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EXAM ESSAYS
including IELTS, TOEFL and Cambridge
text2 write
ROBERT LEWIS
M.A. LINGUISTICS
how to use this book for self study
For self-study, you should work through the book, from page one to the end, checking
your answers as you complete each of the exercises. Begin by reading the Introduction
and learn about the essay form, the key stages and the language features of the essay
that are important for this form of persuasive communication.
First, find a quiet and comfortable place where you can work. You should feel good
working there. Do a minimum of 40 minutes each day. Try to make a regular time for
study, so that it becomes routine - the same time and place every day.
Find a friend who will practice speaking English with you and discuss together the
topics and issues that you read about in this book Of course, an English teacher will
be helpful when you need to have your essays corrected and get advice about any
errors you might be making in your writing.
At the end of each chapter there is a checklist of things to look for in your writing.
Check that you have done all these things, and, if you need to, make changes and
corrections. Finally, it is advisable to attempt the sample essay questions provided at
the end of each chapter. By completing all the exercises in this book, you are taking
positive steps towards achieving your goals. Remember - every page completed is a
giant step toward achieving success in essay writing.
terms & abbreviations
ANSWERS 93
What is an essay?
The essay is a form of academic writing widely used in secondary and higher education. The
general purpose of the essay is to demonstrate the importance of a given subject or issue, and
persuade an educated reader to consider the writer’s point of view on the issue.
KEY STAGES
The staging of the essay is (in itself) a persuasive device. Statement and repeated restatement
reinforce the writer’s position. Depending on the number, strength and logical development of
arguments, any given essay will be more or less persuasive – and more or less successful.
Most essays include a few optional stages, such as a ‘lead-in’ (which introduces the topic by
providing some very general background information/ideas), and the ‘preview’ stage (which
previews the arguments that will follow). A recommendation is optional, depending on the essay
This essay (below) is a good example because it has a clear position statement, previews the
arguments that follow, and proceeds to develop argumentation logically and coherently. The
recommendation stage follows logically from the essay question, as the writer is required to
discuss solutions to the problem of gambling.
Q. What are the causes, effects and possible solutions to the problem of gambling?
GAMBLING
Sequence of
Generally speaking, there are a number of causes of gambling-related
ARGUMENTS
problems. Many gamblers lose money and some get into debt very
quickly. They may spend all their savings, and then borrow more money,
1. to try and get out of debt. In this way, they may get into further debt.
In an assessment of a candidate’s essay the examiner will consider (i) whether the writer
answers the question, (ii) their expression (grammatical accuracy and vocabulary), and (iii) the
cohesion of the text (including whether arguments are logically developed). Therefore, when
preparing for a writing exam, it is a good idea to practice developing arguments on many
different issues and topics.
The language features of an essay reflect the writer’s purpose, namely, to persuade the reader
of their position (opinion) on a given issue. We have already mentioned that the staging of the
essay is itself a persuasive device – by repeatedly stating and expanding on their arguments, the
writer is being persuasive.
The language features of an essay also reflect the persuasive strategies commonly used in
argumentation : be logical, reason effectively, sound authoritative and reasonable (don’t
exaggerate), and communicate effectively (precisely and cohesively). The relevant strategies and
language features are summarised in the table below :
PERSUASIVE
STRATEGIES Language Features
Each chapter of this book discusses one of these five persuasive strategies and relevant
language features as outlined above. In the Grammar unit of each chapter, further
explanation and exercises are provided to help the reader become more familiar with the
key language features and their effective use in writing short exam essays.
… in this chapter
a Bizzy moment…
11. When comparing two countries, the most obvious ……………… is cultural.
1. study 2. 3.
learnt 4. 5. ___________
6. 7. copy ___________
8. 9. understand 10.
