Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Useful phrase to describe chart movements (graphs/diagrams with multiple time indicators)
1
Describing the degree and speed of change
Describing ranking
2
Starting with the subject
as
quite as
just as common as
nearly as
almost as not as
more
much more popular
far more
Blue cars are substantially more
Women are considerably more
Adults are slightly more
fractionally more prevalent than
less
much less
far less
considerably less
fractionally less
The Format
3. Content paragraph consists of the analysis and synthesis. In other word, you are supposed to
write key features and not describe everything. Do not add your own opinion.
4. Conclusion is the summarization of the overview. Just paraphrase the second sentence of
introduction.
You can write the essay in three or four paragraphs. Since you are writing an essay based on facts,
you will be using present tenses. If the graphs or diagrams include time indicators, then you can use
past tense in the content.
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Sample
The pie charts below show the number of hours spent in a Malaysian university library by
undergraduates, postgraduates, and the total student population over the past year. Summarise the
information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
Write between 150 to 200 words.
The pie charts provide information on the time spent in a Malaysian university library by
undergraduates and postgraduates compared to all students over the past year. It is noticeable that
postgraduates spend a significant amount of time in the library when compared to the other students.
Overall, the time spend in the library by undergraduates and the total student population was
quite similar. The majority of undergraduates spend 1 to 7 hours in the library, which is similar to the
total student population, the figures were 63% and 50 % respectively. The minority of both groups
spend 15 hours and above in the library, at 9% and 15% respectively. Meanwhile, the majority of
postgraduates spend 15 hours and above in the library, which was slightly above half at 51%. While
the minority of postgraduates spend 1 to 7 hours in the library. This is the complete opposite when
compared to the total student population and undergraduates. The only similarity between the
undergraduates and postgraduates was that about one third of both groups spend 8 to 14 hours in the
library, the figures were 28% and 32% respectively.
In conclusion, there is a clear trend towards using the library more as students move towards
post-graduation.
(200 words)
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Practise 1
Year
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
Hours
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
School projects are an enjoyable way to gain valuable experience. Students who
complete projects acquire skills such as independent research, analytical thinking and
creative problem solving skills ....
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Practice 2
Study the charts below. Write about popular cars sold in Malaysia. Integrate the information given
below. You should write 150-200 words. You should write 150 to 200 words. You should spend 40
minutes in this section
Honda City
5%
Perodua Myvi
33%
Proton Saga
20%
Perodua Viva
27%
The price
The size
The brand
The design
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Practice 3
A survey was carried out by the Literary Society of your learning institution on the learners
performance in English Language. You need to write a report on the survey. Your report should
integrate all the information given below. You should write 150 to 200 words. You should spend 40
minutes for this section.
Number of
Learners' performance in English Language
students
90
80
70
60
A
50
B
40
C
30 Failures
20
10
0 Year
2009 2010 2011
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Practise 4
Study the information below. Write about the goals scored in the World Charity Championship.
Relate this information to the goals scored by Barcelona players in 2010. You should write 150 to 200
words. You should spend 40 minutes for this section.
30Number of goals
26
25
22 22
20
20
18
16 16
15 14
12
10
0
2008 2009 2010
Table 1: Goals scored by Barcelona Players in the World Charity Championship 2010
Messi 14
Xavi 2
David Villa 8
Iniesta 2
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Thesis statement
It is the most important sentence in the essay. It contains all the ideas in the essay. It is the strongest
clearest statement. It is the last sentence at the end of the introductory paragraph (1st paragraph).
It contains controlling ideas that control the content of the essay and guide the reader.
1. Thesis statement must be a complete sentence. It must not be too broad or too narrow.
a. The quality of soccer coach (not suitable, too broad)
b. Dedication is an important quality of soccer coach (not suitable. Too narrow)
c. An excellent soccer coach possess three important qualities (best)
Topic sentence
A sentence which expresses the general idea of a paragraph. It is broad enough to be developed by
providing specific details. When writing essay, it is encourage to write the topic sentence as the first
sentence in the body paragraph (2nd, 3rd and 4th paragraph). Look at the examples below:
The first quality of an excellent coach is dedication to the team (2nd paragraph)
Last but not least, an excellent coach must always have empathy (4th paragraph)
Supporting details
Supporting details are sentences that explain more about the topic sentence. It must be relevant. You
must have at least two to three supporting details in the body paragraph. It can be in the form of
elaboration, example, facts or statistic.
Topic sentence: One of the advantages of having roommate is less house chore.
Supporting detail 1: By having roommate, you can take turn to do house chore such as
sweeping, dusting and cleaning the toilet.
