SPM ESSAY - NARRATIVE ESSAY (Ending)

2011 : Write a story that ends with: "...They looked at each other and smiled meaningfully."

( This is an actual SPM question for the year 2011 - If you are asked to end with certain phrase / sentence then do end your Ending with the given phrase / sentence.)

* In the question above, the key word which you need to understand is 'MEANINGFULLY' which means 'full of meaning / purpose / value etc'. Therefore, before you write your essay, make sure your draft has a theme which is centred around a meaningful event / incident / action etc. Plot a story which has a strong and interesting beginning and end with a solid impression.

[ The 3 examples below are only simple and straight forward writing style. In order to make it more interesting; use phrasal verbs, idioms / wise sayings , dialogs / flashback etc to leave a strong lasting impression.
 

Sample 1

Ai Ching and Mary knew that Miss Sarimah was now in safe hands. They watched the ambulance slowly disappear into the horizon. Bystanders, and all those who had witnessed the miraculous incident slowly started to disperse.Slowly the place transformed back into its old rustic look.There was a dead silence.The words "I have found that if you love life, life will love you back" echoed in their ears- Miss Sarimah's favourite words.Slowly it began to dawn on Ai Ching and Mary that they had actually witnessed it happen in Miss Sarimah's life today.They looked at each other and smiled meaningfully. 

Sample 2

Miss Sarimah managed to give a smile before she was whisked away into the ambulance. Ai Ching and Mary could only look helplessly, but they knew that Miss Sarimah was now in safe hands.As the dust began to settle, souls that had witnessed the incident slowly started to disperse.The busy and noisy road slowly transformed back into its old rustic nature - quiet and deserted. As silence engulfed the surrounding, the phrase " I have found that if you love life, life will love you back" resonated in their ears-Miss Sarimah's favourite phrase. A phrase which not only they, but the whole class was familiar with.Miss Sarimah, their English teacher loved to use it to encourage her students to love and appreciate life.She would frequently tell them that life is short, therefore they must live a meaningful life. It slowly began to dawn on Ai Ching and Mary how true it was. They had witnessed how life trully had smiled back at Miss Sarimah today. As they took hold of their hands, they looked at each other and smiled meaningfully.  


Sample 3

Her face grimaced in pain but Miss Sarimah still managed to engrave a faint yet serene smile across her contorted face as the paramedics rushed her to the ambulance. Ai Ching and Mary could only watch helplessly, but deep in their heart they knew that Miss Sarimah was now in safe hands.As the dust began to settle, bystanders and eye witnesess slowly started to disperse. The busy and noisy road slowly transformed back into its old rustic state - quiet and deserted. As silence coyly slithered back into the surrounding, Ai Ching and Mary could hear the phrase "I have found that if you love life, life will love you back" echo in their ears as if Miss Sarimah was whispering it to them. "Life is short therefore we must live a meaningful life" she would say. Slowly it began to dawn on them how they had played a pivotel role in making it a reality today. Their bold and courages act had kept Miss Sarimah from meeting a certain but sure death. Life has trully smiled back at their beloved teacher.As they picked up their bicycles, they looked at each other and smiled meaningfully.

SPM ESSAY - NARRATIVE ESSAY (Beginning)

2007 : Write a story beginning with: Kim was nervous when the door opened

( This is an actual SPM question for the year 2007 - If you are asked to begin with certain phrase / sentence then do begin your Introduction with the given phrase / sentence.)

Sample 1

Kim was nervous when the door opened. She was hoping that it would be the police. Kim prayed hard in her heart that it would be so.As she slowly lifted up her head to see, she could only see a dark figure standing at the entrance of her room door.It was the intruder who had broken into her parents house.She could see him still holding the knife in his hand. He was searching for her. The intruder stepped into the room.He moved slowly. He banged into few things in the room.The room was pitch dark. The electricity got cut off due to the heavy storm.


Sample 2

Kim was nervous when the door opened. Sweat drops trickled from her forehaed onto the carpeted floor. She bit her lips in agitation. In her heart, she prayed hard that it would be the police. Slowly but reluctantly she lifted up her head to see, she could only see a dark visage standing at the entrance of her room door.She could not see clearly who it was as the room was pitch dark.Then, to her horror, she saw his face, the face of one she prayed that she would not see again. A glimmer of light from the lightning outside gave his face away.It was the  intruder who had broken into her parents house.He was still clutching the Rambo knife in his hand.He moved slowly, breaking and shoving everything that blocked his path.He had only one thing in his mind, that is to find the girl who knows his true identity, and to finish her off.


