FOUR EXAM ESSAY TYPES

Opinion essay (4/5 paragraphs) For-and-against essay (4 paragraphs)

1. Introduction (introduce the topic & give your clear personal 1. Introduction (introduce the topic without
opinion) giving your personal opinion and say that
2. First argument (Firstly, ...) there are both sides of the issue) There are
3. Second argument (Secondly, ...) both advantages and disadvantages of ...
4. Opposing viewpoint (On the other hand, some people state 2. Arguments for (2/3)
that...) 3. Arguments against (2/3)
5. Conclusion (summarize the essay and restate your personal 4. Conclusion (summarize the essay & give
opinion, To summarize, ...) your personal opinion. To sum up, ... In my
opinion, the advantages of ... outweigh the
disadvantages.

Cause-effect essay (4/5 paragraphs) Essay providing solutions to a problem

(5 paragraphs)
VARIANT 1 – chain structure 1. Introduction (State the problem)
1. Introduction (describe the event or situation, write some 2. First suggestion, supporting details &
general information about the topic to set the context of your expected results (Firstly/For example/As a
essay and present causes and effects including your thesis result)
statement. E.g. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the 3. Second suggestion, supporting details &
main causes/reasons and effects of global warming OR the expected results (Secondly/For
main / 2 main causes of… ONLY OR the main / 2 main effects instance/Thus)
of… ONLY. 4. Third suggestion, supporting details &
2. Cause 1 / effect 1 expected results (Thirdly/In
3. Cause 2 / effect 2 particular/Consequently)
4. Conclusion (Restate your thesis statement and summarize the 5. Conclusion (Summarize your opinion) To
main points of your essay presenting your personal opinion. sum up, I believe that implementing these
E.g. In conclusion, it is obvious that ...... does / do affect (young measures can greatly improve the
people‘s lifestyle and decisions). The outcomes largely depend
matters/I believe that the suggestions
on.... . I am (more than) sure that .... .
provided above will/could help to solve the
VARIANT 2 – block structure problem of ... in the future.

1. Introduction (describe the event or situation, write some general

information about the topic to set the context of your essay and
present causes and effects including your thesis statement.
E.g. In conclusion, it is obvious that ...... does / do affect (young
people‘s lifestyle and decisions). The outcomes largely depend on.... .
I am (more than) sure that .... .

2. Cause 1 / cause 2
3. Effect 1 / effect 2

4. Conclusion (restate your thesis statement and summarize the

main points of your essay presenting your personal opinion. ;
E.g. This essay has examined the main causes and effects of…
Transitional words and expressions for cause-effect essays:

Examples of thesis statement for a cause-effect essay (the last sentence of the introduction):

The purpose of this essay is to discuss the main causes of .... which are, and the effects of ... which are...

To introduce causes: because of, due to, it is affected by, it is caused by, it leads to, one reason for, the main
reason why, one of the most important reasons why, one cause is, the most important cause is, for this
reason, etc.

To introduce effects: theorefore, thus, as a result, it results in, as a consequence, for this reason,
consequently, in consequence, in so doing, one of the most important/immediate/direct effects of

The Main Features of Formal Writing Style

o Complex – Longer sentences are likely to be more prevalent in formal writing. You need to be as
thorough as possible with your approach to each topic when you are using a formal style. Each main
point needs to be introduced, elaborated and concluded.

o Objective – State main points confidently and offer full support arguments. A formal writing style
shows a limited range of emotions and avoids emotive punctuation such as exclamation points, ellipsis,
etc., unless they are being cited from another source.

o Full Words – No contractions should be used to simplify words (in other words use "It is" rather than
"It's").  Abbreviations must be spelt out in full when first used, the only exceptions being when the
acronym is better known than the full name (BBC, ITV or NATO for example).

o Third Person – Formal writing is not a personal writing style.  The formal writer is disconnected from
the topic and does not use the first-person point of view (I or we) or second person (you).
 Sample for-and-against essay (4 paragraphs)

Topic: Many Examinations Are Now Computer Based. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Due to an unexpected stroke of the pandemic, at the moment many examinations have become computer
based. Some students find it difficult to concentrate on the online examinations, while others are in favour of
writing them on the Internet. It goes without saying that both advantages and disadvantages of the
situation can be discerned.

Beginning with the merits, it is obvious that writing a test on a computer would benefit most those students,
whose script is considered illegible by the teachers. What is more, it facilitates the entire process of writing
essays as well as one can effortlessly delete a mistake or insert a word into the sentence without distorting the
overall outlook of the text. Most importantly, writing computer-based examinations hones one’s
conscientiousness since one faces a considerate number of temptations to search for the answers on the
internet. Hence, it is fair to say that a determination to write examinations honestly under such circumstances
is not only challenging but helps in nurturing commendable personality traits.

