ASSIGNMENT

OUMH1203
ENGLISH FOR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
SEPTEMBER 2022 SEMESTER

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION

1. Answer in English.

2. Number of words: 2500 – 3000 words excluding references and outline.

3. Present your responses to the task in a SINGLE file (Word format). Adhere to the
following structure:

4. Submit your assignment ONLINE.

5. Submission date : 15 November2022.

6. This assignment accounts for 50 %of the total marks for the course.

ASSIGNMENT QUESTION

Note: This assignment has TWO parts.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this assignment is to expose students to proper essay writing skills and
introduce them to the step-by-step guide to writing an essay.

PART I: ESSAY WRITING (40%)

Choose only ONE of the essay topics below for this assignment:
◘ ESSAY TOPIC 1
Education is recognized as vital to the future of any society in today's world. Governments
throughout the world should make formal education compulsory for all young children
between the ages of 4 and 6. Children should be taught a structured syllabus in pre-schools
endorsed by the government to result in equivalent education among children.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Plan an essay to argue the relevance of compulsory formal education endorsed by the
government for young children in your country.

◘ ESSAY TOPIC 2
“Ignorance is a blessing”.

Recently, several negative influencers (individuals who exert influence over others) have
become famous on social media. While some Malaysians believe that these influencers
should just be ignored, others feel that this problem has to be nipped in the bud.

To what extent do you agree or disagree that the negative influences spread by those
individuals should be ignored or dealt with?

Plan an essay to argue the statement above.

The planning and writing of your essay are divided into TWO (2) tasks:

TASK 1 – ESSAY OUTLINE (10%)

The first initial stage of writing an essay is the Pre-Writing stage, where you brainstorm, list
your ideas and prepare any type of drafts for the essay.

Prepare an outline for the essay.

Task Requirements:
1. Prepare an outline WITH a thesis statement. You can opt for the Sample Outline
Format below or prepare your own outline.
2. The outline should be written according to the format of an essay: introduction,
body and conclusion.
3. The outline must list the points that discuss the topic given. These points must be
arranged in a logical and coherent order to show a good flow of ideas.

TASK 1 – ESSAY OUTLINE (10%)

Education is the key to the development of any society, and the developed world is
currently providing free and mandatory secondary education to all children. In many
emerging nations, however, it remains an illusion. This essay is in absolute agreement with
the proposal that all governments should be required to provide free discipline to all
children ages four to six.

The first reason for this argument is that the children of today will be tomorrow's leaders.
The honour and respect a nation can have in the international world are largely contingent
on the level of education of its citizens. It should be kept in mind that only informed citizens
can properly plan any type of development activity. This is vital in a world where human
knowledge continues to develop. According to Erikson's theory of child development, the
child's formative years begin around age 5. This is the earliest age at which a kid will
discover his or her strengths, making schooling at the beginning of this age vital for
psychosocial development in order to foster the acquisition of new skills and the mastery of
these talents, particularly in cognitive learning.

The second problem is that the three foundations of rule of law are equality before the law,
equal opportunity, and equal protection. A population with little or no education is
incapable of making life-altering decisions. In addition to advancing knowledge, we inhabit a
planet where the careful management of labour and natural resources is of tremendous
importance.
The third consideration is that the ability to live with dignity is a fundamental human right.
Numerous victims of various sorts of exploitation are unable to use this privilege. Those who
understand their rights and responsibilities can live with dignity. The legendary hero Dr. Jose
Rizal wrote in one of his works, "The youth is our only hope for the future." When we
provide children of these ages with more opportunity for a high-quality education, their
skills will be refined, strengthened, and utilised for the benefit of the many.

Briefly, only an educated populace can enjoy all the advantages of a progressive world. For
humanity's future happiness and prosperity, governments must make every effort to
educate all children under the age of six.

(this outline is NOT included in the assignment’s word count of 3000 words)
(10 marks)

TASK 2 - ESSAY (30%)

Write an essay (between 2,500 words and 3,000 words) EITHER:

1) to argue the relevance of compulsory formal education endorsed by the government

for young children in your country. OR

2) to agree or disagree that the negative influences spread by those individuals should
just be ignored or dealt with?

