AQ: Balancing “knowledge of your society” with “your personal experience”.

Check out Mr Foo’s AQ post on addressing, in a sensible way, the requirement for “from your knowledge (of your society)” and “from your personal experience”.

Yet more AQ help

Check out this post by Mr Lim, with particularly helpful sample answers to the 2010 (Food) AQ, as well as answers to a modified version of the 2006 (Freedom) AQ.

If you scroll to the end of the sample answers, there are hints and tips for this year’s upcoming Prelims.

Essay / AQ: The schizophrenic stand

If, at any point, you contradict your stand, it is highly unlikely that you will pass.

Essay / AQ: Stop being vague.

Grow a spine. Stop pussyfooting around the issue. Have the guts to have an opinion and stand by it.

The following words and phrases should never appear in your AQs (or essays):

• certain extent
• quite true / applicable / relevant / etc.
• somewhat true / applicable / relevant / etc.
• all other vague, non-committal words or phrases

AQ: Sometimes, we really don’t care whether you agree or not.

Rule #1: Answer the question.

If the question asks, “How applicable?”, tell me, “largely/very/only slightly/not at all* applicable.”

If the question asks, “How relevant?”, tell me, “largely/very/only slightly/not at all* relevant.”

If the question asks, “How true?”, tell me, “largely/very/only slightly/not at all* true.”

 

IF, and only if the question asks, “Do you agree?”, will you say “I agree/disagree*” in your AQ.

 

(*delete as appropriate)