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PBI 1102 ACADEMIC ENGLISH 1

About the course

This course aims to develop students' ability to use of English for academic purposes
in the university. The course enhances students' reading skills by teaching them how
to extract information from different parts of the text. Students are taught how to
paraphrase information from various academic texts to present their thoughts in
spoken and written forms. They are guided to produce types of writing frequently
required in university assignments using accurate citation and referencing
conventions as well as appropriate structures and language features.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate the
following skills:

CLO 1: Identify relevant information from factual academic texts.

CLO 2: Demonstrate ability to give reasons and explanations on familiar topics.
CLO 3: Produce written texts on familiar subjects.

Student’s Responsibilities:

By enrolling in this course, you are expected to:

1. be punctual for classroom learning sessions
2. enrol and participate actively in the online course site (eLEAP)
3. download this course module and materials, and have these resources ready
for every lesson.
4. complete all required pre- and post-class readings and tasks.
5. actively contribute to class discussions in an appropriate academic manner.
6. ask informed and focused questions in class to clarify understanding.
7. avoid plagiarism or any unethical or dishonest behaviour in relation to
classwork, assignments and examinations, and accept any penalties which
follow from such behaviour.
8. respect deadlines for submission of work and accept any penalties. For work
handed in late, 3% will be deducted for each day.

All resources, materials, and information for this course are accessible online via
https://eleap.unimas.my/ for your group. Locate the course name - PBI 1102
according to your group/instructor.

If you experience any issues with accessing to the online site, please contact eLEAP
Helpdesk at eleap@unimas.my.

© 2021 Faculty of Language and Communication, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

No part of this module can be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior
written permission of the writers. Images and materials used in this module are taken from open
domains unless stated otherwise.
 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

LEARNING UNIT 4: WRITING SKILLS IN ACADEMIC CONTEXTS ....................................................................

Learning Objectives

PART A: Academic Writing

 Introduction to Academic Writing

 Functions and Features of Academic Writing
 Planning & Writing Essay Structure

PART B: Writing An Argumentative Essay

 Introduction to Argumentative Essay

 Writing an Argumentative Essay

PART C: Drafting and Improving Essay

 Editing and proofreading

 Writing Practice

Enrichment Activity

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

Learning Unit 4: WRITING SKILLS IN ACADEMIC CONTEXTS

Learning Objectives
By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
 understand the nature of academic writing
 write an outline of an essay
 identify the structure of an Argumentative Essay
 produce an Argumentative Essay with proper citation and referencing

PART A: ACADEMIC WRITING

Producing written work as part of a university exam, essay, dissertation, or

other form of assignment requires an approach to organisation, structure,
voice and use of language that differs from other forms of writing and
communication. Academic writing is a language that no one is born
speaking. Understanding more about the conventions of your discipline and
the specific features and conventions of academic writing can help you
develop confidence and make improvements to your written work.

1. Introduction to Academic Writing

.
Academic writing is writing which communicates ideas, information, and
research to the wider academic community. It can be divided into two types:
student academic writing, which is used as a form of assessment at university,
as well as at schools as preparation for university study; and expert academic
writing, which is writing that is intended for publication in an academic
journal or book. Both types of academic writing (student and expert) are
expected to adhere to the same standards, which can be difficult for
students to master.

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The characteristics of academic writing which together distinguish it from

other forms of writing are that it is:
 structured;
 evidenced;
 critical;
 balanced;
 precise;
 objective;
 formal.

2. Functions and Features of Academic Writing

 Functions

It is crucial to identify the purpose of an assigned academic task. The

purpose of the task depends on the audience. If the audience does not
know much about a topic, then the writer’s purpose is to inform the
audience. However, if the audience consists of experts in the field, then
the writer’s purpose is to show his or her familiarity with the topic critically.

“Purpose” means why you are writing, and what effect you hope to have.
The most common purpose in academic writing is to explain some idea or
research finding and to persuade readers that your explanation or theory
is the correct one. In doing so, you may need to describe an object,
place, or activity. Sometimes you might write to narrate set of events, in
the manner of a story. In every case, you need to choose the supporting
information – such as examples, illustrations, statistics, quotations or the like
– that best achieve your purpose.

