Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Muet Candidates, Enrich Your Vocabulary!
University Standard of Vocabulary
The MUET candidates-to-be should shore up in their command of English. They need to have a University-going standard of vocabulary, suitable for 'U' undergrads. This is especially true for the Pre-University students. Many of them, in certain areas and localities, are so poor in terms of vocabulary.
There could be candidates who are English teachers but they have to take MUET because they want to do a degree in TESL, then their vocabulary can be considered to be strong or adequate. Candidates may also be made up of working adults, university or college students and ordinary or highly-positioned government servants in Putrajaya. They need to do the MUET for various different reasons.
Why Should there be "Good Vocabulary"?
Good vocabulary is essential for all the papers in MUET. Be they Listening, Speaking, Reading or Writing. Sometimes the candidates vocabulary is so poor that they cannot understand the MUET questions. As a result they tend to give to a totally wrong answer or give no answer at all.
There have been cases where students are so lacking in their vocabulary that it is impossible to do some decent work of, i.e. reading, in class. Sometimes, more than forty percent of the words in a single paragraph should get their meanings explained because students do not understand their meanings, at times a higher percentage has to be explained!
To have a decent vocabulary in their arsenal, the students should have been reading English materials such as newspapers, magazines, journals, novels, reports, etc. The reading habit should have been nurtured years ago, right from the very start of their pre-school education. Practice in the various aspects of language, i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing should have been the norm.
The MUET candidates-to-be should shore up in their command of English. They need to have a University-going standard of vocabulary, suitable for 'U' undergrads. This is especially true for the Pre-University students. Many of them, in certain areas and localities, are so poor in terms of vocabulary.
There could be candidates who are English teachers but they have to take MUET because they want to do a degree in TESL, then their vocabulary can be considered to be strong or adequate. Candidates may also be made up of working adults, university or college students and ordinary or highly-positioned government servants in Putrajaya. They need to do the MUET for various different reasons.
Why Should there be "Good Vocabulary"?
Good vocabulary is essential for all the papers in MUET. Be they Listening, Speaking, Reading or Writing. Sometimes the candidates vocabulary is so poor that they cannot understand the MUET questions. As a result they tend to give to a totally wrong answer or give no answer at all.
There have been cases where students are so lacking in their vocabulary that it is impossible to do some decent work of, i.e. reading, in class. Sometimes, more than forty percent of the words in a single paragraph should get their meanings explained because students do not understand their meanings, at times a higher percentage has to be explained!
To have a decent vocabulary in their arsenal, the students should have been reading English materials such as newspapers, magazines, journals, novels, reports, etc. The reading habit should have been nurtured years ago, right from the very start of their pre-school education. Practice in the various aspects of language, i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing should have been the norm.
Oh, My Diction!
Master English, Beef Up Your Vocabulary!
Reminiscing those halcyon days (-school days!)… Our English teacher encouraged us, students, to keep an exercise book where we could record all the new words. The book was called the vocabulary book. I read a lot of books and recorded hundreds of new words. I became a bookworm of sorts.
More often than not, I found new words that I did not know. I wrote down those words with their meanings, in context, in that vocabulary book. Every day I read and re-read them in order to commit them to memory. I made it some kind of a 'second hobby', sort of ...
I found that that strategy to be very effective in mastering more English words. One of the effective ways to increase our mastery of English. It had stood the test of time and would always do so. Take it from an old master(yeah, … I am a school master and I am old – tee-hee!), to try an old way – what they say, from the “old school”.
In retrospect, a brief history of my school days: I entered secondary school – a boarding school, in 1969. That was way back, many years ago! In that year, American Astronaut, Neil Armstrong became the first person in history to land on the moon. Many of you, dear readers, were not born yet. MUET? - Never heard of.
New intakes, hardly thirteen-years old, had to undergo a spell of one year's immersion in a "remove" class - to master English. Being from a Malay-medium primary school, we had to do that one year class. It was the practice those days that, one who came from a Malay-medium primary school and wanted to study in an English secondary school, had to do one year of "remove" class.
In that English immersion year I worked hard on my English, voraciously digesting books and magazines to read stories, read about space flights and other things and, many, many, new words. Of course, I became more knowledgeable. I used those new words, experimented with them in my essays and found overseas pen-pals to write them letters, sometimes sounding a bit "bombastic" - with new sophisticated words. I continued that habit for many years onwards. That vocabulary book method proved to be very effective and I am thankful to my English teacher, that particular one,who showed me the way.
Mark Twain, the famous American writer, who 'created' Tom Sawyer, used to say, “If you find a new word – use it three times and it’s yours”. There is a lot of truth in what he said. The use of that humble vocabulary note-book had proven its effectiveness, to me - at least, in the effort of mastering more English words, and thus strengthens my mastery of that language. With that strategy one's English can improve by leaps and bounds, God Willing! Try it yourselves – it surely works!
Vocabulary In Context
Contextual Clues
This is the installment for the article posting I made sometime ago (Friday, June 18, 2010) on vocabulary in context where we can make an educated guess on the meaning of a new word. We do that by a strategy where we look forcontextual clues that take us to the meaning of the word.
Definition As Contextual Clues
In this example the writer of an article or journal uses a strategy of giving the definition of the new word or phrase so that the reader will straightaway get the meaning of the new word.
Can you pinpoint what is the new word or phrase in the excerpt quoted above? Yes, the phrase is job burnout. The writer uses the word 'involves' to introduce the meaning of that phrase. Therefore, when the employee has job burnout, he isfrustrated, loses motivation; has physical, mental and emotional exhaustion with poor health. The writer knows that some people do not know the meaning of that phrase. So, he gives the definition of that phrase.
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Mature Treatment of Topic - A MUET Requirement
One of the requirements in MUET is that candidates have to show "mature treatment of topic" ...
Whether it be Speaking 800/2 or Reading 800/3 or Writing 800/3. This is directly related to your mastery of English - how much vocabulary do you have?
Does your vocabulary match the required standard (University/pre-University command of English)?
