HOW TO WRITE GOOD MUET ESSAY INTRODUCTIONS

A lot of students do not score well in MUET writing because they may be unaware of the Academic
Writing Format. Those who know about it find it hard to verbalise it or get it down on paper, as such, their
intros might not follow the appropriate formal writing style that is preferred for MUET level.

Anyway, here is a short lesson on intro writing from me.

The key, as always, is to keep practising.

What makes a good introduction?

Divided into 3 parts.
1. Current Situation/Commentary
2. Stand
3. Thesis Statement/Outline

What should each part consist of?

PART 1
1. Current situation/Commentary should include a HOOK,
which is a statement or question that can HOOK OR GRAB your attention.

Examples of HOOKS
a. Facts/Data/Statistics (News articles, data from graphs/surveys etc)
b. Questions (Rhetorical questions related to the issue)
c. An Anecdote (Story that is related to the issue)
d. Examples (Various related examples)
e. Contrast (Describing the opposite of a given situation, eg. topic: Money, opposite: No Money)
f. Projection (Imagining the future)

Basically, you may use any of the hooks above but make sure the tone of your essay is FORMAL.

Example of Hook (f-Projection)

DO NOT WRITE:
Imagine if there are no people to clean up rubbish, everywhere got rubbish so dirty and many people
would get sick because so many diseases until everyone die.
DO WRITE:
Imagine a world without a cleanup crew, rubbish would be piling up high everywhere and diseases would
spread like wildfire to threaten the very existence of mankind.

PART 2
2. Stand
Refer to the question and focus on the key words to develop your stand.
Use these phrases to guide you:
a. In my opinion, I strongly/totally/completely/absolutely believe/feel/agree/disagree that...
b. From my perspective, I ...
c. From my point of view, I ...
d. It is my opinion that...

Your stand can also help you organise your essays in terms of paragraphing.

IF YOU CLEARLY AGREE/DISAGREE

: use a 5 paragraph format
INTRO
AGREE 1
AGREE 2
AGREE 3
CONCLUSION
or
INTRO
DISAGREE 1
DISAGREE 2
DISAGREE 3
CONCLUSION.

However, I am inclined to give the 'thinkers' a higher band if they can

compare and contrast ideas using the 6 paragraph format as shown below.
INTRO
AGREE 1
AGREE 2
DISAGREE 1
DISAGREE 2
CONCLUSION
or
INTRO
AGREE 1 vs DISAGREE 1
AGREE 2 vs DISAGREE 2
AGREE 3 vs DISAGREE 3
AGREE 4 vs DISAGREE 4
CONCLUSION

*NOTE that 5 paragraphs are the bare minimum, 6 is suggested,

but those with excellent proficiency should NOT let the number of paragraphs hold you back.
Conversely, the danger of writing too much is it is 'self-penalising'
as you will make too many errors esp if you run out of time and cannot edit your writing.

PART 3
3. Thesis Statement/Outline

This is by far the MOST IMPORTANT part of the introduction as it foreshadows

what the writer will focus on and gives the examiner
an idea of how well the writer can organise his/her essay.

For low bands, a simple Outline is enough. Use this template to help you.

In this essay, I would like to discuss advantages/disadvantages/reasons/causes/strategies which are

__________, __________ and ___________.

or
In this essay, I would like to focus on the *________________, ______________ and
______________.
*can be replaced with:
a. causes, effects and solutions
b. pros, cons, solutions
c. advantages, disadvantages, suggestions
d. benefits, drawbacks, ways to overcome
e. etc.

For higher bands, omit the 'I' and replace with more formal structures.

In light of this, there are many reasons/causes/effects/advantages/disadvantages to this issue namely

______________, _______________ and ______________.

or

There are many facets to this issue but let us focus on the ____________, ___________ and
_________ of ______________________(issue).

or etc.

SAMPLES OF INTRODUCTIONS FOR EACH HOOK TECHNIQUE.

Nov 2013 Writing Question

"The most important factor which contributes towards a person's success is himself."
Do you agree with the statement ? Justify your stand, giving relevant examples where
appropriate. You should write at least 350 words.

a. Facts/Data/Statistics (News articles, data from graphs/surveys etc)

According to an article in Forbes magazine on World's 100 Top Successful people, 90% of people become
successful based on their unique individual characters rather than talent alone. This means that people
who have the same great talent - take singing for example - are both capable of becoming successful but
the one who has the characteristics fans like such as friendly, well-groomed with high self-esteem and
creativity are more likely to achieve superstardom compared to an introverted singer with low self-
confidence and charisma. It is my humble opinion that I absolutely agree with the statement that the most
important factor which contributes towards a person's success is himself. We can analyse this issue in
terms of the human factor which are his innate qualities, his drive for success and his ability to sustain
success.

b. Questions (Rhetorical questions related to the issue)

Is talent enough to achieve success? How is it possible for a set of twins who are both equally good in
singing, yet only one becomes a successful singer while the other does not? Can a person's character
determine his or her ability to achieve success in life? From my point of view, the answer lies in the fact
that it is indeed the person himself which contributes towards his own success. In this essay, I would like
to discuss how a person's innate talent, his drive to succeed and his motivation to stay at the top are the
reasons that differentiate every one of us therefore controlling our success metres.

c. An anecdote (Story that is related to the issue)

