Submitted by a candidate)

How to attain happiness?

A. have a goal
B. good relationship with others
C. good health
D. positive outlook

Here are my sample scripts... take note that these r just samples that I'm going to 'hantam'
write now... haha.. just for fun n to show you how to answer the speaking question as best as
you can.

Task A
Candidate A

A very good morning to one and all. The issue at hand today is how to attain happiness. I
believe that this issue has been on the forefront for as long as man existed. In fact, I believe
even animals and other beings strive to achieve this wonderful state of happiness and
contentment. It is therefore my honest opinion that in order to achieve happiness we must
have a concrete and measurable goal. Let us analyse a few reasons to justify this point.
First and foremost, to aspire towards happiness is not enough. Just wanting is only half the
battle won. To attain it there must be some kind of action involved and this most certainly
begins with setting goals. The most important reason for setting aims or goals is to provide a
way to measure if you have achieved it or not. For example, my aim is to be happy. In order
to be happy I must have enough money and job security as well as a stable and happy family.
Therefore the next logical step is to provide a timeframe to achieve this goal. If we set a goal
based on a timeframe, happiness will be more easily achievable. A young person could aim to
get his degree before he turns 25, get a stable high paying job by 30 and get married before
he/she is 35. Thus, having a goal or goals will help discern the level of our happiness.
Secondly, we can attain happiness when we have a goal because it gives us something to
work towards or aim for. However, please note that the beauty of having goals is that it can
be modified to suit ourselves and our situations. And once we have achieved it, we can create
new goals. Conversely, if we cannot attain it, we can modify them to be more realistic. For
instance, Mahatma Ghandi's goal in life was to achieve peace through peaceful means.
Furthermore, he was happiest when there are no wars and people can live in peace. Even
when he was sent to jail, he still held on to his goal which was to solve things through
peaceful means, not war. And even in jail, he could attain happiness - Ghandi is a truly
inspirational man.
As time is running out, let me reinstate that a key method to attain happiness is to set
reachable goals for ourselves. It also brings to mind a quote, 'Aim for the sun so that if you
fail, you will still be amongst the stars'. Thank you for listening.

Candidate B

A very good morning I bid to the examiners and my fellow candidates. As the saying goes,
'No man is an island'. Therefore we thrive on good relationships with others in order to attain
happiness. It would be quite strange to achieve ultimate happiness yet have no one of
consequence with whom to share it with. Hence, good relationships with others are some of
the fundamentals of achieving true happiness. Allow me to describe this issue further by
presenting a few points.
On the one hand, happiness is maximised when happiness is shared. In general, everyday we
interact with the people closes to us be they family members, spouse, children, best friends
or colleagues. In fact, sometimes, happiness comes from external sources and we may not
even know them personally. But it is these very relationships with others that will build the
foundation of happiness brick by brick. When we need help, and a friend offers it, or when
we just need to spend some quality time with our family and every member of the family
shows up, well, these instances feed happiness to our souls. Imagine if you received really
good news like a scholarship to study abroad but had no one to tell. Indeed, our happiness
would fade a little, or we might even end up depressed!
On the other hand, happiness diminishes when we have few or no good relationships with
others. In times of need, it is human nature to reach out for help especially from our closest
and dearest. As a child, when we fell and hurt our knees, we would call out for our mom or
dad. When a friend backstabs you with nasty gossip, we call our best friend to unload our
unhappiness. In the workplace, when our colleagues treat us unfairly, we go home to our
spouses and use them as sounding walls to express our anger or disappointment. Thus, the
human race is fragile, and we depend on good human relationships to keep our happy
odometer high.
In short, it would be pointless to attain happiness yet be so lonely with no one to share the
good times with. Hence, each of us should work on improving and bettering our relationships
in order to attain unlimited happiness in life. Thank you and have a nice day.

