Tips for SPM Mathematics and Additional Mathematics

For my SPM, I got A+ in both Mathematics and Additional Mathematics. Here, I am sharing the tips for SPM Mathematics and Additional Mathematics. These tips are intended for Form 4 and Form 5 students.

Starting from SPM 2021, there are some changes to the examination format for Mathematics and Additional Mathematics, but the tips here are still applicable. Mathematics and Additional Mathematics will continue to be set bilingually in English and Malay for SPM 2021 and beyond, and all students can still choose to answer in English or Malay.

Tips for other SPM subjects can be found here:

https://www.daniellimjj.com/2013/06/complete-tips-for-spm-examination-first.html

SPM MATHEMATICS

1. Studying tips

- When your teacher is teaching in class, pay attention to what your teacher says. Make sure you understand everything taught by your teacher. If you do not understand anything, ask your teacher or friends.

- You need a reference book because the textbooks are not enough. I recommend you to use the Success Plus Mathematics SPM reference book by EPH.

- When studying a chapter for the first time, read through the notes in the reference book. Make sure that you understand the concept for that chapter and relate them to what your teacher had taught in school.

- You need to know how to apply what you have learnt to solve questions. Go through all the example questions in the revision book. Make sure that you understand how every question is solved.

- Then, you have to do a lot of exercises. Buy exercise books from the bookshop. You can start by doing topical questions topic by topic. When you have understood all topics, proceed with doing SPM model test papers, past year SPM trial questions and past year actual SPM questions. They should be available from bookshops. After doing the exercises, refer to the suggested answer or mark scheme and do self marking.

- You should sometimes refer to the mark scheme of past year SPM trial papers to find out how every question is marked and which steps need to be shown for every question. Usually, the same types of questions will have similar mark scheme, so this can help you when answering exam questions.

- When doing revision before exam, you should go through the example questions for all chapters in the reference book. If you have forgotten the concept for any chapter, go through the notes in reference book for that chapter again. You should also do some SPM model test papers or past year papers.

- The SPM Mathematics paper will also test on some Form 1 to Form 3 topics in addition to Form 4 and Form 5 topics. Make sure that you do not forget those topics. The Success Plus Mathematics SPM reference book contains some example questions for the Form 1 to Form 3 topics, so you should also go through them.

2. Paper 1

- You do not need to show any workings since the questions are objective questions. Write any rough workings on the question paper if you need to. Solve the question and choose the correct answer among the 4 options.

3. Paper 2

- From SPM 2021 onwards, there are Section A, Section B and Section C. Section A consists of 10 questions where you must answer all questions, Section B consists of 5 questions where you must answer all questions while Section C consists of 2 questions where you can choose any 1.

- You must show all workings for every question. You should not skip any important steps. You do not need to write down the formula used to solve the question. The number of marks allocated for a question usually shows the amount of working needed. 1 mark will be given for each important step and the final answer. Marks can only be given for the final answer if the marks for working are scored. If you do not show a particular important step, marks may not be given for that step, as well as all important steps after that step and the final answer, even if they are correct. Therefore, correct answer without working usually scores 0 mark. On the other hand, if your final answer is wrong but some of your working is correct, you may still be given some marks.

- You are not allowed to write extra solutions or answers for any question. If you do so and any of the answers/solutions is wrong, marks will be deducted. When copying figures from the question or from your answer for the previous part of the question, be careful not to copy wrongly.

- If the question does not state that you must or you cannot use a particular method, then you can use any suitable method to solve the question. You can also use methods that are learnt only in Additional Mathematics or in STPM / A Level or higher level, if you know them. If the question states that you must use a particular method, then you can only that method to solve the question. If the question states that cannot use a particular method, then you cannot that method to solve the question

- If the final answer is a number with infinite decimal places, you should round up to at least 4 significant figures.You can also write your final answer as a fraction if possible. However, if the question states that you must express your answer as fraction or decimal, then you must follow the instruction. If a number with infinite decimal places is involved in between the workings, you should take at least 5 significant figures (4 significant figures is not sufficient) to ensure accuracy of the final answer. Otherwise, marks can be deducted if the final answer is less accurate.

- For questions involving Pi, the question may ask you to use Pi = 22/7. In that case, you cannot use Pi = 3.142 or the value of Pi from the calculator. You must also follow other instructions given in the question.

4. Both Paper 1 & Paper 2

- When answering, read the question and information given carefully. For questions involving diagrams, mark any important details on the diagram. For some questions without diagram, sometimes it may be helpful to draw a diagram so that you can illustrate the information given in the question. Apply what you have learnt in mathematics in order to solve the questions and get the answer. Use the correct concept or formula for every question.

- Certain formula are provided in the first few pages of the question paper, refer to them if necessary. After you have answered all questions, you should recheck your answers for mistakes. Leave at least 15 minutes to recheck your answers if possible. When rechecking, use a different method to solve the question or directly use the calculator if possible.

SPM ADDITIONAL MATHEMATICS

1. Studying tips

- When your teacher is teaching in class, pay attention to what your teacher says. Make sure you understand everything taught by your teacher. If you do not understand anything, ask your teacher or friends.

- You need a reference book because the textbooks are not enough. I recommend you to use the Success Plus Additional Mathematics SPM reference book by EPH.

- When studying a chapter for the first time, read through the notes in the reference book. Make sure that you understand the concept for that chapter and relate them to what your teacher had taught in school.

- You need to know how to apply what you have learnt to solve questions. Go through all the example questions in the revision book. Make sure that you understand how every question is solved.

- Then, you have to do a lot of exercises. Buy exercise books from the bookshop. You can start by doing topical questions topic by topic. When you have understood all topics, proceed with doing SPM model test papers, past year SPM trial questions and past year actual SPM questions. They should be available from bookshops. After doing the exercises, refer to the suggested answer or mark scheme and do self marking.

- You should sometimes refer to the mark scheme of past year SPM trial papers to find out how every question is marked and which steps need to be shown for every question. Usually, the same types of questions will have similar mark scheme, so this can help you when answering exam questions.

- When doing revision before exam, you should go through the example questions for all chapters in the reference book. If you have forgotten the concept for any chapter, go through the notes in reference book for that chapter again. You should also do some SPM model test papers or past year papers.

- The Additional Mathematics topics may require knowledge and understanding of the Mathematics topics. Make sure that you understand all the topics in SPM Mathematics.

2. Both Paper 1 & Paper 2

- From SPM 2021 onwards, Paper 1 has Section A and Section B while Paper 2 has Section A, Section B and Section C. For Paper 1, Section A consists of 12 questions where you must answer all questions while Section B consists of 3 questions where you can choose any 2. For Paper 2, Section A consists of 7 questions where you must answer all questions, Section B consists of 4 questions where you can choose any 3 while Section C consists of 4 questions where you can choose any 2.

- When answering, read the question and information given carefully. For questions involving diagrams, mark any important details on the diagram. For some questions without diagram, sometimes it may be helpful to draw a diagram so that you can illustrate the information given in the question. Apply what you have learnt in mathematics in order to solve the questions and get the answer. Use the correct concept or formula for every question. Certain formula are provided in the first few pages of the question paper, refer to them if necessary.

- You must show all workings for every question. You should not skip any important steps. You do not need to write down the formula used to solve the question. The number of marks allocated for a question usually shows the amount of working needed. 1 mark will be given for each important step and the final answer. Marks can only be given for the final answer if the marks for working are scored. If you do not show a particular important step, marks may not be given for that step, as well as all important steps after that step and the final answer, even if they are correct. Therefore, correct answer without working usually scores 0 mark. On the other hand, if your final answer is wrong but some of your working is correct, you may still be given some marks.

- You are not allowed to write extra solutions or answers for any question. If you do so and any of the answers/solutions is wrong, marks will be deducted. When copying figures from the question or from your answer for the previous part of the question, be careful not to copy wrongly.

- For a part of question which requires you to use your answer from the previous part, even if your answer for the previous part is wrong and you use it for this part, causing your answer for this part to be wrong, you will still get the working marks for this part as long as your calculation for this part is correct, but you will usually lose the answer marks for this part.

- If the question does not state that you must or you cannot use a particular method, then you can use any suitable method to solve the question. You can also use methods that are learnt only in STPM / A Level or higher level, if you know them. If the question states that you must use a particular method, then you can only that method to solve the question. If the question states that cannot use a particular method, then you cannot that method to solve the question.

- If the final answer is a number with infinite decimal places, you should round up to at least 4 significant figures. You can also write your final answer as a fraction if possible. However, if the question states that you must express your answer as fraction or decimal, then you must follow the instruction. If a number with infinite decimal places is involved in between the workings, you should take at least 5 significant figures (4 significant figures is not sufficient) to ensure accuracy of the final answer. Otherwise, marks can be deducted if the final answer is less accurate.

- For questions involving Pi, the question may ask you to use Pi = 3.142. In that case, you cannot use Pi = 22/7 or the value of Pi from the calculator. You must also follow other instructions given in the question. 

