Things I like about my life (SPM 2000). Your paragraph should be at least 50 words
PRACTICE 1: Self Task 1:
Write about your favourite hobby. Your paragraph should be at least 30 words.
Start your paragraph with: “My favourite hobby is…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
My favourite hobby is playing tennis. I have been playing tennis since I was 10 years old. My sister likes to play tennis too. I play tennis with her every day.
(30 words)
Task 2:
Things I like about my life (SPM 2000). Your paragraph should be at least 50 words.
Start your paragraph with: “The first thing I like about my life is…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
The first thing I like about my life is my family. I love my father, my mother, my brother and my sister. My father works hard every day. My mother takes care of us well. My brother and sister are really nice. They like to buy me things. I love my family.
(52 words)
Task 3:
My dream car (SPM 1999). Your paragraph should be at least 70 words.
Start your paragraph with: “My dream car is…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
My dream car is a Honda Civic. I have always wanted to buy a Honda Civic. I want to buy it for my girlfriend, Madeline. The problem is I have no money. I should work harder to save up money to buy a Honda Civic. I need to study hard if I want to buy this car. Sometimes I dream driving this car. One day, I will buy it.
(71 words)
Glossary:
1. dream car : kereta impian 2. save up: simpan
174 PRACTICE 2: Family
Task 1:
Large families make happy families (SPM 2001). Your paragraph should be at least 30 words.
Start your paragraph with: “I have a really big family.”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
I have a really big family. I have a mother, a father, four sisters, and five brothers. My father is very handsome. We grow up together in a big house. I love my family a lot.
(36 words)
Task 2:
Should parents give children more freedom? (SPM 2012) Your paragraph should be at least 50 words.
Start your paragraph with: “Parents should/should not give children more freedom.”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
Parents should give children more freedom. Children need more time to play. Some of them like to play football. Some play video games. Some like to go shopping. They should not study all the time. They should go out with their friends. They will feel bored if they study all day.
(51 words) Glossary:
1. freedom : kebebasan 2. bored : bosan
Task 3:
Family is more important than friends. Do you agree? Your paragraph should be at least 70 words.
Start your paragraph with: “Yes, I agree that family is more important than friends.” (or the counter argument)
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
Yes, I agree that family is more important than friends. Our family helps us all the time. Our father and mother take care of us. Family will stay with us forever. We always spend time with our siblings. We can share our problems with our family. Friends do not live with us. Friends will not be there for us all the time. I think we should love our family more.
(70 words) Glossary:
1. agree : setuju 2. important : penting 3. siblings : adik-beradik
175 PRACTICE 3: People
Task 1:
A famous person you admire (SPM 2011). Your paragraph should be at least 30 words.
Start your paragraph with: “My idol is…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
My idol is Adele. She is a popular and cute singer. I love the way she sings. She has such a great voice. Every day, I listen to her songs. I hope I can sing like her one day.
(39 words) Glossary:
1. idol : idola
Task 2:
Friends (SPM 2003). Your paragraph should be at least 50 words.
Start your paragraph with: “Friends are important.”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
Friends are important. I need my friends when I feel sad. My friends always make me feel better.
I like talking to my friends. I have a lot of friends. My friends are Ali, Abu, and Chong. Ali is very handsome. Ali and Abu are very friendly. We play football together.
(51 words)
Task 3:
My perfect future husband or wife (SPM 2008). Your paragraph should be at least 70 words.
Start your paragraph with: “My perfect future husband/wife...”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
My perfect future husband will be handsome. He must be a Korean. He will look like a celebrity.
I want him to look like G-Dragon. I also want my future husband to be kind, funny, and caring. He must also be rich. I want to go for honeymoon in Seoul, Korea. I want to live in a bungalow. He must know how to cook. I want him to cook for me every day.
(73 words) Glossary:
1. future husband : bakal suami
176 PRACTICE 4: Activities
Task 1:
Imagine you are moving to a new house. Describe the last day in your old house (SPM 1997).
Your paragraph should be at least 30 words.
