O-Level English Language
The key to doing well is to make effort right from the start to listen to and speak correct English. Why?
The brain is wired in such a way that we absorb info from hearing much faster than through the eyes. This was how we picked up our language when we were little tots. Papa and Mama kept repeating words and we picked them up over time, and we then kept repeating the words until they become second nature.
That’s the way to learn – by usage. Memorising language rules and all that will only get us so far.
Next, you also have to want to improve your English. I have had countless students by now and there have been some who learn with me for a few years and they still do badly for the final exam. Why? Simple, they have had no motivation to improve.
Peer pressure is a powerful thing. If all our friends refuse to speak proper English, we also don’t feel like speaking properly so that we don’t feel out of place with them.
If we really want to do well for our exams, we really need to speak, read, write and listen to correct English. Our brains will then get programmed over time such that the moment we speak or write or hear bad English, the alarm bells at the back of our head will ring.
It is in fact entirely possible to pick up proper English without even knowing grammar rules. I share with my students that I’ve always gotten distinctions for my English in school, which I achieved not by memorising grammar rules but by making effort to read, speak, write and listen to correct English. (The first time I picked up a grammar book was when I had to learn the formal technical rules and terms to teach!)
Yet, I don’t have a problem communicating with fellow Singaporeans who cannot speak English well because I can speak Singlish, too. The thing is that I know the difference between the two and I can code switch any time I like, depending on whom I’m talking to and what kind of English I have to use to get my point across.
So, we can learn proper English without having to sacrifice our communicative language, but effort must be made.
If you’ve been paying attention, you’d also realise that this is how we can do well in the oral component of the paper. The oral component is all about how fluent we are in our spoken language. When we know the language well, we then don’t have to think about what to say or how to say. This helps you to breeze through the paper easily.
The brain is wired in such a way that we absorb info from hearing much faster than through the eyes. This was how we picked up our language when we were little tots. Papa and Mama kept repeating words and we picked them up over time, and we then kept repeating the words until they become second nature.
That’s the way to learn – by usage. Memorising language rules and all that will only get us so far.
Next, you also have to want to improve your English. I have had countless students by now and there have been some who learn with me for a few years and they still do badly for the final exam. Why? Simple, they have had no motivation to improve.
Peer pressure is a powerful thing. If all our friends refuse to speak proper English, we also don’t feel like speaking properly so that we don’t feel out of place with them.
If we really want to do well for our exams, we really need to speak, read, write and listen to correct English. Our brains will then get programmed over time such that the moment we speak or write or hear bad English, the alarm bells at the back of our head will ring.
It is in fact entirely possible to pick up proper English without even knowing grammar rules. I share with my students that I’ve always gotten distinctions for my English in school, which I achieved not by memorising grammar rules but by making effort to read, speak, write and listen to correct English. (The first time I picked up a grammar book was when I had to learn the formal technical rules and terms to teach!)
Yet, I don’t have a problem communicating with fellow Singaporeans who cannot speak English well because I can speak Singlish, too. The thing is that I know the difference between the two and I can code switch any time I like, depending on whom I’m talking to and what kind of English I have to use to get my point across.
So, we can learn proper English without having to sacrifice our communicative language, but effort must be made.
If you’ve been paying attention, you’d also realise that this is how we can do well in the oral component of the paper. The oral component is all about how fluent we are in our spoken language. When we know the language well, we then don’t have to think about what to say or how to say. This helps you to breeze through the paper easily.
Editing
This section tests your grammar. Some teachers put their students through lessons in prepositions, conjunctions etc. To me, an easier way is simply to pay attention to what we read and what we listen to, assuming we are reading and listening to correct English. Once the correct language is programmed into our minds, this section will be a breeze since the errors will pop out automatically.
I often ask my students, “How does this sound like?” Those who have been practising what I tell them to will be able to tell whether a sentence has any error or not simply from the sound of it.
Again, read and listen carefully to correct English at all times.
Pay attention to the whole sentence as well. Do not look for errors line by line. Read the whole sentence. Read the whole sentence in context. Only when the meaning is clear then can we be sure of the error type. Quite often, there seems to be no error at all in the line. It is only when reading the whole sentence in context that the error becomes glaringly obvious.
Another way to practise editing is to pay attention to what we read when we do our practice papers. I often come across practice / test papers from assessment books and even school papers with grammatical errors in them. It is appalling that students can do the papers without even spotting the mistakes. This simply shows that they are not conscious in their reading. Be conscious, and every time you read English is time in practising for the editing section. And as you read, pay attention to the sentence structures, punctuations etc. Ask yourself constantly, “Why is this punctuation used here and used this way? Why is this sentence written this way? What is the effect?” and so on.