Whether it be Speaking 800/2 or Reading 800/3 or Writing 800/3. This is directly related to your mastery of English - how much vocabulary do you have?
Does your vocabulary match the required standard (University/pre-University command of English)?
So, if your vocabulary is a form two student's standard how can you maneuver your way through the standard of English in MUET (pre-University & University standard)? Well, what we get is a form two student's ideas - as your ideas are limited by the words that you have in your brains. You have big ideas but you do not have the words for it. Can you get it across to people the way that you want it to delivered - in that target language (in "university standard" English)?
This piece of thought is worthy of your attention.
Practice MORE - Listen more, speak more, read more & write more.
This piece of thought is worthy of your attention.
Practice MORE - Listen more, speak more, read more & write more.
MUET MADE EASY
People have been telling me that MUET is JUST MUET. Contaminated by the thought that MUET is EASY, I didn’t put much effort when I sat for the end of 2009 MUET. I perceived MUET as just another English test to sit. I simply thought that as long as I pass the minimum band requirement for my college, it is good enough. I only spent a few hours the night before the test by going through several essay questions to kick-start my brain and that was it. Despite my little effort and much to my astonishment, I scored a Band 6 in MUET. J I am very grateful that Lady Luck was on my side. However, some of my friends weren’t very lucky. They had the same mindset as I did – no need to do preparations, just achieve the minimum band and rejoice. Sadly, quite a number of them had to re-sit the test as they scored below the required band for our college. Hey, MUET IS A HIGHER LEVEL ENGLISH TEST. If you screw it once, you’ll have to pay and re-sit for another. And because I don’t want others to face what my friends faced, I wish to help everyone out there who is eager to perform well in their upcoming MUET. So here are some brief introduction and tips on how to ace MUET based entirely on my experience.
Firstly, there are 4 papers to sit for MUET: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. The Speaking test is conducted on one day, while the Listening, Reading and Writing tests are held altogether on a different day.
My experience: I was very lucky as I was the fourth candidate and the last to present my points. I had more time to jot down my ideas while other candidates were presenting theirs. I am fluent in English thus I had no problem elaborating my points. As for the Group Discussion session, everyone in my group voiced out different views and hence made the session a lot more interesting. We didn’t fight or debate, we simply said what we believe was right. We also helped each other throughout the session. We were tolerant to one another in which each person had almost equal time to speak. Everyone had their say and none of us conquered the discussion.
Tips: If you are competent in English, there is nothing for you to worry. However, if you are not fluent in this language, I suggest that you practise speaking English with your friends beforehand. It helps if you warm-up your brain before the test by having a discussion with your friends. Use simple words and speak at a normal pace. Speak clearly. Don’t rush your words or mumble. Also, if possible, try to give out-of-the-box views. This test does not only assess your fluency in English. The invigilators will give extra marks for mature, wise and sensible ideas. Furthermore, make full use of the 2 minutes duration time by elaborating in details or giving more suggestions. 2 minutes sounds short, but when you’re out of words it can be very long. Most importantly, avoid saying ‘uhm’, ‘err’, ‘well’ repetitively as this clearly shows how nervous you are.
My experience: Honestly, this paper was the most difficult for me. The passages were difficult to understand as a broad range of vocabulary was in use. The MCQ choices were very tricky and time constraint made it even worse. I didn’t even have the time to recheck my answers.
Tips: Truth be told, you need to practise answering some MUET sample questions as preparation. I didn’t try any questions and oh my, I was so stumped that it took me a long time to understand the passages! The passages are very difficult to comprehend but I suppose that if you’re used to reading newspapers it wouldn’t be a problem. When answering the paper, read the excerpt first (understand the main idea), then go through the questions briefly and finally read the excerpt again. Underline or highlight sentences that are related to the questions. Most importantly, FOCUS! Don’t bother looking at other candidates or build castles in the air. Trust me, the 90 minutes is not enough!
My experience: The night before my MUET, I sat with my roommate and we brainstormed on points for the essay, new words, idioms, quotes and the like. I’ve always loved writing so I wasn’t very worried for this section.
Tips: For the summary question, familiar yourself with comparison words. Use words like ‘better than’, ‘higher’, ‘rise’, ‘elevate’, ‘levelled out’, ‘equal’, ‘reduce’ and ‘lessen’ to give your essay a boost. Concentrate only on the main points as you are to write a very short 200 words summary. You should first compare on the statistics/graphs/etc given, then add 1 or two points based on your understanding of the graphic. Or in other words, write a few lines on your inference on the graphic. As for the argumentative essay, try to memorise a number of bombastic words and idioms to beautify your essay. You shouldn’t simply memorise them but you ought to know how and when to use them. Also, check out a thesaurus to find synonyms for useful words that you may want to use repetitively. For instance, alternatives to ‘thus’ are ‘therefore’, ‘hence’, ‘consequently’ and ‘as a result’. In addition, to defend your stand, use words like ‘justify’, ‘strongly belief’, ‘affirm’, ‘emphasize’ and et cetera. If you are weak in writing, avoid composing a lengthy essay. The longer you write, the more grammatical errors you’ll make. Try to write a short but compact essay.
My experience: I have to say that I am very lucky for MUET. I was seated in the first row and the radio was right in front of my desk. Unlike my friends who sat far behind and could only hear whispers of voices, I could hear loudly and clearly – word by word. Very lucky, weren’t I? *grins*
Tips: Frankly speaking, the questions for listening test are pretty easy and straightforward. You just have to listen attentively and take your time in answering the questions. I have to warn you that the questions are not in sequence with the dialogue so you should first brief through the questions before the session starts. Don’t panic if you missed a point as the tape will be repeated for a second time.
Well, I hope that I’ve made MUET easy for you. May you have a great MUET experience and score one of the high bands. MUET is rather tough if your English isn’t strong but fret not because practice makes perfect. JBuy a MUET exercise/sample papers/past year compilation book to have a better grasp of this test. If I can score a band 6, why can’t you? I am neither a debater nor a public speaker. I speak in my mother tongue (which is not English!) 24/7 at home. So if I can ace a band 6, I’m pretty sure you can too.
