Student Version

Session 3: Writing a body paragraph

Discipline-specific topic: Education – Alternative assessment

Learning Objectives:
 To learn the structure of a body paragraph
 To learn how to write and explain a topic sentence
 To learn academic register – nominalization and hedging

Part I. Structure of a body paragraph

In this section, you will discuss the issues related to alternative assessment forms. You will
learn the structure of a body paragraph in an academic discussion essay.

Alternative assessment forms

In the last session, the positive and negative sides of standardised testing were discussed.
Indeed, apart from paper-and-pen tests, there are a variety of alternative forms of assessments
which are used to evaluate students’ performance. Some alternative assessment forms are
adopted in all disciplines while some are discipline-specific.

In your major study, what are the other forms of assessments except paper-and-pen tests?

A commonly-used alternative assessment form in many subjects is portfolio assessment. It is

a collection of a student’s work over a period of time such as one semester, one academic
year or throughout the whole study period.

1
 Student Version

Activity 1. You are going to watch a video about portfolio assessment. Before you watch it, complete the
vocabulary task. While watching the video, answer the questions provided. After that, work with a partner
to discuss the given topic.

A. Pre-listening vocabulary task: You will hear the following words in the video. Guess
the meaning of them.
Word Meaning
1. accomplishment a. careful thought about something
e.g. Despite his great accomplishments in
the scientific field, he is always humble.
2. collaborative b. the situation in which all the parts of
e.g. The success of the exhibition was due something fit together well
to the collaborative effort of all staff.
3. self-assessment c. something successful or impressive that
e.g. By conducting self-assessments, the is achieved after a lot of effort and hard
students understand their own strengths and work
weaknesses.
4. reflection d. being involved with
e.g. After joining an English workshop, I somebody/something in an attempt to
wrote a reflection on what I had learned. understand them/it
5. coherence e. involving, or done by, several people or
e.g. It is difficult for the readers to groups of people working together
understand the flow of your ideas if your
essay lacks coherence.
6. engagement f. connected with the curriculum of a
e.g. Students should gain a lot through the school
engagement in this cultural activity.
7. curricular g. the process of judging your own
e.g. There were some studies on male and progress, achievements, etc.
female students’ performances of different
curricular subjects.

2
 Student Version

B. While watching the video, complete each blank with one word.
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTClSU_md10 (from 0:00-2:54)

1. According to the speaker, portfolio assessment is:

 a systematic _______________ of one’s work
 a way to display _______________ and _______________ over time
 updated as an individual’s skills and accomplishments _______________
 regarded as a _______________ approach to assessment with a lot of
_______________ between instructors and students, and ideally between students
and _______________
 involves student _______________

2. The speaker points out some benefits and drawbacks of portfolio assessment. One of the
drawbacks is unreliable _______________. To solve this problem, he generally does not
evaluate the _______________ of the portfolios but students’ _______________ for
evidence of coherence and _______________ in the activities that will lead towards the
curricular _______________.

C. Post-listening discussion: Work in pairs. Discuss some advantages and

disadvantages of portfolio assessment.
Advantages Disadvantages

Activity 2. Read the following parts from a body paragraph on an advantage of English
portfolio assessment. With a peer, re-order the parts and identify the purpose of each part.

A) Students can review and compare their work and teachers’ feedback when creating their
portfolios. This helps them reflect on their learning objectives, progress, approaches, and
achievement. In the long term, this assessment leads to greater learner autonomy and
promotes personalised learning.

3
 Student Version

B) Downing (2012) argues that the foundation of personalised learning lies in empowering
learners to take responsibility for their learning.

C) Advocates of English portfolio assessment believe that it is an effective method for

helping students develop a sense of ownership of language learning.

D) Davidson (2013) conducted a research study on comparing the writing skills gained
between two groups of EFL students for one semester using two different forms of
assessments: writing test and writing portfolio. The result indicated that the group of students
who completed an individual writing portfolio showed more significant learning gains than
those who attended a writing test.

E) Downing’s observation and Davidson’s study, therefore, provide a clear indicator that
English portfolio assessment can be an effective tool to help students monitor and self-assess
their language learning progress, which requires higher learner engagement and would result
in positive learning outcomes.

*EFL: English as a foreign language

F) Portfolio assessment provides the means of “personalised learning” in which students are
given sufficient time to observe and reflect on their strengths and weaknesses as evidenced
by the collected work and to adjust their learning plans accordingly.

The correct order is:

_______  _______  _______  _______  _______ _______

The purpose of each part:

Purpose Part
1. to give the main idea of that body
paragraph
2. to explain the main idea of that body
paragraph
3. to support the main idea of that body
paragraph
4. to explain/evaluate the selected

4
 Student Version

sources and connect the sources with

the main idea of that body paragraph

Structure of a body paragraph

A body paragraph of an academic discussion essay usually consists of the following four
components:
 a topic sentence
 explanation of the topic sentence
 academic sources as supporting details
 source commentary (explanation/evaluation of the sources and connection between the
sources and the topic sentence)

Activity 3. For the following body paragraph on an advantage of English portfolio

assessment which is now in a correct order, identify the four components by highlighting
them in different colours.

