Writing PART 2 - AN ESSAY (120-180 words)

General Advice

Read the question carefully, underlining the points you must deal with.

Make a plan with the main ideas for each paragraph.

Think of vocabulary you want to use and note it down.

Write following your plan.


An argumentative essay

When you write an argumentative essay, you should try to keep a
balance between opposing ideas. It is also very important to use
connectors to organise your reasoning. And finally, don't forget to
introduce your ideas, explain them, and give examples and / or talk
about possible consequences.


Paragraph 1 / Introduction

Explain the topic and / or problem in your own words. Assume the
reader doesn't know anything about the question.

Body

Paragraph 2

Present the positive or negative aspects of the topic / problem.
Deal with each one separately and try to give an example and mention
a possible consequence. Add another reason if you can and repeat the
process.

Paragraph 3

Present opposite points of view. Deal with each one separately and try
to give an example and mention a possible consequence. Add another
reason if you can and repeat the process.

Conclusion / Paragraph 4

Summarise and give your own personal opinion whether in favour or
against.


Useful language for an argumentative essay

Introduction

Many people think that... / It is thought that... Others believe that... I will
present both points of view and express my opinion on the matter.

Here, I've presented the opposing points of view and explained that
will not only talk about the differences but also give my personal
opinion. You'll have to be brave in the conclusion.

Body

Paragraph 2

On the one hand... / First of all, I should like to consider... / The first
thing to be considered is... For instance, / To be specific,...
Consequently,... In addition (to this), / A second benefit is... /
Furthermore, we should also consider the fact that... / -ing illustrates
the way... / For example,... As a result, / Therefore, ...

In this paragraph I've presented a positive / negative aspect of the
problem. I've then given an example and mentioned a possible
consequence. Then, I've added another reason to support this
particular view and repeated the process of giving an example and / or
mention a possible consequence. You can also talk about the
consequences first and then give an example or even more than one,
but be careful with word length.

Paragraph 3

On the other hand, / However, there are also disadvantages. The most
important of these is that... Consequently,... For instance,... The
second point is that, / Secondly, / Furthermore, / In addition, ... For
example,... Therefore,... / Due to the fact that... / Finally, it is worth
stating that...

In this paragraph you must present one or two opposing points of view
and explain the consequences and / or give relevant examples.

Conclusion / Paragraph 4

In my opinion, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. To sum
up, / On the basis of the arguments I have presented in favour /
against, it can be concluded that... All in all, I personally believe...

Yes, summarise and give your own personal opinion.
Question
In your English class you have been doing a project on young people and their health
in your country. Your teacher has asked you to write your response to the following
statement taken from a recent newspaper article:
Research shows that young people today are not as healthy as they were twenty
years ago. Why is this and can we do anything about it?
Write your composition for your teacher (around 120-180 words).
Rosana Marinozzi
School: Britannia School, Argentina
Nowadays, young people are prone to be less healthier than they were twenty years ago and
also to suffer from a lot of illnesses. These problems are mainly caused by the busy way of
life we live {1}.
Twenty years ago, young people were healthier since, although they did not look after their
health conciously {2}, they did it by eating food without additives, because they lived
more quiet {3}, they spent much time in touch with nature as well as, despite not doing sports,
they did more phisycal {4} activities by working than young people do now{5}.
In contrast, nowadays a lot of people give more importance to their appearance
rather {***} {6} to their health. Added to this most of the time they eat fast food and also some
of them are not fond of practising{7} sports so, they lead a sedentary life. All of these
problems make them to be {8} unfit and unhealthy.
To conclude, young people today can{9} look after their health since there are a lot of medical
treatment for curing and preventing illnesses as wel, as there is more information available
than years ago. However, the responsabilities {10}, stress and the lack of time lead us to
leave aside the care of our health.

Feedback

This is a full answer to the question, Rosana. You have organised this composition well and
used some good connecting phrases (e.g. 'Added to this', 'To conclude', and so on) so it flows
really nicely.

