Data assignments on the topic “English. USE. Essay in English» taken from various sources and offered in addition to the textbook presentation

The volume of the essay in English is 200-250 words.

The time to complete the task is 40 minutes.

Topics for preparing for an essay in English (task C2)

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1.1. Essay on the topic: Art. graffiti

Some people think that graffiti is another form of expressing art; others think graffiti is a vandalism.

What is your opinion?

1.2. Essay on the topic: Art. Theater and Cinema

Comment on the following Statement.

When cinema was invented some people predicted that theater would not last very long but it still exists, attracts large audiences and is not likely to disappear.

What is your opinion?

List of English words on the topic "Art". SOON!

2. Essay on the topic: Languages

Comment on the following statement.

Some people think that you can master the language only if you study it abroad, in the native speaking environment; others believe that you can become fluent in a foreign language without ever visiting the country.

What can you say about learning languages ​​in a native speaking environment?

3. Essay on the topic: Traveling

Comment on the following statement.

Some people believe that when you travel to other places, you experience new things and learn from them. Other people argue that most people who go on holiday to other countries just lie on the beach and don’t experience the local culture at all.

Do you think that young people learn anything by traveling to other places?

4. Essay on the topic: Books or Computers

Comment on the following statement.

The future of education – books or computers? What is your opinion? Are computers going to replace printed books in the future?

5. Essay on the topic: Space Exploration

Comment on the following statement.

It's reported that billions of dollars are spent on space exploration projects every year. Some people believe that this money should be used to solve problems on Earth.

What is your opinion? What problems should humanity solve first of all?

List of English words on the topic "Space Exploration". SOON!

6.1. Essay on the topic: City and Country Life

Comment on the following statement.

My parents say the way they lived in the past was much quieter. However, I believe that young people are given a lot more life opportunities nowadays.

What is your opinion? Which way of life will be more satisfying for future generations?

6.2. Essay on the topic: City and Country Life

Comment on the following statement.

Life in a big city is attractive to many people. But others consider it tiresome and tiring. What can you say about living in a big city?

List of English words on the topic "City and Country Life". SOON!

7. Essay on the topic: TV shows

Comment on the following statement.

In many countries, reality TV shows about the lives and behavior of ordinary people have become very popular. Some people say that these programs are bad and that other kinds of programs are much better.

Do you share this point of view?

8. Essay on the topic: Modern Technologies

Comment on the following statement.

According to a number of surveys young people can’t imagine their life without modern electronic technologies. Some of them can become dependent on them, which may have a negative effect on their mind.

Analysis of the essay (essay) on the exam in English. Task 40 (C2).

according to Verbitskaya

Exercise:

Comment on the following statement:

It's reported that billions of dollars are spent on space exploration projects every year. Some people believe that this money should be used to solve problems on Earth.
What is your opinion? What problems should humanity solve first of all?

Write 200–250 words.

Show the plan and scheme of evaluation according to the criterion K1

Use the following plan:
− make an introduction (state the problem)
− express your personal opinion and give 2–3 reasons for your opinion
− express an opposing opinion and give 1–2 reasons for this opposing
opinion
− explain why you don't agree with the opposing opinion
− make a conclusion restating your position

Evaluation scheme for the criterion "Solution of a communicative task":
a) the volume of the statement corresponds to the task
b) introduction - statement of the problem;
c) the opinion of the author with 2-3 arguments;
d) opposite point of view with 1-2 arguments;
e) explanations why the author does not agree with the opposite point of view (counterarguments);
e) conclusion (conclusion).

Essay text

Our science have changed every year. Nowadays a lot of money is spent on space exploration projects. Many people think that it is not right because this money should be used to solve problems on Earth. Let's consider both views on this issue.

In my opinion, space exploration is very importand for us because we must know more about universal, planets, stars and meteorits. Scientists haven’t already know all about them and if they are dangerous for us. Secondly, when scientists studied the sun they discovered new chemestry elements for example gelius. Also when they study the sun they study how our healthe depends from it. Thirdly, we can travel on space and see Earth from space-ship.

People spend a lot of money for this traveling so they give this money for new discoveries.

On the other hand, some people who think that space exploration it is a waste of time and money because this money can help people who have very dangerous illnesses. Secondly, government can help spend this money on our education. They can buy new equipmen for school. Thirdly, this money can be used for helping poor countries and people who live in them. This money can help make their life better.

In conchesion, I would like to say that it's better to spend money on space exploration because in future people will live in space. (231 words)

Task performance analysis

1.1. Is there an introductory part that states the main problem? - Yes. The author stated the essence of the problem in other words, trying to slightly modify what was proposed in the instructions for the task, as well as to state the relevance of the problem.

