MUET Writing
What Paper 4 requires
MUET Writing (Paper 4) lasts 90 minutes and has two tasks. Task 1 is guided transactional writing, often an email or letter based on a prompt; Task 2 is a discursive or argumentative essay. Marks depend on task fulfilment, organisation, grammar, vocabulary and communicative effect. The register must match the reader: formal-neutral for an email to an institution, clearly argued for an essay.
Core rules
- Underline the task's instruction words: 'describe', 'explain', 'compare', 'give your opinion'. Missing one limits task fulfilment.
- Plan for five minutes: Task 1 needs purpose, audience and required details; Task 2 needs a clear thesis and two or three developed body paragraphs.
- Build paragraphs with a topic sentence, explanation, example and link back. Do not list examples without explaining them.
- Use cohesive devices accurately: 'however', 'therefore', 'in contrast', 'as a result'. Do not begin every sentence with 'Besides'.
- Reserve time to proofread for subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions and punctuation.
Worked example
Task 1 prompt: write an email to your landlord about a broken air-conditioner. A weak version begins 'Hey, the aircon is broken. Fix it.' A stronger version has a subject line, a polite salutation, the problem and its impact ('The unit has not cooled since Monday, and the bedroom is unusable at night'), a specific request ('Please arrange a repair this week'), and a closing. The reasoning: the reader needs facts and a clear action, while the tone must remain firm but courteous.
Traps that cost marks
Off-topic memorised templates; an essay that discusses both sides but never states a position; examples with no explanation; informal abbreviations in formal writing; and an overlong introduction that leaves body paragraphs thin.