There are millions of people all over the world who formally study a foreign language,
but there are comparatively few who actually learn to use the language effectively. The
reason for this is that most people study a foreign language the same way they study a
subject at school. They memorise words, like facts or telephone numbers, but don’t
know how to use the words to communicate. Sometimes, their teachers do not
understand the distinction between studying and really learning a language. The main
goal should be to teach students to use the language, not just study it.
Formal classes in a foreign language, whilst popular, may not be the most effective way
to learn the language. This depends on the teacher and their methods. If the teacher
requires the students to only copy text and memorise words and grammar rules, then
the students are not learning to use language. It is therefore not surprising that
students with this experience of formal classes do not speak the language very well.
They have not had the opportunity to actually practice communicating.
The key to successful language learning is interaction – that is, using language for a
purpose in context. In some language classrooms, the lessons involve students working
in pairs or groups, and taking turns at asking and answering questions. In this way, the
classroom activity allows learners to use the language, and acquire the basics of
communication. Learning through interaction helps students develop their functional
proficiency, rather than just some vague or abstract knowledge of grammar or
vocabulary.
effectively. T / F
language. T / F
10. When students learn in the foreign country they have a strong
interaction. T / F
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grammar : be logical
The grammar focus of this unit is how to be LOGICAL or express ideas logically. Conjunctions, or
joining words, express the logical relations between ideas, and therefore help us structure and
develop our arguments. There are two types: SENTENCE-LEVEL and STRUCTURAL CONJUNCTIONS.
Example 1: Toothpaste is good for your teeth and apples are too.
Example 2: Brushing is healthy because it reduces tooth decay.
Eg. My aunt has been sick …and…. she was taken to hospital.
1. The weather is fine …………. the scenery is beautiful.
2. The police arrested a man ………………. he was driving recklessly.
3. Marcel paints pictures ………………. nobody likes them.
4. The new cars run on solar power ………………. petrol is too expensive.
5. Silvy sleeps all night ………………. she sleeps in the afternoon too.
6. Action films are popular ………………. cartoons are even more popular.
7. Izumi was born in Tokyo ………………. she lives in New York.
8. Chinese writing is very beautiful ………………. difficult to learn.
9. ………………. soccer is fun to play, it is played everywhere in the world.
10. Peter collects stamps ………………. he makes money selling them.
11. ………………. the bell rings, the children move off to their next lesson.
12. ………………. the man fell from a tall building, he was unhurt.
13. Jane wanted to learn Spanish ………………. she went to night school.
14. Some Americans carry guns ………………. they can protect themselves.
15. ………………. trekking in the desert one should take lots of water.
16. Chocolate is bad for one’s teeth ………………. it tastes delicious.
17. Young Australians can vote ………………. they turn 18 years of age.
18. Sarah bought a second-hand car ………………. she turned sixteen.
19. ………………. a person marries, s/he should choose their partner carefully.
20. ………………. Freddie played tennis, he could not play squash.
BEGINNINGS ENDINGS
For example: Many people clean their teeth after every meal.
Consequently, tooth decay is reduced.
Both types, sentence-level and structural conjunctions, are important and widely
used in academic writing. They can be classified as per the table below.
1. LISTING 5. CONCESSIVE/CONDITIONAL
3. CONTRASTING 7. SUMMARISING
NOTE – The LISTING CONJUNCTIONS are very important because they make
the order of arguments clear to the reader, and show that your essay
has a logical structure. DO NOT FORGET to leave a CLEAR BREAK
between paragraphs and make sure your punctuation is correct!
LEARNING ENGLISH
English is not a tonal language, like Chinese. English (2)…….…… has verb tenses,
(3)…………. Chinese does not. English words have many syllables, 4)…….………..
Chinese characters are monosyllabic. (5)….…… the two languages are very
different.
talk very fast, (7)…….……… they are difficult to understand. My teacher says
English speakers use contracted or short forms, which makes it difficult if you do
not know these forms. (8)………….………… problem is the vocabulary. English people
say something one way, but then they write it differently, using language that is
(9) ……………………, the differences between English and Chinese make it a difficult
language to learn. The vocabulary and grammar of spoken and written English
They can pick up new vocabulary easily, and learn to speak more quickly then
others. They do not seem to be different from other people, (12)………… languages
This unit looks at how to interpret the essay question, and then choose your response/position.
