Form 5 Essay Project

Essay Writing Project/SPM 2013

SPM EXAMINATION FORMAT

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DIRECTED WRITING - 35 marks

CONTINUOUS WRITING - 50 marks

PAPER 1


DIRECTED WRITING

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INFORMAL LETTER

ARTICLE

REPORTSPEECH/TALK

FORMAL LETTER


SAMPLE OF FORMAT and INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

FORMAT of a SPEECH/TALK (SPM 2007)

Sample question and Sample format

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 give a talk about a science book.

Good morning teachers and fellow students. This morning, I would like to tell you about one Science reference book I have found to be very useful in my studies.

The book I have chosen is “Science Made Simple” ..............................................………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Thank you.

FORMAT of an ARTICLE (SPM 2008)


You recently attended a leadership camp organized by your school. At the camp, one of your friends was chosen as the best group leader. You have been asked to write an article about your friend for your school magazine.

She’s the Best

Last week, together with 95 other students of our school, I attended the Youth Leadership Camp organized by our school. At this camp, we the participants were divided into eight groups. There was a group leader in each group. On the last day the best group leader was announced.

I was very proud of the best group leader was my good friend Siti Fatimah Hassan. ..….........................................…..................................... …………........................................

I/We hope that all students of this school will take Zainab Zainol as their role model and be a leader one day.

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Written by,

Roshidah Ahmad.

SAMPLE OF FORMAT and INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH FORMAT of a REPORT (SPM 2009)


Many of your schoolmates are not interested in sports. You have carried out a survey on the reasons for their lack of interest. Based on your findings, write a report to the principal regarding the matter. In your report, give reasons for the lack of interest in sports and provide suggestions to overcome the problems.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: En. Rashid Rahman, Principal, SMK Maju Jaya

Title : Reasons for the Lack of Interest in Sports Among Students

A survery was recently conducted among 100 members of SMK Maju Jaya. The purpose of the survey was to find out the reasons for lack of interest in sports among students in this school. In this report I will give the reasons for the lack of interest and provide suggestions to overcome the problem.

Prepared by:

Aznil Karim

(if there is a post, state the post) (post = jawatan)

FORMAT of an informal LETTER (SPM 2010)


Your cousin has been chosen to take part in the National Service Programme and is worried about going. You have decided to write a letter to tell him/her about the benefits of this programme and to encourage your cousin to go.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4


----

(Write your address)

24.11.2010Dear Amir, How are you and everyone at home doing? I hope everyone is fine and has Aunt Kamariah recovered from her flu?

Well, I heard that you have been chosen to join the National Service Programme and are worried about going. So, I have decided to write this letter to tell you about the benefits of this programme and to encourage you to go.

………………………………………………………………………………….

Bye and take care.

Yours sincerely,

Johari

SAMPLE QUESTION & ANSWER

PAPER 1

Your cousin has been chosen to take part in the National Service Programme and is worried about going. You have decided to write a letter to tell him/her about the benefits of this programme and to encourage your cousin to go.

Use the notes below to write your letter.

develop good habits – C1 make new friends - C2 learn leadership

skills/responsibility – C3 exciting activities – C4 see different parts of Malaysia –

C5 be independent – C6 gain new experiences – C7 teamwork – C8 strengthen love of country – C9 keep fit and healthy – C10 learn survival sills – C11

discipline – C12

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SPM 2010 : The Sample Letter101 Jalan Jaya,Kampung Budi,

Alor Gajah24/11/2010

Dear Amir, How are you and everyone at home doing? I hope everyone is fine. Well, I heard that you have been chosen to join the National Service Programme and are worried about going. So, I have decided to write this letter to tell you about the benefits of this programme and to encourage you to go. Firstly, when you join this programme, you will develop good habits like sleeping early. You can also make new friends there because the participants are from many schools. In some activities, you may be a le________ and you will learn leadership skills. Amir, you can join many exciting activities there like jungle trekking and campfires. In addition, you get to see the different parts of Malaysia because they also bring you to visit pl______ during weekends. Another benefit is you will learn to be independent as you need to do things on your own like w________ your clothes. Furthermore, you will gain new experiences when you try out new things there. When you work in groups, you will also learn teamwork. Moreover, you can strengthen your love for the country when you listen to talks about Malaysia. Besides, you can also keep fit and healthy because you will have to do some exercise every morning. Learning some survival skills is also a benefit of the programme. They will teach you what to do when you are lost in the jungle. Lastly, in this programme, every participant has to obey rules and this will make you learn discipline. I’ll stop here for now. Amir, I really encourage you to join the National Service and enjoy yourself there

