1

GUIDELINES FOR COMPOSITION (DIRECTED WRITING/CONTINUOUS WRITING)

*** Complete this self-evaluation form before you hand in your composition.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 OPENING PARAGRAPH

using idiom, proverb, quotation, saying, question, anecdote, statistics, description etc

interesting

PARAGRAPH 2

main idea

details by using examples, illustrations, descriptive words/phrases

well-developed

PARAGRAPH 3


main idea

details by using examples, illustrations, descriptive words/phrases

well-developed

PARAGRAPH 4

main idea

details by using examples, illustrations, descriptive words/phrases

well-developed

CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH

summarizing

using idiom, proverb, quotation, saying, question, anecdote, statistics, description etc
Mark

Pre-Writing Strategies

Pre-writing

is a way of organizing your thoughts and beginning to put the information you have on paper. It is
best to do a pre-writing activity before you actually begin writing your paper or essay.

You should use prewriting to . .

think more clearly see a start of your paper keep track of your ideas practice expressing yourself in
writing

BASIC PREWRITING STRATEGIES

Develop Questions

What do I know? What do I need to find out? What is the point of the paper?

Jot List

Brainstorm

Freewrite Visualize / Organize Major Categories Outline

Mapping

Tree Diagram

Guide to Mapping

Mapping is a process of reorganizing and rearranging (moving) the most important ideas and
information from your reading or textbook and converting it into a diagram with your own words to
help you understand and remember what you read.

Outlines Webs Story maps Lists Graphic organizers Brainstorming

How do you select the type of map to be used? Use

Charts
or

Matrixes

to compare and contrast qualities, examples, descriptions, and facts.

Use

Stars

or

Spiders

to show themes, examples, descriptions, and definitions.

Use

Trees

or

Hierarchies

to show categories, classifications, analysis, structures, descriptions, and examples. Use

Chains

to show processes, sequences, causes and effects, chronological order, and steps.

Use

Flowcharts

Venn Diagrams

to show relationships between diagrams, points of overlap, and points of distinction.

Use

Sketches

to show physical structures, visual images, concrete objects, spatial relationships, and descriptions
of places. 4

Sample of a Tree Generated through the Questioning Method

The Journalists' Questions

Journalists traditionally ask six questions when they are writing assignments, 5 W's and 1 H:
Who?

What?

Where?

When?

Why?

How?

You can use these questions to explore the topic you are writing about for an assignment. A key to
using the journalists' questions is to make them flexible enough to account for the specific details of
your topic. For instance, if your topic is the rise and fall of the Puget Sound tides and its effect on
salmon spawning, you may have very little to say about

Who?

if your focus doesn't account for human involvement. On the other hand, some topics may be heavy
on the

Who?

, especially if human involvement is a crucial part of the topic. Possible generic questions you can ask
using the six journalists' questions follow:

Who?:

Who are the participants? Who is affected? Who are the primary actors? Who are the secondary
actors?

What?:
 What is the topic? What is the significance of the topic? What is the basic problem? What are the
issues?

Where?:

Where does the activity take place? Where does the problem or issue have its source? At what
place is the cause or effect of the problem most visible?

When?:

When is the issue most apparent? (past? present? future?) When did the issue or problem develop?
What historical forces helped shape the problem or issue and at what point in time will the problem
or issue culminate in a crisis? When is action needed to address the issue or problem?

Why?:

Why did the issue or problem arise? Why is it (your topic) an issue or problem at all? Why did the
issue or problem develop in the way that it did?

How?:

How is the issue or problem significant? How can it be addressed? How does it affect the
participants? How can the issue or problem be resolved?

My Ideal School

What is a school? Is it a building? Is it a place where future generations are educated? To me, a
school is the centre for education. It provides intellectual, emotional, as well as spiritual enrichment.
Similarly, ideal means most suitable, perfect. I am sure that everyone has their own notion of what
an ideal school is. It is a place where one feels most comfortable to learn in. In my opinion, an ideal
school would consists of a building with an ultra-modern infrastructure and top- notch facilities. It
would look more like resort rather than a typical school. All the classrooms would have colourful
walls with wonderful paintings and thought-provoking pictures
hanging on them. To ensure students‘ optimum productivity, the school would also have a