Task Requirements:

1. The content of your essay MUST resemble the essay outline in Task 1.
2. Refer to the assignment rubrics as a guide to achieving cohesion and coherence.
3. Avoid plagiarism. You MUST support your essay with AT LEAST TWO (2) pieces of
evidence from current and related literature (2017 – 2022). Use the APA format for in-text
citations and the reference list.
4. Remember to refer to Topics: 3, 4 and 5 of the OUMH 1203 Module.
 TASK 2 - ESSAY (30%)

The industrialized world is currently in the process of offering free and mandatory
secondary education to all pupils. This is in recognition of the fact that education is essential
to the growth of any civilization. On the other hand, it is still only an illusion in many
developing nations. The idea that all governments should be required to give free discipline
to all children between the ages of four and six is completely supported by the arguments
made in this article.

The fact that the children of today will become the leaders of tomorrow is the primary
justification for this argument. The amount of education attained by a country's populace is
a significant factor that determines the degree of honour and respect it commands in the
international community. It is essential to keep in mind that the only people who are able to
organise any kind of development activity correctly are informed citizens. In a world in
which human knowledge is always expanding, this is absolutely necessary. The years
between the ages of 5 and 9 are considered to be formative for a kid in accordance with
Erikson's theory of child development. As this is the earliest age at which a child will
discover his or her strengths, starting school at the beginning of this age is essential for
psychosocial development in order to foster the acquisition of new skills and the mastery of
these talents, particularly in cognitive learning. Because of this, schooling at the beginning
of this age is vital for the development of children with autism spectrum disorder.

The most fundamental period of life is represented by the first stage in Erikson's theory of
psychosocial development, which takes place between birth and one year of age. Because a
baby is completely dependent, the dependability and caliber of the child's careers are the
foundation for building trust. The kid is completely dependent on adult caregivers during
this stage of development for all they require to exist, including food, love, warmth, safety,
and nurture. A youngster will learn that they cannot rely on or trust the adults in their lives
if a caregiver does not provide them enough attention and love. A youngster will feel safe
and secure in the world if they are able to properly create trust. Children who are under the
care of caregivers may feel distrusted if they are inconsistent, emotionally unavailable, or
rejecting. Lack of trust will lead to fear and the conviction that life is unpredictable and
inconsistent.

These are the years in a child's life that are marked by an especially active and quick
development. It is a "period of vigour of action and of actions that the parents may view as
aggressive," as stated by Bee (1992). The key characteristic of this stage is the child's
consistent participation in extracurricular activities with other children, most notably at
school. Play is an essential component of this stage because it enables children to
experiment with their social abilities by allowing them to take the lead in a variety of
activities. Children develop the ability to organise their own games, play, and participate in
activities with other people. Children grow a feeling of initiative and a sense of confidence in
their abilities to lead people and make decisions when they are given the opportunity to do
so. On the other hand, youngsters will acquire a sense of guilt if this propensity is stifled in
any way, whether it be through criticism or through control. The child will frequently go
above what is acceptable in terms of his level of forcefulness, and there is a risk that the
parents will have a tendency to penalise the child and excessively restrict his endeavours.

The child's hunger for information will begin to develop at this point, and as a result, he will
start to ask a lot of questions. If the parents react negatively to the child's queries by
dismissing them as unimportant, humiliating, or a nuisance, or if they perceive other parts
of the child's conduct to be intimidating, the youngster may develop feelings of guilt for
"being a nuisance." An unhealthy amount of guilt might slow down the child's ability to
communicate with others and may even prevent them from being creative. Naturally, the
youngster has to feel some remorse in order to develop a conscience and the ability to
exercise self-control; without this, neither will be possible. It is essential to maintain a
reasonable equilibrium between initiative and guilt. If you are successful throughout this
phase, you will develop the quality of purpose, whereas failure will lead to a sense of guilt.
The second issue is that equality before the law, equal opportunity, and equal protection
are the three pillars of the rule of law. People with little or no education are unable to make
important decisions. We live on a planet where the proper management of labour and
natural resources is of enormous importance in addition to the advancement of knowledge.
All people have the right to receive equal treatment under the law, which is defined as
equality before the law. They also have the right to the equal protection of the law, which
guarantees that no one will face unfair treatment because of their race, gender, ethnicity,
language, religion, political views, social standing, or any other illegal factor. The law must
be superior, which is important. All citizens must be treated equally before the law and be
bound by Australian laws.