Your cousin, Marina

Remarks (Ulasan): Cuba buat ayat untuk setiap isi yang diberi – 12 isi Dari isi pertama ke isi kedua dan seterusnya – guna penanda

wacana (logical connectors) Tambahan pula : In addition, Moreover, Furthermore, Besides, also, Another…

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Give your essay a conclusion

CONTINUOUS WRITING

USEFUL WORD LIST

DESCRIPTION OF A PERSON

Personality traits

affectionate loyalattractive patientbeautiful politebusiness minded rationalcaring religiouscharming respectfulconfident responsiblededicated richdependable sense of humourempathetic sincerefair smartfashionable sportiveforgiving stoutfrank strongfriendly sympatheticfunny tallgenerous thoughtfulgood looking trendyhardworking trustworthyhelpful understandinghumble uniqueindependent wiseintelligent youngkind-hearted mature

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DESCRIPTIVE

NARRATIVE

REFLECTIVEFACTUAL

OPEN-ENDED


Physical Characteristics –Age

baby toddlerchild teenageryoung man/woman youthmiddle-aged elderly

Physical Characteristics – build

fat, plump, stocky, well-built slim, slender, thin, skinnytall, above-average/ average height below average height, petite, small

Here are some proverbs/ idiomatic expressions that you can use to make your writing more interesting.

You will need to memorise some of these so that they will come in handy during writing.

English Proverbs

Like father like son Bapa borek, anak rintik

Through thick and thin Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing

Killing two birds with one stone Sambil menyelam minum air

Practice makes perfect Alah bisa tegal biasa

Still waters run deep Jangan disangka air yang tenang tiada buaya

A person who forgets/denies his roots Bagaikan kacang lupakan kulit

A penny saved is a penny earned Sedikit-sedikit,lama-lama menjadi bukit

Be prepared Sediakan payung sebelum hujan

When there's a will, there's a way Di mana ada kemahuan, di situ ada jalan

No use crying over spilt milk Nasi sudah menjadi bubur

Killing two birds with one stone Sambil menyelam minum air

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Idioms and Idiomatic expressions

Bad apple seorang yang tidak baik dalam suatu kumpulan

Bad shape tidak sihat

Absence makes the heart grow fonder Bila seseorang berjauhan, dia akan menyayangi nya lebih

Call it a day berhenti bekerja

Cat nap tidur sekejap

Dead even sama dalam kelajuan atau peringkat

Easy as ABC kerja yang senang

Eat like a horse makan banyak

Feel at home rasa selesa di suatu tempat

Feel like a million rasa sihat dan gembira

Have a blast Berseronok

New blood orang baru

Packed like sardines penuh sesak dengan orang

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SAMPLE ESSAYS

(1)

A Dream/ An Unexpected Visitor/Home AloneThe doorbell rang loudly. It rang again almost immediately.

The sound was asking for attention, but little Ramya hardly heard it. She was watching a funny cartoon. Reluctantly Ramya dragged herself to the door. Her right hand touched the knob and she found herself opening the door.

Suddenly she remembered her mother’s strict instructions. Never open the door before you see who is outside through the keyhole. It was too late. The door was pushed open and a strange man rushed into the room. She stepped away. The man looked weird as he had very big ears like those of an elephant. On his head he had only one eye instead of two. His neck was very long. He was only a little taller than Ramya. Ramya realised he was an alien. She also suddenly remembered she was alone at home. What was she to do now? She wished she had been more careful and looked through the key-hole before opening the door.

The bell was ringing again, more insistently. Someone was also banging on the door. The person outside was losing her patience. Ramya woke up with a start at the ringing of the bell. She had been sleeping on the couch watching television. She hobbled to the door. She saw through the keyhole. It was her mother. Ramya opened the door. What a relief. It had all been a dream

(2)An Interesting Person I Once Met / Never give up / Perseverance/A person who has influenced/changed me/ Write a story ending with ‘He made a difference in my life’ During the last school holidays, I often went out for walks at the beach. It was there that I met an interesting person. He was sitting under a coconut tree. His gaze was fixed on something far away. He was hardly aware of my approach. But, when I was about two metres away from him, he turned and greeted me with a toothless smile. I guessed he must be in his early 70’s. He was cheerful and friendly as I talked to him.

