Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 5

The details of QET are available at:

http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/event/registration-qet.html

QET Exam Tips


The articles you read will be related to the topic of your essay that you need to write. One
article will oppose the topic while another will agree with it by giving their own
perspectives and evidences. The remaining one article will either agree, oppose or remain
neutral. Therefore, what you need to do is to choose one stand and elaborate your
reasons. Below is the standard structure of an argumentative essay.

Template for an argumentative essay


Introduction

Brief background of the given topic


Definition of key words and issues
Thesis
- Clear and Logical
Outline of main points
-Clear and Comprehensive
Provide transition into body paragraphs
-show your stand
-show how you will develop your ideas

Body
paragraphs

Topic sentence
- what the main point of each paragraph is
Supporting details
-synthesise what you have read (show what different people think
about the same point)
-show some critical thinking (what you think of what you have read)
Counter-arguments
-show that you understand that there is an opposing viewpoint, but
Refutations
-show that you have an argument against that opposing viewpoint
Transitions are appropriate, e.g. firstly.
- From introduction
- Between paragraphs
Provide in-text citations

Conclusion

Recap main points


Reiterate thesis
Final word if any (no new ideas)

*All the information is adapted from Communication in the University Culture by T.Ruanni F.Tupas, Catherine Cook,
Norhayati Bte Mohd Ismail.

When you make use of information from the reading texts, you must indicate clearly which text did
your information came from. (In the sample paper, this is indicated as with proper acknowledgment.)
Juniors, below is an example of an academic essay. It is only for reference (it would be best
to follow the structure given above), and the essay structures mentioned above are written
in red in the essay given.
The 2010 sample QET paper can be found in the PDF file.

Psychologists are quick to observe that because of the complexity of our relationships with
others, social motives play a very great role in our lives (Morris, 1979, p.370). Two of these social
motives the need for achievement (i.e., the need for excellence of performance) and the need for
power (i.e., the need to control others) are especially important in terms of success within an
organisation. While individual success is no doubt the result of a combination of many motives, the
need for achievement (nAch) and the need for power (nPwr) appear to be very important contributing
factors. This paper will propose that, in terms of the personal characteristics associated with each of
these two motives, a strong need for power would seem to be most effective when a strong need for
achievement is also present.(thesis

One of the most obvious traits found in those people who have a high nPwr is their tendency to
seek positions in which they are able to exert control over others i.e., positions of leadership. (topic
sentence) (Robbins, 1979). These positions may be in any domain (business, education, government,
and so on), but in all these areas, in order to successfully maintain a position of leadership, a person
must also have certain other personal characteristics. (transition) To get the position in the first place,
the individual must be competitive. In order to assume a role of leadership within an organisation, one
must be able to learn the ropes quickly and to persevere in carrying out long-range plans. To
accomplish this, a person must have a high level of energy and a sense of responsibility. Moreover,
since the individual is in a leadership position, success rests largely on the internal standards which
have been set, as well as on some ability to resist outside pressure. Interestingly enough, these traits
competitiveness, the ability to learn quickly, perseverance, a high energy level, a sense of responsibility,
the ability to resist outside pressure, and high self-imposed standards are among those most
commonly found in persons who have a high nAch (expresses that nPwr is related to nAch, reinforcing/
supporting the last sentence of the introduction paragraph) (Morris, 1979).

In the field of management, Maccoby (1971) describes the typical modern corporate executive.
This new manager combines a high nPwr with a high nAch:
His main interest is in challenge, competitive activity where he can prove himself a winner.
Impatient with others who are slower and more cautious, he likes to take risks and to motivate
others to push themselves beyond their normal pace. He responds to work and life as a game. The
contest hypes him up and he communicates his enthusiasm, thus energising others.

Comment [l1]: In-text citation.

Comment [l2]: In-text citation

Supporting details

Comment [l3]: In-text citation

Comment [l4]: cite

Further research tends to demonstrate that persons who have a high need for power seek to dominate
group discussions(topic sentence) (Robbins, 1979). To assume and successfully maintain a dominant
position in a discussion group, an individual must possess characteristics which enable him/her to do so.
These include the following: competitiveness, in order to dominate; a sense of self-confidence, in order
to express opinions in a group; the ability to learn quickly, in order to respond appropriately; and a high
level of energy combined with the ability to resist outside pressures, in order to maintain dominance.
Once again, these traits are those found in persons who have a high need for achievement (expresses

Comment [l5]: In-text citation

Supporting details

that nPwr is related to nAch, reinforcing/ supporting the last sentence of the introduction paragraph)

(Morris, 1979).

Politics, one of the fields commonly chosen by those with a high need for power (Robbins,
1979, p. 268), provides a good illustration of the relationship between these two social motives. (topic
sentence) To achieve success in politics, a person must demonstrate most of the characteristics of highnAch personalities. More specifically, in a study done of the power motivation of certain U.S.
presidents (Winter, 1973), John F. Kennedy was identified as one of the presidents with a high need for
power. Kennedy, one of the most popular presidents, was well-known for his energy, self-confidence,
competitiveness, and sense of perseverance. In addition, self-imposed high standards and the ability to
grasp the essentials of a problem were qualities assigned to him. Kennedys high nPwr, as determined
by Winter in this study by the concerns, aspirations, fears, and ideas for action of each president as
revealed in his inaugural address (Morris, 1979, p. 372), seemed, for successful fulfillment, to be
dependent on the possession of high nAch as well.

Thus, although it is clear that a number of motives are at work at any one time of determining
the behaviour of any individual, (counter-argument) current research indicates that in terms of
success within an organisation, the need for power (nPwr) and the need for achievement (nAch) are
among those most deserving of further consideration. (refutation) And while there has been, to date,
no definitive study which establishes an absolute correlation between these two motives(counterargument) , a careful comparison of their respective component traits seems to suggest that a strong
need for achievement is a prerequisite for the most complete satisfaction of a strong need for power.
(refutation) The desire to do things well and those personal traits which enable a person to do so
would appear to constitute an excellent foundation for assuming and maintaining positions of
leadership, providing a more effective complement to the desire to control and influence others.

References
Maccoby, M. (1979). The New Manager: A Game-Player Rather Than Power-Seeker. In S. P.
Robbins (Ed.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 282-83). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Morris, C.G. (1979). Psychology. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Robbins, S. P. (1979). Organizational Behavior. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Comment [l6]: In-text citation

Comment [l7]: In-text citation

Comment [l8]: In text citation

Supporting details
Comment [l9]:

Comment [l10]: In-text citation

Recap of main points &


reiterate thesis

Final words

Comment [l11]:

Winter, D.G. (1973, July). What Makes the Candidates Run. Psychology Today, 45-49.

moduleFOC
briefing FOC senior

GOOD LUCK, JUNIORS!!!

Comment [l12]: References (to be written at the


end of the essay).
This is the APA style.

Вам также может понравиться