Excellent model essays

There are many excellent essays written by my students which might be helpful to you as you prepare for
your exam.

Friends by Manu Menon

Friends are people whom we turn to when our spirits need a lift. They are always by our side through
thick and thin. They stand beside us even when our disposition is not perfectly right and will fight for us if
we are oppressed. Therefore, it is clear that friends play a vital role in shaping who we are today. But
what qualities exactly do we need to look for in a friend?
A friend should always be caring towards you. He or she should take interest in your problems no matter
how big or petty your problem may be. A friend should be able to sit beside you and encourage you to
keep your chin up even when everyone else is against you. A friends empathy and lovingness will also
replenish your worn-out soul and will make you realize how important a friend really is.
Apart from that, a friend should be an honest person. An honest friend will dissipate any worries that he or
she is lying towards you. A friends honesty will enable you to trust his or shes opinion when it comes to
telling you the truth about yourself. For example, an honest friend will remand you on your declining
grades and will ask you to work harder while a dishonest friend will see it with a blind eye. Therefore, an
overall improvement in yourself will be noticeable if you have an honest friend.
Moreover, a friend should be generous both emotionally and knowledge wise. A friend who is generous
ought to be able to connect with you and provide emotional support. He or she should also be generous
when it comes to sharing knowledge. A true friend must be ever-ready to help you when you are inept in
certain subjects. A friend can easily guide you towards understanding the subject matter better as he or
she is often on the same page as you. The only difference is that you cant quite grasp the content of the
page per se.
Besides that, a friend must also be able to humour you. Humour plays a quintessential role in making
your day more lively and enjoyable. Friends who pull your leg and mess about will indefinitely make life
seem so much better. As they say, laughter is the best medicine and a little levity on rainy days is always
welcomed.
In conclusion, friends are people we spend most of our time with. Thus, we have to be selective when it
comes to choosing our friends.








Fea and I had been friends since primary school. We were so close as we did almost everything together.
We were also well known as one of the top students in our school. Eventhough we were in different
classes, but we still dear to each other. Fea was also my neighbour. Which made us become even closer.

It was the second day of school since it was started on 3rd January 2011. A new girl named Nazirah
registered at our school. She became popular drastically as she was beautiful and rich. Most of the boys
were attracted to her. Everyone wanted to be her friends including me. That was the moment I started
neglecting Fea. She noticed that I wanted to make Nazirah pay attention to me.

"What are you doing now? You have left me for that new girl." Fea asked me. I did not give any response
to her. I just walked away without even looking at her. After a few steps, I turned and I noticed there were
tears falling from her eyes. Maybe she was hurt by the way I treated her. I did not care about other
matters. All I knew was, I needed to befriend with Nazirah. I did not want Fea to be an interrupter in my
life.

A few days later, Nazirah and I had been friends. We were together no matter where we went. Rumors
about Nazirah and I were spreading all over the school. They said I had been Nazirah's follower as I was
there where ever she was. I started to abandon my studies and my results dropped terribly. I was afraid to
to show my result to my parents as I was one of the top students before. Finally, no matter how hard I
hide it, they knew about y result. They were really angry with my behavior when I tried to lie to them. I was
grounded and my pocket money was cut. I was sad and stressed up.

I tried to ask for Fea's help but no avail. She did not wanted to help me. She said that was my problem
not hers. So she asked me to stay away from her. I was shocked. I never thought she would ever did that.
Out of sudden, I realised I was nobody to her. While I was having a major problem in my studies, to pick
up every lessons that I learnt back, Fea came.

"I am always here for you." Fea put her hand on my shoulder. I was shocked with Fea appearance at my
house. I never thought that she still wanted to be my friend. I realised that Fea never left me. She kept her
eyes on me from far away. I bursted into tears. I asked for forgiveness and she just smiled and nodded
her head. I was really thankful that Fea still wanted to befriends with me again and that was the happiest
moment in my life.








Using idiomatic expressions
50 IDIOMATIC EXPRESSSIONS YOU MUST KNOW
The correct use of idiomatic expressions will earn you merit points when you write your essays.

1 ace
Get an "A" on a test, homework assignment, project, etc.
I heard that Susie aced the test yesterday
2 As easy as a pie
very easy
The test was as easy as a pie.
3 at the eleventh hour
at the last minute; almost too late.
He finished the project at the eleventh hour and he nearly lost his job.

4 all ears
eager to hear what someone has to say.
Tell me about your latest trip overseas. Im all ears.

5 be broke
be without money.
I need to borrow some money. I am broke.

6 be on the go
be very busy (going from one thing or project to another).
I am very tired. I've been on the go since 5 in the morning.

7 beat
exhausted; very tired
I need a break after this. I'm beat!"

