NUS QET 1 Review (July 2021)

(Taken in July 2021)

Deliverables

  • 600 word argumentative essay
  • 1hr 45 min

Format

  • Test is conducted with the Examplify software and Zoom proctoring
  • Maximum 4500 character hard limit
  • Copy-paste (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V) functions disabled
  • No spell-check or grammar check
  • Examplify is full screen so you cannot refer or use any other programs

Review

For polytechnic students, the Qualifying English Test (QET) is compulsory to take as NUS unfortunately only recognises A Level GP or other international English certifications. 

If you have gotten "A" for O Level English, fluency of language should be of no problem to you. However, you are probably rusty as your last essay could be before entering polytechnic. 

The CELC website provides a very nice crash course on it (https://blog.nus.edu.sg/celceresources/). Note that while they appear to use a variety of methods to write out the paragraph, it can be generalised to the PEEL method.

Importantly, the organisers tend to emphasise the importance showing evidence when you write your stand. The provided sources can be used, or alternatively if you have your own sources from the top of your head, you can use that too.

However, basic citation must be done. Citation format is the simple one, so nothing to be worried of. Just put your sources in brackets after writing the sentence like so:
    (Channel News Asia, 2021)

The CELC website mentions about writing your essay roughly in this structure too:
  • Introduction
  • Paragraph 1 (for / positive stand)
  • Paragraph 2 (for / positive stand)
  • Paragraph 3 (against / negative stand)
  • Conclusion
After the test, I have heard instances where many students wrote up to the character limit, and spent time deleting until it is within the character limit. 600 words is estimated to be 4000 characters, so I am not too sure how others exceeded so much, but knowing this, it is important to be concise and not be too long winded. Also, estimate how long each paragraph will be as you are writing the essay. 

A time-saving technique is to plan before the actual test. Estimate that each paragraph will be about 20% of your essay, with introduction and conclusion typically slightly shorter than the body. So I aimed for 100 words intro/conclude and 130 words for each body paragraph. Calculate the amount of time too so you don't spend too much time for each paragraph, and leave room for checking spelling & grammar before time is up.

In case you are curious, the topic was about deepfake video technologies whether you agree or disagree that it has should be banned outright. There were 2 long sources, one which focused on the negative effects on society (such as spreading of fake news and political agendas) and another which was predominantly positive sentiments (such as benefits to the media industry, culture and language). The sources are extremely long, and I did not even bother to read everything inside. Even though I did not keep up to current affairs and had no idea of what the technology was about, I was able to write a good essay by stating my sentiments towards the issue and citing information from the sources.

Additional matters

I recommend taking QET1 which takes place in July before you start school. This is because QET2 is conducted in November which is around your Semester 1 Exam week, so in addition to preparing for your exams, you will need to study for QET2 too.

For NS-liable people, unfortunately your ORD could be between July - August. Note that there is a compulsory briefing, followed by the actual test day. Therefore, die-die must save up and burn 2 days of precious leave for this. Fluency must be kept current so do try to maintain your writing ability especially in the last 3 months. 

Results

Expected grade: Band 3
Actual grade: Band 3

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