Question 2

There is a strong link between reading and academic success. Discuss. You should write at
least 350 words. [60 marks]
A) Agree
Thesis Statement:
Academic success is based on knowledge and reading provides direct access to knowledge, a variety of
knowledge and transfer of knowledge

Argument 1
Topic Sentence 1:
First and foremost, reading provides direct access to knowledge as it is the most convenient and the
fastest way to learn something because doing hands-on experiments for every single theory is too time-
consuming.
Argument 2
Topic Sentence 2:
Secondly, reading has a strong link to academic success because through reading we will be exposed to
a huge variety of knowledge, theories and information from various different sources all around the world.
Argument 3
Topic Sentence 3:
Last but not least, reading leads directly to academic success because information from all sources is
transferred directly to the mind which can then be used to answer examination questions well with
excellent results and performance.
Counter Argument:
Topic Sentence 4:
However, reading alone cannot guarantee success as academic success also has strong links with a
person’s IQ level, hands-on practical training and experimentation as well as intrinsic and extrinsic
motivational factors to name just a few.
Conclusion/Recommendation:
Education ministry should focus more on teaching reading skills in SPM level similar to the MUET format
where reading paper is given 40% weighting compared to writing (30%), listening and speaking (15%
each)

Disagree
Thesis Statement:
Academic success is determined not mainly by reading, in fact, it is a weak link because reading refers to
only the theories, reading does not determine ability to recall theories and the ability to apply the theories
you have read to real life cannot be guaranteed.
Argument 1
Topic Sentence 1:
First and foremost, reading is a weak link because it is a two dimensional activity where a person reads
the words but may not be able to fully understand what is being read because this is determined by a
person’s IQ level.
Argument 2
Topic Sentence 2:
Secondly, reading does not mean a person will be able to remember all the information and theories read
as again, this depends on a person’s own mental ability.
Argument 3
Topic Sentence 3:
Lastly, the act of reading alone is not a guarantee of a person being able to apply the information
successfully in real life similar to the fact that reading a flying manual does not make one qualified to fly a
plane.
Counter Argument:
Topic Sentence 4:
Conversely, there is still a strong link between reading and academic success as reading is necessary to
access to information from all sources in the most cost effective, time-saving and convenient way.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Reading is an important core of achieving academic success but the ability to read well is determined by
each individual’s inner character and their IQ as well as how they handle stressful conditions like
examinations in order to achieve excellence in academia.

Question:
The rising fuel price has pushed up the price of other consumer products. How will this affect the society?
Give your opinion. You should write at least 350 words.

When tackling this question, one should think in terms of : 1. short term effect, 2. mid term and finally 3.
long term. This question gauges a student's level of critical thinking and prediction.

I would like to stress that it is unnecessary to pepper the entire essay with bombastic words. Better to
keep it short and simple.

Note: affect (verb), effect (noun)

Here's a sample answer.

Money is always an issue in today's era of materialism. Most people need it for basic survival while the
lucky few indulge in luxuries without worrying about money. In my opinion, I strongly agree that the rising
fuel price has pushed up the price of other consumer products and this will definitely affect the society. In
this essay, I would like to touch on the effects this price increase has on society today, namely increasing
vice activities, widening the gap between the rich and the poor and affecting the population trend in the
long term.

First and foremost, society will immediately be affected by the rise in fuel prices because consumer
products will be more costly and this leads to an increase of vice activities. This is because basic
necessities such as rice, flour, sugar and so on will be in great demand and some warehouses will store
or hoard the items to further increase the price of the product. Moreover, in the newspapers today, reports
of smuggling of these items prove that this vice activity is on the rise. For example, the recent sugar price
hike caused a furor among the Malaysian society as it costs more fuel to travel to and from the
supermarket and when arriving, most places had run out of stock even though the government had
allocated 2kg of sugar to one person. Therefore, the fuel price increase had definitely caused more
hardships to society today.

