Below are 4 samples of good essays... Band 4 or 5...

Band 6 essays will demonstrate a much

better command of linguistic fluency and accuracy as well as show more mature and
critical thinking skills.

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 todays 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
societys way of life on an individual level, the countrys 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 countrys 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 countrys 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 countrys economy
there. Thus, while a societys spending habits helps our economy to grow, overspending due to
materialism will have an adverse effect to the countrys 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
countrys economy and their morality. In my opinion, I still firmly believe that materialism has a
strong hold on todays 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.

SAMPLE 2) MID YEAR 2010: MUET WRITING 800/4 QUESTION 2

The world today is turning more to electronic communications such as the e-mail,
Facebook and Short Message System (SMS). What is your opinion of this growing trend?
Discuss. You should write at least 350 words. [60 marks]

Everywhere we turn today, the world is crowded with people busy typing SMSes on their Nokias
or iPhones or someone is staring unblinkingly at a Facebook or Yahoo page on the computer
screen. Whether you like it or not, the age of Information Technology is upon us, and we can
either learn new skills and adapt to this new technology, or be forever lost and stuck in the older
generation. In my opinion, I am fully convinced that this growing trend is the way of the future,
and it brings countless benefits to mankind. In this essay, I will discuss three positive effects of
electronic communication, namely its efficiency, enhances communication and creates a
borderless world community.

First and foremost, more and more people are relying on e-mail, Facebook, Short Message
System (SMS) and other types of electronic communication tools because of its high efficiency.
This is because in today's age of globalisation, we need information at the tip of our fingers.
Moreover, with the use of these tools, we can increase the speed of getting the necessary and
relevant information within seconds and this will increase our productivity. For example, gone
are the days of using 'snail mail' or regular letters using stamps and envelopes and many more
examples of 'old' technology because it is simply too slow and inefficient. Therefore, these e-
communication tools increases the access to important information which is why the new
generation is fully accepting this growing trend.

Secondly, this form of technology enhances communication among people today. This means
that when we use SMS, e-mails and websites like Facebook, we are able to communicate clearly
and directly to our target audience. Furthermore, people today find that the message is more
important than the form it comes in as an e-mail in short but clear sentences is just as good or
even better than a long and formal letter. For instance, an SMS can give clear instructions in just
a few words and this communicates what needs to be done quickly and directly. Thus, when the
intended message can be spread clearly using short and clear information like in SMSes and
emails, communication can be enhanced and there will be less problems of miscommunication.
Last but not least, e-communication creates a borderless community in the world we live in
today. This is due to the fact that the boundaries that separate each country becomes less relevant
when information is transferred without limitations. In addition, the world would be a better
place because there is a sense of 1-World commitment, respect and tolerance for the global
community through efficient and clear e-communication. Take for example, we are able to
connect with people on an international basis using Facebook, Friendster, Tagged, Hotmail,
Yahoo and others. Hence, these tools will enhance global unity and create a more peaceful
world.

In a nutshell, this growing trend has many positive effects not just to individuals but the global
society in terms of efficiency, enhancing communicative skills and shaping a borderless
community. In my opinion, I still firmly believe that this latest trend is the best way forward and
if we do not catch up, we will be left behind by the tide of development. Our government can
encourage the proper usage of electronic communications by increasing communication
amenities and free broadband accessibility especially in rural areas so that they can enjoy the
same facilities as city-folks therefore balancing the development of our country towards
achieving Vision 2020.

SAMPLE 3) MID YEAR 2011: MUET WRITING 800/4 QUESTION 2

The most valuable thing in life is friendship. Do you agree? Discuss. You should write at
least 350 words.
[60 marks]

It is true that no man is an island meaning that no one in this world can live alone without
friendship. That person would be very socially challenged as he or she would miss the
camaraderie and life experiences that come with friendship. However, I completely disagree with
the statement that the most valuable thing in life is friendship as there are certainly more
important and priceless things in life besides this. In this essay, I will outline how life itself is
more valuable than friendship, and elaborate on why family and the individuals principles in life
are ranked higher.

First and foremost, before one can enjoy the beauty of friendship, one must surely value life
itself or in other words, we should value our health. This is because, the quality of our life is the
single most important criteria in life if we are to live a meaningful and wholesome life.
Moreover, without good health, we will be hard pressed to do even the simplest of tasks like feed
ourselves or relieve ourselves without the help of doctors, nurses and caregivers. For example, if
we are paralysed, lost our sight, hearing or ability to speak or even a simple case of a fever or
allergic reactions, then the quality of our life is greatly reduced and no amount of friendship can
make us healthy again. Therefore, while friends can stand by us in our time of need, pristine
health is still the most valuable asset in our lives.

Secondly, we are no one without our family as indeed blood is thicker than water. This means
that however you analyse it, friendships will almost always play second fiddle because family
always comes first. Furthermore, if we do not value our family above others, then there must be a
problem among the family members that has caused their relationship to be strained. For
instance, people tend to turn away from family if the family member(s) themselves are the ones
to cause them to react negatively such as divorced parents, abusive parents or siblings and so on.
Thus, when people consider friendship to be the most valuable thing in life, more often than not
they may come from a troubled household.

Last but not least, a persons principles in life is by far more valuable than friendship alone. This
is due to the fact that each person needs to have a code of ethics, quite often prescribed by their
individual religions. In addition, this code will guide each person to live their lives according to
the good and right principles. Take for example, if an individual has set his principles to do good,
then no amount of friendship especially negative influence from friends, can shake his hold on
his principles and cause him to commit undesirable deeds like smoking, stealing, raping,
murdering and others. Hence, if a person values friendship so much to the point where he is
willing to break his principles, then he has done a serious misdeed against himself and will most
likely regret his actions later in life.

In short, friendship is the rainbow of life as it colours our horizons with invaluable experiences
but without good health, a supportive family and strong principles, life becomes empty and
meaningless. In my opinion, it is beyond a shadow of a doubt that I still firmly believe that
friendship is not the most valuable thing in life. Our government can encourage people to
prioritise health, family and principles in life by organising awareness campaigns especially in
primary schools where the younger generation should learn about priorities in life because they
are the leaders of tomorrow.

SAMPLE 4) MUET WRITING 800/4 QUESTION 2

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 stabilise 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.

Consumers' choice of venues for grocery shopping in 1985 and 2010

The stimuli present a bar graph on 'Places Where Consumers Buy Their Groceries' and a table on
'Characteristics of Shopping Venues in 2010'. Generally, majority of consumers prefer to shop in
supermarkets that have customer-friendly characteristics compared to quarter of a century ago
where people favoured wet markets.

The grocery shopping trend has evolved over the last 25 years based on the data in Figure 1.
There is a significant increase of 55% of consumers visiting supermarkets in 2010 (60%)
compared to 5% in 1985. This is attributed to the positive characteristics of supermarkets which
are more comfortable, convenient and offering big discounts and variety. Also showing a rising
trend is a 3% increase in consumers visiting 24-hour stores because of its convenience.
Meanwhile, night markets seem to show a consistent trend stabilising at 11% both in 1985 and
2010. The most substantial decline can be seen in the deteriorating percentage of consumers
visiting wet markets from 45% to 14% (difference of 31%) followed by 27% difference for
grocery stores. The table indicates that while negotiable price and personalised service are key
characteristics of grocery stores and wet markets, these venues seem to lose customers to venues
that offer more appealing characteristics.

In conclusion, venues like supermarkets with better characteristics in terms of discounts, variety
and services are more likely to win over customers.