There was once a farmer who had triplets. He could not decide which son should inherit his property so he
gave each of his three sons the same sum of money and told them to achieve success. The first son used
the money as a dowry and managed to acquire the chief's daughter as a wife. The second son used the
money to bet on horses but lost it all. The third son bought cows with the intent of breeding them, milking
them and making butter and cheese of which he would sell at the market. Finally, the farmer chose the
third son because he was the only son capable of 'growing' his investment. The point of all this is to show
that when the playing field is leveled, and there is equal opportunity, success or failure is determined by
the decisions each individual makes. Therefore, I strongly agree with the statement that the most
important factor which contributes towards a person's success is himself. In light of this, there are many
aspects of the person himself which contributes to his success, namely his aptitude, attitude and drive to
succeed.
d. Examples (Various related examples)
Donald Trump is renowned the world over for his acute business acumen as testified by his Trump
empire. His entrepreneurship skills have been commonly mimicked but rarely replicated as many aspire
to become like him but seldom achieve the level of his success. The secret of his success is his unique
character which is driven by his desire to rise above all, including himself. There are other examples of
extremely successful people who have achieved success not solely based on talent but their individual
characteristics such as Mark Zuckerberg and our own Datuk Tony Fernandez to name a few. From my
perspective, the most important factor which contributes towards a person's success is indeed himself.
This can be proven in terms of his own talent, his character and motivation to remain successful.

e. Contrast (Describing the opposite of a given situation, eg. topic: Money, opposite: No Money)

A person born into an affluent family, when taking over the father's business manages to run the business
down the ground. The question then arises as to why the son failed to follow in the footsteps of his father
when everything was handed to him on a silver platter. Simply put, he might have inherited the same
genes but this does not predetermine his individualistic characteristic which in turn contributes to his
ability to succeed or in this case, fail. Similarly, a person born into a poor family with not much given to
him, can scrape the barrels and claw out of his poverty and make a success of his life unlike his parents or
siblings. The sheer determination to succeed gives him the necessary elixir to lift him out of his fate and
create a new and brighter future for himself. Hence it is my steadfast opinion that the environment does
not play the most crucial factor in determining success, but it is indeed the person himself what
contributes to his rise or fall. To discuss this issue, let us look at the three aspects of success, namely a
person's aptitude, attitude and desire to sustain success.

f. Projection (Imagining the future)

If every one of us could be successful, would this world not be full of successful people? The very fact that
not everyone in this world today is a success story strongly implies that there are many factors that
contribute to a person's success but it is each individual himself that gives him the cutting edge. In my
opinion, I completely agree that the most important factor which contributes towards a person's success is
himself. There are many facets to this issue but let us focus on a person's own ability, character and
determination that will lead to his or her success.
SAMPLE 1) YEAR END 2008: MUET WRITING 800/4 QUESTION 2
“People are becoming more materialistic. They are concerned with making more money
and what money can buy.” What is your opinion on being materialistic? You should write
at least 350 words. [60 marks]

They say that money makes the world go round. And indeed it does as without money, life would be very
difficult as in today’s society, nothing is free. The side effect however is that people are becoming more
materialistic; more concerned with making money and what money can buy. But how much money is
enough? Is it ever enough? To some, it will never be enough. In my opinion, I truly believe that this
statement is true and that people are becoming more materialistic in nature. In this essay, I will discuss
how materialism has affected modern society’s way of life on an individual level, the country’s economy as
well as our spiritual and moral beliefs.

First and foremost, each individual is affected by materialism to some extent in this day and age because
hedonism is becoming an uprising trend. This is because today's generation are geared towards making
more and more money so that they can enjoy the carefree lifestyle that is so popular these days. Moreover,
people now are striving to earn more income in order to afford things that are more expensive and
branded. For example, people spend their hard earned money on material objects like genuine LV and
Coach handbags, expensive gadgets like Iphones and Tablet pcs and so on which in my opinion is a waste
of money when regular goods may prove to be good enough. Therefore, while individuals become more
focussed on their pursuit of material wealth and improving their standard of living, they may forget that
what matters most in life is quality time spent with family and friends and not the quantity of their
material goods.

Secondly, when society starts spending in a materialistic manner it will surely have a domino effect on the
country’s economy. This means that the spending power of society will help boost the economy and create
more business opportunities for the booming trade. However, when a society overspends, using plastic
money or credit cards, or when they take loans they cannot afford to repay, then the country’s debt margin
will be higher. For instance, USA today is facing an economic crisis because banks have approved home
loans to people who aspire to own bigger houses than they can actually afford and this is causing the
collapse of the country’s economy there. Thus, while a society’s spending habits helps our economy to
grow, overspending due to materialism will have an adverse effect to the country’s financial stability.
Last but not least, materialism affects our spiritual and moral beliefs. This is due to the fact people who
are materialistic may become ‘amoral’ whereby they disregard their spiritual and moral upbringing and
instead turn to crime to satisfy their materialistic needs. In fact, the crime rate is increasing because
criminals these days have developed many ways to gain more money from society. Take for example, there
are more reports of snatch thefts, burglaries, kidnapping for ransom, credit card fraud, internet banking
hacking and others that are driven by materialistic criminals. Hence, when people lose sight of their
spiritual and moral beliefs and believe instead in the greed of materialism, therefore the crime rate is
bound to increase.

In a nutshell, materialism is a common agenda in the 21st century as more people are working hard to
afford things beyond their reach. While this may spur individuals to work harder to improve their
standard of living, overspending due to materialism may cause the downfall of a country’s economy and
their morality. In my opinion, I still firmly believe that materialism has a strong hold on today’s society;
both positive and negative effects. Our government can encourage society to be less frivolous and wasteful
in spending by running campaigns such as ‘Consumer Awareness’ and ‘Buy Malaysian Made Products’ in
order to educate our younger generation for the prosperity of our nation.