During our conversation, he told me certain parts of his personal history. He had been a fisherman all his life. In fact, he started learning the trade ever since he was a young boy of thirteen when he helped his father to earn a living. It had been a very tough life at sea, getting up as early as two or three in the morning to go out fishing.

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Then with a twinkle in his eyes, he began to relate to me some of his adventures at sea. Once, during a storm, his boat was smashed up. He managed to cling onto a piece of plank for one day and one night. Then he was finally rescued by a passing boat. Another time, he came face to face with a hungry shark in the rough sea. He had fallen into the water from his boat but he managed to escape death when a friend in another fishing boat helped him out of the water in time.

Here was a humble man who had come through life with a smile in spite of its many dangers and hardships. Since then I decide to face life bravely.

(3)A Frightful Experience / A Scary Day

One day, as I was returning home late from school at about 7.30pm, I was shocked to discover a group of rough-looking boys following me.

As I quickened my steps, one of them, apparently the leader stopped me. He ordered me to surrender my watch and my wallet. At first I resisted. When he threatened to cause me harm, I quickly handed over the items. I felt frightened and, at the same time, mad because I had to part with my possessions. They laughed and made their way to a coffee shop nearby while I was left by the road feeling angry.

At first I wanted to report the incident to the police but later, I decided against it and went straight home. I told my parents about it and they concluded that it was unsafe for me to walk alone. They then arranged for me to go in my neighbour’s car and that solved the problem.

(4)

An Idea/ A dream / Ambition / Motivation/ Never give up / Success / Future plan

Everyone has a dream but Ben’s dream made him successful.

When Ben was in his final year in school, he had an idea to sell something. He wanted to sell toys but he had no money. He talked to his parents and they agreed to lend him RM5000 to start his business. His mother said, “When you see someone who has a dream and a great idea, you don’t want to stop him. “

His business in toys turned out to be a success. Ben started by selling a few types of toys he bought from a factory in China. His sales were good. He made a lot of trips to China to learn how toys were made. He learnt very quickly.

Later, he designed and manufactured his own toys. The sales of his products increased very fast. Two things motivated him: a lot of money and no money. He knew that without money he could not

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run his business well so he worked very hard.He had the confidence and was not afraid of failing.

To make his sales even better, he kept on coming up with new ideas and products. People liked his new products.

Ben now has three factories operating in the country. When interviewed, he said he wanted to start another factory in the south. He said, “There are so many people and I have so many ideas”.

Hint for teachers: Essays can be modified to suit the title ‘Future Plan” by changing the past tense to future tense.

(5)A Dishonest Friend/ My Friend Cheated Me/ Dishonesty

Would your friend cheat you? Nobody would believe me when I told them that my best friend had cheated me. I could not believe it myself at first. How could someone who had been so close to me for so many years just turned around and cheated me of my life savings?

I should not have believed him in the first place – he and his get-rich-quick scheme, which promised a guaranteed return of 100% of the sum invested. How could any company afford to give out so much money in so short a time?

Well, he was very persuasive and not only that – he came up with an attractive story and managed to get me to lend him almost RM25 000. He said he would repay within three months. I was a fool to believe him.

Later I heard that he had migrated to Brunei to find his fortune there. It seemed he had swindled money from other people and the company that he worked in. Once I saw him unexpectedly inside a supermarket. He actually pretended not to know me. I tried to chase him but he disappeared into the crowd. I was very disappointed.

Many of my other friends have told me to forget about the whole thing. But I still believe that one day he would be caught. This is a lesson I learnt, that is, do not trust people too easily.

(6)

An Unfortunate Day / An Unlucky Day / An Unforgettable Experience / A Bad Day

It was the first day of examination for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. It was the Bahasa Melayu paper so Norma took her revision notes and left for school earlier than usual. As she was

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cycling, she remembered her parents’ advice to read the questions carefully before answering. The examination was going to start at eight in the morning and it was already 7.15am. She felt nervous at the thought of the examination so she started to hum her favourite songs.

