MUET writing

RECOMMENDED ESSAY STRUCTURE FOR MID TO HIGH PROFICIENCY STUDENTS:

MODEL 1 RECOMMENDED for BANDS 3 – 6 1. INTRODUCTION ( x 1 paragraph) - Introductory Statements - Thesis Statement 2. BODY: 3 – 5 points ( x 3-5 paragraphs) - Topic Sentence 1. Support 2. Support 3. Support (Concluding sentence) 3. CONCLUSION ( x 1 paragraph )

- Closing statement - Restate thesis - Final comment

Basic guideline: 70 words per paragraph, i.e. at least 350 words.

RECOMMENDED ESSAY STRUCTURE FOR LOW TO MID PROFICIENCY STUDENTS:

MODEL 2 RECOMMENDED for BANDS 1 – 3 INTRODUCTION ( x 1 paragraph, 70 words) 1. Current situation (Nowadays,… In today’s era of …) 2. Stand (In my opinion, I think/agree/disagree that…) 3. Outline (In this essay, I will discuss 3 reasons/strategies/suggestions which are ____________, ___________ & __________.) 1ST POINT ( x 1 paragraph, 70 words) 1. Main Idea (Firstly,… First and foremost,…) 2. Reasons (This is because…Moreover,…) 3. Examples (For example,… and so on.) 4. Mini conclusion (Therefore,…) 2ND POINT ( x 1 paragraph, 70 words) 1. Main Idea (Secondly,…The second reason is…) 2. Reasons (This is due to…In addition,…) 3. Examples (For instance,… and many more.) 4. Mini conclusion (Thus,…)

3RD POINT ( x 1 paragraph, 70 words) 1. Main Idea (Finally,…Last but not least…) 2. Reasons (This means that… Furthermore,…) 3. Examples (Take for example,… and others.) 4. Mini conclusion (Hence,…) CONCLUSION ( x 1 paragraph, 70 words) 1. Repeat Points (In conclusion/In a nutshell, the 3 reasons/strategies/suggestions I have mentioned above are…) 2. Repeat Stand (In my opinion, I still strongly believe that…) 3. Recommendation (Our government should…/We should…)

MODEL 1 ADVANTAGES • Promotes critical thinking skills • Room for creativity • Shows off linguistic proficiency DISADVANTAGES • Unfocussed • Danger of going out of topic • Difficult for low proficiency students to excel

MODEL 2 ADVANTAGES • Helps students achieve basic proficiency by providing structures • Boosts confidence and motivation to write • Aids in developing and organising ideas

DISADVANTAGES • Stifles creativity • Repetitive style of writing • Monotonous for examiner to mark • May bore high flyers

Let’s look at a sample question: Question 2: Since achieving independence in 1957, Malaysia has been known for its peaceful and multi-racial society. What can be done to further enhance national unity and solidarity among the various races? Elaborate and give relevant examples in more than 350 words.

1st Paragraph - Introduction: Nowadays, Malaysia is a leading tourist destination because we are famous for our multi-racial society who live in peace and harmony. In my opinion, I strongly agree that national unity can be enhanced to strengthen solidarity among all the various races in this country. In this essay, I will discuss three solid strategies for enhancing national unity which are every individual needs to be more patriotic, be respectful of each different culture and mould a future generation that is tolerant and grateful to be Malaysian.

2nd Paragraph - Point 1: First and foremost, every individual can play a part in enhancing national unit by being more patriotic. This is because when we are patriotic we will appreciate being a Malaysian citizen who has the right to live a peaceful and war-free life. Moreover, having high patriotism will ensure that we really love our country and we will not do anything to harm the peace and harmony. For example, every one of us can respect the ‘Negaraku’ song and our ‘Rukunegara’, fly our national flag during Independence day and so on. Therefore, if everyone plays their part and becomes more patriotic, this will easily enhance the spirit of national unity.

3rd Paragraph - Point 2: Secondly, as loyal Malaysians, we should always be respectful of each and every culture found in this country. This is due to the fact that respecting the main races like Malays, Chinese and Indians as well as the indigenous races will ensure that we will continue to live side by side in harmony. In addition, every race that makes up the Malaysian society is unique and should be cherished for its special traditions and cultures. For instance, we should visit one another during ‘Open House’ or wedding celebrations, religious festivals and many more. Thus, by respecting the uniqueness of every culture, this helps us promote racial solidarity and enhance national unity .

4th Paragraph - Point 3: Last but not least, truancy can be curbed by encouraging cooperation with local police authorities and the general public. This means that we can get assistance from the police as they are the higher authority and they can even set up a ‘Police Hut’ within the school grounds. Furthermore, the public can report students wearing uniform who escape by calling or sending sms messages to the school authorities or even the police. Take for example, to solve this problem we can organise regular spot checks by police, give the school emergency number to the shop owners, neighbourhood residents and others. Hence, everyone can cooperate to reduce cases of truancy.

5th Paragraph - Conclusion: In a nutshell, the three strategies I have suggested are to be more patriotic and respectful of each unique culture as well as teach our children to be more grateful Malaysian citizens. In my opinion, I still strongly believe that national unity can be enhanced if we all play an active role. I hope that our government can highlight this issue in the media by organising more patriotism campaigns so that we can produce a united society that can contribute productively to the achievement of Vision 2020.

Writing Marking Schemes (Question 2) Band 6 30 – 26

Band 5 25 – 21

Band 4 20 – 16

Band 3 15 – 11

Band 2 10 – 6

Band 1 5-0

Language & Organisation

30 – 26

25 – 21

20 – 16

15 – 11

10 – 6

5-0

TOTAL

60 – 51

50 – 41

40 – 31

30 – 21

20 – 11

10 – 0

Task Fulfilment