Firstly, there are 4 papers to sit for MUET: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. The Speaking test is conducted on one day, while the Listening, Reading and Writing tests are held altogether on a different day.
Speaking Test
What to expect: You’ll be placed into groups of 4 according to your candidate number. 2 sessions will be conducted beginning with Individual Presentation and ensued with Group Discussion. A main topic will be given, for example, ‘There are many ways of obtaining information today’. Each candidate will then receive one suggestion to elaborate on. For instance, ‘the Internet’ for candidate A, ‘the mobile phone’, ‘newspapers’ and ‘radio and television’ for candidates B, C and D respectively. Candidates will be given 2 minutes to prepare their points and another 2 minutes to present their views individually. Once the Individual Presentation session is done, the second session begins. 2 minutes will be given for all candidates to discuss and decide as to which of the four suggestions is the best.My experience: I was very lucky as I was the fourth candidate and the last to present my points. I had more time to jot down my ideas while other candidates were presenting theirs. I am fluent in English thus I had no problem elaborating my points. As for the Group Discussion session, everyone in my group voiced out different views and hence made the session a lot more interesting. We didn’t fight or debate, we simply said what we believe was right. We also helped each other throughout the session. We were tolerant to one another in which each person had almost equal time to speak. Everyone had their say and none of us conquered the discussion.
Tips: If you are competent in English, there is nothing for you to worry. However, if you are not fluent in this language, I suggest that you practise speaking English with your friends beforehand. It helps if you warm-up your brain before the test by having a discussion with your friends. Use simple words and speak at a normal pace. Speak clearly. Don’t rush your words or mumble. Also, if possible, try to give out-of-the-box views. This test does not only assess your fluency in English. The invigilators will give extra marks for mature, wise and sensible ideas. Furthermore, make full use of the 2 minutes duration time by elaborating in details or giving more suggestions. 2 minutes sounds short, but when you’re out of words it can be very long. Most importantly, avoid saying ‘uhm’, ‘err’, ‘well’ repetitively as this clearly shows how nervous you are.
Reading Test
What to expect: A total of 45 objective questions; 10 are True/False questions. The questions are based on several passages. Duration of 90 minutes.My experience: Honestly, this paper was the most difficult for me. The passages were difficult to understand as a broad range of vocabulary was in use. The MCQ choices were very tricky and time constraint made it even worse. I didn’t even have the time to recheck my answers.
Tips: Truth be told, you need to practise answering some MUET sample questions as preparation. I didn’t try any questions and oh my, I was so stumped that it took me a long time to understand the passages! The passages are very difficult to comprehend but I suppose that if you’re used to reading newspapers it wouldn’t be a problem. When answering the paper, read the excerpt first (understand the main idea), then go through the questions briefly and finally read the excerpt again. Underline or highlight sentences that are related to the questions. Most importantly, FOCUS! Don’t bother looking at other candidates or build castles in the air. Trust me, the 90 minutes is not enough!
Writing Test
What to expect: 1 summary (comparison) question based on a graphic. The graphic can be tables, graphs, short excerpts or even bar/pie charts. You are required to make comparison based on the graphic provided. Also, 1 essay question; usually argumentative. 90 minutes.My experience: The night before my MUET, I sat with my roommate and we brainstormed on points for the essay, new words, idioms, quotes and the like. I’ve always loved writing so I wasn’t very worried for this section.
Tips: For the summary question, familiar yourself with comparison words. Use words like ‘better than’, ‘higher’, ‘rise’, ‘elevate’, ‘levelled out’, ‘equal’, ‘reduce’ and ‘lessen’ to give your essay a boost. Concentrate only on the main points as you are to write a very short 200 words summary. You should first compare on the statistics/graphs/etc given, then add 1 or two points based on your understanding of the graphic. Or in other words, write a few lines on your inference on the graphic. As for the argumentative essay, try to memorise a number of bombastic words and idioms to beautify your essay. You shouldn’t simply memorise them but you ought to know how and when to use them. Also, check out a thesaurus to find synonyms for useful words that you may want to use repetitively. For instance, alternatives to ‘thus’ are ‘therefore’, ‘hence’, ‘consequently’ and ‘as a result’. In addition, to defend your stand, use words like ‘justify’, ‘strongly belief’, ‘affirm’, ‘emphasize’ and et cetera. If you are weak in writing, avoid composing a lengthy essay. The longer you write, the more grammatical errors you’ll make. Try to write a short but compact essay.
Listening Test
What to expect: 20 questions consisting of both MCQ and subjective questions. The tape will be repeated twice and extra time will be given for you to answer all the questions.My experience: I have to say that I am very lucky for MUET. I was seated in the first row and the radio was right in front of my desk. Unlike my friends who sat far behind and could only hear whispers of voices, I could hear loudly and clearly – word by word. Very lucky, weren’t I? *grins*
Tips: Frankly speaking, the questions for listening test are pretty easy and straightforward. You just have to listen attentively and take your time in answering the questions. I have to warn you that the questions are not in sequence with the dialogue so you should first brief through the questions before the session starts. Don’t panic if you missed a point as the tape will be repeated for a second time.
Well, I hope that I’ve made MUET easy for you. May you have a great MUET experience and score one of the high bands. MUET is rather tough if your English isn’t strong but fret not because practice makes perfect. JBuy a MUET exercise/sample papers/past year compilation book to have a better grasp of this test. If I can score a band 6, why can’t you? I am neither a debater nor a public speaker. I speak in my mother tongue (which is not English!) 24/7 at home. So if I can ace a band 6, I’m pretty sure you can too.
MUET
Malaysian University English Test (MUET), first launched in 1999 and administered by Malaysian Examinations Council (Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia), is a test to measure candidates’ English language proficiency. MUET is taken by students who intend to pursue their tertiary education at local public universities since it is a mandatory test to gain entry into degree courses offered at all Malaysian public universities. This test is carried out twice a year, in April/May and October/November. Candidates usually register through their academic institutions while private candidates through State Education Departments (Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri), with a registration fee of RM60.
