Hello everyone! I was looking through my blog and I saw these essay outlines saved in my drafts. I forgot where I got them from but I will just post them here again for everyone's references. These are all essay plans from past year A-level questions. If you are reading this and you know the source, do drop a comment so that I can credit it. And let your friends who are taking GP know of this blog. Thanks!!! Let me know if you all need any more help, and all comments are sincerely welcomed!
ESSAY PRACTICE (A levels):
1. ‘Instead of speeding up the pace of life, we should be slowing it down.’ What do you think? (2005)
context: which / what kind of country?
Def: What does “speeding up” therefore imply?
YES we should slow down:
· Increasing stress level & health-related deaths /mental illness (long-term effect)
· Widening income gap
· Losing our values, soul, identity to materialism
NO we should continue in the same pace / speed up:
· In developed nations, competition necessary for progress and to drive the economy
· In developing nations, the need to catch up with the rest of the globalised world
· Complacency and laziness hinders innovation and progress
2. ‘Hosting major sporting events creates more
problems than benefits.’ Do you agree? (2005)
context: any globally recognised event (World Cup, Olympics, F1)
def: problems = demerits, disadvantages
Pros:
· Puts host in international spotlight, exposure could help tourism and trade
· Creates potential revenue and future investment opportunities, increasing job opportunities, develop infrastructure further
· Cultural and technological exchange between host and visiting countries
Cons:
· Increase in security risks, terrorist threats, highlighting possible political tensions between host and other countries
· Economic waste or costs at the expense of domestic problems in the long-term, especially if the sporting event brings only temporary gains
· Environmental damage and sacrifice to natural landscapes to make way for extensive infrastructure, in order to accommodate space for the sporting event
3. Does the modern world place too much reliance on technology? (2003)
context: modern world – 21st century,
def: over-dependence, without any other options?
YES:
· Compared to the past (20 years ago), technology has improved tremendously, making it near impossible to survive in an urban environment without it (eg PCs, mobile phones)
· Mechanisation of manual labour reflects an improvement in the quality of modern life
· Replacement of humans in labour market by machines is also a sign of over-reliance
NO:
· In developed nations, it is imperative to rely on technology because it cannot regress to any primitive alternatives to maintain the pace of progress
· In developing nations, technology serves as a vehicle to catch up or even as a means of income in the production of such technology
· Ironically, there are many societies which have given up such reliance on technology, retreating to simple pursuits which place emphasis on a spiritual lifestyle or health
context: your society can range from anywhere within the past 40 years (have had = so far, up till today, and still happening)
Positive:
· Economic impact – promoted significant economic growth in developing naitons
· Cultural impact – multi-cultural cosmopolitan society (in dressing, tastes, i.e consumer behaviour)
· Technological impact – introduced high-end technologies to the less developed nations, spreading technical know-how on advanced forms of technology
Negative
· Economic – widening income gap in the global economic scale, which favours capitalism and free-enterprise, putting SMEs out of business, exploiting cheap labour from 3rd world nations, mass hunger/poverty
· Cultural – erosion of traditional values, as a result of materialistic consumerism culture promoted by the mass media
· Environmental – many natural landscapes have been sacrificed as a result of massive industrialization, pollution and depletion
5. Examine the claim that the world is too dependent
on oil. (2005)
context: nations which use oil for survival, micro-level (consumer), macro-level (world governments, namely the G8)
def: over-reliant, with no other alternative sources of energy
YES:
· Evidence of rising oil-prices worldwide (US$200/barrel) and consequent inflation rate of other related products
· The increase in production of technology which relies on oil (vehicles with larger engine capacity, constant reliance on electrically-powered devices)
· untapped alternative energy resource (solar, wind) because it is more costly and inconvenient to maintain or produce
NO:
Since the ’97 Bali summit which highlighted the energy as well as climate crises related to pollution, many countries seek alternative energy sources (bio-fuels)
Not all nations rely on oil for survival as their lifestyle does not require it (poorer nations do not have developed infrastructure nor utilities)
The natural cycle of demand and depletion is the cause of the oil crisis / price hikes, leading to oil cartels controlling or exploiting its supply. This has been happening since the 1960s
6. Discuss the appeal and value of fantasy stories and films. (2004)
def: both positive and negative sources of values
context: any form of fiction or movies depicting this genre (must cite specific examples, from medieval to modern)
PROS:
· Promotes creativity
· Forms of escapism from stress
· Provides emotional / mental solace
· Often depicts moral lessons / cautionary tales (good triumphs over evil)
CONS:
· May lead to delusional behaviour, esp from young children without adult supervision
· Even those who are weak-minded and indulge excessively in it may lose sight of reality
· Often gory / violent in content and stretches the limits of acceptable behaviour only because it is labeled as ‘fantasy’
· At other times, it may promote sexist values, depicting females in an exploitative manner as mere objects of fantasy & lust.