After about five minutes, she heard a loud gushing sound out of the tyre. She quickly stopped cycling and looked at the tyres. The back tyre was flat. Norma panicked. She looked around but there was nobody. The mechanic shop which was about 100 metres away was still close. Immediately she locked the bicycle under a tree and started to run home. She was hoping her parents would still be at home to take her to school.

When she reached home, she was disappointed because her parents had already left for work. She was frustrated and sad. It was already 7.40am. She started to run to the nearest bus stop for the public bus. As she was running, she heard someone honking at her. When she turned around, she saw her parents in their car. She was relieved to see them. She jumped into the car and told her parents about her bicycle and that she was late for the examination. Her parents advised her to be calm and relaxed and that she would make it on time. Norma was grateful to her parents because she was able to attend the examination on time.

(7)

My Baby-Sitting Experience / An Unforgettable ExperienceOne day, my parents had to go off for some hours to visit a

sick relative. So I was left in charge of my baby sister. She is four years old and very mischievous.

When lunch time came, I seated her at the dining table. She spilt the food all over her and did not want me to feed her. I had to clear up the mess and clean her up. Taking care of her was a difficult task as she was reluctant to have her dress changed. She was also crying all the time.

Next, she wanted to sleep. So I put her in her cot but she was restless and wanted a drink. When she finished her drink, I thought my job was over and I could have some peace. But, no, she wanted to listen to a story and I had to read her one until she finally fell asleep. I then took the opportunity to watch a TV programme. Unfortunately, the noise woke her up and she let out a cry. So I switched off the TV and carried her.

Soon, it was time for her bath. She played in the water and splashed it all over me. Then the soap got into her eyes and she cried so much that I could not handle her. Finally, I picked her up and wrapped a towel around her. By then, she had stopped crying. I

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powdered her and dressed her in her favourite frock. It was 3.00pm, so I put her to sleep while I lay on the sofa with a story book and dozed off after a while. It was at that very moment that my baby sister woke up and came down the stairs. She lost her balance, tumbled down, yelled and screamed.

I rushed to her, picked her up and checked for any injuries. Just then, my parents returned, much to my relief. I hope I shall not have to baby-sit as it is a tiresome and difficult job.

(8)A wedding/ A memorable event/ An unexpected event

Recently, I attended my aunt’s wedding in my hometown in Sungai Petani, Kedah. My aunt’s wedding came as a surprise to every one of us. All our relatives, including my family could not believe our ears and eyes when we heard the news and read the wedding invitation card. The reason was we all thought she would not want to marry after all these years of being single since she was nearly fifty years old. Anyway we were all happy for her. At least she would not have to spend the rest of her life alone.

It was a simple wedding at my grandparents’ house. The wedding started at nine in the morning. She was dressed in her pure white wedding gown and she looked radiant. The bridegroom too looked smart and charming. He was actually my aunt’s former schoolmate. They met at a reunion dinner a year ago.

My grandparents were overjoyed to see their daughter finally getting married. They had waited for such a long time. After refreshments, it was time for the bridegroom to leave with his newly-wedded wife to their new home. Everyone said their goodbyes and well wishes. Tears of joy were flowing down my grandmother’s cheeks. It was a touching scene and indeed, a memorable one too. I wished the couple a blissful marriage together.

(9)The day I cannot forget / The ending of a story …………..never to speak another lie again

The incident that I am telling here occurred on a hot Monday morning in February. I was a Standard One student in Miss Leela’s class. The problem was over in a few minutes, but the memory of it is imprinted forever in my mind.

Miss Leela was a very strict teacher. She was infamous for her stern discipline. We were then little children and we were kept busy all the time. If we were to lose our focus and play with our friends, we were hit with a sharp rap on the head or knuckles with the long pointed stick she carried. You can imagine the horror I felt when I accidentally whistled. I was only

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drawing in a deep breath of air. Miss Leela turned around from the blackboard, and seeing my expression, demanded, “Jo, did you do that?”

I managed to find my voice and pointed to a boy next to me and said, “No. He did it.” The boy next to me, Han, immediately stood up and said, “No! I didn’t” But that did not help. In a moment the stick came down and Han was sobbing pitifully. All went silent. No one dared to speak another word.

That incident made me really guilty. Han, how I wish I could ask for your forgiveness. I don’t remember your last name, but I’ll never forget your face. My sin of telling a lie stays with me till today. That has taught me never to speak another lie again.