- After you have answered all questions, you should recheck your answers for mistakes. Leave at least 15 minutes to recheck your answers if possible. When rechecking, use a different method to solve the question or directly use the calculator if possible.

Tips for other SPM subjects can be found here:

https://www.daniellimjj.com/2013/06/complete-tips-for-spm-examination-first.html

Tips for SPM Bahasa Melayu and English

For my SPM in year 2012, I got A+ for Bahasa Melayu and A for English. Do you want to know how to score in SPM for these 2 subjects? Here, I am posting the complete tips for SPM Bahasa Melayu and English 1119. These tips are intended for students taking SPM 2020 and SPMU 2021 only.

Tips for other SPM subjects can be found here:

https://www.daniellimjj.com/2013/06/complete-tips-for-spm-examination-first.html

SPM BAHASA MELAYU (For SPMU 2021, SPM 2020 and earlier only):

Note: Starting from SPM 2021 onwards, there are significant changes to the examination format for Bahasa Melayu, so the tips here may no longer be applicable.

1. Studying tips

- To prepare for this subject, you have to continuously improve your language skills in every day life. Try to speak and write more in Malay language, and read more Malay books, magazines and newspaper.

- You are adviced to attend tuition if possible. If you live in Kulim, I recommend you to go to Pusat Tuisyen Inisiatif Utama for the tuition.

- Before the exam, you mainly need to prepare for Karangan and KOMSAS.

- You should memorise some good Pendahuluan, Penutup and Ayat judul so that you can use them when writing your essay. It is advisable to choose those that can be used in various types of essays and contain ungkapan menarik. Your school or tuition teacher should be able to give you this.

- You need revision book for KOMSAS. I recommend the KOMSAS revision book by Eastview Publications. You can also use your tuition teacher's notes if you attend tuition. You need to read, understand and remember the Tema, Persoalan, Latar, Plot, Teknik Plot, Watak & Perwatakan, Nilai & Pengajaran as well as their examples for the Novel and all Prosa Tradisional, Puisi, Cerpen and Drama for both Form 4 and Form 5.

- Try to get the list of peribahasa in the syllabus from your school or tuition teacher. You should understand and remember all the peribahasa and their meaning and usage. This will help you to answer the Peribahasa questions in the Tatabahasa section. Usually 2 of the 3 questions are based on the peribahasa in the syllabus.

- To prepare for Rumusan and Tatabahasa, you have to regularly do exercises. You should also do exercises for all other sections occasionally. However, avoid spending too much time writing Karangan.

2. Karangan Bahan Rangsangan

- Materials will be given. Read the question and material given carefully. The question will ask you to write an essay on a particular topic. In most cases, the material given is relevant to the topic, but sometimes it may not be related to the topic. If the material given is relevant to the topic, you must use points from the materials given. If the material given is not relevant to the topic, then you should ignore the materials given and give your own ideas.

- You should write 1 Pendahuluan, 3 Isi and 1 Penutup. Usually, the material given will contain 3 or more points, but sometimes it may contain only 1 or 2 points. If there are only 1 or 2 points in the material given or if the material given is not relevant to the topic, you need to add in your own ideas to make 3 Isi. If there are more than 3 points in the materials given, choose either 3 of them to write, or you can also combine 2 points in 1 Isi if they are related to each other.

- Make sure your essay is more than 200 words. Marks will be deducted if your essay is less than 200 words. However, you can write more than 250 words (although the question states that your essay must be between 200 and 250 words), and there is no limit on how long you are allowed to write. Your marks will not be deducted and the examiner will continue to mark your whole essay. You are advised to write your essay between 300 and 600 words.

3. Karangan Respons Terbuka

- There will be 5 questions. Usually the first 4 questions are factual/argumentative essay, while the 5th question is related to literature. Some of them may be formatted writing. Read all the questions carefully and choose the question that you are most confident in. If possible, avoid choosing the question on writing a story unless you are very good at writing stories.

- In your essay, there should be 1 Pendahuluan, at least 4 Isi and 1 Penutup. You are advised to write 5 Isi if possible. If it is formatted writing, make sure that the format is correct. Make sure that your essay is more than 350 words. Marks will be deducted if your essay is less than 350 words. It is advisable to write your essay between 600 and 1000 words.

4. Both Karangan Bahan Rangsangan & Karangan Respons Terbuka

- When writing your essay, use the Pendahuluan, Penutup and Ayat judul that you have memorised earlier if possible. Make some changes to them so that they suit the essay you are writing. Elaborate clearly on each Isi. Write some relevant examples as well.

- Include a few Ungkapan menarik (such as Peribahasa) in your essay. If your entire essay has no Ungkapan menarik at all, your essay can be dropped by one grade of the actual grade. Use a wide variety of words in your essay, including some more difficult words. The sentence structure should be varied. Your essay should also be interesting. Avoid making grammatical errors in your essay. Refer to the question often when writing your essay to avoid writing out of topic.

5. Rumusan

- The question will ask you to summarise on 2 topics, the 1st one is Isi tersurat and the 2nd is Isi tersirat. Read the question and passage given carefully. Underline the relevant Isi tersurat in the passage. You should answer in 4 paragraphs, each containing Pendahuluan, Isi Tersurat, Isi Tersirat and Penutup.

- When writing the Pendahuluan, begin with 'Petikan membincangkan...'. You must replace the keyword of the question with another word of same meaning. (For example, you must replace 'langkah' with 'cara' or other words of same meaning.) You must also add either 'di Malaysia' or 'di dunia' at the end of the sentence, depending on whether the passage given involves Malaysia only or international. Write in one sentence only.

- When writing Isi Tersurat, you must use relevant points from the passage given. Do not take any of the elaborations or examples. You need not use your own words and you can copy directly, but sometimes you may have to make some changes to suit your answer. When writing Isi Tersirat, you cannot directly use points from the passage. You should give your own ideas. Your ideas must be logical and relevant. You should write at least 6 Isi Tersurat and 2 Isi Tersirat. You are advised to write more isi if possible. Marks will only be given for correct isi, and marks will not be deducted for incorrect isi (But, you must not exceed 120 words).

- When writing the Penutup, your answer should contain 1 Cadangan/Harapan and 1 relevant Huraian. Write in 1 sentence only. Do not repeat any isi or add in new isi in the Penutup.

- Count the total number of words and make sure that your answer is not longer than 120 words, otherwise the remaining part of your answer will not be marked, and marks may be deducted. State the exact number of words below your essay. Nama khas, penanda wacana, peribahasa and kata ganda are counted as one word only. If your answer is longer than 120 words, try cancelling off the unnecessary words in your answer and replacing longer phrase with shorter phrase of the same meaning. If it still exceeds 120 words, cancel off some of the extra Isi Tersurat or Isi Tersirat you wrote.

- For all parts of Rumusan, you must answer in continuous writing form and not point form, otherwise marks can be deducted. You should also write the answer in complete sentences. Make sure that the grammar is correct. Of the 30 marks for Rumusan, 20 marks is for Isi and 10 marks is for Bahasa. The marks given for Bahasa is usually half of the marks given for Isi if there are no grammatical errors.

6. Pemahaman

- There are 4 parts, which are Pemahaman Petikan Umum, Prosa Moden, Prosa Tradisional and Puisi. Read the passage/extract and the questions given carefully. There are 4 types of questions, which are questions on meaning of phrases, questions based on the passage given, questions on your own opinion (KBKK) and questions on KOMSAS.

- When answering question on meaning of phrases, replace every word in the phrase with another word that has the same meaning if possible. If that is not possible, you should explain the phrase in your own sentence.

- When answering questions based on the passage given, you must look for the answers from the passage/extract. You need not use your own words and you can copy directly, but sometimes you may have to make some changes to suit your answer (such as converting dialogs into text), especially for Puisi and Prosa Tradisional which you must convert into modern text when writing your answer.

- When answering questions on your own opinion (KBKK), you should give your own ideas and do not look for the answers from the passage/extract given. Your ideas must be logical and relevant.

- When answering questions on KOMSAS, it may ask you based on the extract given or based on the whole story/poem. Give suitable answers that you memorised from revision books. You should elaborate on every point you write by giving a suitable example.

- For all Pemahaman questions, you must answer in complete sentences and not point form, otherwise marks can be deducted. Make sure that the grammar is correct. If the question does not state the number of answers you need to write, then the number of answers needed depends on the marks allocated. Basically, one answer gives one mark, and for 3 or 4 marks question, one mark is usually for Bahasa. In all cases, you can give as many extra answers as you want (except for questions on meaning of phrases, where you can give only one answer). Marks will only be given for the correct answers, and marks will not be deducted for wrong or unacceptable answers. It is advisable to write 2 or 3 extra answers for every part of question.