Secondly, it is undeniable that the rise in fuel prices leads to the widening of the gap between the rich and
the poor. This is due to the fact that people are greatly affected by the price of basic necessities such as
food and fuel in particular. Furthermore, the rich people will still be able to afford such things but the poor
will face greater challenges as the popular saying goes: "The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer." For
instance, when money is used to purchase consumer products that are necessary for survival, then less
money will be spent on health and dental check-up, educational purposes and others. Thus, it is clear that
the fuel price hike will further stress on the differences between the rich and the poor which is such a
tragedy.

Last but not least, in the long term the population trend or demographics of the society will be greatly
affected. This means that new families will consciously decide not to have too many children in order to
increase their quality of life. In addition, society is now more aware of birth control and family planning so
this will greatly reduce the population as most families will have 1 to 5 children instead of more. Take for
example, new families with less children will surely spend less on basic necessities like food, clothes,
transport and many more. Hence, the demographics of the whole country will be affected and this in turn
will reduce our workforce which will affect our country's productivity and prosperity.

In short, there are many short term to long term effects of a fuel price increase which includes more
crimes like hoarding and smuggling will occur and this leads to the widening of the gap between the rich
and the poor as well as a change in the society's demographics. I still strongly believe that the rising fuel
price has pushed up the price of other consumer products and this will surely cause a negative impact to
society. The government must find a way to stabilise the fuel price at a reasonable rate so that it does not
affect the productivity of this country.

The rising fuel price has pushed up the price of other consumer products. How will this
affect the society? Give your opinion. You should write at least 350 words.
[60 marks]

Money is always an issue in today's era of materialism. Most people need it for basic survival while the
lucky few indulge in luxuries without worrying about money. In my opinion, I strongly agree that the
rising fuel price has pushed up the price of other consumer products and this will definitely affect the
society. In this essay, I would like to touch on the effects this price increase has on society today, namely
increasing vice activities, widening the gap between the rich and the poor and affecting the population
trend in the long term.

First and foremost, society will immediately be affected by the rise in fuel prices because consumer
products will be more costly and this leads to an increase of vice activities. This is because basic
necessities such as rice, flour, sugar and so on will be in great demand and some warehouses will store or
hoard the items to further increase the price of the product. Moreover, in the newspapers today, reports of
smuggling of these items prove that this vice activity is on the rise. For example, the recent sugar price
hike caused a furor among the Malaysian society as it costs more fuel to travel to and from the
supermarket and when arriving, most places had run out of stock even though the government had
allocated 2kg of sugar to one person. Therefore, the fuel price increase had definitely caused more
hardships to society today.

Secondly, it is undeniable that the rise in fuel prices leads to the widening of the gap between the rich and
the poor. This is due to the fact that people are greatly affected by the price of basic necessities such as
food and fuel in particular. Furthermore, the rich people will still be able to afford such things but the
poor will face greater challenges as the popular saying goes: "The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer."
For instance, when money is used to purchase consumer products that are necessary for survival, then
less money will be spent on health and dental check-up, educational purposes and others. Thus, it is clear
that the fuel price hike will further stress on the differences between the rich and the poor which is such a
tragedy.
Last but not least, in the long term the population trend or demographics of the society will be greatly
affected. This means that new families will consciously decide not to have too many children in order to
increase their quality of life. In addition, society is now more aware of birth control and family planning
so this will greatly reduce the population as most families will have 1 to 5 children instead of more. Take
for example, new families with less children will surely spend less on basic necessities like food, clothes,
transport and many more. Hence, the demographics of the whole country will be affected and this in turn
will reduce our workforce which will affect our country's productivity and prosperity.

In short, there are many short term to long term effects of a fuel price increase which includes more
crimes like hoarding and smuggling will occur and this leads to the widening of the gap between the rich
and the poor as well as a change in the society's demographics. I still strongly believe that the rising fuel
price has pushed up the price of other consumer products and this will surely cause a negative impact to
society. The government must find a way to stabilize the fuel price at a reasonable rate so that it does not
affect the productivity of this country towards achieving the aspirations of the nation for Vision 2020.