(10)

How I helped to catch a thief / Story with the ending ‘…What a day it had been.’ / An Exciting Day / A Day at a shopping complex

It was a Friday afternoon. I was sitting at home feeling bored. Then I remembered there was a book sale at a shopping complex close by. I decided to make a trip there.

The shopping complex was crowded when I arrived. I was making my way to the escalator when I saw a young boy running down the escalator.. Behind him was a security guard, chasing him and shouting, “Stop! Thief!’

People were pushing each other to avoid him and some ladies were screaming. Others were staring helplessly when I decided to do something. I quickly picked up a rubbish bin and blocked the boy. The boy knocked into the bin. The bin rolled and both the boy and the bin crashed into me. I was knocked out. Fortunately, two men managed to catch him. I lay on the floor numb with shock. A lady then took hold of my hand and helped me up.

The boy had tried to steal an expensive book from a bookshop. As he was walking out, the owner tried to stop him. The boy panicked and ran out of the shop. The security guard who saw what happened gave chase.

I learned later that the boy was handed over to the police. As for me, the shop owner decided to reward me with a cash voucher of RM100. What a day it had been!

(11)

Honesty / A Good Deed / Mobile Phone

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It was a sunny day and John was cycling home after school. As he was passing a hawker stall, he saw a red bag on the bonnet of a car. Seeing no one around, he stopped to look at the bag.

When John unzipped the bag, he was surprised to see an expensive mobile phone. He had always wanted one but was unable to afford it. Without hesitation, John took the bag and rode off in a hurry. He was glad no one had seen him.

John tried not to feel guilty as he cycled away. Upon reaching home, he rushed into his room and looked through the bag again. He discovered the bag belonged to a foreigner.

However, John began to feel bad about taking the bag. It was not his. He should have handed it over to the police instead of taking it. His conscience told him to go to the police station immediately.

The police were very helpful and soon found the man who had lost his bag. Mr Louis, a French national had left his bag on the car while buying a drink from the hawker stall. He was overjoyed when he heard that John had found his bag. Both the police and Mr Louis praised John for his honesty.

(12)

An Unforgettable day / The day I got lost

I remember this unforgettable day which took place when I was about 5 years old. My grandmother wanted to take my sister and me to town after we had shopped at the sundry shop near home. I did not want to join them so I suggested that I would walk home on my own. I was so convincing I could get home easily that my grandmother agreed to my suggestion.

So my grandmother and my sister left on a trishaw for town while I walked home. After walking for about 10 minutes, I began to feel that the way home seemed rather long and endless. I looked out for a familiar sign or spot but there was none. It was then I realised I was lost.

I continued walking for hours and it was way past noon when I decided to rest under a tree. A passing trishaw man stopped to talk to me. When I told him my story, he offered to send me home. We soon reached the residential area where I lived but I was horrified to find that I could not recognize my own house. All the houses looked the same!

Just when the trishaw man was beginning to regret he had helped me, I heard someone call out my name. It was my father. He was on his way out to make a report at the police station. My family

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discovered that I was missing when my grandmother and sister came back from town. My parents thought I was with them all the while!

On that day, I was lost for 7 1/2 hours. It is a day I will never forget because I dared not imagine what would have happened to me if I had not got home.

(13)

What happened at grandfather’s birthday party / My Most Embarrassing Experience

Last week was my grandfather’s eightieth birthday. My family and I attended his dinner party at a newly-opened hotel named Modern Hotel. I decided to wear my sister’s high-heeled shoes with my new dress. I wanted to look elegant. My parents advised me against wearing the shoes as they felt that I might not be able to manage walking on the high heels. I assured them that it would be all right.

When we reached there, I realised that it was not easy to walk on high heels. After a short walk from the parking lot to the hotel reception, I twisted my ankle. I pretended that nothing had happened and tried my best to walk normally. However, I had to limp to the dinner table while holding onto my mother. Many guests looked at me with curiosity. My cheeks burned with shame.

Finally, I was able to sit down. I was relieved and thankful. Later, I needed to go to the washroom. I had no choice but to drag my mother along. I needed her for support as I limped to the washroom. All eyes were on me again.

It was my most embarrassing experience. I vowed not to wear high-heeled shoes anymore unless with much practice beforehand.