7. Tatabahasa

- There are 5 parts. When answering, read the questions carefully. For the 1st part, you must make sentence from the words given. Your sentence must be able to show that you really understand the meaning of the words given. The sentence do not have to be very long. You cannot change the Imbuhan, add any Imbuhan or use the words given as a Kata Ganda, Peribahasa or Nama Khas (unless otherwise stated in the question). For the 2nd part, it will test you on Sintaksis. Give the most suitable answer according to the question based on your understanding of Tatabahasa.

- For the 3rd and 4th part, it will test you on Kesalahan Ejaan, Imbuhan, Penggunaan Kata/Istilah and Tatabahasa. List down the mistakes and correction for every mistake. You are advised to categorise the mistakes according to the type of mistake. You do not need to recopy the sentences. For the 5th question, it will test you on Peribahasa. If the question asks you to explain the meaning of Peribahasa, your answer should be clear and detailed. If the question asks you to make a sentence using Peribahasa, your sentence must be able to show that you really understand the meaning of the Peribahasa. The sentence do not have to be very long. If the question asks you to fill in the blanks using Peribahasa or state a Peribahasa based on the situation, give the most suitable Peribahasa according to the question.

- For all questions on Tatabahasa, you cannot give extra answers. If you do so, marks will be deducted if any of your extra answers is wrong.

8. Novel

- The questions are based on the novels you studied in Form 4 and Form 5. There will be 2 questions. Usually the first question allows you to choose to answer based on either one of the novels, while the second question requires you to answer based on both novels, and sometimes you may be asked to make a comparison of both novels. If the question lets you choose either one of the novels, choose the novel that you are most confident of.

- If the question is about facts (Tema / Persoalan / Latar / Plot / Teknik Plot / Watak & Perwatakan / Nilai / Pengajaran), give suitable answers that you memorised from revision books. You should elaborate on every point you write by giving suitable example from the novel.

- If the question is about your own opinion, you have give your own ideas based on your understanding of the novel. Your ideas must be logical and relevant. You should elaborate on every idea you write and relate your ideas to the question and novel.

- For all Novel questions, you must answer in continuous writing form and not point form, otherwise marks can be deducted. You should also write the answer in complete sentences. Make sure that the grammar is correct. The 1st question carries 7 marks, where 4 marks is for Isi and 3 marks is for Bahasa. The 2nd question carries 8 marks, where 6 marks is for Isi and 2 marks is for Bahasa.

- Basically, one point or elaboration gives 1 mark for Isi. In all cases, you can give as many extra answers as you want. Marks will only be given for correct answers, marks will not be deducted for wrong answers. It is advisable to write 2 or 3 extra points and elaborations. You can answer based on novel for other states, but you should do so only if you understand that novel very well.

SPM ENGLISH (For SPM 2020 and earlier only):

Note 1: As I did not get A+ for English, if you are aiming for A+ in English, it may be better for you to seek advice from others who got A+ rather than following my tips below.

Note 2: Starting from SPM 2021 onwards, there are significant changes to the examination format for English, so the tips here may no longer be applicable.

1. Studying tips

- To prepare for this subject, you have to continuously improve your language skills in every day life. Try to speak and write more in English language, and read more English books, magazines and newspaper.

- You are adviced to attend tuition if possible. I cannot recommend any tuition centre for English because I never attended English tuition. Try asking around to find out which tuition centre is the best.

- Before the exam, you mainly need to prepare for Writing, Poem and Novel.

- You should know and remember the format for all kinds of formatted writing. Refer to revision books or ask your teacher if you do not know the format.

- You need revision notes for literature (Poem and Novel). As far as I know, no literature revision books in the market is good. You are advised use your tuition teacher's notes. You need to understand and remember the Theme, Settings, Plot, Characters, Moral values & Lessons as well as their examples for the Form 5 novel and all poems learnt in both Form 4 and Form 5.

- To prepare for all sections in Paper 2, you have to regularly do exercises. You should also do exercises for Paper 1 occasionally but do not spend too much time on that.

2. Directed Writing

- Materials will be given. Read the question and materials given carefully. The question will ask you to write an essay on a particular topic. You must use all the points in the material given when writing your essay.

- There is no minimum word limit for Directed Writing. However, you are advised to write your essay longer than 120 words. If the question asks you to add in your own ideas or provide a suitable introduction/closing, you must do so. If the essay is formatted writing, make sure that the format is correct. Of the 35 marks for Directed Writing, 15 marks is for Content & Format and 20 marks is for Language.

3. Continuous Writing

- There will be 5 questions. Usually the 2 questions are factual/argumentative essay, 2 questions are narrative/descriptive essay (such as story) and the other 1 question is one-word topic essay. Read all the questions carefully and choose the question that you are most confident in.

- For the one-word topic essay, you are free to write it as either factual/argumentative essay or narrative/descriptive essay (such as story). But, you must make sure that the entire essay/story you write is closely related to the meaning of the word given.

- If you are writing factual/argumentative essay, there should be 1 Introduction, at least 4 Body and 1 Closing. Include only one main point in each Body. Make sure your essay is more than 350 words. Marks will be deducted if your essay is less than 350 words. Avoid writing exactly the whole essays that you memorised, because if you do so and as a result you score much better in Continuous Writing compared to Directed Writing, your grade for Continuous Writing may be dropped.

4. Both Directed Writing & Continuous Writing

- When writing your essay, elaborate clearly on each point you write. Write some relevant examples as well. You only need to elaborate in 1 or 2 sentences for Directed Writing, but you need to elaborate longer for Continuous Writing.

- Include a few idioms and phrasal verbs in your essay. Use a wide variety of words in your essay, including some more difficult words. The sentence structure should be varied. Your essay should also be interesting, especially for descriptive/narrative essay. Avoid making grammatical errors in your essay. Refer to the question often when writing your essay to avoid writing out of topic.

5. Paper 2 Section A

- For Stimuli & Graphic Material, read the materials given and questions carefully. Cancel off the options that you consider as definitely wrong. Choose the most suitable answer among the 4 options, based on the materials given.

- For Rational Cloze, it tests you on grammar. Read the passage given carefully. Cancel off the options that you consider as definitely wrong. Choose the most suitable word to fill in the blanks in the passage among the 4 options, based on your understanding in grammar.

- For both parts, you should think carefully because sometimes the answers are close to each other.

6. Information Transfer

- Read the materials and questions carefully. When answering, copy directly from the materials given and avoid using your own words. However, sometimes you may have to make some changes to suit your answer. Make sure the spelling in your answer is exactly the same as the spelling in the materials given. Your answers must be short and precise. Do not add in any unnecessary details in your answer or write extra answers, otherwise marks may be deducted due to overlifting. Also, you should not answer in full sentences.

7. Reading Comprehension

- Read the questions and passage given carefully. Answer all questions based on the passage given. When answering, look for answers from the particular paragraph of the passage as stated in the question. If the question does not state that you must use your own words, you can copy directly from the passage and you need not use your own words. However, sometimes you may have to make some changes to suit your answer.

- If the question states that you must use your own words, then you must answer in your own words. If the question asks for your own opinion, you should give your own ideas and do not look for answers from the passage given. Your ideas should be logical and relevant.

- For all questions on Comprehension, you do not need to answer in complete sentences. Make sure that the spelling in your answer is correct. Your answers must be short and precise. Do not add in any unnecessary details in your answer or write extra answers, otherwise marks can be deducted due to overlifting.

8. Summary

- The question will usually ask you to summarise on 2 topics. Read the question and passage given carefully. Underline the relevant points in the passage that are related to any of the 2 topics.

- When answering, use relevant points from the passage given. Do not take the elaborations or examples. You must begin your answer using the 10 words given in the question. You do not need to write any Introduction or Closing. You are advised to answer in your own words by replacing words taken from the passage with other words of same meaning or by rephrasing the sentences taken from the passage. You should write a total of at least 10 points. You are advised to write more points if possible. Marks will only be given for correct points and marks will not be deducted for wrong points (But, you must not exceed 130 words).

- Count the total number of words and make sure that your answer is not longer than 130 words, otherwise the remaining part of your answer will not be marked, and marks may be deducted. State the exact number of words below your essay. Proper nouns, idioms and words with hyphen are counted as one word only. If your answer is longer than 130 words, try cancelling off the unnecessary words in your answer and replacing longer phrase with shorter phrase of the same meaning. If it still exceeds 130 words, cancel off some of the extra points you wrote.

- You must answer in continuous writing form and not point form, otherwise marks can be deducted. You should also write the answer in complete sentences. Make sure that the grammar is correct. Of the 15 marks for Summary, 10 marks is for Content and 5 marks is for Language & Paraphrase.

9. Poem

- Read the poem and questions carefully. Answer all questions based on the poem. If the question does not state that you must use your own words, you can copy directly from the poem and you need not use your own words. However, you may have to make some changes to suit your answer. If the question states that you must use your own words, then you must answer in your own words. If the question asks for your own opinion, you should give your own ideas and do not look for answers from the poem. Your answer should be logical and relevant.

