ESSAY

Compulsory task: yes.

Word count: 140 – 190 words.

Register: formal/academic.

NO contractions.
NO phrasal verbs.
NO idioms.
Avoid subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, we, they), unless you are giving your opinion.

Common topics:
Work                                                                                      Technology
Education and languages                                                    Fashion
Environment                                                                         Health & lifestyle: diet and exercise

Tip

Plan before you write!
Think about the vocabulary you must include and how you are going to structure your essay.

Use Complex grammar and expressions:
Present perfect                                                            If only
Inversion (not only…but also…)                                  As if/As though
2nd and 3rd conditionals                                             Passive voice
Provided that (on the condition that)                        Insofar as (to the extend/degree that)

Use vocabulary related to the topic:
Essay about shops: range of goods, prices, purchase, bulk, customers, brands, stores….
Essay about transport: transportation system, public transport, commuters, fuel-efficient, passengers, traffic jams, vehicles….

Examiners will be checking the following:
Content relevant to the task (you answer the question and include all the THREE prompts)
Reader (examiner) is fully informed.
Correct register (formal/academic writing)
Organisation (logical and ordered)
Language (simple and complex grammar forms and vocabulary)

STRUCTURE:
There is no need to write the prompts in the order given, and they can be combined in one paragraph.

INTRODUCTION: Paragraph one. Write a general statement about the topic (not the question)
There are different things you can add in an introduction, but you do not need to add all of them.

Present perfect or passive voice.
Rewrite the question using synonyms of the keywords in the topic.
Mention if there are advantages or disadvantages of what you will say next.
You can say if you agree or disagree with the statement.
Include your opinion so the reader knows from the beginning what you think.
This can be done only in the conclusion paragraph, if you prefer.

    BODY: Paragraph two, three. And four if there is any.
    Here you must develop the prompts.
    They do not need to be developed in the order given, but you can do it if you want.

    In each paragraph:
    Start with a topic sentence to introduce the prompt.
    Then, add reasons, examples, and/or points of view.

    Remember

    I’ve listed quite a few words you can use for different things, but just pick the ones which are easy for you to learn.

    To introduce the paragraphs:
    Firstly,
    First of all,
    To start with,
    In the first place,

    To introduce the following paragraph:
    Secondly,
    Second of all,

    To contrast ideas:
    However                            
    Instead      
    Despite/In spite of
    In contrast   
    Even though        


    Although                            
    In comparison                    
    On the contrary
    Whereas      
    On the one hand…on the other hand     


    Nonetheless                        Nevertheless                      
    Comparatively
    Otherwise

    To add ideas:
    Additionally                        Moreover                           
    Furthermore
    In addition (to this)   


    As well as                            
    Another reason (why)      
    Along with
    Indeed   


    Also                                     
    On top of that                   
    For example
    In fact

    To explain a consequence:
    Accordingly                        Consequently                    
    As a consequence
    As a result


    As a result (of)                    
    Due to this                         
    Otherwise
    Owing to this 


    Because of this                   
    For this reason                  
    Therefore
    So

    To introduce the last paragraph:
    Last but not least,
    Finally,

    CONCLUSION: Paragraph five. Summarise your ideas and state your opinion.
    In conclusion,
    To sum up,
    Summing up,
    All in all,
    All things considered,

    To give your opinion:
    In my opinion/view…
    I personally feel that…
    I would say…
    I firmly believe that…
    I partly/fully agree that…

    Proof reading!

    Once you finish, read again and make sure there are no typos or other mistakes.
    Have you used complex grammar and vocabulary related to the task?

    EXAMPLE:

    Eating habits have drastically changed alongside lifestyle in the last few years. It is gruelling to have a balanced diet in our modern society due to our lifestyle.

    Firstly, nowadays fast food has become part of our daily lives. It can be bought anywhere and at any time as long as we have an Internet connection. This could be beneficial if it were healthy food, but unfortunately, this food has been created to be appetizing and filling as they tend to be refined and full of saturated fat.

    On the other hand, people not only make poor food choices but also do not follow eating routines. Due to high work demands, people eat on the go and have poor diets. Just a few years ago, this was almost impossible to happen.

    Last but not least, people try to cook healthier, using less saturated and more vegetables. Counting calories, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, etc, has become essential in some people’s lives whereas this was something unthinkable not long ago.

    In conclusion, I tend to believe that we eat better and healthier than in the past when possible but with some poor decisions along the week.

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