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Sunday, October 20, 2013

MUET Speaking Tips 2013 Year End

Hey ho! I'm finally done with all the American Inspiration training ( I represented Malaysia for a 6 week study tour all over america!) and hv cleared my backlog of training of teachers and students for PMR & SPM English.. called my Target A+ & Final Countdown projects... phew... now I can concentrate on MUET even though my students are not sitting for this exam.

A short reflection of my students' performance in the July paper.. gosh it was harsh... no band 4s... we reduced the amount of band 1s but quality has fallen drastically.. ah well. such is life. I was really shocked that even the science students scored mostly band 2s... If you ask me... it has to do with the increasing number of seats available in IPTAs around... hence the students left in form six who didnt get a placement are 'weaker'. If you treat this statement as a fact and not an insult, you need to find the solution which is to work harder and smarter instead of feeling 'hurt'. remember the song... what doesn't kill you makes u stronger.. but the latest song on the radio i heard recently is ... what doesn't kill you makes u feel alive... so soooo try your best to read more, write more and speak n listen more in English.

Ok.. about Speaking. here are my latest top tips:

1. Speaking is all about confidence - I would say faking confidence is 80% of the trick - the other 20% is your general knowledge and language.
Why? A confident speaker (even if he/she uses broken English) is more interesting and exciting to listen to. There is nothing more an examiner dreads than a boring, unconfident mouse. If you're a mouse, act like a rat. Speak loud enough with enough confidence, look the examiners in the eyes, give your most brilliant smile and talk and talk like there's no tomorrow. Just say whatever that comes to mind; serious stuff as well as funny jokes/stories that are related to the topic.
Therefore, YOU NEED TO FAKE CONFIDENCE TO GAIN CONFIDENCE.

2. The 20% is general knowledge. Be well read. If you are talking about the environment you need to give concrete examples. Mention your personal opinions of how 'sad' and 'disappointed' you are that people are becoming greedier everyday, that for the sake of money and in the so-called name of progress 150+ hectares of the Tawau Hills Park has been deforested.. Talk about the widespread forest burnings to clear land in Indonesia that is destroying the habitats of wildlife like Orangutans and rhinoceros and so on just to build more palm oil plantations.. the destruction of mangrove swamps to clear and make way for shrimp farms and this releases ozone thinning gasses, hence global warming is escalating. The trick is to throw facts and figures at the examiners and make yourself look good and well-read. However, avoid sweeping statements like 'All governments are greedy', 'Everyone does it for money.', 'Society does not care about the environment' etc.. because these are over-generalisations and sweeping statements. Where is the proof? Instead.. say "Some governments have been proven to be profit-minded", "Many people are driven by the concept of making money, esp making 'easy money'." and "There is a certain strata of society that clearly do not care about the impact to society". Notice how I modified the sentences to be more 'believable'.
Hence, YOU NEED TO READ MORE N RETAIN SOME INTERESTING FACTS N FIGURES TO IMPRESS THE EXAMINERS.

3. Finally, you need to memorise good phrases to use (I have blogged about this so look up the archive) and really use it actively in both tasks. A person who participates and is engaged in the discussion will definitely deserve better marks. Help each other out by asking questions, offering suggestions, making the discussion lively and even funny. Even if you dont feel excited, pretend!!! Think of it as a short sketch...
Thus, BE A DRAMA KING/QUEEN!!!

Finally, do scour my blog for more speaking tips and sample scripts... good luck everyone!

P/s: in the comments below, if u hv taken today's exam, pls write out the speaking questions. There are generally two sets of questions for each day. Cheerios! 

23 comments:

  1. thank you for the good tips.. i have low confident when to speak.

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  2. what can help a country's economic growth
    A. education
    B. natural resources
    C.man power
    D.health care

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. pretty heavy question... tough

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    2. Only a good education will enhance the man power needed to exploit the natural resources to increase a country's economic growth such as health care industry.

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  3. which is the most important form of respect
    A. law
    B. elders
    C. belief
    D.

    ReplyDelete
  4. how to attain happiness
    A. have goal
    B. good relationship with others
    C. good health
    D. positive outlook

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. great question! so many good stuff to talk about!

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    2. i believe that we can attain happiness through good relationship with others.

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  5. 11 a.m session today

    where should we practice good manners
    A. at home
    B. at school
    C. at public places
    D. in public transport

    ReplyDelete
  6. if an event happen, who u will contact first
    a. Family members
    b. Emergency hotline
    c. Friends
    d. Neighbour

    ReplyDelete
  7. Main factors that caused accidents (30/10)- Morning session
    A. condition of the road
    B. wheather
    C. the condition of the vehicles
    D. driver


    ReplyDelete
  8. visit my instagram justclickthispreloved :)
    more items :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. another tips and secret to pass MUET, you can find at:
    http://www.rahsialulusmuet.com/hop.php?ref=shahrul
    My friend had already use it, and he got Band 3.
    Now, i am use it for my Muet on July 2014.
    For futher information you can go to:
    http://www.rahsialulusmuet.com/hop.php?ref=shahrul
    or pm me at FB.
    or email: shahrulnizam66@gmail.com
    There is no loss in finding knowledge

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fake confidence is good confidence... thats my new motto... haha

    ReplyDelete
  11. Well, it's a song from Kelly Clarkson if i don't have any mistake.... haha...

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  12. Well, Madam Audrey here's the question from MUET July 2014:-
    In the rural areas, local coffee shops are still popular. Discuss the reason for their popularity.
    A) People can easily catch up with local news
    B) The prices of food are affordable
    C)The food suit local tastes
    D) A relaxed and friendly atmosphere
    I'm candidate A, so how should I elaborate my point??

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  13. Kalau conclusion utk task B,semua orang agree dengan point masing-masing Dan ada dua org agree point yang sama,akhir sekali conclude point yg dua org tu setuju sbb nak habis masa...adakah markah akan terjejeas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adakah perlu kita setuju dgn satu point jek akhir sekali?terjejas tak markah kalau tak dpt buat conclusion akhir sekali... cuma discuss and beri pandangan masing2

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  14. i really excited to take MUET tomorrow...wish me luck guys! :)

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete