MUET MEETING 3

WRITING PART 2 Essay: Main Idea, supporting details, examples, and reasons.

A. Writing The Body Paragraph

After writing your thesis statement and stating your stand points in the introductory paragraph,
now you can move your attention to the body paragraph. As you have learned in the previous
meeting, the MUET candidates are expected to write an essay using an organized structure.
Therefore, before you start writing your essay you should plan your response by considering the
following aspects:

State Topic Sentence

First of all, is for you to write your main point usually in form of topic sentence. Start this
with a cohesive device and introduce your first opinion. Your topic sentence should be clear
and specific.

Give Supporting details

After writing your topic sentence you need to elaborate your response. You can do this by
explaining what you mean or by giving reasons.

Give a related example

Provide an example from the current issue happening around you by doing this you will
clarify your idea and substantiate your opinion.

Close the Paragraph

And finally is for you to close your paragraph. This is the last line where you are going to
write in a way that it signals the ending of that idea and you’re moving on to another
paragraph. Use a cohesive device to link your example and elaboration to your opinion.

Look at the following examples of body paragraph 2/3 of a sample essay.

Statement-Reading has a strong influence on academic success

Paragraph 2

Topic Sentence
First and foremost, reading allows student to
obtain new information.
Supporting details
With the vast array of reading materials available
in bookstores and also on the internet, students
can choose any subject of interest for their
reading pleasure as well as to increase their
knowledge.
Example
Reading the newspaper, for example, enables
students to keep abreast of current issues and this
can help them to score higher marks in their essay
during examination
Concluding sentence
This means that reading beyond the classroom
helps a person to gain more knowledge which is
important for academic success.

Paragraph 3

Secondly, students can broaden their perspective Topic Sentence

by reading.
Supporting details
When students read articles that express opinions
and viewpoints of others, they would be able to
understand an issue from different perspective.

They become more broadminded and would be

more incline to think outside of the box when
faced with challenge.
Example
One example is when engineering graduates are
required to do project; they would get higher
scores if they approach the topic not only from
the technical aspects but also from the cultural
and environmental aspects.
Concluding sentence
Thus, reading broadens their thinking by
providing students with different perspective on a
topic which shows itself in maturity of thought
and balanced perspectives.
 Look at the following paragraph from writing task 2 sample essays; underline the topic sentence,
supporting details, example, and concluding sentence.

Statement- Social media has made us less social

Firstly, social media allows us to chat with our friends whenever we like. It is not necessary to
meet someone face to face in order to connect. There is no need to face traffic or inconvenience
for parents to send us out when we want to meet up with a friend. Social media enables us to
share our thoughts about our daily lives or more significant events on social platforms such as
WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, Snapchat or Messenger. Thus, we engage more with our friends
on a daily basis, not less. Isn’t this socialising and communicating with people?

B. Writing The Conclusion

After writing your body paragraphs now you can move on to the last paragraph of your
essay which is your conclusion. Your conclusion is for you to have another chance at
persuading your readers which is the examiner to agree with your views. There are some
aspects to consider in this part:
Summarise the Essay
You can do this by rephrasing the thesis statement. Start your conclusion with phrases like
‘In conclusion’ or ‘To conclude’ and then restate the thesis statements. This is to remind
everybody reading about what you have been writing on.

Restate Your Opinion

Next is for you to provide your general view of the topic again by paraphrasing. You need to
re-establish where you stand and what your personal view is of the topic.

Clincher (Call into Action)

In this section, you can close your essay by persuading your readers to take action in
relation to your topic or you can also give a personal statement.
Look at the following examples of concluding paragraph of a sample essay.

Statement-Reading has a strong influence on academic success

The Conclusion

Summarise The Essay

In conclusion, reading enables students to
acquire new knowledge, broaden their perspective
and improve their understanding and writing
skills, resulting in higher marks in the
examination.
 Restate Your Opinion
Students should make an effort to read as reading
has a strong influence on academic success.
Clincher (final
Reading is definitely not a waste of time and statement)
students should incorporate the reading habit into
their daily lives.
Look at the following conclusion from writing task 2 sample essays; underline the summarised
thesis statement, restated opinion or stance, and Clincher or final statements.

Statement- Social media has made us less social

In conclusion, social media enables us to interact with our friends much more easily,
facilitate and encourage group gatherings and foster new friendships. Therefore, I disagree
that social media has made us less social. Rather, social media provides communicative
platforms that can enhance our social lives with the added benefit of both comfort and
convenience.