Lastly, some knowledge of basic grammar rules is most helpful, like when to use ‘who’ and ‘whom’, very verb that comes after be / is / are / was / were is always a present or past participle whereas every verb that comes after has / have / had is always a past participle, and so on. There are only a few rules to learn and no need to read the entire grammar book.
This section tests your grammar. Some teachers put their students through lessons in prepositions, conjunctions etc. To me, an easier way is simply to pay attention to what we read and what we listen to, assuming we are reading and listening to correct English. Once the correct language is programmed into our minds, this section will be a breeze since the errors will pop out automatically.
I often ask my students, “How does this sound like?” Those who have been practising what I tell them to will be able to tell whether a sentence has any error or not simply from the sound of it.
Again, read and listen carefully to correct English at all times.
Pay attention to the whole sentence as well. Do not look for errors line by line. Read the whole sentence. Read the whole sentence in context. Only when the meaning is clear then can we be sure of the error type. Quite often, there seems to be no error at all in the line. It is only when reading the whole sentence in context that the error becomes glaringly obvious.
Another way to practise editing is to pay attention to what we read when we do our practice papers. I often come across practice / test papers from assessment books and even school papers with grammatical errors in them. It is appalling that students can do the papers without even spotting the mistakes. This simply shows that they are not conscious in their reading. Be conscious, and every time you read English is time in practising for the editing section. And as you read, pay attention to the sentence structures, punctuations etc. Ask yourself constantly, “Why is this punctuation used here and used this way? Why is this sentence written this way? What is the effect?” and so on.
Lastly, some knowledge of basic grammar rules is most helpful, like when to use ‘who’ and ‘whom’, very verb that comes after be / is / are / was / were is always a present or past participle whereas every verb that comes after has / have / had is always a past participle, and so on. There are only a few rules to learn and no need to read the entire grammar book.
Situational Writing
This section requires students to think more about how to persuade someone to their views. General knowledge is required because your persuasion needs to make sense! The best way to learn, again, is to read a lot, for by reading, you come across myriad opinions from diverse groups of people to similar topics. You then pick up how other people put their views across to persuade others.
This section is therefore, in a way, persuasive writing using facts and logic.
At the same time, situational writing is written assuming you're writing on a real-life scenario. The way you present your ideas have to be such that it reads plausible. Again, reading widely gives you numerous advantages in knowing how to interpret the question and how to present it realistically.
Then, applying the formula of identifying the tasks, organising the tasks, applying the given info and applying PK becomes very straightforward. Remember, read the whole question from top to bottom and left to right to understand the question fully. The number of bullets is never the number of tasks you need to take on!
This section requires students to think more about how to persuade someone to their views. General knowledge is required because your persuasion needs to make sense! The best way to learn, again, is to read a lot, for by reading, you come across myriad opinions from diverse groups of people to similar topics. You then pick up how other people put their views across to persuade others.
This section is therefore, in a way, persuasive writing using facts and logic.
At the same time, situational writing is written assuming you're writing on a real-life scenario. The way you present your ideas have to be such that it reads plausible. Again, reading widely gives you numerous advantages in knowing how to interpret the question and how to present it realistically.
Then, applying the formula of identifying the tasks, organising the tasks, applying the given info and applying PK becomes very straightforward. Remember, read the whole question from top to bottom and left to right to understand the question fully. The number of bullets is never the number of tasks you need to take on!
Composition
Essay writing is also another simple thing to do. First, we need to know the structure of the respective essay or situational writing we need to do. Then we need to know what each specific essay type is looking for.
For descriptive essays, use as many metaphors and figurative language as you can. They enrich your writing and make it more pleasurable to read. Also remember to show, not tell. Many essays typically tell what happened, then what happened, then what happened, then what happened, then what happened, then what happened, then what happened, then what happened… *yawn*
Boring...
No, you show what’s happening, engaging all the senses and feelings and emotions. Make the reader imagine and feel what you are describing. Make all the colours vivid. Engage the reader's emotions, not his head only. Make the reader feel.
Whether discussions or expositions (actually, they are all about the same, even the argumentative essays), one important element is to evaluate the topic a little. Do not simply describe or list.
As for the argumentative essay, always ensure the topic sentence is in place, together with the elaboration and the example. Argue logically and reasonably too. Of course, writing argumentative essays require that we have some critical knowledge of current issues, otherwise, it will be tough to write.