Genre

Students may be asked to write essays, case studies, book reviews,

laboratory reports, business reports, posters, research proposals,
dissertations, journal articles, academic papers, abstracts, reflective
journals, or scholarly articles. This is decided by the lecturers. Most
academic work will show critical thinking, intellect, persuasion, as well as
analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

 Features

The characteristics of academic writing which together distinguish it from

other forms of writing are that it is:

Feature Explanation
1. Structured Academic writing should have a clear structure. The
structure will often depend on the genre of writing. For
example, a report will have an introduction (including the

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

aim or aims), a method section, a discussion section and

so on, while an essay will have an introduction (including
a thesis statement), clear body paragraphs with topic
sentences, and a conclusion. The writing should
be coherent, with logical progression throughout,
and cohesive, with the different parts of the writing
clearly connected. Careful planning before writing is
essential to ensure that the final product will be well
structured, with a clear focus and logical progression of
ideas.

2. Evidenced Opinions and arguments in academic writing should be

supported by evidence. Often the writing will be based
on information from experts in the field, and as such, it will
be important to reference the information appropriately,
for example via the use of in-text citations and
a reference section.

3. Critical Academic writing does more than just describe. As an

academic writer, you should not simply accept
everything you read as fact. You need to analyse and
evaluate the information you are writing about, in other
words make judgements about it, before you decide
whether and how to integrate it into your own writing. This
is known as critical writing. Critical writing requires a great
deal of research in order for the writer to develop a deep
enough understanding of the topic to be truly critical
about it.

4. Balanced Academic writing should be balanced. This means giving

consideration to all sides of the issue and avoiding bias.
As noted above, all research, evidence and arguments
can be challenged, and it is important for the academic
writer to show their stance on a particular topic. This can
be done using hedges, for example phrases such as the
evidence suggests... or this could be caused by...,
or boosters, that is, phrases such as clearly or the research
indicates.

5. Precise Academic writing should use clear and precise language

to ensure the reader understands the meaning. This
includes the use of technical (i.e., subject-specific)
vocabulary, which should be used when it conveys the
meaning more precisely than a similar non-technical
term. Sometimes such technical vocabulary may
need defining, though only if the term is not commonly
used by others in the same discipline and will therefore
not be readily understood by the reader.

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

6. Objective Academic writing is objective. In other words, the

emphasis is placed on the arguments and information,
rather than on the writer. As a result, academic writing
tends to use nouns and noun phrases more than verbs
and adverbs. It also tends to use more passive structures,
rather than active voice, for example “The water was
heated” rather than “I heated the water”.

7. Formal Finally, academic writing is more formal than everyday

writing. It tends to use longer words and more complex
sentences, while avoiding contractions and colloquial or
informal words or expressions that might be common in
spoken English. There are words and collocations which
are used in academic writing more frequently than in
non-academic writing, and researchers have developed
lists to help students of academic English, such as
the Academic Word List, the Academic Vocabulary List,
and the Academic Collocation List.

1. Elements of a Paragraph

What does a good simple paragraph look like? Most simple paragraphs will
include: a topic sentence, several supporting sentences, and a concluding
sentence.

The topic sentence is often (but not always), the first sentence in the paragraph. The topic sentence tells
the reader what the main idea of the paragraph is, i.e., the topic and controlling idea of the paragraph.

Example 1: My best ever vacation was in Egypt two years ago.

The topic is the writer’s trip to Egypt, and the controlling idea is that it was his or her best ever vacation.

Example 2: I am lucky because I have a wonderful family.

The topic is the writer is lucky, and the controlling idea is why the family members are wonderful.

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

The supporting sentences give examples, explanation, information and opinion to support the main idea of the
paragraph. Therefore, all supporting sentences should help the reader to understand the topic and focus of the
sentence.

Look at these supporting sentences.

Example 1: We spent the first three days in Cairo and from there we visited the Pyramids and the Sphinx.
The Pyramids were amazing.

Example 2: I love everyone in my family very much. My mum is very kind and looks after all of the
family.

All of these example sentences support the main idea of the paragraph. This support can come in the form of
examples, reasons, description, etc., depending on the purpose of your paragraph. If, for example, you are writing
an opinion-based paragraph, your supporting sentences will consist of reasons and details. If, on the other hand,
you are writing a description, your supporting sentences will contain specific details to help the reader form a
mental image.

The concluding sentence is the last sentence in the paragraph. It is often similar to the topic sentence and
reminds the reader of the topic and focus of the paragraph, but it should use different words, if possible.