1.2. To what extent did the author manage to express his own opinion and support it with objective arguments? - The author shares his beliefs: "I think that people should read books and only then watch the film adaptation." But the argument is unconvincing. There is no clear construction structure, and some arguments cannot be called arguments at all, for example: For me, this is the right way.
The author believes that it is better to get acquainted with the cinematic version of the work after reading the printed version, but his argument is not supported by rational arguments.

1.3. Does the essay offer an alternative view, supported by 1-2 arguments of its adherents? - The author does not offer a different point of view. Accordingly, there are no arguments that could support the alternative version.

1.5. Is there a final part with a conclusion? - The final part is included in the essay: In conclusion I want to say that people should read books. And after that if they want, they should watch this film.But reading books it is necessary, for my mind.
But the wording is very vague. The author says that "you need to read books, and then, if you want, watch a movie." The student does not give any justification: whether he has in mind any specific works or generalizes. In conclusion, he once again repeats the same thesis, but does not support it with explanations.

In this task, the communicative problem is solved only partially. The first criterion is assigned 1 point.

Criterion K2 - Organization of the essay

2.1. Is the text divided into paragraphs? Does the division of the text follow the rules? – The first three paragraphs should be combined, as the author starts talking about the benefits of reading books over watching movies, and then offers arguments to support this thesis.

2.2. Are logical links used? How logical and consistent is the text? - In the text, the sequence and logic of presentation are violated. Means of logical connection are practically not used. Some sentences are misspelled: for my mind(right: « to my mind» ).

For this criterion, the examiner receives 1 point.

Criterion K3 - Vocabulary.

3.1. How well is the vocabulary chosen? Does it fit in with the main purpose of the story? - Vocabulary is correct.

3.2. How extensive is the vocabulary? What level does the examinee's vocabulary correspond to? – Judging by the lexical content of the essay, the student has a very poor vocabulary.

3.3. Does the author follow the rules for constructing phrases and phrases, does he choose words correctly, do they fit the context, and do errors prevent understanding the content of the text? – The author admits lexical inaccuracies. However, they do not distort the meaning of the text. Example: The word "relevance" does not fit the context. In addition, the rules for constructing words are violated.

According to the third criterion, the examinee receives 2 points.

Criterion K4 - Grammar.

4.1. How correct are the grammatical structures? Do they match the general content of the essay? – In general, yes.

4.2. What can be said about the diversity of the use of grammatical means and the level of their complexity? - The composition uses monotonous structures that do not correspond to the advanced level. Errors have been made. Moreover, some of them correspond to the initial level of grammar: this books, more wiser. However, the mistakes made do not affect the understanding of the content of the essay.

Criterion K5 - Spelling and punctuation.

There are spelling and punctuation errors. For instance: piace, thiks, then. Commas are used incorrectly in some places.

Essay score - 6 points.

HOW TO IMPROVE THE ESSAY ON THE USE TO 14 POINTS

How to build a clear argument in an essay in English

We have seen that the mark for solving a communicative task is also given according to the quality of the argument (Methodological recommendations for the organizers and experts of the Unified State Examination, Verbitskaya, Makhmuryan). That is, firstly, there should be no unnecessary off-topic arguments, and secondly, they should be consistent and convincing. That is, you can completely solve the communicative task in the essay for the USE 2018 if you correctly select arguments and examples. In this article, as an example of a real essay, I will show

how to do it, but for now a little theory.

HOW CORRECTLY ARGUMENT?

Imagine the argument as a simple mathematical fraction. There is a numerator (top), there is a denominator (at the bottom). The argument is always based on comparing or contrasting two concepts with a "common denominator". The "common denominator" is some characteristic that will be common to all concepts, but the "numerators" will be different - this is how this characteristic is expressed.

EXAMPLE 1

• Swimming and running are both beneficial, but swimming develops all the muscles, while running only develops the legs and ligaments ( benefit- "denominator" develops all muscles / only legs and ligaments- "numerators").
• Football and tennis are both sports, but one is a team sport and the other is an individual sport.

In our text, we will compare the benefits of investing money in space research with the benefits of spending money on solving problems on earth.

The "denominator" will be such characteristics as "time", "amount" / "size", "probability", "distance".

• time: now / then, now / before
• number: many / few
• size, scale: man / mankind, big / small
• probability: accurate / inaccurate
• distance: close / far

EXAMPLE 2

1. The results of space research will only possibly bring benefits in the future, but at the same time to all people inhabiting the Earth or those who will move to other planets.