Candidate C

A marvelous morning I bid to one and all. As the popular saying goes, 'Health is Wealth'.
There is indeed a whole lot of truth to this age old adage as I am sure everyone will admit
that without health, we would live a poor quality and even substandard life hence marring
our ability to attain true happiness! Allow me to further elaborate by providing a few
different perspectives on this issue.
First and foremost, the level of our health will determine how happy we are. Surely there is
not a single soul out there who rejoices in being unhealthy and unwell. Basically, being
healthy is crucial to our happiness because if we cannot do even the simplest of things such
as brushing our own teeth and going to the toilet unassisted then it would be a very sad day
indeed. There can be nothing joyful about waking up every morning to face blood
transfusions or chemotherapy or surgery after surgery. In fact it would be downright
depressing and it isn't any wonder that these people would suffer depression and even
contemplate committing suicide.
Conversely, when we have optimum health, happiness is easily attained. When you wake up
in the morning and stretch and take big lungfuls of fresh air, it makes us ready to face the
challenges in the day ahead. We are able to play our role in society well be it as a student
with a sharp mind to study better, or a worker in this industrious world, doing our job well.
Or when our health is maximised, athletes all around the world break records and cry in
jubilation as when Usain Bolt does when he literally flies down the track or when Micheal
Phelps or even Lin Dan lifts the Olympic gold medals high in victory.
Needless to say, in conclusion, happiness is easily attainable when we are healthy because it
is one of the pillars of the basic necessities in life in order to truly achieve a state of bliss.
Thank you.
Candidate D

To the examiners and my fellow candidates, a wonderful morning I bid you. The topic given
today is rather interesting as it brings to mind a commonly asked question, "Is the glass half
empty or it is half full?" A person with a positive outlook would surely answer 'half full' and
this colours his or her life with positive energy therefore making happiness truly easily
attainable. Allow me to elaborate what I mean about a positive outlook.
Firstly, a positive outlook gives us a means of inventing options. What does this mean
exactly? Well, people who are positive do not give up easily, in fact, they make it a point to
inspect every avenue and come up with innovative ways to overcome any obstacle. For
instance, after studying so hard a student fails due to a death in the family during exam time
and she could not concentrate. Rather than surrender to her fate, she takes it as a challenge
to get back up on the horse and find a job. After a few years of working, she collects enough
money to do her degree on a part time basis and after 3 or 4 years, she finally graduates. This
is because she has a positive outlook and looked hard for other options to change her fate. At
the end, she has managed to attain happiness when her goals are achieved.
In addition, a person with a positive outlook seem to draw positive energy into her radius and
somehow good things start to happen to her. Even when bad things happen, like an accident
that messes up her car, she would still find the silver lining in the sense that she is thankful to
be alive and more grateful still for not having harmed anyone else. Therefore, a positive
outlook is crucial in attaining happiness because it is a wonderful ability to find the good in
any bad situation.
In short, people with a positive outlook with find happiness under every stone, at every
corner because they are better able to be happy and content with their lot in life. Thank you
for lending me your ears.
Situation

Your brother has been given the opportunity to study in England on a government
scholarship. You and your family are very proud of him. Decide on a special gift for him to
prepare for his trip abroad.

Task A: Suggest that they give him cash. Say why.

Task B: Discuss which of the following would be most useful.