Sample 3

Kim was nervous when the door opened. The door burst open with a deafening sound, breaking the silence that Kim was enjoying for almost fifteen minutes now. The sound startled her, she almost jumped out from her hiding place screaming her head off but fear not senses kept her glued to her spot. She held her breath,her heart beat faster than ever.Sweat drops trickled onto the carpeted floor like a running tap water. She edged cautiously further into a corner fearing for the worst. She clasped her hands hard and prayed like she had never prayed before, hoping in her heart that it was the police who had come to her rescue.A dark tall visage stood at the entrance of the room door. At the same time, a glimmer of light from the lightning outside burst through the room window giving away the identity of the figure.To her horror, it was the visage of the one who had made her life a living hell for the past one hour."I will get you, pretty one!",his cold and merciless words echoed in her ears sending shivers into her spine.



The introduction must be good and interesting enough to get your reader glued to your essay - use adjectives and adverbs to add some spice to your writing. 

SPM ESSAY - HOW TO WRITE A NARRATIVE ESSAY

To write a cool attention grabbing narrative essay needs the right spices, just like cooking a curry masala. The first thing about writing narrative essay is creative imagination. You need to be creative and different. Think out of the box and let loose your imagination. See it through like a movie plot before you write down on your paper.

Read The Question Carefully

In SPM public examination, the question for narrative type of essay either starts with " Write a story beginning with: " or " Write a story ending with: ". In the year 2010 it was "Beginning", so there is a big chance this year 2011 it would be "Ending".

For example, if the question says "Write a story beginning with: It had been raining all day", then you start your essay with the given phrase.The same goes for question which has "Ending with", you write the phrase at the ending of your essay. I prefer the "Beginning" type because it gives you more freedom to create your plot.

Draft Your Plot

For narrative essay use the [PLOT] technique instead of using the [Intro-Body-Conclusion] technique. Draft your plot carefully. Put in some twists and turns in your story. Have an element of surprise. Keep your readers glued to their seat. Build your story scene by scene like in a movie. Give a big impact in your climax scene and let the audience make the conclusion....that would surely cause them to have some sleepless nights itching to know the end......(surprise--surprise)

Literary Devices

Use Adjectives, Adverbs, Verbs, Idioms, Contrast, Flashback, Imagery etc to tell your story. This technique will help readers to have a vivid picture in their mind. Every character or scene you tell can come alive to the readers and help them flow along with the story.

Grammar And Punctuation

Take care of your grammar, make sure to use the correct English Grammar when writing your essay. A strong grammar will help you to relate your story to your readers. Readers need to know what you are telling them. This is only impossible if you are able to use proper grammar and punctuation. Use your tenses properly when dealing with story telling. A story can start in the PRESENT TENSE flashback into the PAST TENSE and zoom into the FUTURE TENSE. There are also the PRESENT PERFECT AND PAST PERFECT tenses which you might need to use.

Creativity And Imagination

Be creative and arrange your story line carefully. Imagine that you are a director directing a movie. As a director you have a responsibilty to make sure your movie is a Box Office Hit. The same goes with your story, make sure it is one of a kind story, totally different from the rest of your friends essays. Sorry to say this but most of the essays are stale and does not have the extra edge which screams for attention.

HOW TO WRITE IT....?

You can use the 7P Essay Structure Tehnique to write a story.

1. First Paragraph - Exposition (Beginning of your story) - 40-50 words
2. Second,Third and Forth Paragraph - Events - 40-50 words
3. Fifth Paragraph - Climax - 40-50 words
4. Sixth Paragraph - Anti-Climax - 40-50 words
5. Seventh Paragraph - Ending - 40-50 words

Tips

* Focus on one event / incident for every paragraph
* Don't write two or three events / incidences in one paragraph
* Try not to use the phrase "In conclusion" when you end your story.
* Make sure your Essay is more than 350 words, roughly 350-400 words
* Marks will be deducted if your essay is less than 350 words.

*Narrative - Beginning
*Narrative - Ending
*Narrative - Tips (1)

SPM ESSAY - NARRATIVE / STORY

Narrative essay involves story telling. You are actually telling a story in words. Telling a story by mouth is easy but telling it in a written form is totally a different story alltogether. In order to write a good narrative essay there are few things you need to know.So, in this post I have listed out some pointers for you on how you can write a better narrative essay for your school and public examinations.

We will use the 1+1=2 method. "1+1=2" MEANS "creative imagination + lietarary Devices = Originality". This is my own cooked up class room formula to help my weak and not so weak students to use their mind creatively. [ If by chance, anybody else out there is using the same method then please excuse me...for this is trully my own cooked up home recipe].

What You Need......