Professor A.V. Dicey established this idea and defined the rule of law as

 The absence of arbitrariness, prerogative, or even broad discretionary authority on

the part of the government is implied by the absolute supremacy or preponderance
of regular law as opposed to the effect of arbitrary power. A man may be punished
for breaking the law, but he cannot be penalized for anything else. The law is the
only thing that governs English people.

 The "rule of law" in this context excludes the notion of any exemption of officials or
others from the duty of obedience to the law which governs other citizens or from
the jurisdiction of the ordinary courts; it means equality before the law or the equal
submission of all classes to the ordinary law of the land administered by the ordinary
law courts.

 The principles of private law have been extended by the actions of the courts and
Parliament so as to determine the position of the Crown and its servants; thus, the
constitution is the outcome of the common law of the land. With us, the laws of the
constitution, which in other countries naturally form part of a constitutional code,
are not the source but the consequence of the rights of individuals, as defined and
enforced by the courts.
The idea that everyone should be subject to the law fairly and equally, even those in
positions of authority, comes from the Magna Carta. When King John signed the Magna
Carta on June 15, 1215, he promised to uphold the law and to no longer be above it.
In modern Australia, where everyone is held responsible for their actions in accordance with
the law, this idea serves as the cornerstone of our government. To ensure a free and safe
society for all citizens, these laws are created by the Parliament and then implemented and
interpreted by the Courts. Everyone, even the prime minister and law enforcement officials,
must abide by the law in a country where it is established. No exceptions apply.

The capacity to live with dignity is a fundamental human right, which brings us to our third
point. Many exploitation victims of various kinds are unable to make advantage of this
privilege. Those who are aware of their rights and obligations can live honourably. "The
youth is our only hope for the future," the illustrious hero Dr. Jose Rizal penned in one of his
writings. These young children's skills will be developed, bolstered, and put to use for the
good of many when we give them additional opportunities for a high-quality education.
Youth are important since they will shape our future. They might be our partners today, but
they'll become leaders tomorrow. The young people are really excited and energised. They
are able to pick up new skills and adjust to their surroundings. They share our willingness to
learn from experience and apply it to further our aims. Our young can bring about social
change and advance societal conditions. Without a nation's youth, we cannot survive.
Additionally, they must participate in order for the country to advance and to meet its
objectives. Similarly, we feel that kids play a critical role in every nation's growth and must
actively participate in it. No matter what industry we wish to advance in—be it the technical
sector or the sporting sector—youth is required. We must decide how to assist the kids in
carrying out this job effectively. All of the kids need to be made aware of their potential and
their part in fostering the development of the country.

Why Is Youth The Nation's Hope? We can support the potential of the young people in our
nation in a variety of ways. In order to help people prosper without any obstacles, the
government must implement initiatives that will aid in overcoming problems like
unemployment, inadequate educational institutions, and more. Similar to this, citizens need
to be sure to motivate our children to excel in all areas. When we don't believe in our
children and young, they get disenchanted and lose their spark. We must all work to
prevent tying chains to their wings from pulling them down and instead ensure that they are
allowed the wind behind their wings to soar high. In order for the kids to access greater
possibilities and alter the course of the entire nation, we as citizens have the capacity to
support and connect with them.

There are numerous effective techniques to accomplish this, some of which are listed
below:
1. Modify our perspectives
2. Supporting them as they navigate the educational system
3. Make opportunities for young people to gain employment
4. Young Person Mentor

Modify our perspectives:

Young people, according to the majority of research, are hopeful about their future and
actively pursue education and employment. We need to alter the way we see young people
—do we simply see the repercussions, or do we see that they are working extremely hard to
make their country better? We need to change the way we think and begin doing things
that provide these young people, who represent the future's hope, opportunities.

Supporting them as they navigate the educational system:

The main factor in a young person's success is their education. While the majority of them
make it through a challenging and complicated educational system, many young people are
prevented from finishing their education. Early reading development and fostering the
growth of our nation's youngsters are of utmost importance. We also need to consider what
kind of assistance may be given to individuals who are currently enrolled in the educational
system. Young people should be given the tools they need to successfully navigate the
complex system of post-school options, and we should assist them in staying in school.
There are various ways that we can help with this. For instance, if you have a spare
computer, tablet, or phone, giving it to a young person can alter their life because computer
literacy is important.

