Malaysian University English Test (MUET) - Examination in October 2021

by StudyMalaysia.com on September 22, 2021 | Top Stories, Learning English in Malaysia

Malaysian University English Test (MUET) - Examination in October 2021 - StudyMalaysia.com

The SECOND session of the MUET examination for 2021 is around the corner. Although the MUET grades you obtain do not affect your overall pre-university results, it is a prerequisite for you to secure a place at universities in Malaysia and Singapore.

Your MUET grade is a measure of your English language proficiency and your language preparedness to pursue your first degree at any of our local universities. For public universities, MUET is compulsory. As for private institutions they too accept MUET grades besides IELTS, PEARSON Test of English and other recognised qualifications.

The schedule for MUET (SESI 2) is as follows:

Speaking Test – 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17 November 2021
Listening & Written Test - 23 October 2021

The 4 components of the MUET paper are:

Test Component	Maximum Score
LISTENING	90
SPEAKING	90
READING	90
WRITING	90
AGGREGATED SCORE	360

The BANDS indicated by the aggregated scores are shown below:

Aggregated Score	Band	User
331-360	5+	PROFICIENT
294-330	5.0	PROFICIENT
258-293	4.5	INDEPENDENT
211-257	4.0	INDEPENDENT
164-210	3.5	INDEPENDENT
123-163	3.0	INDEPENDENT
82-122	2.5	BASIC
36-81	2.0	BASIC
1-35	1.0	BASIC

Candidates are required to attempt ALL FOUR components to obtain an overall band score. Those who fail to do so will not be awarded a certificate.

Test Overview in Brief

Listening: 5 Tasks in 50 minutes

Task 1 (about 10min): Listen to a dialogue (conversation/interview) of about 600-650 words and answer 7 MCQs with 3 options each (A, B or C).
Task 2 (about 10min): Listen to a monologue (talk/briefing/lecture) of about 600-650 words and answer 7 MCQs with 3 options each (A, B or C).
Task 3 (about 6min): Listen to monologues of about 350 -400 words each by 3 different speakers on the same topic and answer 3 MCQs with 5 options each (A, B, C, D or E)
Task 4 (about 10min): Listen to a dialogue (conversation/discussion) of about 650-700 words and answer 7 MCQs with 3 options each (A, B or C).
Task 5 (about 3min): Listen to 3 unrelated dialogues each of which is followed by 2 MCQs (a total of 6 questions) with 3 options each (A, B or C).

Speaking: 2 Parts

- conducted in groups of 2-4 candidates

Part 1: Individual Presentation (2 minutes to prepare and 2 minutes to present)
- Candidates are given a brief statement of a topic followed by one aspect of the topic for each candidate to talk about.
- They have 2 minutes to prepare to express their opinions on the topic for another 2 minutes.
Part 2: Group discussion of the same topic given in Part 1
- Candidates refer to the topic from Part I and a mind map of ideas provided. They can make use of these ideas or come up with their own for the group discussion.
- Candidates are given 3 minutes to prepare to either support or oppose views presented by the others during the individual presentation.
- They are given 8 to 12 minutes for the group discussion at the end of which they must they must decide on the best suggestion.

Reading (75 minutes) 40 MCQs

Part 1: 3 short texts (100-150 words) of the same type and thematically-linked with 4 MCQs. The short texts can be flyers, brochures, announcements, notices etc.
Part 2 & 3: Two texts of about 300-450 words each with 10 MCQs with 3 options each (A ,B or C)
Part 4: 2 independent texts of the same theme amounting to a total of 700-800 words:
- 2 MCQs based on Text 1
- 2 MCQs based on Text 2
- 2 MCQs comparing the 2 texts.
(three options A, B or C)
Part 5: A gapped text of 500-600 words with 6 missing sentences. There are 7 options to choose from to fill up the gaps.
Part 6 & 7: Two texts of 700-900 word each followed by a total of 14 MCQS with 4 options each (A, B, C or D)

Writing (75 minutes)

Task 1 (25 minutes): Letter or email of 100-135 words
- expressing thanks, apologies, reactions, preferences
- accepting/declining invitations or offers
- making requests
- giving precise information
- describing experiences, feelings and events
- providing advice, reasons, opinions and justifications
Task 2 (50 minutes): This task is presented in the form of a statement or a few sentences and candidates respond to the statement in the formal genre expected. The task may include:
- discussing ideas and evaluating arguments or solutions to problems
- providing advice, reasons, opinions and justifications
- giving examples and supporting information

Tips on How to Get a Good Grade for MUET

Do a lot of reading from now. Newspapers, novels, magazines, journals or any other form of texts you can lay your hands on will make good reading materials. Jot down new phrases or words that you come across for later reference. We can remember new words or phrases better when we see them several times. Besides learning new phrases and vocabularies we also learn sentence structures by reading widely.
Listen to news or watch documentaries on television. News and documentaries are often repeated a few times during the day. If you miss out on something in the first round of listening try to listen to the same thing a second time. Some documentaries come with subtitles. Initially you may need some help from subtitles but eventually you have to wean yourself off this dependence. It would be better still if you could make a summary of what you have heard to tell to your friend.
Always try to speak good English even to your family members and close friends. Be conscious of your sentence structures and grammar. It will take some effort in the beginning but very soon speaking proper English will become second nature to you.
Practise writing short texts and messages and then progress to longer texts to express your opinion. Always give yourself a time limit for any writing to be done.
Familiarise yourself with the format of the MUET paper and give yourself ample time to prepare for the exam.

Wishing you all the very best and good luck for your coming MUET!

Source: Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia (MPM)