AICE General Paper AS Level

What do you need to know for AICE General Paper AS Level?

This course consists of 2 official exams (Paper 1, and Paper 2). 

Paper 1 is a written essay that's worth 30 marks (50% weighing for grade). You will have an hour and thirty minutes to complete the essay. This includes 10 questions in total from the topics:

• Economic, historical, moral, political and social

• Science, including its history, philosophy, ethics, general principles and applications, environmental issues, technology, and mathematics.

• Literature, language, the arts, crafts, and the media.

Candidates are told to write an essay of 600-700 words, but you don't have to (this is the typically word count that is enough to express enough ideas/knowledge in the topic). Also, candidates are assessed towards ways they communicate in their essay: 

• Range, accuracy and appropriateness of vocabulary and spelling

• Use of register, grammar and punctuation

• How the essay is structured to develop an argument, link and evaluate ideas and draw supported conclusions.

• Applications of information - develop the ability to identify, select and apply information to respond to a task/using different perpectives on a topic as well as evidence to support an argument (examples + ideas)

• Reading - read widely to identify relevant information from a variety of sources, develop a wide range of vocabulary in English and understanding the use of English words + phrases in context.

• Analysis and evaluation - ability to analyse data, interpret information and offer key points during evaluation such as learning to draw out inferences, understand implications of actions, develop and determine significance of argument + examine other perspectives.

• Writing - develop skills to write accurate in English with a clear, coherent and structured way with essays. This includes to learn how to write shorter responses with explanations, descriptions, summaries, analysis, evaluation and persuasion. Candidates should also learn to utilize range of vocabulary, appropriate spelling, punctuation, grammar, and use of register to communication ideas, opinions and information to the question.

Things you should know for Paper 1:

• The essay is meant to be written in English

• You are not allowed to use a dictionary for the exam

LearnWithCat's tips for Paper 1:

• Do not worry about the word count until you finish your essay.

• If you have difficult time to complete the essay within the 1 hour and 30 minute limit, try practice exams on your own in a quiet space with a timer.

• When you see the ten questions, I would recommend to create a small plan on the ideas you will write about. Remember to cross out the plan after you write the essay and to not spend more than 5-10 minutes on it.

Paper 2 is a comprehension written exam that's worth 50 marks (weighing 50% of the grade). You will have an hour and forty-five minutes to complete the exam. This paper consist of two sections (each section worth 25 marks):

Section A includes the use of explaining and interpreting the information provided in material shown for understanding. This includes to respond by writing a persuasive text that expresses opinion and justifies a conclusion. 

Section B includes to demonstrate the ability to read for detailed understanding for word sentence and paragraph level. This shows to demonstrate understanding of how language features were used in variety of styles, as well as evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of different kinds of information presented. Also, this section includes to identify and analyse inference.

All questions in Paper 2 will be based on unseen material on an insert for the question paper. Examples of texts include reports, reviews, essays, blogs, scripts, speeches and descriptions that come from the printed media or online. Other material could be diagrams, data and notes. The length of the texts are up to 900 words.