Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia

English Paper 1 (1119/1)

Tips on Directed Writing
PAPER 1 of the SPM English 1119 comprises two questions: directed writing and continuous
writing.This paper carries a significant portion of the marks for the whole English paper and also
tests the more difficult skill of writing.

The focus of this website is to prepare candidates on how to write directed writing. A total of 35
marks are allocated for this question (normally being the first question for this paper) 15 marks
for content (which include marks for format) and 20 marks for language.

Students do not have the luxury of choice, as compared to which they are given in the
continuous writing section.

This question is manageable and easy to do because:

1. Students do not have to worry about content as points are provided.
2. Students can actually score full marks for content, and even format, if they have
been taught the format for different text types.
3. This question does not make excessive linguistic demands, unlike the continuous
writing question.
4. The question usually revolves round the experiences of students.
5. Teachers and students are usually able to predict the type of question that might
appear by analysing questions asked in previous years.

General Guidelines to Directed Writing

1. Read the question carefully.
2. Identify what you are required to do. Also, be clear about your role and your
audience who is going to listen or read your piece of writing.
3. Use the 45 minutes allocated for this question wisely.
4. You need to plan your essay and organise your thoughts. This means thinking
about what to write, how to elaborate on the points given and producing
a neat piece of writing.
5. Remember, not to spend more than the allocated time for this question.Some
candidates make the mistake of spending more than 45 minutes on this
question and they end up having little time for the second essay.Bear in mind, no
matter how much you write, you can only score a maximum of 15
marks for content, so there is no point in devoting more than 45 minutes.
6. Include an introduction and a conclusion and make sure your paragraphs are well-
organised.
7. Use all content points given. It is advisable to cross out the points you have used,
so that no point is left out.
8. Use the points in the order in which they are given.This is to avoid leaving out a
point. Sometimes linguistically proficient candidates, rearrange the
given points in a manner which suits their organisation of thoughts. There is no
harm in doing this except that you may inadvertently leave out a point
or two.
9. Avoid paraphrasing the points given. This may result in distortion of meaning.
10.Convey one point at a time.
11.Include points of your own only if you are asked to. Otherwise, do not waste
precious time doing so because you will not get any extra marks.
12.You should elaborate on the points given.
13.Write two to three sentences to elaborate on each point. I usually advise my weak
students to write at least one sentence for elaboration purposes. This is because
language is a crucial aspect of this paper and your ability to write can only be
tested if you provide sufficient language for the
examiner to gauge your linguistic ability.
14. Your elaborations can be in the form of examples, facts and figures or any extra
information.
15. Use a variety of sentence structures so that your essay is not dull and
monotonous.
16. Pay attention to the usage of effective vocabulary. Use appropriate words and
expressions to convey meaning.
17. You may include suitable idiomatic expressions or quotations to enhance your
writing.
18. Always read through what you have written.
19. Correct grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Remember, in any language
paper, grammatical correctness is crucial. Carelessness with the
use of tenses, subject-verb agreement, pronouns etc. can result in unnecessary
loss of marks.
20. Always submit a neatly written piece of work.Some candidates hand in messy work
with lots of cancellations or work that is heavily marked with
correction fluid (liquid paper). This makes it very difficult for the examiner to make
sense of what you have written.

Common pitfalls
1. Poor time management. Do not spend more than the
allocated 45 minutes on this question. Otherwise you will not have enough time for
the second question. Remember the second question carries more marks.
2. Lengthy essays.Do not write too much. As mentioned earlier, this question does
not make many demands on a candidate. Directed writing is a succinct piece of
writing. All you have to do is use the given points and provide a sentence or two
(maybe three) to elaborate on them.A response of 1 - 2 pages is more than
sufficient. After all, the more you write the more mistakes you are likely to make.
Some candidates make the mistake of writing one paragraph for each point. If you
do this, your essay is going to be very lengthy. Save the time and energy for
Continuous Writing.
3. Usage of Informal language.This paper tests your written English. Do not use
spoken language. Avoid using slang words (such as guys, dudes, bligetty, breaky,
toastie), contractions (cant, mustnt etc) and informal language (such as informal
idiomatic expressions or informal phrasal verbs).
4. Too many idiomatic expressions.
5. Some candidates tend to use as many idiomatic expressions as they can in their
piece of writing. I understand this is a required practice for the Bahasa Melayu
paper.It may work to your advantage for the Bahasa Melayu paper but not in an
English paper. Reading a piece of writing littered with such expressions devalues
the merits the piece of writing may have.
6. Poor punctuation.Some candidates do not punctuate their sentences correctly.
Make sure you end your sentence with a full stop and not a comma. Also, make
sure that the pronoun (I) is written in upper case and not lower case (i) as is the
practice among some candidates.

Types of Directed Writing

There are various types of text that will be tested in the first question. Types of text that would be
tested are:

1. Speech/Talk
2. Report
3. Informal letter
4. Formal letter