SPM EXAMINATION 2013

Section B: Continuous Writing

[50 marks]/[Time suggested: One hour]
Write a composition of about 350 words on one of the following topics.
1. ‘Truly Malaysian.’ Describe what this means to you.
2. Is tuition necessary? Discuss.
3. Write a story about being alone.
4. Write a story that ends with: “... and so I became a better person.”
5. Reality shows

Suggested Answer
1. Remarks:
This topic needs your views and opinions on what ‘Truly Malaysian’ means to you. Give
examples so the reader understands your point of view.
Suggested points:
Introduction:
Truly Malaysian - not only in our feelings - but in our actions - being truly Malaysian to
me means portraying the Malaysian spirit wherever I am
Body:
Being truly Malaysian - showing respect and being loyal to the country fight to bring
glory to the country proud to be a citizen of the country
A true Malaysian will obey the rules and laws of the country - will act with dignity
wherever I am - follow and teach others that rules are there for the good of the people
and country
Being kind to our fellow Malaysians - will not tarnish the country’s good name by being
disrespectful or hateful to one another - respect other people’s views and opinions - will
not put down others to feel better
Conclusion:
Truly Malaysian - epitomises the good values of the Rukun Negara - respects the
symbols of the country - is a good role model for others - friendly and kind as well as
welcoming and hospitable to visitors to the country

2. Remarks:
This topic requires you to either agree or disagree with the question. You have to take a
stand and support your opinion with reasons.
Suggested points:
Introduction:
Tuition - teaching students in small groups - common among Malaysian students -
primary and secondary students - I believe - necessary - competitive world - extra help -
challenge students - do their best
Body:
Tuition - necessary - complement - school work - helpful for students who need extra
help - difficult topics and challenging areas - additional practice - improve the students’
understanding - extra and helpful tips
Tuition - students get to learn - smaller groups - give timid students opportunities to
speak up and ask questions - conducted one-to-one or small groups - allows students to
get personal attention
Tuition - occupy students’ time wisely - revising and especially latchkey kids - prevent
students from wasting time - socialising with the wrong crowd
Conclusion:
Tuition-fees can be expensive –may take up too much time - late hours can be tiring
after long hours in school - the benefit outweighs the negatives - tuition - necessary tool
to help students - gets students extra help in their weak subjects - acquire unrivalled
mastery - builds their confidence

3. Remarks:
This topic specifies that you write a story about being alone. You can create a series of
events or an incident that is interesting and exciting where the central theme is about
being alone. Be creative and think out of the box to make your story fascinating.
Suggested points:
Introduction:
One night during the holidays - my parents went outstation for a night - I stayed home
alone - first time staying at home without my parents - had dinner and watched a movie
- the wind started howling
Body:
I got scared -1 looked outside the window - the trees were bending over from the strong
winds - thankfully it was only
the wind - I checked that the doors and windows were locked just to be careful -1 went
back to my movie
After twenty minutes - it started to rain heavily - the rain began to beat against the
windows - I got uneasy again - I looked out of the window - 1 saw a flash of lightning - it
began to rain heavily - usually 1 loved it when it rained but not tonight
Tonight - the heavy rain - strong winds - was more frightening - I realised being alone
made everything seem scarier - I turned on all the lights in the living room - switched off
the television and thought reading a book would get my mind off the storm outside
Conclusion:
I must have fallen asleep while reading - woke up to find it quiet outside - I switch off
the lights - I looked outside the window - saw a face staring back at me - screamed -
someone was opening the door - I backed away from the window ready to scream my
lungs out - the door opened arid my mother walked in - father ! was peering through the
window to see why the lights were all on

4. Remarks:
This narrative composition should end with the words given. Be creative with your plot.
Make sure the story ends smoothly with the character uttering the words given. Use
descriptive words to make your story interesting. Include an event or a situation which
caused the character to chance to become a better person.
Suggested points:
Introduction:
Once upon a time - was just like most people - go about my day without a care in the
world - do not get involved - see an animal in trouble - person in need of help - always
think someone else would help - what can I do - I did not realise that I was not being the
best I could be
Body:
One day, all that changed -I was walking home - saw a woman sitting on the road - at
first I was afraid to approach - moaning and holding her knee - other people were
approaching her so I walked on -I thought - that they could do more for her than I could
I headed home - kept thinking of the woman - feeling guilty and regret for not taking
action - thought could be too late to help - surely she would have got the help she needed
- a nagging feeling - returned to the scene
The woman was still beside the road - I was shocked - no one helped her - I approached
her and asked her how I could help - she told me what had happened - I used her
telephone to call her son - she kept thanking me the whole time
Conclusion:
I didn’t do much - just took time to talk to her and get help for her -I realised it only
takes a little to help someone -1 wasn’t being the best I could be when I walked away - I
listened to my heart - and so I became a better person

5. Remarks:
This topic allows you to tackle it based your own interpretation. Choose an interesting
angle which will engage the reader. There are many ways to approach this topic: why are
reality shows popular, are reality shows staged, your favourite reality show.
Suggested points:
Introduction:
Reality shows - the craze in television viewing - gives viewers a glimpse into the world of
their favourite celebrities - takes viewers into the world of the rich, famous and
successful - window into the day-to-day busy lives
Body:
Reality shows - aims to entertain viewers - looks into the ups and downs of life -some
believe that the incidents are staged to keep viewers entertained - keep the viewing
rating high - whether real life or staged - amuse viewers with their antics - not meant to
be taken seriously
Reality shows - positive influence - gives viewers insight into other people’s lives - the
people and their lives portrayed in reality shows people - make good and bad decisions -
their mistakes teach us - their successes inspire us - just take the good and leave the bad
Reality shows - negative influence - bad language, choices and behaviour - influence
young viewers into thinking that these behaviours and actions are acceptable - only
suitable for mature viewers - able j to determine right from wrong
Conclusion:

Reality shows - popular - just a form of entertainment - the behaviour and choices made
by the people in the show should not be taken seriously - take only the good and leave
the bad
2015
1 Describe what makes you happy and explain why.

2 Social networking has caused a lot of problems. How far do you

agree?

3 Why is having good neighbors important?

4 Write a story about someone you know who took a big risk and
had a good result. Begin your story with: "Everybody said that the
plan would never work. It was far too risky ..."

5 ‘Honesty is the best policy.’ Describe an experience when this was

true for you.