Start your paragraph with: “I looked at my old house and…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
I looked at my old house and felt really sad. I cried non-stop. I remember the time I spent in my room. I fought with my siblings there. I also had fun with them every day. We would watch television together.
(41 words) Glossary:
1. fought (past tense of ‘fight’) : bergaduh
Task 2:
Describe an outing with your friends (SPM 2012). Your paragraph should be at least 50 words.
Start your paragraph with: “My friends and I went to…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
My friends and I went to KLCC to spend time together. We visited the shops there. We also ate at KFC. My friends wanted to visit the KLCC park. We saw many cute girls. My friends liked one of the girls. We took a lot of pictures and shared them with our family.
(53 words)
Task 3:
Describe how you spent a free day when the weather was bad (SPM 2001). Your paragraph should be at least 70 words.
Start your paragraph with: “It was raining really heavily…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
It was raining heavily outside. I wanted to go out with my friends but I could not. I decided to read my books. I read my new novel. I loved it very much. My friend, Elsa bought it for me. Elsa was my best friend. She was very cute, kind and friendly. Later, I went to kitchen to cook noodles. I liked noodles. I cooked curry noodles. After eating, I slept all day.
(74 words)
177 PRACTICE 5: Events
Task 1:
Write about a language camp that you joined last month. Your paragraph should be at least 30 words.
Start your paragraph with: “I recently joined a language camp.”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
I recently joined a language camp. The language camp was held in Swiss Inn hotel, Sungai Petani. My friends and I did lots of fun activities together. I was so happy that I could join the camp.
(37 words)
Task 2:
Describe a festival celebrated in your area (SPM 2004). Your paragraph should be at least 50 words.
Start your paragraph with: “We celebrated…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
We celebrated Hari Raya in my area. A lot of families did open houses. When I went there, I helped my friends to prepare the food. I enjoyed going to open houses because we could eat delicious cookies. I also met many classmates there. We ate a lot of traditional food. Our teachers were there too.
(56 words)
Task 3:
Describe an important family celebration and how you felt about it (SPM 2014). Your paragraph should be at least 70 words.
Start your paragraph with: “It was my grandmother’s birthday.”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
It was my grandmother’s birthday. I love my grandmother so much. We celebrated her birthday every year. This year, we went to Pulau Pangkor to celebrate grandmother’s birthday. I bought her a special gift. I bought the gift from Tesco. It was a ring. My grandmother was very happy.
We bought her a big chocolate cake. She ate half of the chocolate cake. We sang a birthday song for grandmother.
(70 words) Glossary:
1. celebrate : meraikan/menyambut
178 PRACTICE 6: Incidents
Task 1:
You just had a fight with your sister. Write about what happened. Your paragraph should be at least 30 words.
Start your paragraph with: “I had a fight with my sister.”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
I had a fight with my sister. She took my phone. I did not like it when she took my things. I was very angry. I shouted at her. She shouted back at me and said I was lying.
(39 words)
Task 2:
Write a story that ends with: “If only I had listened to his/her advice” (SPM 2003). Your paragraph should be at least 50 words.
Start your paragraph with: “I had an accident when…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
I had an accident when I was going to the concert. My mother did not want me to go to the concert. I did not listen to her. My mother did not understand me. I wanted to go no matter what. I planned with my friend, Vince to go there quietly.
(51 words)
Task 3:
Write a story with the title: An Unexpected Visitor (SPM 2006). Your paragraph should be at least 70 words.
Start your paragraph with: “I was waiting for the bus when…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
I was waiting for the bus when a cat suddenly appeared. I love cats. It was a brown cat that has big white spots all over itself. I was so happy that the cat came because I was bored. The bus was taking too long. Then I saw a little girl got kidnapped by a man. The man was tall and scary.
He drove a red Honda Civic. I shouted for help.
(72 words) Glossary:
1. kidnapped : diculik
179 PRACTICE 7: Places
Task 1:
Write about your recent vacation. Your paragraph should be at least 30 words.
