Preparing students for the spm english 1119 exam

Directed Writing

TIPS FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION
1. You have only 45 minutes for this question, so budget your time carefully.
10 minutes – planning
30 minutes - writing
5 minutes – checking for mistakes
2. Read the question carefully and determine the task required. Are you required to write a speech, an article or a letter? What is the purpose of the task?
Who is the target audience? Ask yourself continuously as you plan and write your answer, checking that you are answering the question correctly.
3. Plan your answer quickly, deciding which points would go into which paragraphs or which points could be combined. Remember to use all the points given.
4. If there are more than ten points given, you do not need to elaborate on each. Many of my proficient students tend to elaborate too much on each point and end up having less than an hour for their continuous writing. Remember that only one mark is awarded for each point, no matter how long the elaboration is.
5. Write out your answer as neatly as possible as there is no time for re-writing. Do not use liquid eraser to wipe out whole sentences and re-write over these sentences. The errors might resurface after a month or so and the examiner would not be able to read your answer.
6. Write your essay with an appropriate introduction and conclusion. Make sure your paragraphs are well-organised.
7. Check for grammatical mistakes, punctuation and spelling errors.