essay writing for english tests (2001 gabi duigu)

5/28/2018 Essay Writing for English Tests (2001 Gabi Duigu)


EssoyWritingforEnglish ests

Gobi Duigu


@ Gabi Duigu 2002All rights eservedRevised nd reprinted2003Published y AcademicEnglishPress9/13ArmstrongStreetCammerayNS\f 2062AustraliaPh:0294376330email [email protected]

Distributed y:Melting Pot Press10 GraftonStreetChippendale S\W2008AustraliaPh: (61)29212 1882Fax:02 9211 1868email:[email protected]

ISBN:0-9578996-1-0


lntroductionStoge TheQuestionL Understondinghe Question . . 3

1.1 The Instructions . . . . . .31.2 Kev Terms

2. AnolysingtheQuest ion. . . . . . . . .72 .1F ind ing theFocus . . . . . ' 72.2 Understandinghe Context ' . . .82 .3D e f i n i ng theTe r ms . . . . . . 10

Stoge2 Selecting nd Presentingdeos3, Findingldeos . . . . r33.1Bra instorming . . .14

3.2 FindingMore Ideas . . . .153 .3U s ingExamp les ' ' . . . . ' 173.4The 's7hat i fNot S i tuat ion ' . ' . . ' I73.5 Lookingat the Other Side . . . .18

4, Select ingdeos . . . . . .1e4 .1So lu t i ons toP r ob lems . . . . . . . 19 .2Evaluation. . . . ' .204.3 Classificationof Ideas . . . . . ' '21


4.4Typesof C lass i f i ca t ion . . . . 234.5 Se lect ingRel evant ldeas . . . . .254 .6Leve lof Genera l i sa t ion . . . . .264.7 Overgeneral isationsandExaggerat ion . . . . .28

5, Orgonis ingldeos. . . . . . . . .3r5.1Ranking deas . . .315 .2C onsequences . . . 3 I5 .3Compar isons . . . . 335 .4$ te r na t i ves . . . . . 345 .5Specu la t i on . . . . . 34

Stoge3 Writing6, Usinghe RightGrommor,Vocobulorynd Style .az

6 .1G r ammar . . . . . . 376 .2Vocabu la r y . . . . . 39

7, TheSections f the Essoy . . . . . .407 . lThe In t r oduc t i on . . . . . 40

7.1.1Grammar andVocabularyn the Introduction . . . . . . . . .437 .2TheBody . . . . . : . . . . . 45T .2 . lYocabu la r y i n theBody . . . . . .477 .3TheC onc lus ion . . . . . . 48

7.3.1GrammarandVocabularyn the Conclusion . . . . .49

8, Style8 .1Mod i f i e r s . . . . . . 50S.2Overgenera l isat ion . . . .518.3Overemphasis . . .5 I8 .4Understa tementandConfus ion. . . . .528 .5Waf f l e . . . . 538.6Formula icandThought lessVr i t ing . . . . . .538.7 mmature 'Wr i t ing . . . . .588 .8Cu l tu ra lD i f fe rences inSwle . . . . . . . 55

9. Proof-reoding . . . . . . .5710,Appeoronce . . .58AnswerKeyAppendixA .. .64AppendixB .. .66

50

59


This coursedescribes step-by-stepapproach o writing essaysor the IELISAcademic \Writing Module Task 2 and for other similar essay asks. t providesexerciseso practise he stagesndividually (Appendix A) aswell asgiving a listof rypical essayopics, and there are model essays iven in Appendix B. TheAnswer Key providesexplanationsas well as answers.

ThePurposeIn order to be able to write good essayst is first of all essential o make sure thatyou understandthe purposeof the task. It may seemobvious: the purpose is totest your abiliry to write essaysor university or college n English. However, amomenr's reflection will make it clear that the test task is quite unlike a universityessay, ince t is typically 1 to 2 pagesong and is written on an unprepared topicin about 40 minutes. No university essays like that. Even in universiryexaminations,where you may have to write about two pages n half an hour, youare expected o have studied the subject n advance.

So let us considersome possiblepurposes or the English test essay. hese can besaid o be:a) to show that you are able to select elevant deasand information to

answera questionb) to show your knowledgeand understandingof the topicc) to show your abiliry in presentinga logical argumentd) to show your skills in organisingyour ideassystematicallye) to show your abiliry to use sophisticatedEnglishf) to show your basicgraspof English grammar and vocabulary.


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These questionscan be grouped into 4 categories,which reflect the 4 aspectsofan essay:'I. Understanding the question ( )

2. Knowing the subject (b)3. Thinking skills (a & d)4.Langaage skills (. & 0

How should thesebe ranked in importance?Here is what the IELIS Handbooksays or the Academic \Writing Thsk 2:

In Task 2 candidates are presented with a point of view or argument orproblem.Candidates are assessed n their ability to:. present the solution to a problem. present and justifr an opinion. compare and contrast evidence, opinions and implications. evaluate and challenge ideas, evidence or an argumentThe topics are of general interest and it makes no difference what subjectscandidates study. The issues raised are interesting, suitable for and easilyunderstood by candidates entering postgraduate or undergraduate studies.

This shows hat your knowledge of the topic is not the main emphasis n thistest. That is not surprising--*fter all, you are being examined for your writingabiliry in English, not for your knowledge.The main emphasis s in fact on yourabiliry to think and argue appropriately about a common issue.This is becauseuniversity studentsneed to be able to to analyseand discussproblems andsolutions, and evaluateand express pinions. University study is not simplyabout presenting acts.

In order to argue appropriately there are two stagesnvolved: a) understandingthe question clearly,and b) being able to select he right method to presentanopinion in a suitableway. This meansorganising your ideasand your language.This book therefore dealswith these hree stages:

I. Understanding the questionII. Selecting and Presenting Ideas Appropriately

III. Appropriate Language Use


TheQuestionL Understondinghe QuestionThe first step n essaywriting is to analyse he essay ask which tells you what thetopic is, and alsogivesan indication of what kind of things you are expected osayabout the topic.Essay opics have 3 components:

1) the instruction words, telling you what to do2) the key words indicating the topic3) the words restricting the topic, indicating what aspectof the topic you

are asked o focus on.\Wewill consider these one by one.

L l The nstructionsLook at these asks:

a) Describe the role of the fnternet in modern society.b) Tbe enaironment is the m.ost mportant issttc n the utorld today. Discuss.

What are the instruction words?



In a) it is describeand in b) it is discuss.These rwo words indicate the two mostcommon rypes of essay hat one can write.If you are asked o describe something, then your essaywill mosdy presentfactsand not opinions. However, if you are asked o discusssomething, then youropinion is being asked or, and you are usuallyexpected o eaaluate omething, orto argue or or againstsomething.At universiryor collegeyou are expected o beable to discussproblems and ideas, ather than simply to report on facts,and sothe IELTS essay uestion presents common situation or a present-dayssueaboutwhich people have different opinions, and asksyou to give your own views onthis topic.Here is the rypical wording of an IELIS essay ask:

Present a written argument or case o an educated reader with nospecialist knowledge of the following topic:'Wbliue in a technohgical age. Hotueuer, tecltnology cnnnot solue all theutorldi problems. Therefore sornepeople argue that ue need to phce lessemphasison technological solutions and more on other aalues.To what extent do you agree or disagreewith this opinion?You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience to supportyour arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

The first part of the instruction makes t clear hata) you need to presenta seriousargument in a formai sryle (for an'educatedreader')b) you are not being tested on your deepknowledge or understanding of

the subject ('with no specialistknowledge').The last part of the instruction offers a suggestionabout what to include. ('Youshould useyour own ideas,knowledge and experienceo support your argumentswith examplesand relevantevidence.')Wewill deai with this more in the next section.Now let us look at the ouestion itself. This also has two components:

a) the description of the topic, which is usually expressed s a point ofview on a curfent situation and

b) a question asking you what your opinion is.


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Part a) is generallyexpressedn 1 to 3 sentences.One or two sentencesmay presenta statement or a question about a situation: ('\7e live in a technologicalage,buttechnologycannot solveall our problems').The secondpart will probably presenta conclusion hat somepeople draw from this situation ('thereforewe should placelessemphasison technology and more on other values').This is designed o helpyou to think about the contents. (More about this in the next section')Part b) asks he question. This may be phrased as to utltat extent doyou agree? rwhat isyour opinion?or doyou agreewith this?or words to that effect.Now what is your task?

a) to presentboth sidesof the argument?b) to either strongly support or strongly oppose he argument,depending on your own personalopinion?c) to partly support or partly oppose he lrgument, dependingon your

own personalopinion?The correct answer s either b) or c).The words to uthat extentmean the sameas tout murh. That is,your answerwillexpress ne of these attitudes:

a) I agreecompletelyb) I agreepartly and disagree ardyc) I disagreecompletely.