Unlike International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) which are globally accepted as the certification of English language proficiency, MUET is recognized only in Malaysia and Singapore (National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University).
MUET consists of four components: listening, speaking, reading and writing. New test specifications have been introduced officially and will apply from MUET October/November 2008 onwards while old test specifications will still apply for MUET October/November 2007 and April/May 2008. The table below shows the detailed comparison between new and old format of MUET.
Candidates are rated into six bands – band one being the lowest and band six being the highest -- according to their test scores. The total score is 300 and the table below showsMUET band description.
Students that have taken MUET are eligible to be enrolled into degree courses offered at local public universities as long as their CGPA for Diploma STPM or Malaysian Matriculation examinations are good enough to fulfil the entry requirement. The difference between all these bands is that students from band 1 and 2 have to take two extra English courses during holidays while band 3 and 4 students take one extra course. Students with band 5 or 6 can skip the extra English course. Some competitive degree courses like medicine and pharmacy, however, require students to get band 5 or 6 in MUET.
Unlike International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) which are globally accepted as the certification of English language proficiency, MUET is recognized only in Malaysia and Singapore (National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University).
MUET consists of four components: listening, speaking, reading and writing. New test specifications have been introduced officially and will apply from MUET October/November 2008 onwards while old test specifications will still apply for MUET October/November 2007 and April/May 2008. The table below shows the detailed comparison between new and old format of MUET.
| Test | Old Test Specifications | New Test Specifications | Possible Genres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening (800/1) Duration: Weighting: Number of texts: Number of questions: Question type: | 45 marks 30 minutes 15% 3 15 Four-option multiple-choice | 45 marks 30 minutes 15% 5 20 - Information transfer - Short answer - Four-option multiple-choice - Three-option multiple choice | Lecture, briefing, talk, discussion, interview, telephone conversation, announcement, instructions, advertisement, news, meeting, documentary |
| Speaking (800/2) Duration: Weighting: Number of tasks: Task format: | 45 marks 30 minutes 15% 2 A: Individual presentation B: Group interaction | 45 marks 30 minutes 15% 2 A: Individual presentation B: Group interaction | Contemporary issues |
| Reading (800/3) Duration: Weighting: Number of texts: Number of questions: Question type: | 135 marks 120 minutes 45% 4 50 - Cloze - Information transfer - Four-option multiple-choice | 120 marks 90 minutes 40% 6 shorter texts (at least one text with graphics) 50 - Three-option multiple-choice - Four-option multiple-choice | Articles from journals, newspapers and magazines, academic texts, electronic texts |
| Writing (800/4) Duration: Weighting: Number of questions: Question type: | 75 marks 90 minutes 25% 2 Task 1: Summary of not more than 100 words Task 2: Extended writing not fewer than 250 words | 90 marks 90 minutes 30% 2 Task 1: Interpretation of information based on specific stimuli provided (no less than 150 words) Task 2: Extended writing based on a given topic (no less than 350 words) | Report, article, letter, essay |
Candidates are rated into six bands – band one being the lowest and band six being the highest -- according to their test scores. The total score is 300 and the table below showsMUET band description.
| Band | Aggregated Score | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 260 - 300 | Very good user - Very good command of the language. Highly expressive, fluent, accurate and appropriate language: hardly any inaccuracies. Very good understanding of language and contexts. Functions extremely well in the language. |
| 5 | 220 - 259 | Good user - Good command of the language. Expressive, fluent, accurate and appropriate language but with minor inaccuracies. Good understanding of language and contexts. Functions well in the language. |
| 4 | 180 - 219 | Competent user - Satisfactory command of the language. Satisfactory expressive and fluent, appropriate language but with occasional inaccuracies. Satisfactory understanding of language and contexts. Functions satisfactorily in the language. |
| 3 | 140 - 179 | Modest user - Modest command of the language. Modestly expressive and fluent, appropriate language but with noticeable inaccuracies. Modest understanding of language and contexts. Able to function modestly in the language. |
| 2 | 100 - 139 | Limited user - Limited command of the language. Lacks expressiveness, fluency and appropriacy: inaccurate use of the language resulting in breakdown in communication. Limited understanding of language and contexts. Limited ability to function in the language. |
| 1 | Below 100 | Extremely limited user - Poor command of the language. Unable to use language to express ideas: inaccurate use of the language resulting in frequent breakdowns in communication. Little or poor understanding of language and contexts. Hardly able to function in the language. |
Students that have taken MUET are eligible to be enrolled into degree courses offered at local public universities as long as their CGPA for Diploma STPM or Malaysian Matriculation examinations are good enough to fulfil the entry requirement. The difference between all these bands is that students from band 1 and 2 have to take two extra English courses during holidays while band 3 and 4 students take one extra course. Students with band 5 or 6 can skip the extra English course. Some competitive degree courses like medicine and pharmacy, however, require students to get band 5 or 6 in MUET.
MUET Reading (800/3)
The MUET Reading 800/3 Paper
THIS PAPER Carries the most MUET marks!
As you all know the MUET Reading Paper carries the most marks. It carries 120 out of 300 marks. If you get all the questions correct then automatically you will get band twoautomatically. Yes, band two from one paper alone, that is the Reading Paper. Whether it is taken in March, July or November.
The Reading (Comprehension) Paper Per Se
The Reading paper is divided into two major parts. Those parts are determined by the genres of the questions. Those major parts are:
1. Texts with Graphics
Usually these texts are followed by 7 (seven) questions. They are information transfer questions from graphic representation to texts. Candidates have to answer those questions based on graphs, charts, or tables which might be combined with linear texts. Those linear texts could be news headlines, announcements, news clips or materials which could be similar in nature to the ones already mentioned above.
The questions (all questions in this paper - in fact) are followed by three multiple choice options. They could be A. True B. False and C. Not stated.
