DIRECTED WRITING : SAMPLE ESSAYS
Good Morning
to the Principal, teachers and students. I am Harry, the president of the School Safety Club. This morning, I wish to talk to
you about ‘Personal Safety – To, From and In School’.
Remember you will be safe when
coming to school or returning from school if you move around in pairs or groups.
There is always safety in numbers. When you are in a group, you will not be
likely fall victim to criminals. If you are alone, it is safer to use the bus
instead of the taxi. There are more people on the bus and you will be safe in
company.
If you notice suspicious
strangers anywhere, do not hesitate to report them to the school authorities.
You will be able to save yourself or other young people from harm. After
school, do not loiter around. Return home immediately after school. Your home
is the safest place for you.
If you have to return home late,
use brightly lit streets and avoid dark, lonely lanes. Many young people fall
prey to snatch thieves and rapists in lanes which are hardly used. Most
importantly, if something crops up in school and you are forced to return home
late, inform your parents. In this way your parents can be on the lookout for
you.
The school can also be a
dangerous place if you do not take necessary precautions. If you have to leave
the classroom to visit the toilet or for any reason, ask the teacher for
permission. If the teacher is not in class and you have to leave in an
emergency, inform a classmate before you get out of class. Let at least one
person know of your whereabouts.
Another important piece of advice
to follow all rules, regulations and instructions. These are safety measures
and if you follow them you will be safe. Also avoid empty classrooms and dark
corners. Danger always lurks in these places. If for some reason your parents
are late in picking you up from school, wait near the guardhouse. You can be
sure there will be people there at all times.
I hope you are convinced that
there are many threats to your personal safety. Do pay heed to all that I have
told you and follow the steps I have outlined to you. Remember we want you to
be safe at all times.
Thank you.
Your cousin has just been offered a place in
Form 6. However, he has also been offered a factory job at a monthly salary of
RM800. His family is not rich. He writes to you to ask for your opinion, as he
has always loved and respected you.
Write a letter to him, giving your opinion.
You should base your letter on the points given above, adding any other
information or ideas of your own.
When writing this letter, you should remember
that:
you are writing to your cousin, who loves you
your cousin is worried
you have to use the proper letter format
you should write grammatical sentences
Reasons for Leaving School
|
Reasons For Doing Form 6
|
Afraid to
fail Form 6
Job offer
Family not
very well off
Tired of
studying
|
Family can
still afford to support him Quite a good student
Opportunity
to enter university Better job prospects with STPM
|
Comment:
Even though this is an informal
letter, you have to write full grammatical sentences. Include all the points
given, elaborating on them. Use a warm tone and express love and concern.
Sample Answer:
888, Taman Bersatu,
05100 Alor Setar,
2 October 2013.
Dear Susan,
It is great to hear from you
after such a long time. Please send my regards to your family. Regarding your
job offer, I have thought about it and here are a few points I would like to
add to yours.
According to you, there are two
reasons for taking up the job offer. Firstly, you family could use the extra
income as you all are not very well off. You could then contribute instead of
being a burden to them.
Secondly, you stated that you
were afraid of failing Form 6, which is acknowledged by some students as the
hardest exam in the world. If you do fail, you will have wasted two years in
Form 6. Furthermore, you are tired of studying and decide that you want to
start working.
There are, however, a few good
reasons why you should continue your studies. Your family can actually still
afford to support you as Form 6 is not very expensive. Besides, I am sure that
your father would like to see you complete your studies as you have always been
quite a good student.
If you do well in your Form 6,
you will then be able to enter university. This will open up a lot of good job
prospects for you. Even with just STPM qualification, you can still earn a
higher wage. This will eventually be worth more than your two years’ working
experience, that is if you decide to start working now.
Therefore, in conclusion, I would
advise you to do form 6 if you feel confident in yourself and if your family
agrees to support you. If you decide to go for it, make sure you do your best.
Your cousin,
Sally
Dear Diana,
Thank you for your letter which I
received two weeks ago. I am glad to know that you are in good health.
In your letter, you asked me to
look for a college which offers a computing course. Well, I went around to
several renowned colleges in Kuala Lumpur and asked for information on the
computing courses offered. I also discussed the matter with several friends who
are doing similar courses and they, too, agree that you should take up the
Diploma in Computing Course at Sunway College.
Sunway College has a proven
track-record. The students from Sunway College re highly sought after as they
are knowledgeable, skilled and reliable. Moreover, the duration of this course
is only 10 months. This means you will be able to finish faster and join the workforce
much sooner. I know this is important to you as you want to lighten your
parents’ burden, more so since your father is going to retire soon.
Furthermore, the college promises that you will get a job once you complete the
course.
