Sample Question

Your younger sister, who is studying in a boarding school, has written to complain
that she finds the compulsory co-curricular activities very tiring. Write a letter to her
to explain the benefits of co-curricular activities.

Use the notes given below to write your letter.

> help you become a better person

> instill discipline

> learn good values - cooperation

> respect for others

> develop leadership skills

> learn to organize activities

> provide opportunities - to develop social skills

> to take part in competitions

> keep you healthy

> get a good testimonial

When writing your letter, remember to include the following:

> your address

> a proper salutation/greeting

> a complimentary close

> all the notes given above

Sample answer 1

10, Jalan Mega Minang, Taman Minang Sari,

68000 Ampang, Selangor.
7th September 2009

Dear Lina,

It was lovely to hear from you. All of us miss you very much. Mum and Dad are
glad that you are slowly adjusting to life in a boarding school.

In your letter you complained about the compulsory co-curricular activities. Well,
let me tell you that you can reap many benefits through active participation in these
activities. Firstly, the various co-curricular activities help you become a better person
(point 1). Participation in uniformed units, clubs and societies, sports and games will
help you discover your talents and develop your character. You will become a more
confident and well-rounded person. The strict rules and good behaviour expected of
you as a member of a uniformed unit will instil discipline (point 2) in you. This is
important if you are to become a law-abiding citizen.

Besides, you will learn good values (point 3) through the various co-curricular
activities. You will learn about the importance ofcooperation (point 4) and respect for
others (point 5). These values are very important in a multi-racial society like ours.

You have always said that you admire great leaders like Nelson Mandela and
Abraham Lincoln. Well, co-curricular activities will certainly help you to develop
leadership skills (point 6). There will be ample opportunities to enable you to become
a good leader. Besides learning how to plan events, you will learn to organise
activities (point 7).Sometimes, you might even have to handle a challenging situation
and this will teach you how to make on-the-spot decisions.

More importantly, co-curricular activities provide you with many opportunities

(point 8) to help you develop social skills (point 9). As you know, a person with good
social skills has an edge these days. Extra-curricular activities will also provide you
with opportunities to take part in competitions (point 10) at various levels. Schools
usually select their representatives for competitions at zone, state or national level by
looking at their students’ performance in school-level competitions.

These activities also keep you healthy (point 11). Who knows, you might finally
shed your baby fat! Most importantly, you will get a good testimonial (point 12) if you
are active in co-curricular activities. This will definitely boost your chances when
applying for a scholarship or a job.

There is no need for you to worry that participation in these activities will affect your
grades. On the contrary, it has been proven that students who are actively involved
usually do well academically.

I hope you will take the opportunities co-curricular activities provide to experience
new things and discover your strengths.

I have to stop here. I have to study for my trial examination, which is in two weeks’
time. Till I hear from you, take care.

Your loving sister,

Shuhada