The Question
Q36(B) carries 5 marks and is the alternative to the letter of application (chapter 26). It gives you three things:
- A role. Imagine that you are the President of the Youth Club.
- A topic. You are asked to speak on the impact of social media on Youth.
- A set of hints. Types of Social Media - connecting with the world - uses of social media - advantages and disadvantages - precautions to be taken by youth while using Social Media.
You then prepare a speech in about 120 words using the following information.
The hints are the plan. They are not suggestions; they are the outline the examiner will look for. Take them in the order given, one or two sentences each, and you will have both the content marks and a speech that holds together.
About 120 words means roughly 110 to 135. A speech of 200 words is not worth more, and a speech of 60 words cannot cover five hints.
[Exam Tip] — Count the hints before you begin. Five hints and 120 words means about 18 words each once the greeting, the introduction and the thanks have taken their share. That arithmetic keeps a speech from running out of space before the last hint.
The Format
A speech has four parts. Only the middle one changes from question to question.
1. Greeting Respected Principal, teachers and my dear friends,
2. Introduction I am XXXX, the President of our Youth Club. Today I would like to speak a few words on the impact of social media on the youth.
3. Body — one or two sentences for each hint, in the order given.
4. Conclusion and thanks Let us use social media wisely and make it a tool for learning. Thank you.
Notes on each part
- Greeting: choose it to fit the audience. Respected Principal, teachers and my dear friends for a school or college function; Respected elders and dear friends for a club or village gathering; Ladies and gentlemen for a public meeting.
- Introduction: name the role the question gave you and announce the topic. Use XXXX for your name, as the paper instructs elsewhere.
- Body: follow the hints. Do not add a hint of your own until every printed hint is covered.
- Conclusion: one sentence of appeal or resolve, then Thank you.
The language of a speech
- Speak to the audience: we, us, let us, friends.
- Use the present tense for general truths and let us for the appeal.
- Keep sentences short. A speech is heard, not read.
- One short quotation or proverb may be used, but it is not needed for the marks.
Turning the Hints into Sentences
Each hint is a heading. Ask what one useful sentence would say under it.
| Hint | The sentence it becomes |
|---|---|
| Types of social media | Today we have WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube and many other platforms. |
| Connecting with the world | They let us reach friends and information anywhere in the world within seconds. |
| Uses of social media | We use them to study, to share ideas and to find work. |
| Advantages and disadvantages | They give us knowledge and friendship, but they also waste our time and can spread false news. |
| Precautions | We must limit our screen time, protect our passwords and check before we believe or forward anything. |
Two joined hints count as one sentence pair. Advantages and disadvantages is printed as one hint, so it becomes one sentence with a but in the middle, or two short sentences.
Linking the body. Small connectives make five separate sentences sound like a speech: To begin with, Besides, However, Therefore, Above all, Finally.
A body built from the hints
To begin with, we have many kinds of social media today: WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube and more. They connect us with the whole world in seconds. We use them to learn, to share our ideas and even to find opportunities. They bring us knowledge and friendship, but they also waste our time and spread false news. Therefore we must fix our screen time, guard our personal details and think before we forward anything.
The 2025 Question, Solved
Imagine that you are the President of the Youth Club. You are asked to speak on the impact of social media on Youth. Prepare a speech in about 120 words using the following information: Types of Social Media - connecting with the world - uses of social media - advantages and disadvantages - precautions to be taken by youth while using Social Media.
A model speech
Respected Principal, teachers and my dear friends,
I am XXXX, the President of our Youth Club. Today I wish to say a few words about the impact of social media on the youth.
We live among many kinds of social media: WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and more. They connect us with the whole world within seconds, so that news from another country reaches us before it reaches the newspapers. We use them to study, to share our ideas, to find work and to keep in touch with our families. They bring us knowledge, friendship and opportunity. However, they also swallow our time, disturb our sleep and spread false news. Therefore we must set limits on our screen time, protect our passwords and personal details, and check the truth of a message before we believe it or forward it.
Let us make social media our tool and not our master. Thank you.
(The body above is about 105 words, and the whole speech, counting the greeting, the introduction and the closing, is about 150. Examiners read "about 120 words" generously; what matters is that every hint is covered and nothing is padded. If you prefer to keep the total near 120, shorten the body to one sentence per hint.)
Where each hint went
| Hint | Sentence in the speech |
|---|---|
| Types of social media | "We live among many kinds of social media: WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and more." |
| Connecting with the world | "They connect us with the whole world within seconds…" |
| Uses | "We use them to study, to share our ideas, to find work…" |
| Advantages | "They bring us knowledge, friendship and opportunity." |
| Disadvantages | "However, they also swallow our time, disturb our sleep and spread false news." |
| Precautions | "Therefore we must set limits on our screen time, protect our passwords…" |
A Phrase Bank, and Common Mistakes
| Purpose | Phrases |
|---|---|
| Greeting | Respected Principal, teachers and my dear friends · Respected elders and dear friends · Ladies and gentlemen |
| Introducing yourself | I am XXXX, the President of our Youth Club · I stand before you as the secretary of our club |
| Announcing the topic | Today I wish to say a few words on … · I have been asked to speak on … |
| Opening the body | To begin with … · At the outset … |
| Adding | Besides … · What is more … · Not only that … |
| Turning | However … · On the other hand … · At the same time … |
| Concluding | Therefore … · To sum up … · Let us therefore … |
| Appeal | Let us make … our tool and not our master. · Let us resolve today to … |
| Ending | Thank you. · Thank you one and all. |
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correction |
|---|---|
| Leaving out the greeting or the thanks | Both are part of the format and are easy marks. |
| Ignoring one of the printed hints | Every hint carries content; cover all of them. |
| Changing the order of the hints | Follow the printed order; it is already a plan. |
| Writing an essay instead of a speech | Address the audience: friends, we, let us. |
| Writing 250 words | About 120; a long speech loses time, not gains marks. |
| Writing your real name or school | Use XXXX, as the paper instructs. |
| Adding your own opinion only, with no hints | The hints are the content; your own idea can be the closing line. |
| Slang or SMS spelling | Keep it plain and formal. |
| Forgetting the role given | If you are the President of the Youth Club, say so in the introduction. |
A checklist
- Greeting.
- I am XXXX, the … of … and the topic.
- One or two sentences for each hint, in order, with connectives.
- An appeal.
- Thank you.
[Exam Tip] — The letter and the speech are a choice, and both need format marks. If you have practised one skeleton well, attempt that one; do not start the letter and switch to the speech halfway.