Many students eel that they need to presenta strong argument for or against anidea or proposition. This is not true. Even if the words to uthat extent do not appearin the quesrion, t is alwaysacceptable o agreeor disagreepartly with a proposition.There is another point to remember here.Although it is usuallyeasier o writewhat you actually believe, t is not absolutely necessary.f you do not have enoughideasor examples o support the side of an argument that you want to suPPort,you can alwayssaysomething like: on the one hand.,..., but on the other handand presentarguments or both sides.However, you should not simply contradictyourself.That is, you should not say agree n one sectionand then I disagreeinthe next paragraphs.That soundsas f you are simply confusedor are not expressingwhat you think at all. Vhat you can say s: Theseare some argumentsfor andtlteseare someargarnenE agairrt, and so I only partly agree disagree,Or you cansay: Tbere are good arguments on both sides, but on tlte tahole I prefer the



argumentsfor / against. (Of course you would not use theseactual words. Theyonly summarise he possibleunderlying meanings n your essay.)Remember, you are not being examined on your opinions, but only on how wellyou can expressand support some ntelligent ideas,whether they are your ownor not.1,2 Key ermsThis is usually the easiest art of the essayo dealwith. Normally the key wordsdeal with a familiar topic, such as he Internet, or television,or technology ingeneral.This is because he examiners are not testing you for your knowledge, butrather for your abiliry to write well. Therefore the topics chosenwill be aboutconceptsand issues hat they expect every educatedperson to know somethingabout. Common topics nclude:

Edtr..tioriThe environmentInformation TechnologyThe mediaAdvertising / consumer issuesSocial problemsHealthLifestyles (including life in cities, traffic problems, quality of life)Culture and society (music, art, literature, television etc.)Foreign languages and travelSportScientific research (including genetic engineering, sPace ravel)Ethical issues (right and wrong behaviour such as the treatment ofanimals, law enforcement etc.)

Try to thinh of other topics that you hnow ltaue beenused n preuious examina-tions, or that you thinh might occur.You can find sample questions on all of these topics in Appendix A.In order to be preparedwith ideason such key concepts, t is necessaryo keepup to datewith the major issues eing discussedn the world. The editorial pagesof newspapers nd newsmagazinesare mportant sourcesof such information, asare current affairsradio and television programs.


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2,Anolysinghe QuestionUnderstandingthe questionmeansmore than understanding the instructions orthe words of the question. It meansrecognising he focus of the question, andknowing what approach you should take to the topic.This is, in some ways, the most important aspect of writing the essay, nd requiresthe most thought. You should therefore be prepared o spend at least3 minutesthinking about what approach o take to the question.The handbook, you remember,explains hat

Candidates are assessed n their ability to:. present the solution to a problem. present and justifr an opinion. compare and contrast evidence, opinions and implicationse evaluate and challenge ideas, evidence or an argument.

You will thereforeneed to decidewhich of theseapproachess the one requiredfor any particular question.You will alsoneed to know when and how much touse definitions and examples.

In this sectionwe will dealwith the following featuresof a discussionorargument essay:The FocusThe ContextDefinitionsExamples

2,1Findinghe FocusIt is very important to look at the actual question words very closely.Studentssometimes ump to conclusionsabout what they should write by just looking atthe topic, and not at the focus of the topic. Consider the following questions:

a) Many people belieae hat the Internet is tlte most reaolutionarynew inaention of the last century. Do you agree?

b) The Internet has reuolutionised the modcrn uorld, but manypeople argae that it has ako created neu problems and inequalities.rl{hat isyour opinion?

c) The Internet could reuolutionise the tporld in future, if eueryonecould haue easyAccesso all the inforrnation that is aaaikble onthe W'orld rYidz \Veb.Do you agree or disagree uitb this statetnent?


EssoyWriting or English ests

In eachof the above he topic is the Internet and its revolutionary role in theworld. So you must have a basic dea about what the Internet involvesand thinkabout what reuolutionisemeans, .e. makefandamental changes.Howeveq each onealsoraisesa different questionand must be answereddifferently. It is necessaryto look at the remaining words carefully to seewhat is required:

a) is the most revolutionary new invention of the last century.b) has revolutionised he modern world, but it has also creatednew

problems and inequalities.c) could revolutionise he world in future, if everyonecould have easy

accesso all the information that is availableon the'World Vide'Web.You can see hat a) involves comparing the Internet with other inventions, andarguingthat it is, or is not, the most revolutionary.On the other hand b) expectsyou ro accept hat it is revolutionary,and to considerboth its benefitsand theproblems t has created.Finally c) wants you to speculateabout the future, and toconsiderhow much you believe he future benefitswill change he world.

2,2Understondinghe ContextRemember that the IELIS Handbook says hat the topics are of general interestand it mahesno difference tahat subjects candidates study,It goeson to say thatThe issuesaised are interesting, saitable for and easily understood by candidatesentering ltostgraduate or undergraduate studies.The question is alwaysbasedon an issue,or a problem.which you areasked oanalyseand presentan opinion on. If something is considereda probiem or anissue, t means har reasonable eoplemust have conflicting opinions on the topic.You would not, for example,expect a question like this: Somelteoph consider hatmurder is urong, Tb rahat extent do you agree? ince there is not much to be saidin favour of murder. In other words, it is not just some people who think thatmurder is wrong, but basicallyeverybody. t is not an issue.However, ook at thisquestion: Somepeoph think that murderers should be executed.To uthat extent doyou agree?Here the question is about what to do about murder, and that is verycontroversial Therearevery strong opinions about this on both sidesand youneed to be awareof these o dealwith such a topic. (In fact it is unlikely that IELISwill presentyou with very political or emotional issuesike this')You therefore need to think, before you plan your own answe why the questionis considered o be an issueor a problem by the examiners. ?'hat are the different



opinions that might existon the topic?*Vhat is the context in which this topic iscontroversial? hat is to say,who are ie peoplewho areconcernedabout it and why?It is alsonecessaryo interpret the underlying meaning of a question.Sometimesthe wording can be quite different berween wo questions,but the underlyingconceptsare the samebecause f the context.

IASKIn the following questions the wording is different but the underlyingmeaning is sometimes the same. Test your ability to interpret topics byidentifring which of the following basically ask the same question. (In eachcase he statement would be followed by a question asking for your opinion.)

a) Tbrtiary education is of greater benefit to tlte indiaidual receiuing ttban to the societlt as a ultol.e. h is therefore not dzsirabl"efor goaert rnentsto spend the ttucPalers'money on supPorting students ust so that tbeycAn earn rnore mone in future.

b) Parents haue a greater influence on their childreni future successhanschoobdo. Goaernmentssltould. hereforeprouide parent naining courses'ratlter than 'teaclter training courses'.

) Free tertiary education is essentialfor eaer countr since tertiarygraduates are tlte only quaffied and educated peoPle that can helpcountries to ?rogress in the modern utorld.

d) Education is the most important source of children\ deuelopment,Nomatter uhat their bacbground, if children ltaue good schookandteaclters hey can progress, Gouernmentssltould thereforeput theirmajor resourcesnto scltool education.

e) Modern scienceand technologjtcan solaeeuironmental problems, sucltas pollation and ghbal uarming, tf *t "Ppb mough resourceso researclt,

f) People tltrougltout the uorld are ignoring the dangers of enuironmentalpollution and of global utarming in the ltope that scimce and technologycanf.nd solutions. Tbis is not true. W'eall need to tahe responsibility forthe damage u)eAre causing and rnust change our life-styles.

a Answer Key


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TASKChoose 3 questions &om Appendix A and consider what dre context mightbe for them: what kind of people might be most concerned about the issue,and for what reasons could these topics be considered problematic?(Discuss n groups if you are in a class.)

2,3Defininghe TermsSome books and teachers ell you that you must define the terms that you use sothat the readerwill understandyou. This is sometimes rue, but it is necessaryobe sensibleabout it. For example, ook again at two of the examplesgiven in2.1:

a) Many peoph belieue hat the Internet is the most reuolutionary neuinuention of the last century. To uhat extent do you agree?

b) The Internet ltas reaolutionised the modern uorld, but it bas akocreated netaprobhms and inequalities, Do you agree?

\Vhich of the following terms do you think need defining?Internet; reuolutionary / reuolutionise; neut inaention; nlodern uorld;dangers; inequalities; eas access; 'World \Vide \Yeb.

The "educated eader" that the IELTS test asksyou to write for can be assumedto understand these: Interneti neut inuention; modern urorld; easy access;.World Vide W'eb.However, the term reaolutionary or reaolutionise can be interpreted differently,and in fact you need to explain what you mean by it in question a) otherwise youcannot answer he question. However, that doesnot mean that you need to definethe terms directly.You will need to give an indirect definition of the degreeofchange mplied, by showing how important you think the changesare that havebeen produced by the Internet, and whether these changesare more important anddramatic than other changes.


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For question b) it is probably not necessary o concern yourself with this term,becauseyou need to focus on the problems and inequalities, rather than on thedegreeof change In this caseyou would be dealingwith indirect definitions ofthese wo concepts. See4.2 on p.20, for a discussionon evaluation in definitions.)Now consideragain the first sample opic given in this book, and comPare t withthe samplegiven in the IELfS Handbook:

\Y'e iae in a technological age. Houteuer, technology cAnnot solae all theworld\ problems. Therefore somepeoPle argue tltat we need to phce lessempharison tecltnological solutions and more on other aalue*

Now look at the sampletopic given in the IELIS Handbook:Presenta written argument or case o an educated eaderwith nospecialist nowledge of the following topic:It is ineuitable that as tecltnologjt deuelops traditional cuhures must belost. Tbchnologyand tradition are incompatible - lou cnnnot haue bothtogetlter.You should use your own ideas,knowledge and experience o suPPortyour argumentswith examplesand relevant evidence.

