Do you know that MUET READING is the most important section for you to score as it comprises the highest marks of all sections (speaking, writing and listening). I recommend you to buy MUET Exercise Book for this. It can be any brands but make sure you practice and using the tips I will state below.
1. Briefly read the questions. It does not necessary for you to understand every question. Just to give you an idea and directions when you are reading later.
2. Skimming and scanning.
The key to master the reading section is to have good time management. By skimming and scanning can help you get the ideas what the essay/article/report they provided you.
3. Underline important words.
If you have done multiple of practices you know the tricks. Simply underline anything you might find important and it could be in the question.
4. Write down short note of "potential answer". Same as number #3 but it can save a lot of time instead of you reading back the whole essay.
Friday, 12 June 2020
Sunday, 16 August 2015
Muet Writing : Useful Words and Phrases for Top-Notch Essays
THESE ESSAYS ARE LESS THAN 350 WORDS! MAKE SURE YOU WRITE AT LEAST 350 WORDS OR AVERAGE IN YOUR MUET WRITING ESSAY. BELOW ARE JUST EXAMPLES ON CHOOSING PROPER WORDS THAT SHOW MATURITY IN YOUR ESSAY. IN SHORT AVOID USING BASIC/INFORMAL PHRASES. HOPE THIS HELPS!
Example 1
A serious concern
nowadays is how our eating habits can affect our
health. In particular, it
has been demonstrated that eating too much junk food can
lead to health issues later in life. One sensible suggestion
for dealing with this is to improve the level of health education so that we
eat better and live longer.
One reason why focussing on health education is an appropriate measure is that it addresses one underlying cause of the problem. It is clear that there is a connection between what people know about nutrition and their eating habits. For example, children who have learned in school about the need to have a varied diet with plenty of vitamins tend to eat more healthily. In contrast, people who have not had this education still eat too much junk food and as a result suffer from diabetes and other diseases.
Better health education, however, is not a complete answer as it ignores the wider social factors that cause people to eat unhealthily. For instance, many people eat fast food because they have a lifestyle that means they do not have time to sit down to a proper meal. Again, other people might eat burgers and pizzas because they are seen to be cool and they want to impress their peers.
There would not appear to be any simple way to deal with these social factors. A difficulty is that it is very hard for governments to make a difference to the individual choices people make. It might help, however, to ban advertisements for unhealthy foods on television and to require companies to provide proper meal facilities for their employees.
My conclusion is that the government certainly ought to introduce measures to improve the level of health education. However, this probably would not be a perfect solution as it would also be necessary to deal with the other social factors that cause unhealthy eating.
One reason why focussing on health education is an appropriate measure is that it addresses one underlying cause of the problem. It is clear that there is a connection between what people know about nutrition and their eating habits. For example, children who have learned in school about the need to have a varied diet with plenty of vitamins tend to eat more healthily. In contrast, people who have not had this education still eat too much junk food and as a result suffer from diabetes and other diseases.
Better health education, however, is not a complete answer as it ignores the wider social factors that cause people to eat unhealthily. For instance, many people eat fast food because they have a lifestyle that means they do not have time to sit down to a proper meal. Again, other people might eat burgers and pizzas because they are seen to be cool and they want to impress their peers.
There would not appear to be any simple way to deal with these social factors. A difficulty is that it is very hard for governments to make a difference to the individual choices people make. It might help, however, to ban advertisements for unhealthy foods on television and to require companies to provide proper meal facilities for their employees.
My conclusion is that the government certainly ought to introduce measures to improve the level of health education. However, this probably would not be a perfect solution as it would also be necessary to deal with the other social factors that cause unhealthy eating.
The best way to solve the
world’s environmental problems is to increase the cost of fuel. To what extent
do you agree or disagree?
Most people would accept that one of the highest priorities today is to find a solution to the various environmental problems facing mankind. It has been suggested that best way to achieve this is for governments to raise the price of fuel. I am, however, not sure that this is necessarily the case.
One reason why this approach may not work is that there is not just one environmental problem the world faces today. If governments did make fuel more expensive, it might well help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we produce and so slow down the rate ofglobal warming and air pollution. However, it would not help with other major problems such as intensive farming, overpopulation, the hole in the ozone layer or water pollution. For these problems we need to find other solutions.
A second reason why this approach may not be the most appropriate is that it places the emphasis on governmental policy and not individual responsibility. Ultimately, most environmental problems are the result of the way we as individuals live our lives. If we wish to find a long-term and lasting solution to them, we need to learn to live in a way that it is greener or kinder to the environment. What governments need to do to make this happen is to ensure there is a global programme to educate people of all ages about the environmental consequences to their actions.
