A Level General Paper exam questions now seem way more pertinent from an adult perspective

Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) and The Thought Collective creative director Shio-yin Kuik recently brought up a rather fascinating perspective in regards to the recent GCE A Level General Paper exams — the questions asked feel a lot different now that we’re grown up. 

When we were young and naive, the exam questions feels more academic; something foreign and something that we have no “real personal stake” in, as Kuik wrote in her now viral Facebook post. 

“When we ourselves sat for it at 18, these questions were probably just questions to do, issues we studied,” she wrote. “All we cared about was what grade we would get for it.” 

Now that we’re all grizzled adults with more than several years past doing A Levels, the questions in the paper actually feel relevant — something that we now have properly formed opinions and experience to talk about at great length. Not just the rote answer involving presenting arguments from both sides (for or against) before concluding our view. Check out the A Level questions below and see if you feel like you’re seeing it from a different set of lens: 
 

1.  ‘Any adaptation of a novel for a film, television or the theatre is never as effective as the original.’ Discuss.
2.  Assess the view that traditional buildings have no future in your society.
3.  ‘Longer life expectancy creates more problems than benefits.’ Discuss.
4. Considering the money involved, should developing countries be allowed to host major sporting events?
5. ‘Human need, rather than profit, should always be the main concern of scientific research.’ Discuss.
6. ‘Countries experiencing conflict should be left to sort out their own problems.’ How far do you agree?
7. How far has modern technology made it unnecessary for individuals to possess mathematical skills?
8. ‘People who do the most worthwhile jobs rarely receive the best financial rewards.’ To what extent is this true of your society?
9. Evaluate the claim that equality of opportunity for females is a desirable, but unrealistic, goal.
10. Assess the view that most natural disasters are the result of human activity.
11. Is competition always desirable?
12. ‘Everyone has an opinion, but not everyone’s opinion is of equal value.’ What is your view?

Damn. These feels.

“That’s one of the hardest things to teach a kid in this subject. That our answers to those questions actually matter to someone’s life way beyond the exam hall. And someday we’ll realise what it means,” Kuik wrote.