Alhamdulillah akhirnya sampai juga ke puncak gunung tokwan. Mula mula kena lalu bukit broga lepas itu naik sikit jumpa gunung tokwan mengambil masa 4jam walaupun banyak pewai tapi memang berbaloi yang kami nak. Yeayyyy syukur alhamdulillah 

23:39

22:19

MUET SPEAKING TEST GUIDE & TIPS

The MUET speaking test is one of the four areas which will be tested apart from reading, writing, and listening. This test is to evaluate the student’s fluency as well as their level of command in the English language.

Exam paper code: 800/2
Exam duration: 30 minutes
Total weightage: 15%

Unlike the other tests, the MUET speaking test is the only one which will require you to interact with three other students. It is aimed at testing your ability to:

• Effectively  convey your message and opinion across to others
• Think critically
• Keep a conversation going
• Use the English language in a fluent and confident manner

During the test, all four students will be given the same scenario but each of you is given different questions. There are two parts to the speaking test – Task A and Task B.

Check out universities and colleges in Malaysia that accept MUET.

Below is a sample question obtained from I Like English, to help you practice your speaking skills.

Sample question:

A person's character is often influenced by other people around him/her. Who has the greatest influence on a person's character? Discuss which of the following has the greatest influence on a person's character: Candidate A: Parents Candidate B: Teachers Candidate C: Friends Candidate D: Famous Personalities

Task A – Individual presentation

Given the situation, you now have:

· 2 minutes to prepare your responses

· 2 minutes to present

Tips:

· Study the scenario or topic given carefully

· Double check which candidate you are (A, B, C, D) to make sure you don’t prepare another candidate’s speech

· Make sure you don’t run out of topic

· Prepare 2 to 3 points to present on

· You MUST agree with the point that is given to you (you can disagree or favor another point in Task B)

· Make full use of the 2 minutes that you have. Don’t go less than 1 minute 45 seconds / more than 2 minutes.

· If you don’t have as many points to speak about, talk slower.

· Don’t relax after your turn! Keep an attentive ear to what the other candidates are talking about.

· Write down the other students’ answers as they present their 2-minute speech (to prepare yourself for Task B)

Sample answer: Candidate A

    Hi, a very good morning to the examiners and my fellow friends. As we are talking about how a person’s character can be influenced by another person, the persons whom I think have the most influence in a person’s life are – parents. There are three reasons why I think so.

    Firstly, parents are the people whom know us since birth. We become like the person whom we spend the most time with. Parents are the people whom we see every day from the moment we are born, till the day we are adults. Hence, very naturally, they become the people whom we look up to and start imitating the way they talk, act, and even think.

    My second reason is because parents are the first educators to their child before anybody else. Table manners and basic etiquettes are taught at home, by the parents. This gives an influence so vast that we ourselves fail to recognize it sometimes

    Thirdly, parents are the ones who impart values into our lives. Values are assets which we hold on to for the rest of our lives – and this is the greatest influence of all. Values are what we make our decisions upon, and it is what shapes our character.

    In conclusion, I think that though there may be many others who can influence a person’s character – ultimately, parents are the greatest influencers of all. With that, I conclude my speech. Thank you very much.

Task B – Group discussion

You are given:

· 2 minutes to prepare your points to either support or oppose the other candidates’ views

· Decide on which of the 4 points you think is the best (Note: it is perfectly fine to agree with another candidate’s points just as long as you explain “why” and “how it is the best point”)

Example: “I think that parents play a big part in influencing their child’s character, but after listening to Candidate D I would have to agree that famous personalities have more influence in a person’s character. The reason is because (add on one point to Candidate D’s answers).”

· The entire group is given 10 minutes for this discussion

Tips:

· NEVER keep silent

· It is a plus point when you initiate the discussion. (Example: “To kick start the discussion, after listening to all of the other candidates’ answers I still stand by my own point that parents can influence a person’s character the most.”)

· Ask other candidates questions to keep the discussion alive (Example: “How about you, Candidate B? What do you think?” “What do you mean by that, Candidate C? Could you elaborate more on that point?”)

· If you want to interrupt when someone is speaking, do it politely. (Example: “I’m sorry, may I interrupt?”)

Overall Tips:

· Speak loudly and clearly so that the examiners can hear you.

· Don’t be too nervous up to the point where you can’t speak properly. Take a deep breath, and speak slowly and clearly.

· Make eye contact with the examiners and the other candidates – especially during Task B as it is a group discussion.

· Use good language. Good choice of words and sentence structure are plus points.

· Don’t be rude. Always say “excuse me” when you wish to interrupt, and “thank you” after giving your speech in Task A.

Watch this video to get a better understanding on what to expect on the examination day:

05:28

MUET ESSAY WRITING TEST GUIDE & TIPS

tHE MUET WRITING TEST REQUIRES STUDENTS TO TRANSFER INFORMATION FROM A NON-LINEAR SOURCE TO A LINEAR TEXT, AS WELL AS TO WRITE AN ESSAY OF AT LEAST 350 WORDS ON A GIVEN TOPIC.