Supporting detail 2: It will be easier for you to manage the cleanliness of your home.
Supporting detail 3: Besides that, it will also save your time and allow you to do other
important things.
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Concluding sentence
It is the last sentence of your body paragraph. It helps to emphasize the main idea of the paragraph to
your reader. There is two ways to write concluding sentence:
a. Restatement of topic sentence state the topic sentence but using different sentence structure
Topic sentence: The first quality of an excellent coach is dedication to the team
Concluding sentence: Therefore, dedication to team is one of the most important qualities of
an excellent coach.
Supporting details:
By having roommate, you can take turn to do house chore such as sweeping, dusting and cleaning
the toilet. It will be easier for you to manage the cleanliness of your home. Besides that, it will
also save your time and allow you to do other important things
Concluding sentence: It is clear that having housemate give advantage in term of less house
chore as you can manage your home easier and save time.
The introduction should be designed to attract the readers attention and give the reader an idea of the
essays focus.
An intriguing statement
Sample 1:
Eat two chocolate bars and call me in the morning, says the psychiatrist to his
patient. Such advice sounds like a sugar fanatics dream, but recent studies have indeed
confirmed that chocolate positively affects depression and anxiety.
Sample 2:
Believe it or not there are nine teaspoons of sugar in every can of carbonated drink.
It is no wonder that many young people are becoming obese these days. This is indeed a
wake up call to those who have been drinking soft drinks regularly.
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An interesting statistics
Sample 1:
One of every seven women living in Smith County will be raped this year, according
to recent report prepared by the Count Rape Information and Counseling.
Sample 2:
A recent survey on teenagers who smoked revealed that 20% picked up smoking
before they were 13.
A question
Sample 1:
What have we done for poorer brothers and sisters in drought stricken lands? Where
are we when children have bloated tummies and adults die like flies? We live in a land of
plenty and yet how many of us actually bother about the welfare of others?
Sample 2:
Do you know that Malaysians throw away 1.2 million tonnes worth of newspapers
daily? For every 10 newspapers bought, only four are recovered for recycling.
A quotation
Give a man a fish and hell eat for a day. Teach him to fish and hell eat for a
lifetime. How true is it that when we keep on giving aid blindly, many will use it as a
crutch. Those who continue to receive aid do not make an effort to be independent.
Raj and his friends do not go home after school. They hang out daily at shopping
complexes after school. They are just the tip of the iceberg of the loafing syndrome.
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A description often used for emotional appeal
With one eye blackened, one arm in a cast, and third-degree burns on both her legs,
the pretty, curly hair two-year-old seeks corners of rooms, refuses to speak, and shakes
violently at the sound of loud noises. Little Aminah is not the victim of a war or a natural
disaster; rather she is the helpless victim of parents, one of the thousands of children who
suffer daily from Malaysias hidden crime, child abuse.
An analogy or contrast
The Romans kept geese on their Capitol Hill to cackle alarm in the event of attack
by night. Modern Americans, despite their technology, have hardly improved on that old
system of protection. According to the latest Safety Council report, almost any door with
standard locks can be opened easily with a common plastic credit card.
Dramatize
There is haze. There is hail. What do we Malaysians expect next? Maybe we can
even see snowstorms and tornadoes hitting our shores. Why is the weather going wild?
Mans carelessness. Indeed, the selfishness of human beings to ensure a balanced
environment has led to the recent change in climatic events.
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How to conclude an essay:
In conclusion, I strongly believe that the government should enforce severe penalties
on polluters. It is only through strict enforcement that people can be prevented from
polluting the environment. If we do not take care of the environment, the next generation
may not get the opportunity to live the kind of comfortable life that we now enjoy.
End by referring to your thesis statement and then summarize the main points.
In conclusion, whether sport is a pastime or an essential feature of mans existence, it is
a basic need that causes man to play games. It eases his tension and helps to release all his
energy and aggression. And perhaps the ball was invented because people thought it was
better to hit an object rather than a man or an animal!
Thesis statement:
Although most people in modern times consider sport to be a form of entertainment and a
diversion from hard work, sports actually arises from mans instinct to survive, to defend
himself against the enemies and to emerge the winner.
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End with a proverb.
For our country to succeed, we must all have one vision and mission. Remember,
united we stand, divided we fall.
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Differences between Persuasive and argumentative essay
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How to write refutation paragraph?
1. Start with opposing opinion (people who go against your idea). You must provide
reason for why they were against your idea.
2. Use counter arguments to show that your idea is a stronger one by proving that their
reason is wrong.
Example 1:
Thesis statement: Despite the benefit of having nuclear power plants, there are several
reasons why governments should ban further construction of nuclear power plants.
Refutation paragraph: (the one in italic and bold is the opposing opinion)
Some people might claim there is no real alternative to a new generation of nuclear
reactors. That is their reason for the government to continue building nuclear power plant.
However, combined heat and power units, which generate electricity, are already economical
for large houses or blocks of flats and smaller units will be on the market next year. Local
generation of electricity eliminates the enormous losses of wasted heat in electricity
generation by fossil fuels or nuclear reactors. Wind turbines and solar cells on the roof can
also provide home solutions and will become more economical as costs come down with
mass production.
Thesis statement: Some people believe that animal testing should not be allowed but animal
testing does have several benefits.
Refutation paragraph: (the one in italic and bold is the opposing opinion)
Many people argue that animal testing should not be allowed as it is cruel. In some cases,
this is true. However, it would be much more cruel to test new drugs on people or children,
or to let people die because there was not enough information about a drug. Furthermore,
legislation in most countries sets standards for animal treatment, and laboratories have
guidelines to prevent cruelty.
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Exercise
Government should
established a special
school for gifted
students
School students
should be allowed to
bring mobile phone
to school.
The children of
today should not be
given too much
freedom.
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Sample: Persuasive Essay
Reading is the best way for university students to improve their proficiency in English. Write an
essay to persuade the readers to agree with you. Your essay must not be less than 350 words.
The importance of English in our life cannot be denied anymore. The ability of using English
has become one of the requirements needed for fresh graduates in order for them to secure a job.
Therefore it is essential for university students to be proficient in English. I agree with the statement
that reading is the best way for university students to improve their proficiency in English because of
three reasons.
One of the reasons is the fact that reading helps university students to acquire the foundation
of English language which is the grammar. Grammar is the structure of the language. Reading allows
students to understand the way the words are used and how the sentence is put together. By
understanding all these, students are able to produce a complete, accurate sentence while writing or
speaking in English. Therefore, it is clear that reading is the best way to improve proficiency in
English.
Besides that, reading helps students to acquire a wide range of vocabulary. Having a wide
range of vocabulary is important as it ensures the clarity of meanings while speaking or writing in
English. Students will encounter all sorts of words through reading. Moreover, they are more
motivated to find out the meaning of the words in order to understand what they are reading. Hence,
reading is the best way to improve university students proficiency in English because they can learn
new words that widen their vocabulary.
The last reason is reading provide students with general knowledge. Reading is the best way
for students to gain general knowledge as books contain a lot of information. Having general
knowledge enables students to share their opinion in conversation or writing. It also increases their
self-confidence in using English language because they know that they have the knowledge for those
topics. Thus, it is clear that reading is the best way to improve proficiency in English as it helps them
to acquire general knowledge that boost their self-esteem and enable them to contribute their point of
view in speaking or writing form.
In a nutshell, reading is the best way for university students to improve their proficiency in
English as it helps them to understand the rule of the language, obtain a wide range of vocabulary as
well as equipping them with general knowledge. Therefore, students should do more reading in order
to master the English language.
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Sample- Argumentative Essay
Reading is the best way for university students to improve their proficiency in English. Do you agree
with this statement? Write your opinion in not less than 350 words.
Why is it important for fresh graduates to have good proficiency in English? The main reason
is obvious, English is one of the essential skills that they need in order to get a job. Therefore
university students need to be proficient in English language. Many people stated that reading is the
best way to improve university students proficiency in English language. Despite what other people
said, I believe that reading is not the best way to improve their proficiency in English language.
Most people believed that reading is the best way because it helps them to learn new words.
Although this may contain some truth but reading does not help students to improve their English
proficiency especially in speaking. Reading only helps university students to learn the spelling and
the meaning of the words. They did not learn how to pronounce the words which is important in
speaking. Without knowing the pronunciations, they cannot be proficient in speaking English.
Besides that, other people claimed that reading is the best way because it is the most effective
way for them to learn the grammar or the structure of English. Actually, there are other ways for
students to learn it. For example watching English movie or listening to English songs. Moreover,
reading is only effective for visual learners. Students who learned best through audio or kinesthetic
are usually unable to pay attention during reading activities, thus unable to improve their proficiency
in English.
Additionally, some people stated that reading is the best way because it enhances their self-
esteem to use English since they know the vocabulary and grammar. However, you have to keep in
mind that reading is an individual activity. It is usually done alone and they have never practice using
the language with other people in real life situation. Without any practice or experience in speaking
the language, how can they become confidence to use the language? Confidence can only come when
you have the actual experience.
In conclusion, reading is not the only way for university students to improve their
proficiency in English language because of the reasons as stated in my previous writing. Students can
actually use other ways to improve their proficiency in English, depending on what types of learners
they are.
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Instruction: Look at the three samples below. Detect the mistakes and edit the essays.
Questions: Graduates are finding it difficult to get jobs because they lack good communication and
interpersonal skills. Do you agree with this statement? Write an essay not less than 350 words to state
your opinion.
Sample 1
Communication and interpersonal skills are very important thing for every people. Most
university graduates think that they can live without that thing. They only think that their examination
result that their get more important. So, they ignore about their lack good in communication and
interpersonal skills. But in my opinion, university graduates are finding it difficult to get jobs because
they lack good communication and interpersonal skills.
All university graduates want to get jobs because they want their own salaries. So good
communication and interpersonal skills are important to get the jobs. This is because we want to work
we must got to interviews. During this session, we must answer a few question and talk about our
background although it already have in our resume. If we have no good communication and
interpersonal skills, we have no confident to answer the interviews. That was our extra skill compare
to another candidate in the interviews session.
Second, when we already had the job, we should talk or communication with client. So, we
must have a magic skills to make our client believe and attract to us. They may think that we are
interesting person and easy to communicate with besides have good confident level. With
interpersonal skill, we can make our client understand the meaning that the word we exactly mean.
They must be comfort with us.
Besides that, we used that skill to communicate with our friends when work to finish our
work at company. If we have good communication and interpersonal skills we may have many good
friends. When we being a new workers, we must ask to old work there to make us understand what
our company want. The people around us must be comfort with us if we have good communication
and interpersonal skills.
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Sample 2
What would most university students do when they graduate? Get a good job obviously. So
how does one university graduate have a good job? Some believe that it is the result of examinations
in the university that is important. Some says that it is the skill of one person that matters. There are
opinion that says it is difficult for a university graduate to have a job if he lacks good communication
and interpersonal skills. On the other hand, there are opinions that says the employer will only look at
the grades of students. In my opinion, it is difficult for university graduates to get jobs if they lack good
communication and interpersonal skills.
When one have good interpersonal skill, he will be more open-minded. This is usually what
employer look for in a worker. If a person is narrow-minded, how can he cope with others if they have
a different perspective than him? When a university graduate is open-minded, he can easily accept
others opinion and produce better decision. For example, if a company is assigning a project to a
worker, he needs to be able to think big to finish the project perfectly. Therefore, having a good
interpersonal skill will develop an open mind and thus making university graduates have a higher
chance to get a job.
Any job will eventually have an assignment which will involve working as a group. So
university graduates need to be able to work in a group perfectly to get the job done. To work in a
group, one with good communication and interpersonal skills will fit in. He needs to be able to talk
with each other confidently and take their opinion into his account. When the communication in the
group goes smoothly, the assignment can be finish. So communication and interpersonal skills is
important for university graduates to be in a career.
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Sample 3
Today in this technological world, many university graduates are finding it difficult to get
jobs because they lack good communication and interpersonal skills. This is true because now many
company have a relation with anothe country. They must to use a English langues to communication
each other. I agree with this statement because where we dont have good communication and
interpersonal skills it is hard to do anyone job. That is my opinion to increase the communication and
interpersonal skill.
Firstly, when in class lecture should give the student change to do presentation. It can make
the student increase their communication and interpersonal skills. It because when student give
change by lecture they can feel confidence when in front of class. They can talk without shame.
Furthermore, English langues is important in the world. That case should give first important.
English langues can be increase when lecture speak normally in class use English langues. It can the
student learn English litter by litter. If the student not understand the word, lecture dont translate the
word but commant the student to find in dicinary. When student can control English langues so easy
to get job.
Moreover to increase interpersonal skills, they have to help from friend or roommate. If we
have one roommate is quietly in room, we have to trial to speak to him. When he saw him quiet, we
do not bully him because that can be troma for him. We should to talking with him, carry about him
that can make his feel not left out another people. That can transfer him from quietly to can friendship
another people.
However, job now need a people when have good communication skill. Where anywhere we
go, communication important for all. People who dont have good communication always in back and
not have develop.
Lastly, communication and interpersonal skills very important for us from child to old. When
we learn in university, we learn with hard and not playing. When we lack good communication, we
should learn from another people can help us about that. We should trial to increase communication
and interpersonal skills because easy to find job one day.
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