i. cash

ii. a computer

iii. some suitable clothing

iv. some Malaysian foodstuff

Candidate A
Task A: Suggest that they give him cash. Say why.
Good morning to the examiners and my fellow friends. Im very happy that my
brother has just received a scholarship to study in England. My relatives and I would like to
give him a special gift. We all think that the best gift is money because it will be very useful
for him.
The first reason is with cash he can buy the things that he needs when he gets there.
There will me a lot of things that he will need like new books, stationery, clothes and food. He
will also need to pay for transportation like taking the bus or train to go to the university
campus. As we know, it is very expensive in England so any money we give him will be very
useful.
Secondly, my brother can use the money to buy a mobile phone when he gets to
England. I think this is very important in case of emergencies so we can contact him easily.
Furthermore, he can sms us and keep us updated with his progress in his studies there.
Hence, if we really miss him we can just give him a call.
Finally, I also think giving him money is the best choice because it is light and doesnt
take up a lot of space. If we were to give him a computer, books or winter clothes it will be
very heavy and bulky for him to bring to England. Therefore, I think that it is much easier to
bring money and buy those things when he gets there.
In conclusion, these are some of the reasons why I think giving him cash is the best
choice. To me, it is the most useful gift we can give him. Thank you.
Candidate B
Task A: You suggest that they give him a computer. Say why.
A very good morning I bid to one and all. My relatives and I are very proud of my brother. He
has just received a scholarship to study in England and so we would like to give him a special
gift. We believe that the best present for him is a laptop computer.
Firstly, as a university student, my brother will have to do many assignments. If he has a
laptop computer he can bring it everywhere and consequently, do his work anytime and
anywhere. Thus, he will not have to share the computers at the computer room with other
students and he will be able to do his work more quickly and efficiently.
Another point is that when he boards the plane from KLIA to London, he will be able to bring
the laptop with him easily because it is compact and light compared to a desktop computer.
Hence, it will not be too much trouble to transport it to England.
Last but not least, if he has a laptop he will be able to connect to the internet. This has two
main advantages as firstly, he can do a lot of research online. The world wide web is a
fountain of information so it will be very useful for him to make full use of this technology.
Furthermore, he can keep in touch with friends and family here in Malaysia by e-mail.
In short, a laptop computer will prove to be very useful to my brother. He can do his
assignments, research for information and keep in touch with us using it therefore it will
make the best gift. Thank you for listening.
Candidate C
Task A: You suggest that they give him some suitable clothing. Say why.
To the examiners and my fellow candidates, a wonderful morning I bid you. My brother was
lucky enough to receive a scholarship to study overseas. We want to send him off with a nice
gift so we have decided to buy him some suitable clothing.
The main purpose for buying him some suitable clothing is because the weather in England is
very different from the weather in our country. There are four seasons there so he will need
to have different clothes for different situations. For example, we can buy him some
sweaters, cardigans, scarves, snowcaps, thick socks and gloves and many more. These will
definitely keep him warm in winter.
The second reason is we think that he should have clothes that reflect our Malaysian identity.
This is because he will be a young ambassador for our country so if he has a few sets of
traditional clothing like the Baju Melayu or formal Batik shirts, I am sure he will not only look
good but promote our culture overseas.
Lastly, neat clothes make a good impression. For instance, if we buy him some everyday
clothes like jeans and trousers with nice shirts and matching ties, this will give him a good
feeling about himself so he will walk a bit straighter and talk a bit wiser. Moreover, people
will look at him and have a good impression about Malaysian students.
To conclude, I think that the best present to give him is some suitable clothing because it will
be very useful and will reflect positively on him. Thank you very much.
Candidate D
Task A: You suggest that they give him some Malaysian foodstuff. Say why.
I would like to wish everyone here a very good morning. As we all know, my brother has won
a scholarship to study in England. Therefore, some relatives and I have decided to give him
some Malaysian foodstuff as a going away present.
First and foremost, one of the main problems Malaysians face when studying overseas is that
it is hard to find Halal food. We feel it is a good idea to give him some Malaysian foodstuff
because it will take time for him to get used to the place and find out where to buy Halal
food. Thus, in the meantime he can enjoy the Malaysian foodstuff that we have given to him.
The next reason is because some of the foodstuff we are used to having here in Malaysia is
quite hard to find in UK. Most students studying overseas really enjoy eating Maggi Mee and
sambal belacan. For instance, it is also hard to find the right spices for curry and rendang and
so on so if we supply him with enough Malaysian foodstuff, he can eat it whenever he misses
home.
The final point I have is that he can use the Malaysian foodstuff we give him and cook it for
the Westerners there. Sometimes, universities organise events like Malaysian Night and so he
and his friends can cook some Malaysian specialities for them to taste a bit of our way of life.
Hence, the Malaysian foodstuff will be very useful to promote our culture.
In a nutshell, giving my brother Malaysian foodstuff to take with him to England is a good
idea. This is because he will have some familiar food to eat when he misses home and he can
also share it with his new friends. Thank you for listening to my opinion.

Task B: Discuss which of the following would be most useful.