In summary, I believe that increasing the level of taxation on fuel is at best a short-term solution to only one environmental problem. If we wish to provide a home for our children’s children, education is likely to be the key to making this happen.
Most people would accept that one of the highest priorities today is to find a solution to the various environmental problems facing mankind. It has been suggested that best way to achieve this is for governments to raise the price of fuel. I am, however, not sure that this is necessarily the case.
One reason why this approach may not work is that there is not just one environmental problem the world faces today. If governments did make fuel more expensive, it might well help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we produce and so slow down the rate ofglobal warming and air pollution. However, it would not help with other major problems such as intensive farming, overpopulation, the hole in the ozone layer or water pollution. For these problems we need to find other solutions.
A second reason why this approach may not be the most appropriate is that it places the emphasis on governmental policy and not individual responsibility. Ultimately, most environmental problems are the result of the way we as individuals live our lives. If we wish to find a long-term and lasting solution to them, we need to learn to live in a way that it is greener or kinder to the environment. What governments need to do to make this happen is to ensure there is a global programme to educate people of all ages about the environmental consequences to their actions.
In summary, I believe that increasing the level of taxation on fuel is at best a short-term solution to only one environmental problem. If we wish to provide a home for our children’s children, education is likely to be the key to making this happen.
Example 3
Many people nowadays face a
difficult decision when they buy their own home. The question is whether they
should buy a house or an apartment. There would seem to be clear benefits and
drawbacks to both options.
Perhaps the major advantage of living in a house is the issue of privacy. Typically, there is more opportunity for peace and quiet, if you live in a house. This is particularly the case if it is a detached house. Other significant advantages are that houses are generally more spacious and on the whole have gardens. This is especially important if there is a family so that the children can have a safe environment to play in. If, however, you live in a tower block, then the children may have to play outside on the pavement.
There are, of course, negative aspects to living in houses. The greatest of these is that they tend to be more expensive to purchase and to maintain. Indeed, a large majority of people choose to live in apartments because they cannot afford the mortgage to buy a house. Another possible problem is that there are fewer houses in cities than the countryside. So if you like urban life, it may be preferable to live in an apartment. A second reason to avoid living in a house is that there is a greater sense of communityto life in an apartment.
My conclusion would be that this is a well-balanced issue. There are probably an equal number of pros and cons to making either choice. Ultimately, whether you decide to live in a cottage in the countryside or a duplex in the city depends on your own personality, family and financial circumstances
Perhaps the major advantage of living in a house is the issue of privacy. Typically, there is more opportunity for peace and quiet, if you live in a house. This is particularly the case if it is a detached house. Other significant advantages are that houses are generally more spacious and on the whole have gardens. This is especially important if there is a family so that the children can have a safe environment to play in. If, however, you live in a tower block, then the children may have to play outside on the pavement.
There are, of course, negative aspects to living in houses. The greatest of these is that they tend to be more expensive to purchase and to maintain. Indeed, a large majority of people choose to live in apartments because they cannot afford the mortgage to buy a house. Another possible problem is that there are fewer houses in cities than the countryside. So if you like urban life, it may be preferable to live in an apartment. A second reason to avoid living in a house is that there is a greater sense of communityto life in an apartment.
My conclusion would be that this is a well-balanced issue. There are probably an equal number of pros and cons to making either choice. Ultimately, whether you decide to live in a cottage in the countryside or a duplex in the city depends on your own personality, family and financial circumstances
It has never been straightforward to know how to decide to punish criminals for
their actions. It does seem clear, though, in
this day and age that work in
the community is a viable alternative to custodial
sentences for minor offences and, perhaps, in cases where there are mitigating factors.
In this essay, I attempt to
explain when I believe these community service orders should be made.
The first set of circumstances when community work is the appropriate sanction is for less serious offences when the offender shows remorse for his actions. Part of the reason for this is that it may be wrong to take away someone’s livelihood by sending them to prison, simply because they have written graffiti on a wall. Likewise, there is a significant danger that these minor offenders would become hardened criminals if they spent time with career criminals in prison. I would emphasise, however, that it should be a condition that the criminal regrets his actions and it is only appropriate for first time offenders.
The other major instance when there is a strong argument to order people to work in the community is when their crimes are unlikely to be repeated. For example, someone who has caused an accident and been caught driving when drunk may not be sent to prison if they were driving their pregnant wife to hospital. In this case, it seems much better if they are ordered to help the community in some way such as working in a shelter for the homeless.
In summary, prison is in my view not always the best sanction and there are certain circumstances when non-custodial sentences may be both more effective and more just. In particular, judges may decide not to send to prison minor offenders and people who are unlikely to re-offend.