Do the rwo topics ask the same question or not? Both are about technology,andin both casesechnology is contrastedwith something else.The focus in the firstquestion is on contrasting technology with other ualueswhile in the second questionit is contrastedwith taditional cubure. Whether you treat thesequestionsasbasically he sameor not dependson your definition of *adition end of otheraalues.Both arevery broad terms) and can be interpreted in different ways, andhere t is important to take time to considerwhat they mean to the averageeducatedreader,and what they mean to you. If you think of traditional cuhure asdealing only with material objects, such asfood and clothing, then you will discussthis in one way. If you also nclude socialactivities such as music and danceandtheatre, hen you may give a different answer.And if you include conceptssuchas religion and social behaviour, then you will be able to considerboth questionsas basicallydealingwith the sameconcepts,since other values n this casewouldbe included tn traditional cuhure.



It is up to you to decidehow broadly you want to consider the definition oftraditional culture,but you must make your concept clear to your reader. n thesameway, f you have the first question to dealwith, you must indicate what youmean by otlter ualues.It is not necessary o give a formal definition, which is very difficult to do. In otherwords, you do not need to write: Tiaditional culture can be dfined as.....Instead you can wrire something like: By *aditional cuhure I mean not only thethings that peoph mahe, lihe hand-wouen clntlt or ltouses,but abo their ceremoniesand performances,such as mu.sicand dance.ln other words, you can give examplesto help you to define.'W'hat about the terms technology and technological age?Do they need defining?Not really - again it would be enough to give examples'

TASKLook at the above two questions again and think about their foculIf youdecide to define traditional cuhure more or less in the same way as otherualuescould you write basically the same essay or both?

Time: It is worfi spending enough dme on stage1 to nsure hat your essayanswershe question as t was intended by the examiners. f you spend 2 or 3minutes thinking about the topic, it may seem ike a iong time during anexam, but it is time well spent if it helps you to write confidently andappropriately.


Selecting nd Presentingdeos3, FindingdeosIn an essay f 250 words, to be written in 40 minutes,you cannotbe too ambitiousabout what you write. Some studentsmake the mistake of trying to express erydeep deasand they never get past writing an introducdon to what would be along essayf there was time. On the other hand, if you do not have any specificideasat all you may find yourself saying only one thing over and over again inseveral ifferent ways.This is not the way to get a good score.Look at thefollowing example:

TheInternet hasprouided great benef.ts o modern societybecauset has helpedeuerlonen their work. It mahes uerythingeasier.t hashelpedall sectors fsociety.Withouttlte Internet,euerythings rnuchmoredfficuh and tahes longtime.But sincewe taue lteInterneteuery ind of uork is muclt easiero do.Thereforelte Internet hasprouided great benefts to eaerlone.

This little 'bssay''saysalmost nothing. There is virtually no information and thereare no ideas. f someonewhose English is not very accuratewrites like this, thereaderhas no ideas o think about and will only notice the grammaticalandvocabularymistakes.Generallywhat you need is to havea basic proposition statement (e.g.one thatanswers he question to urhat extentby indicating a great deal, a linle, partly(seeabove) plus about three points or examples o support your argument.


V EssoyWritingor English ests

Three is a good number (although it can be lessor more), since hat givesyou a5 paragraphessay, hich is about the right length:

Paragraph1 Introduction2 Supportingpoint3 Supportingpoint4 Supportingpoint5 Conclusion

The easiest ay to find and organisedeas s to brainstorm.

3,I BroinstormingIn order to organiseyour ideas or a topic, it is first of all necessaryo pin themdown. Most students ind that the best way to dealwith this is to brainstormtheir ideas irst. This simply means otting down any concePts hat come intoyour head associatedwith the given topic, in note form, and in random order(i.e. in any order in which they occur to you).Let us look at a simple example.The question may be:

Tlte Internet ltas reuolutionised tlte rnodern uorld, but it has ako creatednetuproblems and inequalities. Do you agree?

\7e need to find ideas or both parts of the question -+he revolutionising effectof the Internet, and also ts problems. \Wemight come up with the following:

banking on l ine hopp ing enra i l chet - roomsdistenceducet ion hacking informai ionor reseetch

oir l ine ookings concert lheelrc ookings PornograPhyinformat ionot research businessomnunicei ion

shar ingnfornrat ion:or pol ice tc. and or terror ists virusesP00rPeoPleave o accesslefi out


EssoyWriting or English ests 1 5

TASK'Write a brainstormed list of ideas relating to the topic:

Children gend far too much time in front of teleuision and computerscreens.Their time should be strictly controlled.Discuss your ideaswith someone else.You can also practise brainstormingwith other topics from the list provided in the appendix. The more youpractise, the easier t will be for you to think of ideas quickly during thetest.

ut Answer Key

3.2FindingMore deosIf you are having difficulties thinking up ideasat the right level of generalisation(seep.26 for a discussionabout this), then a good technique is to think of veryspecific,concreteexamples,and then try to find a higher level of abstraction thatthe examplesbelong to. Let me explain this with a simple illustration. Imaginethat you are asked to write about this: The importance of animak to people s notalwaysrecognised.Weshouldpa rnore dttention to how we look afier and protectanimals.First you need to think about how important animals are to peopleBegin by thinking of specificanimals --+nyanimals, nciuding insects:

c0r{mosquito sheep

kanaoo butterfly

Now organise heseunder a higher level of classification,e g.

l i onaldog

DOMESTICNIMATScow catdog sheep

WILD NlttlAtSl i onka aoo

INSECTSrnosqutobuttefly


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Think again, and come up with a sub-division of domestic animals:

ANIMALS HOSERODUCTSEUSEc0 w

sh ep

PETSdogca l

Under insectswe have harmful ones-srosquitoes, and useful ones-butterflies,which help to pollinate plants.Now we can go back to our topic, the importance of animals to people, and wecan say:1) someanimalsare mportant to us directly becausewe use heir products

(e.g.cows,sheep, oatsetc.)2) someanimalsgive us pleasureas pets (dogs,cats, birds etc.)3) someanimalshelp us indirecdy e.g.by pollinating plants (bumerflies,bees etc.)4) some animalsare ust interestingand amract ourists (lions,kangaroosetc.)

And i[ after thinking all that in our brainstorming and classifying,we suddenlythink of horses,we may add the categoryof animab that uorh for zs (and thenrememberwater buffaloes,donkeys,camelsetc.). In your essay ou will thenwrite about thesecategories f animals, rather than about individual species.This is a simple example,but the sameprinciple can be appiied to many topicsand it should help to provide ideas or you to write about.

TASKPractise brainstorming concrete ideas and then classifring them underabsffact headings as in the above example with the following topics:

a) People should not utorh too hard - th"y should remember theimportance of leisure actiaities.

b) Education is the ntost irnPortant possession lterson can ltaae.,) Ciry ife is toostessful.

a Ansuter Key


EssoyWritingor English ests r73,3Using xomplesIn all essays ou must give specific points to support your argument. Sometimesa topic will be quite abstractand it is important to realise hat you need to useexamples o support your point of view - and to make sure hat you haveenough to say The IELfS examination question itself specifieshat You shoulduse your own ideas, knowledge and experience to suPPort your argumentswith examples and relevant evidence.Look at this topic:

Young peoph are said to baue hst ntan of the traditional aalues of theolder generation. This does not ntatter, because he old aalueshaue norebuance in the modern utorld. Wb need to deuelop a urhoh neut set ofualues.Do you suPPort this statement?

M*y studentsmake the mistake of trying to write only in generalstatementsabouta topic like rhis.That is difficult to do, because ou need very abstract,philosophicallanguage o do it well. It is much better to think of specificexamplesof values andto use wo or three of these o illustrate and support your point of view.

3,4The Whot f Not"SituotionIt can happen that you are facedwith a question tiat you have never thought aboutat all, and where it is difficult to think of concreteexamples.Remember,however,that the examinersselect opics which have been consideredcontroversial by manypeople and that there is alwaysa social context for thesequestions. magine, forexample, hat you get a question about whether you think the governmentshouldfund more researchnto the causes f cancer.All you know is that cancer sdangerousand kills many people. How are you going to write at least250 wordson this question?The first step is to think about why anyonewould suggest his question.Thereare two componenrs o the question:a) the problem of cancerand b) the questionof funding for research who should do it? It may be very difficult for you tosayanything sensible n answer o the first question if you do not know any factsabout cancer.However, the secondquestion should give you some deas o work with. Even ifyou know nothing about cancerresearch ou can think about the uthat if not?'situation. That is to say: rYbat if the gounnment doesnotfund this research?\Who should fund it? Should medical research e conductedby governmentsorby private institutions? If it is funded by private institutions, who pays and why?



Or perhapsno one will pay, and the researchwill not be done. On the otherhand, if the government does und this research, rom what budget is it to come?(Do not assume hat governmentshave an endlesssupply of money, as studentsoften do in their essays )f the government doesnot fund this research, an ituse the samemoney for more useful medical work, such as health education toprevent common diseases?If you follow this line of thinking you will be able to write a greatdeal, withouthaving to know very much about canceror cancerresearch, ecausebasically hequestion is about money: government as againstprivate spending on health, orthe priorities in health spending n caseswhere funds are imited.These kinds of ideas can also be brainstormed by jotting down notes on thequestion part of your paper.The examiner will not look at any notesyou make.

