Man's careless attitude is the main cause for the destruction of the environment. Discuss.

You should write at least 350 words. (60 marks)

Below is a good sample answer written by Franky, my 2013 lower 6 science student.

In this modern civilization, man struggles to survive the high cost of

living expenses, which significantly increases with each passing year.
This causes them to use any method available that generates income
and they start to sideline the importance of preserving nature. This is
due to mankind realising the potential of economy that can come from
nature. So, I strongly believe the destruction of nature is mostly caused
by man's careless attitude whereby they prioritise their greed for
money and the development of civilisation. Let us analyse this
phenomenon in terms of the country's development, illegal activities of
exploiting nature and the job opportunities.
First of all, many nations try to achieve the title of the most leading
nation in economy or infrastructure. So in order to compete with other
countries, most nations try to explore any available land in their
country for development such as industries, tourist spots and many
other purposes that are related to money. Whenever they see the
potential of a certain piece of land, they tend to develop it despite
some of these places might still be uninhabited or the home for many
wildlife. Sometimes, they would also plod through jungles or level the
mountains for road development which severely changes the landscape
of nature. As a result, this selfish and careless act will cause the
deforestation and global warming. For example, Indonesia has become
quite careless with their handling of these problems. In Kalimantan,
Indonesia, the forest is being severely deforested by their people for
land development. And to make matters worse, they even choose the
fastest and cos-saving method of deforestation which is by burning
down the trees, the mass release of carbon dioxide from the mass burn
down of trees lead to ozone thinning and greenhouse effect. Also, the
haze problem is another negative side product. As for the real victims
of these acts, they are the neighbouring nations such as Malaysia,
Singapore, Thailand and Philippines especially as haze causes many
health issues such as lung cancer and breathing problems. Therefore,
these careless acts and greed not only cause the destruction of nature
but also endanger many lives, both man and animals.
Secondly, some people's greed for great fortune and easy life make
them become selfish and careless by over-exploiting nature. They
willingly do illegal activities such as cutting down trees or animal
hunting, seeing the high demand for these materials. It will slowly
cause the depopulation of different kinds of flora and fauna. In China,
these activities of eating inner organs of animals such as tiger or bear
and they even use these animals' body parts for economic purposes

such as tiger skin, crocodile skin and elephant teeth and tusks by
exporting it to those who pay a high price for it. This has a serious
effect on the ecosystem which is the extinction of animals. In Indonesia,
trees are being cut down for making expensive house furniture made of
material such as teak wood. In fact, these trees require a long period of
10 to 20 years to mature. Thus, the continuous cutting down of trees
will eventually lead to its extinction. These activities are illegal by law
and still occurs widely despite many countermeasures that have been
taken by the authorised organisations such as World Wildlife Fund
(WWF). Somehow, these criminals are able to slip through the
organisations's enforcement laws of protecting the wildlife and nature.
Plus, most society are careless to even take notice of these problems
because they have yet to come to awareness of the dangers that would
happen from these illegal acts. If only they had given more attention
and cooperation to the authorised organisations, these problems might
have been able to be prevented.
Lastly, to survive in this modern world, every person needs to be able
to make a living for themselves of their family, but many people with
low education level cannot get high salary jobs, even university
scholars are yet to be certain of getting a proper job after their
graduation despite their high level of education. The competition is just
like the survival of the fittest among these graduates and people with
low qualifications. Therefore with the growing demand for more natural
materials such as petroleum gas and minerals from the earth as well as
a high demand of smuggled goods, people are willing to pay high prices
to have employees do their job of exploiting nature because these jobs
are high risk. So people that are desperately in need of jobs are usually
tempted with the pay and they would take up the call. This situation
had opened up a lot of job opportunities, but they are careless to not
realise that these jobs are the main cause of nature's destructtion
because they are being pinned down by the pressure of high living cost
in this modern world that they have forgotten the importance of
preserving nature.
In a nutshell, I still strongly believe in my opinion that nature's
destruction is mainly caused by man's careless attitude. They strive to
make a living in the world so desperately that some eventually deny the
truth that it is their own fault for nature's destruction. If no serious and
proper actions are being taken immediately by many wildlife and nature
preserving organisations or authorised organisations such as WWF,
UNESCO and ASEAN to prepare an effective strategy or blueprint to
prevent this problem, there probably won't be any jungles or wildlife
left in the future and our young generaton will have to live in a polluted
world.