Exam paper code: 800/4

Exam duration: 90 minutes
Total weightage: 25%

The MUET writing test is to access candidates on their ability to:

1.       Transfer information

2.       Write with good grammar

3.       Analyze graphic information. It may come in one of these five forms:

• Line graph
• Bar graph
• Pie chart
• Table
• Diagram illustrating process

4.       Voice their opinions through words/written form

5.       Think critically

Below is an exercise for you to start practicing. The following question has been taken from the MUET Tuition blog, where you can find more sample tests and more relevant information.

Task 1 – Report Writing (40 marks)

· You are given 40 minutes to complete this task

· Study and analyze the graphic information

· Describe the information or the process in a report format

· Write between 150 – 200 words

Sample question:

The chart shows how students on all courses at a Malaysian university viewed different subjects on a scale of easy to difficult. You should write 150 to 200 words.

Sample answer:

How Students on All Courses at a Malaysian University View Different Subjects According to Different Levels of Difficulty

 The bar chart shows how students who are studying in a Malaysian university rate different subjects according to its difficulty – easy, moderately difficult or difficult.

 The subject which was most commonly rated as difficult was math, by 70% of the total students.  While only 20% of students saw it as easy. Physics was also largely judged to be a difficult or moderately difficult subject. Only 25% of students viewed it as easy. By contrast, chemistry was regarded as easy by a massive 70% of students.

 As far as language subjects are concerned, languages in general were seen as easy by 40% of students. This percentage dropped to 20% for oriental languages. African languages, however, were viewed as easy by 60% of students. Next, Art was rated to be an easy subject by only 30% of students and like Physics, 50% rated it as difficult.

 In conclusion, there seems to be no clear correspondence between the type of subject and whether it was generally rated as easy or difficult.                                                             (168 words)

Tips for Task 1:

· A title MUST be written

· Title MUST be underlined

· Write a minimum of 3 paragraphs (Introduction, body and conclusion). Students can also write 2 paragraphs for body.)

Task 2 – Extended Writing (60 marks)

· Write an essay NOT LESS THAN 350 words based on the given topic

· You are given 50 minutes to complete this task

· Your essay may be written in these styles:

-          Analytical

-          Descriptive

-          Persuasive

-          Argumentative

Past Year Exam Questions:

Year End 2008

"People are becoming more materialistic. They are concerned with making more money and what money can buy." What is your opinion on being materialistic? You should write at least 350 words.

Mid 2009 
Information and communications technology (ICT) is the cause of today's many social ills. What is your opinion? Support your answers with examples. You should write at least 350 words.

Year End 2009
People commit crime for selfish reasons. Discuss. You should write at least 350 words.

Mid 2010
The world today is turning more to electronic communications such as the e-mail, Facebook and short Message System (SMS). What is your opinion of this growing trend? Discuss. You should write at least 350 words.

Year End 2010
In an arranged marriage, the choice of a husband or wife is made by parents or elders. What do you think of this practice in today's society? Discuss. You should write at least 350 words.

Mid 2011
The most valuable thing in life is friendship. Do you agree? Discuss. You should write at least 350 words.

Tips:

· Don’t write statements that are too general. Back up your statements with facts. If you’re aiming at scoring Band 5 or Band 6, you are expected to have a high level of critical thinking.

· Have at least 5 paragraphs

1.       Introduction

- State the current situation

- State if you agree or disagree with the statement/topic, and why.

2.       First point

-          Key point

-          Elaboration

-          Examples

3.       Second point

-          Key point

-          Elaboration

-          Examples

4.       Third point

-          Key point

-          Elaboration

-          Examples

5.       Conclusion

-          State why you agree/disagree once more

-          What can the government/individual/society do?

· Use these tools to help with your critical thinking:

1.       The short term, midterm, and long term effect

-          Example: Smoking

-          Short term = Bad breath/yellow teeth

-          Midterm = Affordability/waste of money

-          Long term = Health problems such as lung cancer

2.       Individual, society, and government

-          Example: Recycling

-          Individual = Practice the 3R’s (Reduce, reuse, recycle)

-          Society = Community collection/fund raising

-          Government = Hold recycling campaigns

 

Don't forget to check out other useful tips for MUET:

1.       Listening

2.       Reading 

3.       Speaking

05:25

MUET READING EXAM GUIDE & TIPS BY A MUET EXPERT

As the MUET Reading paper is the one which carries the highest weightage of 40%, we have approached a MUET expert, Madam Audrey Wiles, to share with you her invaluable tips for your MUET Reading paper 800/3.

1.     Read (There is a reason why it’s called a MUET Reading paper)

• Read everything but with a notepad in hand
• Copy down words which you don’t understand AND more important, phrases that you would like to use in your MUET written essay.