2. Reading Comprehension
This second component is further divided into two parts. They are:
1. Literary Texts
2. Expository Texts
1. The Literary Texts
The texts could be extracted from short stories or novels
2. The Expository Texts
The texts/articles could be sourced from Journals, Newspapers, Magazines, Academic texts and electronic texts.
There are five (5) reading passages (mind you!) which carries 38 questions. Each passage could be as long as one page to one page and a half (in A4 size paper). As you can see from the sources that the articles are taken the standard of English is understandably high. University standard, that's it. Like it or not, this is MUET! ha, ha, ha ....
The MUET Components (and Papers)
To all the candidates who are non pre-university students (private candidates), please pay attention to this. It is important to take note of this as you may miss this information due to one reason or the other.
The term Private candidates (non school-goers) includes working people, university students, job applicants, people advancing in career mobility (eg. getting a job promotion), those taking the MUET for certain purposes and those people who are simply aspiring to move forward in knowledge. This is an overview of the MUET test components.
As we all know the MUET comes in four papers for each of its repective components.
Test Component
The MUET comprises four components:
Listening (800/1), Speaking (800/2), Reading (800/3) and Writing (800/4). The duration and weighting of each component are as follows: |
| Paper Code | Paper | Duration | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
800/1
| Listening |
30 minutes
|
15%
|
800/2
| Speaking |
30 minutes
|
15%
|
800/3
| Reading |
90 minutes
|
40%
|
800/4
| Writing |
90 minutes
|
30%
|
Test Scores
The Test scores are reported as follow:
|
|---|
| Test Component | Maximum Score | Obtained Score |
|---|---|---|
LISTENING |
| |
SPEAKING |
| |
READING |
| |
WRITING |
| |
AGGREGATED SCORE | 300 | |
Band Achieved | ||
MUET Reading (800/3)
The MUET Reading 800/3 Paper
THIS PAPER Carries the most MUET marks!
As you all know the MUET Reading Paper carries the most marks. It carries 120 out of 300 marks. If you get all the questions correct then automatically you will get band twoautomatically. Yes, band two from one paper alone, that is the Reading Paper. Whether it is taken in March, July or November.
The Reading (Comprehension) Paper Per Se
The Reading paper is divided into two major parts. Those parts are determined by the genres of the questions. Those major parts are:
1. Texts with Graphics
Usually these texts are followed by 7 (seven) questions. They are information transfer questions from graphic representation to texts. Candidates have to answer those questions based on graphs, charts, or tables which might be combined with linear texts. Those linear texts could be news headlines, announcements, news clips or materials which could be similar in nature to the ones already mentioned above.
The questions (all questions in this paper - in fact) are followed by three multiple choice options. They could be A. True B. False and C. Not stated.
2. Reading Comprehension
This second component is further divided into two parts. They are:
1. Literary Texts
2. Expository Texts
1. The Literary Texts
The texts could be extracted from short stories or novels
2. The Expository Texts
The texts/articles could be sourced from Journals, Newspapers, Magazines, Academic texts and electronic texts.
There are five (5) reading passages (mind you!) which carries 38 questions. Each passage could be as long as one page to one page and a half (in A4 size paper). As you can see from the sources that the articles are taken the standard of English is understandably high. University standard, that's it. Like it or not, this is MUET! ha, ha, ha ....
MUET SPEAKING 2013 Sample Scripts
One of the questions that came out for this end of the year MUET speaking exam is :
A. have a goal
B. good relationship with others
C. good health
D. positive outlook
Here are my sample scripts... take note that these r just samples that I'm going to 'hantam' write now... haha.. just for fun n to show you how to answer the speaking question as best as you can.
Task A
Candidate A
A very good morning to one and all. The issue at hand today is how to attain happiness. I believe that this issue has been on the forefront for as long as man existed. In fact, I believe even animals and other beings strive to achieve this wonderful state of happiness and contentment. It is therefore my honest opinion that in order to achieve happiness we must have a concrete and measurable goal. Let us analyse a few reasons to justify this point.
First and foremost, to aspire towards happiness is not enough. Just wanting is only half the battle won. To attain it there must be some kind of action involved and this most certainly begins with setting goals. The most important reason for setting aims or goals is to provide a way to measure if you have achieved it or not. For example, my aim is to be happy. In order to be happy I must have enough money and job security as well as a stable and happy family. Therefore the next logical step is to provide a timeframe to achieve this goal. If we set a goal based on a timeframe, happiness will be more easily achievable. A young person could aim to get his degree before he turns 25, get a stable high paying job by 30 and get married before he/she is 35. Thus, having a goal or goals will help discern the level of our happiness.
Secondly, we can attain happiness when we have a goal because it gives us something to work towards or aim for. However, please note that the beauty of having goals is that it can be modified to suit ourselves and our situations. And once we have achieved it, we can create new goals. Conversely, if we cannot attain it, we can modify them to be more realistic. For instance, Mahatma Ghandi's goal in life was to achieve peace through peaceful means. Furthermore, he was happiest when there are no wars and people can live in peace. Even when he was sent to jail, he still held on to his goal which was to solve things through peaceful means, not war. And even in jail, he could attain happiness - Ghandi is a truly inspirational man.
(Submitted by a candidate)
How to attain happiness?A. have a goal
B. good relationship with others
C. good health
D. positive outlook
Here are my sample scripts... take note that these r just samples that I'm going to 'hantam' write now... haha.. just for fun n to show you how to answer the speaking question as best as you can.
Task A
Candidate A
A very good morning to one and all. The issue at hand today is how to attain happiness. I believe that this issue has been on the forefront for as long as man existed. In fact, I believe even animals and other beings strive to achieve this wonderful state of happiness and contentment. It is therefore my honest opinion that in order to achieve happiness we must have a concrete and measurable goal. Let us analyse a few reasons to justify this point.
