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SingaporeGeneral Paper

Media and Communication

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Does advertising inform and sustain the economy, or manipulate us and fuel harmful consumerism?

Evaluate the effects of advertising and consumer culture, weighing information and economic value against manipulation and materialism
A focused answer to the General Paper theme of advertising. Balanced arguments on whether advertising informs or manipulates, its economic role, consumerism and identity, and the case for regulation, with examples.
9 min answer →

How serious a threat is misinformation, and how can a society counter it without harming free expression?

Evaluate the threat of fake news and misinformation and the trade-offs between countering it and protecting free expression
A focused answer to the General Paper theme of misinformation. Why fake news threatens democracy and trust, the tools to counter it, and the free-expression trade-offs, with Singapore and global examples for any related question.
10 min answer →

How free should the press and online speech be, and when is regulation justified?

Evaluate the case for press freedom against the case for regulating media, weighing accountability and free expression against harm and responsibility
A focused answer to the General Paper theme of press freedom. Balanced arguments on a free press versus regulation, the harms that justify limits, and the conditions for legitimate restriction, with examples for any related question.
9 min answer →

Has social media enriched public debate by giving everyone a voice, or degraded it through polarisation and noise?

Evaluate the effect of social media on public discourse, weighing democratised voice against polarisation, echo chambers and misinformation
A focused answer to the General Paper theme of social media. Balanced arguments on democratised voice versus polarisation, echo chambers and the attention economy, with examples for any related question.
9 min answer →