 Cash
A computer
Some suitable clothing
Some Malaysian foodstuff
* Work together in your respective groups and complete the following discussion.
A: Good morning once again to everyone. We are here to focus on the issue at hand which is
__________________________________________________________. I would like to
invite anyone of you to kickstart this discussion by giving us your point of view.
B: Allow me to begin. First of all, Im happy that our brother has won the scholarship to study
in England. Therefore, we must decide what would be the most useful gift for him. In
my opinion, I strongly believe that _______________
_________________________________________________________________. This is
because I think he can _________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
For example, ______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
C: I see your point but how about getting him ______________________________. In this
way, he can use it to ___________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
D: I dont quite agree with you because ____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________. I think
it would be more useful if we bought _______________________ for him. Does
anyone agree with me?
A: Yes, I agree with you. To add to your point, I feel that ______________________
_________________________________________________________________.
This is so he will ___________________________________________________.
C: Im afraid I dont see eye to eye with both of you. Buying that as a present for him is not
the most useful gift because __________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
Moreover, ________________________________________________________.
Can you all understand what Im trying to say?
B: Indeed, I do see your point of view but I still feel that the most useful gift is
__________________ because it can ___________________________________.
 Another reason is ___________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________. For
instance, _______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
D: Thats an interesting perspective and I agree with you that ___________________
_________________________________________________________________.
However, I think we should consider other points. We should also think about buying
him _______________________________________________________.
If he gets this as a present, he can ______________________________________ and
____________________________________________. Wouldnt you agree?
A: Im not sure I understand what you are saying. Can you explain it again, please.
D: What I mean is we should buy him _____________________________________ because it
will me more useful for him when he is studying in England. This is because
___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
A: Aaah I see. Yes, I think it would be a very useful gift too. This way, he can
_________________________________________________________________.
C: Thats a good point, but dont you think if we gave him _____________________ it will be
the most useful for him as a student. I still believe that this is the most useful because
_____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
Remember, we need to think of the best and most useful choice.
B: I agree with you, Candidate C. In addition, he can use this gift to _____________
________________________________________________________________________
_____________________. So candidates A & D, what do you guys think?
D: Now that youve explained it like that, I also agree that it will be the most useful. In fact,
he could also use it to _________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
A: As for me, I feel that it is also the most useful. When he arrives at his university in England,
he will be able to ____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
C: Thats right. Well, after listening to all the points on the four choices we have, I think it is
time to make a conclusion.
D: Yes, I think so too. Does everyone agree that we should give our brother
_______________________________________ as a special going away present?
All: Yes, I agree.
B: In a nutshell, we all agree that _______________________________ is the best choice
because firstly, he can _________________________________________, secondly,
________________________________________________ and finally
_________________________________________________________________.
Thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What to conclude if after 10 minutes of discussion.
Agree = 3, Disagree = 1
Conclusion: To conclude, MOST OF US agree that ______________________
is the best choice because ________________________________.
___________________________________________. Thank you.
Agree = 2, Disagree = 2
Conclusion: In conclusion, we were unable to make a solid decision because
SOME OF US stongly believe that the best choice is __________ because
_______________________________________________ while THE REST
OF US think that giving him _______________ is the most useful
because _________________
___________________________________________. Thank you.
All Disagree
Conclusion: In a nutshell, we were unable to come to an agreement on which of the
four options is the best choice. It seems ALL OF US strongly believe in
our own points so as we have run out of time, we think that we should
each buy him a gift individually. Thank you.
B. FULL-TIME
A very good morning to one and all. It worries me a lot when I know that one of my friends
wants to quit university due to her financial problems. In my humble opinion, she should just
continue her studies full time.
Firstly, she will be able to achieve better results when studying full time. This is because she
can concentrate on her academics. In addition, she needs to work hard to achieve success. As
a result, she can work hard to be on the deans list.
My second point is she can apply for scholarships or study loans with flexible repayment with
her good results. The main reason for this is because scholarships and loans can help her to
ease the burden of her family. As an illustration, she has to study hard to achieve great
marks or pointers and apply for financial support during the second semester and if she gets a
4 pointer result the loan can be converted into a scholarship.
Last but not least, she can find a better job with higher salary quicker after graduation rather
than studying part time. My reason for this is because her studies has a shorter duration of
time to finish. Furthermore, she can help her family by providing financial support after she
has a job. For instance, she will obtain more money with her qualification rather than just
work part time because a degree can get her a higher salary. Even as a graduated teacher, she
can earn minimum RM3000 a month compared to RM900 minimum wages.
In summary, these are the reasons why she should continue her studies full time. In my point
of view, these give greater benefits to her family and herself. Thank you and have a nice day.