First and foremost, to aspire towards happiness is not enough. Just wanting is only half the battle won. To attain it there must be some kind of action involved and this most certainly begins with setting goals. The most important reason for setting aims or goals is to provide a way to measure if you have achieved it or not. For example, my aim is to be happy. In order to be happy I must have enough money and job security as well as a stable and happy family. Therefore the next logical step is to provide a timeframe to achieve this goal. If we set a goal based on a timeframe, happiness will be more easily achievable. A young person could aim to get his degree before he turns 25, get a stable high paying job by 30 and get married before he/she is 35. Thus, having a goal or goals will help discern the level of our happiness.
Secondly, we can attain happiness when we have a goal because it gives us something to work towards or aim for. However, please note that the beauty of having goals is that it can be modified to suit ourselves and our situations. And once we have achieved it, we can create new goals. Conversely, if we cannot attain it, we can modify them to be more realistic. For instance, Mahatma Ghandi's goal in life was to achieve peace through peaceful means. Furthermore, he was happiest when there are no wars and people can live in peace. Even when he was sent to jail, he still held on to his goal which was to solve things through peaceful means, not war. And even in jail, he could attain happiness - Ghandi is a truly inspirational man.
As time is running out, let me reinstate that a key method to attain happiness is to set reachable goals for ourselves. It also brings to mind a quote, 'Aim for the sun so that if you fail, you will still be amongst the stars'. Thank you for listening.
Candidate B
A very good morning I bid to the examiners and my fellow candidates. As the saying goes, 'No man is an island'. Therefore we thrive on good relationships with others in order to attain happiness. It would be quite strange to achieve ultimate happiness yet have no one of consequence with whom to share it with. Hence, good relationships with others are some of the fundamentals of achieving true happiness. Allow me to describe this issue further by presenting a few points.
On the one hand, happiness is maximised when happiness is shared. In general, everyday we interact with the people closes to us be they family members, spouse, children, best friends or colleagues. In fact, sometimes, happiness comes from external sources and we may not even know them personally. But it is these very relationships with others that will build the foundation of happiness brick by brick. When we need help, and a friend offers it, or when we just need to spend some quality time with our family and every member of the family shows up, well, these instances feed happiness to our souls. Imagine if you received really good news like a scholarship to study abroad but had no one to tell. Indeed, our happiness would fade a little, or we might even end up depressed!
On the other hand, happiness diminishes when we have few or no good relationships with others. In times of need, it is human nature to reach out for help especially from our closest and dearest. As a child, when we fell and hurt our knees, we would call out for our mom or dad. When a friend backstabs you with nasty gossip, we call our best friend to unload our unhappiness. In the workplace, when our colleagues treat us unfairly, we go home to our spouses and use them as sounding walls to express our anger or disappointment. Thus, the human race is fragile, and we depend on good human relationships to keep our happy odometer high.
In short, it would be pointless to attain happiness yet be so lonely with no one to share the good times with. Hence, each of us should work on improving and bettering our relationships in order to attain unlimited happiness in life. Thank you and have a nice day.
Candidate C
A marvelous morning I bid to one and all. As the popular saying goes, 'Health is Wealth'. There is indeed a whole lot of truth to this age old adage as I am sure everyone will admit that without health, we would live a poor quality and even substandard life hence marring our ability to attain true happiness! Allow me to further elaborate by providing a few different perspectives on this issue.
First and foremost, the level of our health will determine how happy we are. Surely there is not a single soul out there who rejoices in being unhealthy and unwell. Basically, being healthy is crucial to our happiness because if we cannot do even the simplest of things such as brushing our own teeth and going to the toilet unassisted then it would be a very sad day indeed. There can be nothing joyful about waking up every morning to face blood transfusions or chemotherapy or surgery after surgery. In fact it would be downright depressing and it isn't any wonder that these people would suffer depression and even contemplate committing suicide.
Conversely, when we have optimum health, happiness is easily attained. When you wake up in the morning and stretch and take big lungfuls of fresh air, it makes us ready to face the challenges in the day ahead. We are able to play our role in society well be it as a student with a sharp mind to study better, or a worker in this industrious world, doing our job well. Or when our health is maximised, athletes all around the world break records and cry in jubilation as when Usain Bolt does when he literally flies down the track or when Micheal Phelps or even Lin Dan lifts the Olympic gold medals high in victory.
Needless to say, in conclusion, happiness is easily attainable when we are healthy because it is one of the pillars of the basic necessities in life in order to truly achieve a state of bliss. Thank you.
Candidate D
To the examiners and my fellow candidates, a wonderful morning I bid you. The topic given today is rather interesting as it brings to mind a commonly asked question, "Is the glass half empty or it is half full?" A person with a positive outlook would surely answer 'half full' and this colours his or her life with positive energy therefore making happiness truly easily attainable. Allow me to elaborate what I mean about a positive outlook.
Firstly, a positive outlook gives us a means of inventing options. What does this mean exactly? Well, people who are positive do not give up easily, in fact, they make it a point to inspect every avenue and come up with innovative ways to overcome any obstacle. For instance, after studying so hard a student fails due to a death in the family during exam time and she could not concentrate. Rather than surrender to her fate, she takes it as a challenge to get back up on the horse and find a job. After a few years of working, she collects enough money to do her degree on a part time basis and after 3 or 4 years, she finally graduates. This is because she has a positive outlook and looked hard for other options to change her fate. At the end, she has managed to attain happiness when her goals are achieved.
In addition, a person with a positive outlook seem to draw positive energy into her radius and somehow good things start to happen to her. Even when bad things happen, like an accident that messes up her car, she would still find the silver lining in the sense that she is thankful to be alive and more grateful still for not having harmed anyone else. Therefore, a positive outlook is crucial in attaining happiness because it is a wonderful ability to find the good in any bad situation.
In short, people with a positive outlook with find happiness under every stone, at every corner because they are better able to be happy and content with their lot in life. Thank you for lending me your ears.
Candidate C
A marvelous morning I bid to one and all. As the popular saying goes, 'Health is Wealth'. There is indeed a whole lot of truth to this age old adage as I am sure everyone will admit that without health, we would live a poor quality and even substandard life hence marring our ability to attain true happiness! Allow me to further elaborate by providing a few different perspectives on this issue.