For the current syllabus, narratives (the way it was examined) have been taken out and I'm glad they did. For far too many years, too many school teachers have gotten their students to focus on narratives because it was easier to at least pass the paper with narratives. Unfortunately, these students then have a rude shock when they go on to JC General Paper because they are not used to reading about current affairs.
Without narratives this time round, students have no choice but to read widely so that they can handle the argumentative, descriptive and expository essays. This also requires students to improve their language in order to convey their thoughts clearly and accurately.
Again, it boils down to reading, and focus on language. Do these well and it's difficult not to do well.
In short, in case you still don’t realise, it is a very difficult task to write anything if we have no tools to use. It is by reading and listening that we learn the different ‘tools’ (like words, phrases, idioms, expressions etc.) we can use in our papers.
It is by speaking and writing that we practise using these ‘tools’ until we can wield them automatically and accurately.
To sum up, there really is no way to master the language or do well in the paper without putting the effort to read, write, speak and listen to correct English.
Essay writing is also another simple thing to do. First, we need to know the structure of the respective essay or situational writing we need to do. Then we need to know what each specific essay type is looking for.
For descriptive essays, use as many metaphors and figurative language as you can. They enrich your writing and make it more pleasurable to read. Also remember to show, not tell. Many essays typically tell what happened, then what happened, then what happened, then what happened, then what happened, then what happened, then what happened, then what happened… *yawn*
Boring...
No, you show what’s happening, engaging all the senses and feelings and emotions. Make the reader imagine and feel what you are describing. Make all the colours vivid. Engage the reader's emotions, not his head only. Make the reader feel.
Whether discussions or expositions (actually, they are all about the same, even the argumentative essays), one important element is to evaluate the topic a little. Do not simply describe or list.
As for the argumentative essay, always ensure the topic sentence is in place, together with the elaboration and the example. Argue logically and reasonably too. Of course, writing argumentative essays require that we have some critical knowledge of current issues, otherwise, it will be tough to write.
For the current syllabus, narratives (the way it was examined) have been taken out and I'm glad they did. For far too many years, too many school teachers have gotten their students to focus on narratives because it was easier to at least pass the paper with narratives. Unfortunately, these students then have a rude shock when they go on to JC General Paper because they are not used to reading about current affairs.
Without narratives this time round, students have no choice but to read widely so that they can handle the argumentative, descriptive and expository essays. This also requires students to improve their language in order to convey their thoughts clearly and accurately.
Again, it boils down to reading, and focus on language. Do these well and it's difficult not to do well.
In short, in case you still don’t realise, it is a very difficult task to write anything if we have no tools to use. It is by reading and listening that we learn the different ‘tools’ (like words, phrases, idioms, expressions etc.) we can use in our papers.
It is by speaking and writing that we practise using these ‘tools’ until we can wield them automatically and accurately.
To sum up, there really is no way to master the language or do well in the paper without putting the effort to read, write, speak and listen to correct English.
Visual Text
This section is one where students have the potential to score full marks once they understand what it is all about. For all the questions in this section, in the end, they all boil down to “who is the target audience, and why?”, “what is the purpose / message of the text, and why?” and “how effective is the design of the text, and why?”
Students can practise this section anytime, anywhere. Advertisements, brochures, posters etc. are everywhere around us. I teach my students to run through the key questions in their mind every time they come across any visual text, anywhere. This is a section that you can practice anytime, anywhere.
This section is one where students have the potential to score full marks once they understand what it is all about. For all the questions in this section, in the end, they all boil down to “who is the target audience, and why?”, “what is the purpose / message of the text, and why?” and “how effective is the design of the text, and why?”
Students can practise this section anytime, anywhere. Advertisements, brochures, posters etc. are everywhere around us. I teach my students to run through the key questions in their mind every time they come across any visual text, anywhere. This is a section that you can practice anytime, anywhere.
Comprehension
The way to do well in comprehension is quite simple.
“Comprehension” means understanding. The paper tests how well we understand the passage and the questions.
Understanding the passage is easy when your language is strong. Even if we don’t know the topic of the passage, just by having a good language foundation allows us to infer or figure out what is happening easily. Of course, if we know the topic at hand (what we call 'prior knowledge'), we can understand it very quickly.
As for the questions, there are only two things you need to do – figure out whether it is an inferential type of question or an ‘answer-from-the-text’ type of question. This allows us to hunt for the answer correctly (I use a simple formula. My collection of the 10-year series goes back to 1997, and this formula has proved to be effective for answering the questions every year).