C. POSTPONE FOR 1 YEAR (GAP YEAR)

A very lovely morning to the examiners and my fellow candidates. As we all know, my friend
and her family are currently facing a financial crisis. As her friend, I would advise her to
postpone her studies for one year as our government has approved the gap year system now.
First of all, she can find a permanent job instead of working part time if she postpones her
studies. My reason for this is because a permanent job has a better and higher salary than a
part time job. Furthermore, the salary for a permanent job can be raised higher as time goes
by. As an illustration, she could earn approximately RM1200 per month and above by
working permanently whereas she would only earn around RM750 monthly part time.
My second point is she will be able to save a greater amount of money. This is due to she has
more time when she postpones her studies. She can save a certain amount of money a month
for a whole year. Moreover, if it is an office hour job, she can also do online business, baking
and selling, catering and many more.
Finally, she will be able to help her family with their financial problem. The main reason for
this is because she can focus on earning money instead of worrying about not being able to
focus on her studies. In addition, she does not have to worry about any overdue fees for her
to settle as soon as possible.
In a nutshell, postponing her studies for one year is definitely a great idea. It will greatly
benefit her and her family and she can continue studying after the gap year. Thank you.

D. STUDY BUT START A BUSINESS ONLINE

A wonderful day I bid you. I feel very disheartened when I found out that my friend wants to
quit her studies because of her familys financial crisis. After a lengthy deliberation, I think
that she should just continue her studies but at the same time, she should start a business
online.
Firstly, she can earn her own money by doing an online business. Social media is one of the
mediums for people around us to communicate with each other. Due to the very high number
of users, it increases the probability for every percentage of the buyers. There are a lot of
social media sites or apps and pages that we could start with. For instance, Whatsapp,
Wechat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and so on.
Moving on to my next point, doing a business online saves a lot of cost. The main reason for
this is because she does not have to rent for a shop to display and sell. Moreover, she can
save her money by reducing the transportation cost. To illustrate, she will need to pay for the
transportation fees to her workplace.
Lastly, doing an online business is easier for everyone. My reason for this is because
nowadays everyone can access the internet from any location through various gadgets and
devices such as computers, mobile phones, tablets and many more.
In short, these are the benefits of doing business online. She can help both her family and
herself if she works hard for it and manages her time well. Thank you for lending me your
ears.

TASK B
Discuss the best advice for her.
A: A wonderful morning to one and all. The issue we are discussing today is our friend wants
to quit university due to a financial crisis that her family is facing. I would like to invite
anyone of you to kickstart this discussion by giving us your opinion.
C: Allow me to begin. First and foremost, I am very worried about our friend when I received
the news that she wants to quit university. Hence, I decided to give her a piece of advice. In
my humble opinion, I believe that studying full time is a good way for her. This is because she
will achieve better results if she focuses only on her studies. For instance, she can be on the
deans list when she works hard for it.
B: I see your point but how about she postpones her studies for one year. In this way, she will
be able to help her family with the financial problem. The reason is because she can focus on
earning money instead of worrying and being unable to focus in class.
D: I do not quite agree with you because by doing so, she will graduate later than she is
supposed to. I think that it will be better if she studies but start a business online. Does
anyone agree with me?
A: Yes, I do agree but allow me to share my point. I think that she should study part time. My
reason for this is because she can work part time while studying to earn some money to pay
for her tuition fees, books, accommodation and so on.
C: I am afraid that I do not see eye to eye with both of you. Those solutions are not the best
way to solve her problems. Mainly because she might end up repeating her papers and will
have another incurred fees. Thus, it will actually burden her family and herself more.
B: Indeed, I do see your point of view but I believe that she should just continue her studies
full time because she can also apply for a scholarship or study loan by using her first
semesters result. In order to make it happen, she needs to get a very good result which I
encourage her to just focus on her studies.
D: That is an interesting perspective and I agree with you that she should apply for a
scholarship or loan. However, I think that we should consider other points. In my perspective,
doing an online business is very simple and saves a lot of cost. She does not have to rent for a
shop nor spend a lot on transportation fees. Wouldnt you agree?
A: I am not sure I understand what you are saying. Can you explain it again, please?
D: What I mean is she can study and do business online at the same time. The main reason for
this is because it is very simple, easy, convenient and fast. Nowadays people can access the
internet from anywhere they are. She would not need to spend money on rental and
transportations as orders will be made online by using computers, mobile phones, tablets and
so on.
A: I see. Yes, I think it would be a great way too. This way she can earn some money even
during her studies.
C: That is a good point, but dont you think that having a gap year for her is better? I strongly
believe that this is the best way because she can find a permanent job instead of part time.
My reason for this is simply because she will receive a higher salary compared to working part
time. Hence, she can save her money worth a year. So candidates A and D, what do you guys
think?
D: Now that you have explained it like that, I also agree that it will be the best way. In fact,
she can ease the burden of her family if she earns a lot.
A: As for me, I feel that it is the best if she studies part time because she can also find a
sponsorship for her studies. In exchange, she will need to work with the company even
during her studies.
C: After listening to all the points on the four choices we have, I think that it is time to make a
conclusion.
D: Yes, I think so too. Does everyone agree that our friend should study while starting a
business online?
All: Yes, I agree.
B: In short, it is unanimous that we all agree that studying while starting an online business is
the best way because firstly, she can earn her own money. Secondly, it saves a lot of cost and
finally, it is easy to access from any location.
Thank you and have a nice day.

