"I read the news everyday - why do I still struggle with Paper 1?"

If you often feel this way, you are not alone. You definitely are not the first one to feel this way, and definitely will not be the last as well. However, why do students face this issue?

Before addressing this issue, it is important to acknowledge that reading news everyday is not a problem in itself. In fact, congratulations on being able to maintain this habit. In this world where AI Summaries are becoming increasingly prevalent, it is commendable that you are still able to keep your attention going to read the news. The issue is not with reading the news daily - it is what you do with the reading that matters. There are typically three key problems that are preventing you from scoring even though you are reading everyday.

Reading Without Aim (or Connection)

At the broadest level, it is most important to know the purpose of our reading. Yes, we might be reading the news. However, what are we really reading for? A typical approach is that students will comb the news sites, social media or even print copies of the newspaper from cover to back, and try to remember (or even memorise) everything that has been read. This reading - because it comes from all over the place - typically is done without a specific topic in mind. However, while reading widely is good, it is not particularly efficient. Our brains also do not work in such ways. Reading has to be aimed at aligning with our interests and laser-focused. This way, we will achieve sufficient depth across a few content areas as opposed to just reading for breadth but not having enough to argue for within a particular topic. For instance, if you are particularly interested in reading about Artificial Intelligence (AI), read up on the topic with intention. Do not just read everything that screams "AI" without knowing what you are reading for. Everything you read should eventually form up a connected interweb of information that you know about AI, which you then activate when you try to write about it in your essays and/or application question (AQ) response.

Reading Without Adequate Perspectives

Students also often read material that leans too much towards certain perspectives. Today's algorithmic amplification brought about by social media exacerbates this. Because of the way algorithms work, we are exposed to content that only favours what we previously spent a little more time on. These usually come with a specific perspective (either positive or negative), and our social media algorithms assume that there's the perspective we are keen on and disregards the other. However, good reading means you learn to interact with the information across multiple perspectives so that you do not just know one or two sides of things. Instead, you gain a deeper, more holistic and mult-faceted awareness of what is going on. This then allows you to form your own opinions and make judgements about the issues you are reading about. On many occasions, such single-sided reading is also the explanation for why people gain particularly negative views about topic and become overly critical. Some students then translate such single-sidedness into their essays, which then makes the essay sound more like a piece written in protest rather than for a GP assignment.

Reading Without Understanding

Last but not least, students also often read without truly understanding what really is the topic/matter about. In better scenarios, students might have some understanding, but that understanding does not go beyond the surface. This builds on the previous point about not having adequate perspectives. In other cases, students might just not know enough about a topic to understand what is being discussed. For instance, a discussion about energy resilience in light on recent events should not just be discussing about the rising oil prices, but also recognise how the issues go beyond just oil but also its effects on commodities like food. Knowing a more holistic understanding of things also enriches your arguments because your brain also gets trained to think of things more deeply.

In essence, reading the news (or any other content, for that matter) is not problematic in itself. What is more problematic is the way the reading is done. Reading is ultimately the process of gaining knowledge, and without proper linkage to a purpose or focus, the reading will just be part of a larger pool of uncategorised information. To make your reading gainful and useful, try reading with a clear aim today. Read with intention, seek out multiple perspectives and work towards understanding what you are reading. Only by doing so will you be able to make your reading reap the benefits you are looking for.