Advocates of English portfolio assessment believe that it is an effective method for helping
students develop a sense of ownership of language learning. Students can review and compare their
work and teachers’ feedback when creating their portfolios. This helps them reflect on their
learning objectives, progress, approaches, and achievement. In the long term, this assessment leads
to greater learner autonomy and promotes personalised learning. Downing (2012) argues that the
foundation of personalised learning lies in empowering learners to take responsibility for their
learning. Portfolio assessment provides the means of “personalised learning” in which students are
given sufficient time to observe and reflect on their strengths and weaknesses as evidenced by the
collected work and to adjust their learning plans accordingly. Davidson (2013) conducted a
research study on comparing the writing skills gained between two groups of EFL students for one
semester using two different forms of assessments: writing test and writing portfolio. The result
indicated that the group of students who completed an individual writing portfolio showed more
significant learning gains than those who attended a writing test. Downing’s observation and
Davidson’s study, therefore, provide a clear indicator that English portfolio assessment can be an
effective tool to help students monitor and self-assess their language learning progress, which
requires higher learner engagement and would result in positive learning outcomes.

5
 Student Version

Part II. Topic sentence

In this section, you will learn how to write an effective topic sentence and explain the topic
sentence.

2.1. Topic sentence

A topic sentence is a statement that introduces only one controlling idea which will be
discussed in the corresponding body paragraph. It usually appears at the beginning of a body
paragraph (often the first or the second sentence). You should not give more than one
controlling idea in each body paragraph.

As mentioned in the previous session, an academic discussion essay aims to discuss people’s
views on the two sides of an issue: the positive side and the negative side. Instead of ‘I’, the
people who support or oppose the issue give the views. The topic sentences in the body
paragraphs in this type of essay can be written in different ways:

The positive side

 Advocates/Proponents of (the issue) believe/claim/state + 1 controlling idea
e.g. Advocates of English portfolio assessment believe that it is an effective method for helping
students develop a sense of ownership of language learning.

 One of the arguments for/in favour of (the issue) is + 1 controlling idea

e.g. One of the arguments for the adoption of English portfolio assessment is what students have
actually learned can be shown through the development of their work over a period of time.

 One of the advantages/opportunities of (the issue) is 1 controlling idea

e.g. One of the advantages of English portfolio assessment is what students have actually learned
can be shown through the development of their work over a period of time.

**********************************************************
The negative side
 Opponents of (the issue) criticise/believe/claim/state + 1 controlling idea
e.g. Opponents criticise that English portfolio assessment is time-consuming for the teacher and
students.

 One of the arguments against (the issue) is + 1 controlling idea

e.g. One of the arguments against the adoption of English portfolio assessment is that it is time-
consuming for the teacher and students.

 One of the disadvantages/challenges of (the issue) is 1 controlling idea

e.g. One of the disadvantages of English portfolio assessment is that it is time-consuming for the
6teacher and students.
 Student Version

Activity 4. Practise writing a topic sentence

Now, take out your writing outline for Blended Learning Component 1 and develop the
topic sentences: Make sure you have a clear controlling idea in each topic sentence.
1. __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

2.2. Explanation of the topic sentence

After writing a topic sentence, you need to explain it.
Topic sentence

e.g. Advocates of English portfolio assessment believe that it is an effective method for
helping students develop a sense of ownership of language learning.# Students can review
and compare their work and teachers’ feedback when creating their portfolios. This
helps them reflect on their learning objectives, progress, approaches, and achievement.
In the long term, this assessment leads to greater learner autonomy and promotes
personalised learning.
Explanation of the topic sentence

 How to explain a topic sentence?

The explanation of a topic sentence often focuses on the further elaboration on the
controlling idea. You may use the following approaches to further elaborate on:

1. Describing, to give more information about the controlling idea, for

example,
- describing the implication,
- defining a relevant concept, or

7
 Student Version

- explaining causes and effects to establish or support the controlling idea;

2. Analysing, to compare and contrast concepts associated with the controlling
idea;
3. Exemplifying, to use examples to illustrate the controlling idea

Read the paragraph below and answer the question:

- Which approach did the writer use to further explain the topic sentence?
___________________________________________________________________________

Opponents of standardized testing criticize these tests for establishing a regime in which
the tests and the accountability attached to them become ‘high stakes’ and produce
‘washback’ effects on teaching. ‘Washback’ effects refer to the impact that tests have on
the process of teaching and learning. Teachers are pressurized by the three ‘Ps’, principals,
parents and peers, to ensure that the required number of their students achieve benchmark
levels. Standardized tests supposedly reflect what a student should be able to do in key
areas at the four ‘key’ ages. Because of these factors, teachers are forced to teach to the
content of the tests. This determines the input and the output of lessons which means the
actual learning needs of the students are determined by the outside testing authorities.
Ironically, these tests largely test what matters least, facts rather than opinion.