• Distance- long away
• Time- Then
• Confidence- inaccurate (negative characteristics)
• Scale- all mankind (positive characteristic)

2. To spend money on earthly needs means to help specific patients, and do it right here and now. Or here and now to organize education in poor countries.

• Time- now
• Distance- here,
• Confidence- exactly (positive characteristics)
• Scale- a single person (negative characteristic)

These are the first thoughts that automatically come to mind. Those who “believe that money should be spent” on solving earthly problems are guided by positive characteristics “ here» « now" and " for sure«.

We can solve the communicative task of an essay in two ways: to defend space exploration or to agree with its opponents. Depending on this, we will build an argument.

STUDY TERMINATION

• Just agree with the arguments of their opponents and give examples of how the redirection of cash flows will make everyone happy
• In the third paragraph, talk about the benefits of research in such a way that it is clear that this is not serious.

In a step-by-step guide to improving the sample essay, we will defend the research and use both methods of argumentation.

The task contrasts the distant benefits of research with close problems, that is, according to the "denominator" distance (close against long away), time (now against Then) and probability (for sure against maybe).
Let's bring space closer to us: " discoveries are already being used in medicine". Let's strengthen the connection with the person: cosmic rays + gene mutations. Let's add scale: the survival of all mankind against one patient.

Too bad it's already 230 words. That is, almost the upper limit, and we still have to write counterarguments. Oh yes, still need to paraphrase in the first paragraph. And remove the superfluous about “Our science have changed every year” - there is no question about changes and time in the task. In this phrase, the "denominator" - change, It was against became. But this is not in the question.
Along the way, we will diversify grammar and vocabulary, as well as improve the logic of the text.

VIEW RESULT

In my opinion, space exploration is extremely important for us and humanity should carry on with it. First of all, it allows us to know more about the universe, planets, cosmic rays and asteroids. Distant planets should be studied as the potential home for humanity in the future, and asteroids may be dangerous for the Earth now. followers, life of all humanity may depend on how much we know about these. What is more, while studying space objects, scientists already make discoveries which change life on Earth right now. For example, new chemical elements like helium can be found during such research. Also, information about the influence of the space and the stars on humans’ health can be obtained as a result of space studies, like the role of cosmic rays in gene mutations and the evolution itself.

On the other hand, space exploration is often claimed a waste of time and money. Those who think so believe that this money should be spent on finding a cure for dangerous deseases and saviung people on earth right now. They also encourage governments to invest more in education saying that thousands of schools, especially in poor countries, may be equipped with this money.

However, they forget that new materials and technologies obtained in space experiments are already being used in modern medicine, in particular – in artificial organs, or arms and legs. Moreover, the issue of inequality in living conditions between countries had been around long before the first man in space, so it is unreasonable to try to solve this issue at the experience of science.

All in all, I believe that current and possible benefits that space exploration can give us are so great and important that it definitely should continue.

(339 words)

Almost everything worked out, now there are five paragraphs, clear and coherent arguments, only there are almost a hundred more words. At the next stage, we will try to cope with this, and now we will analyze what we have just done:

Shorten words in your essay

Nowadays scientists conduct multi-billion research in space, which provokes strong opposition from those who believe that there are more immediate and more important problems on Earth which this money may help to solve. Let's consider whether or not space research should be abandoned in favor of issues on our planet. (50 words)

Nowadays scientists conduct multi-billion research in space, which some opposition claiming that there are urgent problems on Earth which require attention. Let's consider whether space research should be abandoned in favor of more apparent issues. (35 words)

In my opinion, space exploration is extremely important for us and humanity should carry on with it. First of all, it allows us to know more about the universe, planets, cosmic rays and asteroids. Distant planets should be studied as the potential home for humanity in the future, while asteroids may be dangerous for the Earth now. followers, life of all humanity may depend on how much we know about these. What is more, while studying space objects, scientists already make discoveries which change life on the Earth right now. For example, new chemical elements like helium can be found during such research. Also, information about the influence of space and the stars on humans’ health can be obtained as a result of space studies, like the role of cosmic rays in gene mutations and the evolution itself. (138 words)

In my opinion, space exploration is too important to stop. First of all, it provides valuable knowledge about various space phenomena. Distant planets are studied as the potential future home for humanity, while asteroids may be dangerous for the earth now. consequently, life of humanity may depend on knowledge about these. Moreover, space researchers are already making life-changing discoveries. For example, helium was found while studying the sun, and now new materials are deveoped in space. Also, information about the cosmic influence on humans’ health can be obtained as a result of space studies, like the role of cosmic rays in gene mutations and the evolution. (106 words)

