MUET SPEAKING 800/2 TIPS - SAMPLE ANSWERS

Situation
Your brother has been given the opportunity to study in England on a
government scholarship. You and your family are very proud of him. Decide on a
special gift for him to prepare for his trip abroad.
Task A: Suggest that they give him cash. Say why.
Task B: Discuss which of the following would be most useful.
i. cash
ii. a computer
iii. some suitable clothing
iv. some Malaysian foodstuff

Candidate A
Task A: Suggest that they give him cash. Say why.
Good morning to the examiners and my fellow friends. I’m very happy that my
brother has just received a scholarship to study in England. My relatives and I would like
to give him a special gift. We all think that the best gift is money because it will be very
useful for him.
The first reason is with cash he can buy the things that he needs when he gets
there. There will me a lot of things that he will need like new books, stationery, clothes
and food. He will also need to pay for transportation like taking the bus or train to go to
the university campus. As we know, it is very expensive in England so any money we
give him will be very useful.
Secondly, my brother can use the money to buy a mobile phone when he gets
toEngland. I think this is very important in case of emergencies so we can contact him
easily. Furthermore, he can sms us and keep us updated with his progress in his
studies there. Hence, if we really miss him we can just give him a call.
Finally, I also think giving him money is the best choice because it is light and
doesn’t take up a lot of space. If we were to give him a computer, books or winter
clothes it will be very heavy and bulky for him to bring to England. Therefore, I think that
it is much easier to bring money and buy those things when he gets there.
 In conclusion, these are some of the reasons why I think giving him cash is the
best choice. To me, it is the most useful gift we can give him. Thank you.
Candidate B
Task A: You suggest that they give him a computer. Say why.
A very good morning I bid to one and all. My relatives and I are very proud of my
brother. He has just received a scholarship to study in England and so we would like to
give him a special gift. We believe that the best present for him is a laptop computer.
Firstly, as a university student, my brother will have to do many assignments. If he has a
laptop computer he can bring it everywhere and consequently, do his work anytime and
anywhere. Thus, he will not have to share the computers at the computer room with
other students and he will be able to do his work more quickly and efficiently.
Another point is that when he boards the plane from KLIA to London, he will be able to
bring the laptop with him easily because it is compact and light compared to a desktop
computer. Hence, it will not be too much trouble to transport it to England.
Last but not least, if he has a laptop he will be able to connect to the internet. This has
two main advantages as firstly, he can do a lot of research online. The world wide web
is a fountain of information so it will be very useful for him to make full use of this
technology. Furthermore, he can keep in touch with friends and family here
in Malaysia by e-mail.
In short, a laptop computer will prove to be very useful to my brother. He can do his
assignments, research for information and keep in touch with us using it therefore it will
make the best gift. Thank you for listening.

Candidate C
Task A: You suggest that they give him some suitable clothing. Say why.
To the examiners and my fellow candidates, a wonderful morning I bid you. My brother
was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to study overseas. We want to send him off
with a nice gift so we have decided to buy him some suitable clothing.
The main purpose for buying him some suitable clothing is because the weather
in England is very different from the weather in our country. There are four seasons
there so he will need to have different clothes for different situations. For example, we
can buy him some sweaters, cardigans, scarves, snowcaps, thick socks and gloves and
many more. These will definitely keep him warm in winter.
The second reason is we think that he should have clothes that reflect our Malaysian
identity. This is because he will be a young ambassador for our country so if he has a
few sets of traditional clothing like the Baju Melayu or formal Batik shirts, I am sure he
will not only look good but promote our culture overseas.
Lastly, neat clothes make a good impression. For instance, if we buy him some
everyday clothes like jeans and trousers with nice shirts and matching ties, this will give
him a good feeling about himself so he will walk a bit straighter and talk a bit wiser.
Moreover, people will look at him and have a good impression about Malaysian
students.
To conclude, I think that the best present to give him is some suitable clothing because
it will be very useful and will reflect positively on him. Thank you very much.