It is important to begin with the essay question, and understand that, depending on the type of
question there may be a number of possible ways to answer the question. To begin with, there
are (3) BASIC TYPES of essay question:
1. EXPLAIN
What are the causes and effects of This type of question usually begins with a WH-
smoking? question word. Here, the writer must explain their
view, supported by reasons, facts and examples.
2. ARGUE
The question usually includes a quote or
“Smoking is bad for your health.” proposition, followed by the Yes/No question, or
Do you agree? prompt: Give your opinion. The writer chooses to
either AGREE or DISAGREE, and presents one point
of view.
3. DISCUSS
Discuss the “pro’s and con’s” of smoking. The key word here is “discuss”. Usually, the writer
must present two sides of the issue. There is
however the possibility to choose just one point
of view, as in B.
NOTE – Explain essays do not give you a real choice about an issue or topic.
You must answer the question/s or the parts of the question fully.
With Discuss and Argue questions, you can choose your position, for or against.
1.9 Write down the 3 possible answers for each of these essay questions.
Note: The VERB in the question is picked up in the Y/N answers.
• …………………………………………
• …………………………………………
• …………………………………………
• …………………………………………
• …………………………………………
• …………………………………………
• …………………………………………
• …………………………………………
In this unit, we interpret the essay question for this chapter, and develop ideas for
writing a response. Here is the question:
IN TERPRETATION
The best way to learn a There are other more Learning a foreign language
foreign language is by effective ways to learn a in a foreign country is a
studying in a foreign foreign language, than by good way, but there are
country. studying in a foreign other ways just as good.
country.
IF you decide that the proposition is PARTLY true, then you must explain:
o why learning a foreign language in the foreign country is good, and
o what others ways are also good for learning a foreign language, and why
The easiest way to answer questions like this is to take ONE SIDE (yes OR no),
and then develop each supporting reason/argument into a paragraph.
IF, however, you decide that you disagree with the proposition, then you must say
what other ways there are that are more effective, and why.
Here’s one argument/paragraph to support the NO position on the issue :
One way to learn a foreign language is by reading foreign language books. With
the aid of a dictionary, you can learn the meaning of new words. Subsequently,
by writing about the story you have read, you can be sure that you are really
learning these new expressions. Reading stories is fun, and this is a good way to
build your vocabulary and knowledge of stories.
1.10 Tick (√) the reasons for learning a language in a foreign country.
Now, cross (X) the reasons for NOT learning a language in a foreign country.
Do you agree?
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ASK A TEACHER TO CORRECT YOUR WRITING. COMPARE WITH SAMPLE IN THE BACK OF THE BOOK.
checklist
COMPARE your essay with the sample answer at the back of the book. Can you
see any differences between the two? Can you see any mistakes you have
made? Note the mistakes, and think about exercises that might help you to
correct your mistakes? IF you have difficulty checking your writing, you might like
summary
This chapter looked at how to answer the essay question. The student always
has choices, and must decide on a clear position. The beginning or introduction
of any essay should contain a clear POSITION statement. When planning your
1.9 b) Credit cards are risky. / Credit cards are not risky. / Credit cards might involve some
risk, but they are generally quite safe.
c) Too much hard work is boring. / Hard work isn’t boring. / Hard work can be boring.
d) The environment should be protected. / The environment shouldn’t be protected. / The
environment should be protected, though some areas should not be protected.
e) Advertising is visual pollution. / Advertising is not visual pollution. / Some advertising is visual
pollution.
f) Fair trade between rich and poor countries is impossible. / Fair trade between rich and poor
countries is possible. / Fair trade between rich and poor countries is possible within certain
limits.