Here are some examples:

Example 1: It was a fantastic vacation.

This concludes the paragraph about the writer’s best ever vacation.

Example 2: I guess I am lucky to have such a wonderful family.

This concludes the paragraph about the writer’s family

2. Developing a Paragraph

There are multiple ways you can develop your paragraphs. However, all
paragraphs need to meet some important criteria:

 Unity- The entire paragraph should have one focus; it should not turn in
different directions.
 Coherence- Make sure that your sentences flow in a clear and logical
order.
 Development- After introducing your ideas, you should follow them up
with some sort of example or explanation in order to fully develop them.

 Paragraph Organization

Another important aspect to consider before diving into your paragraph

development method is the paper organization. Not every essay or topic
is created equal. Therefore, how you structure each paragraph varies
based on the type of essay or research paper you are creating. Just a few
types of papers that you are probably familiar with include:
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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

 analysis - analyses data or theories through examples

 argument - uses evidence and facts to support the claim it is making
 compare and contrast - paper compares and contrasts two or more
topics by presenting ideas through examples in paragraphs
 description - creates a mental picture for readers using clear, concise
writing
 narrative - tells a story in chronological order
 process - describes how something works through steps

A clear and effective paragraph is constructed like an essay. Just as an essay

has a main idea (thesis statement) that is developed and supported with
evidence and analysis in the body paragraphs, a paragraph needs to focus
on a single idea that is developed and supported with evidence and analysis.
Also, just as an essay ends with a conclusion, a paragraph should close by
linking the topic sentence to the main idea in the next paragraph.

 Look at the
diagram of
an essay
above.
Notice how
the parts of
an essay
correspond
to the parts
of a
paragraph.

3. Planning & Writing Essay Structure

Academic assignments need to

follow a formal writing structure.
Academic essays in English may
take several forms. One typical
structure is demonstrated in this
diagram. This structure includes
the main point of the essay in the
introduction. The supporting points
(sub points or arguments) that you
are making appear in the
paragraphs. The number of these
body paragraphs may vary
depending on the length of your
essay. The conclusion more or less
repeats the main idea from the
introduction.
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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

1. Planning an Essay

There are a few steps involved before we can start writing the essay. These
steps can help us to understand what needs to be written, to organize
information and to write the essay logically and coherently. The steps can be
applied if you plan to write within a few hours, for instance, in an examination
situation, or they can be used as process for planning an essay to be
completed over a longer period.

Selecting the Topic

There are a few things that you need to consider in evaluating the topic of
your choice so that it meets the requirement of the task. You need to ask
yourself some of these questions in order to decide a topic that is the most
suitable for your writing task:
 Is the topic appropriate for your assignment?
 Am I interested in this topic?
 Is it challenging to write about this topic?
 Is this topic too common?
 Do I have enough knowledge about this topic?
 Do I feel comfortable writing about this topic?
 Can I write enough for this topic?
 Will readers be interested in my essay?
These questions may be able to help you in deciding your essay topic. In
order to decide the right topic for your assignment, you can carry out
brainstorming activities to evaluate the appropriateness of the topic for the
task. Brainstorming is a technique that can generate ideas for topic search or
selection. There are several methods of brainstorming that you can choose
from to start your writing: they are listing, clustering, and free writing.

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

 Listing
Listing involves coming up with related ideas for the topic and listing them
in random order. That way, you may be able to get related ideas about a
topic. From the lists below, you can probably write about topics, such as
the solutions for stress, the causes of stress, or the effects of stress.
E.g.

Topic: Stress

working out go to a movie

calling a friend talk to a counsellor at the college
talking about problems relieves stress overeating or smoking
many people harm themselves jogging
many sports ease tension drinking too much, other addictions
going to the beach do housework
taking naps depression
some diseases are caused by stress external influences
taking breaks eases stress do physical activities
talk to a doctor if you can’t handle it some people display anger
escape into a hobbysewing, car repair deadlines

 Clustering

Clustering lets you explore one topic further by drawing idea bubbles or webs
related to the topic. In this way, you can focus on one area that may interest you.

E.g.

 Free writing
Free writing allows you to start writing on a broad topic in order to get a
focus for a specific topic. This technique is done within a specified time
without concern about grammar, spelling, punctuation, or sentence
structures.

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

The possible topics that may come out of the following example are
‘women and education’, ‘the culture of arranged marriages’ and ‘past
prejudices against women’.
E.g.

