DSE writing / First Trainer 2_2018

Essay

Has the internet changed our lives?

Whereas the internet has dramatically changed our lives, it seems to me that this hasn’t always
been for the better.

Young people love using technology, whereas older people are not so keen on it. It could be argued
that young people use it too much.

On the one hand, the internet hasn’t always had a positive influence on society. For example, people
chat online rather than meet face to face. Additionally, it encourages cyber bullying.

People aren’t always brought closer together by social media despite what companies like Twitter
claim. In my opinion the opposite can happen and they become lonelier.

In my view it’s useful to have easy access to the internet because you can save time and money. On
the other hand, you can waste time and buy things you don’t need. In conclusion, I will continue to
use the internet regularly, but I will be more aware of the problems it can cause.

Describing a place
positive it depends negative
sunny remote freezing cold
lively mild crowded
bright lights polluted
peaceful stormy
popular
picturesque
modern
stunning
superb
within walking distance

Living by the sea

Many people dream of living in their favourite place, and for some that place would definitely be by
the sea.

Living by the sea certainly has a lot to offer. For instance, … What’s more, …
On the other hand, … In addition, …

Personally, although I would enjoy living near the beach in summertime, I would also miss
everything that the city has to offer, so for me, it might not be the nicest place to live. All in all, I
would say I’d prefer to live somewhere else.

Be out in the fresh air = spend time outdoors

In my view, people spend too much time looking at a screen rather than interacting with others.
 Article

Geography is cool!
• Believe it or not, the lessons I always used to hate/love/enjoy at school were geography – but
now they’re my favourite!
• I’ve no idea how (what/who)
• All I can say is that
• I’m not saying
• What makes (the lessons) enjoyable is (that)
• It’s airy/spacious there, and (the bright colours on the walls) always make me feel cheerful and
ready to concentrate.
• The only thing I don’t enjoy so much is that… However, I really feel I’ll be able to use what I’m
learning in a future job.
• How about you? What are your favourite lessons?

Strong adjectives
angry furious
big enormous
hot boiling
interested fascinated
good fantastic
frightened terrified
cold freezing
small tiny
happy delighted
bad awful

The Home of the Future

Everybody has seen science fiction like this: the robot is… Have you wondered about living in the
house of the future? Read on.

Will robots take over? The answer is probably yes.

Personally, however, I don’t think there will be a lot of change.

Involving the reader

Have you thought about…?
Are you one of the those people who…?
Go online and find out about…
Just imagine…
How would you feel if…?

Adding interest
I was absolutely terrified when I…
Unsurprisingly I ended up…

Developing your points

On top of that, …

Making suggestions
Give it a try!
It was the most amazing experience I have ever had.
Take my advice and…
 Email
Responding positively
It’s great that you’re coming to visit me on Saturday.
Thanks very much for offering to… That’s really kind of you.
I was very pleased to hear about...
I'd love to – thanks.
I think it’s a great idea.
I'm really looking forward to…-ing
I'm very glad that...
It's going to be very exciting!
Congratulations! That's absolutely...

Agreeing
You’re absolutely right about that.
They’re being quite strict, aren’t they?
It sounds like a great party, doesn’t it?

Suggesting
Why don’t we go to the local museum? It’d be cool!
Would it be a good idea to…?
How about…?
Let's…, shall we?
I think we should…
If I were you, I’d tell them…
Why don’t you ask your parents to pick you up?
I would recommend that you think about this carefully.

Expressing preferences
I think I’d prefer to go on a harbour trip, as…
Swimming’s much more exciting than cycling, I think.
I'd rather… than…
I'd prefer to… rather than…
I think it’d be better to…
I'd enjoy… more than…

Refusing
I’m afraid I can’t do that.
I'm really sorry, but I can’t...
Explaining
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to…
I'm afraid it won’t be possible for me to…
Unfortunately I can’t do that because I’ll be away.

Persuading
Please change your mind and come – you’d love it!

Friendly phrases
Great to hear from you!
It was really nice to hear from you.
I hope you’re OK.
Many thanks for your nice letter.
Thanks for your letter. It was lovely to hear from you again.

Take care and write soon.

Drop me another line if you have time.
I hope what I’ve written will help.
Anyway, hope the project goes well.
Let me know all your news. / Hope to hear all your news soon.
I’d love to hear from you again soon.
All the best for now.
I’m looking forward to seeing you/hearing from you.

Informal writing expressions Formal

I couldn’t believe it! I could not believe it.
I want to tell you… I would like to put forward…
I’m writing about… I am writing in response to…
Can you tell me about…?
to think about… to consider…
Hi David! Dear Mr Simpson
Please try to… It would be advisable to…
It’s a good idea

Hi Jo,
Thanks very much for offering to… That’s really kind of you.
I think I’d prefer to go on a harbour trip, as…
Could you tell me what I should wear for the trip?
Could you write back and let me know?
See you on Saturday!
Sarah

Dear Mr Jones/Miss Smith

Yours sincerely
 Report
*** Paragraph headings

Reasons for recommending the films

popular entertaining breathtaking educational impressive
sophisticated original memorable exciting informative
keep you on the edge of your seat

In my view, …
by far the best evening would be Thursday because…
most people would find Thursday the most suitable evening because…

How to tell students about the club

school magazine teacher’s announcement
social networking websites school website
texting students school noticeboard

School film club

The school has suggested that we should start a film club. The purpose of this report is to suggest
some ideas.

From conservations with other students, the most popular films seem to be comedies.
The majority of students use social networking websites to keep in touch with each other, so that
would be the most effective way of telling people about the club.

Introduction
The aim/purpose of this report is to…
This report looks at…

Description and findings

It has been found that…
It would seem/appear that…
It is said to be…
According to…,
It was reported that…

Recommendations and suggestions

I propose that
It might be advisable to
X would not be suitable because
I believe we should…
I would suggest…
I would recommend…
Taking all the factors mentioned into account, …

Conclusions
To sum up,
In conclusion, …
Finally,
On the whole
I strongly recommend…
All things considered…
 Review
computer game film book restaurant
the special effects the story the level of difficulty the menu
the graphics the ending the cover the prices
the music the staff
the actors the cost
the most suitable age group the food
the service
the location

Expressing opinions
I found/felt that…
I have used it for…
In my opinion, …
One thing to consider is…
What's more
Besides that

I was extremely impressed by…

I’m really delighted by…
One of its positive features is…
The big advantage of using it is…

On the downside…
On the other hand
However
I felt let down by…
I was disappointed by…
Unfortunately, one of the minuses is…

Recommending
In my opinion/view, it’s...
I'd really recommend it/-ing...
Personally, I think it’s…
You/Everyone should definitely try it/to see it/to go there.
Overall, I wouldn’t really recommend it.
It was definitely the best restaurant I’ve ever been to.
I've never seen such a scary film in my life!
Describing words
challenging stunning
predictable outstanding
terrifying complex*
dull thrilling
violent striking
scary entertaining
outrageous superb
confusing memorable
dreadful moving
horrible fascinating
weird impressive
a wide/extensive/good range of (dishes/equipment)

Skateboard park
If like me you’re a skateboarding fanatic, you’d love the new park that’s just been built in our town.
And we weren’t disappointed – it’s absolutely brilliant!

First of all, the park is not far from the bus station, so it’s really accessible…
What’s more, the jumps are built to suit all levels… with one really challenging high drop that looks
terrifying!
The park’s already popular with skaters and riders in the area, which means everyone swaps ideas
and tips.

However, there is a down side, which is that there are no refreshments available nearly, so…

All in all, I’d really recommend it to other people who love skating and riding BMXs. It was definitely
the best park I’ve ever been to.

The Zebedee
The restaurant is very modern, with large windows and nice wooden furniture throughout.
The menu had an extensive range of dishes.
I was impressed that it was reasonably priced, too, with no dish more than $100.
On the downside, I felt that the service and food was awful.
Overall, I wouldn’t really recommend it. It’s a shame, as the atmosphere is fabulous, as well as its
location. It’s really not worth going!