comfortable environment to study in. All the classrooms would be well-lit and fully air-conditioned.
It has been observed that the traditional arrangement of tables and chairs in the classrooms does
not allow teachers to pay equal attention to students. Thus, it would be perfect to arrange the tables
and chairs in a semi- circle facing the teacher. It would also be great if the number of students in a
class is limited to 20 per class rather than the present 40 or 50 per class. Apart from that, we also
need a well-equipped library with the state-of-art facilities for students to conduct their research
and studies. The library of an ideal school should be filled with books and materials on a wide range
of topics. Computer cataloguing should also be introduced to make referencing easier. Furthermore,
the school should also provide free Internet services to students. In addition, an ideal school should
have a sophisticated gymnasium and sports centre. Students can work out in the gymnasium and
also play a game or two of badminton in the indoor badminton court. Athletes and swimmers can
also train at the school mini stadium and swimming pool. Students nowadays are burdened with
homework and endless examination. An idyllic school should provide students with space for
creativity, innovation and spiritual growth. More constructive and productive homework should be
given instead of burdening homework. Students should be encouraged to understand their
homework and find joy and fun in doing them. Students should not be doing homework for the sake
of doing them. Apart from that, homework should also be fun and provides an exciting path to self-
discovery instead of being dull and monotonous. Teachers could perhaps have Biology classes
outdoors so that students can really appreciate the beauty of nature or organise field trips to
exhibition and conventions to make learning interesting. Sad to say, many youngsters nowadays are
Mat Salleh Celup

hopeless Americanised victim of pop culture. Therefore, traditional art and culture classes should
also be held in the ideal school to nurture the spirit of appreciation amongst students.

Moreover, to maximize the students‘ learning capacities, lessons should start at 10.00am.

Timetable should not be packed and hectic. There should be breaks in between lessons so that
students can digest knowledge from the previous lesson instead of rushing into the next lesson
straight after the previous one. Recess should also be lengthened so that students can enjoy their
food in the cafeteria or read in the urbane library or even exercise in the school sports centre. In
this era of globalisation, ICT is of utmost importance. The modern world is fast-moving forward with
paperless banking, paperless administration and many up-to-date technologies. So, why

can‘t schools have paperless teaching and learning? In the ideal school, studen

ts should each be given a notebook. Heavy school bags and tones of books should be a thing of the
past. In this era of K-Economy, students can be technology- savvy by having their lessons online.
Besides, it would also be excellent if students can have teleconferencing and online forum with
scholars from all over the world. On top of that, students can hand up their homework in the form of
Compact Disc (CD) or

emails. Teachers can also post the students‘ results and comments on secure school website so that
parents can care for their child‘s academic achievements irrespective of time and place.

6 In addition, an ideal school should not require its students to wear school uniforms. Uniforms
tend to make a school dull. It presents students as faceless beings in uni-

colour. One‘s clothing represents one‘s personalities and makes one unique. Students should be
allowed to present

themselves properly by wearing proper attire to school. Furthermore, an ideal school should also be
co-educational. This would enable better communication between genders and prevents gender
discrimination. Such a school would provide chances for members of the opposite sex to work
together and understand each other better thus encouraging a sense of mutual respect among its
students. The notion of ideal is sometimes painfully defined as an idea existing only in imagination
and is not likely to come true. The 21st century promises a lot for individuals from all walks of life.
Will the concept of an ideal school materialize? The idea might seem far-fetched at the moment.
However, it is my belief that if each and everyone of us were to reach in to find the best within
ourselves and reach out to give the best education to our future generations, the idea of creating an
ideal school would not merely remain a dream after all. (890 words)

Directed Writing Question - SPM 2007

You have been asked by your teacher to give a talk on a reference book that is useful for secondary
students. You have decided to talk about a science book. Use the following notes about the book to
write your talk. Details of the book - Title: Science Made Simple - Author: Sharifah Shazana -
Publisher: Bunga Publications Reasons why the book is useful - attractive presentation - clear
explanations - helpful diagrams - variety of exercises - sample answers - practice question papers -
useful tips When writing the talk, you should remember: - to use an appropriate greeting and
closing - to state the purpose of the talk - to use all the notes given - to give two other reasons of
your own - that the talk is for school students

Sample Answer

Good morning, dear students. I am the President of the Science Club. I would like to warmly
welcome all of you here. The reason that I stand here in front of all of you is because I would like to
give a talk on a reference book that is useful for all secondary students. I am sure all of you use many
different types of reference books of your studies. The reference book that I am going to talk about
is a science book.

First and foremost, allow me to introduce the title of the book. It is `Science Made Simple‘.