Another reason why you should
take up the course at this college is the low fee if RM 3 500 which is payable
in two installments. The other colleges charge between Rm 5 000- Rm 8 000 for
similar courses and the payments must be made upon enrolment. I know that you
would definitely prefer to pay in two installments so as not to tax your
parents too much.
In addition, Sunway College is
well-equipped. The lecture rooms are air-conditioned and the library is
well-equipped. You will be able to study in comfort and need not go to other
libraries to source for reference materials. Moreover, the lecturers are
experienced. Most importantly, the college allows free use of computers. This
means that you need not buy a computer and so you can cut down on expenses.
Another way you can cut down on costs is by staying in the hostels provided by
the college. Living in Kuala Lumpur can be very difficult especially for those
on a tight budget as food and housing costs are very expensive. The college
charges reasonable rates for the hostel and I know that you can get cheap food
in that vicinity. Finally, the college promises scholarships to its top
students who wish to pursue a degree course. With your diligence and
determination, I am sure that you will be one of the recipients of this scholarship
award.
I have no doubts that this
college is suitable for you. If you need more information, please do not
hesitate to call.
Till I hear from you, take care
Your friend
Henry
Henry
999 Taman Bahagia,
05200 Alor Setar.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Editor
Morning Star,
123 Jalan Aman,
45100 Kuala Lumpur. 14 February 2013
Dear Sir,
Proximity of
Shopping Complex to school
I wish to express my concerns
regarding the location of the mega shopping complex that is taking shape around
SMK Tasik Teratai. SMK Tasik Teratai is a good school and the discipline of
the students is very good. However, things may change soon.
2. I believe that truancy is
going to be a major problem because the shooping complex is less than 100
metres from the entrance of the school. Students are going to be attracted to
the exciting activities happening at the shopping complex. They will start missing
classes.
3. Students will also waste a lot
of time loitering I the shopping complex. Even if they do not miss school, they
will go there after school instead of going home or to extra-curricular
activities.
4. Another social problem that
will be created is that of young students mixing with bad company. We know that
many drug pushers, addicts and gangsters, hang out at shopping complexes,
waiting for victims. Innocent teenagers may start mixing with bad company and
get involved in unhealthy habits or even criminal activities.
5. A disadvantage of having a
shopping complex so close to the school is that children will be attracted to
it and get into the habit of frequenting the shops. Parents may not be able to
control their children’s spending.
6. Another problem that may arise
is the disruption of teaching and learning. The loud music and promotional
activities that are held frequently in shopping malls will infiltrate the
school and capture the attention of the young and impressionable students.
7. Finally, the roads around SMK
Tasik Teratai are going to be congested. As it is now, there is already
traffic congestion before and after school hours. With the opening of the
complex, the volume of traffic is definitely going to increase.
These are some of the problems
that we, the teachers and students of SMK Tasik Teratai, anticipate. I hope
the authorities concerned will take appropriate steps to overcome the problems
mentioned.
Thank you.
(Henry)
Jacky Chan,
SMK Kayu Ara Pasong,
82010 Pontian,
Johor.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pn. Siti Suhanah,
Principal,
SMK Kayu Ara Pasong,
82010 Pontian,
JOHOR 2 October 2013
Dear Madam,
Poor Quality of Food and Services at School Canteen
As Head of the Canteen Prefects,
I wish to complain about the poor quality of food and services by our school
canteen.
2. First of all, there are
several complaints about the lack of variety in food. The menu is the same
every day. As a result, students get bored of the same food. Students also say
that the food served is tasteless and cold. Food should be cooked and served
piping hot. In addition, the food sold is unhealthy. At times it is oily and at
other times it is too salty. In the long run our health will suffer as we may
end up with high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Something needs to be done
about this situation.
3. I have also noticed that the
food prepared is unhygienic conditions. Most of the time cooked food is left
uncovered and the vegetables are washed on the dirty floor. Recently many
students have fallen ill with food poisoning.
4. Quite often the cutlery, that
the workers say has been washed, is oily. This simply proves that the cutlery
is not washed properly.
5. Several students have
complained that the canteen workers are rude. They bark at the students for no
rhyme or reason. In addition, the workers are careless when returning the
change. Students are often short-changed. This must stop.
6. Another criticism I have
against the workers is that they are not properly dressed. When handling food,
workers are required to wear aprons, caps and gloves to ensure cleanliness is
maintained at all times.
We hope that the school
administration will attend to our complaints and take necessary action a soon
as possible. Thank you.
Yours faithfully
(Jacky Chan)
DIRECTED WRITING : SAMPLE
It is Road Safety Week in your school and you have been
asked to give a speech. Write out the speech that you will give.
