*BEWARE, LONG POST* hahahha :B

okay, since there's a few replies on MUET, i've decided to post some helpful tips on it. okay, in my earlier post, i'd shown you guys about speaking test. what you should actually write. yes, i only got Band 4 for my MUET, not to say i'm satisfied with my result but oh well, isn't so bad after all. but you guys gotta know that i didn't get a full attention on this, although i volunteered in it. it's just that i was juggling between SPM and MUET altogether. i regret myself for not given a perfect chance to fully utilize my skills. i was so blurred at that time. for speaking, i only get one chance to practice which is a day before the test. scary huh.. well, at least i'm lucky to be fluent enough in english language since i'm quite used to speaking especially in debates. well, first off.. to master speaking, THOU SHALL FREQUENTLY SPEAK ! lol keep on talking. don't be afraid to at least voice out a word or two. that should be a good start for you to get used to English. yes, it's hard to choose a perfect word to say. but hey, choosing a word to use is the problem. stop doing so. just talk. don't be scared if someone corrects you, that's a part of learning process. then, ask a few friends *maybe the ones who you trust not to laugh when you speak in some cases* to talk with you in English. you'll be a pro in no time. hahaha. okay, some may had laughed at me, the seniors of course when they asked me how did i get to be so good in English.. i say, simple.. Cartoons, Movies and Songs. yes, most of you would be like DAFUUUUUQ ? hahahha nah, now that's the real input dear ladies and gentlemen. besides speaking, what you see and what you hear may derive you to influence yourself in following the exact position. good or bad is up to your heart and that, is another topic. :) oh, how cartoons, movies and music does the trick ? easy.. cartoons usually gives out a clear picture as it is meant for kids right. you can understand without listening what they're trying to say, right ? now try watching and listening. multi-tasking. in fact, one does not surprise me after a few months watching a foreign shows, they could speak the language as if they'd attended a class or something. not just English, but Spanish, Korean, Japanese as well. see the big picture hear ? same goes to movies. okay we usually watch hollywood movies right ? now, if you buy a dvd, make sure you turn on the subtitles in ENGLISH. neither Malay nor Chinese and Tamil of course. why ? because by this way, first... you'll understand the story better.. second, you'll get to know what they are saying or how they're saying it crystal clear. i can't deny, i learnt quite a lot of words that i'm not familiar with during the movie so the output here is I LEARN A NEW WORD, THUS, A BETTER VOCABULARY, WHICH GIVES US A BETTER ENGLISH ! lol mind the capslock now. :P

okay yaddayaddayadda. now let's talk about writing.. last time i remember, writing an essay in MUET wasn't anything like writing in SPM. they focus more on substance rather than language. what are your facts. start vomiting ideas that should relate to the topic. don't try to go off topic, marks'll be cut off or ignored. 2 parts there are, essay and diagram. the diagram, please.. just write down what is stated. don't try to make your own statement okay. they don't want you to do the statistics that had been done for you. *bit harsh ey, boohoo :P remember, if they say 1% in June, 2% in August, 3% October.. just say that the stats increased steadily in two months time (EXAMPLE). or something like that. make your own words, but try not to be a genius. if you know what i mean ;) i can't say much about this though, i scored less in this part. hahaha pity me :( a result of a last minute study. puuuurfecto.

then comes the reading part. hahahahhaha my god. this, i love the most. more like a "information transfer" to me. the trick is to just scan and skim. don't read all the passage.. it's not like you only have one passage to read. unless you really can manage your time well, you may read it word by word. but better go fast. time limit is short. don't ask me, i forgot how long. hahahhaha. then you just answer the objective Qs. that's all. easy.

listening ? whoaaaaaa. okay it's not about how they speak makes you feel like throwing the pencil case to the speaker but how fast they speak are one of the problems. but at least they'll give you a chance to write down the answer before they repeat the conversation again. but the thing is, sometimes you'll get confused.. which is which ? is this the answer or that is the answer ? better take note of every word spoken. make sure you don't write when they speak. try to give full attention to the conversation when is played. when they don't, write everything down as fast as you can. but a better way is to catch the main points told by the speaker, write down a little bit cuz at least you won't be blurred. remember, time is your enemy. so short you won't get the chance to undo your mistakes in each of the questions if you don't do it properly. so please, help yourselves to do it right.

i only tell you this just to share out my experience in sitting for MUET. though i'm not so good in English, i'm still learning to make it better and better. if there's any mistakes or grammatical errors, please spare me.. i only got band 4 weii :P hahahhaa. i truly hope each and every one of you here who reads this may get AT LEAST band 4. get band 5 laa, better. at least you can brag that your English is good enough right. if any of you may have got band 6, i shall bow down to your highness dear my lord/my lady. hahahhaa :P good luck, all the best, don't stutter, don't over think, don't get confused too much, don't worry, don't sweat don't sweat don't sweat just turn to the left left left *jesse mccartney lalala :P be confident, be smart, don't try to use boombastic words too much. keep it low but steady. there's a difference between a hard punch and a fast punch. choose one :) do comment if you have any question or ideas aiteeeee. peaceeeee yo jyeahhhh \m/

oh, till next post :3

heyy whaddup. so, next week's the time where the MUET Speaking test will begin nationwide. I'm part of it, so it's my duty to study the contents and get prepared for it a.s.a.p. yes, i'm still in Form 5, but i guess it would be a good chance for me to take it earlier than others. not to say i'm being so "over-confidence" or bragging to people to show that i'm good in English. but the thing is i guess it'll give me a boost on further studies if let say i'll have an interview before proceeding to a tertiary level education somewhere, i can say that "hey, i've done my MUET test and i had achieved Band ? now".

so, wouldn't it be better ? in case i flunk or unhappy with my result.. i could just repeat it when i'm there. so, it should be a good try for me. i said it to myself, WHY NOT ? even my family did. it all came to a point during my debating competition was held. during training, one of my teacher brought up the news. first thought.. "er, let me think first. and oh, isn't it for Form 6 students and above ?" i'm shocked to know that even Form 5 can take it too. so, awesome. now, here. the speaking test.. mine's on the 13th October. next Thursday. I myself quite blurred by the ideas of like how the hell am i suppose to get myself prepared ? i don't go for MUET classes and i have to focus on my SPM as well. so, internet helps. therefore, let me share this. Good luck and all the best to all candidates. :)

Candidate A

Instructions to candidates:

Task A: Individual presentation

Study the stimulus or topic given.
You are given two minutes to prepare your responses.
You are given two minutes to present.
Listen to the others while they are making their presentations and take down notes for the group discussion in Task B.

Task B: Group discussion

You are given two minutes to prepare points to support or oppose the other candidates’ views.
After you have listened to everyone, try to come to a decision as to which of the four suggestions is the best.
Your group is given ten minutes for the discussion.

Task A and Task B will be carried out consecutively.

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) AGREE = 3, DISAGREE = 1

Conclusion: To conclude, MOST OF US agree that ______________________

is the best choice because ________________________________.

___________________________________________. Thank you.

B) AGREE = 2, DISAGREE = 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 DISAGREE

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.

MORE DETAILS HERE .

the extravaganza .

July 16, 2012

MUET tips

October 16, 2011

Who Said English is Easy ?

October 6, 2011

MUET SPEAKING TEST TIPS

Candidate B

Candidate C

Candidate D

A) AGREE = 3, DISAGREE = 1

B) AGREE = 2, DISAGREE = 2

C) ALL DISAGREE

April 12, 2010

waa~

i am ...

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