The focus of the SPM 1119 paper, which is the English Language paper, is mainly on the reading

and writing skills. Paper 1 tests candidates on their writing skills while Paper 2 deals, for the
most part, with the reading skills.

We’ll begin this series with the more difficult writing skill as it carries a significant portion of
the marks for the whole paper. This paper consists of two compulsory questions: Directed
Writing and Continuous Writing.

The Directed Writing question carries a total of 35 marks – 15 marks for content and 20 marks
for language. The marks for format, which can vary between 1-3 marks depending on the text
type, are included in the 15 marks allocated for content. In this section, candidates are given only
one question. This means that candidates do not have the luxury of choice which they are given
in the Continuous Writing section.

Most candidates find this question quite manageable. In fact, even weak candidates can be taught
to cope with this question to a certain extent. Several factors make this question quite doable.
Firstly, candidates are given help with content. This means candidates do not have to worry
about what to write as content points are provided. It is not difficult to score full marks for
content. In fact, candidates can score full marks for content if they are able to use the
information given in grammatically sound sentences, irrespective of the sentence type or length.
It is also easy to get marks for format if they have been exposed to the formats of different text
types. Secondly, this question does not demand much linguistically unlike the continuous
writing question. Most candidates are able to cope with this question, even if they are
linguistically limited. Thirdly, the question is usually set around the experiences of students.
Hence, there is no reason for candidates not to attempt this question.

Over the years, teachers and students have become quite adept at predicting the type of question
that might appear. Still, I would suggest that you familiarise yourself with the different text
types. Below is an analysis of the questions which have appeared over the past few years:

Year Text type Purpose

2000 letter (informal) To inform mother of choice of present for your brother
and persuade mother to lend you some money
2001 Article To inform students on ways of coping with stress
2002 Speech To inform students about road safety - causes of road
accidents and suggestions to reduce them
2003 letter (formal) To inform the class teacher about the choice of class trip
2004 Report To inform the school principal about the conditions of the
school canteen
2005 letter (informal) To inform a friend about a holiday camp
2006 letter (informal) To convince a friend to run for the post of head prefect
2007 Speech To tell students about a science reference book
2008 Article To inform students about a friend who has been chosen as
the Best Group Leader
General Guidelines for Directed Writing
• Read the question carefully. Identify your task, your role and your audience.
• Use the 45 minutes allocated for this question wisely.
• Plan your essay and organize your thoughts (this includes what to write and how to elaborate
on points)
• Include an introduction and a conclusion and make sure your paragraphs are well organized.
• Use all content points given. It is advisable to cross out the points you have used, so that no
point is left out.
• Include points of your own only if you are asked to. Otherwise, do not waste precious time
doing so because you will not get any extra marks.
• Elaborate on the points given. Write 2-3 sentences to elaborate on each point. Remember a
crucial aspect of this paper is language and your ability to write can only be tested if you
provide sufficient language for the examiner to gauge your linguistic ability.
• Use a variety of sentence structures so that your essay is not dull and monotonous.
• Always read through what you have written. Correct grammatical, spelling and punctuation
errors.

Common pitfalls
• Poor time management. Do not spend more than the allocated 45 minutes on this question.
Otherwise you will not have enough time for the second question.
• Lengthy essays. Do not write too much. As mentioned earlier, this question does not make
many demands on a candidate. Directed writing is a succinct piece of writing. All you have
to do is use the given points and provide a sentence or two (maybe three) to elaborate on
them. A response of 1 ½ - 2 pages is more than sufficient. After all, the more you write the
more mistakes you might make. Some candidates make the mistake of writing one paragraph
for each point. If you do this, your essay is going to be very lengthy. Save the time and
energy for Continuous writing.
• Usage of Informal language. This paper tests your written English. Do not use spoken
language. Avoid using slang words (such as guys, …..), contractions, and informal language
(such as informal idiomatic expressions or informal phrasal verbs).
• Poor punctuation. Some candidates do not punctuate their sentences correctly. Make sure
you end your sentence with a full stop and not a comma. Also, make sure that the pronoun I
is written in upper case and not lower case (i) as is the practice among some candidates.

Let’s look at a sample question.

 Many students in your school complain that they are stressed. As the President of the Health
Club in your school, you have been asked to give a speech during assembly. You have made a
list of the reasons given by these students and you would like to give them some suggestions on
how to cope with their problem.

Use the following notes to write your speech.

• Causes
- long hours spent at school
- too much homework
- too many projects
- frequent exams
- tuition classes
- high expectations from parents
- lack of sleep

• Suggestions
- have a positive outlook
- plan a timetable
- study consistently
- have manageable goals
- exercise regularly

When writing out your speech, you should remember to:

• address your audience
• state the purpose of the speech
• use all the points given
• end your speech appropriately

Before you start writing, ask yourself these questions:

• what am I required to do?

• what is my role?
• who is my audience?
• how many points have been provided? Do I need to give any point of my own?

This task requires you to write a speech in your capacity as the President of the Health Club. You
have been asked to address the students during assembly. This means that your audience includes
teachers and students. As such, make sure your tone is formal and polite. A total of twelve points
have been provided which means that twelve marks are for content and three marks for format.
The marks for format are allocated as follows: 1mark for addressing the audience, 1 mark for
stating the purpose of your talk and 1 mark for ending the speech appropriately.