Topic: Past and Future Women

The article I read that meant a lot to me was a story by Maxine Hong Kingston. A famous
literary writer. She wrote about her experience as a female child in China long ago. She faced
difficulty to study as she had to follow rules set by the men of the house; females were not
encouraged to pursue education, even their marriages were arranged. Now things have changed.
I’m glad I was born in a country during modern time without harsh prejudice against women. Men
and women can decide on their own fate in life.

2. Outlining the Essay

An essay is a number of paragraphs about a particular subject, with an introduction,

body, and conclusion. The introduction begins the essay and prepares readers for
what will follow. It contains the thesis statement which sets forth the main idea for the
entire essay. The body of the essay is the longest part. Every paragraph in the body
of the essay must support and explain the thesis statement. The conclusion signals
the end of the essay and leaves the reader with a final thought.

 The Introduction

The introduction of an essay has two parts: general statements and a thesis
statement.

 The first statement in an introduction should be a general statement about

the topic
 The second statement should be less general
 The third statement should be even less general

The number of general statements you write in an introduction depends on

how long your essay is. However, you should write at least two or three
general statements in an introduction.

General statements introduce the topic of the essay and give background
information on the topic.

The thesis statement is often the last sentence of the introduction. It is the
most important sentence in the introduction. It gives the specific topic and
the controlling ideas for the whole essay. It may list the subtopics that will be

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

discussed in the body paragraphs, and it may state the method of

organisation of the essay.

 The Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the main point of an essay. It summarises the main aim of
the essay and tells the reader what to expect in terms of an answer to the
essay question (if it is given as a question) or to outline the main point being
made.

Example: This essay outlines the detrimental effects that high levels of alcohol
consumption have on your personal health such as weight gain, heart
disease, and liver complications

 Topic sentences

A topic sentence is the main idea for a paragraph. (This idea is sometimes
referred to as an ‘argument’). You should be able to identify one clear topic
sentence for each paragraph. It is usually (but not always) the first sentence.
It tells the reader what to expect to read about in that paragraph. The idea
expressed by the topic sentence should relate to the overall main aim of the
essay (the thesis statement).

Example: One of the most common effects of high intake of alcohol is an

increase in body weight.

If you show just your topic sentences to your tutor or lecturer, she/he should
be able to get a good idea of what your essay if about. Checking the topic
sentences for each of your paragraphs is a good way to see if your ideas are
clear, and that you are not repeating the same point. If you find your
paragraph contains additional information that does not relate to your topic
sentence, you might need to move this extra information to another
paragraph or create a new paragraph with a new topic sentence.

 The other sentences in your body paragraphs

The remainder of the ideas in the paragraph should elaborate on the topic
sentence by providing more detailed description and explanation, or by
providing examples. These ideas make up the evidence that backs up the
idea or argument expressed by your topic sentence.

 Using references

As part of the evidence you provide for each of your topic sentences, you
draw on ideas from a range of sources (e.g. the set readings for the unit or
other readings you have located yourself through your research into the
topic. These include materials from journals, books, reports and other sources,
both hard copy materials as well as those available digitally via the internet).

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

Structure of an Outline
The outline must start with the thesis statement. Each body paragraph of the
essay must have a topic sentence. The specific thesis statement shows how
the body of the essay will be organised. Such a thesis statement makes the
work of planning paragraphs easy because you have already focused on
the ideas to be discussed in each paragraph. The topic sentences must be
written clearly to discuss the supporting details that follow, and the details
must be relevant to the topic sentence.
 Example of an Outline

OUTLINE
Thesis statement:
The effects of genetically modified food concern humans’ lives, the environment, and the
economy.
Main point 1: Genetically modified food risks people’s lives.
Supporting Details:
1 Causes harmful allergens in food (Jenkins & Mills, 2006)
2 Produces unknown reactions to humans (Whitman, 2000)
3 Has long-term health risks (Tan, 2011)
4 (Concluding sentence)
Main point 2: Genetically modified food affects the environment.
Supporting Details:
1 Gives unintentional harm to organisms (Hood, 2007)
2 Reduces effectiveness of pesticides (Whitman, 2000)
3 Creates soil toxicity
4 (Concluding sentence)
Main point 3: Genetically modified food affects economy negatively.
Supporting Details:
1 Causes the decline in self-sufficient family farm (Raja, 2014)
2 Increases consumers’ costs
3 Decreases quality and quantity of crops (Halford, 2006)
4 (Concluding sentence)
Conclusion:
Despite genetically modifies food having the potential to solve many world problems, it
negatively affects humans, environment, and the economy.