Sample 2:

TASK A
Reducing is one of the 3R strategies. Discuss.
Candidate A: Reduce paper usage
Candidate B: Reduce plastics usage
Candidate C: Reduce electricity usage
Candidate D: Reduce petroleum usage
Task B: Which strategy is the best?

CANDIDATE A: REDUCE PAPER USAGE

Good morning to the examiners and fellow candidates. One of the 3R strategies is to reduce.
Reducing means to make something smaller or use less, resulting in a smaller amount of
waste. I strongly believe that reducing paper usage is the best way to reduc wastage.
First and foremost, reducing paper usage gives us environmental benefits. My main reason
for this is because we can save a lot of trees from being cut down. Trees provide oxygen to
both humans and animals. Therefore, to have more or sufficient oxygen, the number of
humans and animals should never overpopulate the amount of plants and trees. Moreover,
trees are habitats to certain species of animals. Unknowingly, we are destroying their
habitats and thus will lead to the extinction of some endangered species of both flora and
fauna. Hence, reducing the usage of paper is very important to save the environment.
Secondly, we are able to save our cost if the usage of paper is reduced. This is because when
we use less paper, we will also reduce the cost for storage, toner, printing, labour, postage,
packaging, disposal and so on. To illustrate, we should always use both sides of the papers
and maximise the use of the space. In the office, we should always think before we start
printing on paper. To exemplify, we can use email instead of paper mail which is easier in
many ways. Therefore, less usage of paper saves a huge amount of money.
Finally, the reduction of usage of paper will definitely make our lives more efficient.
Nowadays, technological advancement plays an important role in our lives. To elaborate, we
can reduce paper usage by using electronic storage rather than paper storage for material.
Electronic storage can be very reliable if it is set up with backups. Moreover, we can change
our bills to paperless bill and pay them online or by phone. The companies can do this easily
since email is much cheaper than postage. Thus, reducing paper usage is saving a lot of our
time and making tasks simpler.
In a nutshell, reducing the use of paper will definitely give us a better life in the future as we
are able to save more trees, costs and time. Awareness should be spread throughout the
society to aid more in the 3R strategies. Thank you for your time.

CANDIDATE B: REDUCE PLATICS USAGE

A wonderful morning I bid to you. Reducing is one of the 3R strategies that is introduced
throughout the society. In my point of view, reducing plastics usage is a very good way to
minimise the amount of waste that we produce.
At the forefront of this issue is the fact that overuse of plastics will cause pollution. The
reason for this is because plastics are non-biodegradable. This means that they take hundreds
or even thousands of years to breakdown. Those plastic wastes take up precious space in
landfills. As a result, they pollute the environment such as oceans, groundwater and soil
when the chemical compounds in the plastics leach through the soil. We may not be able to
eliminate them all, but we can reduce the usage of plastics by replacing plastic bags with
paper bags or reusable shopping bags. Hence, we will be able to save the environment from
being polluted by reducing the usage of plastics.
A second crucial point to ponder is that the making of plastic itself has already used a lot of
energy and earths resources. As an illustration, we take plastic bottles for example from
producing the bottle, to filling it with water, to transporting it to stores and then to our
home. It obviously requires a lot of energy compared to producing tap water. To reduce
plastics usage, one of the things we can do is that we should boil our own drinking water
instead of buying bottles of drinking water. Some cities in America have passed a law to ban
the sales of bottled water in their war against plastics. Thus, we are able to use less plastic
products.
Last but not least, we should use fewer plastic products due to the health hazard. My main
reason for this is because plastic is a complex mixture of chemical compounds. Some
hazardous chemicals might leach from the plastic food containers when heated or exposed to
UV light. This explains why we should not drink water from a plastic bottle left in a car, where
it is exposed under the sun. To avoid the hazardous effects, we should store our food in glass
containers. Some universities and even bazaars in selangor have declared themselves to be
Zero-plastic and those still using plastics will be fined heavily. Therefore, we should reduce
plastics usage as they may also affect our health.
To sum up, these reasons support the idea of reducing the use of plastics. We can change and
save our future even with the smallest gesture will have a snowball effect. Thank you for
lending me your ears.