3,5Looking f the OtherSideRemember that if you are presenting an argument it is not necessaryo presentonly the points that support your side of the argument. In fact, if you want tobe convincing and to give a balancedstatement, you need to look at what thesupporters of the other side are ikely to say,and to give a response o that. Thiswill also give you many more ideas o write about.For example, ook at this topic:

In euery city the car is hing of the road. Cars cause death and injury andair pollution and they mahe life dangerousfo, otlters. It is time to reducetlte number of cars in our cities and to encourage otlter mearu of transport.

There are already our argumentsgiven to support the statement.To theseyoucould add traffic congestion,roadsdestroying the landscapeand making itunsafe or children to play outside their housesetc. Now what are the counter-arguments?You could suggest hat strict speed imits can be implemented, thatcar enginesare already causing esspollution than before and that researchslikely to produce clean fuels in the near future, and that specialwalking pathsand bicycle paths are already n use n some countries.



TASKMake up a list of arguments that supPort tlte useof the car, and then try tofrnd counter-arguments against these. Be carefi.rl o make sure that thecounrer-argurnents do not introduce different arguments - they mustpresent directly opposing arguments to the ones given.

a Answer Ke

4, SelectingdeosThere are a number of concepts hat you must be clearabout becausehey areinvolved in everykind of writing that you will do. You must be awareof the factthat you will nearly alwaysbe dealing with problems and solutions, that aboveall you are evaluating ideasand solutionsas you write, and that you must selectideasthat are relevant, that are at the right level ofgeneralisation, and that areranked logically for the topic that you are writing about. \Wewill look at allthese ssues ow, and then go on to discuss ypical organisation Patterns n thenext section.

4,1Solutionso ProblemsCandidates are assessed n their ability to present the solution to a problem,the IELTS Handbook states. n fact, every topic is really a problem. If it werenot a problem, it would not be worth talking about' So, for example,you mightbe asked o consider this topic:

Most cities sufferfrom nffic congestion. Wat do you thinh should bedoneabout it?

To dealwith a question that asksyou directly to think of a solution, you shoulduse he brainstorming processGee3.1). Mostly, however,you will be offeredsome suggested olutions,and will be asked o consider them'There are a number of ways of considering possiblesolutions to problems. Inevery case,you will need to use evaluation. That is, you will need to evaluatehow good the possiblesolutionsare ikely to be. In the next section (OrganisingIdeas)we will look at rypical organisationpatterns for dealing with solutions toproblem, but first we must discuss he most important aspectof all your writing:



4.2Evaluotion\Thatever the task,whether it is problem-solving, looking at effectsorconsequences, efending an opinion, comparing and contrasting evidenceorideas,you will need to evaluate.Every essaywill involve an evaluation of ideas.That simply means hat you needto saywhether an idea or concept is good or bad, or better or worse thananother one. (SeeStage3 for the language equired.)In some caseshe question involves a definition which is an evaluation. In otherwords, the key terms of the question involve an evaluation. For example, ook atthis topic:

Modern technology ltas increased our mater;al taeahh but has decreasedour personal happiness. To uhat extent do you agree?

To be able to discuss his you need to give at least an indirect definition of whatyou mean by happiness. his cannot be defined in any objectiveway jt is aconcept that involvesvalues.[Seealso 5.3 Comparisons]

TASKLook at the following topics and decide which terms require an evaluation:

a) Tblnision doesmore harm tltan good, according to many nitics. Dolou agree uith this?

b) h is orten ckimed that teleuision andfi.lrns encourageaiobnce.'Whatisyour opinion?

c) Computers haue imltroued the quality of our liues. Do you agree?d) People n modern cities liue under too much stressand something

should be done about it, Do you agree?e) Tbo rnuch monEt is spent on sPort and not enough on serious cuhure

sucb as rnusic and art. This is mahing our societjt shallou',.a Ansuter Key



Studentsoften make the mistake of overstating heir argument. An evaluationshould be realistic and reasonable,not exaggerated, r over-idealistic,or basedon over'generalisations.See4.7 below.)Selecting deas nvolvesensuring that your points are relevant and at the rightlevel of generalisation.Before we can select he most relevantand appropriatepoints, we need to do a preliminary organisationof ideas,as shown below.

4,3Clossificotionf ldeosAfter brainstorming, and having looked at the topic again, your next step is toorganise he ideas hat you have otted down. This involves classi$'ingyour ideasinto logical categories, o that you can produce well-organisedparagraphs'Generally,more than one systemof classification s possiblebut there is usuallyone very obvious pattern. Let us iook at the exampleswe used beforeand find asimple pattern. \What follows is just an exampleof how you might think aboutclassifying our ideas. t is there as a generalguideline, not asa model to becopied directly in any way.in 3.1 we looked at this question:

Tlte Internet ltas reuolutionised tlte modern tuorld, but it has ako createdneu problems and inequalities. Do you agree?

tVe then brainstormed the followine ideas:

banking onl inehopping ema i l chat-roomsdis tanceducat ion hack ing infornetionor reseatch

ai r l ineookings concerttheelrcookings PofnogsPhyinformationor esearch businessommunicat ionsharingnformation:orpol ice lc.ond or ertor ists uiruses

P00r eoPleeve oeccesslef i out

21



These deascan be classified nder the two categories f positive and negativeeffects:

P0stTtvEbanking; n l inehopping; is tenceducet ion; i r l ine ookings;concertlheetrcookings; usinessommunicetions;maihinfornret ionor esearch;chat-rooms; ol ice tc. haringnformation

NEEATIVEhacking;ornography;etror istsharingnforrnsl ion;Poor eoPleave oaccessleftout

However, his s still not a satisfactory lassificationo work with. 'Wecanalsoclassifr he activities ccording o 3 different ypes:business ctivities;educational / research ctivities; communication, and then we canend up withthis kind of organisation:

BUSINESSCTI \ / IT IES INFORMATIONRESEARC|{ COMMUNICATIONPosive:

bus inessommunicat ionemel

shar ingnfochat-oomspol icehor ingnfo

Postive: Postive:

Negaiive:haskersPornogaphy

l'legl ve: N gative:n0accessorpoor eople terror isfsharingnfo

Once you havegot this level of classification, t is easy o write your essaysystematically. ou may not useall of the ideas,but you have a clear paragraphstructure for your essay o follow, and you can decide next how much detail toput into in each category.

onl ineanking d is tonceducet iononlinehopping info.or reseerchai r l ineookingsconcerlookingstheatreookings



4,4 ypes of clossificotionAs we said before (4.2),because he essay opic requiresyou to express nopinion, you will need to evaluate something. In order to do that you willfrequently find yourselfwith a classificationas above, nto positive and negativefeatures.Another way of thinking about such topics is that you have to make a comparison.You are comparing the positive features with the negative ones.For example:'Monqr cunnot buy happiness'it is often ckimed. But uitlt monry you can

buy most of the things tltat are necessaryfor happiness:goodfood;accomrnodation etc. No urondzr rnostpeople uant to mahe as much monryas possible. Do you agree or disagree?

Sometimesyou may be asked o speculateor suggestalternatives o an existingsituation. In that case ou will be comparing the situation that exists n theworld with what some people think should exist. [See5.3 Comparisons]For example:'W'eare surrounded by aduertising. Somepeople thinh that this isgood

because t giues us a choice as consurners,but otlters argue that it rnahespeople selfish and greedyfor more and more goods.Do you thinh thneshould be lessaduertising?

Some topics only require you to consider he consequences f something, i.e' acause-effect elationship,as well asgiving an evaluation of the effbcts. See5.2Consequences] n eachof thesecases ou still need to classifr the ideas hat youhave according to the type of features involved, aswe did above.\Wewill deal with each of these ypes of questionsmore later.Now try your skillat classifying eatures.



IASK8Consider the following topic and then look at the brainstormed ideas whichfollow and organise them according to both cause and effect and the type offeatures involved:

Indurtrialisation is leading to tlte destuction of the earth as a homeforhumans and anirnab. Tb uthat extent do you agree ltat this is true?

factor ies air pol lut ion weste isposal catsrubb ish p las l i c t c . wa te r o l lu t ion f i shdy ing

deforestat ion sninals ndangered lack f f reshwater

a AnsuterKeyTASK

Do the samewith the following, but use an evaluationclassificationscheme,aswell as appropriatecategories f features as n the examplen 4.3):

Many modernchildren spenda great deal of time sining in /iont of ateleuisionor compaterscreen.This is extremelyharmful for theirdeuelopment. herefore arentsshould. nictly lirnit the time that childrenspend his utay.Do you agree?

entertainneni educationalnformetion netvs f i lmsgeneralnowledge music sport rvestesine

conmunicationhroughomPuter homeworkotdonenotenoughrercise:arrnsodies hetmsyes nosociel isingfr iends

advert isingnekeseopleuy nnecessaryhings

a AnsuterKe



4,5Selecting elevontdeosAfter brainstorming and while classifring your ideas, t is necessaryo eliminateany points that arenor relevant.At this point it is useful to look at the questionagain, o make sure that the ideas hat you chooseare not only on the topic, butalso elevant o the question.

