General Paper (GP) is a compulsory H1 subject taken by all Junior College (JC) students in Singapore as part of the GCE A-Level examination. Administered by the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) in partnership with Cambridge Assessment International Education, GP is designed to test students' ability to think critically about real-world issues and communicate their ideas clearly in written English.

Unlike other A-Level subjects that focus on specific disciplines, GP requires broad knowledge of current affairs, social issues, and global trends. Students must be able to construct persuasive arguments, evaluate evidence, and consider multiple perspectives on complex topics — skills that are valued at university and beyond.

Paper 1 is an essay paper lasting 1 hour 30 minutes. Students choose 1 out of 12 questions and write an argumentative essay of approximately 600–800 words. Questions typically ask students to evaluate a statement, discuss both sides of a debate, or assess the extent to which something is true.

The essay is marked out of 50 marks: 30 for content (quality of arguments, examples, counter-arguments, and logical reasoning) and 20 for language (grammar, vocabulary, and expression). A well-structured essay using the PEEL format with strong examples is key to scoring well.

Common question types include "To what extent...", "Discuss...", "Consider the view that...", and "How far do you agree...". Questions span topics like science and technology, media, politics, education, and the environment.

Paper 2 is a comprehension paper lasting 1 hour 30 minutes. It is based on a passage of about 700–900 words on a topic of general interest. Students answer short-answer questions testing comprehension, vocabulary in context, summary writing, and an application question (AQ) that requires them to evaluate the author's arguments.

Paper 2 is also marked out of 50 marks. The application question (AQ) is worth 10 marks and is essentially a mini-essay where students must agree or disagree with the passage's argument using their own examples — making GP essay revision useful for Paper 2 as well.

GP is graded on the standard A-Level scale: A, B, C, D, E, S (sub-pass), and U (ungraded). Paper 1 and Paper 2 each contribute 50% of the total score.

Most Singapore universities require at least a D grade in GP (or equivalent) for admission. A strong GP grade can also strengthen university applications, particularly for humanities, law, and social science courses. As an H1 subject, GP contributes to the university admission score (UAS) used for local university applications.