ASSIGNMENT 2 (ESSAY WRITING)

( 20%)
You are given a diary entry (page 26 of Module). Based on the entry, write an essay of about

SATURDAY 21 JULY
7:00 a.m. Woke up, bathed, had breakfast
8:00 a.m. Watched television
9:00 a.m. Visited my neighbour, Uncle Lim
10:30 a.m. Went to the Mall with my sister, Lili to shop for
Rams birthday present
1:00 p.m. Had lunch with Lili at food court
3:00 p.m. Took a nap
5:00 p.m. Went for swimming lessons at the Municipal Pool
7:00 p.m. Took bath, then watched television
8:00 p.m. Had dinner
8.30 p.m. Revised lessons and did assignment
11.00 p.m. Surfed Internet
12:00 p.m. Went to bed
350-400 words. Elaborate on the activities of the day. You must write all the activities
written in the entry. Bold and underline the activities in your essay. An example is given
below:

It was Saturday 21 of July. I slept very soundly last night. It must have been
because of the strenuous activity of cleaning my room the day before. I didnt know
that my room could contain so much junk. But it was worth the effort because now I
have a spick-and-span room to boast about. Lili can never tease me about my
unkempt living space anymore.
I woke up at 7 a.m today, bathed and had nasi lemak for breakfast. Thanks
Mum. Youre such a wonderful cook that I dont want to emulate. If only you knew!
Submit the essay to the prepared assignment platform provided in MyGuru (Platform 2). You
MUST submit the essay in the platform only. Therefore, take note of the DEADLINE.
Make sure that the file is not password protected.
Do not post (postal services) your essay.

Your tutors will evaluate the essay based on the mark scheme provided. (Appendix 2)
NOTE:
You should have the integrity to write the essay yourself (Do note that tutors have the
software to detect plagiarisms).
No mark will be given to an essay that contains 30% or more of plagiarized work.
Follow the format given below:
o Font size: 12 point

o Font type: Times New Roman

o Line spacing: 1.5
Remember that the deadline is on Week 10 (4 MAY 2014).

BIU3013 GENERAL ENGLISH

SEMESTER 1 2013/14
ESSAY WRITING TASK

13-15

10-12

7-9

MARK SCHEME
CONTENT
The essay contains a majority of the
5
following :
relevant to specified task
Essay is well structured with
effective introduction and
conclusion
Main and supporting ideas relevant to specified task
Reasons - clearly presented,
well-organised and easily
understood

LANGUAGE
Language:
accurate, with very occasional
slips
Occasional minor errors - first
draft slips
Sentence structure - varied
Punctuation - accurate and
helpful
Spelling - secure throughout
response

The response contains a majority of

the following :
Response - relevant to the task
Essay has good narrative
structure
Main and supporting ideas mostly relevant to specified task
Reasons - clear and can be
understood

Language:
almost always accurate
Sentences - some variation
Punctuation - accurate and
generally helpful
Spelling - nearly always
secure

The response contains a majority of

the following :
Response - intermittently
relevant to specified task
Essay has narrative structure
although it tend to be weakly
stated
Some ideas - relevant to the
specified task
Reasons - generally clear, can
be understood but lack
organisation

Language:
largely accurate
Simple structures dominate
Serious errors - not frequent
although noticeable
Serious errors with
sophisticated structures
Punctuation - largely accurate
Spelling - mostly secure

4-6

1-3

The response contains a majority of

the following :
Response - barely relevant to
specified task
Essay has no clear narrative
structure with introduction
and/or conclusion not welldefined
Reasons - hardly relevant to
specified task and difficult to
understand

No understanding of task
requirement
Disorganised writing
incoherent
Ideas/reasons - irrelevant to the
specified task

Meaning:
not in doubt
Serious errors - more frequent
Simple structures - accurate
but not sustained
Simple punctuation - usually
correct, with occasional
separation errors
Spelling - largely accurate but
mistakes with more difficult
words

Serious errors:
heavy frequency, impeding
reading
Fractured syntax - more
pronounced, with punctuation
faltering
Sentence separation errors frequent