On the other hand, blind reliance on students’ scrupulosity from teachers or sympathetic indulgence may
have a detrimental impact when it comes to testing students’ knowledge. To be more precise, over a period of
time it has become almost impossible to track cheaters. For instance, students are able to secretly find the
answers on the internet and share them with each other. Speaking of writing an examination from home,
students are still capable of using learning material such as books or cribs even though they are asked to turn
their cameras on. Another drawback is related to technical issues and internet connection. To illustrate, if a
student unexpectedly loses his access to the internet while sitting a computer-based exam, it will immediately
result in a fail. Therefore, writing computer-based exams cannot reflect real knowledge or ensure equal
writing conditions.

All things considered, computer-based examinations have both utility and drawbacks to some extent. Having
weighed up all the advantages and disadvantages, I believe that such exams will never supersede traditional
ones as it would be unfair among diligent students. On the flip side, it is an extraordinary way to test one’s
capability of writing honestly without outside assistance.
 Sample opinion essay (4/5 paragraphs)

Topic: Space Exploration Is Much Too Expensive, and the Money Should Be Spent on More Important
Things. What is your opinion?

There is an argument that exploring space is a waste of money and that there are more urgent needs to be
addressed on earth, such as reducing poverty and preventing environmental destruction. However, I
completely disagree with this opinion for two reasons.
First of all, many of the technologies people take for granted today were originated thanks to space research.
Take satellite technology, for example, which people depend on for broadcasting and weather forecasting.
Without satellites, individuals would not be able to follow global events as they happen, nor give populations
any warning of approaching storms. Space research has also led to the development of new lightweight
materials that offer us heat protection and enable food preservation. Therefore, the challenge of sending
human beings into space has often driven the development of new technologies that benefit people’s everyday
lives.
Second, we cannot foresee the distant future, so we ought to develop the capability to escape from the earth.
Gradually, we are learning how humans can survive for long periods in space and even travel to other planets
in the future. If space exploration is halted, this valuable knowledge will never be acquired. It is true that
environmental destruction is also a serious issue, but it is also true that people remain dependent on their
environment if they never accept the challenge of exploring other worlds.
In conclusion, while people undoubtedly face serious problems on their own planet, it is imperative that they
continue to explore space. I believe that this can promote further technological advances as well as provide a
possible means of escape should earth become uninhabitable in future. Ideally, all nations should cooperate in
the advancement of space research.
Sample providing solutions to a problem essay
 SAMPLE CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY (BLOCK STRUCTURE)

Essay topic:
More and more women are now going out to work and some women are now the major salary earner in
the family. What are the causes of this, and what effect is this having on families and society?

In the past, most women stayed at home to take care of domestic chores such as cooking or cleaning. Women's
liberation and feminism have meant that this situation has been transformed and in contemporary society
women are playing an almost equal role to men in terms of work. This has had significant consequences, both
in terms of the family, for example by improving quality of life and increasing children's sense of
independence, and for society itself with greater gender equality.

The main reasons behind the increase of women in the workplace are women's liberation and feminism. The
women's liberation movement originated in the 1960s and was popularised by authors such as Simone de
Beauvoir. As a consequence of this, new legislation emerged, granting women equal rights to men in many
fields, in particular employment. Because of feminist ideas, men have taken up roles which were previously
seen as being for women only, most importantly those related to child rearing. As a result of this, women have
more time to pursue their own careers and interests.

These have led to some significant effects, both to family life and to society as a whole.

Although the earning capacity of a woman in her lifetime is generally much less than that of a man, she can
nevertheless make a significant contribution to the family income. The most important consequence of this is
an improved quality of life. By helping to maintain a steady income for the family, the pressure on the husband
is considerably reduced, hence improving both the husband's and the wife's emotional wellbeing. Additionally,
the purchasing power of the family will also be raised. This means that the family can afford more luxuries
such as foreign travel and a family car.

A further effect on the family is the promotion of independence in the children. Some might argue that having
both parents working might be damaging to the children because of a lack of parental attention. However, such
children have to learn to look after themselves at an earlier age, and their parents often rely on them to help
with the housework. This therefore teaches them important life skills.

As regards society, the most significant impact of women going to work is greater gender equality. There are
an increasing number of women who are becoming politicians, lawyers, and even CEOs and company
managers. This in turn has led to greater equality for women in all areas of life, not just employment. For
example, women today have much stronger legal rights to protect themselves against domestic violence and
sexual discrimination in the workplace.

In conclusion, the increasing number of women at work has brought about some important changes to family
life, including improved quality of life and increased independence for children, as well as affecting society
itself. It is clear that the sexes are still a long way from being equal in all areas of life, however, and perhaps
the challenge for the present century is to ensure that this takes place.
Vocabulary for writing essays
Formal vs. less formal