Start your paragraph with: “Last week, I had a vacation. I went to…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
Last week, I had a vacation. I went to Langkawi. I went together with my family. Langkawi is a really nice place. I went to Underwater World. I bought a lot of chocolates. There were many tourists.
(37 words) Glossary:
1. vacation : percutian
Task 2:
You have been given a chance to visit a country of your choice. Which country would you choose and why? (SPM 2003) Your paragraph should be at least 50 words.
Start your paragraph with: “I would like to visit…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
I would like to visit Estonia. I want to go there because I have friends in Estonia. They told me that Estonia is a beautiful country. The weather is cold too. I love cold weather. I want to visit their museums. I want to buy the chocolates there. I want to try their traditional food.
(55 words)
Task 3:
Write a letter to a penfriend describing some interesting places in your village, town or home state (SPM 1998). Your paragraph should be at least 70 words.
Start your paragraph with: “Dear ____, there are my interesting places here in…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
Dear Triin, there are many interesting places here in my home state, Kedah. There are paddy fields. The paddy fields are beautiful. The weather is nice too. I want you to come to Kedah. You will love the waterfalls here. We can have a picnic by the beaches too. I can also bring you on a hike up Gunung Jerai. Our traditional food is great. You should try our Nasi Lemak.
(71 words) Glossary:
1. waterfall : air terjun 2. hike : pendakian
180 PRACTICE 8: Senses
Task 1:
Describe an unforgettable incident that you saw on your way home from school (SPM 2009).
Your paragraph should be at least 30 words.
Start your paragraph with: “On my way home from school, I saw…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
On my way home from school, I saw a cat. The cat was cute. It was brown. The cat came to me.
I touched the cat. The cat ran away.
(30 words) Glossary:
1. incident : kejadian
Task 2:
Describe an enjoyable weekend you have experienced (SPM 2003). Your paragraph should be at least 50 words.
Start your paragraph with: “I enjoyed my weekend with…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
I enjoyed my weekend with my friends. My friends are Obama, Hillary and Donald. They were my best friends. We went out shopping at Queensbay. We wanted to watch a movie. We went to the cinema. Obama bought tickets for all of us. Hillary bought popcorns. Donald bought drinks. I enjoyed eating free food.
(54 words)
Task 3:
Beauty (SPM 2009). Your paragraph should be at least 70 words.
Start your paragraph with: “I like…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
I like my mother. My mother is beautiful. There is no prettier woman than my mother. She uses make up to be pretty. My father loves my mother. My father loves pretty women. Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. I will buy my mother a present. She likes chocolate cakes. I will also buy a chocolate cake. My mother is on a diet. She does not eat too much cake. I have to eat it for her.
(75 words)
181 PRACTICE 9: Feelings
Task 1:
Describe a day at school when you were unhappy (SPM 1998). Your paragraph should be at least 30 words.
Start your paragraph with: “It was a day when…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
It was a day when my favourite teacher left the school. I felt so unhappy. I like her classes so much. She taught me so many things. I hope that she comes back to our school. My friends were sad too.
(41 words)
Task 2:
Describe what makes you happy and explain why (SPM 2015). Your paragraph should be at least 50 words.
Start your paragraph with: “There are many things that can make me happy like…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
I was happy that day because my friends celebrated my birthday. I have never celebrated my birthday before. They bought me a cake. I felt so loved. My best friend, Jewel gave me a present.
It was a watch. She knew that I loved that G-Shock watch. I thanked her for the present.
(53 words)
Task 3:
The day I lost my temper (SPM 1999). Your paragraph should be at least 70 words.
Start your paragraph with: “The day I lost my temper was…”
Sample paragraph for low-proficiency level students:
The day I lost my temper was on Thursday. My best friend, Emily was punished by the teacher.
Emily is a cute girl. She is very shy. She does not like to talk. A very naughty boy, Aiman copied Emily’s homework. Aiman is very bad. He is really lazy. He always copies. The teacher was angry with Emily. He thought that Emily copied Aiman’s homework. I got angry and told the teacher the truth. The teacher was angry at Aiman.
(80 words) Glossary:
1. temper : kesabaran
182 Essay 1