O Level English VS Language Arts: What’s The Difference?

Scrutinise the timetable or list of subjects of an IP student, and you’ll find one stark difference. There’s no ‘English’ on their list of subjects. Instead, they take something called ‘Language Arts’.

Most of the time, teachers simply describe the subject Language Arts as a combination of Literature and English. However, the difference goes beyond that. As the description on Victoria School’s subject page for English states,

“The IP curriculum has greater focus on developing higher order thinking which is seen in performance tasks where students have to apply their learning in challenging and authentic tasks. The ‘O’ Level curriculum is more focused on developing Linguistic and Oral competency and is more structured in its approach to develop thinking skills.”

Many schools use the term ‘Language Arts’ for the English subject in IP, including Nanyang Girls High School, Dunman High School, National Junior College, Catholic High School, St Joseph’s Institution, and possibly more. But regardless of the name, the commonality is that IP schools conduct Language Arts / English Language and Literature / IP English classes differently from how the O level classes are done.

Let’s take a closer look at the differences below.

Main differences

Different exam format

In terms of the format and components of the exam paper, Language Arts students have fewer sections to grapple with. Essentially, the Language Arts paper is made up of reading comprehension and writing components, so there is no oral, listening comprehension, or editing sections.

It is said the reason for this is that IP students are expected to come in with a strong foundation of language, so there is no need to focus so much on these skills which they should have already mastered. Instead, the IP curriculum seeks to nurture higher order thinking skills like in-depth language analysis, language evaluation, and persuasive writing.

Listening and speaking skills are instead usually assessed through continual assessment, in which teachers grade students for an oral presentation, class participation, or classroom discussion activity.

Heavy focus on literary analysis

Don’t be surprised when you have to analyse a poem as part of your Language Arts paper. There are also more questions that require knowledge of literary devices, rather than literal or inference questions.

To facilitate literature learning, students usually have a set text which they will delve deeply into during lessons. Having to study some of Shakespeare’s works is common, along with other literary classics like Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, or George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Heavy focus on argumentative writing

Writing narrative essays are a thing of the past in Language Arts. Keeping in mind that the IP curriculum leads to the A Levels, the Language Arts syllabus has puts the emphasis on persuasive and expository writing, which are skills heavily required in General Paper.

Students are taught how to communicate their ideas and thoughts on various topics, while also being discerning readers who can critique and evaluate others’ perspectives.

Current affairs

There is a huge focus on language in context, and language for debating current affairs and social issues. It is no longer just about the language skills here, but how language can be used as a force to form meaningful discourse about problems in the world.

Thus, students who want to do well in Language Arts (and General Paper later on) will also need to be extensively knowledgeable about happenings in the world.

How we help you

Language is one of the hardest things to study. It’s not like you can cover it all just by following a textbook. So how can getting Language Arts Tuition help?

As tutors, our job is to break the subject down into manageable parts that you can practice and achieve mastery in. Each lesson, you will get to pick up some content knowledge and practice some skills in writing or comprehension, sharpening your abilities along the way.

Some things we will systematically cover are:

Content knowledge

• Literary devices
• Current affairs discussion (with links to history, literature, etc.)

Writing skills

• How to structure an expository or argumentative essay
• How to write compelling arguments

Comprehension skills

• Answering techniques
• Exposure to different text types (including poems)

With close supervision by our tutors in our small group class and ample feedback from tutors, the Language Arts paper will no longer feel so daunting to conquer!

How would you like to finally feel confident about tackling your upcoming Language Arts exam? Want to build a firm foundation for General Paper in JC? All you need to do is reach out, and we’ll be here to help!