TASKOImagine that for the abovequestion the following list of points have beenbrainstormed or the negativeasPectof TV and computer use:

bador heeyes childrennayorgelo eal don' t ohomewotkwasieime nophysicalxetcise notenoughleep

computeramesre xpensive chi ldrenon' teatno becreativeargurnenisn he amily boui hafo wetch

Which of the abovepoints would you say are rrelevant o answering hequestion?

a AnsuterKey



4,6Levelof GenerolisotionOne basison which to select elevant deas s to ensure hat you choosepoints atthe right level of generalisation. n other words, it is necessaryo eliminate small,trivial points or examples,and at the same ime not to try to tackle concepts hatare too broad for such a short essay.For example, f you were asked o write on the topic:

Tlte enuirownent is one of the most imltortant issuesn the uorld today,but gouernmentsAre not doing enough about it. Tb u.,hat extent do youthinh that indiuiduab can help to protect the enaironment?

you might think of the following ideas:

recycl ingesteateriel nolsev inglect r ic i ty ed calion

keepinghe ard fyour ouseleanrestr ici ingse f water using ore

throwingubbishroundcampaignsor hepubl ic

reducingse fpeckagingpublicransport

If you look at the question again you will see hat, on the one hand educationalcampaignsfor thepublic is too broad a concept jt is not something thatindividuals can normally undertake, while on the other hand heEing theyard ofyour hou.se leanis too trivial. That is to say, t is not something that is going tohelp to protect the environment in general, t is simply something that everyoneshould do anyway.The other points are at the right level of generalisation,andyou would need to work with these,by classifring and ranking them. (See4.3and 5 .1 . )Now test yourself on the following:



TASK IConsider this topic:

'Money cannot buy happiness'it is often claimed. But urith moneyyou canbuy most of the things tltat are necessaryfor ltapltiness: good food,accornrnodation etc, No tuonder tltat ntost peoPle raant to mahe as muchrnone aspossibh. Do you agree or disagree?

Here are some brainstormed ideas for this topic:

t0Rhealthyoods expensive good ousengood ntl ironment

good ntertainmenloodoctors cen ivemoneyo PooI eoPleiransport:t{n er otYneroPlone ttevel

setupbigprojectikeartgal leryrsportstadiumoryour ity

AEAISTcould arnbleoneywey highaxes

chi ldrenouldrgueboutnher i tance can' t uyr iendsdef in i t ionf 'happiness ' :P i r i tua l i ly cen ' t uyove

'Which of the above points would you eliminate because hey are too broador too specific or too far off the main idea to be relevant?

a Answer Key



4,7Overgenerolisotionsnd ExoggerotionGeneralisationsare necessary.fle cannot make any sensibleconclusions aboutanything without generalising rom specific examples.Especially n yourintroduction, topic sentences nd conclusion (SeeStage3) you will need togeneralise However, there is a danger of over-generalisation. Over-generalisations(or sueepinggerueralisationss they are also called) do not help your argument,because hey give the impression that you are not very thoughtful. Considertheseexamples:

i) Euerybodyuses he Internet nowadays.ii) No-one cAn run a businesswitltout information tecltnology.iii) Any business an be successfulif t usesmodern information tecltnologt.

These are clearly over-generalisationsr exaggerations, nd would not help yourargument. An essays not a political speechor a form of advertising

TASK2'Which of the following are reasonable evaluations and which are over-generalisations or exaggerations?Put a mark against any of the followingwhich are not reasonable statements. You may find it easier to discuss thiswith someone.

1. Tbleuision as a teniblt tfrn on loung minds.2. The destruction of our enuironment s the most serious ssueuteface, because

uithout enoughclean air and water ue cannot liue.3. Unhssgoaernments fiictly controltlte useof the Internet uorA terrorism

will desnoy us all.4. Examinations can lead to high leuelsof sness nd euensuicide in students.5. Indusny causesmostpollution and thereforeneeds o be made responsiblefor

preaenting it.6. Improuedpublic transport is a muclt better solution to trffic problems than

building rnoreroads.7. If thegouernrnent rouidesbetterpublic transport thereutill be no rnore

nofrt congestionn our cities.8. Peoplewho clairn that nuclear energJ/s clean are ignoring the dangersof

nuclearaccidents.Radiation is not'clean'.



9. Nuclearenergl s the onlypossible olution o our energJ/eedsn thefuture.10. If eueryoneearnso speak nglish henall thepeoplen the worlduill be

able o understandach therand thenu)ecAn iue n peace ith each tlter.a Ansuer Kel

TASK3Read the following essaysand think about which one is more satisfactory.Pay special attention to generalisations and exaggeration'

t17.Modern technologlthas mproued the utorld in tltree uery mportant uals. It hasgiuenpeoplemoretime, it has sauedenormousAmountsof human energ)/, nd it hasmade it possiblefor eueryoneo communicateuith eachother easi$t.

Time and ffirt hauebeensaued n the utorhplnce nd in the ltorne. n manufacturingfor example, t is no longer necessar o spendhourspknning and designingproductsbecause omputerscan do this quickly. Farmersdo not need oplant their ltaruestslorulyby hand; theycan useequipment lihe light aircrafi for souing seeds nd largeharuestingmachines o do the worh quichly. Houseutiaesan spendmoretime u)iththeir friends, while the utashingmachine and the dishwasher aash he clotltesandthe dishesfor them.

In the same pa energ s saued.There s no needfor hard physical u.,orkAn more,becausenodernrnachines an do it all. Because f modern technologlt eoPlecanrekx, tultere before hey had to uork uery ltard.

Another great improuementhas been n cornmunications.Because f communicationslstems uch as telephones,fax machines,mobilepltones, eleuisionetc.,and the useofsatellites,xae dn hnotanthat is happeningdt an time in al l parts of the utorld. Thisleads o better understanding,so there s no needfor u)drs,and countriescan helpeachother.For example, f there s an earthquake n onecountry,PeoPlen otltercountriescanfnd out about it immediately and sendhelp to tlte uictims.

For all these easonshe raorld is nout a much betterplace than in earlier times,because f the aduantagesbrought b1' modern technology.


30 EssoyWritingor English estsB,Euerytonehinks that the uorld ltas been mproued through modern technology,butthis is not true because ouadays tltere are no more naditional shills and euerybodysbecoming lte same, no mltter uthat country they iue in, and aboueall thereAre nomorespiritual ualues efi.

In the olden days, uhen people had to rnahe lteir oun buildings, and tlteir outnclothes,and their own entertdinment, theyhad many naditional skills and ualues.Eaclt area had ix own styleof architecture,for exdmple,and people utereproud oftheir crafismanship.Nout all houses re made of concrete nd glassand steeland thelall look tlte same,no matter wltereyou are. All ouer lte utorld people wear the samemass-produced lothesand theyeuenwatclt tlte same mass-produced ntertainment ontheir teleuisions ets.Youcan hear the samepop songs n euer countr in the utorld,and localpeople no longerproduce their outn taditional cuhuralforms of music anddance.Eueryorue oeswhateuer he ldtestdance ashion is.

Tltis means hat peopleall ouer he world are becoming lte same.Euerybodyseesltesamefilms and ltears he samemusic and so they all start to think tlte same.AII thEttaant is more of the sAmeconsumer oods,no mdtter uthere hry liue. Tltis means hattlte utorld is losingits spiritualualues as utellas its diuersity of cubure. In tlte end,no-one will haue an neu or indiuidual ideas becausemodern communicationtecltniques, uclt as satelliteteleuisionand the Internet, mean tltat ute are allbrainwashed n the same ud by the big mubi-national ou)nersof the massmedia. Inotlter words, ltqt can control us.

Modern technologymakes eople azy and greedltfor more consumergoods,and sothey lose heir spiritual ualues.They become elfsh and lose heir religion and do noteuencareabout the membersof their outnfamilies. Thq, put their small children intonurseries, heir sichpeople nto hospitalsand their old people nto old people'shomesand tlten thryforget about them. Modern technologl can look afier tltem, thqt think.

It is time westoppeduanting more modern technologjt nd taent bach to traditionalualues.

a Ansuter Ke



5. Orgonisingdeos5,I RonkingdeosOnce you have selected our points, you need to decide n what order to presentthem. This is important to show that you are n control of your material, andthat you understand the relative mportance of eachof the points you aremaking. In this secrionwe will deal with different patternsof organisation,butfirst of all you need to be awareof the need to rank ideasaccordingto one of thefoliowing methods:

a) from the most important to the least mportantb) from the most common to the least commonc) from the most general to the leastgenerald) from the earlier to the later (chronologicalorder)'

There are other systemspossible,but theseare the most obvious ones.There are a number of common organisationalpatterns hat you will find: causeand effect (consequences),comparisons, alternatives, and speculation, inaddition to the problem-solution and evaluation schemas hat we have alreadydiscussed.

5,2ConsequencesThe most obvious way of discussinga problem, in any situation, not just essays,is to look at the causesof (or reasons or) the existence f the problem, and thento considerwhat consequences r results (or effects) heremight be if certainsolutions are tried. For example, ook at this statement:

Parents should contol the amount of time that children spend in front ofteleuision or cornputer screens,This is a suggested olution to a problem and you would be expected o giveyour opinion on it. To do so you would need to a) discuss he consequences ftoo much time being spent in this way by children and b) discuss he consequencesof parents rying to control it .