The author of this book is Sharifah Shazana and the publisher is Bunga Publications. There are many
reasons as to why the book is useful for secondary students. The first reason is its attractive
presentation. The cover of the book itself is so attractive that the moment we see it, our eyes will be
glued onto the cover. Apart from the cover, the contents of the book are also presented in a very
attractive manner. The next reason is clear explanations. Students can easily understand the notes
given in the book. Each topic is explained in details and keywords have been given to enable
students to remember important facts. The explanations are simplified that even students from the
weaker classes can understand well. 8 Of course, there are no science books without diagrams.
Similarly this reference book has various helpful diagrams. The diagrams are colorful and clear
picture of the processes explained. I am sure this is what most students prefer. In addition to the
above reasons, this reference book is very essential to all secondary students because there are a
variety of exercises in it. Each topic is accompanied by various exercises. Students can check their
understanding of the topics by attempting the exercises given. The answers for the exercises are also
provided in a separate booklet foe easy reference. There are also various practice question papers
according to exam format. Students can use these question paper for revision purposes. These
practice questions will also be useful for group discussions as sample answers are provided as well.
Another special reason is, each topic in this reference book starts with discussion activity with
relevance to the theme of the topic. As such, students can express their ideas before actually making
use of the contents of the book. Finally, there are many special and useful tips for examination
preparation in the reference book. I am sure all of you would be happy in hearing this. I think I
have given sufficient reasons to all of you regarding this science reference book. I hope all of you will
buy and benefit in using this reference book. Before I end my talk, I would like to thank all of you
again for listening attentively to my talk. 9 Question: Your friend, who lives in
another town, wants to know whether he/she should run for the post of Head Prefect. Write a letter
to your friend giving reasons why he/she would make a good Head Prefect. Use the notes given
below to write your letter.

Personal qualities

- Friendly - Responsible - Helpful

Academic performance

- Intelligent student - Hard-working - Problem solver

Co-curricular involvement

- Blue House Captain - Secretary of English Language Society - School debater

Other points

- lives near school

able to sacrifice time - good study habits

academic performance will not be affected - popular with students and teachers When writing your
letter, you should remember to include the following: - address - salutation/greeting - close - use all
the given notes
Sample Answer

50, Taman Madu, Bukit Merah, 54000 Taiping, 21 November 2006 Dear Kamal, It has been quite a
while since I last heard from you. However, I was happy to receive the birthday card from you last
week, together with the message note in it. I understand that you are in a dilemma of running for
the post of Head Prefect at your school. Do not worry. I am writing you this letter to reassure you
that you would make an excellent Head Prefect. You should take on this task because you have
great personal qualities that would make you a good Head Prefect. You are well liked and respected
by the student of your school. Besides, your responsible nature will be a well-added advantage too.
You are always fond of helping others. As such, this helpful character of yours is indeed a pleasure to
others. Furthermore, your academic performance outshines your peers, making it clear that you are
an intelligent and hard-working student. You are always willing to walk an extra mile to achieve
something. Besides that, you are also a problem solver. Whenever, your classmates face problems,
10 you always seem to find ways of solving them. As regarding to your co-curricular involvement, I
would be happy to say that you are active enough in it too. As a Blue House Captain, it has proven
your great leadership qualities and skills. Being elected as the secretary of the English Language
Society also proves that the students of your school have much faith in you entrust you with such
huge responsibility. Apart from this, you have always represented your school as a school debater.
This portrays your confidence and self-esteem. The strategic location of your house should also give
you an extra shove towards running for the post. As it is within walking distance from the school,
you would be able to sacrifice time and effort in carrying out your duties as Head Prefect. You have
had good study habits since young, therefore your academic performance will not be affected and
you will remain as a top student. Last but not least, you are also popular among students and
teachers because of your achievements. I am sure you can be good role model if you are the Head
Prefect as everybody will respect you. I hope I have convinced you enough to run for the post of
Head Prefect. You deserve it, so go far it. Anyway my advance congrats to you if you are selected.
Bye, till hear from you again. Your loving friend, Lokman (Mohamad Lokman bin Ramli)

11

Directed Writing Question - SPM 2005

Question: You have just returned from a three-day outdoor activity camp. You have decided to write
a letter to a friend about your experience at the camp. Write your letter based on all the notes
below. - Who organized the camp - Date of the camp - Transport to the campsite - Number of
participants - Location of the camp - Accommodation - Give two relevant examples of : - activities -
benefits - problems When writing the letter you should remember: - to layout the letter correctly -
to use paragraphs - that your letter is to a friend

Sample Answer

Shirley Lim, No. 9, Jln Mesra, 47600 Subang Jaya, Selangor. 10 December 2005 Dear Shanti, Hi,
there! How are you? I am sorry I was not able to reply your letter earlier. I was at a camp.