First and foremost, the level of our health will determine how happy we are. Surely there is not a single soul out there who rejoices in being unhealthy and unwell. Basically, being healthy is crucial to our happiness because if we cannot do even the simplest of things such as brushing our own teeth and going to the toilet unassisted then it would be a very sad day indeed. There can be nothing joyful about waking up every morning to face blood transfusions or chemotherapy or surgery after surgery. In fact it would be downright depressing and it isn't any wonder that these people would suffer depression and even contemplate committing suicide.
Conversely, when we have optimum health, happiness is easily attained. When you wake up in the morning and stretch and take big lungfuls of fresh air, it makes us ready to face the challenges in the day ahead. We are able to play our role in society well be it as a student with a sharp mind to study better, or a worker in this industrious world, doing our job well. Or when our health is maximised, athletes all around the world break records and cry in jubilation as when Usain Bolt does when he literally flies down the track or when Micheal Phelps or even Lin Dan lifts the Olympic gold medals high in victory.
Needless to say, in conclusion, happiness is easily attainable when we are healthy because it is one of the pillars of the basic necessities in life in order to truly achieve a state of bliss. Thank you.
Candidate D
To the examiners and my fellow candidates, a wonderful morning I bid you. The topic given today is rather interesting as it brings to mind a commonly asked question, "Is the glass half empty or it is half full?" A person with a positive outlook would surely answer 'half full' and this colours his or her life with positive energy therefore making happiness truly easily attainable. Allow me to elaborate what I mean about a positive outlook.
Firstly, a positive outlook gives us a means of inventing options. What does this mean exactly? Well, people who are positive do not give up easily, in fact, they make it a point to inspect every avenue and come up with innovative ways to overcome any obstacle. For instance, after studying so hard a student fails due to a death in the family during exam time and she could not concentrate. Rather than surrender to her fate, she takes it as a challenge to get back up on the horse and find a job. After a few years of working, she collects enough money to do her degree on a part time basis and after 3 or 4 years, she finally graduates. This is because she has a positive outlook and looked hard for other options to change her fate. At the end, she has managed to attain happiness when her goals are achieved.
In addition, a person with a positive outlook seem to draw positive energy into her radius and somehow good things start to happen to her. Even when bad things happen, like an accident that messes up her car, she would still find the silver lining in the sense that she is thankful to be alive and more grateful still for not having harmed anyone else. Therefore, a positive outlook is crucial in attaining happiness because it is a wonderful ability to find the good in any bad situation.
In short, people with a positive outlook with find happiness under every stone, at every corner because they are better able to be happy and content with their lot in life. Thank you for lending me your ears.
MUET SPEAKING 800/2 TIPS - SAMPLE ANSWERS
Candidate A
Instructions to candidates:
Task A: Individual presentation
- Study the stimulus or topic given.
- You are given two minutes to prepare your responses.
- You are given two minutes to present.
- Listen to the others while they are making their presentations and take down notes for the group discussion in Task B.
Task B: Group discussion
- You are given two minutes to prepare points to support or oppose the other candidates’ views.
- After you have listened to everyone, try to come to a decision as to which of the four suggestions is the best.
- Your group is given ten minutes for the discussion.
Task A and Task B will be carried out consecutively.
Situation
Your brother has been given the opportunity to study in England on a government scholarship. You and your family are very proud of him. Decide on a special gift for him to prepare for his trip abroad.
Task A: Suggest that they give him cash. Say why.
Task B: Discuss which of the following would be most useful.
i. cash
ii. a computer
iii. some suitable clothing
iv. some Malaysian foodstuff
Candidate A
Task A: Suggest that they give him cash. Say why.
Good morning to the examiners and my fellow friends. I’m very happy that my brother has just received a scholarship to study in England . My relatives and I would like to give him a special gift. We all think that the best gift is money because it will be very useful for him.
The first reason is with cash he can buy the things that he needs when he gets there. There will me a lot of things that he will need like new books, stationery, clothes and food. He will also need to pay for transportation like taking the bus or train to go to the university campus. As we know, it is very expensive in England so any money we give him will be very useful.
Secondly, my brother can use the money to buy a mobile phone when he gets toEngland . I think this is very important in case of emergencies so we can contact him easily. Furthermore, he can sms us and keep us updated with his progress in his studies there. Hence, if we really miss him we can just give him a call.
Finally, I also think giving him money is the best choice because it is light and doesn’t take up a lot of space. If we were to give him a computer, books or winter clothes it will be very heavy and bulky for him to bring to England . Therefore, I think that it is much easier to bring money and buy those things when he gets there.
In conclusion, these are some of the reasons why I think giving him cash is the best choice. To me, it is the most useful gift we can give him. Thank you.
Candidate B
Task A: You suggest that they give him a computer. Say why.
A very good morning I bid to one and all. My relatives and I are very proud of my brother. He has just received a scholarship to study in England and so we would like to give him a special gift. We believe that the best present for him is a laptop computer.
Firstly, as a university student, my brother will have to do many assignments. If he has a laptop computer he can bring it everywhere and consequently, do his work anytime and anywhere. Thus, he will not have to share the computers at the computer room with other students and he will be able to do his work more quickly and efficiently.
Another point is that when he boards the plane from KLIA to London , he will be able to bring the laptop with him easily because it is compact and light compared to a desktop computer. Hence, it will not be too much trouble to transport it to England .
Last but not least, if he has a laptop he will be able to connect to the internet. This has two main advantages as firstly, he can do a lot of research online. The world wide web is a fountain of information so it will be very useful for him to make full use of this technology. Furthermore, he can keep in touch with friends and family here in Malaysia by e-mail.
In short, a laptop computer will prove to be very useful to my brother. He can do his assignments, research for information and keep in touch with us using it therefore it will make the best gift. Thank you for listening.
Candidate C
Task A: You suggest that they give him some suitable clothing. Say why.
