Teaching discussion skills for muet speaking examination : a comparison of two approaches

Abstract

The Malaysian University English Test (MUET) was introduced in 1999, and with its introduction, learners who wish to further their studies after their secondary education have to prepare themselves to sit for four papers – speaking, listening, reading and writing. Among all the papers, the learners are mostly intimidated by the speaking test. This is the paper which tests their speaking skills formally and the result will determine which courses they can pursue in or whether they can carry on with the chosen course. This is because the universities and colleges of higher education have already set the minimal requirements of the bands for the MUET result that the students should attain for them to be allowed to register in the respective courses.