Secondary English Paper 2 components: Diagnosing your strengths and weaknesses

The secondary 1 & 2 short examinations are done and the results were out not long ago. This is a good time to take stock of where you are in Secondary English after completing your first year of secondary school life. In this 2-part blog post, the teacher of our secondary school classes has come up with a way for you to diagnose where you are and what you need to work on over the school holiday before you begin your second semester. The first part of the post is based on Paper 2 components – summary writing, comprehension, and visual text.

For this year’s Secondary 1s, going from Primary to Secondary English is certainly a jump for most of you, but well done for surviving your first year!

With many new components introduced to you this year, how well do you think you are faring? As your examinations end, don’t let less than expected results bog you down. Let’s do a stocktake and prepare for the coming year. The ‘O’ Levels is a marathon that requires advance and consistent hard work, so it’s not too late to take control of your learning.

The race begins now.

Secondary English Paper 2 components:
How can you diagnose your strengths and weaknesses?

A flow chart for each component/section has been designed for you to gauge your progress in these areas and identify your areas for improvement.

How to use the flow chart for each section?

• Have your Paper 2 exam paper in front of you.
• Start from the topmost box that contains a statement like “I know how to identify the purpose of a visual text.” This is one of the learning objectives of Section A: Visual Text.
• Answer the question with a “Yes” or “No”:
  – If “Yes”, go on to the next box with the next learning objective.
  – If “No”, study the tips/strategies in the yellow box and work through them.
• Once you have worked through them, move on to the next learning objective until you reach the end.

If you can’t say a “Yes” with confidence, go to “No”.

Basically, follow the arrows from the top of the flow chart to the bottom! By the time you reach the bottom, you should have acquired most of the skills/learning objectives of the particular component.

Challenge: Try this on another practice paper.

3 tips for improving your English

1. Keep track of your learning goals (as outlined in the diagram)

2. Adopt a reflective attitude – affirm your strengths and acknowledge your weaknesses

3. Never say die – It takes time (more so than other subjects) to hone your proficiency in the language, so persevere and be patient with yourself. Celebrate the small successes!

Visual text (Paper 2 Section A)

Use a Visual Text exercise for practice as you run through this flow chart of diagnostic questions.

Comprehension (Paper 2 Sections B & C)

Use a Comprehension exercise for practice as you run through this flow chart of diagnostic questions.

Summary (Paper 2 Section C)

Use a Summary exercise for practice as you run through this flow chart of diagnostic questions.

Watch our Summary video lesson series to learn more these techniques.