HOW TO WRITE GOOD MUET ESSAY INTRODUCTIONS

A lot of students do not score well in MUET writing because they may be unaware
of the Academic Writing Format. Those who know about it find it hard to verbalise
it or get it down on paper, as such, their intros might not follow the appropriate
formal writing style that is preferred for MUET level.
What makes a good introduction?
Divided into 3 parts.
1. Current Situation/Commentary
2. Stand
3. Thesis Statement/Outline
What should each part consist of?
PART 1
1. Current situation/Commentary should include a HOOK,
which is a statement or question that can HOOK OR GRAB your attention.
Examples of HOOKS
a. Facts/Data/Statistics (News articles, data from graphs/surveys etc)
b. Questions (Rhetorical questions related to the issue)
c. An Anecdote (Story that is related to the issue)
d. Examples (Various related examples)
e. Contrast (Describing the opposite of a given situation, eg. topic: Money,
opposite: No Money)
f. Projection (Imagining the future)
Basically, you may use any of the hooks above but make sure the tone of your
essay is FORMAL.
Example of Hook (f-Projection)
DO NOT WRITE:
Imagine if there are no people to clean up rubbish, everywhere got rubbish so
dirty and many people would get sick because so many diseases until everyone
die.
DO WRITE:
Imagine a world without a cleanup crew, rubbish would be piling up high
everywhere and diseases would spread like wildfire to threaten the very
existence of mankind.

PART 2
2. Stand
Refer to the question and focus on the key words to develop your stand.
Use these phrases to guide you:
a. In my opinion, I strongly/totally/completely/absolutely
believe/feel/agree/disagree that...
b. From my perspective, I ...
c. From my point of view, I ...
d. It is my opinion that...

Your stand can also help you organise your essays in terms of paragraphing.
IF YOU CLEARLY AGREE/DISAGREE
: use a 5 paragraph format
INTRO
AGREE 1
AGREE 2
AGREE 3
CONCLUSION
or
INTRO
DISAGREE 1
DISAGREE 2
DISAGREE 3
CONCLUSION.
However, I am inclined to give the 'thinkers' a higher band if they can
compare and contrast ideas using the 6 paragraph format as shown below.
INTRO
AGREE 1
AGREE 2
DISAGREE 1
DISAGREE 2
CONCLUSION
or
INTRO
AGREE 1 vs DISAGREE
AGREE 2 vs DISAGREE
AGREE 3 vs DISAGREE
AGREE 4 vs DISAGREE
CONCLUSION

1
2
3
4

*NOTE that 5 paragraphs are the bare minimum, 6 is suggested,

but those with excellent proficiency should NOT let the number of paragraphs
hold you back.
Conversely, the danger of writing too much is it is 'self-penalising'
as you will make too many errors esp if you run out of time and cannot edit your
writing.

PART 3
3. Thesis Statement/Outline
This is by far the MOST IMPORTANT part of the introduction as it foreshadows
what the writer will focus on and gives the examiner
an idea of how well the writer can organise his/her essay.
For low bands, a simple Outline is enough. Use this template to help you.

In this essay, I would like to discuss

advantages/disadvantages/reasons/causes/strategies which are __________,
__________ and ___________.
or
In this essay, I would like to focus on the *________________, ______________ and
______________.
*can be replaced with:
a. causes, effects and solutions
b. pros, cons, solutions
c. advantages, disadvantages, suggestions
d. benefits, drawbacks, ways to overcome
e. etc.
For higher bands, omit the 'I' and replace with more formal structures.
In light of this, there are many reasons/causes/effects/advantages/disadvantages
to this issue namely ______________, _______________ and ______________.
or
There are many facets to this issue but let us focus on the ____________,
___________ and _________ of ______________________(issue).
or etc.

SAMPLES OF INTRODUCTIONS FOR EACH HOOK TECHNIQUE.

