July 2012 MUET Writing 800/4 : What went wrong and how to solve it

Hiya...

Ok.. I've gotten a lot of feedback abt the July 2012 MUET results and basically the results are dire. That means that the entire country did badly this time round because the answers were not accurate enough according to MPM's requirement.

Here's a lowdown from my discussion with various people.

Writing:
For Q1:
Apparently, you can only talk about the 2010 data in the first stimulus because the second stimulus has only 2010 data... therefore, if you include the other info then it would mean that your report content is irrelevant. You must also LINK both stimuli and show the correspondence between the data without giving your own assumptions.

Any examiners out there to verify this?

For Q2:
Most students ended up telling grandfather tales about the BENEFITS co-curricular activities rather than talking about their opinion (agree? disagree?) about CO-CURRICULUM PARTICIPATION AS AN ENTRY REQUIREMENT FOR UNIVERSITIES. Therefore they have skewed way off the main road... and into the ditch and sewer.

Would anyone like to write a sample essay and email to me so I can show everyone what a good essay looks like?


Anyway... if you would like to try, here is another essay topic.... even if you dont write the essay.. think about the 3 key issues...

Young people should be encouraged to join community service. Discuss.

Think very carefully abt the points so that you do not veer out of context. List down the 3 aspects by leaving a comment and i will tell you if you're on the right path or falling off the cliff. :P


Cheerios!


ANSWERS:
If you write about the general benefits of community service you are not answering the question. Zoom in on the word 'YOUNG' and it will become clearer. Give at least 3 reasons why the young people should be the one who takes part in community service.

Your answers should discuss at least 3 of the following:
1. youngsters are physically more energetic, healthy and can achieve more when involved in com service such as planting mangrove trees in protected wetlands etc.
2. young people have fresher and more invigorating ideas to do community service in an effective way, e.g. go green campaigns using ICT/twitter etc. to spread info and gather supporters
3. youths can use the experience to polish skills and for character building. Community service instils good time management, punctuality, softskills, proactiveness etc.
4. the younger generation in general has less burdens and responsibilities like family, career, debts etc. so they can take more active roles in community service including doing overseas volunteerism with MERCY Malaysia.. etc.
5. the young today are the future leaders of Malaysia so taking lead roles in community service like donation drives, running charity bazaars and dinners will give them priceless leadership experiences.

To pass the writing paper with flying colours you need to think above and beyond the norm. You have to show critical thinking skills and give valid and concrete examples to prove your point. Zoom in on the keyword in the question in order to achieve a high band....

DOES ANYONE WANT TO SUBMIT THIS ESSAY TO ME? I'LL TRY TO FIND TIME TO GRADE IT!

 

MUET SEMINARS SEPT 2012

My SMK Pengiran Omar, Sipitang course participants... what a fun bunch!

 

My largest seminar ever! More than 600 students participated in my MUET course... truly impressed with the admin and the enthusiasm of the students in the Kota Kinabalu Politeknik Campus.

I heart you all esp. Ms. Anna Alicia for organising!

 

 

 

These are the recent MUET seminars I've run recently. I've actually been overwhelmed by PMR & SPM courses (students and teachers!) as these two exams are also around the corner. Suffice to say that I've been a very busy bee lately... and I truly hope that whatever I share and keep sharing will benefit everyone and be for the greater good.

 

God bless and hope you will excel in your exams! 

Results are out... pls check!

Check your results in the MPM link here

I would like someone to compare their reading answers with my answers and pls calculate if my answers are same as MPM's or how many questions difference... If you understand what I mean, pls email me or reply here.. so that I know if my answers are reliable enough. If the difference is only 1- 3 questions out, then still reliable.. and if more than that i would be quite worried. :P After all, my answers are just mine, MPM's questions are really tricky!

Anyway, let me know if you have good news! Pls post here so I can celebrate with you or give you encouragement for the next time!
 