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary and mostly accurate grammar. For the makeover,
I have concentrated on rewording slightly some of your phrases to make them sound more
natural. There are also a few spelling (typing?) mistakes so be careful to proofread your writing
in future in order not to leave a negative impression on the reader.
All in all, this is a good piece of work, however.

All the best for a positive FCE result!

Fiona Joseph
10.1.01
























Name: Ivan Zhivkov Zhekov
School: Foreign-Language School "Ivan Vazov" Plovdiv/Bulgaria
The English language is one of the most popular and used {1} languages in the
world.
Some people claim that studying English in your own country is better. They think
that when you are studying English in your own country {2} you will understand
the word definitions clearly. I think that they are wrong. If you want to know
English well you have to know the meaning of the word in {***} {3} English-
English translation.
In my opinion studying English abroad is a good opportunity, because you will be
in{***} {4} English environment. You won't be able to speak your native language
and will feel on you the real English influence. You will have the chance to learn
the way of speaking the English language{***} {5}.
In my view a disadvantage of studying English in your own country is that
sometimes there are English teachers, {6} who have been
graduated {7} "somewhere" and their English is awful. You will have to learn more
in your country, especially of your native language has nothing to do with the
English{8}.
To sum up, the most appropriate way to learn English is to study abroad in a
certain English-speaking country.

Feedback

This is a well-constructed essay with very good control of both vocabulary and
grammar. You write in a fluent style that is very pleasant to read. Be careful in the
exam to address ALL aspects of the question. Remember it is about the
advantages and disadvantages of learning English abroad to learning it at home -
so really there are four "bits" to this question, not just two! It's so important to
answer all parts of a question so that you don't lose marks unnecessarily in the
exam.

Best wishes
Fiona Joseph
24.4.01



















An essay (Formal)
In writing part 2, one task my be an essay in which you are asked to give your
opinion on a subject. The first thing you must do is decide if you should write an
opinion essay or an argumentative one. If you decide that the best thing to do is to
write an opinion essay, have a look at the following scheme/ layout.
An opinion essay

In an opinion essay you must give your opinion on a subject so, you must basically
say if you agree or disagree with the statement. This type of essay is ideal if you
feel very strongly about something and you have more than one reason for your
opinion.
Paragraph 1 / Introduction
Present the topic of discussion and express your opinion. You must imagine that
whoever reads your essay has no idea what the topic is. You must also show
clearly that youll be expressing one opinion, either in favour or against.
Paragraph 2
Explain your first reason for your opinion. Talk about possible consequences and
give examples or vice versa.
Paragraph 3
Explain your second reason and maybe a third one, but only if it is closely related.
Mention possible consequences and give examples, or vice versa.
Paragraph 4 / Conclusion
Summarise your reasons and / or talk about possible consequences if nothing is
done. You can also give a more personal opinion and even finish your essay with a
rhetorical question.
Useful language for an opinion essay
Introduction
-There are people who claim/ believe/ say/ think (that)...
-There is no doubt that...
-I feel...
-According to... /...new research,...
-It is believed... / said (that)...
-It is believed by experts / scientist (that)...
-It seems / appears that...
(Use the expressions above but introduce the topic in your own words. Do not use
the exact words in the question and say what your opinion is clearly. Although you
are expressing your opinion, some of the expressions above allow you to distance
yourself from the ideas).
Body
Paragraphs 2-3
State your first / main reason like this:
-I think that...
-Firstly/ first of all/ to start with...
-I think there are two aspects of... The first is...
Give an example/ examples
-For example: For instance/ -ing illustrates the way/ how...
Talk about consequences
As a result,
Therefore,
Consequently,
In this case,
The second aspect is...
Secondly,
Another reason why...
We should also consider the fact that...
Another matter/ aspect to consider...
Let us not forget...


Conclusion
Paragraph 3 or 4


In short,
In brief,
To conclude,
In conclusion,
Do we really want to make our children pay for our mistakes?