HOW TO WRITE A GOOD ESSAY .

By: Abidah bt Sarajul Haq English Language Excellent Teacher Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Ipoh In Paper 2 of the PMR English Language examination , students are required to write one composition in not less than 120 words. The types of guided compositions are as follows : 1. Pictorial or route maps 2. Descriptive compositions 3. Narratives 4. Note expansion 5. Processes and procedures 6. Letters ( Formal or Informal) 7. Articles 8. Speeches and Talks 9. Giving opinions 10. Dialogues and conversations

ANALYSIS OF PMR ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 2 : GUIDED ESSAY : 2005 -2008 YEAR 2005 2006 2007 2008 TYPE OF COMPOSITION Descriptive essay : writing an event based on given pictures Informal letter : invitation to a campsite Writing a story based on a set of given pictures Writing a speech based on a set of given pictures and notes on Safety Measures in School

What is essay writing ?

may be a simple task for others but unfortunately, not all students are inclined to write an essay. In most cases, the fact that students do not know the parts of an essay can prove to be a disaster. So if you too have the same problem on how to write an essay, read and understand the given guidelines in composing a well developed piece of writng.

Essay writing

Introduction
The first part of an essay is the introduction. In this paragraph, you need not put all the important details in it. A simple glance of what to expect in the essay should be enough. Some students use questions, quote lines and proverbs in order to capture the attention of the examiners when they read the introduction.

Body ( of Contents)
The body of an essay may consist of several paragraphs. Primarily, the contents of the body of an essay include the main ideas and their elaborations of the given topic . You must be very careful not to repeat the same words, ideas or sentences. This will bore the examiners. You may divide the body of an essay into three to five paragraphs .

Conclusion
The last part of the essay is the conclusion. It is actually the summary of the essay. You may include what you have discussed in your body of the essay here. As long as you only choose the selected key phrases and not to repeat what you have already said.

Guidelines to essay writing

You are advised to spend 40 minutes in Section A , where you will have to write one guided composition of not less than 120 words. Read the instructions and question carefully so that you understand the requirements of the task. Underline or circle the keyword or main point to ensure that you are keeping track with the requirement of the question. Focus on the format that is required, for example whether it is a letter, a speech or writing a story based on given pictures. Spend time to plan for your composition. Jot down important notes and ideas using a mind map. Present you ideas in sentences and later write them out into paragraphs. Use clear and grammatically correct sentences. Use interesting expressions to arouse the readers interest. Finally, after you have completed your composition, read again and edit your work. Check for spelling errors, inappropriate tenses and incorrect sentence structures.

ESSAY CHECKLIST

NO

ITEMS

PLACE A ( / )

AFTER CHECKING

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Notes ( expanded) Relevant details (added ) Examples (given) Main ideas ( in sequence) Tenses( used correctly) Sentences ( grammatically correct) Paragraphs( organised) Spelling( without errors) Punctuation (correctly placed) Handwriting ( eligible)

The above checklist is used for editing purposes. You can check and see whether you have fulfilled the requirements of a good essay by putting a tick ( / ) against each item. Try out writing the essay below for further practice.

PMR PRACTICE
Writing a story based on given notes.

boy lived small hut - family - poor - one night- reading - heard a hissing sound - a snake - screaming loudly - father - hit - with rod killed snake - relieved

SAMPLE ANSWER

In a village named Kampung Dusun Sebatang , lived a boy and his family in a small hut. The boys name was Aiman . His family was very poor. But he was a clever boy in school. Every night he would burn the midnight oil. One rainy night, Aiman was reading a book while he was lying down in his old bed. Suddenly, he was astonished to hear a hissing sound . He felt very scared because he thought that the hissing sound came from under his bed. He got up and tried to investigate . He was amazed to see a huge, black snake. John began to shiver. He was terrified when he saw the black snake. Immediately , he ran out of his bedroom as fast as lightning He started to scream loudly. His family woke up from sleep. Then , Johns father came with a long iron rod that he took from the store. He used the iron rod to hit the snake a few times until the snake was dead. Later , he threw it into a dustbin. His father said that it was a poisonous cobra that can kill anyone in a few minutes. John was relieved that he was not bitten by the snake. The next morning, John and his family had their breakfast together. They discussed how to prevent a snake from entering the house again. His sister suggested to clear all the bushes around their house. So, they do not have to worry about snakes anymore.