In many cases term meaning causeor effect or result is given in the topicitself For example there might be this statement: Modzrnisation is leading to tltedestruction of the natural enaironmenr. In this caseyou will need to think ofexamples,as discussed bove.Often you will be given more details n the question itself. Here is an example:

At present ute rely on oil for most of our energ needs.Houteuer, oil is afossil fuel and causes ir pollution, and it uill eaentualfu run out. Nuclearenerg is the only practical and clean source of enngy for the utorld. Doyou agree?

Here you aregiven two causes nd two effbcts or oil: a) burning a fossil uelcauses ir pollution, and b) fossil fuelsare finite and as a result there will benone left one day.So you alreadyhave two negativeeffects o think about:pollution and lack of energy.Now you must consider he consequences f usingnuclear energy.The positive consequences re already mplied: it doesnot causeair pollution and it will not run out. But are there other negative consequences?Obviously, or we would all be using it. So, what are they? Once you havethought of theseyou will haveplenry to write about. That doesnot mean thatyou have to oppose he question.You can list the benefitsof nuclear energy ustmentioned, and you can then identify the negativeconsequences nd expiainthat thesecan be solved, or that they are not as seriousas the negative consequencesof using oil. Remember, t is your choice, whether you support or oppose hestatement, otally or pardy, but even f you support it you should not ignore theproblems.Apart from anything else,you would not have very much to writeabout if you ignore he problemson both sides. See3.5]Remember that whatever effectsor consequencesou decideto write about, theymust be relevant,of the right level of generalisation,and ranked according ohow significant they are.

TASK 4Think of as many negative consequences of using nuclear energy asyoucan.

a Answer Kel


EssoyWriting or English ests 335,3ComporisonsThe IELIS Handbook asksyou to be able to compare and contrast evidence,opinions and implications.In fact, if you think about it you will see hat evaluation is a kind of comparison,or that comparisonand contrast s a kind of evaluation. When you evaluatesomething, aswe said before, you are comparing the situation as it is with anideal situation. At the same ime, when you are comparing or contrasting rwothings you are evaluating hem againstsomeother set of criteria. For example, nthe above opic we are asked o compare oil and atomic energy as sourcesofenergy for our use.To do that we must have a set of standardsor criteria toevaluate hem against.What could thesebe?Look at this analysis:A perfect sourceof energywould fulfil the following criteria:

a) be cheap o produceb) be plentifulc) be easy o used) be clean o usee) be safe o usef) never run out

Now if we want to compare oil and nuclear energy we simply match eachoftheseagainst he criteria, and we find that oil is better than nuclear energy n a),c), e), while nuclear energy s better in the other criteria. However, that is notenough. \7e alsoneed to rank the criteria according to importance. In otherwords, we may agree hat nuclear energy s cleaner o usethan oil, but it is muchlesssafe,and for many people the safety actor is far more important than theproblem of air pollution. Besides,aswe sawabove, t is possible o providecounter-arguments,such as hat technology can make oil cleaner,but it cannever make radio-activity safer.So, at each step of the way you can consideradditional criteria for evaluation. Of course here is no time to go into a subjectas deeply as his in a test essay, nd there is no need to, but it is important to beaware of how any kind of analytical thinking will always involve some form ofevaluationand comparison.The more carefully and clearlyyou can identify thecriteria by which you judge or evaluateor compare something, the better yourthinking and your judgementswill be.



5,4AlternotivesSometimesyou have to think of alternatives to an existing situation. Look atthis topic again for example:

In euery city the car is hing of the road. Cars causedeath and injury andair pollution, and mahe life dfficuh and dangero^ fo, others. It is time toreduce the nurnber of cars in our cities and to encourageotlter means oftrans?ort. Do you agree uith this opinion?

Here you need to look at alternativemeansof transport, and evaluate hese.Becareful to be realistic n your discussionof the alternatives.Considering otherforms of transport is very like looking at the consequences f a poliry and, aswesaid above, t is necessaryo look at the situation honestly, and to acknowledgethe problems that exist on both sidesof the argument. Studentswho makeexaggerated laimsare not writing good essays.

TASK 5Vhich of the following alternativemeansof transport would be worth writingabout in an essayhat answers he abovequestion?

buseshel icopters

motorisedhree-wheelers

bicyclesundergroundra ins

motorbies

movingootpaths iramselevatedrains monorails

5,5SpeculotionIn some cases ou may be asked o think about an alternative hat doesnot exist,i.e. to speculateabout what might be. Here is an example of a topic like that:

As tltere is increasing unemployment in tlte utorld, uthile at the same timethose utlto haae obs are tuorhing harder and ltarder, it uould be better tohaae afour-day uorhing weehfor eaerlone, and so to create more obs.\Yhat isyour opinion about this suggestion?

Again, you must think about the possibleconsequences f this suggestion,andyou must evaluate heseagainst he criteria that you think aPply when talkingabout work and leisure.Once again, you should try to be realistic,and notexaggerate ith your suggestions.


EssoyWriting or Engli sh ests 35

TASK 6Study the following list of points that have been brainstormed in relation tothe topic given above. First, decide which points should be eliminatedbecause hey are irrelevant, or exaggerated, and then classifr the remainingpoints under suitable headings. Finally' rank the points in order ofimportance.I. Eueryone uould earn hss rnonEt - taould not haue enough to liae on.

2. People earning hss monqt taould Eend less,and this uould reducedernandfor goodsand seraicesand mahe tlte economy shrinh.

3. More time auay from utorh rneans more time for thefamily and friends.4. More free time means lnore opportunity to do things lihe sport, art, music.

5. More free time meanspeople a.re rnore bored drinhing andgambling.

6. Employers uould haueproblems naining and managing and payingrnorepeolrle.

7. 'Vhat about teachers?Vl'ould scltoob only operate on 4 days too, or uouldsome teachers only u.,orh I d"y a uteek?

8. If someoneou)ns tlteir oun small businessand has to utorh 6 or 7 days itis not fair for otlters to be uorhing only 4 days.

9. The unemployed are usually not qualified people, so the could not rtilthe obs anyuay tltat uould be created.

10. Imagine tltat you do a job for 4 days and then someoneebe comesanddoes t after you and they do not hnou, u,hatyou ltaue n mind and theyspoil it all.

a Ansuer Ke



TASK 7Finally, look at the following topics and decide which type of organisationpattern is mainly required in each caseicomParison;consequences;eualuation; examples;specuktion.

1 .The enuironrnent is one of the most imPortant issuesn the uorld today,but gouernmentsare not doing enough about it. Tb uthat extent do youthinh that indiuiduals can help to protect the enaironment

2. Most pollution, especiallyair and ruaterTtollution, is caused by industry.If rae utant to protect tlte enuironrnent ue should mahefactories andother forms of industry pal for all the pollution that tltey cause. That isthe only uay to mahe sure that the oranersutill mahe a seriousffirt toreduce the pollution that tbry cause.To uhat extent do you agree uitb this opinion?

3. Tb be successfuln education it is more important to be a good studenttltan to haue good teachers.W'ouldyou suPPort this staternent?

4. The increasing role of English in the taorld today means that thelearning of othn knguages is being neglected. This utill ltaue seriousresuhsfor tlte continued use of theseknguages and their cuhures.'lVhat isyour opinion on this staternent?

5. Tbbaccoand alcohol are d.rugs tltat cause ad.diction and heabh probbmsShould they be made ilhgal, l;he otlter drugs? Or should all drugs behgalised?rYhat do you thinh about these deas?

6 .'Ve hnou, tltat many hinds of animals feel pain and emotional sffiringjrct as ltumans do. h is therefore necessar o suPport animal rights asraell as ltuman rights,Do you agree?

a Answer Key


Writing6,UsingheRightGrommor ocobuloryndSVleNow that you haveselectedand organisedyour content you can focus on theactualwriting. This involves using the right grammar and vocabulary for eachofthe sectionsof the essay that is, the introduction, body and conclusion --+swell as making sure that the overall style is appropriate

6, GrommorNo matter how good your ideas or your outlining skills are, f you do not havesufficient control of correct English you cannot communicate your brilliance.Aswe said at the beginning, the basiccriterion for assessments your command ofEnglish, not the contents. Grammar is the infrastructure of your writing, and ifthat is weak, then a cleversuperstructureof ideaswill simply make the wholeessay ollaDse.

The most important preparation you can make for your test essay,herefore, sto ensure hat you have a good graspofthe essentials:

the tensesthe use of the passivecorrect use ofparts ofspeechcorrect clause structure (with subjects and finite verbs)


38 EssoyWritingor English estsAlthough many peopleworry about the correct useof the article and of prepositions,these are ess mportant than the aspectsmentioned above.They are more difficultto masterand errors are essdisturbing because hey usually do not interfere withunderstandingof meaning. That doesnot mean that you should ignore them, butmake sure you haveyour priorities rightA sentence ike this:

# The druebp of cheapabernatiue energ sources ill probably be surcessedn fuareis much worse than:

# Druebpment of cheapabernatiae energ sourceu.,illprobably succeedfor hefunre.(The correcr senrencewould of course be: The deuelopmentof a cheapabernatiueenerg)l ourcewill probably succeedn future.)

TASK8 DIAGNOSTICRAMMAR ESTTry to identifi' the errors n the following text. The AnswerKey will letyou know which aspects f grammar you may need o study more.