T he camp was called ‗Discover Yourself‘. It was an enriching experience as I have never attended

such camp before. My uncle, who is one of the organizers, roped me in. At first, I was very
apprehensive about the whole thing. But later I realized I needed some motivation to boost me for
the coming SPM examination. Let me give you some details. The organizers are a group of people
who call themselves 'The

Millennium People‘. They are basically teachers, trainers and leaders from various social g

roups who have come together to help young people to excel. The camp was from 1st of December
to 9th December. It was a three day outdoor activity camp. We went to the camp by bus and later
got into a ferry that took us to the Pangkor Island. There were about 120 participants with 12
trainers. The camp was conducted in the west of Pangkor Island. It was so quiet and peaceful,
overlooking the beautiful hills. It was a superb place for us to unwind and discover ourselves. There
were little chalets reserved for us. We enjoyed many interesting activities. I can describe them all
but I need to tell you some of

the interesting activities. The first activity was called ‗Loosen Up‘. We got to know each other in this

ice-breaking session. Then came the difficult se

ction. It was called the ‗Bear the Brunt‘ session. Here

we were practically yelled at and scolded by the trainers. The purpose was to break our egos. After
this we were given a series of motivation guidance for studying, self improvement and time
management. I greatly benefited from this camp. I have discovered my own potentials. Now I know
that I have a good memory and can socialize easily. I also have identified my weaknesses. My
greatest weakness is procrastination. But we have learnt to deal and overcome our weaknesses. 12
However, the camp had its own problems. Some participants did not co-operate because they
refused to participate in the hiking and jungle trekking activities. Another problem was that, we did
not have water supply on the first day. But these are all small matters compared to the benefits and
the lifelong experience that I have gathered in the camp. In the next camp, I will surely take you
along.

That‘s all for now. I hope to hear from you soon. Take care.

Your friend, Shirley Shirley Lim ****

Directed Writing Question - SPM 2004

Question: There are a few matters in your school which could be improved. The school's Prefects'
Board has had a meeting. The prefects have decided to write a report for the principal. As the
secretary to the board, you have been asked to write the report. In your report, include the
following: - The unsatisfactory service and high food prices in the school canteen - The urgent need
to improve the cleanliness of the school - The request for a pedestrian or zebra crossing in front of
the school Do remember to: - Give your report a title - Use all the points given - Provide two
relevant details/examples for each of the four points - Write in paragraphs

Sample Answer

To: Puan Maisarah binti Kamaruzaman, Principal, SMK Kampung Pandan, 56400 Kuala Lumpur.

Suggestions for Improving Facilities in SMK Kampung Pandan

 The Prefectorial Board of SMK Kampung Pandan had a meeting on 17 September 2004 at 2.00 pm
in the Prefectorial Room. The meeting was called by our Head Prefect, Nazrin bin Arshad, because
there have been many complaints about the condition of the school. Here we would like to present a
detail report of the meeting to the principal of SMK Kampung Pandan for further action and
consideration. The first issue that was discussed was the unsatisfactory service and high food prices
in the school canteen. The canteen seems to be short of workers because there are only two people
handling the huge crowd of students during recess. Due to this, some students are not able to buy
their food on time. I addition, the price of food seems rather expensive for school students. For
example, a plate of 13 fried rice is RM2.00. Most of the students only bring RM1.00 to school, so
they are only able to by light food like bread or buns. There is an urgent need to improve the
cleanliness of the school. The first place to start is the school toilet. Usually after recess the toilets
are in the deplorable condition. The workers need to work to wash the toilets as soon as recess is
over. Furthermore, in the canteen the food is split all over the floor, leaving behind stain and stench.
The next point of discussion was the safely of the students. Since the traffic is very heavy in front of
the school is over, there need to be a pedestrian crossing. Even a zebra crossing with a traffic
warden would be ideal for the time being. This is due to the fact that there have been minor
accidents in the past couple of months. We hope that the school authorities would take the
necessary actions to improve the condition of the school so that the students would have a safe,
clean and comfortable environment in which they could study. Reported by, Shalini (Shalini
Ganesan) Secretary, Prefectorial Board, SMK Kampung Pandan. 14