Include the following points:
reckless
drivers and motorists
speeding
tired
drivers, especially drivers of lorries
poor
road conditions
poorly
maintained vehicles
everyone
is responsible for road safety
You should use all the points given above. When writing
the speech, you should remember:
to
use the proper address and closing remarks
that
your listeners are students and teachers
to
write in paragraphs
Comment:
The instructions indicate that
this talk would be given in your school, perhaps at assembly, so you would address
the principal, teachers and other pupils. You are instructed to mention the
topic of your talk. You can also mention your purpose for giving the talk,
which is part of the programme for Road Safety Week. Make sure you include all
the points given. You can arrange the points in any logical sequence, expanding
on them with examples or explanations of your own. For your ending, you should
tell your listeners how you would like them to respond, adding a suitable
saying if you know one. And thank them for listening to you.
Sample
Answer:
A very good
morning to our Principal, teachers and my fellow students,
I am very glad indeed to be standing here in front of you this morning.
You see, as I was crossing the road in front of our school, I was nearly hit by
a motorcyclist, who had suddenly turned out of the school gate and was speeding
in the wrong direction, straight for me! Fortunately, I was able to jump aside
in time. It’s such a strange timing, since I was planning to give a talk
entitled “Keeping Our Roads Safe” in conjunction with Road Safety Week.
Anyhow, this
is my first point. Roads are often made dangerous by reckless motorists or
motorcyclists who speed around, not looking out for other road users. Sometimes
motorcyclists even conduct races on the road! Such irresponsible road hogs
should be collared by the authorities. There should be stricter enforcement of
the traffic rules and bigger tines should be imposed on reckless drivers. Some
drivers are rather young, and perhaps too immature to realise the dangers that
they are inflicting on others. I believe that the minimum age for new drivers
should be increased to 20.
A common
situation when dangerous driving occurs is when the drivers are too tired, for
example, when a lorry driver has to drive long distances across the country.
Such practices should be actively discouraged. Awareness campaigns should be
carried out on the dangers of driving non-stop for long periods. Furthermore,
the authorities should also suspend the licenses of dangerous drivers,
especially those driving heavy vehicles.
Finally,
road safety is also affected by poor road conditions and poorly maintained
vehicles. The authorities should carry out regular checks on vehicles to ensure
that only road-worthy vehicles are allowed on the roads. It is also the duty of
the government to keep the roads in good condition.
If the
government and the citizens realise the importance of road safety and take
active steps to remedy the situation, there will be less road accidents. So,
whether you are a motorist, a motorcyclist or a pedestrian, let’s try to do our
part to make the roads safer. Remember: The life you save could be your own.
Thank you.
DIRECTED WRITING :SAMPLE ESSAYS
SMK Kayu Jati’s Fund-Raising
Carnival
The 30th June, which happened to be warm
and sunny Sunday morning, saw the field of SMK Kayu Jati as a hive of
activities. On a day when everyone else was resting at home, glued to their
television sets, the students of this school and their parents had sacrificed
their beauty sleep to be in school by six-thirty. Reason? They were there to
help out with the one-day carnival jointly organized by the school authorities
and the Parent-Teacher Association.
The idea for the carnival was
mooted by our beloved Principal, Puan Hajah Sri Asmida Saadon , to raise funds
for several projects. The school hopes to use the money collected to help needy
students pay their tuition fees. The money will also be used to help sponsor
twenty students who come from single parent homes. Other than that, the money
will also be used to buy new books for the school library as the existing books
are torn and tattered. Some reference books are outdated while the fiction
books are from our parents’ era.
The parents and teachers had set
up stalls offering a variety of mouth-watering dishes. Pn. Ruzi Liyana, the
senior assistant, could be seeing slaving over a barbeque pit, fanning sticks
of chicken satay and frankfurters. Not to be outdone was the chairman of the
PTA, Tuan Haji Nasoha. Together with a few teachers and parents, he could be
seen serving his endless streams of customers a variety of ice-blended drinks.
Other popular stalls included Pn. Hidayah’s ‘Nyonya Fare’ and Mr. Wee’s
‘Bollywood Cuisine’. I found out that the teachers and parents had slaved hard
from three a.m. to prepare the food at home. Judging from the crowd, I can
safely say that many of our teachers are good cooks. Moreover, all the food was
sold out by 1 p.m. Many visitors who came later were disgruntled but Puan Hajah
Sri Asmida saved the day. She had earlier made arrangements with the
restaurants nearby to supply food to the school should such situation occur.
The games’ stall were handled by
the students themselves. The Ghost House was all-time favourite, with tickets
for the day sold out by 12 noon. Many children could be seen trying their hand
on mini golf, ‘ride a pony’ and the numerous dart games which offered
attractive prizes to winners.
The prefectorial Board members
had turned music deejays for the event. For a mere 50 sen, they spun popular
English, Malay, Chinese and Hindi songs. Requests for dedications kept them
busy the whole day.
The carnival was over by 4 p.m.