Candidate D
Task A: You suggest that they give him some Malaysian foodstuff. Say why.
I would like to wish everyone here a very good morning. As we all know, my brother has
won a scholarship to study in England. Therefore, some relatives and I have decided to
give him some Malaysian foodstuff as a going away present.
First and foremost, one of the main problems Malaysians face when studying overseas
is that it is hard to find Halal food. We feel it is a good idea to give him some Malaysian
foodstuff because it will take time for him to get used to the place and find out where to
buy Halal food. Thus, in the meantime he can enjoy the Malaysian foodstuff that we
have given to him.
The next reason is because some of the foodstuff we are used to having here
in Malaysia is quite hard to find in UK. Most students studying overseas really enjoy
eating Maggi Mee andsambal belacan. For instance, it is also hard to find the right
spices for curry and rendangand so on so if we supply him with enough Malaysian
foodstuff, he can eat it whenever he misses home.
The final point I have is that he can use the Malaysian foodstuff we give him and cook it
for the Westerners there. Sometimes, universities organise events like Malaysian Night
and so he and his friends can cook some Malaysian specialities for them to taste a bit of
our way of life. Hence, the Malaysian foodstuff will be very useful to promote our culture.
In a nutshell, giving my brother Malaysian foodstuff to take with him to England is a
good idea. This is because he will have some familiar food to eat when he misses home
and he can also share it with his new friends. Thank you for listening to my opinion.

Task B: Discuss which of the following would be most useful.

i. Cash
ii. A computer
iii. Some suitable clothing
iv. Some Malaysian foodstuff
* Work together in your respective groups and complete the following discussion.

A: Good morning once again to everyone. We are here to focus on the issue at
hand which is
__________________________________________________________. I would
like to invite anyone of you to kickstart this discussion by giving us your point of
view.
B: Allow me to begin. First of all, I’m happy that our brother has won the scholarship
to study in England. Therefore, we must decide what would be the most useful
gift for him. In my opinion, I strongly believe that _______________
________________________________________________________________
_. This is because I think he can
_________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_.
For example,
______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_.
C: I see your point but how about getting him ______________________________.
In this way, he can use it to
 ___________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_.
D: I don’t quite agree with you because
____________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_. I think it would be more useful if we bought _______________________ for
him. Does anyone agree with me?
A: Yes, I agree with you. To add to your point, I feel that ______________________
________________________________________________________________
_.
This is so he will
___________________________________________________.
C: I’m afraid I don’t see eye to eye with both of you. Buying that as a present for him
is not the most useful gift because __________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_.
Moreover,
________________________________________________________.
Can you all understand what I’m trying to say?
B: Indeed, I do see your point of view but I still feel that the most useful gift is
__________________ because it can
___________________________________. Another reason is
___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_. For instance,
_______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_.
D: That’s an interesting perspective and I agree with you that
___________________
________________________________________________________________
 _. However, I think we should consider other points. We should also think about
buying him _______________________________________________________.
If he gets this as a present, he can
______________________________________ and
____________________________________________. Wouldn’t you agree?
A: I’m not sure I understand what you are saying. Can you explain it again, please.
D: What I mean is we should buy him
_____________________________________ because it will me more useful for
him when he is studying in England. This is because
___________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_.
A: Aaah… I see. Yes, I think it would be a very useful gift too. This way, he can
________________________________________________________________
_.
C: That’s a good point, but don’t you think if we gave him _____________________
it will be the most useful for him as a student. I still believe that this is the most
useful because
_____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_.
Remember, we need to think of the best and most useful choice.
B: I agree with you, Candidate C. In addition, he can use this gift to _____________
________________________________________________________________
_____________________________. So candidates A & D, what do you guys
think?
D: Now that you’ve explained it like that, I also agree that it will be the most useful.
In fact, he could also use it to
_________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_.
A: As for me, I feel that it is also the most useful. When he arrives at his university
in England, he will be able to
 ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_.
C: That’s right. Well, after listening to all the points on the four choices we have, I
think it is time to make a conclusion.
D: Yes, I think so too. Does everyone agree that we should give our brother
_______________________________________ as a special going away
present?
All: Yes, I agree.
B: In a nutshell, we all agree that _______________________________ is the best
choice because firstly, he can
_________________________________________, secondly,
________________________________________________ and finally
____________________________________________________-
_____________.
Thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*What to conclude if after 10 minutes of discussion:

A) AGRE E = 3, DIS AGREE = 1

Conclusion: To conclude, MOST OF US agree that ______________________
is the best choice because _______________________________
___________________________________________. Thank you.
B) AGRE E = 2, DIS AGREE = 2
Conclusion: In conclusion, we were unable to make a solid decision because
SOME OF US stongly believe that the best choice is __________
because
_______________________________________________
whileTHE REST OF US think that giving him _______________ is
the most useful because
 _________________________________________________.
Thank you.
C) ALL DIS AGRE E
Conclusion: In a nutshell, we were unable to come to an agreement on which of
the four options is the best choice. It seems ALL OF US strongly
believe in our own points so as we have run out of time, we think
that we should each buy him a gift individually. Thank you.

MUET WRITING PAPER 800/4 QUESTION 2

The world today is turning more to electronic communications such as the e-mail,
Facebook and Short message System (SMS). What is your opinion of this
growing trend? Discuss. You should write at least 350 words.

Generally, in answering academic essays, you need to really focus on a higher level of
thinking which befits a Band 6, university style response. If you were to just answer that
this electronic communication trend is good and that you can chat with your friends and
keep in touch, then you really haven't explored the question in a mature and critical
way.

How do you train your mind to be more critical and mature in approaching the question?
Well, you need to focus not just on the effects of the concept to yourself and the people
around you, but focus on how it will affect society not just in your country but globally.

Anyway, have a read of the sample answer below. Take note that I'm sticking to my
writing template, but better students can use a more creative style to show their flair in
writing effective compositions.

Everywhere we turn today, the world is crowded with people busy typing SMSes on
their Nokias or iPhones or someone is staring unblinkingly at a Facebook or Yahoo
page on the computer screen. Whether you like it or not, the age of Information
Technology is upon us, and we can either learn new skills and adapt to this new
technology, or be forever lost and stuck in the older generation. In my opinion, I am fully
convinced that this growing trend is the way of the future, and it brings countless
benefits to mankind. In this essay, I will discuss three positive effects of electronic
communication, namely its efficiency, enhances communication and creates a
borderless world community.

First and foremost, more and more people are relying on e-mail, Facebook, Short
Message System (SMS) and other types of electronic communication tools because of
its high efficiency. This is because in today's age of globalisation, we need information
at the tip of our fingers. Moreover, with the use of these tools, we can increase the
speed of getting the necessary and relevant information within seconds and this will
increase our productivity. For example, gone are the days of using 'snail mail' or regular
letters using stamps and envelopes and many more examples of 'old' technology
because it is simply too slow and inefficient. Therefore, these e-communication tools
increases the access to important information which is why the new generation is fully
accepting this growing trend.

Secondly, this form of technology enhances communication among people today. This
means that when we use SMS, e-mails and websites like Facebook, we are able to
communicate clearly and directly to our target audience. Furthermore, people today find
that the message is more important than the form it comes in as an e-mail in short but
clear sentences is just as good or even better than a long and formal letter. For
instance, an SMS can give clear instructions in just a few words and this communicates
what needs to be done quickly and directly. Thus, when the intended message can be
spread clearly using short and clear information like in SMSes and emails,
communication can be enhanced and there will be less problems of miscommunication.

Last but not least, e-communication creates a borderless community in the world we live
in today. This is due to the fact that the boundaries that separate each country becomes
less relevant when information is transferred without limitations. In addition, the world
would be a better place because there is a sense of 1-World commitment, respect and
tolerance for the global community through efficient and clear e-communication. Take
for example, we are able to connect with people on an international basis using
Facebook, Friendster, Tagged, Hotmail, Yahoo and others. Hence, these tools will
enhance global unity and create a more peaceful world.

In a nutshell, this growing trend has many positive effects not just to individuals but the
global society in terms of efficiency, enhancing communicative skills and shaping a
borderless community. In my opinion, I still firmly believe that this latest trend is the best
way forward and if we do not catch up, we will be left behind by the tide of development.
Our government can encourage the proper usage of electronic communications by
increasing communication amenities and broadband accessibility especially in rural
areas so that they can enjoy the same facilities as city-folks therefore balancing the
development of our country towards achieving Vision 2020.