8 beat around the bush
evade an issue; avoid giving a direct answer.
Stop beating around the bush! Just tell me what happened to my car.

9 bite off more than one can chew
take responsibility for more than one can manage.
Mrs Lee finds it difficult to finish all her work. She has bitten off more than she could chew!"

10 blow one's top
become extremely angry.
My father blew his top when he found out I had taken his car without his permission.

11 burn the midnight oil
study/work all night or until very late at night.
Johan is not ready for the test. He will have to burn the midnight oil."

12 call it a day
stop work for the day.
The labourers call it a day after working for five hours on the field.

13 can't make heads or tails of something
can't understand something at all;
find something confusing and illogical.
I cannot make heads or tails of your notes. Were you sleepy during the class?
14 catch one's eye
attract one's attention/interest.
This colourful advertisement caught my eye when I was in the bus.
15 change one's mind
decide to do something different from what had been decided earlier.

David did not go to Australia. He changed his mind when he heard that his mother is ill.
16 cost (someone) an arm and a leg cost a lot;
be very expensive.
This car costs him an arm and a leg. He has to get another job to help pay for it.
17 couch potato
someone who spends too much time watching TV.
You are becoming a couch potato. You need to get out and do some exercise.
18 Don't count your chickens until (before) they hatch (they've hatched) Don't assume that something
will happen until it has happened.
I think you should not count your chickens until theyve hatched. Wait till the boys win the competition this
Sunday.

19 drop someone a line
write to someone
Do drop me a line when you have time.
20 drag one's feet delay;
take longer than necessary to do something.
Why are you dragging your feet? You should have finished your homework by now.
21 an eager beaver
a person who is always willing to volunteer or do extra work.
Rahim is an eager beaver. He is the first to volunteer for any job to be done.
22 feel blue
feel sad and depressed.
Rita is feeling blue because she has not heard from her boyfriend for a long time.
23 fire someone
dismiss someone from a job because of poor performance. Lokman might be fired if he continues to be
late for work.

24 get it
understand something (often negative).
I dont get it. Could you please explain it to me again?
25 get on one's nerves
irritate someone; make someone upset.
His constant chatter is getting on my nerves. Please tell him to keep quiet.
26 get out of hand:
become out of control; become badly managed.
The situation is getting out of hand. The relief centre can only hold forty people but we have one hundred
people to care for.

27 give someone a hand
i. help someone.

ii. applaud someone
Please give a hand to the poor old lady. She is trying to cross the road.
The gardener has done a wonderful landscaping job. Lets give him a hand.

28 Hard-headed
have one's hands full stubborn; inflexible; unwilling to change.

Its pretty difficult to get Simon to change his mind. He is hard-headed.
29 have one's hands full
extremely busy
Peggy usually has her hands full in the beginning of a new school term.

30 in the black:
profitable; not showing a financial loss.
The company is back in the black after suffering from great losses the last two months.
31 in the red:
unprofitable; showing a financial loss.
The company is in the red. We have to stop some of the workers if the situation continues.
32 keep an eye on
check something regularly.
Please keep an eye on the children while I go to the bank.
33 keep one's fingers crossed
hope for the best.
He is keeping his fingers crossed while waiting for the results of his interview.
34 lend someone a hand
help someone.
Can you please lend a hand at the relief centre for the flood victims?

35 live from hand to mouth
survive on very little money; have only enough money
to pay for basic needs.
Ros and the children live from hand to mouth after the fire destroyed their house.
36 make a mountain out of a molehill
make something seem much more important than it really is.
Susila is making a mountain out of a molehill. I am sure the boys are perfectly capable of looking after
themselves.

37 make up one's mind
decide what to do
Moses has to make up his mind whether to continue his studies or take up a job.
38 on the dot exactly at a given time.
If you do not come on the dot, we will leave without you.
39 (on the) cutting edge
using the most recent technology
This car boasts of having a cutting edge technology. It has a computer and tracking system.
40 pull someone's leg tease someone by trying to make her/him believe something that's untrue.
She pulled my leg when he said that he had quit his job to get married.

41 Rain or shine
no matter what the weather
"We're leaving for Cameron Highlands, rain or shine."

42 rain cats and dogs
Rain heavily
Its raining cats and dogs now. You better leave later.
43 read someone's mind:
know what someone is thinking.
I can read your mind. I know you are very hungry and I have ordered pizza.
44 rub someone the wrong way
irritate someone
I cannot stand Robert. He seems to rub me the wrong way every time we discuss something.
45 sleep on it take some time to think about something before making a decision.
You should sleep on it first and we will discuss again tomorrow.
46 To make his own bed; now let him lie in it.
Someone has caused his/her own problems; he/she will have to solve them himself/herself.
He insisted that he should take up the project alone. So, he has made his own bed, let him lie in it.
47 under the weather
ill; unwell.
Susan was feeling under the weather yesterday, so she decided not to go to work."
48 until you're blue in the face
forever
You can advise him until you're blue in the face, but he wont change his ways.
49 wet behind the ears inexperienced and naive.
I do not think Suresh is suitable for this project. He is still wet behind the ears, having only joined us last
month.
50 wishy-washy:
without an opinion of one's own.
You better check with the other members. John can be wishy-washy at times.