- You do not need to answer in complete sentences. Make sure that the spelling in your answer is correct. Your answers must be short and precise. Do not add in any unnecessary details in your answer or write extra answers, otherwise marks can be deducted due to overlifting.

10. Novel

- The question will be based on the novel you studied in Form 5. You can also answer based on the novel for other states, but you should do so only if you understand that novel very well. Read the question carefully.

- If the question is about facts (Theme / Settings / Plot / Characters / Moral values / Lessons), give suitable answers that you memorised from revision books. If the question is about your own opinion, you have to give your own ideas based on your understanding of the novel. Your ideas must be logical and relevant. You should also relate your ideas to the novel.

- For all Novel questions, you have to elaborate clearly on every point you write. Give suitable examples from the novel. You also need to write your personal response (your own opinion about what you have discussed in your answer). You must answer in complete sentences and not point form, otherwise marks can be deducted. Make sure that the grammar is correct.

- The question carries 15 marks, where 10 marks is for Content and 5 marks is for Language. Both the Content and Language marks are given by impression, so the Content marks does not actually depend on the number of points in your answer. However, you should write at least 3 elaborations and 1 personal response in your answer. You can give more facts, elaborations and personal responses if you want to, but you must be careful not to write any wrong points. For wrong points in your answer, marks will not be directly deducted, but it can affect the Content marks in overall.

Tips for other SPM subjects can be found here:

https://www.daniellimjj.com/2013/06/complete-tips-for-spm-examination-first.html

SPM 华文 作答技巧 / Tips for SPM Bahasa Cina

For my SPM, I got A- in Chinese Language. Here, I am sharing the tips for SPM Chinese Language. These tips are intended for Form 4 and Form 5 students. Starting from SPM 2021, there are some changes to the examination format for Chinese Language, but the tips here are still applicable.

Tips for other SPM subjects can be found here:

https://www.daniellimjj.com/2013/06/complete-tips-for-spm-examination-first.html

From SPM 2021 onwards, there are 2 papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2. For Paper 1, there are 2 sections. Section A is Practical Writing (应用文) and section B is Continuous Writing (作文). For Paper 2, there are 2 sections. Section A is Modern Text Comprehension (现代文理解) and section B is Classical Text Comprehension (文言文理解). I recommend you to use the SPM 高中华文 reference book by 艺青出版社 (Seni Hijau).

1. Practical Writing (应用文): 

- It will test you on formal letters (公函), reports (通告) and notice (启示). Make sure you know and remember the formats of all the three types of essay very well. Refer to revision books for the formats. Report of meeting (会议记录) will not be tested and you can just ignore it.

- Refer to the model questions and answers in revision books. Memorise the sentences that are commonly used. Use them when writing your essay. For most questions, the way of answering is similar, you just need to make some suitable changes. Get to know the important details (such as the time, date, venue, objective, invitation) that have to be included in your essay and don't forget to write them in your essay.

- From SPM 2021 onwards, there is only 1 question and you must answer it.

- Read the question carefully and understand what it wants you to write. Then, start writing your essay. Make sure that the format is correct for the essay you are writing. Use formal languages in your essay. Avoid using informal languages and avoid making grammatical errors and writing words wrongly. If you don't know how to write a word, try replacing it with others words with same meaning and don't write the hanyu pinyin. Refer to the question frequently when answering to avoid writing out of topic.

- After you have finished writing, recheck your essay for mistakes and count the number of words. Correct the mistakes if there are any. The maximum word limit is 120 words. The words are counted from the salutation (称呼) until the name (署名). You can write up to 124 words without any marks deducted. You are advised to write your essay between 116 and 124 words. If your essay is longer than 124 words, try cutting off the unnecessary words and phrases. If it still exceeds 124 words, cut off the less important details.

Conversation of text (改写) will not be tested in the exam and you can ignore it.

(Note: 改写 and 翻译 are different.)

2. Continuous Writing (作文):

- From SPM 2021 onwards, there are 3 questions and you have to choose 1 only.

- It will test you on a few types of essay, which is factual (说明文), argumentative (议论文), narrative (记叙文), descriptive (描写文), sentimental (抒情文) and others. Get to know the types of essay that you are better in and focus more on them. But, don't ignore the other types of essays, you should prepare for them as well. Refer to model questions and answers in revision books. Memorise some good sentences, openings and closings and use them in the exam.

- During the exam, go through all the questions. Choose the one that you are most confident in. Read the question carefully and understand what it wants you to write.You can list out some important points for your essay first but don't waste too much time on this. Then, start writing your essay.

- If you are writing factual/argumentative essay you should have 6 paragraphs, which contains 1 opening, 4 main bodies and 1 closing. It is not advisable to write 5 or more main bodies because there is not enough time, you may make more mistakes and no extra marks will be given. Give strong points and elaborate clearly on each point. Give suitable examples. Every part of your essay should be relevant to the topic. Use formal languages.

- For descriptive/sentimental/narrative essay, your essay should also have 6 paragraphs or more, depending on the essay you are writing. Your description should be very clear and detailed. You should describe as if you are in the story or incident. Your essay should be interesting.

- For general topics that do not state what you have to write (such as 珍惜生命), you are free to write it as factual or descriptive essay, but it must be relevant to the topic. If you write a story using the topic given, be very careful. Make sure you address the topic in every paragraph of your story.

- When writing the essay, avoid making any grammatical errors and avoid writing a word wrongly. If you don't know how to write a word, try replacing it with others words you know and don't write the hanyu pinyin. The structure of sentences should be varied. Refer to the question frequently when writing to avoid writing out of topic.

- After you have finished writing, recheck your essay for mistakes. Correct the mistakes if there are any. The minimum word limit is 400 words. Your essay must be more than 400 words. You are advised to write your essay between 600 and 1000 words. 

3. Modern Text Comprehension (现代文理解):

There are 4 questions, 3 are text (文章) and 1 is poem (诗). It will test you on summary (概述文章), comprehension (理解) and grammar (语法).

a) Summary (概述文章):

- Read the question carefully to see what it wants you to summarise on. Note the maximum word limit that you can write in your answer (Usually it is between 110-130). Read through the passage given quickly to have an idea on what it is all about. Then, read it again carefully.

- Underline all the points that are related to the question. Check the points that you have underlined. If there are too few points, look through the passage again for more. If there are too many points, choose only the important points. Do not take the elaborations and examples. An important point should be directly related to the question and is able to answer the question directly and should be chosen. Points that cannot answer the question should not be chosen. The number of points required is not fixed and it depends on the question. Usually the total number of points required is between 12 and 18.

- Then, start writing the answer. Write all the points that you have chosen. You need not use your own words and you can copy directly. However, sometimes you may have to make some changes (such as changing dialogs to text) so the the points are suitable in the answer. Also, try to shorten sentences especially long sentences by replacing long phrases with shorter words and by grouping similar and related words into a single word. Write as many points as possible without exceeding the word limit. Use sequence connectors to link the points but not too many.

- After you have finished writing, count the number of words. You can exceed the maximum word limit by 4 words without any marks deducted. (For example, if the word limit is 120, you can write up to 124 words). If the number of is less than the word limit, add more points. If your summary is exceeds the word limit by 5 or more, try cutting off the unnecessary words, phrases and sequence connectors. If it is still more than that, cut off the less important points.

- Depending on the marking scheme, 1 point may carry 1 or 2 marks. No marks will be deducted for wrong points. All the marks are given for content and no marks will be given for grammar, but marks may be deducted for grammatical errors. So, avoid making grammatical errors and writing words wrongly.

b) Comprehension (理解):

- Go through the questions quickly first. Read through the passage/poem given quickly to have an idea on what it is all about. Then, read it again carefully. Think carefully to understand the passage/poem. You can imagine that you  are in the situation/story to help you understand it and understand the feelings of the characters in it. Next, look through the questions.

- For questions based on the passage/poem, you should get the answers from the passage. For text, you can copy directly from the passage if it is possible. Sometimes you may have to make some changes (such as changing dialogs to text) so the the sentences are suitable for the answer. For poem, you should convert it into text and do not copy the sentences directly from the poem.

- However, many questions require that you fully understand the passage and give your answer based on your understanding on the passage/poem. For those questions, it is not possible to obtain the answers directly from the passage/poem and you have to answer using your own words.

- For questions on your own opinion, you have to give your own ideas, based on your understanding on the passage/poem. Your ideas should be logical, suitable and relevant to the question.

- Then, write your answers. When answering the questions, don't be afraid to give your answers. Write down everything that you know and understand about the passage/poem and write down all your ideas and feelings. The marks allocated for a question usually shows the number of points you have to write. 1 point may carry 1 or 2 marks, depending on the marking scheme.

- If the question does not state the number of answers that you have to give, you can write as many answers as you want, but you must be careful. Marks will only be given for correct and acceptable answers. If you wrote an answer that is not acceptable but it does not contain wrong facts and is not too far away from the question, no marks will be given and no marks will be deducted. If you wrote an answer that is not acceptable and contains wrong facts or is complete out of question, marks may be deducted (wrong cancel right). So, you should give many and long answers, but take care not to write any wrong facts and don't write answers that are completely irrelevant to the question.