Sample Answer 1 – Sample of a good answer – for a linguistically competent student

Pay attention A very good morning to Pn Leela, the principal of Greet the
to the format SMK Seberang Baki, senior assistants, teachers and audience
fellow students. I stand here today, in my capacity as the
president of the Health Club, to give a speech on the State the purpose
causes of stress among students and to offer you some of your speech
suggestions on how to overcome this problem.
Point 1
Friends, many of you have cited the long hours spent
at school as one of the causes of stress. As students of a
single session school, we spend longer hours at school
compared to students in a double session school. On
most days, we only finish at 2.30 p.m. unlike other Point 2
schools which dismiss their students at 1.10p.m.
Besides, some of you have complained that too much
homework gives you stress. In addition to daily
homework, you now have to cope with weekend
homework, which was introduced at the beginning of
this year.

Some of you have also mentioned that you are Point 3

stressed because you are burdened with too many
Point 4 projects, all of which are compulsory. Worse still, most
of these projects are due around the same time. The
frequent exams are also one factor that cause stress,
especially among students in exam classes. Besides the
monthly tests and term examinations, many of you also
have to sit for several trial examinations. The endless
homework and numerous projects leave you with very Point 5
little time to study for these exams.
Point 6
Friends, in this competitive age, many parents have
high expectations of their children and so most students
attend tuition classes in their quest to do well, if not
better than their rivals and this, results in stress. Many
Point 7 students say that they have to stay up late to finish their
homework and to revise their lessons. As a result, the
lack of sleep not only reduces their efficiency levels but
also adds to their stress levels.

I would now like to share with you some suggestions

 on how to overcome the stress caused by the above Point 8
problems. Firstly, you need to have a positive outlook.
You should consider the plus points of the long hours
spent at school and the benefits of homework.
Remember, you are at an advantage if you are in a Point 9
single session school as you spend more time learning
and homework helps to reinforce all that you have
learnt. Secondly, you should plan a timetable to help
you manage your time better so that you have ample
time for all activities. You should allocate time for Point 10
homework, tuition, projects and revision. Besides, you
could try to complete your homework in school
whenever you have a free period or when a teacher is
slightly delayed. Thirdly, you should study consistently
Point 11 so that you are well prepared for any exam. You should
never study at the eleventh hour as you would not be
able to cope with all that you have to study. Fourthly,
you should aim for manageable goals. It is better to
Point 12 accomplish something small than to be disappointed for
failing to achieve or accomplish something which is too
ambitious. As the saying goes, “take baby steps.”
Finally, regular exercise can help you overcome stress.
According to scientists, any physical activity that gets
your heart pumping will result in the release of
endorphins which help relieve stress. End
appropriately
Remember, you must learn to overcome stress before
it overpowers you. Thank you.
Sample answer 2 below is for linguistically limited students. As stated earlier, weak students can
be helped to cope with the Directed Writing task. Teachers can help them get marks for content
by giving them ample practice in writing simple structures.
A very good morning to the principal of SMK Greet your
State the purpose Seberang Baki, teachers and fellow students. Today I audience
of your speech am going to give a speech on the causes of stress among
students. I am also going to offer you some suggestions
on how to overcome this problem.
Point 1
One of the causes of stress is the long hours spent at
school. Many students spend between 6 – 8 hours at Point 2
school. Another cause of stress is too much homework.
Many students complain that they cannot finish their Point 3
homework. Students also complain that too many
projects give them stress. They have projects for almost
Point 4 every subject. Some projects take up a lot of their time.
Frequent exams also cause stress. Nowadays, students
have to sit for monthly tests, diagnostic exams and trial
exams. Many students do not have enough time to study
for these exams.
Point 5
Parents also give their children stress. This is because Point 6
many parents have high expectations of their children.
They force their children to go for tuition classes. Some
students feel very tired and they cannot concentrate on Point 7
these lessons. They feel stressed when they have to
attend tuition. Finally, lack of sleep causes stress.
Students become angry and easily irritated when they do
not get enough sleep. Point 8

To overcome stress you must have a positive Point 9

Point 10 outlook. You should plan a timetable to help you
manage your time. You must allocate time for
homework, tuition, projects and revision. You should
also study consistently. You should never study at the Point 11
eleventh hour. You should aim for manageable goals.
Finally, you should exercise regularly. Point 12

Remember, you must not let stress ruin your life. Thank End
you. appropriately
Here is some homework for you. The points given are quite similar to the points given above,
except that your task now is to write an article.

Many students in your school complain that they are stressed. As the President of the Health
Club in your school, you have been asked to write an article for your school newsletter.
You have made a list of the reasons given by these students and you would like to give
them some suggestions on how to cope with their problem.

Use the following notes to write your article

• Causes
- long hours spent at school
- compulsory co-curricular activities
- too much homework
- too many projects
- frequent exams
- tuition classes
- high expectations from parents
- lack of sleep

• Suggestions
- have a positive outlook
- plan a timetable
- study consistently
- have manageable goals
- exercise regularly

When writing out your article, you should remember:

• to give your article a suitable title
• to state your name as the writer
• to use all the points given
• that your readers are the students of your school