Ms Goh's GP blog

Qn 2. “Youth is wasted in preparation for adulthood”. Do you agree?

No of scripts: 65 Marks Range: 15 - 33
No of passes: 39 (60%) No of failures: 26 (40%)

Comments

 Good candidates offered a balanced perspective by explaining as well as challenging the assumption in the quotation. They were able to have a clear stand and make an argument without contradicting themselves.

 Analyse keywords, key phrases and requirements of the question carefully.
 Some went off focus discussing how youth can be wasted (by not studying hard & failing exams/ by watching TV & being addicted to computer games/ by mixing with bad company and turning delinquent/ unwanted pregnancy) without addressing the crucial key phrase “in preparation for adulthood.”
 Some simply regurgitated the lecture notes describing the physical and emotional changes that youth experience and tried to make an argument that all the acne, awkwardness, voice change, raging hormones and so on prepare youth for adulthood and therefore, youth is not wasted. This is a weak argument as the key phrase “preparing for adulthood” here actually refers to “preparing youth for his roles and responsibilities as an adult”, not so much the biological preparation.
 Some went on to describe the qualities of youth at length, claiming that since youth are physically and mentally at their peak and they can do all these exciting things like bungee jumping, rock climbing and so on, their youth is not wasted. However, they failed to explain how these are “in preparation for the roles and responsibilities of an adult.”

 Do not limit your examples to Singapore when the question does not ask for “in your society” or “in your country.” Weak candidates described at length the Singapore education system and the piano, ballet, tuition lessons that Singaporean parents force their children to take, instead of making an argument.

 Weak candidates have a limited scope – by insisting that youth is always wasted in preparation of adulthood and refusing to consider other perspectives.

 Have a topic sentence to focus the paragraph to address the question. A topic sentence needs to have 1) the main idea of the paragraph and 2) an argument to address the question. Analyse why most of the paragraph below lacked focus.

John Dewey, an American educationist said. “the word education is the process of learning.” This is indeed true. Most people are alert and learn fast during their youth. Young people understand concepts and knowledge better than adults. They can absorb knowledge and remember them more easily. Thus education often starts from young. The process of learning of learning not only allows young people to gain knowledge but also in a way shapes their personality and mould character. Correct moral values have to be taught as it is crucial to society. Young people are most easily tempted and lured by new things. They are curious but often this may lead them to the wrong path. For examples, there are cases of theft and drug abuses among young people all over the world. This is because they are most easily influenced by peer pressure and the mass media. They have to be taught right and wrong so as not to commit unnecessary crimes. Knowledge can enable them to have a broader view of the world. They will become more mature …
Thus, youth is not wasted in preparation for adulthood as they have to be moulded into responsible individuals. Relevance to
qn not clear

Merely
describing
qualities of
youth &
importance of
education and
need to impart
moral values –
argument still
not directly made
Finally! The argument is revealed.

A good writer will state the main idea of the paragraph and make his argument clear in the topic sentence in the beginning of the paragraph and then go on to develop the argument. Having made the development, he will then reinforce his argument in his restatement sentence at the end of the paragraph, as shown on the next page:
The process of educating youth to be morally and socially responsible is essential to prepare them for adulthood.(TS) This is because …. (devt)
Thus, providing young people with a moral compass to guide their actions as adults is definitely not a waste of youth. (RS)

Main idea of paragraph Argument that addresses the question

 Youth - not confined to teenagers. While 21 is the legal age to vote, it does not mean that once a person hits 21 years of age, he is no longer “ young” or “youthful”! A young adult still qualifies as “youth”! (I hope!)

 Youth = both males and females; youths = males only (regardless of the Singlish version you read in Singapore newspapers)

 Do not use the pronoun “you” in GP essays.

 Avoid using “one.” This is because once you embark on using “one”, you’ll have to follow it through and this makes the sentence rather cumbersome.
e.g. “if one only studies, one will not enjoy life because one will lose out on other experiences”.

 Avoid using “ he or she” (e.g. “if he or she only studies he or she will not enjoy life because he or she will lose out…”). It is redundant and cumbersome. Choose only one pronoun and use it throughout consistently.

 Use pronouns consistently.

“It is because of the time and effort one had spent that he or she is able to enter their adulthood with accumulated life experiences and the you can get satisfaction out of this”. (sic)

Analysing the requirements of the question


“Youth is wasted in preparation for adulthood”. Do you agree?




not children evaluate statement
offer a balanced perspective

to prepare for the roles and responsibilities of an adult by
providing the necessary skills to enable him to be useful citizen



education


for career social skills values (moral compass)
character development










Suggested Approach

Introduction

Consider the different definitions and qualities of youth but it is not necessary to give a specific age range (as this is subjective). Consider the key phrase “in preparation for adulthood.” Discuss the expectations society has of youth. Discuss the various ways to prepare youth for adulthood. State your approach to the question by explaining the assumption underlying the quotation and then challenging it.