(14)

Lost in the Jungle / Carelessness

The school holidays started two weeks ago. Hamid and Samad were getting bored. They had nothing to do at home. They called each other and made plans to catch some butterflies in the jungle nearby.

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They started off to the jungle after lunch. When they were in the jungle they saw some butterflies. One of them was a rare one. They were very excited and wanted to catch it. They ran after the butterfly and were not aware of which way they took. After a while, they realised they were lost. They could not figure the way out of the jungle.

Soon it was getting dark. They started to feel frightened. They were both hungry and tired too. They regretted their playful actions. They knew they must be brave. Night fell. They were so exhausted they found a tree and rested under it. As they were about to fall asleep, they heard voices calling out their names. They immediately shouted back. Their parents and some villagers had come to their rescue. They were so relieved and promised to be more careful the next time.

(15)

A Visit To A Hospital

Yesterday, I followed my father to visit my uncle who was hospitalised at a private hospital. We left home at about 5.00 p.m. and reached the hospital at 6.15 p.m. The private hospital was a new hospital. It was opened two months ago.

My uncle suffered from chronic diabetes. Two days ago he came to the hospital for his regular check-up but the doctor had to admit him because his sugar level was very high. The doctor had to monitor him all the time. He would be allowed to go home once his sugar level stabilised.

My uncle’s ward was at the fifth floor. The lift was very spacious and fast. A nurse, who was my mother’s old friend, greeted my father. She told us that my uncle was doing fine. After talking to the nurse for a while we went to Room 515. My uncle was very happy to see my father and I. A young Egyptian doctor was examining my uncle at that time. The doctor said that my uncle was getting better and he would be discharged soon.

My father chitchatted with my uncle for almost one hour. I felt bored so I went out of the room to explore the new hospital. I went to the hospital lobby. It was like a hotel lobby. There was a long list of specialists and their academic qualifications on the wall. Altogether, the hospital had 35 specialists and some of them were foreigners.

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Then, I went to the cafe. I was surprised as the cafe was like a five-star restaurant. They served a variety of healthy dishes. But I would not eat there on my own as a plate of fried rice alone was RM7.50! Even a glass of plain water cost RM1.00! Initially, I planned to have something there but I just walked out as I only had RM2.15 in my pocket.

When I was waiting for the lift to go back to the fifth floor, a woman cried hysterically with her daughter. From her words, I understood that she had just lost her husband. I did not say a word but I sympathised them, especially her cute and charming daughter. I wish I could console her daughter. But before I could offer some help, the door of the lift opened and my father appeared. He indicated it was time to go home so I just followed him. I walked to the main entrance while my eyes still looking at the girl. [414 words]

(16)

My Favourite Restaurant

Last week, the SPM result was announced. The night before, I could not sleep. I was very nervous. I was scared I did not get a good result because my parents were really hoping that I could go to university. I went to school to collect my result with my parents. My hands were shaking when I held the result slip. My class teacher congratulated me. I looked at my result and hugged my father and mother. I got 5A+, 1A and 4A-. Even though I was not the best student in my school, I was very happy with my result. My parents were very proud of me.

That night, my father took me and the rest of the family members to my favourite restaurant, Bamboo Restaurant. It was only five kilometres from my house. The restaurant was opened three years ago. I liked the restaurant very much because it offered a wide range of local, Thai and western foods. I would always try different dishes each time I went there. All the customers said the restaurant was very spacious. Some said Bamboo Restaurant was the biggest restaurant in town.

When we arrived at the restaurant, I saw a big crowd. My father took some time to park his car. My mother said, “We have a surprise for you!” I insisted my mother to tell me about the surprise but she just asked me to be patient. My family and I walked to a room which my father booked for us. The room was quite big and it could accommodate more than 50 people. When I opened the door, I saw many people standing while clapping their hands happily. They were my grandparents, uncles, aunties, cousins and immediate neighbours. I was really surprised to see my girlfriend with her parents too! Everybody congratulated me for my SPM result.

I was deeply touched. I hugged my parents for organising such a dinner to celebrate my success. I sat beside Mimi, my girlfriend. She gave a gift but I had to promise her to open it at home. My father ordered my most favourite dish for all of us – chicken chop with black pepper sauce. We also had garlic bread, salad and crab meat soup. I always told my friends to come to Bamboo Restaurant if they wanted to taste the best chicken chop in town.