The first set of circumstances when community work is the appropriate sanction is for less serious offences when the offender shows remorse for his actions. Part of the reason for this is that it may be wrong to take away someone’s livelihood by sending them to prison, simply because they have written graffiti on a wall. Likewise, there is a significant danger that these minor offenders would become hardened criminals if they spent time with career criminals in prison. I would emphasise, however, that it should be a condition that the criminal regrets his actions and it is only appropriate for first time offenders.
The other major instance when there is a strong argument to order people to work in the community is when their crimes are unlikely to be repeated. For example, someone who has caused an accident and been caught driving when drunk may not be sent to prison if they were driving their pregnant wife to hospital. In this case, it seems much better if they are ordered to help the community in some way such as working in a shelter for the homeless.
In summary, prison is in my view not always the best sanction and there are certain circumstances when non-custodial sentences may be both more effective and more just. In particular, judges may decide not to send to prison minor offenders and people who are unlikely to re-offend.
In recent times there has
been much debate about which subjects
should be included on the school curriculum. One particular issue is
whether the introduction of more modern subjects such as IT for more
traditional subjects such as art and music disadvantages the pupils. I believe
that this is a difficult question and different solutions need to be found for
primary and secondary schools.
There is one major
argument in favour of replacing art, music and sport on the
curriculum with subjects like IT. This is that the purpose of school is to
prepare children for their working life after school, so the subjects on the
curriculum should be relevant to their potential careers. From this point of
view, IT is much relevant to schoolchildren as they need to be computer
literate if they want to survive in the workplace. For example, it is easy to
see that word processing and programming skills will impress employers more
than the ability to run fast or draw well.
There are also, however,
strong arguments for retaining the more traditional subjects as part of the
curriculum. One significant counter-argument is that the purpose of education
is not just to prepare children for later careers, but also to develop their
all round “culture”. It is important that children leave school with some
knowledge of art, music and sport as all these are all help develop aspects of
young people’s personalities.
My own personal point of
view is that there is merit in both sides of the debate and that all children
should study some IT, art music and sport at least at primary school. At
secondary school, however, children should be offered a choice between these
subjects so that they can continue to study them if they wish.
It is unquestionable that rising unemployment is one of the most pressing issues in the industrial world. One solution that has been put forward is to cut the working week to a maximum of 35 hours. However, this solution is somewhat controversial as it has both positive and negative effects.
It is fairly easy to understand the reasons why this proposal has been made. The reasoning is that if workers are not allowed to work for more than 35 hours weekly, then employers will be forced to engage more staff. There would be at least two advantages to this. Not only would unemployment be reduced, but the working conditions of employees on very long shifts would also be significantly improved. For example, a factory employing 300 manual workers doing 10 hours a day might employ 450 workers.
There is also, however, a strong argument not to implement this proposal. This argument is based on economic competitiveness. If a company was forced to employ more workers to produce the same amount of goods, then its wage bill would rise and its products might become more expensive and less competitive compared to companies with longer working weeks. In this case, it is possible that the company either might become insolvent or it would have to make some employees redundant. As a result, the intended benefit to the personnel would not happen.
In summary, we can see that this is clearly a complex issue as there are significant advantages and disadvantages to the proposal. My own personal view is that it would be better not to introduce the shortened working week because it works only in theoryand not in practice.
Muet Writing : Common Idioms List
okay you don't need to include every single idiom in your muet writing essay. but who knows if this might be helpful :p
Set 1
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Common Idioms
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Definitions
|
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It cost me an arm and a leg to take
my trip to Australia.
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Very expensive
|
|
I was over the moon when he
asked me to marry him.
|
Extremely pleased or
happy
|
|
You are taking your IELTS test next week?? Aren’t you jumping the gun.
You’ve only just started studying.
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Doing or starting
something too early
|
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He comes round to see me once in a blue moon.
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Happening very rarely
|
|
He’s got a chip on his shoulder.
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Feeling inferior or
having a grievance about something
|
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I reckon getting a band 7 in IELTS will be a piece of cake! I’m
very good at English.
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Very easy
|
|
The money sent by comic relief to help poverty in Africa is just a drop in the ocean. They
need far more than this.
|
A very small part of
something much bigger
|
|
Getting a low score the first time I took IELTS was a blessing in disguise. It
forced me to study extremely hard so I got a much better score the next time.
|
Something positive that
isn’t recognized until later
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We have to actually do something about global warming. Actions speak louder than
words.
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It’s better to actually
do something rather than just talking about it
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|
I bumped into Jenny in town the other day. It's a small world.
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Meeting someone you would
not have expected to
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Set 2
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Common Idioms
|
Definitions
|
|
Oh well, I got 5.5 in IELTS again.Back to the drawing board!
|
When an attempt to do
something fails and it's time to start all over again using different methods
|
|
I hate my job so much I can’t bare going to work, but if I quit
I don’t think I can get another job. I’m reallystuck / caught between a rock and a hard place.
|
Having two very bad
choices.
