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Posted: 02 Apr 2014 07:41 PM PDT

Hye guys! Thought wanna share with ya'll some tips I found for MUET Writing. For additional information, and besides, thought of getting myself used to generating ideas for writing. Haha

Okay. These infos are taken from various websites. Here we go!

There is a way to score well in MUET. One thing for sure , never rely on your listening part even though i can guarantee almost all of you would score a perfect score in school level. WHY? 90% Of the time , the speakers in school tend to play a prank on us. Yes, they're always very "echo-ish" and you can't possibly listen well. Besides, Listening only gives you 15 % of the marks. BUT , i am not asking you to totally abandoned it.Just , do not trust the school speakers.

The most important part is the reading comprehension. It weigh up to 45 % of your marks. that's like almost half of the total marks. So , this part is VERY important. I used to suck a lot in this part until one day , i found a very effective way to understand the passage. UNDERLINE. that's the key word. Try to just read through very quickly the passage cause the passage tend to be very long , and later read the question , so you know roughly what to find in the passage. Then read again and underlined what you think it is important. You do not need to be someone with bombastic English to score in this part. The most important thing is , you understand roughly what the passage is about, and trust me you'll have no problem answering it. For the cloze text, you'll need to do a lot of sample test for it. Buy a lot of model papers to do for this paper and later you'll find most of the questions are almost similar. Remember , this section is very important. If you can score this part, you won't need to worry about not scoring a band 4 again.

The writing section is often the most difficult part. I scored a "so-so" mark for my writing , but i would say the question for the essays are usually difficult. They'll ask you things you never really thought of. So , never underestimate any important agenda around , cause that's the one that most likely to come out.I don't know , maybe it's kind of like a spell. (haha) however, it is important to know what is the hottest news in the country because giving a realistic examples is a huge credit.

Taken here.

Writing tips

1. Before writing an essay, you must know its basic structure. A MUET reference book might show you this.

2. Do task 2 first, because it is worth more mark and easier

3. Don't waste too much time on Task 1. Learn all specific writing structure for each type of task 1. In the real test, you just have to apply that structure with new data and suitable verb tenses. Read sample essays and take note good structure to have a wide range of academic structures for task 1. Some structure might be used in task 2 as well.

4. You must complete both tasks. I don't care how difficult the test is, I don't care how little time you got. You MUST complete your test at any cost. If you don't, you will be penalized very heavily.

5. Again, practice writing. Do both 2 tasks in one hour. You can focus only on task 1 or task 2, but before the test, you should practice writing both tasks to familiar with time limit.

6. Practice makes perfect. In writing, this statement is completely true. But it is better if there is someone to check writing for you and you can learn from your mistakes.

7. Writing requires wide academic vocabulary. You also have to buy a vocabulary book to work on and enrich your vocabulary.

8. Avoid all informal ways of writing. There are some rules of writing you should follow. For example: no abbreviations, no 1st and 2nd pronoun or possessive (I, you, me, my, your), except in conclusion where you have to state your opinion.

9. Each body paragraph has to include: topic sentence, supporting sentences (2-3 sentences), development sentences (evidence: example, experience, data). In many languages (English included), there are many ways to develop a body paragraph, which results that topic sentence is not the first sentence. But you are advised to put topic sentence at the beginning of each body paragraph. Don't be creative in this case.

That is all I can think of. I hope you will be lucky in your exam and what I wrote will help you in one way or another. But REMEMBER, to reach success, you MUST make an effort. You should have a clear motivation and a strong will to overcome difficulties. When I did practice tests, I was exhausted. But no success comes easily. Practice is the only way to gain success. Don't just wait for lucky break, it will never come if you don't know how to grab it.

And the final point I want to mention is:

Relax before the test!

Attempting to do one or two practice test before the real test won't help you increase your score. In return, it will make you feel stressed and unconfident.

Here.

You can also find some post on a blog relating to MUET here.

This is what I first found on the blog when I reached there.

bout other "degrees" you can get).

As for the first three points – everything depends on you only. Just be patient, and think before you do something. As for the last part, writing MUET essays, we would like to give you a couple of tips.

Let us consider several specific issues about MUET essays:

Demonstrate your writing skills: mind the logical transitions between words, sentences, and parts of your MUET essay.
Prove your perfect understanding of the language. Do not use some difficult words you do not know how to spell for sure. Your MUET essay is not the right place for experiments. So, do not make such mistakes.Try to write up to the point. You will get a topic to disclose in the MUET essay. Do not deviate from the main idea of your essay. Use interesting examples (real-life examples are preferable).

In fact, MUET is an optional test. So, if you think you are not that good at reading or you will not be able to write a good MUET essay, you can choose some other way to enter the desirable university.

Also, some MUET Writing Scripts.

*UPDATED

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.

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.

Have faith in yourself and all the best, folks! xD

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.

Have faith in yourself and all the best, folks! xD

Reading test
There are not many tips to share in this test, it is similar to Form 5 SPM English exam, just do your best. There are some tricky questions with similar answers. If you are lucky, you could get a perfect score here but usually the better students would be able to get near perfect scores, making a few mistakes here and there.

Writing test
Seriously, I have always told people that the writing test in MUET is even easier than SPM GCE 'O' Level. In this test, it is important to keep to the rules, follow the recommend length of essays and finish them in allocated time.

Even if you are a good English user, do not attempt to write beyond the recommended length. Concentrate instead on presenting your main ideas, this test papers are marked by Malaysian teachers, so don't bother having too many idioms, figurative meanings, etc.