Body

1. Discuss the assumption underlying the quotation. Why is youth perceived as being wasted in preparation for adult roles and responsibilities?
 youth is said to have been wasted when there is a lack of balance ie. over-emphasis on studies & trying to fulfil adult expectations of academic excellence and a good career to the exclusion of personal development and other experiences, causing young people not to enjoy their youth nor maximize their youthful potential. This is often the case in very competitive, pressure-cooker societies.
 It can also be argued that young people from less privileged families who have to shoulder the burden of looking after parents or siblings or getting a job to help the family make ends meet have to be prepared for their adult responsibilities at the expense of their youth.
 Youth is said to have been wasted when, as adults, these people look back on their lives and remember only the stress and the regrets of youthful enthusiasm, curiosity and passion stifled, dreams and potential unfulfilled, and losing out on what is seen as the necessary experiences of youth such as first love, partying, experimenting and generally having fun.


2. Challenge the assumption – that this is not necessarily always the case.
 Many youth able to find a balance and are able to live their youth with zest and passion even as they are being socialised with the necessary skills & responsibilities for adulthood. Contrary to stereotypical belief, many do have an active social life within and outside school. Despite the demands of a heavy curriculum and the pursuit of paper qualifications required for adulthood, many do have meaningful relationships and participate in exciting activities (through CCAs, overseas community involvement programme, and so on). Many do feel youth is the best time of their lives after they settle into the world of adult responsibilities and if this is the case, how can their youth be said to be wasted?

 Youth is a time for exuberance, fun and much social interaction. Youth have boundless energy that they can channel to pursue interests which are of importance to them. These things may well become passions. As the youth grows, so does his passion and this may become a goal in life, giving him direction for adulthood. For instance, many world class professionals, athletes, artistes and astronauts alike were driven when young to pursue their passions. The fulfillment of youthful dreams is the focus of countless people who leave behind legacies. What is often overlooked are the steps that had to be taken before success is achieved. Such stepping stones are encountered during youth and can hardly be called a waste of time or youth.
He Siying, Tanya (SCG 28/05)

 The development of values and character in the classroom or through CCAs to prepare youth to be useful, productive citizens in future cannot be dismissed as a waste of youth either. The development of leadership and organizational skills, resilience, teamwork, independence, entrepreneurial spirit, good work ethic, healthy lifestyle … (and the list goes on) provides youth with the necessary traits and confidence to deal with the challenges of adulthood. The best part of youth is that society generally allows youth to experiment and make mistakes. Just because youth are disciplined or counselled for their failures and mistakes, again does not necessarily mean their youth is wasted. This is invaluable to teach young people to be accountable for their actions and to learn from their mistakes so that they become responsible adults.

 While the theories and subjects learnt and studied to pass examinations may not always be relevant to one’s career or adult life, the value of the hidden curriculum to prepare young people for adulthood cannot be dismissed as a waste of youth.
- cultivation of a critical and inquiring mind, inculcation of discipline, stress and time management skills, how to cope with competition and the pressures of juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities are all necessary and valuable. If this helps the young adult cope with the demands of his career in a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive world, and enables him to prioritise and effectively balance the demands of career, family and social responsibilities, then his youth has not been wasted preparing for this.

 Internships, job attachments, grooming and etiquette classes, inspirational workshops and seminars all add up to provide youth with that competitive edge when he enters adulthood. As such, how can youth be seen as wasted when every new experience adds value to the adult as a member of the workforce and society?

Conclusion

 Since youth is a transitional stage to adulthood, all the accumulated experiences are certainly essential and, hence, not wasted to prepare youth for adulthood. (stand)

 Our youth is the time when our decisions usually determine the kind of lives we lead upon reaching adulthood. Thus, it is vital for us to make full use of our time to learn as much as possible and, in the process discover our hidden talents, who we are and what we would like to do. It is during youth that we gain the skills and maturity to cope with the emotional, mental and social challenges of adulthood. (possible insightful statement)
Chua Ming Jie , SCG 28/05 (adapted)

 However, many youth let time fly by or travel down the wrong path. They turn out as confused individuals or woefully inadequate adults, unprepared for the pressures of adulthood. Their youth has been wasted and the reasons for this cannot always be clearly defined. The preparation for adult life was either too little or done wrongly or both. (another possible insightful statement)
He Siying, Tanya, SCG 28/05 (adapted)





Report prepared by marker, Ms Norsheha

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