- If the question states the number of answers that you have to give, you cannot write extra answers. You have to give short and precise answers. If you give extra answers, those answers will not be marked and marks may be deducted.

c) Grammar (语法):

- It will test you on type of word (词类), phrase (短语), components of sentences (句子成分), compound sentences (复句), language & style (修辞) and idioms (熟语). Hanyu pinyin (汉语拼音) and others will not be tested. Make sure that you understand all the Grammar components above. Refer to the revision books. Look at the examples given to help you understand better.

- When answering the questions, give the most suitable answer based on your understanding. You must give specific answers. Giving extra answers is not allowed. If you do so and any of your answers is wrong, marks will be deducted (wrong cancel right).

4. Classical Text Comprehension (文言文理解):

There are 2 questions, 1 is Prose (散文) and 1 is Poem (韵文). It will test you on Comprehension (理解) and Translation (翻译).

a) Comprehension (理解):

- Get to know the commonly used traditional words and their meaning and remember them. Go through as many as possible. Refer to revision books.

- During the exam, go through the glossary given and the questions quickly first. Read the passage given carefully. Translate the classical text word-by-word then translate it into modern text. Use the glossary given to help you understand the meaning of some words. If you really don't understand the meaning of a sentence, skip it first and go to the next sentence. As you go through and understand the other sentences, this can help you understand that sentences. Go back to it again after you have gone through the rest of the passage. You can imagine that you  are in the situation/story to help you understand it and understand the feelings of the characters in it. Next, look through the questions.

- For questions based on the passage/poem, you should get the answers from the passage/poem. You copy the answers from the passage/poem if possible, but you must translate it into modern text. Do not copy directly the traditional text from the passage/poem.  Sometimes you may have to make some changes (such as changing dialogs to text) so the the sentences are suitable for the answer.

- However, many questions require that you fully understand the passage and give your answer based on your understanding on the passage/poem. For those questions, it is not possible to obtain the answers directly from the passage/poem and you have to answer using your own words.

- For questions on your own opinion, you have to give your own ideas, based on your understanding on the passage/poem. Your ideas should be logical, suitable and relevant to the question.

- Then, write your answers. When answering the questions, don't be afraid to give your answers. Write down everything that you know and understand about the passage/poem and write down all your ideas and feelings. The marks allocated for a question usually shows the number of points you have to write. 1 point may carry 1 or 2 marks.

- If the question does not state the number of answers that you have to give, you can write as many answers as you want, but you must be careful. Marks will only be given for correct and acceptable answers. If you wrote an answer that is not acceptable but it does not contain wrong facts and is not too far away from the question, no marks will be given and no marks will be deducted. If you wrote an answer that is not acceptable and contains wrong facts or is complete out of question, marks may be deducted (wrong cancel right). So, you should give many and long answers, but take care not to write any wrong facts and don't write answers that are completely irrelevant to the question.

- If the question states the number of answers that you have to give, you cannot write extra answers. You have to give short and precise answers. If you give extra answers, those answers will not be marked and marks may be deducted.

b) Translation (翻译):

- Get to know the commonly used traditional words and their meaning and remember them. Go through as many as possible. Refer to revision books.

- During the exam, it will ask you to translate sentences or phrases. When translating, replace every traditional word in the sentence or phrase with a modern word of the same meaning. If the traditional word is the same as the modern word, you should convert the word into a phrase. Do not leave any words untranslated. For words that are wrongly translated, marks will not be given and marks will not be deducted.

Idioms (名句精华) is abolished from SPM 2021 onwards.

E-books for SPM Chinese Language and Chinese Literature can be found here:

https://www.daniellimjj.com/2019/05/spm-spm-kesusasteraan-cina-e-books.html

Tips for other SPM subjects can be found here:

https://www.daniellimjj.com/2013/06/complete-tips-for-spm-examination-first.html

"Haunted" electronic dictionary?

In August 2009, I bought an Edupoint electronic dictionary at Kulim Landmark Central. This was my 3rd electronic dictionary. Previously, I had a Noah Tech electronic dictionary and an E' Kamus electronic dictionary, but both had stopped functioning and I couldn't get them repaired.

Initially, I wanted to buy a Besta electronic dictionary as Besta is the most popular brand for electronic dictionaries in Malaysia. I had found a good Besta electronic dictionary with a reasonable price, but unfortunately, the shop selling it didn't accept credit card payment and my father refused to pay for it by cash. I then went to another shop nearby which was selling the Edupoint electronic dictionary. I had heard of Edupoint before and I felt that it's a good brand as well, so I decided to buy the Edupoint electronic dictionary.

Initially, I found the Edupoint electronic dictionary really good, much better compared to the Noah Tech and E' Kamus electronic dictionaries. It included the vocabularies from several of the advanced and most popular dictionaries in Malaysia, so I could find almost any word that I wanted to look up with detailed explanation. It also had many other functions, including music player, address book and games. I got obsessed with playing the games in it, which contributed to my poor performance in my school examination in August 2009.

To help conserve battery power, the electronic dictionary is designed to switch off automatically if it's left on but not used for 5 minutes. Each time before it switches off automatically, it would display a screen notification and give a beep for 10 seconds as a reminder. It's not possible to disable the automatic switch off function, although the delay could be changed from 5 minutes to 15 minutes through the settings, which I did. It's also not possible to disable the beep that occurs before the automatic switch off. Even by setting the volume of the electronic dictionary to 0, it will still beep for 10 seconds at the standard volume prior to switching off automatically.

For several months, I used the Edupoint electronic dictionary without issues. Then one night in April 2010, I suddenly heard a familiar beeping sound and I immediately recognised it as the beep of the electronic dictionary before it switches off automatically. I took out the electronic dictionary from the drawer and indeed its screen was displaying the notification for the automatic switch off. However, I last used and switched off the electronic dictionary more than 2 hours earlier and I hadn't touched it since then. This meant the electronic dictionary somehow switched on by itself 15 minutes earlier!

The Edupoint electronic dictionary doesn't have any kind of automatic switch on function. The only ways to switch it on is by pressing the power button or reset button or by reinserting its battery. It wasn't possible for any insects or small animals to have pressed the power or reset buttons, considering that the buttons were under the lid and I had closed the lid after I last used it. The power and reset buttons also weren't stuck.

I thought that the batteries might not have been inserted securely and any movement could have resulted in disconnection and reconnection of the power supply, causing the electronic dictionary to switch on. However, a check on the batteries clearly showed that they were securely inserted. Any disconnection and reconnection of the power supply would also cause the date and time of the electronic dictionary to be reset to 1 January 12 midnight, which wasn't the case.

Unable to find an explanation on why the electronic dictionary would switch on by itself, I felt that it might be haunted. Worse still, the actual time at that time was 12:15AM, which meant that it was 12 midnight when the electronic dictionary switched itself on. 12 midnight is often viewed as the time when scary things happen. I got really scared and I had a nightmare that night.

A few months later, the same thing happened. Once again, the electronic dictionary somehow switched itself on, and I found out about that when it gave the beep prior to the automatic switch off after 15 minutes. And again, it was 12:15AM when the beep occurred. I got even more scared. I wish I could disable the beep that occurs before the automatic switch off, but that wasn't possible. One way to prevent the electronic dictionary from switching on by itself would be to remove its batteries and insert them only when I wanted to use it. However, I didn't want to do that as it would be troublesome and would mess up with the date and time of the electronic dictionary.

The same thing would happen again and again every few months, and it's 12 midnight each time the electronic dictionary switched on by itself. I got so scared that every day I would check on the electronic dictionary regularly to see if it had switched itself on. Once, I opened its lid and saw that it had switched on by itself, although the beep hadn't occurred as 15 minutes hadn't passed yet. I thought of just throwing away the electronic dictionary, but I couldn't to so as I really needed it for my studies. I didn't want to get a new electronic dictionary as it's quite expensive.

One day in November 2012 when I was busy revising for my SPM examination, I heard a weird soft hissing sound. It wasn't the usual beeping sound of the electronic dictionary. I checked the electronic dictionary but it wasn't switched on. As I was really stressed at that time, I thought that I could be hallucinating the sound. The sound stopped after some time. Later that night, I heard the hissing sound again. Although the electronic dictionary had remained switched off, I still tried removing it's batteries. Immediately, the hissing sound stopped. This showed that the hissing sound was from the electronic dictionary!

I got even more scared of the electronic dictionary. However, I had to continue using it for my studies. In January 2013, I moved to Subang Jaya and started studying Cambridge A Level at Taylor's College. I brought along the Edupoint electronic dictionary to Subang Jaya. Soon afterwards, I discovered a number of good dictionary apps which could be installed on my Android phone. Finding it troublesome to bring the electronic dictionary to college every day, I decided to just use my phone. Since then, I used the electronic dictionary very little.

