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ESSAY WRITING
TYPE 1: OPINION ESSAY
CONSIDERATIONS:
It is an opinion essay if: !
a. The task rubric contains a statement and the writers task is to either agree or disagree.
Example: Disruptive school students have a negative influence on others. Students who
are noisy and disobedient should be grouped together and taught separately. Do you agree
or disagree?
b. The question contains a statement and the writers task is to
express his opinion.
OUTLINE OF TYPE 1
Introduction
2nd Paragraph
Concession
3rd Paragraph
Rebuttal
4th Paragraph
Second Argument
1st Paragraph
5th Paragraph
Conclusion
Writers Stand:
(Agree) I definitely embrace the
same philosophy; Without a doubt, I
uphold the said notion; I fully
subscribe to this statement.
(Disagree) I personally think
otherwise; This is one thought I
would like to disagree with; My
views, on the other hand, are a
contradiction to this.
Concession:
It goes without saying that It is
true, of course, that There is no
getting around the fact that The
idea in question holds some water in
that It cannot be denied that
No one can deny the fact that In
part, it is correct to say that There
is a grain of truth in thinking that...
Rebuttal:
Conversely Nevertheless Yet
Contrarily A much sounder point
of view is that The problem with
the preceding view is that...
Second Argument:
Moreover In addition Another
sound reason is Another
substantial thought is that
Likewise Furthermore One
more important consideration is ...
Conclusion:
To conclude In conclusion In
summary To summarize
Overall To wrap up To sum up...
Sample A:
Sample B:
(280 words)
Example: Some people say that the poor only have themselves to blame.
otherwise. Discuss each statement. What is your own opinion?
Others think
b. The question contains a statement about an occurrence and the writers task is to identify
whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Do the advantages
OUTLINE OF TYPE 2
1st Paragraph
2nd Paragraph
3rd Paragraph
4th Paragraph
Introduction
1st View
2nd View
Writers View
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1. Writers Choice
2. Explanation
Writers View:
To my mind In my point of view Personally
As I see it I truly believe I am fully convinced
that...
Sample B:
(278 words)
10
Some of the problems and solutions associated with the given phenomenon.
Some of the causes and effects borne from the mentioned phenomenon.
Some of the phenomenons advantages and disadvantages.
Any two or three independent questions
Examples:
a. Many young children are becoming obese nowadays. Cite the causes and the effects.
b. Many people believe that the high levels of violence in films today are causing serious social
problems. What are these problems and how could they be reduced?
OUTLINE OF TYPE 3
1st Paragraph
2nd Paragraph
3rd Paragraph
4th Paragraph
Introduction
Discussion of
the 1st Task
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Discussion of
the 2nd Task
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Conclusion
Finally
11
Sample B.
12
Review: What is the most suitable essay type to answer the following questions?
________ 1. The cost of air flights has reduced sharply nowadays. Do you think this is a
positive or a negative development? Give your reasons.
________ 2. Advertisements of toys and fast foods are harmful to kids. Do you agree or
disagree?
________ 3. Consumer goods become cheaper now.
situation outweigh the disadvantages?
________ 4. There are many products, but only some of them meet the peoples needs.
Even without advertising, these products will sell well. What is your opinion?
________ 5. Young people are spending too much time watching TV. What do you think of
this and how do you think this problem could be solved?
________ 6. Children are experiencing social, educational, and commercial pressure.
What are the causes to this pressure? What measures can be taken to reduce
this pressure?
________ 7. Many people keep dogs and cats as companions. Discuss the advantages
and disadvantages of pet ownership for the animals involved and for the
community as a whole
________ 8. Some people think that music has a significant role in the society. Others think
that it is just a form of entertainment. Comment on both views. Give your
own opinion.
________ 9. Some people say that teaching our children about international affairs in
schools is a waste of time. Do you agree or disagree?
________ 10. Some people find visiting museums boring as a form of entertainment, while
others believe that the role of museums is to educate people, not entertain.
Discuss. What is your opinion?
________ 11. Home cooking tends to be a disappearing skill in some countries. How is it in
your country? Do you think all children should be taught about home
cooking?
________ 12. In todays world, career is the only vital thing in a persons life. What is your
opinion?
13
1st Paragraph
2nd Paragraph
3rd Paragraph
Introduction
Details
Significant details:
Describe trends
Highlight ranks and
changes
Compare and contrast
Conclusion
Overall trend:
Highlight relationships
among variables
Highlight the most striking
feature
Body:
specifically, as
delineated, in particular,
in addition, in the case
of, meanwhile,
furthermore, moreover,
also...
finally, lastly
Conclusion:
overall, clearly, all in all, on
REMEMBER:
14
The linear graph compares in percentage the changes to access to technological advancements in the
homes in the UK from 1996 to 2002.