On the other hand, space exploration is often claimed a waste of time and money. Those who think so believe that this money should be spent on finding a cure for dangerous deseases and saving people on Earth right now. They also encourage governments to invest more in education saying that thousands of schools, especially in poor countries may be equipped with this money. (63 words)

On the other hand, space exploration is often considered a waste of time and money. Those who think so believe this money should be spent on finding a cure for dangerous deseases saving people on Earth, now. They also insist on governments investing more in education saying that thousands of schools in poor countries could be equipped with this money.(59 words)

However, they forget that new materials and technologies obtained in space experiments are already used in modern medicine, in particular – in artificial organs, or arms and legs. Moreover, the issue of inequality in living conditions between countries had been around long before the first man in space, so it is unreasonable to try to solve it at the experience of science. (62 words)

However, new space-related materials and technologies are already being used in modern medicine, particularly in artificial organs. Additionally , living conditions had been different between countries long before space flights , so we should'nt solve this issue at the experience of science.(40 words)

All in all, I believe that current and possible benefits that space exploration can give us are so great and important that they definitely should continue. (26 words) Total - 339 words

All in all, I believe that space exploration helps solve so many relevant problems that it should definitely continue. (19 words) Total - 259 words

The ability to write an essay requires a fairly high level of knowledge of the language. And few people know this art. We will give you some very useful tips for writing an essay or essay in English, which will come in handy more than once in your life.

Training

It's difficult, but start early. The sooner you start thinking about the topic of the essay, the more time you will have to collect material. When your brain is set to think about a question, the information seems to catch your eye.

The same thing happens when you memorize a new word: it begins to seem that it occurs more often in the text. The thing is that you become more receptive to a certain type of information, paying more attention to it.

To begin with, it is best to sketch out what you know about the topic of the essay: perhaps you know even more than you thought. This will give you ideas on which direction to go next. To act purposefully, make a plan and formulate a preliminary set of questions. When you start to study the material, you will have new, more specific questions, and you will be able to look for answers already to them.

How to overcome the "fear of a blank slate"

Even the most experienced writer at the beginning of work on a new work is sometimes visited by feelings of indecision and fear. But, as they say, the main thing is not in the desire and not in the ability: just start writing. It doesn't matter where you start: the main thing is not to stop writing and for the time being do not worry about style and spelling. Make preliminary sketches of the main ideas of the story and after that proceed to the design of the structure of your future creation.

If you write on a computer, it will not be difficult for you to swap fragments of what you have written, grouping them differently. If you prefer paper and pen, leave a space of one or two lines between abstracts so that you can add something later.

You can even take scissors and cut the sheet into strips to make this process easier. Try to arrange the future essay in the order of development of the main idea. If as a result you get the “golden three”: the beginning (introduction), the middle (the main part of the essay) and the ending (conclusion), then you did everything right.

General essay structure

Introduction

The introduction should contain some commentary on the topic of the essay - perhaps definitions of key concepts or an explanation of how you understand the question. Also in this section, you need to list which aspects of the topic you will consider and why.

Remember that an essay is not a novel, so you need to choose only a few main arguments that reveal the topic. The introduction should give a clear idea of ​​what will be discussed next, and the teacher should see that you are answering a specific set of questions.

So a good introduction should:

• demonstrate your intention to answer the question;
• show that you understand the topic;
• outline the structure of your answer and the main aspects that you will consider (your plan);
• confirm that you have done some research and cite one of your sources;
• fully correspond to the topic;
• be concise and occupy about 8-9% of the total text (for example, 120 words in a 1500-word essay).

Note: For those who find it easier to navigate not in the number of words, but in the number of characters, the following formula is useful: on average, one English word is taken as 6 characters (including spaces), that is, a 500-word essay contains approximately 3000 characters with spaces.

Start your essay with a key phrase that will indicate the direction of your answer. For instance:

• This essay deals with... ( « This essay is about... » )
• This assignment will examine... ( « This work examines... » )
• This report will analyze... ( « This report analyzes... » )

Use the same or similar wording as in the essay topic. If the question sounds like "Discuss recent developments in communication technology" ("Consider current developments in communication technology"), then in the introduction you can write: "This essay will consider recent developments in the field of communication technology ..." ("In this The essay will examine current developments in communication technology...”). More certainty: leave no room for the reader to doubt.

You can also use these words and expressions to highlight your work plan, for example:

• The essay is divided into four sections... ("This essay consists of four parts...")
• It will first consider...
• It will then continue to describe...
• The third part compares...
• Finally, some conclusions will be drawn as to...