C. Using Effective Language

1. Use Cohesive Devices
Use a range of cohesive devices appropriately to link ideas and sentences. However
make sure that cohesive devices are not used to start every sentence. The following are
some cohesive devices that you can use and when to use them in writing task 2:

Essays Types of Discursive Argumentative Problem-

Structures & Essays essay essay solution essay
Introduction - In my - I agree that… - I believe
opinion… - I disagree that…
- I am of the that… - This is
opinion that… because…
Body Main Point M - Firstly…
Paragraph - Secondly…
- Finally…
- Moreover…
- Beside that…
- In addition…
- However

Supporting E *_____ *_____ *_____

Details
(Elaboration)
Example E - For example…
- For instance…
 - …such as…
- in the case of…
- as shown by…
- in this situation…

Linking L - Thus…
Sentence - Therefore
- So…
- This means that…
- Hence
Conclusion - In conclusion…
- To conclude…
- To summarise…
- On the whole…
- To sum up…

2. Use Effective Expression

It is important to use appropriate expression when writing your essay. Here are some
examples of expression that can help to ensure a more interesting and active
presentation of ideas:

To Start an Essay

- Nowadays, it is very common...

- In recent years…
- Today,……is an integral part of our lives.
- In this day and age…
- With the influence of…
- Some people hold the opinion that…
- As far as I am concerned, I think…
- Some people assume that…
- It is common knowledge that…
To Prove a Point
- It is evident that…
- It is obvious that…
- Undeniable…
- There is no doubt that…
- Given the fact that…
- Deedless to say…
To Emphasis A Point
- It is important that…
- It is crucial that…
 - It is time to…

Discursive Essay Argumentative Essay Problem Solution Essay

To state Opinion To offer a different viewpoint To state a problem

- I would say that… or opinion
- As far as I am
concerned…
- From my point of
view…
To state a fact or/presents
ideas
- Unfortunately, there is
a significant To state a neutral stand
decline/increase in…
- This would lead to…
- Eventually, this would
create…
- One reason behind
this…
- It is not surprising
that…
- There is no reason
why…
- I would argue that….
- They may have a point
but… To provide solution
- However….depends
on…
- The problem is that…
- …is becoming an
increasing issue…
- ….is the most
important issue facing
us today…
- This problem can be
solved by…
- The solution to this
issue would be…
- One way to curb this
problem is…
- Another solution is…
- I would suggest that…
- I would recommend
that…
- To ensure that…
- This is a good way
to…

3. Use A Variety Of Sentence Structures And Length

Using a variety of sentence structures can avoid monotony and creates paragraphs that
are interesting to read. This can help to improve the writing style, which then makes the
presentation of ideas more captivating and convincing.

Here are some useful suggestions that you can use to vary sentence structure for more
effective writing:
Ensure sentence are of different lengths
Long sentences may contain too many ideas that can confuse and tire out your readers.
Interspersing long sentence with short simple sentences not only provides a breather but
also can focus attention on the ideas presented.
Start sentences with different form of words
Starting every sentence with the subject creates standard and monotonous sentence
structure that can be a bore to read. Use ….-ing gerund or infinitives as sentence opener
to avoid dull, repetitive sentence structures.
 Example:

Starting Sentence With A Subject Starting Sentence Using Various Word

Forms
Students can choose any subject of interest With a vast choice of reading materials
for their reading pleasure as there is a vast available, students can choose any subject
choice of reading materials available. of interest for their reading pleasure
Students can gain information through Reading allows students to gain more
reading information

Try this!
Rewrite the sentence by using other word forms as the subject.

Students are encouraged to read articles by others that express the other opinions and
perspectives to understand issue from different perspective.

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D. Guided Practice

Exercise 1

Write a topic sentence based on the introductory paragraph that you have written in the previous
meeting.

You attended a talk by a famous fashion designer, which was recently organised during your
school’s Career Week. The following comment was made by the guest speaker:

Fashion defines a person’s character.

Write an essay expressing your opinion on the statement. Write at least 250 words.

Topic Sentence (Main Point 1):

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
 You attended a talk by a famous professor of science during a World Trees Day in your school.
The following statement was made by the professor.

The mass waste of commercial mask for the past 2 years since the pandemic is endangering the
environment.

Write an essay expressing your opinion on the statement. Write at least 250 words.

Topic Sentence (Main Point 1):

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Your school held a seminar on technology to celebrate the school anniversary. The following
comment was made by the speaker.

Data protection and privacy are the only technological issues faced by users in the current era.

Write an essay expressing your opinion on the statement. Write at least 250 words.

Topic Sentence (Main Point 1): -

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 2

Write paragraph 2, 3 and/or 4 and conclusion by considering what you have learned above.

You attended a talk by a famous professor of science during a World Trees Day in your school.
The following statement was made by the professor.

The mass waste of commercial mask for the past 2 years since the pandemic is endangering the
environment.

Write an essay expressing your opinion on the statement. Write at least 250 words.