CANDIDATE C: REDUCE ELECTRICITY USAGE

Hello and greetings to one and all. The 3R strategies aid us in saving the world which is
currently gradually collapsing due to climate change and pollution. Therefore, my suggestion
is to reduce electricity usage.
My first point is that we can save our money by reducing the use of electricity. This is
because electricity usage at home can be up to 90% compared to other sources. For example,
the use of televisions, fans, lights, heaters, air-conditioners, chargers and many more that
require electrical power to function. To reduce this phenomenon, we can replace normal light
bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs and same goes to the other electrical appliances and
electronic devices. Hence, our electric bills can be effectively reduced with minimum usage of
electricity.
Moving on to my next point, we can avoid short-circuit occurrence due to high consumption
of electrical power if we reduce the usage. My explanation for this is that the higher the
currents, the more the energy loss. They are converted into other form of energy such as light
and heat. It is dangerous when more of the electrical energy is converted into heat as it can
generate fire. To avoid this, we should insulate and always checked the insulator for all of the
wires we use. Furthermore, we should always switch off all of the switches and unplug every
socket when not in use. Too often, we hear about charging phones exploding and catching
fire. Thus, reducing the use of electricity increases our safety.
On top of that, we should reduce electrical power consumption because of the limited non-
renewable resources. In Malaysia, electricity is generated from the burning of fossil fuels
whereas in other countries, they are using unlimited resources such as the sun, wind and
tides. Additionally, the burning of fossil fuels will also cause environmental pollution. As an
illustration, river and sea water are polluted by chemicals and polluted air from the release of
unfiltered smokes. Therefore, the environment can be saved by reducing electricity usage.
In short, we can improve our lives if we are aware of the need to protect the earth first. I
strongly believe that reducing the use of electricity is the best way for us if we wish to
continue to live harmoniously in this world of limited resources. Thank you for listening.