Main part

The main body should explain each of the arguments using examples and illustrations. Information should be clearly divided logically (for this, the text is divided into paragraphs). You need to think over the structure of the essay and make sure that the body of the essay logically leads to a conclusion.

Conclusion

The conclusion should summarize the ideas expressed. Here it is necessary to answer the question formulated in the topic of the essay. Or, depending on the topic, indicate the prospects or consequences of the problem under consideration.

Also, in this section, you can formulate related topics worthy of further reflection and express personal views - if they are supported by the arguments that you have given earlier.

A good conclusion is:

• not just summarizing. The conclusion should be a thoughtful conclusion to the work, for example, applying what has been written to a real situation.
• quintessence, that is, a short list of the main ideas. It is worth referring to the introduction and draw parallels using the same keywords or images, but using a different wording. Do not repeat word for word.
• reinforcing the ideas of the main part of the work. Different types of essays require different conclusions. A short work does not need a detailed repetition of the main ideas, but a longer one may need it.
• perhaps a suggestive question, a vivid image, a quote, if appropriate.
• as an option - a forecast of results or consequences, a possible solution, a call to action.

However, there are points that should be avoided in the conclusion of the essay:

• come up with completely new ideas. If they are really important, include them in the body.
• use an apologetic tone. Be confident in your statements. Avoid phrases like "I may not be an expert" or "At least this is my opinion" ("I may not be an expert" or "At least I think so").
• focus on too small details.
• refute the validity of previous arguments.

According to many teachers, the conclusion is the most important part of the essay. In it, you demonstrate that you have a good command of the material and thoughtfully approached the consideration of the problem. Don't worry if the conclusion forces you to rewrite other parts of the text. Actually, this is a good sign!

As a general idea of ​​the length of each section, you can use the following formula (this is a recommendation, but not a hard and fast rule):

• Introduction - 7-8% of the essay volume
• Conclusion - 12-15% of the essay volume

Do not overuse complex words and expressions, but avoid slang and abbreviations. In general, try to write in short, simple sentences, breaking them up with longer ones from time to time. The goal is to state the essence clearly and clearly so that the reader can easily follow the course of thought and not be distracted by extraneous reasoning (also read about styles in English).

Needless to say, there should be no grammatical and spelling errors in the essay - make every effort to do so. In addition, you need to remember that you are not writing for yourself, but for another person, so punctuation, division into sentences and paragraphs, general structure - all this should help the reader.

Avoid elements of colloquial speech:

• do not use abbreviations (don "t, they're, it's), always use the full form;
• do not use slang and colloquial expressions (kid, a lot of/lots of, cool);
• write to the point and do not deviate from the topic;
• try to avoid phrasal verbs (get off, get away with, put in - more about phrasal verbs), use one-word synonyms;
• avoid too general words (all, any, every), be specific and precise;
• do not abuse brackets, exclamation marks.

Stick to the academic style:

• if possible, avoid first-person personal pronouns (I, my, we, our);
• avoid too categorical judgments and generalizations;
• support what is said with quotes and data indicating sources;
• Gender equality is important in English: when talking about an abstract person, use person instead of man. Whenever possible, it is better to pluralize the subject and use the pronoun they instead of he or she;
• use the active voice whenever possible, do not complicate the sentences. For example, instead of "Crime was increasing rapidly and the police were becoming concerned," write: "The rapid increase in crime was causing concern among the police." police").

Strive to give the text objectivity:

• use impersonal constructions: It is believed that... (“It is believed that ...”) , It cannot be argued that ... (“Undoubtedly ...”);
• use the passive voice if you do not want to indicate the performer of the action: Tests have been conducted ("Tests were conducted ...");
• use non-categorical verbs, for example: suggest (offer, suggest, express an opinion), claim (assert, declare), suppose (consider, believe, assume);
• to show your attitude to the issue, but to avoid personal judgments, you can use adverbs: apparently (obviously), arguably (probably), ideally (ideally), strangely (strange), unexpectedly (unexpectedly);
• use modal verbs would, could, may, might to soften the categoricalness;
• to avoid generalizations, use qualifying adverbs: some (some), several (several), a minority of (smaller part), a few (several), many (many).

paragraphs

Each paragraph usually touches on one aspect of the main idea. The two paragraphs may touch on different aspects, but be interrelated - for example, cause and effect, positive and negative sides, the state of affairs before or after.

Sometimes the first sentence of a paragraph is introductory, that is, explaining what will be discussed.

