MALAYSIAN UNIVERSITY ENGLISH TEST

PAPER 4/QUESTION 2
Working mothers should be given no pay leave to take care of their families. Do you
agree? Give your opinion. You should write at least 350 words.

NO PAY LEAVE FOR WORKING MOTHERS

Working mothers, as a label, refers to women who are mothers and who work
outside the home for income in addition to the work they perform at home on raising
their children. Unlike stay at home mothers, working mothers spread themselves
really thin trying to juggle work life and home life. So, I strongly agree that working
mothers should be given no pay leave. In this essay, I will emphasize benefits on
giving no pay leave for working mothers in terms of stability and consistency at
home, cost savings and experiencing special moments.

First and foremost, children function best in their world by knowing that there
is stability and consistency at home. As children grow from infancy to school age,
they are learning all about life and what to expect from their parents. So, having a
mother home can be a huge benefit to their sense of self-esteem and having a sense
that they are cared for and loved. For example, having a mother home to take care
of them if they are sick or even later when they get back home from school.
Therefore, it is good that working mothers be given no pay leave so they can take
care of their families and very specifically their children.

Secondly, although living on one salary can be challenging if parents are used
to having two salaries, there are numerous ways that a stay at home mother can be
cost efficient for the family budget. For instance, one of the biggest savings is for the
child care. Cost for full-time child care can range from RM400 to almost double that
amount each month. In addition, stay at home mothers can save on other expenses
such as gas, laundry and transportation for work. Hence, if working mothers are
given the green light to take no pay leave and become stay at home mothers, I am
positive that numerous costs can be cut.

Last but not least, one of the biggest treasures of staying at home with
children is sharing in all the first moments. As a mother, watching daily changes of
their children as he or she grows is amazing. Take for example the first smile, first
word and first step are all huge landmarks in the life of the baby. If mothers are too
absorbed with workforce and have little time to tend to their children, they are likely
to miss out in those special first moments of their babies development. Thus, by
allowing mothers to take no pay leave, they can spend ample time at home with their
children experiencing special moments.

In a nutshell, I am in favour of proposing that working mothers be given no

pay leave and become stay at home mothers so they can fulfil their duties and
obligations as a mother. Working mothers should be given the opportunity to stay at
home so they can take care of their children, to guide them in this challenging world
and to help them face the future so that their children can contribute productively to
the achievement of Vision 2020 once they grow up.

(516 words)
WRITTING TEMPLATE

Title: _________________________________

INTRODUCTION
Nowadays,/In this era of .../ (definition)
In my opinion, I strongly agree/disagree that...
In this essay, I will discuss three solid strategies for _____ which include
____________________, _____________________ and _________________.

1ST POINT
Firstly,/First and foremost,...
This is because...
Moreover,...
For example,... and so on.
Therefore,...

2ND POINT
Secondly,...
This means that...
Furthermore,...
For instance,... and many more.
Thus,...

3RD POINT
Finally,/Last but not least,...
This is due to the fact that...
In addition,...
Take for example,... and others.
Hence,...

CONCLUSION
In a nutshell, I still agree/disagree that...
The government/the related party can... so that we can produce a united society that can
contribute productively to the achievement of Vision 2020/so that it does not affect the
productivity of this country towards achieving the aspirations of the nation for Vision
2020/therefore balancing the development of our country towards achieving Vision 2020.

*IMPROVISE, ADAPT AND INDITE.