A+ way to get the best of the best in SPM

PUTRAJAYA: Starting next year, a new system will be used to calculate the merit points for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia 2009 school leavers and the examination’s equivalent for admission into public institutions of higher learning.

Higher Education Department director-general Datuk Dr Radin Umar Radin Sohadi said the change was in line with the Education Ministry’s new A+ pass level for SPM 2009 school leavers next year.

“The system is introduced to accept the best into the public institutions of higher learning (IPTAs) and to distinguish the difference between A+, A and A-,” he said at a news conference here yesterday.

Using this new system, a student scoring A will be categorised as A+, A or A- with merit points of 18, 16 and 14 respectively, compared to the previous 1A and 2A.

He said grade 3B would be changed to B+ and have a value of 12 merit points, 4B changed to B (10), 5C to C+ (eight), 6C to C (six), 7D to D (four), 8E to E (two), and 9G to G with no merit points.

However, Radin Umar said the new method would also take into account the special entrance requirement to ensure that earlier students who obtained grade 6C (credit) were not moved to a lower grade.

“The processing, calculation of merit points, university entrance requirement, programme entrance requirement and candidate selection will be carried out in two ways, which are the current method for SPM 2008 school leavers and those before that, and the latest method for SPM 2009 school leavers.

“This way, chances of earlier SPM school leavers to further their studies at the IPTAs are not affected.”

He said the implementation of the new merit calculation method would be made known to everyone during the Higher Edu-cation Carnival 2010 with the cooperation of the Education Ministry, from January to March next year in 10 selected zones nationwide. — Bernama

Tackling 1119 English

SPM ENGLISH WITH JAGDEEP KAUR GILL

PAPER 2 of the SPM 1119 English Language paper is very manageable. In fact the questions have become so much easier over the past five years.

All in there are four sections and you are given a total of two hours and 15 minutes to complete this paper.

Section A comprises 15 multiple-choice questions and carries 15 marks; Section B consists of ten questions and carries 10 marks; Section C consists of 10 comprehension questions which carry 10 marks and one summary question which carries 15 marks; while section D is devoted to the literature component and carries a total of 25 marks (5 marks for the questions on the poem, 5 marks for the short story and 15 marks for the novel)

As with Paper 1, good time management is crucial.

I would suggest you allocate time for the different sections as follows:

Section A - 10 minutes for the first eight questions

- 10 minutes for rational cloze

Section B - 15 minutes

Section C - Reading Comprehension

- 30 minutes - Summary – 40 minutes

Section D - 30 minutes

The first part of Section A consists of eight questions on a variety of stimuli.

The stimuli are often referred to as graphic materials and short texts.

These can be in the form of advertisements, notices or signs, memos, graphs or charts, short extracts (like news reports, book/movie reviews), instructions and even cartoon strips.

Basically, these test your comprehension ability at a very elementary level.

Remember, vocabulary is also tested here and not in the rational cloze.

The stimuli given vary from year to year. Below is an analysis of the stimuli given for the past five years:

GENERAL GUIDELINES

● Always read the question first not the stimulus. When you read the question first, you know what information to look for in the given stimulus.

● Use key words in the question (or stem) to guide you. Highlight these key words so that you know what to focus on.

● Highlight or underline the evidence you find in the extract to make sure your answer is correct.

● Read all the options given. Do not jump at the first possibly correct answer you see. Choose the option that best meets the needs of the question.

● If you are unsure of the correct answer, use the elimination method, by crossing out incorrect answers.

● Make educated guesses only as a last resort and never ever leave a question unanswered.

The sample questions below mirror last year’s SPM questions.

1. According to the chart above, which town will have heavy rain throughout the day?

A. Kuching

B. Alor Setar

C. Kuala Lumpur

D. Kota Kinabalu

In the above question, you need to be able to interpret the graphic and written information.

The legend tells you what each image represents.

You need to know that the phrase ‘heavy rain’ refers to a thunderstorm and that a thunderstorm is a storm of lightning and thunder usually with rain and strong winds.

You also need to know the phrase ‘throughout the day’ refers to the whole day. In the chart, a.m. means before noon while p.m. means after noon.

Having analysed the information, you need to be able to interpret the chart given.

In option A Kuching will be cloudy before noon and it will only rain after noon.

Thus, A is incorrect.

