ENHANCING MUET

PERFORMANCE
Writing 800/4

Presented by:
Mdm. Audrey Koh Sui Ean
B. Education (TESL) (Honours) UK

Question 2: Academic Essay

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

What do we look for in an essay:
Quality of Arguments
logical, mature ideas
o Ideas and Evidence
support your points
(elaboration & examples)
o Communicative Quality
o Vocabulary and Sentence Structure
o

Academic Essay Tip No. 1:

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. 2:

STEP 2: ORGANISE
You MUST write
in an academic style, 5
paragraphs.
1. Introduction
2. Body (min x3)
3. Conclusion

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
Basic guideline:
1. Support
70 words per paragraph,
2. Support
i.e. at least 350 words.
3. Support
(Concluding sentence)
3. CONCLUSION ( x 1 paragraph )
- Closing statement
- Restate thesis
- Final comment

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

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 todays 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 becauseMoreover,)
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 toIn 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 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

Lets 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.

1 Paragraph - Introduction:
st

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.

2 Paragraph - Point 1:
nd

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.

3 Paragraph - Point 2:
rd

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 .

4 Paragraph - Point 3:
th

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.

5 Paragraph - Conclusion:
th

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.

A final note on Question 2

Remember to address the following:
1. QUESTION @ ISSUE,
2. ORGANISATION @ FORMAT,
3. REGISTER @ VOCABULARY
4. & GRAMMAR

Writing Marking Scheme

(Question 2)
Band 6

Band 5

Band 4

Band 3

Band 2

Band 1

Task
Fulfilment

30 26

25 21

20 16

15 11

10 6

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

If you can follow this

writing style.. you will
definitely move up in
your current band..

Good luck!!!