PMR ENGLISH WORKSHOP PMR 2013

BY FIFFY ARMIZA (TKC)

QUALITY FACTOR
In order to get an A Students must score at least 35/ 40 for paper 1 Students must score at least 37/ 50 for paper 2 Suggestions, students must at least score 15 marks for section A 12 marks for section B 10 marks for section C

QUANTITY FACTOR
In order to pass (a D) Students must score at least 20/40 for paper 1 Students must score at least 20/50 for paper 2 Suggestions for paper 2 Section A 12 marks Section B - 5 marks Section C - 5 marks 22 marks

An A essay
Ideas

and details well-developed Language and mechanic of writing is accurate Sentence structures varied and effective Vocabulary is wide Interesting to read

Basic Requirement in Task Fulfillment

In order to get at least 15 marks, a students essay must at least fulfill these criteria Ideas developed with sufficient details Vocabulary is apt Able to use variety of sentence structure Interest is arouse

BRAINSTORMING FOR IDEAS

How to find ideas?

Holiday

1. Find the words related to the given words

No school

Free time
relax Family activity camping trip vacation

The usual cliche start During the holidays, Johan and his family travelled to Melaka to attend a wedding. They went there by car. In the car, there were his father, Encik Jamil, his mother, Puan Sara, Johan and his younger sister, Lily.
The examiners would find this sentences not varied -lack elaboration and details -vocabulary too simple. -safe writing but not interesting. And most probablyplain boring Almost all students with average command of English write the same thing. Its not interesting!

Instead, drill the students to elaborate with more adjectives

Sample 1 : Using description

They started their journey very early in the morning that day. Mother said they were going to a cousins wedding in Sungai Petani, Kedah. The thought of four to five hours of travelling in a cramped car with his two younger siblings not only disturbed him but added headache to his already reluctant mood.

The better students to do this

Sample 2: Using quotation/saying/proverbs Experience is the best teacher. One might not understand the meaning of this saying unless he experiences it himself. That was what had happened to Johan and his family. On that day, what started as an ordinary journey to attend a wedding had turned out to be a life-time experience for this one happy family and surely something which they would never forget for the rest of their life.

The high proficient ones to do this.

Sample 3: Using dialogues Dad, how far more is the place? Johans restless little sister was asking the same question over and over again. It had been a three-hour non-stop journey and boredom was clearly seen on everybodys face. Johans family was travelling to Melaka to attend a cousins wedding. What began as an exciting trip turned exhausting as the clock ticked but they were yet to reach the brides house.

REMEMBER
Give an interesting title to the story. Start the essay with an interesting introduction. This will give a good impression of the essay. Make sure the students use the right and consistent tense in the essay. Include a moral value if possible. To gain some merits ( which could push the band higher), students should know how to use idiomatic expressions such as proverbs, similes, figurative wordsetc Avoid spelling mistakes because it is a serious error if repeated and occurs to common words.

Past year questions

- description/report - informal letter - story - speech - article for school magazine - story - opinion/making a choice

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Literature Section B Paper 2

Question 2 This section requires candidate to write a short essay and give a simple personal response. A candidates response should come from ONE novel only. Outline suggestion 1.Should start by mentioning the title of the novel and the author. 2. Write a brief synopsis 3. State the answer. 4. Cite at least two (2) evidence 5.Conclude your answer by summarizing the evidence

SAMPLE ANSWER FOR SECTION B

Choose one of the novels, then write about an incident that you think is important. Give reasons why you think the incident is important. Support your answer with evidence from the novel. The novel How I met myself Brief synopsis of `how I met myself The incident When John Taylor first met his doppelganger. Evi.1) This incident changed John Taylor. He started to find out more about the man and spent more time at Gergely Utca Caf.

Remember To elaborate and give the details for the reasons. Use simple sentences and avoid from making grammatical and structural mistakes. If the students are not sure of a fact, dont write about it. Make sure the spelling of the characters name are correct.
(Janos Szabo, No. 7 Felka Utca, Kati, Zsolt, Gergely Utca, Paul Harris)

NOVEL

How I met myself

AUTHOR David A Hill

BRIEF

This story is about John Taylor, an Englishman SYNOPSIS who worked in Budapest. One day as he was walking home from work, he met a man who looked exactly like him. He felt that the man was connected to him. In the end, he found out that the man was his doppelganger, a ghost from the past who came to help him saved his family.
QUESTION ( character, incident, place, moral value, theme, lesson)

The character that interest me the most in the story is John Taylor.