Make opportunities for young people to gain employment:

The majority of small businesses can host young people for work experience by paying for
their transportation and meals. The vast majority of young people would develop skills and
workplace competences if NGOs, larger enterprises, and governments took similar action.
We may organise volunteer work to help young people prepare for the workforce, offer
advice on how to use it, and suggest ideas. For a young individual who wishes to build skills,
mentorship or coaching guidelines and a skills toolkit should be available.

Young Person Mentor:

Your time and knowledge are the most priceless resources you can offer. Connect
individuals who left school early with those pursuing PhDs; similarly, link kids from other
concern areas. This is crucial since the youth are our future's best hope and we do not
convey the knowledge needed to use systems and access opportunities. Networks facilitate
information transfer and contain important soft skills that are essential for a person to
access opportunities.

In a nutshell, the only way for a population to take advantage of all the benefits that come
with a progressive world is if that population is educated. To ensure the future happiness
and prosperity of humanity, it is imperative that governments make every effort to educate
all children younger than six years old.

References:
1. Mcleod, S. (2018). Erik erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. Simply
Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

2. ‌The Youth is the Hope of Our Future! [1 min read]. (n.d.). Fairgaze.
https://fairgaze.com/fgnews/the-youth-is-the-hope-of-our-future_274751.html
 3. ‌Youth as The Hope of Nations. (n.d.). Voices of Youth. Retrieved November 3, 2022,
from https://www.voicesofyouth.org/blog/youth-hope-nations

4. ‌Rizal (1861–1896), J. (n.d.). The Social Cancer. Www.gutenberg.org.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/6737/6737-h/6737-h.htm

5. E‌ quality Before the Law. (n.d.). Rule of Law Education Centre.

https://www.ruleoflaw.org.au/principles/equality-before-the-law/

(30 marks)

PART II: ONLINE CLASS PARTICIPATION (10%)

Discuss the following topic(s) in the forum and submit proof of your participation in the
online discussions:

1. Share your encounters with logical fallacies (Topic 4.5) in texts that you have found.
Why is it important for you to understand logical fallacies?

2. Discuss how you would write a business proposal to propose a new service or
product.

(10 marks)
[TOTAL PART I and II: 50 MARKS]
INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SUBMIT PROOF OF ONLINE CLASS PARTICIPATION (10%)
Do the following:
1. Select the best FIVE (5) your own postings from the forum discussion set up by your
tutor.
2. Do screenshots of the postings and include them as images in your assignment.
3. The screenshots should be in an image file (either in JPG or PNG format). Refer to the
sample of Screen Grab below.
4. The screenshots should contain: Name, Title of the discussion, Day, Date and Time.
 ATTACHMENT
ASSIGNMENT RUBRIC
OUMH1203 ENGLISH FOR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION / SEPTEMBER 2022 SEMESTER
Unsatisfactory
Excellent Good Fair Poor Or
Max
No response
CLO Criteria Weight Marks
QN
4 3 2 1 0

TASK 1 - ESSAY OUTLINE (10%)

1 1 Essay Outline Well-prepared outline Well-prepared outline A moderately-prepared

Format format with a format with a good thesis outline format with a
comprehensively written statement. thesis statement that
1.0 The outline format is No proper 4
thesis statement. requires further
poorly written. outline
understanding.
Wrong understanding of
a thesis statement.
.

15
 2 Details in Outline Details are placed in a Details are placed in a Some details are not in a
logical order and the logical order, but the way logical or expected order,
way they are presented in which they are and this distracts the
1.5 6
effectively makes the presented sometimes organisation of the
Many details are not in a
outline very interesting makes the outline less outline.
logical or expected
interesting.
order. The outline is
unorganised.

TASK 2 - ESSAY (30%)

2 1 Introduction The introduction very
clearly states the thesis
statement and previews
1 The introduction clearly The introduction states There is no clear The 4
the structure of the
states the thesis the thesis statement but introduction of the main introduction
paper.
statement and previews does not adequately topic or structure of the presents no
the structure of the paper. preview the structure of paper. purpose.
the paper.

