POINTS to remember

ESSAY

WRITING

STUDENT’S COPY

1 ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS expressing opinion are formal in style. This type of writing asks for your own opinion, which should be clearly stated and supported by reasons (good arguments).

A good argumentative essay expressing opinion (120-180 words) should consist of:

a) an introduction in which your opinion is clearly stated,

b) a main body which can consist of two or more paragraphs. Each viewpoint, supported by a logical reason, should be presented in a separate para­graph. The opposing viewpoint is mentioned in a new paragraph. In the same paragraph you might include a lead-in opinion to your conclusion,

You may include more viewpoints and therefore more paragraphs in the main body

CONCLUSION Final paragraph Restate your opinion, using different words

c) a conclusion in which you sum up your viewpoints

and re-state your opinion.

POINTS to remember

• Never start writing your composition before making a plan.

• Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence which summarizes the paragraph.

• Each viewpoint should be joined to the others with linking or sequence words (see p.3 appendix)

• First and last paragraph techniques.

You can state the topic by:

- making reference to an unusual scene or situation

e.g. The sight of a huge lion dozing in a corner of a cage with no interest in its surrounding…..

- addressing the reader directly

e.g. Have you ever wondered whether animals in captivity are happy?

- starting with a rhetorical question which states the topic

e.g. Are there really more advantages than disadvantages to keeping animals in zoos?

You can give a balanced consideration or your opinion by:

- summarizing the topic under discussion

e.g. To sum up, keeping animals in captivity can be cruel and unnatural, but it is also necessary

- ending with a rhetorical question

e.g. Would it be better to watch various species gradually becoming extinct?

- giving the reader something to consider

e.g. If it weren’t for zoos, many people would never have the chance to see a live wild anima

SAMPLE

A Plan

1 introducing the subject - “…computers are important…”

2 describing my view first point -“…computers save a lot of space …”

3 describing my second view point – “ …computers save a lot of time …”

4 describing a different opinion – “…computers are unnecessary…”

5 re-state my opinion – “…computers are a useful tool…”

B Text

Are computers a necessity?

Computers play an important role in the lives of most of us today, whether we realize it or not. Some people, however, are beginning to ask if we really need them. In my opinion, computers have become a necessary part of modern life.

In the first place, computers can save a lot of a storage space. Storing information on computer disks is one of the most efficient ways of keeping data. One computer disk can hold the same amount of information as several books.

Further more, computers save everyone a lot of valuable time. Stored information can be found at the touch of a button, whereas searching for it manually takes much longer. Therefore, our everyday lives are made easier – from going to the bank to doing the shopping.

Nevertheless, there are those who claim that computers are unnecessary and make our lives more complicated. They argue that in the past we managed very well using other methods and that we have become too dependent on computers. However, they fail to consider that the time saved by using computers for repetitive tasks enables us to use our own time more creatively and productively.

All in all, I strongly believe that computers are a useful tool. They have changed our lives for the better and there is no reason why we should not make them work to our advantage.

PRACTICE

Task

Use your imagination and creativity to complete the sentences in the mini compositions below. Note that A-E look at both sides of the argument, whereas F and G are one-sided and simply list reasons.

A Students often wonder whether it’s worth going to Britain to study English.

I would say it depends on ______________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Some students ______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Others, however, ____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

All in all, ____________________________________________________

B This is only the third time I’ve _______________ and I still don’t l know if I

really enjoy it. In some ways, ____________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Also, _______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

But at the same time, __________________________________________

By and large, I think___________________________________________

C I’m often told I’m lucky to be a man/woman, but in fact it’s a mixed blessing.

While it is true to say that _______________________________________

__________________, I nevertheless, ____________________________

___________________________________________________________

On balance, I suppose ________________________________________

D Many young actors and actresses dream of becoming stars, but in reality

stardom has its drawbacks as well as its attractions. On the one hand, ___

__________________________________________________________

Also, ______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

On the other hand, __________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Not only that, but ______________ also _________________________

__________________________________________________________

Ultimately, _________________________________________________

E As an Olympic Gold Medalist, I am often asked what is the best way to

spend the night before a big race. On the one hand, _________________

__________________________________________________________

On the other hand, ___________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Personally, though, ___________________________________________

F There are many reasons why I love ______________________________

One reason is _______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Another ____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

What is more, _______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Above all, ___________________________________________________

G Of all the soap powders in the world, I would recommend that you use____

In the first place, _____________________________________________

More importantly, _____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

On top of that, _______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

In short, ____________________________________________________

APPENDIX

When you write an essay the following LINKING WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS are very helpful:

1 for introducing the subject

Many people think…, Some people say…, It may seem…, You’ve probably heard…, We take it for granted that…, The truth of the matter is…, It may seem…, etc

e.g. Some people say that Columbus discovered America.

2 for listing view points (sequencing)

to start with, to begin with, firstly, secondly, thirdly, first of all, in the first place, (so)then, next, after that, and on top of that, at the end, finally, etc

3 for joining SIMILAR ideas

and, and also, and …as well, as well as, both…and, not only…but also, in addition to, etc

e.g. The film was boring and (also) long.

The film was boring and long as well.

The film was boring as well as long.

The film was both boring and long.

The film was not only boring but also long.

The film was boring in addition to being long.

The film was boring. Besides, it was long.

To add more information, we can use:

furthermore, moreover, what is more, and besides, etc

e.g. Sue is a clever student. Furthermore / Moreover / What is more, she is a kind girl.

4 for joining CONTRASTING or NEGATIVE ideas and facts

neither …nor, neither/ nor, not …either, etc

e.g. Neither crocodiles nor snakes are mammals.

