SHORTCUTS TO A1? DREAM IT...

English. Sometimes it sounds scary and boring but sometimes it is fun. I can still remember the first day I learn English in primary school where I have a furious teacher. At first I was motivated to dislike English as it was the colonial ages language, more specifically the British language. However, time passed by and people change. Instead I turn not just to like English but to love it in my, I guess, daily usage!

After years of failure, I turned pain to gain when I had good results ever since those time and it was in my fourth year of primary school. Beginning from those moment, I started to empower my skill in vocabularies, grammars and sentence structure and all related to English. If, I mean if you ask me now when did my chores of empowering my English repay me, I would glad to answer it, my PMR examination. Why? If I flashback in 1998, the particular year I sit for PMR, English Paper II demands harder compared to the past years and even after! Reason? Usually in paper II, the second question demand a descriptive writing such as directing a way to a tourist or kind of that. But in my year it turn to be not even near a descriptive, instead it stated a CCTS (Critical and Creative Thinking Skill) question - to whom you agree and what could be done to assist... (name of a person I can't remember) - the question showing a conversation between two girls who are discussing about the boys having long hair. So you see, usually doesn't mean every time.

I stared at my friend and ask (after the paper was taken) how he felt about question two... he gave me a long speech on how much irrelevant was the question. So I knew that they didn't really learn, they spot (in another word hafal the format) the question already (even though we were told so). It's not that we can't do it, but the possibilities the question alters are very high and they are not yet ready. I am glad I did the right thing from the beginning but I really am sorry for my friend here as he was so near to attain a full flying colours - 9A. It was a despair for him to lose an A.

Today I sat for English Paper again but no more PMR, it's only a mid year examination and again Paper I and Paper II. There's something interesting happens today, my friends, two of them were absent and this need a critical thinking... why? (sorry to state this out, Miss). Not in the topic but I'm just giving examples. People are influenced by others who say English is difficult and sometimes tease them who are good at it - have no sense of encouraging potential one. Alright, back about the paper matter. It's known nationwide that English Paper is the most important as everybody who desire to further study need at least a credit but the Paper II (now we're on track!), usually and usually not, spoilt hopes. Directed writing, summary and continuous writing is in it. Directed writing is fine, summary...tough and continuous writing? Tiresome and lack of idea. If you do a survey, an overall paper II marks is 65% - indicating continuous writing mark is 25 or lower. So what's the problem? I personally think that students cannot carry a critical thinking skill. For example, today I took my paper II and the continuous writing question option (e) just wrote 'LOST'.

(a) ...
(b) ...
(c) ...
(d) ...
(e) Lost

A friend of mine, who sat beside me seem to be interested in option (e) when he asked whether he could write a story like 'Lost In The Jungle'. I also interested in it but instead I gave a critical and creative thinking - I want to describe the word 'LOST' itself. I was not trying to show off but I can still remember what my teacher, Miss Suzana, said to my class last year.

"So you all can see, that this SPM students describe 'WATER' by his own creativity - Water that flows in the river of Ganges... (something like that). So why can't you all do just like what he did here!?". And there was even a candidate who turned the title into something narrative!

Even that I had gone too much assuming I know a whole dictionary, well at least I'd tried to differ! - I've tried it!

**Special thanks to my beloved teacher, Miss Suzana Abd Rahim