This coming year, when you enter RI as a Year 5 student, you’ll be acquainted with the infamous General Paper (GP), a subject that requires you to give your stance on a topic, presented in a logical and sound essay. We here at Raffles Volleyball are happy to present you with a model GP essay that can serve as a reference when revising for your CTs next year!

Let’s use this sample essay question:

“You should not join Raffles Volleyball.” Discuss.

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. It is a beautiful sport whose history dates back to the 1800s. I disagree with the statement “You should not join Raffles Volleyball”.

Some may say that one should not join Raffles Volleyball because they are not winners. Without doubt, Raffles Volleyball is a development CCA in RI that welcomes all interested students from any CCA backgrounds to join. No volleyball experience is required but of course, there are CCA trials. However, it is also because of this fact that compared to other junior colleges, they may have a huge disadvantage in terms of skills and experience at the National Volleyball Championships. Hence, seeing through the lens of competition and prestige, many will quickly argue that Rafflesians in Volleyball are not winners.

However, if you were to just take a small step back and look at the bigger picture and ask, ‘Is a medal my main consideration when choosing a CCA?’, then perhaps you will realize that what is most important is the experience you get. Since Raffles Volleyball offers a fantastically enriching experience, you should join Raffles Volleyball.

First, you should join volleyball because it is not just a CCA but an inclusive family. In JC, amongst all the work and stress, it is important for your emotional well-being to find a family like volleyball. There are both the girls and boys teams, but they are not known as separate entities. They form a huge volleyball family. Some of the bonding activities they have as a CCA are the annual batch-bonding camps, batch outings to the beach or just ‘lepak-ing’ before and after trainings.  We are winners in taking care of every member in the team, and we dig, set, spike as one complete family.

Second, you should join volleyball because it is about more than just playing volleyball. In volleyball, opportunities are presented to members to engage in activities that develops them in many dimensions.  The very definition of a Rafflesian is one who uses all the skills at his disposal to lead the way and forge a path for everyone else, hence the doctrine: Thinkers, Leaders, Pioneers. Every year, each batch of volleyball members are involved in the planning of the annual CCA camp, Old Rafflesians League and Interhouse Sports Challenge for volleyball.

Third, you should join volleyball because Raffles Volleyball players strive to achieve the pinnacle of excellence, exhibit hard work and determination (and it is healthy to be surrounded by such people). They have trainings on Tuesdays and Fridays (5pm-8pm) and when their sports season arrives, Saturdays . They treasure every second of their training and put in their every best to do their school proud every year.

Last, you should join volleyball simply because it is fun. In fact, it is so fun that they organise self-trainings and extra trainings with their coaches during the holidays because they just cannot seem to get enough of it! As schoolwork becomes stressful, trainings are not a chore but a great place to de-stress and enjoy the company of your teammates

Therefore, the statement ‘You should not join Raffles Volleyball’ is obviously not true as it is evident from the argument above that Raffles Volleyball is one of the best CCAs to join. Just ask any past/ current members from Raffles Volleyball!

As you can see, with the appropriate skills, answering the aforementioned question can be a simple matter. Next, perhaps you can attempt this question:

“A good team can win a volleyball game when they are ahead, a great team can win when they are behind.” Will you be a part of this great team?

Let’s talk about Math.

Do not be fooled by any homogeneity in this image. We may seem like an extremely serious club (which, granted, we are at times). But behind this over-solemn veneer lies some of the most genuine and fun-loving people around who also happen to be very passionate about all things Mathematical. And we are looking for new members to join us in the numerical revelry: potential new members such as you.

We are accepting students from all backgrounds, whether you possess an interest in math or not. As long as you’re looking to have a good time, we welcome you, and if you’re not looking to have a good time, well, then Math Club can probably work something out for you. Maybe you’d like to try something fun, like build a potato cannon, but Automatica refuses to deal with impure robotics, well, Math Club is more than willing to help you realise this goal.

Here at Math Club, we believe everything is Math, and we promise our support for any of your endeavours.

At Math Club, we believe in helping you tick off your bucket list, that means no request is too big, and no idea is too dumb.

As you may suspect, Math Club has no prerequisites for entry besides having a pulse, but appeals can and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Training hours, by popular demand, are typically on Tuesdays or Thursdays, though the timing and date has varied year to year depending on the incoming batch (so don’t worry about commitments clashing! We are very flexible when it comes to stipulating training hours).

What has stayed constant (if you see what I did there) is that we only have sessions once a week. So again, do not fret about having too much on your plate! We will not detain you and keep you inordinately busy. This will be pertinent when it comes to exams and Project Work, when you will be immensely grateful for our relatively light and forgiving schedule.

There are no particular peak periods for Math Club, however, there are funtabulous events planned out over the course of the year. Of particular note is the RMCCC, the full name is a mouthful, so let’s just leave it at that.

It is a large scale camp with Math Club members from the Year 1-4 side and RGS, where everyone gets together and plays games for a couple of days. This may seem uncharacteristically frivolous but we promise you loads of intensive Math-related activities and training as well. Not only that, but the frivolities will not be only some of the best fun you’ve had in your life and will be something you’ll definitely cherish as you leave the hallowed halls of this institution.

For our welfare plans, we would like to point out that Math Club provides air-conditioning for all its sessions! We also have zero pre-requisites.

If you are interested in fully stretching yourself and pushing yourself to the limit, many of our Math Club members have also joined Bridge Club and done excellently there, so that’s one thing to consider if you’re planning on dual CCAs. The skills learned in one can be highly complementary to the other and both are excellent ways to increase the power of your intellect.

In all honesty, if you already have a CCA in mind, you may not consider us at all, you may not even read up to this. But if you’re still undecided or just plain want to try something new and unique, try Math Club. Sign up for our trials, you won’t be disappointed. Math has been a passion for some of the world’s most brilliant minds for millennia. If you want to, like Isaac Newton, stand on the shoulders of the mathematical giants, or simply delve in something that seems to have caught your ever-shifting gaze, consider us a first step.