Paragraph 2: What are the relevant specific ideas?
First of all, it appears that the CD player was the most popular technology with ownership ranging
from about 60% in 1996 to approximately 82% of the homes in the UK. Although in a much lower
scale, home computers had a nearly parallel growth with the CD player, unlike the mobile phones
which had an ownership rate that tripled in a course of six years (18% to 70%). Lastly, the newest
technology introduced was the Internet. From 10% in 1998, about 43% of the households used it in
2002.
Paragraph 3: What are the relevant general ideas?
Overall, the graph illustrates that an increasing number of households in the UK had owned the popular
technologies listed above. Of all the four, however, the Internet shows the greatest degree of penetration
considering that it was only introduced four years before the end of the study.
159 words
15
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The bar graph compares the contribution of agriculture, manufacturing, and business and financial services
sectors to the economy of the UK from 1900 to 2000.
In the first half of the century, the economy of the UK depended mostly on agriculture, which shared nearly
50% and 55% of the countrys resources in 1900 and 1950, respectively. However, this trend changed in the
second half of the previous millennium when it only contributed 10% and almost insignificantly (2%) in 1975
and 2000, respectively. On the other hand, while the manufacturing sector had been contributing less
gradually to the UK economy over the course of the century, the business and financial sectors had been
gaining ground in a similar steady fashion from 1950 to 1975. The latters share to the economy, however,
increased quite dramatically in 2000 to about 40%.
The graph clearly shows that the UK economy had been depending less and less on agriculture and
manufacturing over a course of 100 years and that in 2000 its economy was primarily run by the business and
financial sectors. It is also worth mentioning that at the end of the 20th century, the economy of the UK no
longer depended only on the three highlighted sectors as their total contribution no longer reached 100%.
212 words
16
mp3 players
Internet
CDs
Male
60%
79%
55%
19%
Female
44%
40%
42%
22%
Tip:
Use the following expressions
when:
Preference
Composite figures.
A combination of a graph and chart
is given.
Composite charts.
If a combination of a pie chart and
a tabular chart is given.
Composite graphs.
If a combination of a bar graph and
a linear graph is given.
The composite charts compare the preference of Japanese men and women regarding how they listened to songs
and whether they preferred live or recorded music.
Of those surveyed, more than three-quarters of men in Tokyo, Japan listened to songs through their MP3 players
whereas a considerable number of women (44%) had their dose of songs by listening to live performances. Only
19% of Japanese men were reported to listen to songs via CDs, while 22% of the women respondents did this. This
was evidently the only instance wherein women outnumbered men. As a whole, generally more men resorted to all
four ways of listening to music, as delineated in the charts, than women with wider margins in listening to live
music and in using MP3 players. Resorting to the Internet was considerably common among 55% of the men, yet
was popular to only 42% of women.
Meanwhile, the pie chart shows that majority of young Japanese (70%) preferred to listen to live songs, while
more than a quarter of them chose to listen to recorded song (26%).
In summary, the charts show the sizable popularity of live music among young Japanese people and that a
considerable bulk preferred listening to their favorite recorded music through their MP3 players and the Internet.
211 words
17
B. Diagrams
Considerations:
Reporting diagrams is still descriptive in nature only that here the writer highlights the logical
order of events than the changes. For this, a three-paragraph report will still suffice:
Introduction
2nd Paragraph
Details
3rd Paragraph
Conclusion
Overall trend:
Present a general description
on how the process operates
Expressions to use:
Body:
Introduction:
The (figure) delineates,
compares, describes,
pictures, portrays, reveals,
exhibits, renders,
displays, outlines, shows,
presents
Conclusion:
18
Advertisement is placed in
the newspaper
Application rejected
Letter sent
Interview
Application rejected
Successful applicant
offered the job
Letter sent
19
20
Sample 6: Maps
Describing changes in maps is another critical skill that writers for the IELTS have to develop. It is similar to
reporting graphs and charts as writers are often required to point out the general trends (in this case, the changes)
and use appropriate language of comparison.
Tips:
1. Do not just describe the physical features of the maps. Describe the developments that took place.
2. Make use of a variety of appropriate past verb forms (see verbs used in the sample below).
3. Make use of suitable expressions describing the locations where the changes took place (see items in italics in
the sample below).
Sample:
The maps highlight the development that took place in the seaside resort of Templeton within a 15-year period.
In 1990, Templeton was a relatively quieter coastal town with many individual houses and little economic activity.
After 15 years, many changes occurred, the most noticeable of which were 1the cutting down of nearly all trees
and 2the conversion of individual houses into large apartment buildings that lined up both at the
coastline and northwestern part of the town. 3An additional road had been built to provide access to
these apartment buildings and the huge supermarket servicing the whole area.