Option B is also incorrect as Alor Setar will have clear weather before noon.

Option C is also incorrect as Kuala Lumpur, like Alor Setar will have clear weather before noon. It will only rain after noon.

This leaves us with option D. The chart shows that there will be thunderstorms in Kota Kinabalu before noon and also after noon. Therefore, option D is the best answer.

THE farewell dinner organised by SMK Seberang Pulau for its former principal was a great success. Pn Latipah Mahmood, 50, had put in for early retirement due to health reasons.

In her speech, she thanked the teachers and staff for their commitment.

2. In the report above, the phrase put in can best be replaced with

A. asked

B. agreed

C. allowed

D. appealed

The above question requires you to identify the meaning of the phrasal verb put in. In this case you need to read the whole article and ask yourself what the phrasal verb means in the given context as put in has several meanings.

From the text you know that Pn Latipah has retired early although she is only 50 years old.

This means she must have asked for or applied for early retirement.

All the options given show some form of action.

A is the correct answer as she needs to get permission before she can choose to retire early.

B is incorrect. If Pn Latipah had agreed to an early retirement, it suggests that she was asked to do so. In other words, it was not her own decision.

C is also incorrect as the principal has no power to allow for her own early retirement.

D is also incorrect as the word appealed suggests that she pleaded for early retirement.

Let’s see if you can answer the following questions .

EDUECO – Cares for the Environment

KUALA LUMPUR: A new supermarket chain, Ecofriend Sdn. Bhd. is setting a good example that other supermarkets should follow. It has decided to use paper bags to reduce the use of plastic bags which do not decompose easily.

If customers insist on having plastic bags to pack and carry their groceries, the supermarket will charge them 50 sen for each plastic bag. Customers who bring their own reusable fabric.

1. According to the newspaper report above, what will Ecofried Sdn. Bhd. do to help care for the environment?

A. Provide reusable fabric bags for all first-time customers.

B. Charge 50 sen for biodegradable plastic bags.

C. Give free vouchers to all customers.

D. Use paper bags to pack grocerie s.

Little India along Jalan Tengku Kelana in Klang is the biggest Indian street in Malaysia. It is popular among local and foreign tourists. Shoppers are literally spoilt for choice as there are several rows of shops with stalls on the sidewalks and backlanes.

The fierce competition among shop owners means lower prices for consumers. A variety of items such as saris, stainless steel pots, colourful accessories such as bangles and necklaces, and textiles are sold here.

The best time to visit this

2. From the extract above, we know that Little India attracts tourists because of its

A. low prices

B. unusual stalls

C. display of lights

D. variety of accessories

3. From the cartoon strip above, we can say that the tourist was surprised because

A. Malaysians speak fluent English

B. Malaysians learn English at school

C. the woman was able to speak fluently

D. the woman had spent many years abroad

Exploring character and theme

Sunday October 31, 2004

SPM English: Lesson 14

By JENNY TAN

Last week we looked at how to tackle plot and setting in the novel. This week we will explore character and theme. Let’s look at a typical question on character and your personal response to it.

CHARACTER

Question 1

a. Which character do you admire in the novel you have studied?

b. Explain why you admire this character. Support your answer with evidence from the novel.

Model answer:

a. I admire Juana in The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

b. In the story, Juana is Kino’s wife. I admire her for several reasons. Firstly, I admire her for always putting her family first. In the story, she is described as being always the first to rise and the last to retire. In fact, Kino could never remember seeing her eyes closed when he awakened. She always saw to her family’s needs before her own.

Besides that, she was a woman of strong principles, who knew how to stand up for her beliefs when it mattered. For example, when Coyotito was stung by a scorpion, she insisted on going to see the doctor even though Kino had said that the doctor would not come. When Kino was too caught up by the pearl and its promises, she was the first to recognise that the pearl was evil and told him so. “This pearl is evil. This pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us.” Yet, she submitted to Kino when he insisted on continuing his pursuit of the riches the pearl promised to bring.

Kino described her as his “patient, fragile wife” but it was he who marvelled at her iron will. When Kino refused to listen to her, she took matters into her own hands. She tried to throw the pearl away while Kino was asleep. Unfortunately, Kino caught her doing it and punished her by beating her up. Despite this, she continued to be a pillar of strength for Kino. She followed Kino to the mountains and refused to part ways even though he insisted that she went on ahead without him. Here, her loyalty to and unwavering support for Kino are to be admired.