3. Drafting the Essay

Steps for Writing a First Draft of an Essay

1 Take a closer look at your assignment and the topic if it was given to you
by your instructor. Revise your outline as well. This is needed for your
clearer understanding of the tasks you must accomplish within the draft,
and to make sure you meet the requirements of the assignment.

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

2 Sketch out the introduction of your essay. At this point, don’t get stalled
on form; introductory part should inform readers about what the topic is,
and state your point of view according to this topic. The introduction
should also be interesting to read to capture readers’ attention, but this
task has more to do with thoughtful and scrupulous writing, and thus
should be left for later.

3 Based on your outline, start transferring your ideas to paper. The main
task here is to give them the initial form and set a general direction for
their further development, and not to write a full paper.

4 Outline the summarising paragraph of your essay. It should not contain

any new ideas, but briefly reintroduce those from the main body, and
restate your thesis statement.

5 Read through the draft to see if you have included the information you
wanted to, but without making any further corrections, since this is a task
for the second and final drafts.

Note: While an outline is needed to decide on what to write, the first draft is
more about answering a question: “How to write?” In the first draft, you shape
your ideas out, and not simply name and list them, as you did in an outline.

ACTIVITY 1

Task 1 - Circle the topic and underline the controlling idea in each of these
topic sentences.

1. The colours we wear change our emotions.

2. People who wear orange like to communicate with each other.
3. People who wear red clothes want to have fun.
4. Shoes give us lots of information about the person wearing them.
5. Patterns on clothing give us clues to the mood of the wearer.
6. People who wear yellow are often creative.
7. Turquoise is good for people who have decisions to make.
8. People who wear green often like the outdoors.

Task 2 - Look at the underlined topic sentence. In each case, one of the
sentences below it does not support the topic sentence. Circle the letter of
the sentence that does not support the topic.

1 Colours are often divided into two groups, warm and cold.
a. The warm colours are red, pink, yellow, and orange.
b. These colours are associated with activity and energy.
c. Violet is the colour of royalty and is often worn by political and religious
leaders
d. The cold coloursblue, purple, violet, and brownare calm and
mysterious.
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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

2. Socks give us clues to a person’s inner personality.

a. Socks are available in more colours than ever before.
b. Red socks show that the wearer has lots of energy that he or she needs
to release.
c. Wearers of white socks are often hiding their true feelings.
d. Green socks are worn when a person feels the need for rest and
relaxation.

3. The Lüscher Color Test is made up of eight colours that have been
carefully chosen for their meanings.
a. Dr. Max Lüscher, the inventor of the test, was born in Basel, Switzerland,
in 1923.
b. Each of the eight colours has the same meaning and importance the
world over.
c. The colours in the test are gray, blue, green, red, yellow, violet, brown,
and black.
d. The colours indicate what kind of personality you have.

4. Colours are symbolic and have many different meanings to people

around the world.
a. In America, red, white, and blue  the colours of the flag  symbolise
patriotism.
b. Green is a sign of birth and new life to the Irish.
c. Blue looks good on people with blue eyes.
d. Some colours, such as pink and blue, represent female and male.

WRITING PRACTICE

Task 1 - Writing Introductory Paragraphs

Read the following introductory paragraphs. The sentences in these
introductions are not in the correct order. Rewrite each introduction,
beginning with the most general statement and ending with the thesis
statement.

1. (1) April Fools’ Day is celebrated on the first of April in most countries. (2) If,
like me, you don’t know what day it is, you may be in for a surprise. (3) It is a day
when people have a lot of fun. (4) People often play tricks on each other. (5) Last April
Fools’ Day is a day I will never forget because three very surprising things happened to
me.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

2. (1) It is an important issue because it concerns fundamental moral and economic

questions about the way we use our native wildlife. (2) This essay will consider
arguments against having marine parks because they are unnecessary and cruel. (3) A
variety of different arguments have been put forward about this issue. (4) The issue of
whether we should allow marine parks to stay open has been widely debated in our
community recently.