Now that you're learnt the theory, let's put it to practice. To show you how this
works, I've used one question, and written 6 different intros but all with the 3
part format which I've discussed.
There is a question at the end of this section and you may try your hand in
writing your own 6 versions of the introduction... practice makes perfect!!!
Nov 2013 Writing Question
"The most important factor which contributes towards a person's
success is himself."
Do you agree with the statement ? Justify your stand, giving relevant
examples where appropriate. You should write at least 350 words.
a. Facts/Data/Statistics (News articles, data from graphs/surveys etc)
According to an article in Forbes magazine on World's 100 Top Successful people,
90% of people become successful based on their unique individual characters
rather than talent alone. This means that people who have the same great talent
- take singing for example - are both capable of becoming successful but the one
who has the characteristics fans like such as friendly, well-groomed with high
self-esteem and creativity are more likely to achieve superstardom compared to

an introverted singer with low self-confidence and charisma. It is my humble

opinion that I absolutely agree with the statement that the most important factor
which contributes towards a person's success is himself. We can analyse this
issue in terms of the human factor which are his innate qualities, his drive for
success and his ability to sustain success.

b. Questions (Rhetorical questions related to the issue)

Is talent enough to achieve success? How is it possible for a set of twins who are
both equally good in singing, yet only one becomes a successful singer while the
other does not? Can a person's character determine his or her ability to achieve
success in life? From my point of view, the answer lies in the fact that it is indeed
the person himself which contributes towards his own success. In this essay, I
would like to discuss how a person's innate talent, his drive to succeed and his
motivation to stay at the top are the reasons that differentiate every one of us
therefore controlling our success metres.

c. An anecdote (Story that is related to the issue)

There was once a farmer who had triplets. He could not decide which son should
inherit his property so he gave each of his three sons the same sum of money
and told them to achieve success. The first son used the money as a dowry and
managed to acquire the chief's daughter as a wife. The second son used the
money to bet on horses but lost it all. The third son bought cows with the intent
of breeding them, milking them and making butter and cheese of which he would
sell at the market. Finally, the farmer chose the third son because he was the
only son capable of 'growing' his investment. The point of all this is to show that
when the playing field is leveled, and there is equal opportunity, success or
failure is determined by the decisions each individual makes. Therefore, I
strongly agree with the statement that the most important factor which
contributes towards a person's success is himself. In light of this, there are many
aspects of the person himself which contributes to his success, namely his
aptitude, attitude and drive to succeed.

d. Examples (Various related examples)

Donald Trump is renowned the world over for his acute business acumen as
testified by his Trump empire. His entrepreneurship skills have been
commonly mimicked but rarely replicated as many aspire to become like him but
seldom achieve the level of his success. The secret of his success is his unique
character which is driven by his desire to rise above all, including himself. There
are other examples of extremely successful people who have achieved success
not solely based on talent but their individual characteristics such as Mark
Zuckerberg and our own Datuk Tony Fernandez to name a few. From my
perspective, the most important factor which contributes towards a person's
success is indeed himself. This can be proven in terms of his own talent, his
character and motivation to remain successful.

e. Contrast (Describing the opposite of a given situation, eg. topic: Money,

opposite: No Money)
A person born into an affluent family, when taking over the father's business
manages to run the business down the ground. The question then arises as to
why the son failed to follow in the footsteps of his father when everything was
handed to him on a silver platter. Simply put, he might have inherited the same
genes but this does not predetermine his individualistic characteristic which in
turn contributes to his ability to succeed or in this case, fail. Similarly, a person
born into a poor family with not much given to him, can scrape the barrels and
claw out of his poverty and make a success of his life unlike his parents or
siblings. The sheer determination to succeed gives him the necessary elixir to lift
him out of his fate and create a new and brighter future for himself. Hence it is
my steadfast opinion that the environment does not play the most crucial factor
in determining success, but it is indeed the person himself what contributes to
his rise or fall. To discuss this issue, let us look at the three aspects of success,
namely a person's aptitude, attitude and desire to sustain success.
f. Projection (Imagining the future)
If every one of us could be successful, would this world not be full of successful
people? The very fact that not everyone in this world today is a success story
strongly implies that there are many factors that contribute to a person's success
but it is each individual himself that gives him the cutting edge. In my opinion, I
completely agree that the most important factor which contributes towards a
person's success is himself. There are many facets to this issue but let us focus
on a person's own ability, character and determination that will lead to his or her
success.

Right... so what do you think of the 6 different approaches?

Which do you like the best?
Which suits your writing style the best?
As mentioned earlier, below is a sample exam question that you can try writing
introductions for. Write at least 3 different versions of the introductions using any
of the 6 hooks taught previously.
"The most important thing in life is health." Do you agree with the
statement? Justify your stand, giving relevant examples where
appropriate. You should write at least 350 words.