ComputersAre An essential art of our liues.Because llaspects of modernsocietyare fficted by them. Before we had coTnputersll transactionsnuoluedstoring and renieuing information u)ereuery time-consurningand hbour'intensiue.The dzuelopof personalcomPutersn particular ffict onPeoPle'siues becausesmall businessesan eds offird them and this makes heir tuorh morefficienry,Now anyonewlto studyat uniuersi4t need o learn ltou to usecomPuter.Mostlecturer expect ltat essay re ltped and in many subjectcalculation and othertask must also be done by computer.

In recent earssofiwarepackagesbecarne asier o useand so man Peoplewhothink before hat they are too old to learn had actually beenable to learn to dosimple uord processing.

Schools s utell as colleges reprouided computercou.rsesn deueloped ountries,but it is neededa big iruuestmentfor suchequipment to mahe auaikble tomany studentsand most scltook n deuelopingcountriescannot ffird this.

6. We could not knou whatfuture deuelopmentshere would be n this area butmostpeoPle hinh that comPutersaould be euenmore wide-spread n tltecomingyears. a Answer Ke

2.

3.



6,2Vocobulory\While grammar is one leg, vocabulary s the second eg for your writing to standon. But note that simple, correct English is better than experimentingwithsophisticatedvocabularyand getting it wrong You may try out unfamiliarvocabulary f you havea helpful teacher,but not during a testlThere are certainwords and phrases hat you can make a specialpoint of learning carefully becausethey are ikely to be used n most, if not all essays.Make sure hat you have enoughvocabularv for eachof the common catesories:

Evaluation (e.g.benefit, unsatisfactory)Consequence, cause,reason (e.g.outcome,produce,explanation)modifiers (e.g.significant, majority)connectors (under thesecircumstances,moreover)grouping nouns (aspect, actor, feature)

The best way to learn these s to look for examples n your reading and then copythem into your own personalvocabularybook under the appropriateheadings.Be careful to copy whole phrases,not just singlewords, so that you learn thecorrect use of the expressions.The correct useof a word involves knowing:

the exact meaningthe words that go with itthe grammatical features

For example:causeand reasondo not mean the samereasons followed by for whTlecauses followed by ofyou giuea reason,and you generallysltoua cause.due to is a preposition, and is followed by a noun or gerund, nota noun clause.

In other words, vocabulary and grammar go together. t is not enough to understandthe meaning of a word, approximately,when you are writing. It is essential olearn the accurateusageaswell.



7,TheSections f the Essoy7,.lThe ntroductionThe pulpose of the introduction is to let the readerknow

a) the topicb) the aspectof the topic being dealt withc) the stand (attitude) taken by the writer to the topic.

In other words, the introduction actually containsthe conclusionFor example, f the topic is:

Many rnodern children spend too rnuch time sining in front of a teleuisionscreen.This is extrerneb harmful to their deuelopment. ThereforeParentssltould strictly limit the time that children spend in this uay. Do youagree?

you should let your readerknow in the introduction whether your answer s yes,I agree,or no, I disagree. he rest of the essay hen providessupport for your argument.The structure of the introduction usually follows a common pattern. 'Io introducethe topic and explain why it is worthwhile talking about, you will normally needa statementsomething like this:

Tbleuisions so commonnolu that it is hard to imagine life without it.That is, the first sentence ypically makesa generalstatementabout a situation.The next statement hen narrows the topic down to a specificaspect hat hewriter will dealwith. For example:

Howeuer,as rnan peoPlehauepointed out, most children spend oo muclttime infont of the sueen, and this is harmful.

Note that the secondstatementoften contains the word but or houteuer,o showthat the writer has something new or different to say.For example, f the firstsentences:

Many peoplecornphin that children spenda greatproPortion of their liuesutatching eleuision.



then the secondstatementwould be more likely to present the opposite view,suchas :

This may be true in somecases, ut it is certainly not common enough o be aserious roblem.

It is, however,not always he case hat the second statement containsa but orltotueuer.t may also support and strengthen the first statement.Here aresome examples:

Tbleuision as become o muclt a Part of our liues hat man PeoPledo notrealisehout many hours thqt actually spend u.,atchingt, In fact, it has beenpointed out tltat most children utatchfar more teleuision han is goodfor them.

Here is another topic:The enaironment is one of the most important issues n the uorld today,but gouernmentsare not doing enouglt about it. To uhat extent do youthinh that indiaiduak can help to Protect the enuironment?Peopleare gradually becomingAtaAreof thefact that ute are desnoyingournatural enaironment.We should realise /tat none of the otherproblems hatuteface Are more mportant than this one, but clearlygouernrnents re nottahing a lead in dealing utith the issue. t is thereforeup to indiuidual citizensto do sometltingabout it.

Note: In the above example he writer's conclusion is presented n the thirdsentence.A statement, n this context, is not the same asa sentence.That is tosay, he writer's opinion is presentedas the second statement,but not necessarilythe second sentence.See he model essaysn Appendix B for more examples.

41

WARNING: You must avoid repeating he exactwords of the topic. Ifyou repeat he words, you can gain no marks,since they arenot yourwords. The examinerwill simply ignore them. If you paraphrase,ou :rredisplaying your language kills.Look again at the examples ivenabove,and seehow the first sentence neachcase s a paraphrase f the topic as t is given.



TASK 9The following are five introductions to the essay opic:

Modern technologlt tas increasedour material weahlt, but not ourhappiness. To tahat extent do you agree uitlt tltis statement?

However, the sentenceshave been jumbled. Find the first and second sentenceswhich belong together in each case, o make five different introductions.1. Euery countr in the world is aimingfor technologicaldeuelopment.

2. The most mportant thingfor happiness, outeuer,s not ltossessions,utrelationships.

3. For mostpeople, tecltnologicaldeuelopment neansan improuement n theirlife-style.

4. Their gouernments re not mahing their peoplemore contented, toweuer,asinequalities n society ontinue to grow.

5. Modern technologtcan prouide enormousbenefts in termsof materialgoods.

6. It seems lear ltoweuer, hat this is an old-fashioneduieu, and thattechnological nuentionsactually allow people to hauemore time and leisureto satisfii heir spiritual needs.

7. Tbchnology as brought many cltanges o peoples iues, not all of uthich arebeneficial.

8. Some eople claim that modern technologlts harrning society\spiritual andnaditional ualues.

9. Infact, in many cases eo?le hauesffired enormouslybecause f these hanges.

10. Howeuer uthile somePeoPleenjoy an easier ife, othersare ofien madeunemploled as a resuh of neut tecltnologlt, nd mostpeoplenowfeel insecureand unhappyas a resub.

a Ansuer Ke



TASK 0Select the best pair of sentences rom the following to introduce the topic:

The Internet has prouided great benefits, but at the same time it has alsocreated neraproblems and inequalities. Is it possible to control some oftheseproblems?

a) Most peoplewould like to ltaue accesso the Internet.b) The Internet haschangedour liues more tltan an other modrrn technologlt.t) Tlte Internet hasgiuen both aduantages nd disaduantageso our society.d) The Internet is a relatiuely neu phenolnenon.t) In fact, uith the Internet it is possible o do many things.

f) Howeuer,the Internet can help terrorists o communicate with each other.

d At the same ime it has reated An enormous ap betuteenltosewho haueAccesso it and tltose aho do not.h) On the other hand it ltas neated some roblems.

a Answer Ke

7 1,1Grommor nd Vocobuloryn he IntroductionThe introduction will normally be in the present tense (e.g.people compkin), orthe present continuous (peopleare gradually becoming aware), or in the presentperfect tense (peoplehauepointed out),After your introductory statement you need to connect the secondstatement (i.e.secondor third etc. sentence)either by showing contrast, or by adding emphasis:

Contrast Connectors: but, houeuex neaertlteless, y / in contrast, on theotlter hand, in spite of this, uhile, uhereas, ahhough.NOTE: IT IS VERY MPORTANT TO USE THESECORRECTLY.



Note: It is best to avoid starting a sentencewith But, since t is rather informalto do so. Houeaer is the most common and the most usefulword. It can be usedfor almost everysituation. Note, however, that it is often better to use t in thesecond position in the sentence.Avoid using on the contrary and take greatcarewith other connectors.

TASKISupply a suitable connector in the gaps in the following introductorysentences:a) Many people belieue ltat nuclear energ s clean.

it ispotentially rnoredangerous han any otlter technolog that we use.b) The Internet has broughtmanl oPportunities o people.

it has ako increasedhegap benreen ich and poor peopleand societies.

c) Wehaueclearlygained many beneftsfom modern technologlt.it can be argued that happiness oesnot depend on material comforts.

a AnsuterKelIASK22

'Write introductions for the following topics, remembering tora) write a generd statement in your first sentenceb) indicate your qwn position or stand on the topic in the second or

third sentence.c) paraphrase the words of the topic.

I. h isgenrally agreedthat the utorld. sfaring serious maironrnmul probhnx ofpollution, global uartning and the hss of resourcessucb asfresh utater. Somepeople beline that these roblems can be solaed by technological nuentionsand dnelopments, u,hile othersfeel strongly tltat ue can only solae heseprobbms by consuminghss,and liuingsimpbr W-tryl"t..Vhat isyour opinion?

