MUET Speaking 800/2 tips and sample

Speaking exam is around the corner again.. some of you have taken this exam before and some are still virgins (hahahahhaha). What to expect? Well...

1. There will be not one, but 2 examiners at the table, and 4 candidates (ideally as total number of candidates for each session is 5 groups of 4 = 20) whom u can refer to as Candidate A, B C & D (NOT advised to use names, even if they are your friends). If you are the last or second last group and some candidates are absent, the examiners should divide the last 2 groups into 3 members each (3-3) instead of (4-2). If they don't do that, you have the right to request the 3-3 combination because the discussion will be more lively but always remember to ask politely.

2. For task A, expect to speak for a full 2 minutes, regardless of how many points you deliver (no deduction for number of points as MPM does not specify that you have to describe 3 points.) You just need to speak according to the topic confidently, fluently and accurately with good body language.

3. For task B, expect to speak for a full 10 minutes, regardless of if you manage to do a conclusion or not (last I heard, MPM does not require conclusions because natural conversations do not necessarily have conclusions but it is still nice to round up the discussion with a good conclusion). Do not dominate the discussion or on the other hand, do not also be a passenger with nothing to say. Ask your friends their opinions or help them end their sentences/ideas when they are stuck as this shows good management of discussion skills.

4. Smile, talk naturally (not robotic), crack some jokes and give creative ideas instead of boring predictable ones, laugh together and basically have a good time because the examiners are fed up of listening to the same old rubbish. If you make them laugh (in a good way), chances are they will be more willing to award better marks.


Let's analyse last year's speaking question. Here is a sample Band 6 scripts for task A.


Day 1, Session 1 Year End 2011 (not exact words)
People who give the most meaningful contribution to society
a)garbage collectors
b)toilet cleaners
c)road sweepers
d)gardeners

Candidate A:

Good morning to the examinerS and my fellow candidateS. There are many people in this world who contribute meaningfully to society. Some sit in high positions while those who do menial tasks are no less worthy. Likewise, garbage collectors have a significant contribution to our society as not many would voluntarily do this 'stinky' but necessary job.
First and foremost, I think garbage collectors deserve merit because they are the ones who maintain the cleanliness of our neighbourhood. This is because, without them, there would be rubbish strewn around everywhere which is a sight for sore eyes. Moreover, the stench itself would cause unease among citizens who need to go about their daily business. For example, rotten food, soiled diapers and so on would be an unbearable sight if not collected and disposed of properly.
Secondly, garbage collectors should be held in high esteem as their job of maintaining the hygiene of society is a crucial one. This means that without them, diseases would spread rampantly. In addition, the overall health of society would suffer as garbage that is uncollected is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria and insects. For instance, piles of uncollected rubbish is the perfect place for dengue and malaria carrying mosquitos and many more.
Last but not least, a garbage collector's job is very meaningful to society because in this modern era, humans have managed to produce so much rubbish per day that without them, the sheer amount would drown the whole city in a week! Imagine how much plastic packaging each of us throws away within a day. Take for example all the empty plastic bottles, Maggi mee wrappers, plastic packaging from the supermarket and even paper products like cigarette boxes and newspapers among others.
In short, society would be seriously crippled if garbage collectors did not do their job. Therefore, I truly believe that garbage collectors provide a very meaningful contribution to today's society. Thank you.

So what do you think about this sample? What makes it a high band response?

Now it's your turn, you can try to write your sample script for Candidate B, C or D below and I'll tell you what band you may get. Happy speaking! :P

CNY at my house... non MUET related but i like this video: Enter the dragon(s) with a huge bang(s)... :P

Happy CNY to all...

sorry guys.. hv been busy celebrating CNY with family and friends, so hvnt managed to check emails or blogs due to computer down in the house.. power surges problems are killing my cpu. anyway... will try to answer the comments now from the cyber cafe... pity pity...

as for when I'll be in UTHM.. I really dont know, it depends if they invite me again or not. basically this time if i go i will require each person to bring a sample of their essays and we will do a writing workshop because that is the area that i can help you the most. cheers.

catch up later k!

Sheen's Essay - Edited

tq sheen for your essay that you willingly share with others so that they may avoid the same mistakes you've done. i've only edited for word class, word order and basic grammar errors (there are many unmarked) without touching on the content.. you may leave comments here about what you think of the essay. alternatively.. you may submit your essay to me (although i don't guarantee that i can mark/edit each and every one that i receive)... so what do you think of this essay?

http://www.scribd.com/doc/78240213/Sheen-s-Essay

Need help...

Hi guys.. I know I'm not very tech savvy.. but does anyone know how I can upload a microsoft document (with edited comment) onto the net? I looked into google docs but it means I have to retype everything including adding new comment boxes. How can I share this essay in the simplest way? Hmmmmmm....

I edit quite a few MUET essays but have yet to figure out the best way to share them. Comments please...

MUET appeal procedures

Rayuan Penyemakan Semula Keputusan Ujian MUET Akhir Tahun 2011 akan dibuka mulai 12 Januari hingga 27
Januari 2012. Rayuan yang dikemukakan selepas tarikh tersebut akan ditolak.

http://www.mpm.edu.my/web/guest/rayuan-muet

go to the link above now if you want to submit an appeal. it costs rm70. :P a lot of money? maybe, maybe not. depends on how much you desire a second marking.

My thoughts on the MUET results..

Well the big day has come and is almost gone and I've endured a roller-coaster of emotions.. Firstly, I'm super proud of my SMK Majakir school students who took the exam and broke all records, or at least records that matter to me. Bear in mind that I taught the best class and the ahem.. 'least best' class and from the two we scaled many new heights. My star student Joanne Gan managed to garner a Band 5 (we havent had one since 2007, be reminded that we are on the outskirts of the city so for a small town school, to me that's a great achievement) and the cherry on the sundae is the fact that she scored 45/45 (perfect!!!!) scores for the listening paper. Va-va-voom! Good job, Joanne! The other class I teach has 21 students and only one obtained a Band 1 (I measure my success by eradicating hardcore failures, footnote: this is my personal yardstick and I don't expect anyone else to follow in my footsteps). Even he scored 95, 5 marks shy of the minimum target I place on them, so I'm still proud that he tried his best.

However, there were a few people who did not hit the 140 target (B3), and one person in particular whom I truly feel for as she has tried many times and fallen short, this time a single mark (139) dividing between a pass (which translates to graduation vs. non-graduation) and a fail. Sighs.. I wish the fates had been kinder to her. Never mind, as I've mentioned in an earlier post, it's not how hard you fall, but how fast you get up. In addition, consider it one of those tricky learning curves life boomerangs at you and you just have to duck faster or catch it with more precision. Anyway, time to dust off and get back to the drawing board. Good luck for the next round!

My next blog is courtesy of a blogwalker who's emailed me his essay and I've edited it. He's allowed me to share it with you all so that you can see how a person's word order and sentence order can affect your scores even if you have relatively good grammar and vocabulary. Right, so for all out there gearing up for the next MUET exam, you need to work at it starting now. Even now can be considered 'too late' as learning a language (esp one as complicated as English) is NOT an overnight phenomenon. :P Stay tuned!