The details of QET are available at:

http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/event/registration-qet.html

QET Exam Tips

The articles you read will be related to the topic of your essay that you need to write. One
article will oppose the topic while another will agree with it by giving their own
perspectives and evidences. The remaining one article will either agree, oppose or remain
neutral. Therefore, what you need to do is to choose one stand and elaborate your
reasons. Below is the standard structure of an argumentative essay.
Template for an argumentative essay
Introduction  Brief background of the given topic
 Definition of key words and issues
 Thesis
- Clear and Logical
 Outline of main points
-Clear and Comprehensive
 Provide transition into body paragraphs
-show your stand
-show how you will develop your ideas

Body  Topic sentence

paragraphs - what the main point of each paragraph is
 Supporting details
-synthesise what you have read (show what different people think
about the same point)
-show some critical thinking (what you think of what you have read)
 Counter-arguments
-show that you understand that there is an opposing viewpoint, but…
 Refutations
-show that you have an argument against that opposing viewpoint

 Transitions are appropriate, e.g. firstly.

- From introduction
- Between paragraphs
 Provide in-text citations

Conclusion  Recap main points

 Reiterate thesis
 Final word if any (no new ideas)

*All the information is adapted from “Communication in the University Culture” by T.Ruanni F.Tupas, Catherine Cook,
Norhayati Bte Mohd Ismail.

This study source was downloaded by 100000826565896 from CourseHero.com on 05-24-2022 02:58:30 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/59371899/QET-Tipsdocx/
 When you make use of information from the reading texts, you must
indicate clearly which text did your information came from. (In the sample
paper, this is indicated as “with proper acknowledgment”.)

Juniors, below is an example of an academic essay. It is only for reference (it

would be best to follow the structure given above), and the essay structures
mentioned above are written in red in the essay given.
The 2010 sample QET paper can be found in the PDF file.

Psychologists are quick to observe that because of the complexity of our relationships with
others, “social motives play a very great role in our lives” (Morris, 1979, p.370). Two of these social
motives – the need for achievement (i.e., the need for excellence of performance) and the need for
power (i.e., the need to control others) – are especially important in terms of success within an
organisation. While individual success is no doubt the result of a combination of many motives, the
need for achievement (nAch) and the need for power (nPwr) appear to be very important contributing
factors. This paper will propose that, in terms of the personal characteristics associated with each of
these two motives, a strong need for power would seem to be most effective when a strong need for
achievement is also present.—(thesis）

One of the most obvious traits found in those people who have a high nPwr is their tendency to
seek positions in which they are able to exert control over others – i.e., positions of leadership. —
(topic sentence) (Robbins, 1979). These positions may be in any domain (business, education,
government, and so on), but in all these areas, in order to successfully maintain a position of leadership,
a person must also have certain other personal characteristics. —(transition) To get the position in the
first place, the individual must be competitive. In order to assume a role of leadership within an
organisation, one must be able to “learn the ropes” quickly and to persevere in carrying out long-range
Supporting
plans. To accomplish this, a person must have a high level of energy and a sense of responsibility. details
Moreover, since the individual is in a leadership position, success rests largely on the internal standards
which have been set, as well as on some ability to resist outside pressure. Interestingly enough, these
traits – competitiveness, the ability to learn quickly, perseverance, a high energy level, a sense of
responsibility, the ability to resist outside pressure, and high self-imposed standards – are among those
most commonly found in persons who have a high nAch —(expresses that nPwr is related to
nAch, reinforcing/ supporting the last sentence of the introduction paragraph) (Morris,
1979).

In the field of management, Maccoby (1971) describes the typical modern corporate executive.
This “new manager” combines a high nPwr with a high nAch:

His main interest is in challenge, competitive activity where he can prove himself a winner.
Impatient with others who are slower and more cautious, he likes to take risks and to motivate

This study source was downloaded by 100000826565896 from CourseHero.com on 05-24-2022 02:58:30 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/59371899/QET-Tipsdocx/
 others to push themselves beyond their normal pace. He responds to work and life as a game. The
contest hypes him up and he communicates his enthusiasm, thus energising others.