Then for the questions where we have to use our own words, the idea to keep in mind is to not rephrase the sentence word for word. This is guaranteed to hurt your marks, especially if you do this for summary! The method employed by many of our school teachers just isn't effective, and habits once formed, are very difficult to change.
No! The way to go about it is to take the sentence, understand the idea behind it, then re-express the idea in another way. That’s all!
Example:
I had a good lunch can be re-expressed as The afternoon meal was good / fantastic / marvelous / wonderful.
Is there any word-for-word rephrase?
(By the way, summary exercises are the best to do to improve your overall English language skills. When using my method correctly, the student learns vocabulary, sentence structures, sentence expressions, grammar etc., which incidentally are the very same skills you require for writing a good composition.)
Then how do we learn how to do this? Again, simple, by reading.
You see, when we read, we learn new and different ways to see and re-express the same thing. We don’t even need to figure it out on our own. We just learn and copy! Over time, this starts to become more automatic until we don’t need to think anymore. We just do.
The current syllabus is very interesting. For starters, there are a lot more inferential questions than in the previous syllabus. This requires students to read widely for without sufficient general knowledge, there is no way a student can understand, can comprehend, what the question is asking for.
I personally think this is the right way to go, especially for those who aim for higher studies in JC and university. Not only must our English be good, we also must know what is happening around the world, and more importantly, we must know how to think. Too many students don't know how to think critically, unfortunately.
Then, there's time management. Watch your time. When you manage your time well, there’s no need to rush at all or end up with insufficient time to complete the paper. Another thing about time management is how long we take to process the questions and come up with the answers. I always say, when our prior knowledge (PK) is good and we are already used to the method, we will answer the questions very quickly. In short, we still need to read to build up our PK. There really is no way we can avoid reading. No way.
The way to do well in comprehension is quite simple.
“Comprehension” means understanding. The paper tests how well we understand the passage and the questions.
Understanding the passage is easy when your language is strong. Even if we don’t know the topic of the passage, just by having a good language foundation allows us to infer or figure out what is happening easily. Of course, if we know the topic at hand (what we call 'prior knowledge'), we can understand it very quickly.
As for the questions, there are only two things you need to do – figure out whether it is an inferential type of question or an ‘answer-from-the-text’ type of question. This allows us to hunt for the answer correctly (I use a simple formula. My collection of the 10-year series goes back to 1997, and this formula has proved to be effective for answering the questions every year).
Then for the questions where we have to use our own words, the idea to keep in mind is to not rephrase the sentence word for word. This is guaranteed to hurt your marks, especially if you do this for summary! The method employed by many of our school teachers just isn't effective, and habits once formed, are very difficult to change.
No! The way to go about it is to take the sentence, understand the idea behind it, then re-express the idea in another way. That’s all!
Example:
I had a good lunch can be re-expressed as The afternoon meal was good / fantastic / marvelous / wonderful.
Is there any word-for-word rephrase?
(By the way, summary exercises are the best to do to improve your overall English language skills. When using my method correctly, the student learns vocabulary, sentence structures, sentence expressions, grammar etc., which incidentally are the very same skills you require for writing a good composition.)
Then how do we learn how to do this? Again, simple, by reading.
You see, when we read, we learn new and different ways to see and re-express the same thing. We don’t even need to figure it out on our own. We just learn and copy! Over time, this starts to become more automatic until we don’t need to think anymore. We just do.
The current syllabus is very interesting. For starters, there are a lot more inferential questions than in the previous syllabus. This requires students to read widely for without sufficient general knowledge, there is no way a student can understand, can comprehend, what the question is asking for.
I personally think this is the right way to go, especially for those who aim for higher studies in JC and university. Not only must our English be good, we also must know what is happening around the world, and more importantly, we must know how to think. Too many students don't know how to think critically, unfortunately.
Then, there's time management. Watch your time. When you manage your time well, there’s no need to rush at all or end up with insufficient time to complete the paper. Another thing about time management is how long we take to process the questions and come up with the answers. I always say, when our prior knowledge (PK) is good and we are already used to the method, we will answer the questions very quickly. In short, we still need to read to build up our PK. There really is no way we can avoid reading. No way.
Oral Paper
The Oral Paper is one that is very easy to score in, if sufficient preparation is made. It takes up 20% of the overall percentage, which means if you score well in this, you have more room for error in the other papers to get your distinction. Unfortunately, many schools pay little attention to this, starting practices only when exams are just around the corner.