2. Many people feel strongly that heahh seraices should be proaid.ed by thegoaernment and should befreely auaikble. Others argue that onlypriuatised heabh care can prouide good quality heabh seruices.Tb uhatextent do you belieuethat heahh and medical seruices hould bepriuatised?


EssoyWriiing or English ests 4>

7 2Ihe BodyThe body will rypically consist of about three paragraphs,presentingpoints tosupport your argument. You will have worked out your ideas n the planningstage,when organising your brainstormed ideas.Now it is simply a matter ofpresenting one main point in each paragraph.A paragraph s like a mini-essay, ince t is also a unit of writing. That meansthat, like in an essay, ou must let the readerknow as soon aspossiblewhat yourproposition or statement s, and then support it. This is usually done with atopic sentence.Let us look again at the classification n 4.3 of brainstormedideason the question about the Internet.

The Internet has reaolutionised tlte modern utorld, but it has abo createdneu problems and inequnlities. Do you agree?Our brainstorming produced the following ideas:

BUSINESSCTIVITIESPosive:

on l ineank ingonl inehoppingair l ine ookingsconcertookingstheetreookings

N gative:hackers

PofnogfePhy

INFORIIIATIONRESEARCHPostive:

distanceducationinfo. or research

N gotive:noeccessorpoor eople

COMMUNICATIONPostive:

businessonnunicet ioneme i lshar ingnfo

chat-oomspol icehar ingnfo

Negative:terrorisisharingnfo

First of all, we will look at which of the points we may want to delete. \Wewillwant to keep the main categories: usinessactivities, nformation / research(include education here, perhaps),and communication. Not all the details aregoing to be worth keeping, but at presentwe are only considering he topicsentences, o we can ignore that for now.



Next we need to ranl< he ideas n order of importance. Perhapswe can startwith businessactivities,becausehey are the most widespreaduse of the Internetat present,and then go on to talk about education, which is very important, andfinally discusspersonalcommunication.However,we alsoneed to discuss he positiveand negativeaspects. t this stagewe need to decidewhether to start with our three categories, nd list the positiveand negativeaspectswithin each,or to start with the positive aspects,isting al lthree categoriesn a row and then to move on to the negativeones.Eitherorganisationsystem s possible.Here is a suggestionabout how to constructtopic sentencesor the first system:

There s no doubt that the Internet has brought about an almost unbelieuablecltange n the utay business nd banking is conducted.

Next, we must go on to the negativeaspects, o our next paragraphcould beginsomething like this:

Houteuer, ince he Internet is not auailable to mostpeople n deuelopingcountries, t is clear that the gap betueen he rich and the poor countrieshasactually u.,idened normously ince online business nd banhing haue beenintroduced.

If we continue like this, we would end up with 6 paragraphsn the body (3categories positive and negative),which is too long for the test essay. o, tokeep it shorter, and to have a little variery you could introduce the positive andnegative deas ogether in the next paragraph'sopic sentence,ike this:

In educationand researclthe situation is similar: the Internet ltas madereuolutionary ltangesn thesefelds, but the kch of accessfor poorpeople ndpoor societiess creating seriousnequalities.

Notice how if you have a point that appears wice in your lists,you can use t tolink one paragraph o the next, as above(widened ap-+irnikr --seriotuneqrnlities).Finally, we need to mention communication in general,which is already coveredby some of the above points, aswell aspersonalcommunication. Again, we canlink the concepts:

The Internet basically nuoluescommunication, not only in business ndeducation,as mentionedaboue,but alsofor personal nformation excltange.



There s, of course, n almostendless umberof waysof introducing he sameconceptsat the beginning of each paragraph.The main points to remember are:

a) the introductory paragraph ntroduces the main idea of the essay, ndthe topic sentencesntroduce the main supporting ideas

b) the topic sentence ntroduces the main idea of the paragraph,and thefollowing sentences rovide supporting ideas or it.

7.2,1 ocobuloryn he BodyConnectorswill occur throughout the body of your essay. he most commonones are those that are usedfor listing, and for addition, for consequencesand foremphasis.The basic isting connectorsare:

firstly; secondly;the thirdfeature etc.; finally; in conclusion.

These are the most boring ones.Rather better are the ones that show addition:both..,and.;aho; not only....but abo....; furthennore; rnoreoaer;n add.ition.

Note: Do not overuse heseconnectors. t is very boring to read one of theseatthe beginning of eachsentenceNote also hat it is better to put also n the secondposition in the sentence, ot at the beginning.The most common connectorsshowing effects,results or consequencesare:

therefore; consequently; for this retnon; as a resuh; because of this.Note also: All of the above must start a new sentence +hey cannot be used tojoin clauses. or example

#Not eueryone as Accesso tlte Internet therefore t diuides communitiesis wrong. You can either usea semi-colon (;) or use and therefore.Connectors for emphasis are useful and include:

in fact; tabat is rnore; in particukr.\When giving examples you can use:

for examph; for instance; suclt as.Be carefulwith the latter: sucltascan NOT begin a clause. t is a preposition,followed by a noun (or gerund). (A"d pleaseneveruse #such ike, which is notcorrect English )There are of coursemany other connectors.Make yourself familiar with the mostuseful onesand be careful to use hem accuratelyor your logic will appear aulty.



7,3TheConclusionThe conclusion neednot be long. In fact, it can be asshort as one sentence.Agood conclusionwill not be merely a repetition of the main topic statementof theessay, r of your proposition statement n the introduction, since that is ratherboring to readand doesnot showyour English skills.Nevertheless,t should containsome kind of a summary of the main argument or proposition of the essay.t isalso a good idea to include a comment on the implications of your conclusion.Il for instance,you make a recommendation, you can comment on what mayhappen if your recommendation s followed. For example, (for the topic thatchildrent viewing of television should be controlled):

Therefore t is important to lirnit tlte amount of teleuision hat children watclt,otlteruise they willsuffer educationally and sociallyas theygrou uP.Or: Therefore, f childreni teleuisionuieu.,ing s sensiblysuperuisedt uill albw

tltem to enjoy cmain programsas u.,ellas to deuebp he skills that thry need.Note the paraphrases or the word contro/.As with the introduction, if you wantto stay close o the topic statement t is desirable o attempt to paraphraset. Insomecases ou can even avoid a paraphrase ompletely by summarising in a newway. For example:

Children do not always knout uhat is bestfor them, and in this cAse, s nmany other cases,lteguidanceofparents is essentialf they dre to grou uP asuell-balancedpeople.

In some cases conclusionmay considerpossible uture outcomes. For example:

T/te Internet hasalready becomeutidespread nd almost indispensable, nd itcan be expectedhat in future Accesstill become heaper nd easierfor eaerlonein the uorld.

Or: Although atomic energ cAnneuer t4n out, unlihefossil uels, it is clear hatother, lessangerousources f energt will need o bedeuelopedfor futuregenerations.



7,3,. lGrommqrond Vocobuloryn he ConclusionMake sure hat you know how to use various terms expressingmplicationscorrectly.These nclude:

otheruise; in this case; under these circumstancesfollowed by the future tense"You will alsoneed the languageof speculation (seebelow).For predictionsyou will need the future tense,of course,and it is important tousemodifiers in this case,such as it is lihely that, in allprobability. (See8.1below).There are,of course,connectors hat are typically used for conclusions.The firstone on the list is the most unimaginative, and it is better to think of a moreinteresting one if you can.

In conclusion,finally, therefore, consequently,clearly, it is clear on theuiltole, in otlter utords, generally speahingRememberthat you can combine thnefore with other connectors:e.g. It is cleartherefore,hat.. Generaly speak ng therefore.

Note: Bewareof the common error of using mare for emphasis.More is zcomParatlve term.For example:

Peopleare more interested n making TnoneIdoesnot meanPeople re uery nterestedn mahingmone .

If you say lrey ar:-mor nterested"t should mean hat they are more nterestedthan before, r rnore nterestedn mahing nonr than somethingelse,but ifthere s no compatisonexpressedr clearly mplied, then rnore hould notbe used.



B,StyleThere are two types of problems related o sryle: one is the effect of personalwriting habits, the second s the result of cultural differencesbetweenyourmother tongue or your educational background on the one hand, and Englishfor academicpurposeson the other.

B.l Modif iersOne of the most important aspects f languageuse s the appropriate use ofmodifiers.This is becauset is in this way that you show your understanding ofthe value of the points you are making - in other words, you are showing yourown reai understanding of the issues.Look at thesestatements:

1. The Internet has made life more conuenientfor eaerlone.2. Computersare the perfect toolfor education.3. In somecases none ma not increaseour happiness ll the time.4. Oil is the bestsourceof energybut nuclear energl is much better.5. 7iffic congestions an absolutedisaster n all c ities.6. Alternatiue energ)tProbably seemso be a possibleanswer o our future

energl needs.Can you seehow each one is inappropriate?The most common errors n the use of modifiers are:

overgeneralisationoveremphasis or exaggerationunderstatementconfusion

Modifiers should be used to make your writing accurateand thoughtful. Theyinclude adiectives,adverbs,modal verbs, phrasesand other parts of speechshowing degree,emphasisetc.



B, OvergenerolisotionAs we saw n secrion4.7, overgeneralisations very colrunon. To modify overgeneralisedstatements, t is generallyne

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