When Coyotito was later killed and Juana and Kino decided to head back home, she did not even blame Kino for all the troubles that they had experienced. Kino decided to throw the pearl back into the sea and handed it to Juana. However, she rightly insisted that he threw it himself so that he could come to terms with all that had happened. Juana is truly a remarkable woman.

NOTES

a. Remember to name the character as well as the novel you are going to write about.

b. Give at least three to four reasons why you admire this character. Remember to quote from the novel itself to lend support to your reasons. You should not quote from the synopsis of workbooks but rely on the original text when giving evidence.

Remember to answer the question in the form of an essay. Use connectors to link your paragraphs.

THEME

Another important question to consider is the theme.

Question:

a) Identify one of the themes from the novel you have studied. b) Describe this theme and give evidence from the novel to support your answer.

Model answer:

a) One of the themes explored in The Pearl by John Steinbeck is the destructiveness of greed.

b) Greed pervades the lives of the doctor, the priest, the villagers and anyone who hears about Kino's discovery: “The Pearl of the World”. This greed eventually thwarts Kino's hopes, causes the death of his son and nearly destroys his relationship with his wife.

We see greed in the doctor’s treatment of Kino. When Kino brings his son, Coyotito to see him, the doctor exclaims, “I am a doctor, not a veterinarian.” Then, he tells the servant to ask if Kino has any money and turns Kino away when he finds out Kino only has eight misshapen pearls. Yet, when he hears that Kino has found the pearl, he claims that Kino is “a client of mine.” He comes to Kino’s house to frighten Kino into letting him treat Coyotito. He gives the child a capsule of white powder which makes him more ill.The doctor returns an hour later to give Coyotito some ammonia to make him well. Then he asks for money, pretending not to know of Kino's precious find.

Others are also interested in Kino when they hear about the pearl. The shopkeepers hope he will buy their old stock, the beggars hope for his generosity and the pearl buyers hope to buy cheaply and make a handsome profit. The pearl buyers collaborate to cheat Kino by setting a low price for his pearl. Everyone dreams of Kino’s pearl and eventually he becomes everyone’s enemy.

When the priest hears that Kino has found the pearl, he immediately thinks of church repairs and so on. He pays a visit to Kino and tries to remind Kino that he should remember to be grateful now that he will become a rich man.

Finally, we see how greed destroys Kino when he refuses to throw the pearl away even though Juana keeps telling him that the pearl is evil. He even hits Juana when she tries to throw the pearl away. He becomes a violent murderer, shooting one of the trackers between the eyes. Subsequently he loses his son, a tragedy which forces him to finally throw the pearl back into the sea.

PREPARING FOR THE EXAM DAY

1. Check your timetable for the exact date of each exam paper. Students have been known to miss their exam due to carelessness.

2. Make a checklist of all the things you need to bring such as your identity card, your examination slip, stationery and so on. Buy a few good ballpoint pens and 2B pencils, eraser and a ruler. Do not use liquid erasers as they can be messy or the erased item may resurface a month or two later and cause you to lose marks. Stick the checklist on your mirror to remind you so you do not need to panic unnecessarily. Get someone to help you wake up if you are a heavy sleeper.

3. Just before the exam, do not try to cram any new facts into your tired brain. This may cause you to have a blackout. Just keep cool and do not be worried if there are still some things you do not know or cannot remember.

4. Some of you may find that praying before the exam has a calming effect. During the exam, divide your time carefully for each question. Do not worry if there is one particular question you do not know. Answer some other question first. The answer to the first one will come back to you later. For Paper 1, do not spend too much time elaborating on question 1 till you do not have time for question 2. Remember that question 2 carries 50 marks. Take some time to plan your answer. Do not answer immediately even though others around you may be writing furiously. Leave some time for checking. Try to eliminate mistakes in spelling and grammar.

For Paper 2, make sure you do not spend too much time on the first few sections. Section D carries a lot of marks.

5. After the exam, do not discuss the answers with your friends as worrying about your errors might affect your state of mind for the other papers. Use the time to study for the next subject instead.

We have come to the end of our series. I would like to thank all who have e-mailed me and would like to wish everyone the best in your examination. Stay healthy and pray always.