It was a long night at my favourite restaurant. My cousins sang a Justin Bieber’s song for me. My grandparents sponsored prizes for lucky draw. In short, we had so much fun at the restaurant. It was really a memorable night. [435 words]

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(17)

The Day When Everything Went Wrong

I had just started working as a despatch boy at an international company in Kuala Lumpur. The job was not great but I accepted it after failing to get a job in my hometown, Kuala Nerang. Actually, my neighbour’s son who was staying in Kuala Lumpur recommended me for the job. Living in a big city was totally different from living in Kuala Nerang. But, whatever it was, Kuala Nerang was still in my heart.

After six months working, I began to fall in love with Lisa, a clerk at a primary school. One day, I approached her at a coffee shop. She was having lunch alone. I joined her. She was very happy and really welcomed me to accompany her. Nothing much happened on that day but we just talked. We got to know each other better. After lunch, I asked her if she would be interested to watch a movie with me on the coming weekend. I was surprised when she gave me a definte ‘Yes!’. From that day, we became closer and love bagan to bloom between us.

Lisa confessed to me that she was worried about what some other people might say to me because she was ten years older than me. But I convinced her that age was not important to me. What was more important was her sincerity and happy-going attitude. Lisa believed in me. She knew I truly loved her. So, one day she asked me to meet her parents.

On one Sunday, I went to Lisa’s house. I was supposed to be there at 9.00 am. However, I only reached her house at 11.00 am. My motorcycle broke down once I left my house. I did not know why I was so stupid not to take a taxi but waited for two hours to get my motorcycle repaired. It was supposed to be an important day in my life but everything went wrong. I also left my mobile phone at home. I borrowed the mechanic’s mobile phone to inform Lisa about what happened to me but I just could not recall her contact number. My mind went blank.

When I reached her house at 11.00 am, I could see her parents’ unhappy faces. Their conversation with me was very limited. I was confident they were not listening to me when I was explaining about what happened to me. To make it worse, I left a box of chocolate, which I promised to give to Lisa’s mother, at the workshop.

I knew Lisa was frustrated with me but she still treated me well. Lisa served tea and some curry puffs. I was very hungry as I missed my breakfast so I kept eating them one after another. Lisa’s parents were speechless to see my act. When I saw their shocking faces, only then I slowly put back the curry puff in my hand into the plate. It was the last piece.

After that, I asked for permission to go to the washroom as I really had to answer nature’s call. I was too clumsy. I fell in the washroom as the floor was slippery. My pants were soaking wet. I did not know what to do so I stayed in the washroom for about fifteen minutes. Finally, I came out with my wet pants. I quickly said goodbye to Lisa and her parents and left the house. It was truly a day when everything went wrong.

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Examination

This morning I sent my son to school. It was the first day of his SPM examination. My son, Dean, was a diligent boy. Unlike me when I was his age, he did not need any motivation to study for examination. He was able to manage his own time very well. He made his own timetable. Dean knew when to study, play, watch television and go out to have fun with his friends.

I really saluted him for his independence and maturity. I respected him because I was very much different from him when I was 17 years old. When I was in Form 5, I was a lazy student. Perhaps, the laziest in my family and in class. My parents especially my mother was always angry with me when she came back from work and saw me sleeping in my room.

Even my teachers in school did not know what to say to advise me to study for my SPM examination. Mr. Nick, my History teacher, always punished me for my laziness. I had never completed his History notes and exercises. My Chemistry teacher, Madam Beh, could not even look at my face. She gave up on me.

I really did not have any idea how could I prepare for my examination. I realised I could not blame anybody but myself. I was the one who refused to listen to all the advice given by my parents, teachers as well as friends. Even when the school organised motivational talks and study skills seminar, I would find ways and create excuses not to attend the programme.

I only picked up my revision books and began to study two months before the examination. My mother was surprised to see me with SPM books around me. She just could not believe her eyes. She did not say a word but gave me a hug while shedding tears. I promised her that though it could be too late for me to prepare for my SPM, I promised my mother that I would still try my best. For two months, I did all I could for my SPM examination.

The result was announced several months later. Of course, I did not get straight As but I did not fail in any subject. My parents were not happy with my result. Me too. I learnt my lesson well.

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Form 5 Essay Project