Essay Writing-Task 2

1. An Introduction to Essay Writing

Tasks 2 of both the Academic and General Training modules are the same. Candidates are asked to write
a short essay of a minimum of 250 words in about 40 minutes. The essay is usually a discussion of a
subject of general interest. Candidates have to present and justify an opinion about something, offer
solutions to a problem, or speculate about future trends.

Task 2 is more important than Task 1 in that there is more 'weighting' towards Task 2. If your
performance in Task 1 is not as good as it is in Task 2, you can still receive a good writing score.

2. Task Requirements

In this task, you need to write an academic-style essay on a single topic given. You have no choices here
- you must write only about the one topic-so prepare yourself with strat- egies to write a well-organised
essay on a variety of subject areas. You may need to offer solutions to a problem, express an opinion, or
comment on ideas or arguments presented.

Your essay should be about four or five paragraphs in length, with an introduction, body paragraphs and
a conclusion. It should not be a list of bullet points, but a properly-organised essay, written in full
sentences.

Preparation (about 3 minutes)

You may spend about 2-3 minutes working out exactly what you are going to do. Below are the steps
you should take into consideration:

1. Study the question carefully. Most task statements or questions have a key instructional word or
words telling you what to do. Note these words with a highlighting pen. There are also key topic words
which point to the most important parts of the question. Underline those words, too. Ask yourself how
the key words relate to the given instructions.

2. Use the written language, not the spoken language. Use a wide range of structures. 3. Think in English
when writing. Do not translate word for word from the mother tongue into English.

4. Decide which points will be written as topic sentences. Think about how they will be developed into
paragraphs.

5. Use topic sentences to clearly identify the main theme in each paragraph.

6. Try to develop every paragraph in a convincing way. This may be done through the use of examples,
explanations, details, logical inferences, causes and effects, or comparisons/ contrasts.

7. Ensure that your paragraphs are arranged in logical order. Each of these contains an appro- priate
connective word to ensure a smooth transition between paragraphs.
3. Skills for Essay Writing

3.1. The essay organisation

When you are writing a Task 2 answer, a structure based on the following elements could be used: an
introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph.

Below is the basic essay organisation:

3.2. Writing

3.2.1. Introduction
The introduction is the first paragraph of an essay. It introduces the essay and arouses the reader's
interest.

a. Purpose

The introduction is aimed at letting the reader know:

 the topic
 the aspect of the topic being dealt with
 the stand (attitude) taken by the writer to the topic

In other words, the introduction actually contains the conclusion.

b. Parts of the introduction

The introduction usually has two parts:

• General statements: These give the reader the background information about the topic of an essay.
They should lead the reader gradually from a general idea to a very specific idea.

• A thesis statement: This introduces the main idea of an essay. A thesis statement is like an answer to
the question your paper explores. It provides your reader with a "guide" to your argument.

Example 1

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in the modern world.

Introduction:

A person born in the late twentieth century has seen a lot of changes taken place in almost all areas of
human life. Some people are excited by the challenges that these changes offer; others want to return
to the simpler, less automated lifestyle of the past. Living in the modern world has certain advantages
such as a higher standard of living, but it also has some disadvantages such as a polluted environment,
the depersonalisation of human relationships, and the weakening of spiritual values.

Example 2

Every country has poor people and every country has different ways of dealing with the poor

What are some of the reasons for world poverty? What can be done to help the poor?

Introduction:

Every country, no matter how rich, has groups of people who live under the poverty line. They live in
miserable conditions without adequate goods such as food or shelter, or without such services as health
or education. This essay will examine some of the main causes of poverty and suggest some possible
solutions.
3.2.2. Body

The body is at the heart of an essay. It contains several paragraphs. The purpose of the body is to
explain, illustrate, discuss or prove the thesis statement.

There are three things to remember when writing developmental paragraphs in the body:

1. Each paragraph in the body discusses one aspect of the main topic.

2. The controlling idea in the developmental paragraph should echo the central idea in the thesis
statement.

3. The developmental paragraphs should have coherence and unity.

Example 1

Describe the disadvantages of living in a big city,

Introduction:

Big cities are full of charm and opportunities, so people from the country all rush to the urban areas to
take advantage of the opportunities for jobs and education, make good use of the theatres, cinemas and
museums, and patronise all the ethnic restaurants in the cities. Although cities seem like a paradise, it is
not, for the cities have several serious problems: poor public transport, congested streets, and
expensive housing.

