ENHANCING MUET

PERFORMANCE
Writing 800/4

Presented by:
Mdm. Audrey Koh Sui Ean
B. Education (TESL) (Honours) UK
 2nd most important component

 Divided into 2 sections

 Section 1:
Report Writing (40 mins x 40 marks)

 Section 2:
Academic Essay (50 mins x 60 marks)

Writing carries 30%

 Students may be presented
with:
1.a point of view,
2.an argument or
3.a problem
as the core of the
question.
Question 2: Academic Essay
 Candidates will be assessed based on
these criteria:
 Quality of Arguments
– logical, mature ideas

 Ideas and Evidence

– support your points
(elaboration & examples)

 Communicative Quality

 Vocabulary and Sentence Structure

Question 2: Academic Essay

 STEP 1: BRAINSTORM

It is very important to make a list

of ideas/main points. You may use
various techniques to develop
argument/content:

1. List
2. Mind map
3. Table, etc.

Academic Essay Tip No. 1:

 benefits/advantages/strategies

 drawbacks/disadvantages

 the pros, cons and some solutions

 somebenefits and drawbacks as well as

suggestions to overcome it

Keywords – generate ideas

 the
advantages and disadvantages and
some ways to overcome it

 how it affects the individual, society and

nation as a whole.

 theimpact to us in terms of social,

financial and spiritual aspects.

 theshort term and long term effects as

well as some solutions.

Keywords – generate ideas

 STEP 2: ORGANISE

You MUST write

in an academic style, 5 paragraphs.

1. Introduction
2. Body (minimum 3 points)
3. Conclusion

Academic Essay Tip No. 2:

 MUET Writing:
Basic Essay Structure
Introduction  Opening sentences

 Stand

 Thesis Statement (the main

idea of the whole essay)
  Topic Sentence 1 (the main idea of the
paragraph)

 Supporting points (at least 2) for the main

idea

Body
 Elaboration of the supporting points

 Examples (real life examples is preferable)

 Concluding sentence
Conclusion  Restatement of the thesis statement/
summary of the main points

 Prediction or opinion

 Recommendation or call for action

 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.

Let’s look at a sample question:

 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.

1st Paragraph - Introduction:

 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.

2nd Paragraph - Point 1:

 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 .

3rd Paragraph - Point 2:

 Last but not least, it is every individual's
responsibility to mould the future generation to be
more patriotic. This is due to the fact that by
educating our own children to be good and tolerant
citizens, this will help us maintain our peaceful
situation long into the future. In addition, children who
are taught to be respectful of other cultures will learn
to be more grateful for the peace and harmony our
country enjoys compared to places like Gaza where
they are now suffering the effects of war. Take for
example, if we include values like tolerance and
gratefulness in the school curriculum, students will
learn early on that they must inculcate these values
and others in their daily lives. Hence, by educating the
young on patriotism, we are ensuring that national
unity will continue to exist in the future.

4th Paragraph - Point 3:

 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 campaigns that
are patriotic so that we can produce a united
society that can contribute productively to the
achievement of Vision 2020.

5th Paragraph - Conclusion:

Some sample recommendations