For students who are not too comfortable with English, this may be one of the tests which you would tend to lose many points. To avoid that, keep your sentences short, check your grammars, try to compensate for your lack of flowery language with good ideas, mature arguments and logical explanations.

To be honest, it is not so easy to score a Band 6 in MUET after all. It is not the perfect test, but it is indicative of one's command of English, mainly because it includes listening and speaking tests. Good luck scoring a Band 6 in MUET on your first try, do let me know if my tips are useful.

Hint for listening: write notes

Hint for writing: write with a lot of bombastic words and check your grammar. Remember to compare and contrast the two sets of data you get in your first writing task well.

Hint for reading: read very carefully for answers in the text

Here's something for you to ponder about. I can only give the three upper band as a motivation to you and I.

Band 6 – Very good user(Aggregated Score: 260 – 300)
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.

Band 5 – Good user (Aggregated Score: 220 – 259)
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.

Band 4 – Competent user (Aggregated Score: 180 – 219)
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.

We need to think positively, but not to forget to put some EFFORT in it. XD

I know, we are all scared for the writing part. Honestly, in my opinion, Listening, you just have to make sure that you clean up your ear wax in your ear (LOL. But it's important!). Reading, for me, I must not be careless, read the text well, and choose the RIGHT answer. Writing... it depends on individual. Mostly said that use bombastic words, and make sure your essay isgrammatically correct. I'd like to add another one, KEEP UPDATED ON LATEST NEWS!!

Hope it helps ya'll. And me. All the best to all of us taking MUET this coming 13th Nov.

P.s.: Wait for more updates from me after I'm done with this MUET thingy! XD

MUET: TIPS FOR MUET CANDIDATES ...

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:23 PM PST

Try not to treat or think of MUET as a scary test. However, don't under estimate the preparation, time and effort required for this test either. If you have friends or classmates who have taken the test, ask them about it. You'll probably get many many different types of answers. "OMG! It's tough!" or "Actually, its not that hard." Their experiences may vary depending on the amount of preparation done as well as their background in English.

Well, MUET is a test. So, you have to put some effort and time into preparing for it. Many students ask me all the time. "How many hours do I have to study?" Then, I would ask in return. "What's your target band score? Band 6? 5? 4? 3?" If you know that you need Band 3 to pursue and continue your studies in Business Management, Marketing, Accounts etc, and you're not very confident about your English proficiency and ability, then, be prepared to work on it. If you know that you need Band 4 or 5 to pursue your education in Law, Pharmacy, Medicine etc, then, be prepared to work very hard.

The time and effort that you put into preparing for MUET also ensures that you won't struggle with English when you are pursuing your degree or Master's. Imagine the frustration of struggling with English words, vocabulary etc. It makes studying your course tedious and challenging. You should be trying to understand the concepts and ideas of your course rather than waste time on looking up almost every single word in your text book.

Ok, so once you're mentally prepared to work hard on getting your target band score for MUET. What should you do?

Tip #1
Check out the structure and format of the test.
Get your hands on model test papers or past year papers. You can obtain this easily from the bookstore or from your MUET tutor. How many papers/components do you have to take? How many questions? What type of questions? How much time do you have to complete the test?

Tip #2
Prepare a plan of action
When do you need to take the test? When do you need to submit your results to your university? You need to decide and draw up a timeline or schedule. If its July now and MUET is in October/November, ask yourself, how much time would you have to allocate to MUET preparation for the next 3 months or 12 weeks? 3 times a week, 2 hours a day? Self-study? Form a study group? Join a class? I would suggest all three.

Tip #3
Practice, practice, practice
Yes, its just that simple. However, easier said than done. You need to manage you time and motivation level. How badly do you want this? Think about the consequences. If you don't get the band you need, what happens? You really want to pursue tertiary education or in some cases, graduate from university. Then, practice, practice, practice. After attending sessions with your MUET tutor and study group, do the following.

Practice Speaking. Get MUET speaking questions and simulate the test. Speak to yourself. Pretend you are in the test. Visualise the test scenario. This is the best way to prevent going blank, panic in the REAL speaking test session.

Practice Reading. Its important to attempt model questions. You need to practice skimming and scanning for answers. You need to know that you can finish the 45 questions in 90 minutes.

Practice Listening. When attempting the listening test, DON'T listen to every single word of the recording. You need to learn the techniques of listening for meaning and gist. That takes practice. If you are struggling to spell words, don't despair, just practice even more.

Practice Writing. Yes, the questions that have appeared in past year papers will not come out again. And how likely are you able to predict the questions for writing. So, what should you do? You need to practice expressing your thoughts, views, opinion, ideas in writing on paper, in the most coherent manner and with suitable vocabulary. This, takes practice.

Tip #4
Read, read, read
What should you read? Be smart about it. What kind of topics are you likely to get in your test. Read articles that are relevant to those. Do you know about Plastic surgery? Social problems? Crime rates? Crime prevention? ICT updates? Work related stress? Not much? Then read about them. Read online magazines, newspapers, good quality blogs, articles from english language websites. Save them, email to your friends, share and exchange articles.

Tip #5
Vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary
Get a good academic workbook and work on it. Academic vocabulary which is required for MUET is different from normal everyday English. I've uploaded a vocabulary workbook on my blog. Download the pdf file, get it printed and complete it.

All the best in your MUET preparation.

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