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VCE Indonesian Second Language study materials
VCE Indonesian Second Language study resources

VCE Indonesian Second Language: Writing: Task Fulfilment, Register and Cohesion

VCE Indonesian Second Language · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Writing: Task Fulfilment, Register and Cohesion

What this section tests

Writing requires you to produce a coherent Indonesian text of roughly 200–300 words in a specified form - a letter, article, speech, diary entry, review or report - for a specified audience. Marks are split between task fulfilment (content and form), range and accuracy of language, and appropriateness of register.

Concepts you must control

  • Text structure: an artikel needs a title, introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion; a surat resmi needs a heading, Dengan hormat, a clear purpose, a closing and Hormat kami plus signature line; an informal letter opens with Halo or Salam rindu and closes with Sampai jumpa.
  • Register: formal writing avoids nggak, banget, bikin; use tidak, sangat, membuat. Address the reader as Anda in formal pieces and kamu/kalian in informal ones - and stay consistent.
  • Cohesive devices: pertama, selain itu, di samping itu, namun demikian, oleh sebab itu, sebagai kesimpulan. They signal structure to the examiner.
  • Sentence variety and affix accuracy: mix simple and complex sentences; check meN- vs di-, -kan vs -i, and ke-...-an nouns.
  • Time and aspect: sudah, telah, sedang, akan for clarity.

Traps

  1. Ignoring the audience: writing an article to friends in slangy register loses marks.
  2. Writing everything you know about the topic rather than answering the prompt's specific points.
  3. Forgetting conventions - a formal letter without Hormat kami looks incomplete.
  4. Over-long sentences with tangled affixes; accuracy beats ambition.

Rule of thumb

Spend five minutes planning: list the required points from the prompt, choose a structure, and note five or six connectives you will use. Reserve five minutes to check verbs, prepositions (di vs ke), and register consistency.

Worked example

Prompt: write a letter to a school principal proposing a recycling program. Open Dengan hormat, state purpose (Saya menulis untuk mengusulkan...), give two reasons with selain itu, acknowledge a difficulty with namun, close with a request and Hormat kami. Using nggak anywhere here would break register.