(note: stuck/caught can be omitted)
|
|
I have to bite my tongue so I don’t say what I really think of him!
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Wanting to say something
but stopping yourself.
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Come on, cut to the chase. We haven’t got all day!
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Leave out all the
unnecessary details and just get to the point
|
|
Are you putting all of your savings into that company? Don’t put all your eggs in one
basket.
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Putting all of ones
resources into one possibility
|
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Try not to worry about it. Every cloud has a silver lining.
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Believing that every bad
situation has a positive side / eventually leads to something good
|
|
It was difficult when I moved to another country but I
eventually found my feet.
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To become comfortable in
what you are doing
|
|
My parents are very fixed
in their ways. They won’t start using the internet.
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Not wanting to change
from the normal ways of doing things
|
|
I think he got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. He is
in a terrible mood.
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To refer to someone who
is having a bad day
|
|
My mother will always go the extra mile to help
people.
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Doing much more than is
required when doing something
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Set 3
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Common Idioms
|
Definitions
|
|
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. That’s the reason he
didn’t get the job.
|
Say exactly the right
thing
|
|
Today’s going so badly. If it’s not one thing, it’s the other.
|
When everything seems to
be going wrong
|
|
I just said it in the heat of the moment. I was angry. I know I
shouldn’t have.
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Saying or doing something
suddenly without thinking about it
|
|
Keep an eye on him. I
think he may cheat in the exam.
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Watch someone or
something carefully
|
|
Have you heard? John down the road has kicked the bucket.
|
Died
|
|
I don’t want to argue with him again. It’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.
|
Avoid a conflict
|
|
I told him what gift you have bought him for his birthday.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to let the cat out of the bag.
|
Tell someone something
that you were not supposed to
|
|
Don’t tell her what you really think of her if she’s helping you
with your English! Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
|
Hurt or upset someone who
is helping you
|
|
I’m not sure which party he is going to vote for. He’s sitting on the fence.
|
Not making a firm
decision between different choices
|
|
Everything she does is very over the top. She can’t just have a few drinks – se has to
get really drunk.
|
Excessive
|
Set 4
|
Common Idioms
|
Definitions
|
|
Let’s keep studying for IELTS.Practice makes perfect.
|
Continuously doing
something to improve
|
|
Don’t get upset about what he said. He’s just pulling your leg.
|
Joking around
|
|
Sorry but I think I’ll take a rain check on that.
|
To decline an offer that
you will take up later
|
|
As a rule of thumb, I don’t study at weekends. I spend the time
with my family.
|
Principal that is
strictly adhered / kept to
|
|
I can smell a rat. He said he has a PhD but he can’t even
remember which university he studied at.
|
To sense that something
is not right
|
|
She’s the spitting image of her
mother.
|
To look exactly like
someone else
|
|
The ball's in your court now. What are you going to do?
|
Telling someone it's now
their turn to make a decision
|
|
Unfortunately I think he’ll be studying for IELTS until the cows come home. His English is very
poor.
|
For a very long time
|
|
It was all tongue-in-cheek. He
didn’t really mean what he said.
|
Something said in humour
rather than seriously
|
|
She’s feeling under the weathertoday so she won’t be
going to work.
|
Unwell
|
Set 5
|
Common Idioms
|
Definitions
|
|
We've had some big disagreements over the years, but it’s all water under the bridge now. We get on fine.
|
Things from the past that
are not important anymore
|
|
You are what you eat so it’s
better to have a healthy diet.
|
If you eat bad food,
you’ll be unhealthy, if you eat good food, you’ll be healthy
|
|
You can’t judge a book by
its cover. I need to get to know him before I decide what he is like.
|
The belief that outside
appearances do not reveal what someone or something is really like
|
|
We're really working against the clock now. We
must hurry.
|
Not having enough time to
do something
|
|
Why are we bothering? We'reflogging a dead horse. Our online business is
making no money, so we should move on and do something else.
|
Attempting to continue
with something that is finished / over
|
|
I bent over backwards to help
him. I hope he appreciates it.
|
Doing all you can to help
someone
|
|
So you have the IELTS test today??Break a leg.
|
Good luck
|
|
Ok, I'm playing devil's advocatehere, but if marijuana is
legalized, isn't it more likely young people will smoke it?
|
To put forward a side in
an argument that may not be your own in order to show the counter-argument /
ensure all sides are discussed
|
|
Hold your horses! We
haven't won anything yet.
|
Telling someone who is
getting ahead of themselves to wait / be patient
|
|
She is driving me up the wall. She won't stop talking.
|
Annoying or irritating somebody
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