Directed Writing Question - SPM 2003

Question: Your class would like to make a trip after the end-of-year examination. You are the class
monitor. You get a message from your teacher, who is away from school, asking you to discuss with
the students where they would like to go. You have been given the following information on the two
trips. Write a formal letter to your teacher stating the choice made by your class and give reasons
for the choice. Trip to the City - DATE: 15 - 17 December - DURATION: 3 days and 2 nights -
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel - COST PER PERSON: RM 120.00 - Places of interest:

• Art gallery

• Shopping complexes

• Parks and gardens

• Zoos

• Museums
 Trip to the Seaside - DATE: 2 - 4 December - DURATION: 3 days and 2 nights - ACCOMMODATION:
Camps - COST PER PERSON: RM80.00 - Activities:

• Swimming

• Boat rides

• Games on the beaches

• Jungle trekking

• Campfires

When writing the formal letter you should remember to: - make a choice of one trip - give reasons
using all the information given on the trip of your choice

15

Sample Answer

Juliana bt Mat Deris, 142, Taman Berangan, 09600 Slim River, Perak Darul Ridzuan.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Puan Kamaliah bt Aliff, 106, Taman Oriental, 39600 Slim River, Perak Darul Ridzuan. 10 October
2003 Dear Madam,

Decisions on trip to the seaside

After having discussed with the students regarding the trip we have planned after the end-of-year
examination, we have decided to carry on the trip to the seaside. 2. The trip to the seaside was
decided because the students say that the cost for the trip, which is about RM80 per person, is
cheaper and it is affordable for every student. Besides that, the students feel that the idea of staying
in camps is good, which will enable us to enjoy ourselves during our stay at the seaside for 3 days
and 2 nights. 3. Not only that, all of us considered that the date proposed that is from 2 to 4
December is convenient because it is the beginning of the month and many of us will be able to
make it for the trip. Many of us will be going out for holidays with our family members around the
end of the month. 4. Moreover, we think that the activities proposed will be very enjoyable. The
proposed activities, which include swimming, boat riding, games on the beach, jungle trekking and
campfires would help to create stronger ties between students. 5. Therefore, we will be very happy
if you could arrange the trip to the seaside as soon as you come back to school. We are hoping to
see you soon at school. Thank you. Yours faithfully,

……………………
(JULIANA BT MAT DERIS) Form 5 Neon Monitor 16

Directed Writing Question - SPM 2002

Question: Road accidents have been on the increase with more young people becoming victims.
Your school has

decided to launch a ―Road Safety Week‖ to raise awareness among students of the need to be
more responsible on the road chairperson of the school‘s organising committee, you have been
asked to

give a talk to other students on road safety. Below are some notes you have made on the reasons
why road accidents occur and suggestions to reduce the number of accidents. Reasons * Speed *
Reckless driving * Tiredness * Racing * Poor maintenance of vehicles * Road conditions Suggestions
* Strict enforcement of traffic rules * Increase fines * Road-worthy vehicles * Awareness campaigns
* Increase age limit for new drivers * Suspend driving license Write out the talk that you would give.
When writing out what you plan to say, you should remember to: - address the audience - introduce
the topic of the talk - use all the notes above - end the talk appropriately

Sample Answer

A very good morning to the Principal of SM Sri Mayang, teachers and fellow friends. As the

chairperson of the school‘s organizing committee for the ‗Road Safety Week‘, I would like to give a

talk on some safety tips for the students. As we know, there has been an increase in the accidents
reported involving students of this school. I hope this talk will raise your awareness to be more
responsible and careful when using the road. I would like to identify some of the reasons why road
accidents occur. First, speeding beyond the prescribed limits is the main cause. Some drivers not
only speed but also drive recklessly, breaking road rules and beating the traffic lights. Moreover,
drivers who are tired after long distance driving or after a long day work, may not be able to
concentrate on the road, thus causing accidents. Youngsters using the road as their racing track is
another cause too. Drivers who do not check and maintain their vehicles often may be involved in
accidents because their vehicle is faulty. Many potholes and uneven roads which contribute to the
poor condition of the road too can cause accidents. However, these problems can be overcome
with strict enforcement of traffic rules to those who flaunt the law. The offenders should be caught
and fines should be increased. Only road-worthy vehicles, which have been maintained well, should
be permitted on the roads. Awareness campaigns on safe driving should be carried out everywhere.
Since young drivers are high on the accident list, their age limit should be increased. If the drivers are
involved in any accidents, their licence should be suspended. 17 I hope the short talk that I have
delivered have given you some ideas of how to use the road safely. Thank you for listening. ****

