Review on 2015 O Level English 1128 Papers

This year's O Level English proved to be an interesting one. The scope of assessment that candidates were exposed to was of high standards and demand. Based on the papers, especially Paper 3 (Listening), I would expect that SEAB would set a much higher standard paper for 2016.

Paper 1 (Writing)
  This proved to be interesting and a disadvantage for much candidates. Many did not anticipate the Article to come out for Situational Writing. However, it should be noted that format has no significant impact in the scoring of the Writing itself. What is more significant is that an Article should have a tone and style of writing that is similar to a speech, humorous, engaging and one that makes the reader personally involved.
  Therefore, candidates should not be stumbled by the format that one does not get into interaction with, but you should be able to manipulate to any quirky format that you have not given and give the tone and objective that is stated in the situation write-up explicitly by the Section itself. The questions that were set were similar to that of 2013. 1 Reflective-Descriptive Mixed Text, 3 Expository.
This proved to be a section that was highly anticipated by candidates and well enjoyed.
  It was of disadvantage to centres which convinced students that One Word Topic will come out by setting it in the Preliminary Examination, even though it is stated clearly in the 1128 Syllabus that One Word Topic will not be set. Many thought that the Questions were straightforward and easily managed, writing lengthy essays. It is HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE to do so as 1128 Syllabus focuses more on language rather than content. If one write a wonderful essay with fantastic content that is well received, this candidate will not fare much (maximum 20) if there are a lot of grammatical errors in the essay. In conclusion, despite the straightforwardness of the question, just 4 main points are needed for the essay. DON'T OVERWRITE.

  My Comments and Hopes for 2016 O Level Candidates : I thought that this paper was straightforward and easy. Article was well received by me as I had studied the format accordingly. This was easy to handle and I wrote a splendid writing that linked and amplified all of the required points. For Writing, I hate Expository. So, I did Question 1, which is on the Possession that I cherish the most. Splendid essay I suppose, as It contained a hidden message that I hope the Cambridge Markers can notice in my essay.
  I think that the following format of examination would come out for 2016 O Level 1128/01:
2 Expository 2 Narrative/Reflective Mixed
Email as Situational Writing.

Paper 2 (Comprehension)
  This proved to be a highly straightforward and standard Comprehension paper. The Standard and Level of answering was similar to that of 2014. The amount of quote questions was highly not predicted and too much of a percentage. This is because of the need for question that can distinguish the good and the best students. Moreover, the Summary was too easy of a task and the only thing that can distinguish the students is the usage of Language Marks, which many not seem to prefer to do so.
  Section A was a highly unanticipated section. More than half of the total marks were for quoting! That makes the section unpredictable and not reasonable for a meaningful assessment of students' English Abilities.
  Section B was a straightforward section with several tricks and treats along the way. The fact that the answers can be stated/implied from the text makes the entire section bearable.
  Section C was an easy section with many students in my school being able to score 9-10 marks. The Summary was easy to organise and condense to 80 words, with the hardest part being the Language (writing in own words), which is mainly 3 marks worth.
  Hopes for 2016 Candidature : Visual Text for 2016 is predicted to have little/no quote questions. Narrative is predicted to have many OWN WORDS questions and INFERENTIAL QUESTION. Summary should be one that focuses mainly on two contrasting issues, like advantages and disadvantages, etc.

Paper 3 (Listening)

  This proved to be a highly difficult paper for this year's candidature, mainly because for Note Taking. However, it should be noted that Cambridge has made attempts to slow down the speed of talking in the examination, in comparison to that of 2013 and 2014. Many said that it was hard because they had to copy large chunks of text. Many may have heard from their teacher in regards to the Examiner's Report or whatsoever, that Cambridge is VERY strict in the marking of Listening. This can be taken as a fact, but if you copy word from word from the audio player, there is a high possibility that you cannot copy the entire structure and make expression errors.

  Advice for Listening : DO NOT COPY WORD FROM WORD. Rather, take notes as you listen to the recordings for Part 4 and 5. Do not attempt the question first. Take note of the important keywords from EVERY sentence and write it in pencil somewhere away from the blanks you needs to fill in. For Part 4, listen to the recording again and with eye on the notes, fill in the keywords that best suits the blank while strengthening the point with the replay of the recording. This is highly effective.

   For Part 5, the Speaker will speak especially and obviously slowly for the answers to the six questions. Take notice of these decrease in speed and copy it word from word, which is extremely easy to do so due to the decrease in speed, at a place away from the blank. After the entire recording, since it is only heard once, write it using the 2 minutes that is provided to look through your answers.

  GOLDEN RULE--> The 2 minutes is the golden 2 minutes. Use this to fill in the blank or strengthen the point in Part 4 and 5. Write your alphabets and ticks properly and adjust accordingly in the 2 minutes. You should be aiming for 30/30 for Listening.