Further research tends to demonstrate that persons who have a high need for power seek to dominate
group discussions—(topic sentence) (Robbins, 1979). To assume and successfully maintain a
dominant position in a discussion group, an individual must possess characteristics which enable
him/her to do so. These include the following: competitiveness, in order to dominate; a sense Supporting
of self-
details
confidence, in order to express opinions in a group; the ability to learn quickly, in order to respond
appropriately; and a high level of energy combined with the ability to resist outside pressures, in order
to maintain dominance. Once again, these traits are those found in persons who have a high need for
achievement —(expresses that nPwr is related to nAch, reinforcing/ supporting the last
sentence of the introduction paragraph) (Morris, 1979).

Politics, one of the fields commonly chosen by those with a high need for power (Robbins,
1979, p. 268), provides a good illustration of the relationship between these two social motives. —
(topic sentence) To achieve success in politics, a person must demonstrate most of the
characteristics of high-nAch personalities. More specifically, in a study done of the power motivation
of certain U.S. presidents (Winter, 1973), John F. Kennedy was identified as one of the presidents with
a high need for power. Kennedy, one of the most popular presidents, was well-known for his energy,
Supporting
self-confidence, competitiveness, and sense of perseverance. In addition, self-imposed high standards
details
and the ability to grasp the essentials of a problem were qualities assigned to him. Kennedy’s high
nPwr, as determined by Winter in this study by “…the concerns, aspirations, fears, and ideas for action
of each president as revealed in his inaugural address” (Morris, 1979, p. 372), seemed, for successful
fulfillment, to be dependent on the possession of high nAch as well.

Thus, although it is clear that a number of motives are at work at any one time of determining
the behaviour of any individual, —(counter-argument) current research indicates that in terms of
success within an organisation, the need for power (nPwr) and the need for achievement (nAch) are
among those most deserving of further consideration. —(refutation) And while there has Recap been, toof main
date, no definitive study which establishes an absolute correlation between these two motivespoints
— & reiterate
(counter-argument) , a careful comparison of their respective component traits seems tothesis suggest that
a strong need for achievement is a prerequisite for the most complete satisfaction of a strong need for
power. —(refutation) The desire to do things well – and those personal traits which enable a person
to do so – would appear to constitute an excellent foundation for assuming and maintaining positions of words
Final
leadership, providing a more effective complement to the desire to control and influence others.

References

Maccoby, M. (1979). “The New Manager: A Game-Player Rather Than Power-Seeker”. In S. P.

Robbins (Ed.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 282-83). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Morris, C.G. (1979). Psychology. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
This study source was downloaded by 100000826565896 from CourseHero.com on 05-24-2022 02:58:30 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/59371899/QET-Tipsdocx/
 Robbins, S. P. (1979). Organizational Behavior. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Winter, D.G. (1973, July). “What Makes the Candidates Run.” Psychology Today, 45-49.

QET Band Descriptors

Students who obtain Band 1 will have to take ES1000 followed by ES1102.
Students who obtain Band 2 will have to take ES1102.
Students who obtain Band 3 are exempted from an English module.

简单来说呢，就当作是高中在写议论文时一样，选定一个立场去写就是了，不必要太担心。这只是一个
评估考试，不会影响你们多少；到时如果被安排到拿英文 module，也会对你们很有帮助。FOC 第一天晚
上会给你们一个简短的 briefing，有什么问题也可以在事前或 FOC 时询问 senior 们。

GOOD LUCK, JUNIORS!!!

This study source was downloaded by 100000826565896 from CourseHero.com on 05-24-2022 02:58:30 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/59371899/QET-Tipsdocx/
 This study source was downloaded by 100000826565896 from CourseHero.com on 05-24-2022 02:58:30 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/59371899/QET-Tipsdocx/
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)