One day in April 2013, the Edupoint electronic dictionary once again switched on by itself. I was sleeping at that time and got awakened by its beeping sound. Unlike previously, it didn't happen at 12 midnight, but around 4AM. At that point, I decided to remove its batteries and stop using it completely. I never reinserted its batteries or powered it on again since then.

14 March 2013: Day of Hope

I consider 14 March 2013 to be my 'Day of Hope'. What is the reason for this?

On 5 November 2012, it was the first day of my SPM examination. The subject tested on that day was Bahasa Melayu. Section B of Paper 1 of Bahasa Melayu was Karangan Respons Terbuka (open response essay), and we had to choose 1 of the 5 questions in this section.

During the examination, I chose to answer this question:

"Kebersihan kawasan sekitar penting untuk kesihatan dan keselesaan hidup. Walau bagaimanapun, masih terdapat segelintir anggota masyarakat yang mengabaikan aspek kebersihan ini. Sehubungan dengan itu, anda ingin menulis sebuah rencana yang bertajuk 'Menjaga Kebersihan Tanggungjawab Kita Bersama'. Tulis rencana itu selengkapnya."

("The cleanliness of the surroundings is important for health and comfort. However, there are members of the society who neglect this aspect of cleanliness. Therefore, you would like to write an article titled 'Maintaining Cleanliness is Everyone's Responsibility'. Write the article in full.")

The reason I chose this question was because I had previously written a similar essay when attending tuition. In the essay, I wrote about the roles of ibu bapa (parents), masyarakat (society), sekolah (schools), kerajaan (government) and pihak swasta (private sectors). I felt that I wrote the essay quite well. After Paper 1 ended, I talked to one of my friends about the paper. He said that he chose the same essay question as well.

Then, my friend asked me "Did you write about kerajaan (government)?" I replied "Of course." However, he said "If you wrote kerajaan then your essay is out of topic. The same applies for sekolah (schools), ibu bapa (parents), media massa (mass media) and so on. Since the question had mentioned masyarakat (society), we can only write about masyarakat." I asked him "What did you write then?" He replied "Mendidik anak-anak (Educate the children)". I asked "But you just said we can't write about ibu bapa (parents)?" He said "I wrote 'masyarakat harus mendidik anak-anak (the society should educate the children)'. It is alright as long as it is about masyarakat and not ibu bapa."

Initially, I did not care much about what my friend said because I thought he was just joking with me. However, when I returned home after Paper 2 ended, I thought back of what he said. When I looked back at the question paper for Paper 1, I realised that the essay question really did mention "masyarakat". I began to feel worried because it seemed that what he said was true and my essay was actually out of topic. 

Writing the essay out of topic can result in very serious consequences, because that section alone carries 100 out of the total 280 marks. It is possible to fail Bahasa Melayu just because of an out-of-topic essay. My tuition teacher had said that if the essay is completely out of topic, the maximum mark that can be scored is only 20/100. However, 1 of the 5 paragraphs in my essay was about masyarakat which was correct, so I was hoping I could get 40/100 with that.

Since I still answered the other sections quite well, I knew that I would not fail Bahasa Melayu. However, I most probably would get only grade C or D for Bahasa Melayu, and it was definitely impossible for me to get A or A+. So, I could no longer achieve my target of getting 10A+ in SPM. Whenever I thought of that, I would feel very sad and worried. In fact, I felt hopeless about the SPM examination.

I knew there was a possibility that my friend was just joking and my essay was not out of topic. However, that possibility seemed to be very slim. I could find out the truth by asking my teacher or my other friends about that, but I was too afraid to do so. I often avoided talking about the SPM examination with anyone. This was the case for more than 4 months from November 2012 until March 2013.

Finally, on 14 March 2013 which was one week before the release of the SPM results, I could no longer bear with it anymore. I decided that I must find out whether or not my essay was out of topic. I went to Google and searched for the title of that essay. Then, I came across a blog which listed the essay questions for SPM 2012 Bahasa Melayu and the suggested answers.

(This is the link to that blog: https://blogcikguazaman.blogspot.com/2012/11/analisis-bahasa-melayu-spm-20125.html )

To my surprise, that blog listed the roles of kerajaan, ibu bapa, sekolah and masyarakat in the suggested answers for that essay question. Those were exactly what I wrote in my essay. This showed that my essay was actually not out of topic. The author of that blog was a famous teacher so he could not be wrong. Then, I further confirmed that by visiting a few other websites.

At that point, I found out the truth that my friend was just joking with me. I did not blame him for that. Instead, I realised that I should have been smarter and not get fooled by him so easily. When I read the essay question again carefully, I found out that although the question mentioned "masyarakat", it did not specifically ask us to write about that, so it was perfectly alright to write about kerajaan, ibu bapa, sekolah and others.

With that, I regained hope on the SPM examination. I knew I had a high chance of getting A+ for Bahasa Melayu. Starting from that day, I was no longer very worried about my SPM results, instead I was looking forward to the release of the SPM results. On 21 March 2013, the SPM results was released and I got A+ for Bahasa Melayu. I was definitely very happy about that. Looking back, if I did not find out the truth, I cannot imagine how worried I would be just before the SPM results was released.

So, 14 March 2013 is indeed my 'Day of Hope', isn't it?

Malaysian Idol?

Here, I would like to share about an incident that happened several years ago.

In August 2005, I participated in a Mathematics camp and competition in Langkawi. I was actually very reluctant to take part in it due to my lack of interest as well as my poor experience with a previous Mathematics camp that I took part in Penang. However, my family members forced me to participate, insisting that it would be important for my future. Once again, I didn't enjoy the Mathematics camp and competition at all.

The participants who performed well enough in the Mathematics competition in Langkawi would advance to the next stage, where they would join a Mathematics camp in Kuala Lumpur and then represent Malaysia in an international-level Mathematics competition. Knowing that my family members would surely force me to participate in the next stage, I made no efforts to perform well in the Mathematics competition, in hopes that I wouldn't qualify for the next stage.

One day in school in September 2005, my Civic Studies teacher suddenly said to the whole class "Did you all see the news? Daniel Lee just got selected as the Malaysian Idol!" At that time, I had never heard about Malaysian Idol before and I absolutely no idea what it was about. Due to the noisy environment in class, I misheard "Daniel Lee" as "Daniel Lim". Many of my classmates started saying to me "Congratulations on becoming the Malaysian Idol!" My teacher then said "You must have won the Mathematics competition in Langkawi, that's why you are the Malaysian Idol!"

Not realising that it was Daniel Lee and that my classmates and my teacher were just joking about me, I thought that I really had been selected as the Malaysian Idol! I thought I must have performed well enough in the Mathematics competition in Langkawi despite not putting in my efforts, and I would be representing Malaysia in the international-level Mathematics competition, so that's why I became the idol for Malaysians.

I immediately became very stressed. If my family members were to know that I had become the Malaysian Idol, they would definitely force me to take part in the next stage of the Mathematics camp and competition, which I really didn't want to. Gaining fame may be something that many people dream about, but that's absolutely not the case for me. I just wanted to have a normal student life like my classmates, nothing more than that.

My classmates kept talking about me and the Malaysian Idol. Knowing that my classmates very likely would tell my family members that I became the Malaysian Idol, I passed a piece of paper around my class, forcing my classmates to sign a pledge not to tell my family members "about the Mathematics competition". Most of them signed the pledge but a few refused to. When my family members picked me up from school later that day, one of classmates purposely came forward and said "Well, I already signed the pledge!"

My family members asked me what the pledge was about, to which I lied that it was about promising not to tease me with silly nicknames, and they didn't question further. Over the next few days, none of my classmates told my family members anything and they no longer talked about the Malaysian Idol in class. I thought that the pledge must have been effective and that made me feel a bit relieved.

One day during break time in school, I saw my Mathematics teacher talking to my family members at a distance from me. I thought that she definitively was going to tell them about the next stage of the Mathematics camp and competition and that I got selected as the Malaysian Idol. I was very stressed about that, but I told myself that I had no choice but to face the reality.

Surprisingly, after the talk my family members told me that according to my Mathematics teacher, she was still not sure whether I would qualify for the next stage of the Mathematics camp and competition, and she would like to know whether I would be participating if I qualified. My Mathematics teacher hadn't mentioned anything about the Malaysian Idol. I made it clear that I didn't want to take part and my family members' reply was that they would discuss more about it with me later should I qualify.

At that point, I concluded that there was no way where I could become the Malaysian Idol when it wasn't even confirmed that I would be representing Malaysia in the international-level Mathematics competition. I felt that the whole thing was just a joke by my Civic Studies teacher and my classmates simply played along with it. I felt a bit ashamed for making my classmates sign that pledge for nothing. In the end, I didn't qualify for the next stage of the Mathematics camp and competition, and I was so glad about that.