Nov 2013 Writing Question

"The most important factor which contributes towards a person's success is himself."
Do you agree with the statement ? Justify your stand, giving relevant examples where
appropriate. You should write at least 350 words.
a. Facts/Data/Statistics (News articles, data from graphs/surveys etc)
According to an article in Forbes magazine on World's 100 Top Successful people, 90% of people
become successful based on their unique individual characters rather than talent alone. This means
that people who have the same great talent - take singing for example - are both capable of becoming
successful but the one who has the characteristics fans like such as friendly, well-groomed with high
self-esteem and creativity are more likely to achieve superstardom compared to an introverted singer
with low self-confidence and charisma. It is my humble opinion that I absolutely agree with the
statement that the most important factor which contributes towards a person's success is himself. We
can analyse this issue in terms of the human factor which are his innate qualities, his drive for success
and his ability to sustain success.

b. Questions (Rhetorical questions related to the issue)

Is talent enough to achieve success? How is it possible for a set of twins who are both equally good in
singing, yet only one becomes a successful singer while the other does not? Can a person's character
determine his or her ability to achieve success in life? From my point of view, the answer lies in the
fact that it is indeed the person himself which contributes towards his own success. In this essay, I
would like to discuss how a person's innate talent, his drive to succeed and his motivation to stay at
the top are the reasons that differentiate every one of us therefore controlling our success metres.

c. An anecdote (Story that is related to the issue)

There was once a farmer who had triplets. He could not decide which son should inherit his property
so he gave each of his three sons the same sum of money and told them to achieve success. The first
son used the money as a dowry and managed to acquire the chief's daughter as a wife. The second son
used the money to bet on horses but lost it all. The third son bought cows with the intent of breeding
them, milking them and making butter and cheese of which he would sell at the market. Finally, the
farmer chose the third son because he was the only son capable of 'growing' his investment. The point
of all this is to show that when the playing field is leveled, and there is equal opportunity, success or
failure is determined by the decisions each individual makes. Therefore, I strongly agree with the
statement that the most important factor which contributes towards a person's success is himself. In
light of this, there are many aspects of the person himself which contributes to his success, namely his
aptitude, attitude and drive to succeed.

d. Examples (Various related examples)

Donald Trump is renowned the world over for his acute business acumen as testified by his Trump
empire. His entrepreneurship skills have been commonly mimicked but rarely replicated as many
aspire to become like him but seldom achieve the level of his success. The secret of his success is his
unique character which is driven by his desire to rise above all, including himself. There are other
examples of extremely successful people who have achieved success not solely based on talent but
their individual characteristics such as Mark Zuckerberg and our own Datuk Tony Fernandez to name
a few. From my perspective, the most important factor which contributes towards a person's success is
indeed himself. This can be proven in terms of his own talent, his character and motivation to remain
successful.

e. Contrast (Describing the opposite of a given situation, eg. topic: Money, opposite: No Money)
A person born into an affluent family, when taking over the father's business manages to run the
business down the ground. The question then arises as to why the son failed to follow in the footsteps
of his father when everything was handed to him on a silver platter. Simply put, he might have
inherited the same genes but this does not predetermine his individualistic characteristic which in
turn contributes to his ability to succeed or in this case, fail. Similarly, a person born into a poor
family with not much given to him, can scrape the barrels and claw out of his poverty and make a
success of his life unlike his parents or siblings. The sheer determination to succeed gives him the
necessary elixir to lift him out of his fate and create a new and brighter future for himself. Hence it is
my steadfast opinion that the environment does not play the most crucial factor in determining
success, but it is indeed the person himself what contributes to his rise or fall. To discuss this issue, let
us look at the three aspects of success, namely a person's aptitude, attitude and desire to sustain
success.
f. Projection (Imagining the future)
If every one of us could be successful, would this world not be full of successful people? The very fact
that not everyone in this world today is a success story strongly implies that there are many factors
that contribute to a person's success but it is each individual himself that gives him the cutting edge.
In my opinion, I completely agree that the most important factor which contributes towards a person's
success is himself. There are many facets to this issue but let us focus on a person's own ability,
character and determination that will lead to his or her success.