Connectivity

The logical transition from one paragraph to another sometimes causes serious difficulties for the author. To preserve the coherence of the text, it is necessary to guide the reader, give him signals. Introductory and linking words that perform various functions can help with this. For instance:

• opposition: but, however, on the other hand, yet;
• example: for example, that is;
• addition: similarly, moreover, furthermore, in addition;
• conclusion: therefore, consequently, as a result, thus;
• enum: then, after that, ultimately.

Quotes and links

When you quote a book or other written source, or convey information in your own words, you must include the author's name and publication date. You can do this in the following way:

• According to Smith (1998), writing a good essay is difficult at times, but definitely not impossible. (“According to Smith (1998), writing a good essay is sometimes difficult, but certainly possible.”)

• Writing a good essay is difficult at times, but definitely not impossible (Smith 1998). (“Writing a good essay is sometimes difficult, but certainly possible (Smith 1998).”)

Checking and editing

"Lifehack": You can dictate an essay on a sound recording device yourself and listen to it. Often this is how it is possible to detect inconsistencies in grammatical structures or inconsistencies in the logical course of things.

Be sure to use a spell checker in a text editor, but don't forget to proofread the text yourself. For example, Word sometimes misses rather curious errors that can greatly spoil the impression of your written work. If you're not sure about something, look it up in a dictionary.

And another useful technique: before you finish the work, set it aside for a couple of hours (even better - for a day) so that you can then return to it with a fresh look. This is another reason why you need to start writing an essay in advance, with enough time left.

Natalya Glukhova

How to write an essay in English

12/11 2018

Hello dear friends!

Today's article will be useful to a wide range of people: from schoolchildren to adults. Do you want to take the IELTS exam or any other international one? Do you need to prepare your child for the exam or the exam? In this case, you just need to learn how to write an essay in English.

From this article you will learn:

Essay types

The structure and content of an essay partly depends on its type. There are several varieties:

1. Agree / Disagree (Consent / Disagreement). It is also called Opinion (Opinion). A certain statement is given here, and you need to prove your agreement or disagreement with the help of arguments.
2. Advantages / Disadvantages (Advantages / Disadvantages). A certain fact is stated here. Your task is to paint its good and bad sides. An example of such a task:
3. Computers are becoming an essential part of school lessons.
4. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion.
   (Computers are becoming an important part of the classroom. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses and give your opinion.)
5. Problem and solution (Problem and solution). Here a certain problem is given, it is necessary to designate the consequences of it and provide possible ways to solve it.

Remembering the scheme

There are three integral parts of any composition plan:

1. Introduction (Introduction).
2. Body paragraph (Main paragraph).
3. Conclusion (Conclusion).

Essay outline

In the first part, you are required to rephrase the task, write what will be discussed. Notice what exactly to paraphrase, say in your own words. If you completely copy the question, then the points will be lower. If this is an opinion essay, then you can also indicate here what position you adhere to. Do you know sentences in English?

Let's say the task looks like this:
Nowadays many jobs are more stressful and the working day is longer.
What are the reasons for this? What can employers do to help employees?

(Work is getting busier these days and work hours are longer. What could be the reasons? What can employers do to help their workers?)

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I offer you an example of an introduction to such an essay:
Two ways in which the workplace has changed in the modern era are that employees are
required to work longer hours and there is more pressure on them than in the past. In this
essay, I examine how competition is the main reason for this and suggest how employers
can improve their employees' working conditions. this is the main reason, and I will advise how employees can change their employers for the better).

Subscribe to my blog. Find even more useful articles and rules, and you will also receive as a gift - a basic phrasebook in three languages, English, German and French. Its main advantage is that there is a Russian transcription, therefore, even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.

As we can see, the author described the problem in his own words and briefly told what will be discussed next.
The main part should consist of two or three paragraphs. It will help you about transliteration into English - sometimes this is really important.

If this is an opinion essay, then you should first indicate the reason why you agree or disagree with the statement and support it with arguments. You can specify two. Also be sure to highlight the opposite opinion. Explain why a different point of view is also the place to be. Typically, such tasks do not have a clear answer, so it will not be difficult to find arguments in support of the two positions. Repeat the last pro forms of the infinitive, if you have any questions - ask in the comments.

If your task is to write a problem and solution essay, then you can first talk about one problem, then offer a solution, then do the same with the second problem. Or you can first list all the problems, and then offer solutions.
And at the end there is a conclusion. Here you are required to summarize everything that has been said and once again express your opinion.