Directed Writing Question - SPM 2001

Question: You find that many of your friends are under a lot of pressure. They spend most of their
time studying and appear to suffer from stress. Write an article for your school newsletter on how to
cope with stress. Include the following points: - Regular exercise - Hobbies - Plan a timetable - Work
in groups - Balanced meals - Enough sleep - Study skills - Make a check-list - Seek advice - Games -
Talk to your family - Listen to music You should use the all points given above and add two new
points of your own. When writing the article, you should remember: - to give a title - that your
readers are mainly students - to include all the points given - to add two new points of your own - to
write in paragraphs (35 Marks)

Sample Answer

Tips on Coping with Stress for Students

Stress is a word that is closely associated to students like us who are studying for our SPM
examination. Stress comes from our family and teachers who are pressuring us to do well, as well as
from the competition among our friends to excel. However, there is no way out; we have to find
ways to overcome with stress. Firstly, we must make time for exercise. Sitting and studying for
hours can add more stress, so going for walks or jogging will do us good. Having hobbies such as
stamp collecting or playing music will help to relax our tensed mind. For all these activities, you need
to have a timetable for studying and relaxing. Studying in groups is a good idea. You can discuss what
you do not know with your friends and motivate each other to study Eating a balanced meal is
essential to cope with stress. We need the nutrition and energy to study. You also must have enough
sleep. Do not cut on your sleeping hours, studying too late into the night and walking up early. You
will be tired to concentrate in class. You also must practice good study skills. Making notes and
mind

mapping are good studying techniques. Make a checklist that helps you to monitor how far you are
with revision. If you 18 feel distressed, seek advice from your teacher or counsellor. Go for outdoor
games such as badminton or tennis to release your tension and get away from books for a while.
Talk to your family members if you think they are pushing you too much to study. Listen to music
that makes you feel light and easy. If you have difficulty in certain subjects, go for private tuition to
get some assistance. Spend equal time for all the subjects. We tend to spend more time on our
favourite subjects and less time on others. This will affect our SPM grades. I hope you take heed of
my tips and wish you all the best in the coming SPM examination. Written by: Mohammad Firdaus
bin Abdul Rahim Form 5 Cromium ****

―Public exams should be abolished. Do you agree?‖

Public exa

minations play an important role in a student‘s life in Malaysia. In his eleven years

of schooling, a student has to sit for three major public examinations, the UPSR, PMR and SPM.
These examinations are taken seriously by all parties involved, especially students because the
results are used for a wide range of purposes ranging from placement of students to awarding of
scholarships. Despite these advantages, I strongly believe that public examinations should be
abolished as they have several drawbacks.
To begin with, public examinations to some extent merely test a student‘s ability to memorise and
regurgitate facts. Bloom‘s taxonomy of learning ranks these skills as lower order thinking skills.

Higher order thinking skills such as application and inference are often neglected. Students with
excellent memory do well in such examinations while those with poor memorising skills do poorly.
Thus, it is not surprising that many students with poor recall skills loathe subjects like History and
Biology. Another case in point is the Moral Education paper, which requires students to memorise

moral values. This is not a valid test as it tests only a student‘s knowledge of values, not the practice

of these values. An A in this paper does not guarantee that the student is a morally sound and
virtuous individual. And what about the student who gets an E? Are we suggesting that he is not a
morally upright individual? Another reason why I am not in favour of public examinations is that
they are not the best way to iden

tify a student‘s strengths or weaknesses. This is because these examinations test only certain skills.
Allow me to illustrate my point. The language papers, for example, test a student‘s

reading and writing skills only and even so, the range of sub-skills tested is limited. An A in these

subjects does not reflect a student‘s competency in all areas of the language. For all you know, he

may be an incompetent speaker. Or for that matter, does a C mean a student is about average in all
the language skills? Do

these grades tell us where a student‘s strengths and weaknesses lie?

Another major drawback is that teaching in schools today is largely influenced by public
examinations. Teachers teach to prepare students for exams and not for life. As such, many of our
students are ill-prepared to face the challenges of the real world. This also goes against the grain of
our National Philosophy of Education where the emphasis is on character building and the
development of human capital. All parties involved are to be blamed for this as they are more
concerned with student achievement and not student development. At the end of the day, parents
want

straight A‘s for their children, principals want excellent performances from their students and

teachers, and the list goes on.