Chapter 5 A Complete Essay

So far, you have learned how to write each component of an essay. In the Writing Tasks and MMT Exam,
you only had to write parts of an essay. From now on, you will be responsible for writing a complete essay.

The essay must consist of an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. If we put the
paragraphs in order of length, we can see that the conclusion is the shortest, then comes the introductory
paragraph and finally the longest are the body paragraphs. Your essay must have minimum 250 words.

Now, before you start practicing, you can analyze the Essay Grading Criteria with your instructor.

(Please explain the items found on Essay Grading Criteria. The document can be found inside Common Files
folder and be shared with students on screen, please do NOT send the file)

Then, you can analyze the essay samples below.

EXERCISE 1:

Let’s analyze the sample essay below.

Essay prompt: ‘What kind of problems does overpopulation in Istanbul lead to?’
Living in Istanbul: Heaven or Hell?

Istanbul is the most important city in Turkey not only because of its geographical location and its beauty
but also the job opportunities it provides. Due to these factors, millions of people have been migrating to
Istanbul. As a transcontinental city, which means it is located in both continents, Asia and Europe, it is the
center of the country's history, economy and culture. Today, the population of Istanbul has already
exceeded 15 million. Such crowds naturally lead to problems such as traffic jams and pollution. (85 words)

One negative effect of overcrowding in Istanbul is severe traffic jams. Firstly, people spend a lot of time
on the road, which makes it very hard to live in this metropolitan city. For example, anyone who lives in
Maltepe and works in Levent has to set off at six o’clock in the morning to go to work. When you spend a
lot of time on the road, you cannot focus on your work or family life properly. Therefore, you are either
late to work or miss important family events. Secondly, people can be aggressive in traffic jams. For
instance, taxi drivers suffer from psychological distress as they are always stuck in traffic, which results in
“road rage”. The term road rage refers to violent behavior by a driver of an automobile, which causes
accidents or incidents on roadways. Common manifestations of road rage include sudden acceleration,
braking, close tailgating, sounding the vehicle’s horn or flashing lights excessively. In brief, living in Istanbul
is very challenging because people can become aggressive and violent due to wasting a lot of time in
traffic. (182 words)

Pollution is another effect of overpopulation in Istanbul. Firstly, air pollution is one of the factors that
make it very difficult to breathe fresh air in Istanbul. Air pollution comes first among the types of pollution
in Istanbul. The reason why air pollution is at dangerous levels is that there are thousands of factories and
millions of cars without exhaust filters. Factories emit a high amount of carbon dioxide and other
hazardous pollutants, which contaminate the air of Istanbul. Unfortunately, air pollution, often caused by
transport and the use of small-scale burning of wood or coal, is linked to a range of health problems such
as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and asthma. Secondly, water pollution also affects the quality of life
in Istanbul negatively. Chemical wastes from chemical plants and industries cause water pollution;
therefore, it is impossible to have uncontaminated water in homes. Thus, water is becoming scarce due
to the growing demands from millions of people living in Istanbul, and pollution threatens water
availability for agriculture, household and industry. As a result, you cannot have a healthy life due to air
and water pollution. (185 words)

All in all, overpopulation in Istanbul results in unavoidable traffic jams and contamination at threatening
levels. If we cannot take measures against the rapid rise of Istanbul’s population, Istanbul will eventually
become a city impossible to live in. (38 words)
(Word Count: about 500 words)
Now, let’s analyze the same essay by putting a tick or cross in the evaluation checklist.

INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH √ or x
1. Is narrowing down successful?
2. Is there a thesis statement?
3. Is the thesis statement made up of only ONE sentence?
4. Does the thesis statement include essay topic and paragraph topics?
BODY PARAGRAPH 1
1. Does body 1 have a topic sentence?
2. Does body 1 topic include a transitional signal, essay topic and paragraph topic?
3. Does body 1 include TWO supporting ideas?
4. Are supporting ideas explained and exemplified well?
5. Does body 1 have a conclusion sentence?
6. Does the conclusion sentence repeat the topic sentence with different wording
and grammar?
BODY PARAGRAPH 2
1. Does body 2 have a topic sentence?
2. Does body 2 topic include a transitional signal, essay topic and paragraph topic?
3. Does body 2 include TWO supporting ideas?
4. Are supporting ideas explained and exemplified well?
5. Does body 2 have a conclusion sentence?
6. Does the conclusion sentence repeat the topic sentence with different wording
and grammar?
CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH
1. Does the first sentence of conclusion paragraph repeat the thesis statement
with different wording and grammar?
2. Does the first sentence of conclusion paragraph include a transitional signal,
essay topic and paragraph topics?
3. Does the conclusion paragraph summarize the main points of body paragraphs?
4. Is there a sentence which sumps up the writer’s opinion?
 EXERCISE 2:

Let’s analyze the sample essay below.

Wars: Lost Generations and Lands

Aeschylus said: “In war, truth is the first casualty.” Wars have been a part of the human experience since
the beginning of recorded time. As many studies reveal, wars are so terrible that they include almost all
crimes man can ever think of, and lead to great human suffering. Wars have vital consequences for
mankind because of the damage to the environment and to civilians.