CANDIDATE D: REDUCE PETROLEUM USAGE

A very lovely day I bid to the examiners and fellow friends. We have been educated and
taught in school about the 3R strategies ever since we were young, where reducing is one the
3R strategies. From my perspective, I think that we should reduce petroleum usage.
For starters, we need to remember that petroleum is a non-renewable resource. Why do I
say so? Because petroleum is indeed a very limited resource that is extracted from the deep
sea and sooner or later, it will all disappear in a blink of an eye. There are a lot of products
made from petroleum. One of the things that we can do to reduce the use of petroleum is to
discontinue the usage of plastics, soaps as well as perfume and scented products. To
elaborate, almost all of these chemicals are derived from petrochemicals. Thus, we are able
to lengthen the duration of petroleum usage before it is all used up.
My next point is that traffic jams can be reduced. My reason for this is because petroleum
and transportation are strongly related to each other. We should change our vehicle usage
patterns. Take for instance, we should use our own car a lot less and start walking, biking and
using public transportations more. Moreover, we should also schedule our trips. For example,
we may plan a weekly shopping trip instead of going four or five times per week. Therefore,
we will face less traffic jam if we use less petroleum in terms of transportation.
My last point is that reducing petroleum usage can also pollute the environment less. To
produce energy from petroleum, it must undergo the process of burning. The burning of fuel
will result in the release of unhealthy and toxic fumes. Nowadays, technological
advancement is the solution to this problem. Cars which require fuel and gasoline are
replaced with car batteries, solar power energy and even hybrid electric generated power like
the Toyota Prius. Hence, pollution can be controlled if petroleum usage is significantly
decreased.
In summary, the non-renewable resource of petroleum has been used quite a lot up until
now. It would not be shocking news if one day the price of the crude oil will be too high that
even the citizens might not be able to afford. With these reasons, I vehemently agree that
petroleum usage must be reduced. Thank you and have a nice day.
TASK B
Discuss the best way to reduce.
C: Good morning. Thank you all for coming. We are meeting here today to discuss about the
best way to reduce. Shall we start?
B: Yes, Candidate C. Allow me to share my opinion. First and foremost, we should reduce the
usage of plastics for the benefits of our environment. Plastics require quite a long time to
biodegrade. This means that they will stay longer on earth and take up our precious space at
disposal areas. Do you agree with me, candidate D?
D: Yes, I do go along with that. Plastics need to be reduced. Come to think of it, I have
realised that plastics and petroleum are related to each other since plastics is derived from
petroleum. Therefore, we are also able to save the environment by reducing petroleum
usage.
A: I am afraid that I am not quite sure what you mean by that.
D: Well you see, plastics are made with petrochemicals. Additionally,,we cannot go anywhere
without transportation so this means that petroleum is one of the most important resources.
We can reduce its usage by walking, biking, taking public transportation and use a lot less of
our own vehicles. Hence, when we are able to reduce the amount of transportation, we are
also saving the environment from pollution by reducing the release of unwanted and
unhealthy gases.
C: I see your point there, but dont you think that it is better to reduce electricity usage? Since
its usage is extremely high, we may be able to save our money if we conserve the energy
well. For instance, we can replace normal light bulbs, electrical appliances and electronic
devices with energy-efficient one. It is undeniable that we are using electricity for almost
every second of our lives.
A: Sorry to interrupt. That may be true because today we are all addicted to electricity
especially when charging our phones, but from my point of view, trees play the most
significant role in our lives. We are unable to live without plants and trees as they provide us
oxygen. Hence, we must reduce the usage of paper. For example, we should always use both
sides of paper and maximise the use of the space of it. Furthermore, we are also able to save
a lot of cost if paper usage is reduced because we are also reducing the cost for storage,
toner, printing, labour, postage, packaging, disposal and so on.
B: That is an interesting idea, but that is not how I see it. We can always grow trees but we
can never grow non-renewable resources. It is true that plastic is made from petroleum, but
not a whole entirely of petroleum. It is made out of many other compounds to form a long
chain of polymer. Polymer is made out of many chains of monomers. This means that plastic
itself has already used great amount of energy and earths resources. To explain this, we have
limited amount of resources on earth. Didn't you hear in the news that huge sealife like
turtles, whales and dolphins have washed up ashore and died and when the post mortem
was done, tonnes of plastics have been found in their digestive systems? To solve this, one of
the things we can do is that we should boil our own drinking water instead of buying bottles
of drinking water.
D: That is brilliant candidate B. I hadnt thought of that before. It is certainly a fact too that
we are using plastic bags everywhere and it is almost uncountable. To add to this point, I
think that we are able to make changes if we replace those plastic bags with paper bags or
reusable shopping bags. Therefore, Id go along with reducing the usage of plastics.
C: So what do you think about this candidate A, do you agree with both candidates B and D?
or would you like to add on your own thoughts about it?
A: Personally, I do not quite agree with both candidates B and D. I am utterly convinced that
we should reduce the use of paper. I am saying this because we are now in a world that is
rapidly improving in technological advancement. Using less paper and digitalising all of the
data, making our lives becoming more efficient and systematic. Hence, our lives would be
easier even when paper is reduced.
B: I understand that, so how about you candidate C? Do you approve our ideas or do you
agree with candidate A? Perhaps you would also like to propose your own ideas?
C: Candidate As opinion is good, but it may not be practical. I strongly believe that we should
reduce electrical power consumption. My reason for this is to be able to avoid short-circuit
occurrence due to high consumption of electrical power if the current used is less. There will
be greater power loss in electric circuits if the current used is high. In this content, electrical
power is lost in the form of heat and light. It may be dangerous as sparks might be produced
and causes fire.
A: Now that you have explained it like this, I have had a change of heart. I see eye to eye with
you candidate C and I have no objection to reducing electricity usage as safety is our main
priority too.
D: After listening to all the opinions on four ways to reduce, I think that we have come to a
conclusion. To sum up everything, we are unable to make a solid decision as some of us
strongly believe that reducing plastics usage is the best way because it will save our
unhealthy environment, overcome the draining out of limited resources and save a lot of cost
while the rest of us think that reducing electricity usage is the wisest choice because it saves
our money and prevent short-circuit occurrence. Thanks for a fruitful and stimulating
discussion. Till we meet again next time.

Note: Your task now is to highlight and copy all the beautiful and useful phrases (connectors
and linkers) and promise yourself you WILL use them in your speaking exam next week. Good
luck!