GP Tips/Resources 💯 ZAscension

FAQ: Can you please outline for me what I need to do for planning my essay? Answer: Begin by analysing the question and understanding all the various requirements. Some questions could have more requirements than others (like additional context, conditions or comparison between variables etc). Ensure you are very clear what is the assertion/claim you are addressing with your essay. Next, think of your points. You may use some brainstorming tools at this point. The idea is to go beyond just points to also think of the logic that underpins these arguments. Elaborate on your points to make them convincing (focus on the logic). This adds depth to your arguments and yes it should be done in the planning so that the writing process can proceed smoothly later. You may then think of your stand/thesis + reason why you chose it. Finally, think about how to structure your intro + define key terms #FAQ Got questions? Pose it to the ZAscension GP Genie 🧞‍♂️: https://tinyurl.com/yczxp2dq

FAQ: What should I write in the conclusion of my essay? Answer: The important thing about both Intro and Conclusion is how they emphasise your stand. The intro first conveys the idea and the conclusion needs to then reiterate it. There should be a clear link between the intro and conclusion. This means that we should have thought of how we want to conclude before we even begin writing. Also, these are good areas to unpack the topic and deliver out interpretation of the topic. It is where personal voice can truly stand out, be sure to seize the chance to write something that is powerful and memorable. Personal voice includes introducing an interesting perspective to sum up the discussion, using an apt quote, making predictions for the future, asking rhetorical questions, expressing a strong statement with word choices having strong connotation and intensity #FAQ Got questions? Pose it to the ZAscension GP Genie 🧞‍♂️: https://tinyurl.com/yczxp2dq

Another giveaway that I want 4o share today! This is a resource package with 30 essential vocab for GP, to boost your personal voice for Essay and paraphrasing for Compre :) I have included sentence examples too, to make it easier to understand how a word is used. These words are specially chosen to be very relevant for GP, the same vocab that I use to write my model essays for my students. Vocab is a super underrated component that can make a huge impact on our GP grades, so start working on this list today. Remember to follow, like, and comment to receive the resource 🥳 https://www.instagram.com/p/DcN7JRez4ll/?igsh=MXR1NWZxZ3lheGc1YQ==

Hi all, if you find my content helpful, please help my work by supporting my Insta account :) I really want to start a community there too. I will be doing a full essay giveaway for students who follow, like, and comment on the post. It would mean a lot to me if you can help to build the community there like the wonderful one we have here 🙏 https://www.instagram.com/p/DcLGpx_Twzc/?igsh=YWZmZ3Bpc2Qxc21h

_Essay Skill Tip__: When practicing essay questions, don't be afraid to select some of the harder questions or those we are less familiar with. It's better to try these questions during practice than in the exam. Every practice should be seen as an opportunity to start exploring a new area and learning the right arguments and examples for that. To be clear, this doesn't mean randomly choosing questions. We will still prioritise questions coming from the major themes we would like to work on (aligning with what comes out for the A Levels). But within those themes, we should try questions that may feel more difficult. Be sure to also research during or after the session, so that we can fill in gaps in content knowledge. If you're unsure of the themes please check out this article. Trying different questions and doing research on them to greatly increase our confidence and expand our range of questions that we specialise in #Essay

_Compre Skill Tip__: With the change in syllabus, paraphrasing in Compre is now required for all qns (clearly stated now, was implied in the past). Paraphrasing doesn't necessarily just mean coming up with a synonym. Words can have similar meanings but differ in degree. Some words sound stronger than others. For instance, 'disturbs/upsets' vs 'distresses' is quite different because the latter is much more extreme. This idea of degree also matters sometimes when we are describing the author's tone. Saying that the tone is 'critical' could be insufficient when it should actually be 'very critical'. That being said, there is no fixed rule to this, it all depends on the actual intention of the author in the passage and we need to accurately capture that be it for paraphrasing or when we describe #Compre

Tonight is lesson 3 of our Content Crash Course, diving into the most popular theme among students - Sci & Tech. Topics include the Pros and Cons of ST, AI. We are also doing Arts on SG art scene, as well as heritage and culture. Join us 7.30pm tonight if you can make it online, or do the recorded lesson if you can't :) Sign up now for 20+ arguments, 40+ examples, 400+ vocab for GP all in 1 lesson! https://wa.me/6597223187

This kind of fun example is the best, interesting yet useful for GP 😍

I have been so busy with everything that I haven't updated Substack in a while 😭 But here's an example for all of you! Example of the Day: The Odyssey, Film by Nolan Themes: Arts | Indv Values Brief Overview: No spoilers in the article (except to talk about some small deviations from the source). Highly encourage everyone to watch this! It's a fun example that allows us to think about the value of films, as well as explore some of the criticisms surrounding it (and questions whether they are even justified) https://zascensiongp.substack.com/p/odyssey-film Remember to subscribe if you would like to be notified for all new examples! I think it's also a helpful notification to remind us that we need to spend some time on GP. A little effort in looking at examples can go a long way in building our Example Bank 😄 #Example

For students who may have missed the messages or are still considering, don't miss Lesson 2 of our Content Crash Course. 20+ arguments, 40+ examples, 500+ vocab words all in 1 lesson :) Lesson will be at 7.30pm, but recordings are also available!

Essay Points of the Day: Arts: Last year's A Level qn. It's an interesting question to practice our tweaking skills - instead of the usual "Value of art" question, this shifts the contention to examining the relationship between fame and quality. Also, greatness has a nuanced intensifier to express a value that hits a particular standard. Observe how my language help to address these requirements Detailed Essay Arguments #Instagram Remember to follow if you found this helpful and want GP essay content from time to time 😁

Essay Points of the Day: Sci Tech - This question seems intimidating at first because it deviate from the usual questions on pros-cons. Instead, it looks at whether results should be restricted. But actually, a lot of the arguments here actually come from the most common topics within Sci & Tech. The thing to take note is the Absolute Modifier (everyone) because that's the central contention that we need to consider Detailed Essay Arguments #Instagram Remember to follow if you found this helpful and want GP essay content from time to time 😁

76 mins of lessons all for free, do check these out when possible and I guarantee it transforms the way you think about GP, it will make so much more sense trust me 😁

3. Content Crash Course - 35 Model Essays for 2 years. Focus is on question analysis, paragraph development, argument crafting, understanding the skills and choices we go through when we approach a question. Unlike the Example Workshop, this has a lot more focus on Arguments (starting tonight)

2. Example Workshop - Tons of examples and seeing how we can draw different arguments from them across many topics (150 in total). Refer to the visuals while listening to the recording

Compiling all the free sample lessons, which are very useful even if you don't plan to join 1 - Weekly Lessons (Essay Skills + Compre Skills

Clarification: I have since revised the stats to only look at 11 years, so that it's more relevant

And for students who are new, this is the free resource that's really significant, please look at it and access the following short recording where I explain the trends and how we should then approach content

I would like to act. Studying for a Theme absolutely does not mean you just try and find examples. Examples are part of the equation. What we need are arguments. Especially arguments for actual Prelim and A Level questions. Pay attention to arguments and it will make a world of difference in how you discuss your ideas :)