1. Creative and an imaginative mind. You need to be bold to tell your story in the utmost creative and imaginative manner. Don't worry if people think that it's way too weird or it doesn't make sense. Just let your creative juice flow freely from your mind to your writing pad. Experiment and keep on experimenting until you find the right rhythm or your own style of writing.
2. Literary Devices. Use literary devices to give to your story.Literary devices have the capability to give depth to your charactes and your story. It can make the readers see,feel,smell,touch and taste your story. Therefore, learning how to use them effectively in your essay will give you an added advantage.
3. Story Plot. You need a plot to tell your story.So, draft your plot first before you write your essay. A plot starts with - [ Exposition - Conflict - Climax - Anti-Climax - Resolution ].

There you have it, simple and yet effective method to write a good narrative essay for your public examinations.Let me guess, your next question will be, "How to write it....?" right? I will tell you on my my next post when time permits...ALL THE BEST IN YOUR EXAMS!

*Narrative - Beginning

*Narrative - Ending

ESSAY WRITING - THE SECRET TO WRITING A GOOD ESSAY

Why I can't write good English Essay for my PMR or SPM or any kind of English Essay writing exams? This is a very famous question asked by many local and foreign students, especially those who take English as their Second Language Studies.Be at peace, nobody is a born writer. You need to put a lot of hard work and time if you want to be a good writer.

Do you want to know how you can improve your English Essay Writing? In this post, I would like to share some of the methods I teach my students on how to improve their essay writing.The methods mentioned below are age old methods which are being used around the world by many teachers.

Pointer 1- Read some good English Novels 
 

Read as many books as you can. Read some good English novels. Observe how the writer uses different techniques and styles to tell the story. Good novel writers usually like to use simple and straightforward language. They also like to use a variety of literary devices to make their novel come to life. 

 

Pointer 2- Read Newspaper Articles

 

Read newspaper articles in your local English Dailies. For students sitting for SPM, read articles or news on family issues, health, accidents, sports, teenagers etc. Reading these articles can help to improve your vocabulary list and your grammar.You can read articles from the 'STAR' newspaper ( for weak students ) or from the 'News Straits Time' ( for those who have a good command of English).

 

 

Pointer 3- Read Articles From Magazines

 

Read good English Magazines like the Newsweek, Times ,Readers Digest etc. This method I would only recommend to those who have a good command of English. Articles from the Readers Digest have been used in SPM examinations before.

 

 

Pointer 4- Copy Back Sample Essays

Find some short essay samples and copy them into a work book. Read slowly as you copy them. This method is very helpful for those who are weak in writing a simple English essay.

 

 

Pointer 5- Group Discussion

 

Form a group and discuss and exchange ideas on how you can write a good essay. It would be helpful if you can find an English teacher or your friend who is good in English to help with your writing. 

 

Pointer 6- Don't Memorize Essays For Exam

This is my secret to being a good writer. Never memorize an essay for your examaminations. Many students like to cram their head memorizing few essays for their PMR or SPM examinations and just simply write without giving thought to what is actually required. This method will not help you in the long run when later you are in the real world. In the real world you'll have problems to write even a simple letter if you keep on with this method.

The best way to write an essay is through the 5 methods which I have mentioned above and a lot of hard work goes with it.

Remember, you can't be a good writer in a day. You need to start from young to be able to write a good English Essay. It is never to late to start even if you are only in Form 4 or Form 5. Perseverance and hardwork will always bear fruit. It is better to get a 'CREDIT' for your own essay rather than getting a 'DISTINCTION' memorizing someone else's essay.

SPM DIRECTED WRITING - REPORT

2009 : Many of your schoolmates are not interested in sports. You have carried out a survey on the reasons for their lack of interest. Based on your findings, write a report to the Principal regarding the matter. In your report, give reasons for the lack of interest in sports and provide suggestions to overcome.

[ Start your report ]
To          : The Principal, SMK Syed Abu Bakar,Kedah
Subject : School students not interested in sports
Date      : (date)

[ Introduction ]
State about your survey.
When it was carried out.
The target audience [ School mates ]
What did you find. [ 30-40 words ]

[ Body 1 ]
Main Idea - The reason for the lack of interest
Supporting Details(1) - Why - Reasons / Factors
Supporting Details(2) - Why
Supporting Details(3) - How-Suggestion [ 30-50 words ]

[ Body 2 ]
Main Idea - The reason for the lack of interest
Supporting Details(1) - Why - Reasons / Factors
Supporting Details(2) - Why
Supporting Details(3) - How-Suggestion [ 30 -50 words ]

[ Body 3 ]
Main Idea - The reason for the lack of interest
Supporting Details(1) - Why - Reasons / Factors
Supproting Details(2) - Why
Supporting Details(3) - How-Suggestion [ 30-50 words ]

[ Closing ]
What do you expect
What is your hope for the students and school [ 30-40 words ]


[ End your report ]
Prepared By,

[ Signature ]
Name
Title (if any)
SMK Syed Abu Bakar

SPM ESSAY - SAMPLE ESSAY CONCLUSIONS

In this post, I have posted some [sample  conclusions ] . Below are the  examples :-

Actual SPM examination question - Descriptive

2008  :  Write about a person who has worked hard to succeed in life.

