How do you get an A1 in Secondary composition?
Is it that simple?
Getting an A1 in Secondary composition is like finishing your novel and you know that you would be so much better after reading it.
It is like getting to the top of a hill as the challenge will mature you.
It is like visiting a beautiful temple in the crook of a mountain as it should inspire you.
None of these tasks are impossible.
In fact, some of them are more difficult yet students feel an A1 in Secondary composition is next to impossible.
Why is that?
Is it due to countless attempts which filtered through in the mire of your past while your brain sought endless reasons for your low grades in Secondary composition?
No one likes to get a low grade for anything and yet, there they are, defying the odds and adding that lacklustre indentation in your report book.
Forget about your low grades.
If you ever want to be serious about getting an A1 in Secondary composition, you need to forget all your old rules.
Throw them out of the window.
Start from scratch.
Discard your dog-eared notions of what counts as an impactful point.
You have to begin all the way from the bottom.
Let us take a look at what your teachers have been drumming into you all this while.
That PEEL format
Do you remember the PEEL format for writing?
What was that about?
You need to write with a Point.
A point is a valid statement, an opener for what you are going to explain after that.
It is like a press statement to a packed hall of hungry ‘wolverine’ journalists.
You need to issue that opening statement which will set the pace for the Evidence, Explanation and finally the Link sentence which links to the question.
Writing that Point
The Point has to be totally related to the Secondary composition question.
It should gel and meld with it.
The point should:
I) Be relevant to our time
II) Be assertive
III) Contain certain depth so that you can explain it later.
For any given Secondary composition, you need to have at least 3 Points.
4 if you are able to handle it. If you have 4 Points, your answer will be sophisticated and appealing.
Examiners like depth, a show of content based on current trends and the ability to showcase your knowledge.
For students who are able to write 3-4 Points confidently, you are already on track to writing an A1 Secondary composition.
Moving on to the Evidence
This is not as bad as it sounds.
Evidence actually means reaching out for real life events or actions. Eg. Singapore is one of the most stable countries as the government takes countermeasures swiftly in the wake of any disturbing practices.
Eg. Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said that racial diversity was to be respected and that everyone should respect it. He said this in the wake of stressful incidents where people from minority groups suffered slights and injuries recently.
If you look carefully, there were no quotation marks used but reported speech only.
You may use this method to write your evidence as this is the easiest and most natural way.
Why?
Most students will not be able to remember statistics but if you do, all the better for you.
Also, never quote anyone unless you are absolutely clear about every word mentioned.
You may get marks deducted for misquoting in Secondary composition.
And you should never take that risk during exams.
Write confidently using reported speech but maintain the main points which were raised.
Always remember the main details even if you cannot remember every word.
How do you do this?
When it is an important piece of news, watch it or listen to it twice.
All these snippets are available on Youtube.
If you do not have time to watch or listen to everything, locate the highlights.
Glance through those repeatedly until you understand it perfectly well.
This can be done in a few minutes.
The Explanation Finally
Most students confuse the evidence for explanation and vice versa.
I do not know why. Perhaps, they do not have evidence and are trying to whitewash the explanation as evidence.
Most students have no news awareness.
They are usually embedded in media games and chats.
These do not allow for rational expansion of thoughts.
When you explain a piece of evidence in Secondary composition, you need to opine.
Stand firm and strong in your thoughts and state what you feel about what has happened.
And always state something which is valid. Do not be non-committal.
You need to take a stand especially on argumentative topics.
Even if you write expository essays, you will still have to state whether it was a good or bad idea or if it was dangerous or not.
You will need to opine and make sure that it is clear.
And you will need to observe moral judgments.
You will need to reflect on the value of that Evidence.
Once you have done this, you would have written your Explanation.
Getting an A1 for your compositions requires some groundwork and a bit of careful planning.
It doesn’t take long to do your planning but you do need to read up and expand your thoughts for the groundwork.
And that takes up a bit more time.
It is all up to you.
If you really want an A1, you need to work for it, sweat a little and then smile a lot…..when you are rewarded with an A1. 😀