How to start your essay?
I am sure many of you have a problem in starting your essay. Many of my students take a long time to
start their introduction or worse, they use the overused intro.:
Everyone in this world has a friend......
Everyone in this world love to watch television..


Your introduction must be something that grabs peoples attention. Use the following ideas:
1 Use some startling information or fact
Start with a pertinent fact that explicitly illustrates the point you wish to make. Then, elaborate with a
sentence or two.
Example:
Topic: Teenagers and their problems
o A recent survey on teenagers provided some food for thought for parents. It was found that about 70
per cent of them smoked, 40 per cent watched pornographic videos and 14 per cent took drugs.Several
factors have been identified as contributing to these problems.
2 Use an anecdote
An anecdote is a short story that illustrates a point.
Example:
Topic: The loafing syndrome among teenagers
Raj and his friends do not go home after school. They hang out daily at a shopping complex to while their
time away. There, they join many other students from other schools. Sometimes, they play some video
games or just enjoy each others company. Raj and his friends are just the tip of the iceberg of the loafing
syndrome among teenagers.
3 Dialogue
Use an appropriate dialogue to start your story or convey a point. Use only two or three exchanges
between speakers to make your point.
Topic: An unforgettable incident
Help! Someone just snatched my purse! The screams shattered the still of the night. Suddenly, lights
were switched on and heads popped out of doors and windows. Hey, whats the matter?
4 Use a question
You can also use a rhetorical question which jolts people into attention.
Topic: Reduce, reuse and recycle
Did you know that Malaysians throw away 1.2 million tonnes worth of newspapers daily? For every ten
newspapers bought, only four are recovered for recycling. Thus, the government spearheaded a recycling
campaign to encourage Malaysians to separate their waste.
Topic: Coping with peer pressure
What choice do you have if your friends are pressuring you to do something which you think is wrong?
Would you walk away? Are you able to say no?
5 Use a definition
Define your topic.
Example:
Topic: Gawai Dayak Festival
In Sarawak, the word Gawai is the equivalent to a Festival. Numerous Gawais are celebrated throughout
the year by the States indigenous people but Gawai Dayak marks the end of the harvest season and
heralds a new year.
6 Use a quotation
Topic: How to save water
It is better to be safe than to be sorry. That is the message of the environmentalists to those who take
water for granted. For one day, we may be faced with the situation whereby there is not enough water for
everyone. Thus, we should take steps to save water.
7 Use a general statement
Use a general statement about your topic, then narrow it to a specific point of view.
Topic: Ways to reduce pollution
Of late, there has been increasing concern with the impact of pollution on the environment and our
society. The public outcry over the various environmental disasters in our own country should be lauded.
How do we resolve these problems?




















THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
As I walked into school that day, I felt a strange but exciting
difference. Students were milling around the assembly area,
waiting, anticipating for the day to end! Yes! It is the last
day of school. We were going to have a special ceremony to
acknowledge the students that had a 100% record of
attendance. It was a day many had been looking forward to as
their hard work and perseverance to attend school, through rain
or shine, had finally paid off.
Some students were simply here to say goodbye to
their friends before they went their separate ways for the
holidays. Others were anxiously waiting to start their first day
of work at various shopping malls and the ever-present McDonalds
and KFC. That meant extra pocket money as well as means to
finally get their driving licenses.
As for me, I would miss many of many friends and
teachers. After all, I had spent eleven years of my life in
school. Parting would not be easy. I enjoyed school and could
not even imagine not seeing my teachers along the corridors or
monkeying with my fellow classmates. There would no longer be
any tests, exams, spot quizzes and assignments to complain
about. Life would be relatively tame back home.
This rite of passage of the last day of school
is one that I was expecting since last year but to actually have
to go through it was not easy at all. Mrs. Teh walked towards
me. It would be harder for her, I know. She was retiring
today. After 56 years of service, she was going to take things
easy now. Her last child had flown the nest and her husband had
passed away four years ago. She filled her life with the
students around her. She would surely miss the chatter and
laughter. She gazed sadly around her and I ran towards her to
give her a hug. It seemed to tell her that we would always be
around for her 5 Tekun and I.
Soon, the bell would ring the last time for
us. Then, the school corridors and walkways would empty out,
waiting for two months before the next wave of students arrive
for the new academic year. I walked out and turned back for the
last time sweet memories