Muet Writing Task 1

Profile of Professionals & Main Goals for the Year Ahead by Age Group The stimuli present a table on profiles of professionals and another on their main goals for the year ahead. In general, the youngsters focus on accumulating wealth while the more affluent older group can afford to concentrate on health. Based on the information provided, the profile of a professional from the 18 to 27 years age group are mainly junior executives who have worked an average of 5 years and 40% are married. They only earn RM3000 so and their main goal is to make more money. Also top on their list is to improve their technology and communication skills rather than saving money or spending time with family. The profile of an older professional is completely opposite as these 46 to 55 year olds hold the position of senior manager with 20 years experience and earn more than triple a junior executive’s salary. 95% are married therefore their priorities have changed to focus on being more healthy, saving money and spending family time rather than on new friendships. In conclusion, the two groups have very different goals for the year ahead as the juniors prioritise money and skills while the mostly married seniors concentrate on health, savings and family.

The pie charts provide information on the time spent in a Malaysian university library by undergraduates and postgraduates compared to all students over the past year. It is noticeable that postgraduates spend a significant amount of time in the library when compared to the other students. Overall, the time spend in the library by undergraduates and the total student population was quite similar. The majority of undergraduates spend 1 to 7 hours in the library, which is similar to the total student population, the figures were 63% and 50 % respectively. The minority of both groups spend 15+ hours in the library, at 9% and 15% respectively. Meanwhile, the majority of postgraduates spend 15+ hours in the library, which was slightly above half at 51%. While the minority of postgraduates spend 1 to 7 hours in the library. This is the complete opposite when compared to the total student population and undergraduates. The only similarity between the undergraduates and postgraduates was that about one third of both groups spend 8 to 14 hours in the library, the figures were 28% and 32% respectively. In conclusion, there is a clear trend towards using the library more as students move towards postgraduation.

The Various Types of Cooking Oil Used in the Kitchen The stimuli present a line graph on 'Global production of cooking oil (2000-2006)', a bar graph on 'Fat content in commonly-used cooking oils' and an article excerpt on the healthiness of oils. In general, palm oil is the most produced oil while the least produced but healthiest option is sunflower oil. According to the line graph, the highest world oil production is palm oil increasing steadily from 25 million tonnes in 2000/01 to 35.5 million in 2005/06, beating soya oil by a small margin. Among the 5 types of oil, sunflower has the lowest production stabilising at just under 10 million tonnes from 2000 to 2006. Based on the bar graph, the healthiest oil is sunflower because it contains the second lowest fat (12%) content and the highest healthy polyunsaturated fat (71%). This is followed by other healthy oils with lower fat like canola (7%), olive (15%) and soya (16%). The unhealthy oils are very high in fat and very low in polyunsaturated fat such as palm oil (51%) and coconut oil (91%). The article states that we cannot be sure about how healthy the oils we eat are because it may contain too much trans fats leading to heart diseases and cancer. In conclusion, coconut and palm oil should be avoided because fo the high fat content while the healthiest oils are sunflower, canola, olive and soya.

Crimes Involving Foreign Workers in Malaysia The stimuli show a line graph on 'Number of crime cases involving foreign workers (2006-2008)', a bar graph on 'Types of crime committed by foreign workers (2006-2008)' and a newspaper headline on 'Overworked and Underpaid foreign workers'. In general, the number of crimes are increasing steadily from 2006 to 2008 especially petty crimes like robbery and snatch theft by underpaid foreign workers. According the the line graph, every year the number of crimes increases by about 200 cases which is 1535 in 2006, 1780 in 2007 to 1926 in 2008). These crimes can be divided into petty crimes including robbery and snatch thef and hardcore crimes like rape and murder. Based on the bar graph, the highest incidence of crime is robbery that rose from 65 in 2006 to 75 cases in 2008. This is followed by snatch thefts from 15 in 2006 to 18 cases in 2008. Conversely, rape and murder cases have reduced drastically by 50% or more from 2006 to 2008. The reasons given for the increase of crimes in the headline are that foreign workers are unhappy with their meagre incomes which result in them being overworked and underpaid. In conclusion, foreign workers are committing more petty crimes like robbery and snatch theft because they are overworked and underpaid.