This means that you have to do your own practices yourself. Start by reading properly. English is our country’s working language and there are passages in English everywhere. Read aloud and ensure that your pronounce your ending ‘TKD’s, beginning T’s and P’s, and so on. Many make the mistake of thinking that oral is about pronouncing the words correctly. Wrong, it is about Articulation, Expression, Fluency, then Pronunciation, in this order.
Many Singaporeans have the bad habit of swallowing your sounds, such that it is difficult to make out what you are saying. Make it a habit to speak and articulate clearly all the time, not just in your reading. Don’t forget that Spoken Interaction is 20m vs Reading’s 10m. Speak to your family and friends properly all the time. Once it is a habit, you will not lapse into speaking badly and jeopardising your marks.
In case you still have not noticed, Questions B and C are typical composition questions. It is difficult to respond well if you don’t know the topic. Again, it pays to read widely.
Note: the syllabus will change in 2023 where Oral Reading will be replaced by a discussion based on a visual. I don’t know if this is because too many students read badly. I hope not. However, the fact still remains that you still need to respond verbally and speaking properly and clearly is still required.
The Oral Paper is one that is very easy to score in, if sufficient preparation is made. It takes up 20% of the overall percentage, which means if you score well in this, you have more room for error in the other papers to get your distinction. Unfortunately, many schools pay little attention to this, starting practices only when exams are just around the corner.
This means that you have to do your own practices yourself. Start by reading properly. English is our country’s working language and there are passages in English everywhere. Read aloud and ensure that your pronounce your ending ‘TKD’s, beginning T’s and P’s, and so on. Many make the mistake of thinking that oral is about pronouncing the words correctly. Wrong, it is about Articulation, Expression, Fluency, then Pronunciation, in this order.
Many Singaporeans have the bad habit of swallowing your sounds, such that it is difficult to make out what you are saying. Make it a habit to speak and articulate clearly all the time, not just in your reading. Don’t forget that Spoken Interaction is 20m vs Reading’s 10m. Speak to your family and friends properly all the time. Once it is a habit, you will not lapse into speaking badly and jeopardising your marks.
In case you still have not noticed, Questions B and C are typical composition questions. It is difficult to respond well if you don’t know the topic. Again, it pays to read widely.
Note: the syllabus will change in 2023 where Oral Reading will be replaced by a discussion based on a visual. I don’t know if this is because too many students read badly. I hope not. However, the fact still remains that you still need to respond verbally and speaking properly and clearly is still required.
Final Words
The above are brief details that will help anyone preparing for the O-Level English Language paper. Time and space do not allow me to go into too much detail. Besides, there are things that have to be shown, not write about.
In our lessons, we learn exactly how to:
- Read a passage to learn the language,
- Read a passage aloud to score well in the oral paper without sounding fake,
- Identify the question type in the comprehension questions,
- Search for the correct answer,
- Re-express the idea in your own words,
- Write a good summary in 10 minutes,
- Use the right structure to write argumentative essays that actually make sense,
- Speak well, and speak clearly, and impress your listener,
- And many more tips and tricks to do well in the paper.
Importantly, you learn how to practise these techniques anytime, anywhere. I always tell my students that learning does not start only when you sit down at your table and open your book. You can practise the skills the moment you wake up until you fall asleep at night. It really is possible. All my students who have done well are those who have learnt how to practise the skills at any time they wish.
If you wish to learn how to do well for your O-Level English, details on lessons can be found at the tab above.
The above are brief details that will help anyone preparing for the O-Level English Language paper. Time and space do not allow me to go into too much detail. Besides, there are things that have to be shown, not write about.
In our lessons, we learn exactly how to:
- Read a passage to learn the language,
- Read a passage aloud to score well in the oral paper without sounding fake,
- Identify the question type in the comprehension questions,
- Search for the correct answer,
- Re-express the idea in your own words,
- Write a good summary in 10 minutes,
- Use the right structure to write argumentative essays that actually make sense,
- Speak well, and speak clearly, and impress your listener,
- And many more tips and tricks to do well in the paper.
Importantly, you learn how to practise these techniques anytime, anywhere. I always tell my students that learning does not start only when you sit down at your table and open your book. You can practise the skills the moment you wake up until you fall asleep at night. It really is possible. All my students who have done well are those who have learnt how to practise the skills at any time they wish.
If you wish to learn how to do well for your O-Level English, details on lessons can be found at the tab above.