If you are someone who is or has decided to take STPM, MUET is a compulsory subject that you will need to sit for. Why do you need to sit for MUET? The Malaysian University English test, or MUET for short is a subject that you will need to take and pass in order to be eligible to enter universities in Malaysia. The MUET test is there to assess a student’s English proficiency.
Unlike other subjects in your STPM qualification, MUET results are a bit different. The highest score in MUET is band 5+ and the lowest score is band 1. In general, students will need a minimum band 4 to enter universities in Malaysia but the requirement will also depend on the course a student plans on taking. For example, in order for you to be eligible to get into medicine, you will need a band 5+, while if you are looking at going into arts, you will need a band 4. All these depend on each university’s requirements and they can differ from place to place.
One thing you will not be able to deny is how important it is to have at least a band 4 or a band 5 in order to successfully enter universities.
In this article, we are here to help you achieve this by giving out some tips and tricks that can help you tremendously in your MUET examination. We will be looking at each of the assessments and providing some insight on how to score in them.
How to Score for Your Listening Component?
As per the MUET format and syllabus, there are a total of 5 parts in the listening component in MUET. Each of these parts will be vital for your overall assessment as it carries a total of 25% of your overall grade. The listening component is one that looks at a student’s ability to listen and comprehend which the Ministry of Education knows will play a very big part in a student’s success in higher education.
When it comes to the listening component of the MUET examination, students will be given a set of questions for each of the 5 listening parts. Based on the recording, students will have to answer these questions. One of the most important things you should do when it comes to the listening component is to look through the questions before you start. This gives you a brief idea of what is required and what you should be looking out for.
Sometimes, students can’t help but feel nervous and tend to miss out on parts of the recording. If this happens to you, don’t stress yourself out, as according to MPM, which is the Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia, each recording will be played a total of two times. This is sufficient if you have briefly glanced through the questions and know what to look out for.
How to Score for Your Speaking Component?
The speaking component in MUET is divided into two parts. The first is an individual oral presentation and the second is for group-based discussion. This part of the assessment carries an overall 25% of the grade and remains one of the most difficult parts of the MUET examinations.
The Malaysian school system has always given a lot of importance when it comes to written assessment. In general, students are quite used to written examinations but rarely are they faced with a speaking aspect of assessment. This is the main factor that makes students fear this component.
In general, students only tend to speak English when it is related to official occasions. Their day-to-day conversations tend to be in their mother tongue which is usually Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil or Mandarin.
To be faced with a component of the assessment that requires them to speak English for 2 minutes in the first part and 8 to 12 minutes in the second part can be a very scary experience.
In order to successfully speak for the duration of time given, students should always remember to prepare a minimum of three points to speak about and always have proper explanations and examples ready.
Do not rush and speak through your points as this will most certainly mean making grammatical mistakes and not speaking for the duration given. Take a deep breath and make sure to slowly speak and pronounce your words properly.
Always make eye contact with your fellow candidates as well as your examiner as this will give the impression to them that you are confident and always pay attention to the other students as well during your group discussion assessment.
What can you do before your assessment? Well, practise speaking as much as possible. Converse with your fellow students in English and you can even get a few students to join you as all of you practise speaking. This will give you the confidence needed and help you be more comfortable while speaking the language.
Check out Understanding the MUET 2025 Band Score!
How to Score for Your Reading Component?
The reading component in MUET carries 25% of a student's overall grade. The reading component has a total of 7 parts and students are given 75 minutes to complete the entire assessment. Although this component might seem like one of the easiest to score, students should not take this component lightly.
At times, students will not have sufficient time to read all the text in all the seven parts and one of the best things you can do as a student is learn how to skim through the text. But be aware that when it comes to the reading component, one of the most important things you should pay attention to is context. Always make sure to identify important points as well as special vocabulary that is used in the text. In order to help you with this, look at the questions beforehand as they are able to help you identify important points.
One thing students should be careful with is multiple-choice questions. It is easy to make mistakes, especially in multiple-choice questions as the answers can seem very similar and identical.
When it comes to multiple choice questions, if students are unsure about an answer, they should use the elimination tactic where they eliminate obvious wrong answers and then go back to the text and read it again.
You might employ your skills in skimming the text but never do this when it comes to questions. It is easy to mistake true and false when or except and not. Always read the questions thoroughly to avoid any careless mistake that can cause you to miss out on important marks.
What is the difference between IELTS and MUET? Click here to find out!
How to Score for Your Writing Component?
The writing component in MUET is a bit different from the other components. This is one component that will require students to have a thorough plan before starting. When it comes to writing, one of the most important parts is showing your examiner your ability to plan out your writing while showcasing your language ability. This is one component that students can easily score in if they employ the correct strategy.
The first thing you must do when you are sitting for your writing assessment is to read the questions properly. This is the first step. To understand what the question wants out of you.
Secondly, you should plan out your entire essay. Start with an introduction, the main points and a conclusion. By doing this, you will be able to organise your thoughts and therefore come up with a very good and organised essay. Always go back to the questions to see if what you have planned out is relevant and required by the question.
Next, based on what you have roughly drawn out, start writing your essay. Ensure you use all the key points you have written down earlier.
The last tip is something that most students tend to forget or leave out, which is to re-read your essay from the first word to the last. All students should practise this as it gives you the opportunity to not only read through your entire essay to see if you have presented your points in the best way but to also identify mistakes or spelling errors you might have made.
If you are someone who always has trouble in this section, one of the best ways to improve is to practise as many past-year questions and resources as you can get your hands on. By doing this, you will not only improve your writing skills but also build your confidence.
In order to improve and prepare for your MUET examination, you should consider hiring a tutor. More often than not, people tend to think that hiring a tutor is a difficult and expensive affair. With the existence of Superprof, this has all changed. Superpof is an online platform that brings students and tutors together from all over the world. Our tutors are not only good at what they teach but they are also passionate about it.
Our MUET tutors are highly skilled and experienced and they are people that can help you in all 4 components of your examinations. With the help of our tutors, we are sure you will be able to score well on your paper.
Our tutors tend to provide their first lesson for free as well so you can try out the classes to see if they are a good fit for you before starting on your journey in learning and preparing for your MUET examination in 2025!
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