IELTS Exam Question Example

The key to a good essay is a varied and relevant vocabulary. Therefore, I advise you to memorize clichés that will always come in handy:

Phrase	Translation
Expressing your opinion
In my opinion	In my opinion
In my view
From my point of view	From my point of view
I imagine	I represent
It seems to me	I think that
give examples
For example	For instance,
For instance
In other words	In other words
To illustrate	For illustration
opposition
However	but
on the contrary,	Vice versa
On the other hand	On the other side
Add information
In addition	In addition
moreover	Moreover
besides	Moreover
Also	Also
draw conclusions
To summarize	Let's generalize
finally	In the end

Useful phrases

What to look out for
In addition, to learn how to write an essay in English correctly, some more tips will help you:

1. Pay attention to spelling and punctuation.
2. Make sure that the speech is varied, try to avoid repeating the same words, choose synonyms.
3. Strictly follow the rules. If you are told to write 250-280 words, do not decrease or increase.

What else is important for a good essay? Match the times correctly. I talked about how to do this in one of.

The most common essay topics

So that you have a more complete picture of how to write an essay in English, I offer a sample:

Modern lifestyles mean that many parents have little time for their children.

Many children do not get as much attention from their parents as children did in the past.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

One common concern nowadays is how modern lifestyles can have a negative effect on family life.

A particular worry is that parents are no longer able to provide sufficient care and support for their children.

In my opinion, this is generally true, but not always so.

If we look at the past, the traditional family structure was the husband was the head of the family and his duty was to provide for his immediate family by going out to work.

His wife's role was to stay at home and bring up the children. In this situation, we should note that the children frequently did not see much of their father during the working week.

In the present day, the traditional structure has changed in many cultures.

One reason for this is that it is more and more common for the wife to go out to work because it is now accepted that woman have as much right to work as men.

As a result many children do not see their mother as often as they would have done in the past.

A second reason is that divorce has increased and in single-parent families children only ever see one parent.

We should also consider, however, that these changes are not the same for all families.

In low income families, for instance, it has always been normal for both parents to work.

Likewise, if the family is close-knit, the parents will still spend time with their children even though they both work.

To conclude with, generally most children see less of their parents and this is due to changing lifestyles.

Let me remind you that the proposed presentation is suitable for both academic modules of exams and others. I wish you success in your delivery. Subscribe to the Viva Europe blog for even more useful information about English.

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In the summer of 2018, a scandal broke out related to the Unified State Examination in English: 1.5 thousand schoolchildren from the Sverdlovsk region, Primorye and Buryatia wrote an essay with zero points. Many of them were winners of Olympiads in foreign languages ​​and studied in gymnasium classes. We asked Skyeng methodologist and GEF developer Daria Grebenyuk to talk about the essay format and give some tips on how to prepare for it.

Why are the regions dissatisfied?

Parents of schoolchildren insist that the reason for poor results is the different level of difficulty of tasks for Moscow and for other regions. They are sure that the Muscovites got easier topics. On this occasion, they even created a petition addressed to the president demanding that the grades of children be reviewed. As Natalia Riis, the author of the petition, told Kommersant, “now it turns out that Moscow is writing an essay about friendship, and the Urals is writing about digital literacy.”

At the same time, the FIPI (an institution that develops USE tasks) does not want to support the petition - they say that the students were poorly prepared and did the tasks incorrectly. For example, they arbitrarily simplified the topic “Early choice of a profession is the key to success” to a laconic “My future profession”. According to the representative of the FIPI, students do this in order to "reproduce the topic learned by heart instead of their own opinion and their own reasoning." State Duma deputy from the Sverdlovsk region Alexei Balyberdin asked the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Olga Vasilyeva to figure out what was the matter and who was right - FIPI or parents.

Some regions did indeed perform poorly in essays. In the Novosibirsk region, almost 56% of those who took the test received zero points, in the Kemerovo region and in Buryatia - 35%. They coped better in Irkutsk and Rostov - there the percentage of those who wrote zero is less than 10. In the whole country, 40% of schoolchildren did not cope with the essay.

How to write an essay in the exam in English?

Essay - a task of an increased level of complexity (corresponds to B2, the threshold advanced level of Intermediate). This is a discussion on the proposed topic, in which there are five structural parts:

- Introduction(introduction), where the problem is indicated;
- the position of the student and two or three arguments in support of it;
- the formulation of an alternative point of view and one or two arguments in its favor;
- an explanation of the student why he does not agree with these arguments;
- conclusion(conclusion), which summarizes the main position of the student.