Introduction First sentence: Describe the graph. You can use some slightly different words or word forms from those on the question paper, but be careful to give the full information. Start “The graph shows“  Second sentence: This gives the trend or trends. You can put two trends in this sentence or only one – you could keep the other one for the conclusion. Start “Overall, …” Paragraph 1: Trend 1 

Start with a sentence with no number. “City size increased sharply over the period.” “The most obvious trend in the graph is that women are having fewer babies.” “Oil production has increased slightly in all the countries in the graph”  Follow this sentence with an example (sentence with number) and perhaps another example (another sentence with number). Keep alternating. Paragraph 2: Trend 2 

Start with a sentence with no number. “City size increased sharply over the period.” Give an example (sentence with number) and perhaps another example (Sentence with number) Conclusion  

Finish by repeating the main trends, or identify a second trend. Use different vocabulary. Don’t have any numbers in the conclusion (you could use words like “most”, “the majority” “a minority”, “a small number”).  Don’t give an opinion.  

One of the most important things to do is get the main idea of the graph. First, identify the main features of the graph. What is happening? What are the biggest numbers? If it is a time graph, what are the biggest changes? What are the trends?

In this particular exercise, the trend is defined as the movement of a datum from a point of origin to a specific destination. Each movement is called a trend. The movements can be within the graph or between two or more graphs. Identifying these movements will plan your writing better.

Use a Pen! Ideally you need to find one main idea and, if possible, one or two more smaller ideas.      

Don’t have too much information Don’t analyze or explain everything in the graph Don’t go from left to right, explaining everything. Instead pick the main ideas. Use the biggest and next biggest – don’t mention everything in between. Don’t mention the small or unimportant stuff Pick an idea and find information that supports it

Study the graph. Print it out. Write on it. Circle the important points – beginnings, endings, sudden changes, low points, high points, trends, averages, differences between lines, differences over time.

Sometimes there is just too much information in a graph. You may need to group information. Grouping information means putting two or three similar or related things together. In the MUET exam, you have to write between 150 - 200 words, so show how much vocabulary you know. You don’t need to repeat the same words.  

Don’t repeat verbs Before you start to write, make a list of synonyms (words with the same meaning)

A sample writing: The graph shows the London Underground Stations Passengers. It depicts a fluctuation in the number

of people at a London underground station over the course of a day. The busiest time of the day is in the morning. There is a sharp increase between 06:00 and 08:00, with a difference of 400 people using the station at 8 o’clock. After this, the numbers drop quickly of 200 at 10 o’clock. Between 11 am and 3 pm the number rises, 150 people with a plateau of just under 300 people using the station each hour. In the afternoon, numbers decline, 200 people using the station at 4 pm. There is then a rapid rise to a peak of 380 at 6pm. After 7 pm, numbers fall significantly, 450 people with only a slight increase again at 8pm, tailing off after 9 pm of 50 people. Overall, the graph shows that the station is most crowded in the early morning and early evening periods.

While You Write: Some Don’ts Don’t describe the X and Y axis. Give the information. Don’t write about everything on the graph. Pick the biggest, the smallest, the main points, the main trends. Group similar things together  Don’t write about the line or the bar: “The line went up,” “The bar went down.” Instead, write about the idea. “The number of people going to work by train increased gradually.” “Oil production shot up in 1965”  Make sure you write about the idea. Don’t use shorthand: “Men went up.” “Women went down.” Instead, write about the real data: “The number of men at university fell dramatically,” “The percentage of female students getting a degree rose suddenly.”  Don’t use “I feel”, “as I have written,” “as you can see,” etc. Keep it academic. In IELTS, you can give your opinions in Task 2. In Task 1 (writing about a graph or visual data) you just report what you see.  Don’t start sentences with But, So, Also, And, For, Since, Because, Although  Do you really need four paragraphs in IELTS Task 1? No! (You definitely need them for Task 2). But it’s good to think about four paragraphs. It will help you to organize your writing. So go ahead and write four paragraphs, or at least three (intro, body, conclusion).  

Word Length and Sentence Length

Make sure you have 150 words. You should have some short sentences (about 6-10 words) and some long ones (12-18) words, but your average should be about 12 or 13 words per sentence. A sentence without a number will usually be short. Use a mix – a sentence without a number followed by a sentence or two with a number.