Activity 5. Practise explaining the topic sentence

Write an explanation of the topic sentences which you have written for Activity 5.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Reminders
1. You are not the one who gives the views in an academic discussion essay but you
are discussing other people’s views on the issue. Therefore, ‘I think’, ‘in my
opinion’, etc. should not appear in the paragraphs.
2. Only one controlling idea can be presented in the topic sentence of each body
paragraph.

8
 Student Version

Part III. Academic register

In this section, you will learn the use of nominalization and hedging in academic writing.

Nominalization

Nominalization means changing verbs/adjectives into nouns to make the expressions more
formal. Here are some examples:
 verb  noun
Many parties were involved when the policy was formulated (verb).
 Many parties were involved in the formulation (noun) of the policy.

 adjective  noun
The findings are inconsistent (adjective).
 There are inconsistencies (noun) in the findings.

Activity 6. Practice on nominalization

Part 1: Change the verbs or adjectives in the clauses into nouns to form noun phrases.
the original clause the new noun phrase
e.g. We evaluated this project… the evaluation of this project
1. The patients were dissatisfied…

2. Penicillin was discovered…

3. The government increased taxes…

4. We improved the design…

5. The procedure was difficult…

Part 2: The following text has been ‘denominalized’ – i.e. the noun phrases have been
replaced by clauses with a similar meaning (underlined). The original passage is
reproduced below it, with some of the noun phrases removed. Try to reconstruct the
original noun phrases in the gaps.
The Industrial Revolution was made possible because capital had previously been
accumulated. In Britain, capital and labour were released from the land faster than in
any other country in Europe. Because of this, and because British agriculture was
growing rapidly and the industrial workforce was expanding, the population
9
 Student Version

increased significantly and cities could continue to develop.

The Industrial Revolution was fuelled by the (1) ___________________________________.

The (2) ___________________________________ from the land was faster in Britain than
in any other country in Europe. This, together with (3) _______________________________
and the (4) ___________________________________, enabled a (5)
___________________________________ and (6) _________________ to be sustained.

Hedging
In addition to being formal, it is important for your ideas to sound objective in academic
writing such as discussion essays. To achieve this, we can use hedging which makes the ideas
less certain to avoid the possibility of making mistakes/wrong judgements and therefore
being criticised. Compare the two statements below:
confident a. Abbas (2018) must have overlooked the importance of
language personal factors in his experiment.

hedging b. Abbas (2018) may have overlooked the importance of

personal factors in his experiment.

Statement a is very certain and strong in tone. In case your observation is wrong, you will be
criticised because of this.
With the use of hedging, Statement b is not certain so that even if your observation is wrong,
it is less probably that you will be criticised.

Language used in hedging

There are several ways to hedge:
Verbs suggest, indicate, estimate, assume, etc.
Modal verbs may, might, can and could
Adjectives/Adverbs possible/possibly, probably/probably, seemingly, etc.
Generalisation tend to, a tendency, most, a majority of, generally,
mainly, to some extent, etc.

Activity 7. Make the following statements less certain by using different hedging devices.

10
 Student Version

1. In Chan (2013), rather little attention has been given to the validity of his
methodology.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

2. Given the flaws in the design of his methodology, Barnes’s (2017) observations and
findings must be inconclusive.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

3. The conclusion drawn by Williams (2014) is absolutely contradictory.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

4. To adapt to this ever-changing world, all people do not stop learning after finishing
formal education but continue learning for personal or professional development.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

5. All university students prefer learning computer software themselves at their leisure
time rather than attending a computer course with a fixed schedule.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

11
 Student Version

Academic Vocabulary List

1. assessment (n.) – a method of testing students and making a judgement
about their knowledge, ability or progress
2. alternative (adj.) – different from the one you have
3. evaluate (v.) – to judge how good something is
4. demonstrate (v.) – to show something clearly by giving proof or evidence
5. manifest (v.) – to show something clearly
6. acquire (v.) – to gain something by your own efforts, ability or behaviour
7. propose (v.) – to suggest something for people to think about
8. conduct (v.) – to organize and/or do a particular activity
9. validity (n.) – the state of being logical and true
10. inconclusive (adj.) – not leading to a definite result

Further Study
a) How to Write Brilliant Topic Sentences: Tips and Tricks
The link below gives some tips of writing a good topic sentence.
https://writemyessay4me.org/blog/good-topic-sentences

b) Hedging
The link below provides more information and examples of hedging.
https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eap/hedging.aspx

12