It was in January 2006 where I finally understood what the Malaysian Idol was about. It's actually a reality TV singing competition in Malaysia, which was won by a singer named Daniel Lee Chee Hun. Apart from the fact that he has the same name as me, it most definitely isn't related to me or the Mathematics competitions I participated!

My SPM Examination in 2012

I sat for the SPM examination in year 2012. I took 10 subjects for SPM 2012, which were Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Information & Communication Technology, Sejarah and Pendidikan Moral. I did not take Chinese Language in SPM 2012, instead I took it in SPM 2013 as a private candidate. The SPM 2012 was from 5 November 2012 to 6 December 2012. However, the last day of examination for me was on 27 November 2012.

This is my diary during the SPM 2012 examination:

1 November 2012 (Thursday):

It was the last day of school before the SPM started because my school decided to give us a holiday on 4 November 2012. On that day, there was a 'Majlis Mohon Restu' program in my school. Before the program started, the teachers told us the rules for the SPM. During the program, our teachers wished us good luck for the SPM. Then, after the program, we arranged the tables and chairs in the examination hall. After that, I took some photographs with my friends. At home, I did revision for Sejarah.

2 November 2012 (Friday)- 4 November 2012 (Sunday):

There were no school on that 3 days. On 2 November 2012, I did revision for Sejarah. I also finished reading the Kembara Amira novel (Form 5 Novel for Bahasa Melayu) on that day. I did not read it until recently because earlier I only depended on revision books prepare for exams. Besides, I studied some English, especially the literature. Then, on 3 November and 4 November 2012, I studied Bahasa Melayu entirely. I spent most of the time revising KOMSAS and Novel. I also prepared for Karangan by memorising some good Pendahuluan, Penutup and Isi. Besides, I studied some Tatabahasa. At night on 4 November 2012, I slept earlier at 12:30AM.

5 November 2012 (Monday):

It was the first day of the SPM examination. The subject tested on that day was Bahasa Melayu. Bahasa Melayu Kertas 1 started first in the morning while Bahasa Melayu Kertas 2 was in the afternoon. For Bahasa Melayu Kertas 1, both Karangan Bahan Rangsangan and Karangan Respons Terbuka were moderately difficult. After the exam ended, I went home for a while. I slept for a while before eating lunch. After that, I did some revision for Bahasa Melayu. In the afternoon, I went to school again to sit for Bahasa Malayu Kertas 2. It was also moderately difficult. The Rumusan and Novel was easy, while the Pemahaman and Tatabahasa was moderate. After I returned home, I studied for English. I mostly did revision for Literature. I also prepared for Writing and Grammar. I slept at about 1AM on that night.

6 November 2012 (Tuesday):

English was tested on that day. Both English Paper 1 and Paper 2 were in the morning. English Paper 1 started first. It was moderately difficult. The Directed Writing was easy while the Continuous Writing was moderate. Then, it was English Paper 2. It was a bit difficult. The Information Transfer was easy while the Section A, Comprehension and Summary was moderate. However, the Literature section was difficult. The question asked me to describe an event in the novel that made me angry and the reasons. I just gave a few reasons based on my own opinion. I was not sure if it was correct. Still, I was confident to get A+ in English. After the exam, I returned home. At home, I studied for Sejarah. I spent the whole day revising Sejarah. Finally, I could finish revising Sejarah because I had made early revisions before that. On that night, I slept later at 2AM.

7 November 2012 (Wednesday):

Sejarah was the subject tested on that day. Sejarah Kertas 1 and Kertas 2 were both in the morning. Sejarah Kertas 1 started first. It was quite easy. I could answer all questions correctly except for 1 question. Then, I sat for Sejarah Kertas 2. It was moderately difficult. Earlier, my teachers told us that about 70% of the Sejarah Kertas 2 questions would be KBKK questions. I used to be weak in answering KBKK questions. However, it turned out that only about 30% of the questions were KBKK questions. I could answer most of the questions, including the KBKK questions, but for some questions I was not sure if my answer was correct. I was very confident to get A+ in Sejarah. After returning home, I studied for Information and Communication Technology (ICT). I revised the SPM ICT Score A book as well as the notes I downloaded from the internet. I did not study for Mathematics because it is an easy subject. I again slept at 2AM on that night.

8 November 2012 (Thursday):

The subjects tested on that day was Mathematics and Information & Communication Technology (ICT). Mathematics Paper 1 and Paper 2 were in the morning, while ICT was in the afternoon. Mathematics Paper 1 was very easy and I was confident to get 40/40. Then, Mathematics Paper 2 was also quite easy. I was confident to answer all questions correctly, except for 1 question. That question was about calculating the perimeter for a shaded region. I did not calculate the internal perimeter because I never came across a question like that so I thought that I only needed to calculate the external perimeter. However, many of my friends could answer that question correctly. Still, I was very confident to get A+ in Mathematics. After the Mathematics Paper 2, my grandparents brought lunch for me. I had lunch in my grandparents' car outside the school. Then, I walked back into the school because ICT would be tested on that afternoon. For ICT, it was quite easy. I could answer most questions correctly except for a few questions. I was confident to get A+ in ICT. After the exam, I returned home. At home, I rested for a while before doing revision again.

9 November 2012 (Friday) - 18 November 2012 (Sunday):

It was a one-week break for SPM because of the Deepavali festival. During that week, I studied for the remaining SPM subjects. I spent most of my time revising Biology and Chemistry. I also did some revision on Physics. Besides, I did some exercises for Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Pendidikan Moral. However, I did not study Additional Mathematics because I had understood all the topics. Then, on 17 November and 18 November 2012, I studied for Pendidikan Moral entirely. I memorised all the Nilai and Definisi and I revised the notes given by my teacher.

19 November 2012 (Monday):

The subject tested on that day was Pendidikan Moral. It was in the morning. Pendidikan Moral was moderately difficult. The structured questions (Bahagian A) were moderate. Most of the questions were KBKK questions and only a few were Nilai questions. The Nilai questions and many of the KBKK questions were easy, but a few KBKK questions were a bit difficult. The essay questions (Bahagian B) were easy. I was quite confident to get A+ for Pendidikan Moral. After the Pendidikan Moral exam, I had no more exam on that day because it was Pendidikan Islam Kertas 2 in that afternoon. After returning home, I studied for Additional Mathematics. I did some exercises for Additional Mathematics and also looked at the examples in revision books. On that night, I slept at about 1AM.

20 November 2012 (Tuesday):

Additional Mathematics was tested on that day. Additional Mathematics Paper 1 was in the morning while Paper 2 was in the afternoon. Paper 1 was very easy. In fact, it was easier than Mathematics Paper 2. I went home after the exam. After sleeping for a while, I had lunch. Then, I looked at some more examples in revision books. In the afternoon, I went to school again to sit for Additional Mathematics Paper 2. Paper 2 was easy. For Section C, I had time to answer 3 questions although I was only required to answer 2 questions. I was very confident to get A+ and maybe full marks for Additional Mathematics. After returning home, I studied Physics. I mostly revised the experiments and the explanations on working principle of devices and natural phenomena. I also looked at the examples for questions on suggestion and modification of characteristics in revision books. I slept at 2AM on that night.

21 November 2012 (Wednesday):

Physics was the subject tested on that day. Physics Paper 1 started first, followed by Paper 2 and then Paper 3. Physics Paper 1 and Paper 2 were in the morning while Physics Paper 3 was in the afternoon. Physics Paper 1 was very easy. I was confident to get full marks for it. Physics Paper 2 was moderately difficult. Section A was easy, while Section B was moderate. After the Physics Paper 2 exam, I had lunch in my grandparents' car outside the school gate. They brought me lunch. After lunch, I walked back into the school to sit for Physics Paper 3 in the afternoon. Paper 3 was quite easy. However, later I realised that for a question in Section A, I did not notice that it asked me to give my answers correct to 1 decimal place, instead I gave my answers to 3 decimal places. Still, I was very confident to get A+ in Physics. After going back home, I slept for a while. Then, I studied for Biology and Chemistry.

22 November 2012 (Thursday) - 25 November 2012 (Sunday):

There were no exam on that few days. During that few days, I studied Biology and Chemistry, which were the 2 remaining SPM subjects. I revised all the topics of Biology and Chemistry. I also revised all the experiments. Every night, I slept very late at around 3:15AM. On 22 November and 23 November 2012, I mostly studied for Biology. Then on 24 November and 25 November 2012, I studied for Chemistry entirely.

26 November 2012 (Monday):

Chemistry was tested on that day. Chemistry Paper 1 was tested first, then Paper 2 and followed by Paper 3. Chemistry Paper 1 was quite easy. I was confident to answer all questions correctly except 1 question. Chemistry Paper 2 was moderately difficult. Section A was easy while Section B was moderate. The question on describing experiment in Section B was a bit difficult. After Chemistry Paper 2 ended, I again had lunch in my grandparents car outside the school gate. Then, I returned to school because it was Chemistry Paper 3 in the afternoon. Chemistry Paper 3 was difficult. Question 1 was quite difficult while Question 2 was easier. I was still confident to get A+ in Chemistry. After returning home, I studied Biology entirely. I revised all the topics and experiments of Biology. On that night, I slept very late at 3AM.

