences. Question 2 ‘The three ideas that nearly all answers reproduced were that younger parents were thought to remember their own adolescence more vividly and to show, therefore, a greater degree of understanding, and the counter-view that nobody forgets their teenage years. Many added the point that, in any case, teenagers do ‘not want to follow parents’ advice or example anyway. Fewer noted that all parents’ experience is irrelevant anyway, because every generation's experience is unique. Good candidates spotted the more subtle point that its in fact easier to be different from older parents, giving them the edge as it were — provided that they are not embarrassingly old-looking! Question 3 The short paragraph (3) presented the author's views on the requirements for being an ideal parent to a teenager. The first half was straightforward enough, and many candidates succeeded in exoressing in their ‘own way phrases like “when you've decided who you are" (are confident of your own identity/vaiues) and “gangling, gauche...” (the painfulJawkwardihumiliating experiences of adolescence), noted the importance of having a clearivivid memory of teenage experience, and the modesty/wisdom to keep it to yourself. The second haif was an example of the writer's tongue-in-cheek use of hyperbole to make some valid points arrestingly. She wrote: * When you've learned the difference between personal standards and crimes against humanity, and are ready to relinquish the idea that you are the only thing standing between civilised behaviour and the end of the world”. A demanding test for both candidates and Examiners! It was decided that there were four ideas here worthy of reward: ‘+ understanding of ‘standards of civilised behaviour’ (what you believe is right/your principles); ‘+ accepting that your standards are not universally followed — that your views may be narrow- minded/unrealistic/prejudiced — and could therefore be enforced less rigorousiy; ‘+ that the consequences of letting go would not be catastrophic (it wouldn't be the “end of the world” and your child would not be guity of “crimes against humanity’); ‘+ that you are only one of many influences ~ “the only thing standing between" - and therefore your ‘offspring should have freedom to choose other sources of authority and values. ‘Those who failed to understand or who overlooked the word ‘relinquish’ inverted the meaning of the last two ideas. The mark-scheme usually allowed candidates to pick up one or two half-marks, but they usually scored most of their marks in the easier first half of the question. 116Question 4 AAs in Question 1, the candidates were faced with an analogy. This time the comparison was between the feelings on being made redundant or retrenched and those of the parent with a teenage child. The parents do not have the independence and freedom from responsibilty that redundancy brings for they are stil Reeded in the background, to give support in times of crisis, though they do experience similar feelings of beeing no longer needed. Most candidates understood thus far, but many had difficuty with the financial comparison. The author says that although you still have to provide financial suppor for your child, you do ‘ot receive the redundancy money, lump sum or pension that the “big cheque" refers to. Indeed quite a umber read the work “check’ instead and were led into mistaken ideas about disciplining and holding back errant offspring. Question 5 ‘The last comprehension question was a straightforward ‘transiation’ of a densely written sentence into candidates’ own words. Careful answers could score the full 4 (8 x %4) marks by taking it systematically Phrase by phrase. “And usually when i's all over" (when they've grown up) you get what you originally ordered” (you have what you hoped for) “someone quite separate from you" (a child who has grown independent) “but closely related” (stl part of your family and/or emotionally bonded to you) “who might win @ Nobel Peace Prize" (who might do something really worthwhile) “or mary someone terrible” (or do something you disapprove of) “and whatever” (but no matter what they do) “you'd trust them with your life” (you have total belieffaith in them). This was generally done very well. The main problem was a failure to generalise the last four points; candidates who reproduced them literally did not appreciate what exactly the author was saying: that whatever your child does - things you can be proud of or things you regret — you will always have absolute confidence in them (but not, as many candidates thought, rely on them to look after you in old age). Question 6 Most found “skinped" and “predict” easy enough. To define “determine” as used in the passage they needed to show that parents can chose/plan/control when they have a child; words lke ‘calculate''find out/‘estimate’ indicate that the decision is not in your control. “Preoccupied” was well understood on the whole — obsessed, taken up with, very conscious of — but some ignored the prefix and went for ‘busy’. “Ostentatious” was the discriminator. ‘Essentially it means showing off, attention-seeking. Haif marks were given for acceptable examples (loud, way-out fashions) but there were many blanks. Question 7 “Foresight” was used to suggest a prudent, calculating looking to the future rather than a mere forward- looking, so an effective illustration needed to show a planned result or consequence, or a correct prediction. “Relinquish’ is used with an abstraction (‘relinquish the idea...") so the best illustrations chose other abstractions (giving up the right, authorty, claim etc.) rather than concrete illustration such as relinquishing one's grip on the racquet. “Excites’ was used with the meaning of ‘arouse’; many answers fell into the trap of ignoring the context and used it to mean ‘eagerithriled’. ‘Emerge’ presented few problems, but very few understood ‘adept’ which was frequently misread as ‘adapt’ with illustrations involving animal camouflage and other ways of adapting to an environment. Question & In contrast to last year’s summary, the requirements for selection ~ “the nature and habits of teenagers and their relationships with their parents" — allowed a very large number of possible points, so that really successful summaries needed to be succinct and to pay due attention to all three strands of the rubric — ature, habits, relationship. On the whole the summaries were accomplished, relevant, well written and reasonably comprehensive. There was remarkably little lifting, and often the answer ranged backwards and forwards through the passage as the candidate searched for relevant material. Most used the word limit well, though 2 few made spurious claims about length which never fool the Examiners! The ability to summarise is a key skill in education and often in reakife situations and these students for the most part were clearly well trained and showed an encouraging aptitude. 7