MUET 2011 Year End Exam 19 Nov 2011

So this is it... what can you do for that last minute sprint to the finish line?

Well, so many have asked... and I have to answer quite simply: read up on ALL my recent blogposts as I've included samples and tips and various other guidelines like grammar fixit formulae and calculation techniques. So please search my archive!

I've also received quite a number of questions regarding counter arguments and how to go about doing this. So here are my thoughts on the matter.

Line of Argument:
Basically you can arrange your essay based on my writing template (search my blog for this) which is a basic 5 paragraph format.

MODEL A (if you completely agree)
1. intro
2. body 1 (pro-argument 1)
3. body 2 (pro-argument 2)
4. body 3 (pro-argument 3)
5. conclusion.

or

MODEL B (if you completely disagree)
1. intro
2. body 1 (con-argument 1)
3. body 2 (con-argument 2)
4. body 3 (con-argument 3)
5. conclusion.

HOWEVER:
If you want to score much higher bands (5/6) you need to have a more mature and critical line of argument. Therefore you must be able to present your counterargument and then a refutation to steer it back to your stand. What am I talking about? Here goes:

Topic: Smoking is bad for health
Stand: Strongly agree
Pro-agrument: Smoking will endanger our health and may result in death.
Counter-argument: Some people can still have a long life even though they smoke a pack or two a day.
Refutation: However, these people are not the majority as studies strongly indicate that there is a direct link between smoking and diseases like lung cancer.

Notice that we need to AVOID ASSUMPTIONS/SWEEPING STATEMENTS/GENERALISATIONS when we are writing because it affects the strength of your opinions. Therefore use the vocab in RED above to mediate your sentences. Do not use banned terms like ALL, ALWAYS, EVERYONE, NONE, NEVER, WILL & MUST unless you really have the facts to back you up. Compare to the sentences below:

Topic: Smoking is bad for health
Stand: Strongly agree
Pro-agrument: Smoking will endanger our health and will result in death.
Counter-argument: All people can still have a long life even though they smoke a pack or two a day.
Refutation: However, these people are never affected as all studies show that there is a direct link between smoking and diseases like lung cancer.

The vocab in blue indicates to the examiner that you do not know how to control the strength of your opinions and have thus made serious assumptions that can be easily disproved by facts. Therefore you are NOT in the high bands.

Words to refute:

However/Although/Even though/Nevertheless/On the contrary/Conversely/On the other hand...

Ok.. so coming back to Line of Argument, here are more essay models you can follow to get high bands. A band 5/6 person will write more than the minimum 5 paragraph format which I have introduced earlier (which is fine if you just need to get band 3/4).

Which do you prefer?

MODEL C (if you have equal pro & con arguments, 50/50)
1. intro
2. body 1 (pro-argument 1)
3. body 2 (pro-argument 2)
4. body 3 (con-argument 1)
5. body 4 (con-argument 2)
6. conclusion

MODEL D (if you agree, but would like to discuss counterarguments before refuting it with your final point)
1. intro
2. body 1 (pro-argument 1)
3. body 2 (pro-argument 2)
4. body 3 (counterargument followed immediately by refutation which is your pro-argument 3)
5. conclusion

MODEL E (if you agree, but would like to first address the counterarguments before refuting it with your first point)
1. intro
2. body 1 (counterargument followed immediately by refutation with is your pro-argument 1)
3. body 2 (pro-argument 2)
4. body 3 (pro-argument 3)
5. conclusion

MODEL F (if you have equal number of counter and pro arguments)
1. intro
2. body 1 (counterargument 1 & pro-argument 1)
3. body 2 (counterargument 2 & pro-argument 2)
4. body 3 (counterargument 3 & pro-argument 3)
5. conclusion


Anyway.. hope you can make sense out of this as I've tried to simplify it as much as possible. Please stay tuned for the reading paper answers which I will post after today's exam and there will be a discussion about the writing paper questions 1 & 2 as soon as I can generate a plausible answer. Again...GOOD LUCK TO ALL MY STUDENTS BOTH IN REAL TIME AND ONLINE. You're all in my prayers. :P