O LEVEL ENGLISH

ENGLISH Essay Writing

Other Descriptive/Narrative Essays:

"I realised that I was much stronger than I had previously thought.' Write a time when you felt like this.

If I could pick one word to describe me, it would be "reticent". As a child, I had always been one with the shadows, huddling in the corner, hiding behind everyone. I was just afraid of the world. How the cruel world can easily turn a spark of anguish into a wildfire. I was terrified. But I had an impeccable talent of mine. I was an incredible writer — or so that was what my mother said. I tend to observe my surroundings, and describe my emotions through writing. Writing has been a medium to soothe my anxiousness. Instead of verbal words, written words were the ones which protected me from going insane as I piled up all the emotions I could not say out loud...until one somber day，I was forced to step out of my comfort zone....

"I want you to be the participant of the upcoming public speaking competition", my teacher said, as she glared at me with ambitious flaming from her eyes. The whole class looked back at me. I was terrified as never had I experienced this much attention before. I could only bow my head down. "Why me?" I thought. "Why me when there are many other talented people, that can easily surpass a merely timid girl like me?"

Before I had a chance to think further, my teacher explained to the class, "I chose her, as her essay was captivatingly mind-blogging. and one of the most astoundingly mesmerising essay I had ever read in my past 10 years of teaching. The way she writes her essay, should be depicted by everyone.".

Then she looked at me with a firm yet gentle glaze. "I know you have never done this before, but believe me. You are much stronger than you think. I believe that you can do it. Remember, the only one stopping you is yourself."

Her words hit me like a thunderstruck. Sure, I was scared. But for some reason, for the first time ever, I wanted to be seen. I wanted to show people my writings, to tell them my story. So I did it. I practised day and night, speaking in front of the mirror, exercising different facial expressions. I wanted to give all my best with full strength, with her words lingering in my mind." The only one stopping me is myself."

The day I had been thinking for the past week had finally came.. My mouth felt pasty but I just gulped it at the backstage with surge of tremendous fear hitting me. What if I stutter? What if I fall? What if nothing could come out from my voice box? As I was staring behind the curtain, I heard my name being called, I was petrified. The real deal of being on stage was terrifying, but I manage to calm down my nerves by replaying her words in my mind again.. "The only one stopping you is yourself."

I encouraged myself as I strode forward. Eyes were all on me as the bright spotlight shone on me. I did what I had revised for the past days. My muscles were stiff as I yapped like a talking robot. I knew I had messed up. I just kept on talking faster and faster...

Yet, when I was done, the crowds clapped their hands for me. The feeling of being on stage, delivering my story, hearing people cheering for me, made a part of me felt relieved, appreciated, and recognised. Although I knew I would not win, I smiled then, as if I was a winner.

Tan JIa Xin, BPGSS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Describe some school activities or events that you will miss after graduating from secondary school and explain why.

School is like a salad bowl, mixed with different "ingredients" such as friends, teachers, lessons, knowledge and sports. My favourite part of the salad bowl is the sauce that gives flavours and unites the ingredients in harmony. School may not be one's favourite place to step their foot in, but to some extent, deep inside us, school is a place where youth memories are created.

National Day Celebration is one of my favourite school events. The moment we raise our flag and sing the national song, my blood as Singaporean warms my heart. When I think of our ancestors, I feel their bloodshed and sweat, the ocean tears draping from the victims of poverty, and the pride of the elderly, as they witness the great transformation Singapore has gone through and evolves into a first world country. It has been an arduous and circuitous journey. Though I did not see their hardship, I salute their resilience and contribution to Singapore.

During the National Day, I would sing the National Anthem until my throat sored, as I witnessed the rising flag of Singapore with much respect. It is the feeling of singing with fellow Singaporeans that I will miss once I graduate.

Apart from the National Day, the identity of us, what distinguishes us from other nations, is our multicultural diversity. I love learning about other cultures, as it is like uncovering a new story yet to be discovered. The Racial Harmony Day, celebrated at school, helps me understand the cultures of my friends of other races. Though we have different features, we are still Singaporeans. During the Racial Harmony Day, I get to see people wearing their own traditional clothes to the school. We are in different clothing colours, as if we are in a kaleidoscope. The cacophony of murmuring sounds, promoting their traditions and history, makes me feel proud of my nation, Singapore. I feel the patriotic spirit of my friends too, boasting about their beautiful and unique costumes. We may look different, but we respect one another and get to learn more about each other's culture. I surely will miss these cultural events of my school, as they have shaped my identity as a Singaporean.

Last but not least, my school's most important day - The Founder's Day is another favourite school event of mine. This is the day when my school was first established. It is an important day as I would not be able to attend the school if the school was not established. On that day, I love to see the colourful decorations of my school, showcasing the history of my 100-year old school. It has not been a smooth sailing path for my school. My school has withstood and survived storms, huge waves and overcame difficulties in the past. Now, my school is still standing strong. During Founder's Day, everyone would sing our school song like there is no tomorrow. The harmony, melody and the laughter on that day would surely still ring into my mind for years to come. I will definitely miss our sense of unity as one for our school that day.

All in all, school is what builds me into who I am today. Although I might not be the best student and an academic achiever, I love my school. My school brings me joy and builds my positive attitudes. These are the values in life that one would not be able to obtain elsewhere easily. I will surely miss the time I had at school, especially the memories and experiences. These precious memories will be cherished and etched in my memory for good and eternity.

Tan JIa Xin, BPGSS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Write about a time when you experienced a difficult but life-changing journey.

