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O-Level Essay Questions, 2016 to 2025

Guide · 1 question · Secondary school · Updated 18 Sept 2026

These are the actual essay prompts from past Singapore-Cambridge O-Level papers, gathered from 2016 to 2025. Each year comes with our notes on what the questions ask for. Use them to practise choosing a question and planning it against the real thing.

Questions from 2019 to 2022 were set under the old 1128 syllabus. From 2024 the paper is 1184, and 2023 sat both during the changeover. The essay task kept its shape across the change, so every year here is still good practice. Where published transcriptions differ in small wording details, we use the version most sources agree on.

What the four questions have in common​

Every year offers roughly one descriptive question. Most start with "Describe". One question is a narrative. Look for "Write about a time". In most years a short quoted line comes before it. The other two are expository or argumentative. They hand you a statement and ask how far you agree.

That shape helps you prepare. You can decide your strongest type before the exam, then look for it first.

How to pick yours:

  • Read all 4 questions before you commit to any of them.
  • Narrative: you need one incident you can see and hear. If no scene turns up within 30 seconds, move on.
  • Descriptive: pick the place or person you know so well that 3 details cost you nothing.
  • Essay question: you need a position and 2 reasons you could defend out loud.

Many students pick the narrative, and it suits students who arrive with a story ready. The essay questions suit students who can argue a point. Neither choice is safer in itself. What counts is which one fills fastest with detail.

2025​

  1. Describe the sights and sounds of a journey that you have taken recently either on foot or using any form of transport.
  2. 'Being very competitive is not always desirable.' Do you agree? Why or Why not?
  3. 'Parents and grandparents have forgotten what it's like to be young, so it's better to get advice from friends.' How far would you agree?
  4. Write about a time when a gathering with family or friends did not go as planned with amusing consequences.

Q1 is descriptive. Q2 and Q3 are argumentative, and Q4 is the narrative. For Q4, plan one afternoon and one mishap. Then let the humour come from what people actually say. The trap is announcing that the day was funny instead of showing it.

2024​

  1. Describe a special meal you enjoy with friends or family. As well as describing the food, explain where and when you have the meal and why it is important to you.
  2. 'We should all value time spent alone.' How far would you agree?
  3. 'Social media does more harm than good.' Do you agree? Why or why not?
  4. Write about a time when you experienced a difficult but interesting journey.

Q2 and Q3 are argumentative, and Q4 is the narrative. Q1 is a hybrid. It asks you to describe the meal and then explain where, when and why it matters. The trap is a lovely description that never gets to the why.

2023​

  1. What is your idea of a perfect afternoon? Describe what you like to do and how it makes you feel.
  2. "As I looked back, I realised I had made the right decision." Write about a time when you felt like this.
  3. "Schools should teach practical skills such as cooking and managing our finances." Do you agree? Why or why not?
  4. "All you need to succeed in life is a positive attitude." How far would you agree?

Q1 is descriptive with a reflective edge, and Q2 is the narrative. Q3 and Q4 are argumentative. Q4 looks easier than it is. "A positive attitude" invites slogans, so a strong answer names one thing attitude cannot fix and one thing it genuinely changes.

2022​

  1. Some people enjoy being in a crowded place, while others prefer somewhere quieter with fewer people. Describe your perfect place when you want to relax.
  2. "I realised that I was much stronger than I had previously thought." Write about a time when you felt like this.
  3. "Young people spend so much time thinking about the future that they forget to enjoy the present." How far do you agree?
  4. "People today are far too easily persuaded to spend money on things they don't need." Do you agree that advertising has made us wasteful?

Q1 is descriptive. Q2 is the narrative, and it rewards a slow build. Put the task that felt too big in the first half, so the moment of strength lands with weight behind it. Q3 and Q4 are argumentative, and Q4's trap is generalising about waste when the prompt blames advertising.

2021​

  1. Describe the sights and sounds of a shopping mall. Remember to describe the people too.
  2. "I felt as though I was on top of the world." Write about a time when you felt like this.
  3. "Young people are making the world a better place." What is your opinion?
  4. "A happy person is a healthy person." How far do you agree?