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 Fully addresses the Adequately addresses the Generally writes about There is little attempt to
stand for or against of stand for or against of the for or against of the write about for or
the chosen topic. chosen topic. chosen topic but with NO against of the chosen
1 Content: 3.0 A weak attempt 12
clear stand. topic but with NO clear
1) to argue the at addressing
Explanations and claims Some explanations and stand.
relevance of the written
are very comprehensive, claims may not be The development of
compulsory formal assignment.
coherent and organised arranged logically and explanations and claims is The organization of
education
logically. coherently. adequate. explanations and claims
endorsed by the
lack clarity and may lead
govt. for young
The arguments for and The arguments for and The arguments for and to confusion.
children in your
against are supported by against are supported by against are somewhat
country
authentic, clear and clear and appropriate supported by a few Lack of arguments for
appropriate examples in examples in the Malaysian examples in the and against in the
OR
the Malaysian context. context. Malaysian context. Malaysian context.

2) to agree or An excellent attempt to A good attempt to discuss A moderate attempt to

disagree that the discuss points all points throughout the discuss points.
negative influences throughout the paragraphs.
spread by those paragraphs.
individuals should
just be ignored or
dealt with?

17
2 Conclusion 1 Conclusion skillfully The conclusion is The conclusion is The conclusion shows The conclusion 4
presents a neutral recognizable and neutral recognizable but does not bias either to pros or is out of topic /
approach of pros and in summarizing the pros sound neutral at some cons. unrecognisable.
cons and gives closure to and cons. points.
the essay.

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2 The sentence style fits Sentences are generally Sentence structures are Contains several Contains many
the paper’s purpose. clear, well structured, generally correct, but awkward or awkward
Sentences are varied, focused, though some sentences may be wordy ungrammatical sentences.
Language/ 1.5 6
yet clearly structured may be awkward or or repetitive. sentences. Sentence Displays general
Sentence Skills
and carefully focused. ineffective. structure is simple or inability in
Frequent errors in monotonous. writing
Language is excellent Language is satisfactory grammar, lexical choice grammatical/m
with hardly any errors in with some errors in and punctuation, may Very frequent errors in eaningful
grammar, lexical choice grammar, lexical choice impede understanding grammar, lexical choice sentences.
and punctuation. and punctuation, which do and clarity. and punctuation that
not seriously impede seriously impair Errors in
understanding and clarity. understanding and grammar,
clarity. lexical choice
and punctuation
are too
frequent and
severe, making
it highly difficult
to understand
the message.

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 A reference of more A reference of 2 relevant A reference of 2 articles, A reference of lesser No articles are
than 2 relevant articles. articles. but not necessarily than 2 articles, but not used as
relevant. necessarily relevant. references.
2 References 1 4
All the references are Most of the references are
effectively used, effectively used, correctly References are References are References are
correctly cited and cited and correctly listed sometimes not effectively inappropriately/unclearl not
correctly listed in the in the reference list used, and/or correctly y incorporated. incorporated or
reference list according according to APA style. cited and/or correctly incorporated
to APA style. listed in the reference list inappropriately.
according to APA style.

Total 12.5 30
*QN = Question Number

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 PART II: ONLINE CLASS PARTICIPATION (10%)
Max
Excellent Good Fair Poor Unsatisfactory
QN CLO Criteria Weightage marks
4 3 2 1 0
All five comments are Four of the comments are Two or three of the One post is submitted. Postings are
good, appropriate, good, appropriate, relevant, comments are somewhat OR All posts are done done past the
relevant, meaningful, and meaningful, and respectful. good, appropriate, in one day. assignment
respectful. Postings reflect meaningful and OR None of the timeline.
Postings reflect active participation within the respectful. comments is good and OR No postings
Quality of
participation within the assignment timeline. Postings show relatively relevant. given as proof of
1, 2 2 Postings 2.5 10
assignment timeline. short participation time. OR Comments are participation in
short responses that discussion
are not substantial or
meaningful. Minimum
effort (e.g. “I agree
with Tina”)

Total Marks 2.5 10

Note: This course also requires students to complete the Online Activity (10%) in MyInspire as part of the assignment total of 60%. The Online Activity is categorized under CLO
1.

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