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Task 2 - Writing Concluding Paragraphs

Write conclusion for essays with the following introductions. The first one is
done for you.
1. Introduction
On October 31, Americans celebrate Halloween. Halloween means “holy
evening.” This is the evening before the Christian holy day of All Saints’ Day.
However, Halloween is older than Christianity. Before Christianity, people in Britain
believed that the ghosts of the dead came back on this day, and so they had rituals to
scare the ghosts. Immigrants came from Europe to America and brought with them the
custom of Halloween, as well as the many symbols and activities associated with this
day.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Halloween as it is celebrated in the United States today still has
many of the symbols and rituals brought over by the European immigrants.
Although it is an old custom, it is a lot of fun. People will continue to celebrate
Halloween for a long time to come.

2. Introduction
Birthday celebrations have been around for more than 5, 000 years. In every part
of the world, birthdays are celebrated in a slightly different way. The traditional
American birthday celebration was brought over by the Europeans. The elements, such
as a birthday song, a cake, candles, and gifts, are symbolic. In the United States, many
birthday celebrations involve these elements.

Conclusion
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

3. Introduction
Computer games have seriously caught the attention of parents and educators
alike. The increasing amount of games with violent scenes shock the society and makes
it very aware of them. It is already common knowledge that violent games cause
violence in people. In this essay, I will argue that computer games influence violent
tendencies in adolescents because they are very realistic, addictive, and they desensitise
violent acts.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Task 3 - Analysing Paragraphs

Write conclusion for essays with the following introductions. The first one is
done for you.
Read the paragraph below and:
1. Underline the topic sentence and write TS above it.
2. Circle any sentence that is not a good supporting sentence based on
the controlling idea in the topic sentence.
3. Write a concluding sentence on the lines provided.

College Adjustments

When I first started going to college, I was surprised at all the studying that
was required. I had to adjust my study habits because in high school I hardly ever
studied, yet my grades were still fairly good. At the university, it seemed that all my
professors thought their class was the most important class. Each professor gave me
a tremendous amount of homework every night. As a result, my free time became
very limited. Nights out with friends and time spent watching TV were replaced with
reading assignments, group projects, learning activities, and research. My university
classes kept me so busy that I could only go out on Saturday nights. This kind of
schedule was a big change from high school, where I used to play sports, have fun,
and go out every other night. _____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY

Step 1
Choose three topics from the list below. Brainstorm for ideas using the different
techniques mentioned earlier.

1. Co-curricular Activities for Students

2. Mental Health
3. Environmental Conservations
4. e-learning and Working Remotely
5. Encouraging Reading Habits

A. Listing

Topic: _____________________

B. Listing

Topic:

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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

C. Free writing

Topic: _____________________

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Step 2
From the three topics you chose in Step 1, choose ONE to expand on. Then, use the
structure below to create an outline of the essay about the topic.

OUTLINE
Thesis statement:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Main point 1: _______________________________________________________________
Supporting Details:
1 _____________________________________________________________________
2 _____________________________________________________________________
3 _____________________________________________________________________
4 (Concluding sentence)___________________________________________________
Main point 2: _______________________________________________________________
Supporting Details:
1 _____________________________________________________________________
2 _____________________________________________________________________
3 _____________________________________________________________________
4 (Concluding sentence)___________________________________________________
Main point 3: Genetically modified food affects economy negatively.
Supporting Details:
1 _____________________________________________________________________
2 _____________________________________________________________________
3 _____________________________________________________________________
4 (Concluding sentence)___________________________________________________
Conclusion:
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 PBI 1102: Academic English 1

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Step 3
From your outline in Step 2, draft ONE paragraph. You may choose to draft any part
of the essay: Introduction, Body, or Conclusion. Follow the format to write these parts
as stated earlier in this module.

DRAFT (ONE PARAGRAPH)

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EXTENSION:

After you have drafted the one paragraph, you may:

1. Draft other paragraphs for the essay
2. Ask a friend to review your first draft

Sources:

Broukal, M. (2016). Weaving it together: Connecting reading and writing (4th ed.).
National Geographic Learning.
Mansor, M., Maesin, A., Osman, N., Zakaria, F. Abd Hamid, Z.A., Surina, N., Darus, N.
A., Mohamad, R., Osman, M. I., & Shafie, L.A. (2013). English for you: A
guidebook for English language learners. Oxford Fajar.
Shafie, L. A., Yahaya, M. F., Mansor, M., & Osman, N. (2019). English for academic
writing. Oxford Fajar.

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