Sample :

   In a nut shell, Mr.Adam cherished the saying 'No pain,no gain.' He always believed a man must be willing to endure hardship in order to enjoy success in life. Today, after 30 years of hardship he is the owner of a famous shopping comples in Penang. Mr.Adam is none other than my dear loving father.

Actual SPM examination question - Opinion / Arguementative

2009  : School children should nothave long holidays. Do you agree?

Sample :

In conclusion, school children definitely need long holidays. Long holidays will help them to unwind and relax from all the stress of school life.Long holidays will help rejuvenate their stressed out mind and be more receptive to studies when school reopens.

Actual SPM examination question - One Word

2009  : Beauty
Sample :

         Finally,beauty is an abstract matter which can’t be quantified by any measurement. How a person perceives beauty can differ from one person to the other. As the saying goes “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

* Remember, above are only simple sample conclusions to help those who are weak in English to get a rough idea on how to write a simple conclusion for their essay.

SPM DIRECTED WRITING - SPEECH / TALK

SPM Question 2007

Talk : You have been asked by your teacher to give a talk on a reference book that is useful for secondary students. You have decided to give a talk about a science book.

 

[ Introduction / Salutation ]

Good morning to the principal, teachers, and fellow students. I am honoured to stand here to give a speech / talk. My speech / talk  is entitled the usefulness of a reference book for secondary students. [ 30-40 words ]


[ Body 1 ]

Main Idea – What type of reference book you have choosen. [ Use Suitable Transitions]

Supporting Details(1)-What/Which [ Title Of The] Science Book

Supporting Details(2)-Why you choose this [ particular ] book

Closing Paragraph – Summarize your point. [ 40-50 words]



[ Body 2 ]

Main Idea – How it can be useful for secondary students.  [ Use Suitable Transitions]

Supporting Details(1)-Benefit 1- What/Why/How

Supporting Details(2)-Benefit 2 – What/Why/How

Closing Paragraph – Summarize your point. [ 40-50 words]



[ Body 3 ]

Main Idea – How it can be used for reference.  [ Use Suitable Transitions]

Supporting Details(1)-Benefit 1- What/Why/How

Supporting Details(2)-Benefit 2 – What/Why/How

Closing Paragraph – Summarize your point. [ 40-50 words]



[ Closing / Conclusion ] – sample conclusions.

1. let me conclude my speech / talk with - [ a/an proverb/idiom/quote]

2.In conclusion - [ give an advice / hope ]

3. I will end my speech / talk by reinstating that - [ summary of your points ]

 

End it with - Thank you. [ 30-40 words ]

SPM DIRECTED WRITING - INFORMAL LETTER

 2010  :  Your cousin has been chosen to take part in the National Service Programme and is worried about going. You have decided to write a letter to tell him/her about the benefits of this programme and to encourage your cousin to go. 

(Your Name & Address)

Ginny Han

5, Jalan Tun Perak,

50050 Kuala Lumpur. 

(Date)
10 OCTOBER 2010.

(Salutation)
Dear Sam,

 

 

(Introduction)

How are you? I hope you are in the pink of health. I was thrilled when I got your letter. I read your letter eagerly .To be honest, I had mixed feelings after reading your letter. One was of happiness while the other was of sadness. Happy that you got chosen to go for the National Service Programme. On the other hand, sad , seeing  how worried you are to join this programme. I have penned this letter  to encourage you to go for this programme.

(Body 1)

Benefit 1 - One main point
                 - Two / Three supporting details
                 - Close
 

(Body 2)

Benefit 2 - One main point

                 - Two / Three supporting details

                 - Close

(Body 3)

Benefit 3 - One main point

                 - Two / Three supporting details

                 - Close

(Closing)

I hope my reasoning will convince you to go for this National Service Programme. To be honest with you, I am a bit jealous that I was not chosen for the programme. I surely would trade places with you if I could. I will keep my fingers crossed that you will take my advice and join this programme. Bye and have fun.

Your Cousin,

(Your Signature)

* [Name] is optional in Infromal Letter. It means you can choose to write your name or ignore it.

PMR ESSAY - INFORMAL LETTER