METU/SFL Spring 2023

DBE
WHO2
Advantage/Disadvantage
INTERMEDIATE GROUP
(Student’s Copy)
When we write about advantages and disadvantages, our aim is to persuade or inform someone about a
topic or to make a decision by analyzing the positive and negative aspects of something. Therefore, we
critically assess the concept, action, or event, and make decisions or recommendations based on this
assessment.

TASK 1.
Step 1. Work with a partner. Discuss the possible advantages and disadvantages of living in a dormitory
on campus. Write your ideas below.

Advantages of living in a dormitory on campus Disadvantages of living in a dormitory on campus

- -
- -
- -
- -

Step 2. Now, read Text A and Text B. Which of the ideas you have discussed in Step 1 are mentioned in
the texts?

Step 3. Fill in the chart below.

Text A Text B
- What is the topic of
each paragraph?
- What is the controlling
idea?
- What are the 1. 1.
supporting ideas? 2. 2.
- How does the writer
end each paragraph?

Text A.
“Should university students live on campus?”

Living in a dormitory on the university campus offers two main advantages to students. First of all,
dormitory life is affordable. Once students have paid the accommodation fee at the beginning of the
term, they don't have to be concerned about making any other big payments. They will only have their
daily and school expenses. Moreover, students do not have to pay a lot for transportation to the
departments. They can walk or cycle to their departments. As a result, they don't waste time or money on
getting around the campus as they do not pay for the ring service. Another positive aspect of choosing to
live in a dormitory on campus is that it can ease the transition to university life. Living on campus means
students will be more involved with the campus community and have more opportunities to join clubs,

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attend campus events, meet new people, and develop friendships. That is, students who live on campus
often enjoy a greater sense of community than commuters as living close to school facilities can make it
easier to connect with classmates through campus activities and events. In brief, living in a dormitory on
campus would definitely be a wise decision to make for university students due to the benefits it offers.

Text B.
Discuss some disadvantages of living in a dormitory on campus.
Living in a dormitory on campus comes with potential drawbacks to consider before reserving a room.
To begin with, living in a small space is one of the limitations of dorm life as dormitory rooms on
campuses aren't known for their spacious accommodations. Students will likely spend the school year
living in one room with basic furniture and a closet, which means that they won't get to bring along all
of their belongings because there simply won't be room. Secondly, life in a dormitory on campus is
often noisy and active, which can be very distracting. Neighbors, friends, and visitors come and go
throughout the day. The social aspect means you won't feel lonely, but it brings along distractions.
Students won't have much luck studying if friends stop by every few minutes. Loud music coming from
next door neighbors may be a distraction as well. All the activity around can also be very tempting.
Students know they should study, but the game night across the hall sounds more exciting. All in all,
although living in a dormitory on campus seems attractive due to the advantages it may provide, in my
opinion, it is definitely not the right choice for students who can’t tolerate small spaces and constant
distractions.

An advantage/disadvantage paragraph generally follows the following pattern:

ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES

Topic Sentence

Main Supporting Idea 1: (Advantage/Disadvantage 1)

- Supporting Ideas / Details / Examples / Explanations, etc.
Main Supporting Idea 2 (Advantage/Disadvantage 2)
- Supporting Ideas / Details / Examples / Explanations, etc.

Conclusion

NOTE: While writing your texts, you should avoid repeating the same phrases. You can achieve this by
using a variety of expressions in your writing.

TASK 2. Which words/phrases in the box below are alternative ways of referring to advantages and
disadvantages?

a drawback (of) the downside (of) a good point a limitation

a benefit (of) a negative aspect (of) a positive aspect (of)

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
a benefit (of) a drawback (of)
a good point (about) a limitation (of)
a positive aspect (of) a downside (of)
a negative aspect (of)

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 WRITING TASK
Video games have become widespread among children as a favorite pass-time activity in recent years.

Discuss the advantages OR drawbacks of playing video games for children.

In about 180 words, write a paragraph explaining the advantages OR the disadvantages of playing video
games for children:

In your paragraph, make sure:

 you have a topic sentence, supporting sentences that give additional details, and a concluding sentence
 all your ideas are relevant to the topic,
 you use linkers and transition words where necessary (and, or, so, but, because, moreover, etc.),
 you pay attention to the content, the organization, the vocabulary, and the accuracy of the language.
STEP 1:
Brainstorm ideas:

Possible major ideas for advantages: Possible major ideas for disadvantages:

STEP 2:
You can use this space for planning. You can use the ideas in step 1 or your own ideas.

Step 3
Write your text here:
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SELF-EDITING:

* After you write your text, check your paper yourself using the self-checklist below. Put a tick () in the
relevant box.

In order to self-edit your writing, the guidelines will help you. Tick the relevant box.

 The writing answers the question. □

 The writing has a clear topic sentence. □

 All the ideas are relevant to the topic. □

 The language doesn’t contain any errors (run-on sentence, □

fragment, subject-verb disagreement, etc.).

 All the sentences have a subject and a verb. □

 Submit it to your instructor on ODTÜClass.

 Instructor Feedback: Your instructor will check your work and give you feedback.
 Make necessary corrections. Rewrite and submit your final draft to your instructor ODTÜClass.