Q1 is descriptive, and the prompt insists on people as well as the mall. Q2 is the narrative, while Q3 and Q4 are argumentative. A strong Q3 plan picks one concrete change and argues it properly. Climate action or a school project would do. The trap in Q1 is describing an empty building.

2020​

  1. Describe the things that you do to relax after you have been very busy. Explain why you find them enjoyable.
  2. Write about a time when you did something to impress someone and regretted it.
  3. Learning how to respond to mistakes is essential for success. What is your opinion?
  4. 'There's no place like home.' Is it true to you?

Q1 is a hybrid, and it asks for ways to relax and for why they work on you. Q2 is the narrative. Its regret has to arrive on the page, not in one closing line. Q3 and Q4 are argumentative.

2019​

  1. Which person has the most positive impact on your life? Describe the individual's personality and in what ways he or she has influenced you.
  2. "It was the proudest moment." Write about a time when you felt like this.
  3. Most young people today are obsessed with fame and imitating celebrities. What are your views?
  4. 'People can only be happy if they feel they are treated fairly.' Do you agree?

Q1 is a hybrid. It asks for the person's character and for the influence, so plan 2 traits with one scene each. Q2 is the narrative, while Q3 and Q4 are argumentative. The trap in Q1 is a list of events that never shows who the person is.

2018​

  1. Describe an event that you looked forward to which turned out to be disappointing. Explain why you were excited about it and why it didn't live up to your expectations.
  2. "I had never seen my friend laugh so much!" Write about a time when this happened.
  3. Some people like to stand out from the crowd; others just want to be part of it. Which do you prefer and why?
  4. Which modern invention is essential for you and your family and which one could you and your family live without? Explain your views.

Q1 is a hybrid with a down ending, so the excitement and the disappointment each need their own paragraph. Q2 is the narrative, while Q3 and Q4 are argumentative. Q4 is the odd one. It asks for one invention you need and one you could live without, and both halves need an answer.

2017​

  1. Describe a place that means a great deal to you. Why is it so important?
  2. Write about a time when you caused great disappointment to a person. What did you do about the situation?
  3. It is often said that people are too concerned with getting things and spending money. What is your opinion?
  4. 'People should always tell the truth.' Do you think there are any situations in which this might not be the best thing to do? Explain your views.

Q1 is descriptive with a why attached. Q2 is the narrative, and it carries a second task. "What did you do about the situation?" needs its own paragraph, because putting things right is part of the story. Q3 and Q4 are argumentative.

2016​

  1. Describe a childhood toy, or a game you played, which still means a great deal to you. Why is it so important?
  2. Do you agree that we can learn from the mistakes of others or do we need to learn from our own experiences?
  3. What are your ambitions for the future? Explain how you plan to achieve them, including any possible difficulties.
  4. To what extent do you agree with the idea that some teenagers lead an unhealthy lifestyle? Give reasons for your views.

Q1 is descriptive, while Q2 and Q4 are argumentative. Q3 is the hybrid. It asks for your ambition, your plan and the difficulties in the way. The trap is listing dreams with no obstacles, so name one real difficulty and say what you would do about it.

How to practise with these​

Pick one year. Choose one question and set a timer for 7 minutes. Write your plan first, then stop at the opening paragraph. A narrative opening should sit inside the scene. An essay opening should state where you stand.

Then compare yours with the screen time model essay, which shows an opening that commits to a position. The continuous writing guide explains the planning in full.

✍️ Your turn

Choose any question from any year above. Take 7 minutes. Write your plan, then the opening paragraph only. Name the type you chose before you start.

0 words
Reveal a model plan

Question: 2019, '"It was the proudest moment." Write about a time when you felt like this.' Type: narrative. Time span: one afternoon. Beats: (1) The cross-country race I trained six weeks for. (2) Halfway up the last hill, my shoe lace snaps. (3) I run the final kilometre holding the shoe. (4) I finish second, and the medal matters less than the marshal at the line who says she could not have kept going. (5) The bus ride home, still in my race bib, too happy to sit still. Opening line: start on the last hill, legs burning, one runner ahead of me. Why: one race, one mishap, and the pride arrives from an unexpected place.

Back to O-Level continuous writing · Related: Screen time model essay