Ideally, the essay is divided into five paragraphs. The student must correctly use the means of logical connection - such introductory words and phrases as in my opinion(in my opinion), however(However), in conclusion(in conclusion) and others. Pay attention to punctuation: write each sentence with a capital letter and end it with a period. Use question and exclamation marks only where appropriate.

And, of course, follow all the grammatical rules. For one or two minor errors, points will not be reduced, but it is better to strive for the ideal. The vocabulary that the student chooses must also correspond to the topic, the style of presentation and be diverse - as much as the B2 level suggests.

The student did just that. Why are points reduced?

1. The content is not fully relevant to the topic

The most important criterion is the solution of the communicative task. If the content does not correspond to the topic of the essay, then even perfect grammar, excellent lexical constructions and sustained volume will not help. Relatively speaking, if you see the Produkty store, go inside and see spare parts on the shelves, even if they are beautiful and expensively packaged, this is at least strange.

Let's say you have a topic friendship, and you write about a trip to your grandmother and how you had a wonderful time with friends. Like the word " friends” sounded, but this has nothing to do with the topic. This year there was a terrible topic in the Sverdlovsk region - “ Digital literacy is the key to success in any occupation” (“Digital literacy is the key to success in any profession”), but it was disclosed incorrectly. The USE participants wrote about what gadgets and technologies teenagers now use, but they had to express their attitude to the use of information technologies in the world.

2. Essay is larger or smaller than specified in the assignment

Another reason why you can fail the work is not meeting the criteria for the number of words. Remember, the optimal number of words for an essay is from 200 to 250. If the student wrote too much, the verifier cuts off the excess from the bottom and takes into account only those words that are included in the volume. Lack of volume also leads to loss of points.

Examinees do not always count words correctly. For example, some people think: a word written with a hyphen counts as two (in fact, it doesn't). Another example: the phrase " it is”, experts, of course, will consider this as two words, but they will consider it a mistake: they will decide that you do not know how to use the generally accepted abbreviation it's. And this, by the way, is already one word, not two. Here's what counts as one word:

Auxiliary verbs, prepositions, articles, particles;
- short forms can't, didn't, isn't, I "m etc;
- numerals expressed in numbers (25, 2018, 126 204);
- numerals with percentages (25%);
- compound words such as good looking, well-bred, English speaking, twenty-five;
- abbreviations ( USA, TV).

3. The student does not pay attention to the design

This year, one of my students got nervous and wrote an essay on the back of the form. A personal letter and an essay are tasks with an open type of answers (they are checked by living people), but in any case, the forms that the student submits are first processed by the computer. If we do not respect the fields, an automatic check will detect violations. You can not score on technical requirements and write as God puts on the soul.

And how then is it better to prepare for an essay?

1. Start preparing for the exam with him

The first thing you need to work on is not listening, not grammar, but an essay. Firstly, it will help you see all the problem areas: what is wrong with grammar, vocabulary, punctuation. Secondly, this is the most difficult thing in the exam - the earlier you start, the more likely you are to prepare better.

2. Learn to express your thoughts - and only then hone the structure

To begin with, you should not adjust yourself to the framework of the exam - it's better to just learn how to express your thoughts. Take any topic and write, and then check if it is disclosed. Do you like what you wrote, do you understand the idea of ​​your text. Then you can take an excellent textbook by Radislav Milrud (which describes four types of essays) and practice writing an essay according to the given parameters.

3. Calculate time

When training, be sure to put a phone with a timer next to it. It is naive to believe that, having come to the exam, you will be able to meet the time the first time. Many write an essay on a draft, but do not have time to transfer it to the official form. This means that the task failed, it is pointless to file an appeal in this case. I would allow 10-15 minutes to transfer the essay to a clean copy, and five more to count the words.

4. Always be mindful of alternative opinions

Often, students in an essay indicate only positive arguments or, conversely, only negative ones. But we must definitely consider the problem from two sides. To make it clearer, here is a topical example: “I am a pensioner and I support an increase in the retirement age. I want to work, I signed up for the Sobyanin program “Moscow Longevity”. But my neighbor Nyura Petrovna is 67 years old, and she is falling apart, she is even too lazy to go down from the third floor - in general, she is categorically against it.

In the end, you must definitely emphasize what you stand for - for Sobyanin or for Nyura Petrovna. Like, of course, I respect the opinion of my neighbor, but in general I am an active pensioner, I love my country, I am ready to die at work. Everything is wonderful, rye is earing, milk yields have increased.

You can start actively preparing for the exam in English right now - for this, Skyeng has developed. Classes are held on an interactive online platform at any convenient time. And the teacher will help you find gaps in the language and get rid of them (but in such a way that you won’t be bored). Sign up.