Body..

A. The first and most important problem is the inadequate public transport system for the urban
dwellers.

1. Schedules are unreliable.

a. Late bus arrivals

b. Arrival in bunches

2. Passengers are victims.

a. Late to work, appointments, classes

b. Extra waiting time

B. The second serious problem is the extremely congested condition of the city streets.

1. Heavy downtown traffic

a. Cars and trucks within city

c. Accidents

2. Traffic jams

C. The final problem is the lack of reasonable housing.

1. Shortage of rentals

2. High rents

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the traffic systems in big cities are in bad shape. Furthermore, the high cost of housing
and massive traffic jams are all negative aspects of the city life.

Example 2

In what ways should imports and exports be adjusted to increase your country's eliciency and
effectiveness in the world marketplace?

Body:

First of all, a balance should be maintained between exports and imports. Vietnam is a developing
country and tries to import as many goods as possible to serve our society. But if the quantity of imports
is much greater than the quantity of exports, we have to go into debt or depend heavily on other
countries. In this case, our economy will be controlled, and obviously it will not be able to run efficiently
and effectively. On the other hand, if the quantity of exports is greatly more than the quantity of
imports, that means we do not efficiently use what we earn from other countries to serve our society. In
this sense, it wastes the earnings.

Secondly, exportation should concentrate on the goods we have the greatest advantages to produce.
Considering our society's real situation, labour-intensive products such as textiles, handicrafts, and so
on, should be given priority as exports. If we do not consider our advantages, maybe our exported
products will have no competitive value in the world market, and of course, will prove superfluous.

Thirdly, concerning importation, it is necessary to import technology rather than consumer goods.
Today's technology plays a major role in developing the economy. If we import consumer goods, after
consuming them we have to import again. But if we import technology, we can apply it in our
manufacture and produce the goods we need to meet the needs of the people. In this way, our
economy can be improved fast and efficiently.

Different topics will have different body-paragraph development. This will be dealt with in the next
section.
3.2.3. Conclusion

The conclusion is the last paragraph of an essay.

a. Jobs of the conclusion

The conclusion does three things:

 It signals the end of the essay.

b. Parts of the conclusion

The conclusion has two parts:

 The concluding sentences

The concluding sentences

 form the first part of the conclusion.

c. Conclusion transition signals

The first sentence in a conclusion usually begins with a conclusion transition signal such as in brief, in
conclusion, in summary, in short, to sum up, etc.

3.2.4. Transition signals between paragraphs

Transition signals are important not only within a paragraph but also between para- graphs. If you write
two or more paragraphs, you need to show the relationship between your first and second paragraphs,
between your second and third paragraphs, and so on.

Two paragraphs are linked by adding a transition signal to the topic sentence of the see- ond paragraph.
This transition signal may be a word, a phrase, or a dependent clause that repeats or summarises the
main idea of the first paragraph.

Look at the transition signals you should include in the following essay. The topic is Flexitime.

Introduction:

One of the most important changes that management has made in industry in recent years is the
scheduling of flexible working hours for their employees. Workers are given the option of choosing
when they will work. This allows them more leisure time for family and fun. Flexitime has obvious
advantages for both workers and management although it may not be practical in all types of
businesses.

Transition signal word: The first advantage is increased production per working hour.

(+ supporting details)

Transition signal word: A second advantage is that factory workers are happier.

(+ supporting details)

Transition signal phrase: In addition to increased output and worker satisfaction, factory managers
report that absenteeism has declined.

(+ supporting details)

Transition signal clause: Although flexitime has produced these three positive results in some industries,
it is not as advantageous in all types of businesses.

(+ supporting details)

Conclusion:

To summarise, flexitime has resulted in increased production and happier workers who are less likely to
miss work, and it works well in manufacturing and retail industries. It works less well in service
industries such as the restaurant and health care industries.