MUET July 2012 Report Sample: REVISED

Before looking at the answers try the questions yourself first! Click on this link to get the 

Muet July 2012 Reading & Writing Questions

Primary & Secondary School Enrolment in 3 Regions

              Table 1 depicts the school enrolment by region while Figure 1 shows a bar graph of income level by region. In general, school enrolment corresponds directly to the income level of each region whereby developed countries with higher income have much higher enrolment compared to under-developed countries.

              Based on both stimuli, it can be concluded that school enrolment is greatly affected by income level. Developed countries such as USA with an impressive 85% high income level are the only regions to achieve 100% enrolment in primary school for 2010 while secondary school enrolment achieved a near-perfect 99%. Developing countries such as Thailand which enjoy 80% middle and high income levels in 2010 show a relatively high school enrolment for primary school (90%) and secondary school (82%). Finally, under-developed countries such as Myanmar with majority low income and only a marginal 5% are affluent has directly affected the poor enrolment rates with only 62% enrolment in primary schools and a low of 27% for secondary schools for 2010.

             In conclusion, the rate of school enrolment is directly related to the affluence level of the region where countries that are under-developed and poor have poor school enrolment both for primary and secondary.

What do you think of my answer? :) Similar to yours?
* Take note that the data for 2006 and 2008 is disregarded because it is irrelevant to the report. This is one reason cited by examiners why the July results dropped drastically.

               

MUET JULY 2102 Reading 800/3... My attempted answers... (not MPM's)

Click here for the link to Muet July Reading Paper

Try out the questions yourself first before looking at mine!! hehe

Ok guys... here's mine... but it is not conclusive. Based on feedback, I might change the answers. So get the ball rolling and leave a comment k.. :P

Reading July 2012

1. B (No, it does not answer the question 'why') *revised answer based on feedback

2. A (variety = diversity)

3. C (step up advertising to be more visible, cheaper is not mentioned)

4. A (eg. tobacco)

5. B (false because least affected is staple foods which is consistent)

6. A (brit n usa hv lower brand loyalty, more likely to switch)

7. B (false because it is not the highest for USA)

8. A (yes they are longer, however i dont like the way they worded this sentence, sounds like a trick to me as an inactive lifestyle shortens it, but it doesnt say that an active lifestyle makes it longer. so i would even go with B or C... what do u guys think?)

9. B (false because they were raised together)

10. B (false because they aimed to prove that inactivity leads to diseases and MAY influence ageing, paragraph 1) [u guys chose A right? maybe... maybe not!]

11. A (inconclusive because it doesn't apply to all)

12. B (promotes reg phy activity)

13. C (sample means the respondents to the survey)

14. C (cautious because he says more research is needed)

15. B (he can still improve by pausing longer before turning his head)

16. A (compare n contrast... on the one hand.. on the other etc.)

17. C (without cliche phrases..)

18. B (skilfully = deftly)

19. A (is short of = lacks)

20. B (a more noticeable drawback...)

21. B (analyse his presentation skills)
22. C (children learn, adults apply what they learnt)
23. B (terrific at planning and doing = acting)
24. A (most powerful brain altering technology - school)
25. B (focus on apprenticeship)
26. B (it has extended childhood and delayed mastery)
27. C (argues because he is voicing both sides of the coin)
28. C (no balance, i agree as the first two are definitely wrong)
29. B (a dilemma echoed through the two final questions)
30. B (yes, it depends on the type of fish)
31. D (yes, their measurement was based on how much primary production is needed to make a pound of a type of fish)
32. A (world's biggest seafood print)
33. C (unsustainable = beyond its capacity)
34. D (data that shows it may not be as over-exploited as expected)
35. D (farmed fish are fed with fish from the sea)
36. C (reduce fleets, no catch zones)
37. C (eat tilapia, not salmon)
38. D (no mention of online vs offline friends)
39. B (popular impression = held by most)
40. C (looks very similar to youths in the 1970s)
41. B (he accessed the info on the spot)
42. D (youths used technology to show altruism - helping others)
43. B (II & III are definitely false)
44. C (we view the bad news without feeling anything - insensitive)
45. C (refered to a lot of studies/research)