More than three thousand people had turned up to support our carnival. A
whooping RM 50 000 was raised. Some parents have suggested that the carnival be
made an annual fare as it not only helps the school raise funds for useful
projects but also encourages co-operation among all parties involved. Let’s
hope that next year’s carnival is even more successful and we can have a
much-needed school hall.
Reported by,
Thalathiyah Nawa
Some Tips on Weight Loss and
Weight Management
These days, many teenagers are
very concerned about their weight. Many go on crash diets hoping to be
transformed into models with svelte figures. Some, who are already slim, embark
on such diets to become as skinny as Victoria Beckham. The seriousness with
which teens tackle weight issues is worrying as the methods they use, such as
going on crash diets and consuming slimming pills, are harmful. This article is
therefore written with the aim of giving sensible solutions to weight loss and
weight management.
First, one should always eat
sensibly. One way to do this is to cut down on foods that are high in sugar and
fats such as cakes, biscuits and fast food. You should consume more fibre-rich
foods as they keep you feeling full for a longer period of time. Instead of
eating white bread, go for whole meal bread. Also, you should consume more
vegetables and fruits, especially green leafy vegetables. Be selective of the
fruits you eat and avoid those with a high sugar content. One important tip to
help in weight management is to chew your food slowly. This way you will eat
less. When you eat in a rush, you tend to eat more and the results will show on
the scale.
You should never go on crash
diets as they are unhealthy. One major reason for this is that you will gain
back the weight that you had lost. At the end of it, you might even be heavier
than when you first started dieting. Crash diets take a toll on your body. This
is detrimental especially to students. When you deprive your body of food, you
will feel physically tired and mentally sluggish an this will affect your daily
activities and disrupt your studies. Remember, your body needs nutrients in the
right amounts to function efficiently.
Another
useful tip to reduce your weight is to learn t recognize hunger pangs. Whenever
you feel hungry, ask yourself whether you are really hungry. In fact, you might
only be thirsty. This way you can cut down on unnecessary calories by drinking
plain water instead of reaching for food.
Lastly
exercise regularly. No weight loss programme is effective without some form of
exercise. Exercise helps to burn calories and you continue burning calories for
some time after finishing your exercise routine. Experts recommend that you
exercise at least three times a week for a minimum of thirty minutes. There are
many forms of exercise you can take up, the easiest of which is walking.
Remember,
your goal should be life-long weight management, not just short term weight
loss at the expense of your health. Maintaning a healthy lifestyle takes effort
especially in a country which is a culinary delight where people eat all the
time. You have to be disciplined if you want to achieve and maintain your ideal
body weight.
Written by,
Sabrina
DIRECTED WRITING : REPORT
Your school library is in a bad
state and many of the students have been complaining about it. As the
Secretary of your school’s Reading Club, you have been asked to write a report
to the Principal to inform him about the problem and to suggest solutions.
Include the following points in
your report:
old books books in poor conditions
insufficient chairs and tables
media equipment is not functioning
inefficient and lazy librarian
You should elaborate on the
points given and add any further points of your own. When writing your report
you should remember:
that you are writing to your Principal.
to address him properly
to sign off correctly
Comment:
You have to write a report,
addressed to the Principal. Make sure you include all the points provided,
elaborating on them through details, examples, explanations or related points.
You can touch briefly on the improvements that you would like to see, but as it
was not specified in the question, you should not stress on them. Note that the
word limit was not mentioned so you are free to add in more material so as to
gain the maximum marks that have been allocated for your points. The language used
must be formal. Be sure not to use slang, contractions or conversational forms.
Sample
Answer:
To: The
Principal, SMK Panglima Bukit Gantang, Kerian, Perak
Poor
Conditions and Services of the School Library
I am writing
this report to draw your attention to the poor conditions and services of our
school library.
Firstly, the
collection of library books needs to be expanded and improved upon. Many of the
books are so old that they are out of-date and in poor condition, with torn or
missing pages.
Secondly,
the seating arrangements are inadequate. Only 12 chairs have been provided in
our library for a school of more than 200 students. Furthermore, many of the
chairs and tables are rickety and the tabletops are all so deeply scratched
that it is difficult to write on them. It would also be much more
conducive to readers if some easy chairs were provided, so pupils will able to
relax while reading.
Thirdly, the
media equipment in the library is not functioning. As far as I know, it has
been out-of-order since January last year and has not been repaired since then.
Finally the
school librarians arc rude and unhelpful. To quote just one example, when asked
for help in finding a book, one librarian responded, “Find it yourself.
Do you think I am your mother?” Surely, librarians should be more willing to
assist the students.
One of the
objectives of our club is to encourage reading among the students of the
school. As we realise that many of the students will have little access to good
reading material apart from the school library we hope that the conditions in
our library can be improved.
…………………..
(Daisy)
Secretary
School
Reading Club
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