“Listen up, students! I have a challenge for all of you. The first group that reaches the top of Bukit Timah Hill will get a beautiful reward from Ms. Chen and me!” Mr. Tan announced.

Hearing this announcement, my classmates and I roared with excitement. After everyone got into their groups, Ms. Chen counted down from 3. As soon as she said, “Go!”, everyone rushed up the hill and disappeared into the forest. I felt pretty excited, as this would be my first hike.

Armed with snacks, water bottles and confident smiles, my team was ready to conquer this steep mountain. My friends had decided to document our entire journey, spirits high as they were entirely determined to capture every “epic moment” for their Instagram stories. We laughed as we posed wolf-like, pretending to be fearless adventurers. None of us knew that the camera would be the least of our worries.

Soon, I realised that there were no other groups in sight. It then hit me — we were lost! Determined to get my hands on the prize, I suggested that we take a shortcut that was just a few metres ahead. As we took the turn, the path got narrower and steeper, and the towering trees seemed to loom over us. The laughter faded into an eerie silence as we realised the surroundings began to look unfamiliar. Still, none of us wanted to admit that we were lost.

Minutes turned into hours. With every second, the air seemed to grow more humid. Beads of perspiration trickled down my brow as we pushed on blindly. Suddenly, a loud, thunderous roar startled us. It began to pour! We got drenched in seconds, unable to put on our ponchos in time. The soft forest soil below us quickly turned into squelching mud with every step we took. Fear began to grow — what if we got lost forever?

My friends gave up laughing and kept their cameras. They started panicking, while others blamed me for suggesting the shortcut. My heartbeat seemed louder than the sound of raindrops pounding the ground. I realised how fragile our confidence really was.

Just when despair was about to consume me, I spotted a wooden sign covered by the drooping branches of trees. Wiping the rain from my eyes, I ran towards it. "Look! It’s a map!" I exclaimed. It showed directions on how to return to the main trail. A wave of relief washed over me. We followed the path until we finally reached the top of the hill, where everyone was waiting for us. We were drenched and covered in mud. As we looked back at the trail, exhaustion mixed with pride. What started as a disastrous journey had turned into a memory we would remember for a lifetime.

Looking back, the journey taught me more than I expected. It tested our patience, teamwork and courage, but it also showed me how easily our confidence could crumble when faced with unexpected situations. I learned that the best journeys are not the smooth ones, but the ones that challenge our values and build our resilience. This challenging experience had indeed made our journey an unforgettable one.

Lynn, Sec 4

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I looked back, I realised I had made the right decision.’ Write about a time when you felt like this.

It was 11.30pm, the weather was raining cats and dogs and it was dark; the best weather to sleep in. However, there was a chemistry test tomorrow, the toughest subject ever! Due to my busy schedule, I did not have time to study until then . My eyelids were drooping and I was struggling to keep myself awake. “Anode is the positive electrode and cathode is the negative electrode,” as I was reciting, I thought to myself. " *What's the point of trying hard at the eleventh hour?" I wanted to give up and lay on my bed, but I forced myself to stay awake. Little did I know that it was one of the good decisions that have changed my academic life.

“It is currently 6.00am in the morning” my alarm clock goes off, notifying me about the current time. I dragged my feet out of bed, thinking to myself, ‘Can I even pass the chemistry test?’ I felt that I had done very little revision, and I am anxious. " No, I can't give up now !" I quickly got back on my feet, dressed and headed to school, while reading my notes on the bus. However, my brain seems to not be taking any information, it was so frustrating but I forced myself to stare at my notes, reading the words over and over again. Suddenly, there was a strong urge of browsing " social media on my phone to de-stress and self entertained , yet I managed to control myself and quickly revise for the test before I regretted it.

In a blink of an eye, the chemistry teacher, Mr Tan entered the classroom. “Class, clear the books under your desks, cheating is strictly prohibited.” My face went pale and I started panicking because I was not ready for this test, and I was afraid to fail the chemistry test. "Shall I hide the chemistry's formula sheet in my pencil case?", I quickly brushed off the thought off and decided not to cheat , as I strongly believed in ‘Honesty is the best policy’.

Soon , the test papers were placed on our desks. I stared at the paper and it stared back at me. When I flipped open the test paper, my hands were shaking as I was not sure if I could not pass this exam. The first question was about electrolysis. I could remember learning about the anode and cathode yesterday night, however I struggled to recall what was studied . ‘Think, recall, do whatever is possible now!’ I told myself. ‘Anode is the positive or negative electrode?’ I finally decided that the anode is the positive electrode, since I recalled vividly what I recited.

When Mr Tan collected the papers, the classroom turned into a chaotic wet market. People were discussing their answers, contradicted thoughts, and many more. I could only sit at my seat quietly, I did not know anything about the test, and I was convinced that this chemistry test would be a failure . Chemistry is a rather difficult subject based on everyone’s thoughts, but I did not want to fail it. Nevertheless, I had tried my best.

A few days later, Mr Tan walked into the class with our test papers. As he called out names by registered number, I could not stop biting my nails in anxiety. I did not even want to see my paper since I knew that the score is disastrous and an ugly number. As I walked up to collect my paper, Mr Tan said, “Good Job!” Confused by that, I took a peek at my paper and gosh! What shocking results! I did not fail, but instead, I have gotten a rather decent score.

Looking back at one of my academic achievements, I realised that I had made the correct decision, trying harder every time I felt like giving up and not being distracted by phone nor resort to cheating. This is one of the best decisions I have ever made so far.

Qy, Sec 4

SITUATIONAL WRITING

https://wizpals.com/o-level-english/great-situational-piece-o-level-english

Situational Writing

EDITING