So guys... how did you do?
To get your component mark:
YOUR RESULT X 120 / 45 = /120

To get your prediction band mark:
YOUR RESULT X 300 / 45 = /300

B1= 0 - 99
B2 = 100 - 139
B3 = 140 - 179
B4 = 180 - 219
B5 = 220 - 259
B6 = 260 - 300

So ... r u happy or not? :P

MUET JULY 2012 ... I can help you pass.. :P

Guys... I hv no time to update my blog recently, but I believe that everything u need to know abt this exam is in my archive.

In the search box.. type
1. GRAMMAR for a grammar quickfix explanation and try out the test!
2. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REPORT WRITING... for the latest tips
3. SAMPLE MUET ESSAYS for a collection of essays that will help you get band 3 and above (u hv to write better than me to get band 6)
4. SCRIBD .. for uploaded documents (past year reading/writing questions)
5. POWERPOINT SLIDES for my seminar slides which are ALREADY UPLOADED ON GOOGLE DOCS SO U CAN REVISE ON YOUR OWN (STOP ASKING ME TO SEND TO YOUR EMAIL COS I WONT!)

anyway, fingers crossed for all of you.... sorry if i didnt answer and emails. too busy right now with so much on my plate. plate is piling u high!!!!

as soon as exam is over, pls scan and upload to scribd so i can come up with a set of answers for reading and writing (Q1 n 2). my students r not taking this exam so i hv no access to the questions. 


cheers!

The power of MUET Exhibitions

I'd like to blog about doing exhibitions as part of your MUET syllabus. I've used this technique quite often in my classes... and if you've followed my development over the last few years, you will find that the MUET Colloquium competition which was my brainchild has successfully become an annual event in Sabah.

Anyway, what is the long and short of it?
For MUET teachers, the world is your oyster. You can get the students to do virtually any kind of presentation on powerpoint. For the sample shown below, I realised that most Sabahans and especially school students have no clue about what makes Sabah truly a world class destination so I got my sixth formers to do a "I Love Sabah" campaign. They each prepared 10 slides for their individual project (you can get them to work in pairs as well) with pictures, videos etc on any aspect of the theme. My students worked on 1. Festivals of Sabah, 2. Famous events of Sabah, 3. Endemic animals of Sabah, 4. Eco-tourism in Sabah & so on. 

STEP 1: Select a theme.
STEP 2: Students prepare and practice their powerpoint and 'sales pitch'
STEP 3: Decide on an exhibition date and time. Prepare petition form and doorgifts.
STEP 4: Carry out the exhibition and get as many signatures to support their cause.
STEP 5: Reflect on the challenges/benefits/success of this activity.

In my opinion, this is a great activity to break up the chalk and talk routine, and to give students a chance to use the language in a purposeful and very authentic way.

Just some ideas, you could get them to do awareness campain exhibitions like recycling, organ donation, blood donation, reduce plastics etc...

Or you could get them to develop a product/service for their own company and set up booths to find investors or sell the product. This I did with my adult learners in college and they were great, creating banners and buntings and 'fighting' for investors, all the while making good use of the English language.

Anyway, if you do carry out an exhibition using this as a guideline, please let me know the outcome. :P

   

Even teachers dropped by to have a look at the exhibition.

The ex-form 6 senior assistant and the current one giving their support to this exhibition.

One of my presenters with her powerpoint and bookmarks.

Look at all the lovely effort put into the free doorgifts to attract visitors.

The petition form, they promised to visit and experience all Sabah has to offer before they retire. :P

Students enjoyed stopping by during their recess time just to learn more about the campaign.

 My adult learners with their exhibition booth... they even paid for a bunting and provided drinks and jellies with the company sticker, plus namecards. Like I said, the world is your oyster!

I think it was a success.. what do you think? :P