Question

2:

The trend today among youths is to own the latest technological gadgets such as mobile phones and
other devices. Is this a healthy development among young people? Give your opinion. You should
write at least 350 words.

In this modern world of ours, technological devices such as mobile phones and other gadgets are
no longer foreign to us. Most of the young people today are treating these luxuries as a necessity as
they compete to own the latest devices, leading to the adults questioning whether this is a healthy or
an unhealthy development for youths today. In my own humble opinion, this issue will be a neverending argument because it solely depends on the user itself to determine their purpose of using these
devices. Thus in this essay, this issue can be discussed in terms of both healthy and unhealthy
development and some recommendations.
Firstly, with these newest devices, young people can access information wherever there are with
just a touch of their fingers. This can help to expand their knowledge about the current issues of our
world which will be a key role to take their mind to a higher level. They can also use these facilities to
help them in their studies. All of these can help our country to produce more intellectual people which
indeed is a healthy development by contributing to a more productive nation.
In the old days, we had to do a lot of work and research in order to finish our school assignment,
which is time consuming and tiring. Now we can obtain any information we need for our assignment
without having the need to go to the library anymore. This can help the students to save more time for

them to do other things. Furthermore, students can also increase their efficiency of work. The
government also supports this by launching the Wireless Village programme so that both rural and
urban people can access the internet without having to subcribe to any internet packages. Overall,
students can perform better and become more productive in their work, so this is certainly a healthy
development.
Moreover, young people that chase after these latest technological devices can help to strengthen
the countrys commerce through the constant supply and demand of gadgets. This can help the
government to focus more on developing this technology or subsidising companies in this industry as
it can guarantee good profits. Besides, in line with the previous years budgets, the government is
giving out smart phone rebates to citizens above the age of 21. All of this can help to improve our
economic level and lead to a more developed country, therefore another sign that it is a healthy
development.
On the other hand, this trend to own the latest technology devices could lead to a waste of money.
Even though these devices are useful to us, but the fact is that most young people are chasing the
latest devices regardless of cost. Mind the word latest as they only want the latest edition that is being
released in the market almost once per year for different brands such as Samsung and Sony. In order
to keep up with the trend, these young people are willing to waste their money or more accurately
their parents hard-earned money. Instead, they could use the money for better purposes like buying
books or stationery.
Furthermore, as time goes by, they might eventually become ungrateful for what they already
have and keep nagging for new gadgets. This is unhealthy as it breeds materialism. In addition, if one
did not have proper discipline within oneself while using these devices, one will easily become a victim
to various addictions such as social networking and games. This can cause the young users to become
distracted and greatly decrease their work efficiency. As for students, their performance at school
might become affected. To add to the matter, young people can easily access inappropriate content
such as porn and violent materials at a young age, unsupervised. All of this can retard their minds
growth and become influenced by negative things. In the end, these devices become a bane to them
instead of a boon to the development of society.
Hence, for us to fully utilise the advantages of technology, I humble share some of my
recommendations. Firstly, parents play a big role as they spend the most time with their children thus
they should watch strictly over their childrens usage of these devices per day by limiting it. Next, the
government can work on preventing or blocking many harmful websites in our country so that young
people have no access to it.
In conclusion, I believe that in the end, it depends on the user itself whether to abuse or to use
the devices to their disadvantage or advantage. We can draw an analogy from guns used by the
police it enforces the law; by a criminal it abets the crime. It would be illogical to put the gun in jail
instead of the person who pulls the trigger. Similarly, it is we ourselves that click the mouse or swipe
the screen of our gadget so we must use it responsibly to contribute towards a happier and healthier
development in society today.

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.