To the examiners and my fellow candidates, a wonderful morning I bid you. My brother was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to study overseas. We want to send him off with a nice gift so we have decided to buy him some suitable clothing.
The main purpose for buying him some suitable clothing is because the weather inEngland is very different from the weather in our country. There are four seasons there so he will need to have different clothes for different situations. For example, we can buy him some sweaters, cardigans, scarves, snowcaps, thick socks and gloves and many more. These will definitely keep him warm in winter.
The second reason is we think that he should have clothes that reflect our Malaysian identity. This is because he will be a young ambassador for our country so if he has a few sets of traditional clothing like the Baju Melayu or formal Batik shirts, I am sure he will not only look good but promote our culture overseas.
Lastly, neat clothes make a good impression. For instance, if we buy him some everyday clothes like jeans and trousers with nice shirts and matching ties, this will give him a good feeling about himself so he will walk a bit straighter and talk a bit wiser. Moreover, people will look at him and have a good impression about Malaysian students.
To conclude, I think that the best present to give him is some suitable clothing because it will be very useful and will reflect positively on him. Thank you very much.
Candidate D
Task A: You suggest that they give him some Malaysian foodstuff. Say why.
I would like to wish everyone here a very good morning. As we all know, my brother has won a scholarship to study in England . Therefore, some relatives and I have decided to give him some Malaysian foodstuff as a going away present.
First and foremost, one of the main problems Malaysians face when studying overseas is that it is hard to find Halal food. We feel it is a good idea to give him some Malaysian foodstuff because it will take time for him to get used to the place and find out where to buy Halal food. Thus, in the meantime he can enjoy the Malaysian foodstuff that we have given to him.
The next reason is because some of the foodstuff we are used to having here in Malaysia is quite hard to find in UK . Most students studying overseas really enjoy eating Maggi Mee and sambal belacan. For instance, it is also hard to find the right spices for curryand rendang and so on so if we supply him with enough Malaysian foodstuff, he can eat it whenever he misses home.
The final point I have is that he can use the Malaysian foodstuff we give him and cook it for the Westerners there. Sometimes, universities organise events like Malaysian Night and so he and his friends can cook some Malaysian specialities for them to taste a bit of our way of life. Hence, the Malaysian foodstuff will be very useful to promote our culture.
In a nutshell, giving my brother Malaysian foodstuff to take with him to England is a good idea. This is because he will have some familiar food to eat when he misses home and he can also share it with his new friends. Thank you for listening to my opinion.
Task B: Discuss which of the following would be most useful.
i. Cash
ii. A computer
iii. Some suitable clothing
iv. Some Malaysian foodstuff
* Work together in your respective groups and complete the following discussion.
A: Good morning once again to everyone. We are here to focus on the issue at hand which is __________________________________________________________. I would like to invite anyone of you to kickstart this discussion by giving us your point of view.
B: Allow me to begin. First of all, I’m happy that our brother has won the scholarship to study in England . Therefore, we must decide what would be the most useful gift for him. In my opinion, I strongly believe that _______________ _________________________________________________________________. This is because I think he can _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
For example, ______________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
C: I see your point but how about getting him ______________________________. In this way, he can use it to ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
D: I don’t quite agree with you because ____________________________________ _________________________________________________________________. I think it would be more useful if we bought _______________________ for him. Does anyone agree with me?
A: Yes, I agree with you. To add to your point, I feel that ______________________ _________________________________________________________________.
This is so he will ___________________________________________________.
C: I’m afraid I don’t see eye to eye with both of you. Buying that as a present for him is not the most useful gift because __________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
Moreover, ________________________________________________________.
Can you all understand what I’m trying to say?
B: Indeed, I do see your point of view but I still feel that the most useful gift is __________________ because it can ___________________________________. Another reason is ___________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________. For instance, _______________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
D: That’s an interesting perspective and I agree with you that ___________________ _________________________________________________________________. However, I think we should consider other points. We should also think about buying him _______________________________________________________.
If he gets this as a present, he can ______________________________________ and ____________________________________________. Wouldn’t you agree?
A: I’m not sure I understand what you are saying. Can you explain it again, please.
D: What I mean is we should buy him _____________________________________ because it will me more useful for him when he is studying in England . This is because ___________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
A: Aaah… I see. Yes, I think it would be a very useful gift too. This way, he can _________________________________________________________________.
C: That’s a good point, but don’t you think if we gave him _____________________ it will be the most useful for him as a student. I still believe that this is the most useful because _____________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
Remember, we need to think of the best and most useful choice.
B: I agree with you, Candidate C. In addition, he can use this gift to _____________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________. So candidates A & D, what do you guys think?
D: Now that you’ve explained it like that, I also agree that it will be the most useful. In fact, he could also use it to _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
A: As for me, I feel that it is also the most useful. When he arrives at his university inEngland , he will be able to ____________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________.
C: That’s right. Well, after listening to all the points on the four choices we have, I think it is time to make a conclusion.
D: Yes, I think so too. Does everyone agree that we should give our brother _______________________________________ as a special going away present?
All: Yes, I agree.
B: In a nutshell, we all agree that _______________________________ is the best choice because firstly, he can _________________________________________, secondly, ________________________________________________ and finally _________________________________________________________________.
Thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What to conclude if after 10 minutes of discussion….
A) AGREE = 3, DISAGREE = 1
Conclusion: To conclude, MOST OF US agree that ______________________
is the best choice because ________________________________.
___________________________________________. Thank you.
B) AGREE = 2, DISAGREE = 2
Conclusion: In conclusion, we were unable to make a solid decision because
SOME OF US stongly believe that the best choice is __________ because _______________________________________________ whileTHE REST OF US think that giving him _______________ is the most useful because _________________
___________________________________________. Thank you.
C) ALL DISAGREE
Conclusion: In a nutshell, we were unable to come to an agreement on which of the four options is the best choice. It seems ALL OF US strongly believe in our own points so as we have run out of time, we think that we should each buy him a gift individually. Thank you.
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