One reason why wars are harmful to mankind is because one common tactic of war is to damage the
environment. Firstly, cities are devastated. To destroy important buildings that enable people to survive
is a strategy in war. For example, during World War II, destruction of dams caused flooding and many
farms and fields were destroyed. Vast food shortages, hunger and malnutrition affected the majority of
population, causing thousands to die from starvation. Moreover, the use of toxic chemicals in wars
destroys the environment. The consequences of many croplands sprayed with pesticides lead to infertile
soil and crop failure. To illustrate, as a result of several wars in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America,
many landmines are still active. When landmines explode, they destroy plant life, and damage the
ecosystem. In short, destruction of the environment is an inevitable consequence of wars.

Damage to civilians is another reason why wars have severe negative effects on mankind. To start with,
the bombardment of civilian settlements is a war tactic used to destroy cities where a large number of
people live. Since World War II, bombing cities has become increasingly widespread, and hundreds of
thousands of people have died as a result. Therefore, the death of many innocent people in wars is evidence
that wars are ruthless and irrational. Secondly, children also become victim of wars. Hundreds of thousands
of youths die in wars each year. Some children suffer a wide range of war injuries and millions of children
become disabled. As children are exposed the horror of war, many go through post-traumatic stress
disorder, leaving an enduring impact on their future. To conclude, innocent victims of wars prove that wars
are more harmful than one imagines.

In brief, the destruction of environment and loss of many civilians are the reasons why wars have damaging
results for humanity. In my opinion, wars affect almost every aspect of society and they can change the way
we think about others or the rights of others. Instead of building peaceful societies, wars lead people to
have prejudices or cause injustices in the long run.

(Word Count: about 400 words)

Now, let’s analyze the same essay by putting a tick or cross in the evaluation checklist.

INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH √ or x
1. Is narrowing down successful?
2. Is there a thesis statement?
3. Is the thesis statement made up of only ONE sentence?
4. Does the thesis statement include essay topic and paragraph topics?
BODY PARAGRAPH 1
1. Does body 1 have a topic sentence?
2. Does body 1 topic include a transitional signal, essay topic and paragraph topic?
3. Does body 1 include TWO supporting ideas?
4. Are supporting ideas explained and exemplified well?
5. Does body 1 have a conclusion sentence?
6. Does the conclusion sentence repeat the topic sentence with different wording
and grammar?
BODY PARAGRAPH 2
1. Does body 2 have a topic sentence?
2. Does body 2 topic include a transitional signal, essay topic and paragraph topic?
3. Does body 2 include TWO supporting ideas?
4. Are supporting ideas explained and exemplified well?
5. Does body 2 have a conclusion sentence?
6. Does the conclusion sentence repeat the topic sentence with different wording
and grammar?
CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH
1. Does the first sentence of conclusion paragraph repeat the thesis statement
with different wording and grammar?
2. Does the first sentence of conclusion paragraph include a transitional signal,
essay topic and paragraph topics?
3. Does the conclusion paragraph summarize the main points of body paragraphs?
4. Is there a sentence which sumps up the writer’s opinion?
EXERCISE 3:

Now it is your turn to write a complete essay and to analyze your essay using the checklist on the next
page. You can also find in-class writing practice prompts on the next pages.

When writing, follow the outline below.

A- Outline

THESIS STATEMENT:

BODY 1 TOPIC SENTENCE:

DETAILS FOR BODY 1: Detail 1:

Detail 2:

BODY 1 CONCLUSION SENTENCE:

BODY 2 TOPIC SENTENCE:

DETAILS FOR BODY 1: Detail 1:

Detail 2:

BODY 2 CONCLUSION SENTENCE:

RESTATEMENT OF THESIS STATEMENT:

 B- Checklist

Put a smiling face if you think the paragraph has the

necessary items in the criteria below .
 NOTES
Write your notes about each paragraph into the space
given on the right.

The introduction narrows down successfully.

The Thesis Statement shows the main ideas of each

body paragraph

The body paragraphs have an effective topic sentence.

The body paragraphs have an effective concluding

sentence.

There is a wide range of linkers/transitions. (Moreover,

Besides, Therefore, However, Although…)

There are 2 supporting ideas in each body paragraph.

Supporting ideas are relevant to the essay question.

There are enough details/examples.

Details/examples are relevant to the supporting ideas.

Supporting ideas are not repetitive.

There is a wide range of grammar structures (relative

clauses, passive voice, comparative adj., modals, all
tenses etc.)

There is successful use of punctuation and

capitalization.

There is a wide range of vocabulary.

The concluding paragraph includes the restatement of

the Thesis Statement
 C- Writing Prompts

1. How can education in schools be more successful?

2. Why do people need social environment?

3. What are the advantages for a family when the mother works?

4. Why do some footballers earn millions of dollars while others don’t?

5. What do you need for a good social status?

6. What are the drawbacks of distance education?

7. How can a government stop immigration?

8. Why is it important to have children?