Crocodiles are not mammals and neither / nor are snakes.

Crocodiles are not mammals and snakes are not mammals either.

To join two contrasting ideas, we can use:

but, however, on the other hand, nevertheless, in contrast, by contrast, apart from, etc

e.g. Susan is very generous but she can be bossy.

Susan is very generous. However / On the other hand, she can be a bit bossy.

To make contrasting points, we can also use:

although/though/even though, in spite of/despite, while/whereas, etc

e.g. Although / Though / Even though Sue had been working hard all morning, she didn’t fell tired.

In spite of / Despite her good looks, she never succeeded as a top model.

My brother eats a lot of meat while / whereas I’m a vegetarian.

5 for giving OPINION

personally, actually, as for me, I think, I guess, probably, fortunately (unfortunately), I believe, I suppose, In my opinion, To my mind, in fact, it is true, normally, on the whole, I am sure that, I wonder if, I feel that, etc

6 for introducing CAUSE and REASON

as/since, because, because of the fact that, due to the fact that, owing to, so, the reason for/why, etc

e.g. Lots of animals are endangered as / since their natural habitats are being destroyed.

The reason for the car accidents was that the driver didn’t see the cyclist.

All passengers were asked to leave the ship because of / due to the fire in the engine room.

7 for showing a result

as a result, therefore, consequently/as a consequence, so, so/such…that, etc

e.g. The hole in the ozone layer is getting bigger and bigger. As a result / Therefore / Consequently / As a consequence, the earth’s climate is changing.

It was such a complicated task that we decided to do it later.

The task was so complicated that we decided to do it later.

8 for summing up

In conclusion, To sum up, On balance, All things considered, All in all, etc

e.g. All in all, I strongly believe that computers are a useful tool.

To sum up, it seems that computers are a useful addition to our fast moving world of high technology.

КРИТЕРИИ ОЦЕНИВАНИЯ ЗАДАНИЙ РАЗДЕЛА «ПИСЬМО»

КритерииБалл Балл	Содержание	Организация текста	Лексическое оформление	Грамматическое оформление	Орфография и пунктуация
	Задание выполнено полностью: Содержание отражает все аспекты, указанные в задании; стилевое оформление речи выбрано правильно с учетом цели высказывания и адресата; соблюдены принятые в языке нормы вежливости.	Высказывание логично; средства логической связи использованы правильно; текст разделен на абзацы; оформление текста соответствует нормам, принятым в стране изучаемого языка.	Используемый словарный запас соответствует поставленной задаче; практически нет нарушений в использовании лексики.	Используются грамматические структуры в соответствии с поставленной задачей. Практически отсутствуют ошибки.	Орфографические ошибки практически отсутствуют. Текст разделен на предложения с правильным пунктуационным оформлением.
	Задание выполнено: Некоторые аспекты, указанные в задании, раскрыты не полностью; имеются отдельные нарушения стилевого оформлении речи; в основном соблюдены принятые в языке нормы вежливости	Высказывание в основном логично; имеются отдельные недостатки при использовании средств логической связи; имеются отдельные недостатки при делении текста на абзацы; имеются отдельные нарушения в оформлении текста.	Используемый словарный запас соответствует поставленной задаче, однако, встречаются отдельные неточности в употреблении слов либо словарный запас ограничен, но лексика использована правильно.	Имеется ряд грамматических ошибок, не затрудняющих понимание текста.	Имеется ряд орфографических и/или Пунктуационных ошибок, которые незначительно Затрудняют понимание текста.
	Задание выполнено не полностью: содержание отражает не все аспекты, указанные в задании, нарушения стилевого оформления речи встречаются достаточно часто; в основном не соблюдены принятые в языке нормы вежливости.	Высказывание не всегда логично; имеются многочисленные ошибки в использовании средств логической связи, их выбор ограничен; деление текста на абзацы отсутствует, имеются многочисленные ошибки в оформлении текста.	Использован неоправданно ограниченный словарный запас; часто встречаются нарушения в использовании лексики, некоторые из них могут затруднять понимание.	Либо часто встречаются ошибки элементарного уровня, либо ошибки не многочисленны, но затрудняют понимание текста.	Имеется ряд орфографических ошибок и/или пунктуационных ошибок, которые значительно затрудняют понимание текста.
	Задание не выполнено: содержание не отражает те аспекты, которые указаны в задании, или не соответствуют требуемому объему.	Отсутствует логика в построении высказывания; текс не оформлен.	Крайне ограниченный словарный запас не позволяет выполнить поставленную задачу.	Грамматические правила не соблюдаются.	Правила орфографии и пунктуации не соблюдаются.

ШКАЛА ОЦЕНИВАНИЯ ЗАДАНИЯ «СОЧИНЕНИЕ С ЭЛЕМЕНТАМИ РАССУЖДЕНИЯ»

ФИО студента

СОДЕРЖАНИЕ / полнота выполнения задания

ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ

ИТОГОВЫЙ БАЛЛ за раздел (2 балла максимум)

ЛЕКСИКА (2 балл максимум)

ГРАММАТИКА (2 балла максимум)

ОРФОГРАФИЯ / ПУНКТУАЦИЯ (2 балла максимум)

ИТОГОВЫЙ БАЛЛ (10 баллов максимум)

Всупление-остановка проблемы

Аргументы «ЗА»

Аргументы «ПРОТИВ»

Заключение (вывод)

Объем (120-180 слов)

ИТОГОВЫЙ БАЛЛ за раздел (2 балла максимум)

Логичность

Деление текста на абзацы

Прав. Использование средств логической связи

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