27 November 2012 (Tuesday):

It was my last day of SPM. The subject tested on that day was Biology. Biology Paper 1 started first, then Paper 2 and lastly Paper 3. Biology Paper 1 was easy. I could answer most questions correctly except a few questions. Biology Paper 2 was difficult. Section A was a little difficult while Section B was more difficult. There were some questions in both sections that I was not sure what answer to write. After the Biology Paper 2 exam, I again had lunch in my grandparents car outside the school gate. Then, I walked back into the school to sit for Biology Paper 3 in the afternoon. Biology Paper 3 was moderately difficult. Question 1 was moderate while Question 2 was quite easy. Still, I was confident to get A+ for Biology. After that,it was the end of my SPM. I did not go home straight, instead I went to the SPBT room of my school to help my friends arrange the textbooks that they returned to school, while at the same time talking to my friends. However, I did not return my textbooks on that day. After that, I returned home. Then, I started relaxing myself. On that night, my grandparents took me to Loft 67 cafe for dinner.

28 November 2012 (Wednesday):

Prinsip Perakaunan was the subject tested on that day. I did not take Prinsip Perakaunan so I had no exam. Still, I went to the school when the Prinsip Perakaunan Kertas 2 exam was about to end and brought along my Form 5 textbooks. I waited outside the school hall for the exam to end, then I met and talked to my friends who took Prinsip Perakaunan. After that, I went to the SPBT room of my school to return my textbooks. Then, I stayed there for about one hour to help my friends arrange the textbooks that they returned to school, while talking to my friends at the same time. After I went home, I relaxed myself on that day, and for the rest of the days until I started studying A Level at Taylor's College on 14 January 2013.

This is the ranking of all subjects from the easiest to the most difficult:

1. Additional Mathematics Paper 1

2. Mathematics Paper 1

3. Mathematics Paper 2

4. Additional Mathematics Paper 2

5. Physics Paper 1

6. Chemistry Paper 1

7. Sejarah Kertas 1

8. Biology Paper 1

9. Physics Paper 3

10. Information and Communication Technology

11. Biology Paper 3

12. Physics Paper 2

13. Chemistry Paper 2

14. Pendidikan Moral

15. Sejarah Kertas 2

16. Chemistry Paper 3

17. Biology Paper 2

18. Bahasa Melayu Kertas 2

19. English Paper 1

20. English Paper 2

21. Bahasa Melayu Kertas 1

For every year in the past, the SPM results was always released in late March. However, in January 2013, I heard rumours that the SPM 2012 results would be released in late February instead. Later, I saw on the internet that the SPM 2012 results would be out on 20 March 2013. Finally, about one week before the SPM results was out, the Ministry of Education announced and confirmed that the SPM 2012 results would be released on 21 March 2013 (Thursday).

Before 21 March 2013, I was in Subang Jaya, studying A Level at Taylor's College. I had class on 21 March 2013 itself, but I skipped it because I wanted to go back to my school to get my SPM results. On 20 March 2013, my father drove me back to Kulim at night. We arrived Kulim at 12:45AM. I was very worried of my SPM results. Although I was aiming for 10A+ in SPM, I would be satisfied if I get 9A+. However, I was worried that I could not get even 9A+. On that night, I was still able to sleep, but I had a nightmare. I dreamt that I got only 3A 4B 3C for SPM.

On 21 March 2013, I woke up at 8:30AM. I took my bath and then had nasi lemak for breakfast. Previously, I also had the same nasi lemak for breakfast on the days when my UPSR and PMR results were out. At 9:15AM, my father took me to my school. My grandparents also followed along. I arrived at my school at 9:30AM. I went to the school hall by myself but there were only a few people there since it was still early. After a while, I met one of my friend and I talked to him. Then, more students and parents began to arrive at the school hall.

At 10AM, the form teachers for every Form 5 classes came to the hall, bringing the SPM results slips. My father also walked to the school hall at that time. Before they gave the results slip, the school principal gave a speech. She said that 47 students in our school got straight A for SPM, but nobody got straight A+. She also said that the SPM 2012 performance had a slight drop compared to SPM 2011. That made me feel more worried. Then, the principal called the students who got straight A to go up the stage to get their results slip one by one.

I was the first person to be called up the stage, because I was in class 5SC1 and my 'angka giliran' was in front. Before the principal gave me my results slip, she said to me 'I think you should request for rechecking.' That made me even more worried. Then, when I saw my results slip, I was quite happy but surprised. I got 9A+ 1A, and the subject I got A was English. Earlier, I was quite confident of getting A+ in English, instead I was more worried of Biology and ICT. However, I got A+ for both Biology and ICT, instead I did not get A+ for English. Although I did not get 10A+, I was still very happy and satisfied that I got 9A+, especially that no one in my school got 10A+. My father was in the hall at that time. He was happy to know my results and he walked to the car to tell my grandparents about that. He also telephoned my mother to let her know.

Many of my friends were surprised about my results, because they were thinking that I did not get A+ for Bahasa Melayu. I decided to request for rechecking for English and many of my teachers and friends also advised me to do so. Then, I realised that there was another grade for English written at the bottom of the SPM results slip, which was the GCE O Level 1119 grade. My GCE O Level grade was 2A. I thought that the SPM English papers could have been marked by examiners from Cambridge University so that was why I did not get A+ for English.

After all the straight A students got their SPM results slip on the stage, other students who did not get straight A could get their SPM results slip from the form teachers. The form teachers also gave every students an envelope containing some important documents such as the school leaving certificate, co-curriculum marks certificate, English Oral Test certificate, 'Ujian Lisan Bahasa Melayu' certificate, PEKA certificate and Additional Mathematics Project Work certificate. 6 students in my school got 9A+ 1A and 2 students got 10A+ 1A. All of them got A in either Bahasa Melayu or English, and they also wanted to request for rechecking.

My father and grandparents went home while I stayed in the school for some time. I walked around the hall and talked to my friends. I also gave a bar of Cadbury chocolate as a gift to 2 girls who were my close friends. Besides, I took photographs with some of my friends. After that, I met my Chinese teacher. She asked me to follow her to the staff room and she gave me a few educational CD's as a present. She also reminded me to sit for Chinese Language in SPM 2013 as a private candidate and I promised her to so so. On that day, the staffs from a few universities also came to my school to introduce their university to the students.

By 12:30PM, most of my friends had gone home. So, I telephoned my father and told him to come and fetch me. After returning home, my grandparents said that they were still very happy with my results although I did not get straight A+. Then, my father and my grandparents took me to a restaurant in Bukit Mertajam for lunch. My father went back to Subang Jaya on that day, but I stayed in Kulim because my birthday would be two days later and I wanted to celebrate it in Kulim. My parents came back to Kulim on 23 March 2013 and took me back to Subang Jaya on 24 March 2013. On 24 March 2013, I registered for SPM 2013 before going back to Subang Jaya.

Earlier, I was planning that if I got the offer for Matriculation, I would switch from A Level to Matriculation. However, because I did not get straight A+ in SPM, I knew that most likely I would not be offered Matriculation. In the previous year, they were students who got straight A+ in SPM but still did not get the Matriculation. So, I decided to continue studying A Level in Taylor's College. My next target would be getting 4A* for A Level. My plan after completing A Level was to study Medicine at International Medical University (IMU) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I did not plan to study overseas, because I love my country and I want to stay here.

The Ministry of Education would offer bursaries to all students who got 9A+ or above in SPM 2012. The bursary would sponsor for pre-university courses including STPM, Matriculation, A Level, Foundation and International Baccalaureate (IB). The bursary would also include a RM430 allowance every month. I was eligible for the bursary since I got 9A+ in SPM. I would use it to pay for my A-levels study fees. I was really lucky that I managed to get 9A+ in SPM. When I was in Form 5, some of my friends advised me to drop the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) subject, because in the past very few students got A+ for ICT in SPM. Luckily, I was determined to continue taking ICT and finally I successfully got A+ in this subject. If I had dropped ICT, I would only get 8A+ in SPM and I would not get the bursary.

This is my SPM 2012 results:

Bahasa Melayu: A+

English: A

Mathematics: A+

Additional Mathematics: A+

Chemistry: A+

Physics: A+

Biology: A+

Information and Communication Technology: A+

Sejarah: A+

Pendidikan Moral: A+

GCE O Level 1119: 2A

Summary: 9A+ 1A

In 2013, I sat for the SPM examination again as a private candidate, taking just the Chinese Language subject. I wrote about it in this post:

https://www.daniellimjj.com/2015/07/why-i-took-spm-examination-twice.html

What went wrong that caused me to not get A+ in SPM English? You can read about it here:

https://www.daniellimjj.com/2017/04/my-learning-of-english-language.html