Evidence 1 First, I like John Taylor because he is a very determined person. Elaboration After he accidentally met his doppelganger, he (E.1) set his mind to find the truth. He returned to the

place he found the man and waited almost every

day in the hope that he would meet him. He asked people and searched through newspaper article about a man named Janos Szabo, who had lived at the place in 1945. His determination paid

off and he understood why the doppelganger

came to find him.

Evidence 2 Besides, he is also a brave person. Elaboration He thought he had found a ghost, nevertheless, he

(E.2)

goes all out to find out the truth. Not many people
are brave enough to face such encounter. He was also brave enough to go into the burning caf to save his wife.

Conclusion All in all, not only John Taylor a determined

person, he is also brave .These characteristics make him a very admirable person and that is why I admire him.

Past year questions

2005

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

- Moral value (Honesty/responsibility) - Like/dislike the ending - characters, cooperate to gain success. - important incident - characters/friendship - a positive quality of a character - an event that makes you unhappy

SECTION C: SUMMARY

Awarding of marks Content 5 marks Ability to identify main content

Language changing

5 marks Ability to write the main content using own words without the original meaning. - 10 marks

Total

Things to remember 1)To use the 10 words ( introductory line) given and make sure the spellings are correct. 2)Omit the examples 3)Do not include unnecessary details like explanations, repetitions or long-winded explanations.(check such as, for instance, like) 4)Check the pronoun to be used (I, you, she, he). 5)Do not exceed the word limit. (do not exceed 60 words

If the summary is longer than the words allowed, the candidate might have included irrelevant points. If the summary is too short, a candidate might have missed out important points

TO EARN MAXIMUM MARKS FOR SUMMARY 1.REARRANGE THE SENTENCE This hobby enriches ones geographical and historical knowledge of a country.

(Arranged as)
Ones geographical and historical knowledge of a country can be enriched.

2. REPLACE SOME WORDS WITH SYNONYMS

This would enhance family ties. This would improve family ties. (but make sure the new word does not change the meaning or the idea presented by the content point).

3.ADD LINKERS
Collecting coins enables us to widen our circle of friends and enhance our family ties. (arrange the points as they appear in the original text)

Example of linkers : First, Second, Next, Furthermore, Besides, also, In addition

4. USE COLLECTIVE NOUNS She went to the shop to get a packet of

sugar, a bottle of milk, a can of mushroom and a packet of spaghetti

She went to the shop to get some groceries My mom just bought a sofa bed, a dining set, a shoe rack and a coffee table for Hari Raya.

My mom bought new furniture for Hari Raya

REMEMBER To use simple and precise sentences to present your content points. To write the number of words. Do not exceed the word limit

Drilling on their summary. Even a low proficiency candidate is able to gain an 8/10 for the summary question in the PMR examination.

Dear Editor, I am writing this letter to express my appreciation to all Malaysians who had made my visit to Malaysia a meaningful one. Upon reaching Kuala Lumpur International Airport, I took a taxi to Kuala Lumpur city. The taxi driver greeted me with a warm smile and showed me to his taxi. He was also kind enough to recommend places of interest that I should visit in your country. Over the next few weeks, I travelled around the country. I visited Melaka, Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Redang and Genting Highlands, just to name a few. In Langkawi, I had the opportunity to be with the locals and also enjoy home-cooked dishes. I was truly touched by their friendliness and hospitality. It was a wonderful experience! What I found unique about Malaysia is the way people of different races and religions live peacefully as one. I noticed this from the way Malaysians celebrated their National Day. Clearly, the way everyone came together is an excellent example of tolerance and understanding. This is what Malaysia should highlight to the rest of the world. Let me say terima kasih to all those who have made my stay a memorable one. I will definitely come again and I would also promote Malaysia to all my friends back in England. Andrew Jacob

SUMMARY LINKERS/ SEQUENCE CONNECTORS 1. First

CONTENT POINTS

2. and
3. Besides 4. Furthermore 5. and

the taxi driver greeted him with a warm smile he was kind enough to recommend places of interest Andrew travelled around the country. he had the opportunity to be with the locals enjoy home-cooked dishes

ADDITIONAL CONTENT POINT 6. Lastly he was truly touched by their friendliness and hospitality 7. the way people of different races and religions live peacefully.

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recommen d

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