Writing Task - ESSAY

Layout:


4 paragraphs:

1) Include statement declared in the task.
2) Give 2/3 reasons “for” the statement.
3) Give 2/3 reasons “against” the statement.
4) Conclude by summing up and giving your opinion.

Style:


Formal, so:

• No contractions, phrasal verbs, idioms;
• Avoid using the first person singular as far as possible;
• Use passive voice as much as possible;
• Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence;
• Justify your ideas with examples;
• Do not include any new ideas in the conclusion.

Useful expressions to introduce arguments/points:


Generally speaking/ There is no doubt that…/There are many advantages to +
“ing”/It is a well-known fact that…/It is thought/believed/claimed that…/One
point of view is…/For one thing,/Another argument is…/Far from + “ing”/ There
are those/people who believe that…/ On the one hand…/On the other hand,/In
contrast with/Contrary to the above ideas,/On the contrary,/ /Others feel/argue
that.
Discourse markers: All types:- concession, cause, result, time, reason,
contrast, emphasis, summing up, etc.
Firstly,/secondly,/In addition,(to this,)/Furthermore,/Moreover,/What is more,/
However,/ Therefore, /In spite of + “ing”/ Despite + “ing”/Nonetheless,/
Although/Since/As/Because/Owing to/Due to/No matter how/what…/All the
while/In the meantime,/nevertheless,/Regardless of…/As a matter of fact,/As a
consequence,/All in all,/ On the whole,/Another point worth mentioning
is…/Taking everything into account,/My belief is that../The way I see it is… .