2.     Read quality materials

• Read articles that are published by reliable sources such as: Reader’s Digest, TIME Magazine…etc.
• Articles used in the exams are usually from these types of source
• Keep yourself updated on current issues by reading newspapers (Example: The STAR, New Straits Times, The Edge)
   

3.     Use your time wisely!

•  You only have 1.5 hours to answer 45 exam questions
•  If you do the math, that would mean that you only have 2 minutes per question
•  ALWAYS read the question first, and underline the keywords
• Make sure you don’t just skim through the text but scan for specific information
   

4.     Know your vocabulary

• There will be 6 texts altogether in the exam paper, and the first one always has a non-linear stimuli (Example: graph, chart or diagram)
• You will need the relevant vocabulary knowledge to describe the trend(s) shown in the given diagram(s)
• This is also a useful practice for report writing as it deals with the same language functions
   

5.     DON’T ACT SMART!

• For some questions, you will be asked to ‘infer’ or make intelligent assumptions based on the given evidences in the texts
• For ‘True/False/Not Stated’ questions, NEVER use your own opinions to answer because what is logical to you may not be academically correct
• My tip to you is that you should underline the evidence(s) in the texts
• For ‘True’, you must be able to identify proof that shows that the statement is correct
• You should also underline evidences that prove a statement to be wrong in order to choose ‘False’ as your answer
• For ‘Not Stated’, you will find that it is almost impossible to underline any evidence at all. Hence, these are the fundamental differences between the answer selections ‘True/False/Not Stated’
   

6.     Train your brain

•  Guessing the meaning of a vocabulary can be quite tricky especially when you don’t have the access to a dictionary or the internet (Google.com) during your exam. Hence, you need to train your brain to assess the root word
•  Focus on the prefix/suffix in order to identify the meaning
• If you think the word is a positive, negative or neutral one – reconfirm again by looking at the context of the texts for clues to support your assumption
• Review the answers and options given by eliminating the answer that is most unlikely to be correct before making a calculated guess
• For example, in the phrase: “the degradation of water quality”, the word‘degradation’ comes from the root word ‘grade’ which means level or standard. The ‘de’ suffix has a negative connotation where it means the removal of something, while ‘tion’ is a noun that explains the process of something
• Thus, the phrase means “the drop of standard/quality of water”

7.     Assess the writer’s intentions

 The MUET level comprehension questions do not focus on content alone

 Instead, the questions given require candidates to assess the writer’s: 

• (A)   Purpose

 Example: to inform, discuss, argue, compare, persuade…etc.

• (B)   Style of writing

 Example: describing, comparing and contrasting, giving examples, explaining causes and effects, sequencing events…etc.

• (C)   Tone

   Example: supportive, opposing, indifferent, neutral, biased…etc.

8.    Assess the articles as a whole

•  Sometimes you may be asked to give a suitable title to an article
• Or to summarize a specific paragraph
• Or to come up with a suitable conclusion based on the options given. This clearly requires critical thinking skills or HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) from you.

9.     Keep practicing!

• Essentially, nothing beats practice and more practice
• Buy good quality reference books such as Longman or Oxford model tests/actual exam workbooks and try doing each reading paper 3 times
• First attempt: do it as if you’re sitting for the real exam. Do not refer to any workbooks or dictionaries
• Second attempt: allow yourself to refer to books, and discuss with your friends if you need to (and if you are doing it as a group) before marking both attempts
• Note: Your 2^nd attempt should score better than your first.
• Third attempt: Try doing the same set of exam paper again after 2-3 months to see if you are able to retain the knowledge of vocabulary and concepts which you have learned before.

10.  Grade yourself

• Here’s a useful guide for you to follow when you attempt the exam questions so that you can know where you stand

         You will need to score:

         (A)   21/45 – Band 3

         (B)   27/45 – Band 4

         (C)   33/45 – Band 5

         (D)  39/45 – Band 6

• Reading is the MOST important MUET paper as it carries 40% or 120/300 marks

Good luck with your upcoming MUET exam!

This is Madam Audrey Wiles, signing off.

Madam Audrey is a Form 6 academic teacher & MUET coordinator at SMK Majakir, Papar. She has been teaching MUET since 2003 and she is an experienced MUET speaking examiner. Madam Audrey provides very useful MUET tips for students on her blog: http://muetmyway.blogspot.com  

05:21

Ada seorang lelaki yang mengajarku,
Bahawa cinta bukan segalanya indah,
Dan cinta tak mengenal usia.

Dia mengajarku bahawa,
Dalam cinta,
Darjat lelaki tak pernah lagi tinggi dari wanita.

Dia juga mengajarku bahawa cinta sejati takkan berakhir,
Tapi akan kekal hingga ke Syurga.

Dialah Nabi Muhamad s.a.w yang amat ku cintai.

03:59

03:57