Other notable changes include 4the access railway added extending westward along the seaside and 5the
conversion of the woodland east of the river and near the school into an airport to accommodate the
increased population of the area. 6More detached houses had been built nearby. 7A factory was also
constructed along the coastline and 8a ferry was made to enable transfer of cars to nearby islands.
Overall, a comparison between the two maps reveals a change of the place from a quaint seaside resort into a
bustling economic center.
IELTS Strategies and Techniques !
21
Writing Criteria
Before submitting your work, check that you have satisfied the following criteria:
TASK 1: REPORT/LETTER
Task Fulfilment
Have I written at least 150 words?
Have I only presented information that is necessary to my report?
Coherence and Cohesion
Is my report logically arranged?
Have I presented the data accurately?
Was I able to make use of appropriate expressions to properly link sentences and paragraphs in
my work?
Vocabulary and Sentence Structure
Was I able to make use of a variety of accurate words and phrases to describe the significant
points of my report?
Have I shown facility in writing information using a variety of simple and complex sentence
structures?
Is my report free from grammatical mistakes?
TASK 2: ESSAY
Arguments, Ideas and Evidence
Have I provided logical reasoning and coherent arguments to support my view?
Have I thoroughly discussed the different views of the question?
Have I provided sufficient supporting statements to illustrate or clarify my point?
Communicative Quality
Have I expressed myself in an effortless, non-controversial, neutral, and objective manner?
Are there any inappropriate languages that may have compromised the formal context of my work?
Vocabulary and Sentence Structure
Have I made use of a variety of accurate words and phrases used to effectively convey my
message?
Have I used appropriate expressions to link properly my sentences and paragraphs together?
Have I shown facility in expressing ideas using a variety of simple and complex sentence
structures?
Is my work free from any grammatical mistakes?
IELTS Strategies and Techniques !
22
Alternative expressions
1. Increase
2. Decrease
diminish, lessen, shrink, drop, fall, descend, tail off, run low,
dwindle, slacken, scale down, recede, taper off, lower, slip, go
down, sink, dip, nose-dive, plummet, lose ground
Modifiers
1. For nouns
2. For verbs
23
Function
1. To indicate addition
3. To indicate similarities
6. To indicate examples
24
S V 0, ____ S V 0
Examples:
a. IELTS is an English proficiency test, and it covers four components.
b. Children are in their impressionable stages; they need their parents guidance.
c. IELTS is administered for 3 hours only, but examinees prepare for it for months.
d. Davao City is situated in the war-stricken Mindanao, yet it is commendably peaceful.
2. COMPLEX SENTENCE: Two ideas coined using the following patterns:
Pattern 1:
S, ____________, - V O or _______________, S V O
The additional idea relating to the subject may be an adjective, a verb or a prepositional phrase.
Examples:
a. The Pearl Farm Beach Resort, possibly the most famous resort in Mindanao, is my favorite vacation spot.
b. Our ancestral house, standing tall amidst the newly constructed buildings, is now considered a landmark
in our province.
c. With arms up to the elbows, children while their time by watching their favorite TV shows.
d. The father, who is the head of the family, has to work doubly hard for his family.
Pattern 2:
S V O, __________________
The additional idea, which is often a noun or pronoun, relating to the direct object is called an
appositive. Appositives serve as alternate information, and they are written to specify.
Examples:
a. I saw Mrs. Helena, the bank manager.
b. I look forward to spending my free time at SM City Mall, the biggest mall in Davao.
c. Leaders should aim for a peace treaty, a necessary ingredient to stop the war against terror.
Pattern 3: S
A dependent clause is one that starts with any of these dependent words: because, although, even though,
while, when, after, before, as, if, so, etc.
Examples:
a. Her parents are very proud of her because she takes her studies seriously.
b. Although the Philippines is a beautiful country, its poor economy forces Filipinos to work abroad.
3.
COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE: the combination of the first two types, the sentence calls for the inclusion
of three ideas.
Examples:
1. S, ________, -V-O + S-V-O
The Pearl Farm Beach Resort, possibly the most famous resort in Mindanao, is my favorite vacation
spot, but its remote location makes it difficult for me to frequent the place.
2. S-V-O, ______________ + S-V-O
I saw Mrs. Helena, the bank manager, but she never looked at me.
3. S-V-0 + dependent clause + S-V-O
Her parents are very proud of her because she takes her studies seriously, and she is also her
classmates favorite.
25
Answer key.
Essay drill. Page 15
1. BA
2. O
3. BA
4. O
5. E
6. E
7. E
8. BA
9. O
10.
BA
11.
12.