2008

Busan IDP IELTS Institute

Greg

[BEGINNERS ESSAY WRITING] Essay writing basic with helpful subjects & sample answer sheets

ESSAY WRITING 2

Contents

A. Structure step by step 1. Develop a paragraph by following the topic sentences. 3

2. Brain Storming for Body Brain Storming 1 4 Brain Storming 2 5 Brain Storming 3 6 Brain Storming 4 7

3. Introduction of Essay Type A 8

Type B 9

Practice 1 10 Practice 2 11 Practice 3 12 Practice 4 13

4. Conclusion 14~15 Practices 1 to 3 16~17

5. Introduction General statement 18 Thesis statement 19

B. Skills for the Writing Module Task 2 20, 21

C. IELTS Essay Writing Checklist 22

D. Linking words or phrases 23~25

E. Essay practices with answers Agree / Disagree 26 Cause & Solution 26 Advantage & Disadvantage 27 Compare & Contrast 27 Answer 28~30

Appendix: Sample IELTS Writing Answer Sheets

Task 1 Sample Sheets 31, 32 Task 2 Sample Sheets 33, 34

ESSAY WRITING 3

I. Structure step by step

1. Develop a paragraph by following the topic sentences.

Example

If people are allowed to carry guns, the number of murders will increase. The link between

guns and murders has been consistently proved by world crime figures. There are more people

murdered in America than in Europe, largely because guns are readily available. It stands to

reason that if people can easily obtain guns, they will use them. Therefore, the only way to

control gun-related crime is to make it extremely difficult for ordinary people to own a gun.

1. Television watching should be minimized to a certain extent if we want to live a more meaningful and happier life.

2. There is justification for war in some cases.

3. Overpopulation in China can lead to many serious problems.

4. Computers can bring us a lot of disadvantages as well as benefits.

ESSAY WRITING 4

2. Brain Storming for Body

1. International magazine, TV, and other media have exerted great influence on our life, and this is

a negative development.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Brain storming

Thesis statement

_______________________________________________________________________________

Body

Topic 1

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

Topic 2

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

Topic 3

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

ESSAY WRITING 5

2. It has been said: Not everything that is learned is contained in books. Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which

source is more important? Why?

Brain storming

Thesis statement

_______________________________________________________________________________

Body

Topic 1

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

Topic 2

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

Topic 3

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

ESSAY WRITING 6

3. Modern technology such as chemical fertilizers and machinery can provide us with cheap food.

However, it also has some negative effects on peoples health. What is your opinion?

Brain storming

Thesis statement

_______________________________________________________________________________

Body

Topic 1

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

Topic 2

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

Topic 3

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

ESSAY WRITING 7

4. In many countries children are engaged in some kind of paid work. Some people regard this as

completely wrong, while others consider it as valuable work experience, important for learning and

taking responsibility. What are your opinions?

Brain storming

Thesis statement

_______________________________________________________________________________

Body

Topic 1

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

Topic 2

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

Topic 3

_______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting/ example

1

2

3

ESSAY WRITING 8

3. Introduction of Essay

- TYPE A -

Should dangerous sports be banned?

Sentence 1 Every year, thousands of people are injured or killed in sports such as boxing or

motor-racing.

Sentence 2 Because of this, many people are opposed to such sports, and want them to be

stopped or controlled.

Sentence 3

(Thesis)

This essay will look at some of the arguments for and against banning dangerous

sports.

Does Aid to Poor Countries Work?

Sentence 1 For the last fifty years, poor countries have been receiving huge sums of money

from rich donor countries.

Sentence 2 Some of this money has improved lives, while much of it has disappeared or made

no difference.

Sentence 3

(Thesis)

In this essay, I will discuss some arguments for and against foreign aid.

Who should take care of our old people?

Sentence 1 In my country, most old people live happily with their children.

Sentence 2 Increasingly however, many families cannot take care of their parents.

Sentence 3

(Thesis)

This essay will describe some of the problems involved with taking care of old

people, and discuss who should be responsible.

ESSAY WRITING 9

- TYPE B

Does space exploration benefit mankind?

Sentence For Many people are excited about space exploration.

Sentence

Against

However, others feel it is a massive waste of money.

Sentence 3

(Thesis)

This essay will look at some of the arguments for and against space exploration.

Does space exploration benefit mankind?

Sentence For Space, for many people, really is the final frontier.

They are excited by the exploration and potential of space.

Sentence

Against

However, not everyone agrees that this money is well-spent. Many people feel that

we should solve problems here on earth before beginning our journey to space.

Sentence 3

(Thesis)

This essay will look at some of the arguments for and against space exploration.

Do Athletes deserve their high salaries?

Sentence 1 Everyday, we read about new record contracts and salaries earned by sportsmen

and women. Some people do not agree with these huge payments.

Sentence 2 Others believe that our sports heroes deserve every penny.

Sentence 3

(Thesis)

This essay will look at some of the arguments for and against the high salaries of

athletes.

ESSAY WRITING 10

PRACTICE

1.

Nowadays, young people tend to rush into independence. Many of them leave home to study or

work while still in their teens. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this.

Firstly, it goes without saying that earlier independence helps young people to better understand the

people around them and the world as a whole, and to accumulate more social experiences, which

are invaluable for their future life and career. Moreover, living on their won means, to a large

degree, that young people have to face and overcome difficulties by themselves. Therefore, it may

help to mold in them a sound and unyielding character during the crucial period in which a persons

temperament is largely formed.

However, as there are always two sides to every coin, we cannot turn a blind eye to the unavoidable

disadvantages of early independence. First, people in their teens are generally still immature. If

they are exposed without proper protection to all the temptations and evils of society, they are more

likely to fall into a life of crime than people of the same age who still live with their parents.

Second, they are inclined to allot their time and energy inappropriate, for they may have to spend

the lions share of their time earning their own living.

ESSAY WRITING 11

2

Scientific and technological advances have improved our daily lives. However, in many fields

scientists cannot solve the problems they have created themselves. Do you agree or disagree with

this opinion? Give your reasons.

Firstly, the creation of a new scientific and technological product is a purely academic matter, but

its application may be affected by political and military factors, and the like. For example, the

original purpose of cloning was simply scientific to change undesirable genes at the embryo stage,

and to alleviate pain and illness. However, some people with ulterior motives may take advantage

of this technique to clone human genes. This is sure to cause serious moral uncertainty and chaos

for the human race.

Secondly, sometimes it is impossible for researchers and scientists to foresee the future application

of the product they are working on. Atomic energy is a case in point. Its study and research are

conducted with the aim of saving the worlds limited energy resources and optimizing the use of

current energy sources, such as water. Yet people are saddened by the news that atomic technology

is used to manufacture dangerous weapons for the purpose of threatening or even destroying other

countries and innocent people.

ESSAY WRITING 12

3

Statistics show that cities are becoming bigger and bigger. What do you think are the causes and

possible consequences?

Firstly, the most immediate factor that has given rise to this phenomenon is the extensive use of

farming machinery, such as seeding, harvesting and grain-drying machines, in the process of the

modernization of agricultural production, which has, in turn, freed more farmers from the land to

seek better opportunities in cities. With more immigrant workers swarming into them, many cities

have been forced to expand into the neighboring countryside, so as to accommodate the swelling

population.

Secondly, an equally important factor that deserves our attention is the rapid development of public

facilities, such as shopping centres, parks and highway networks, in the course of urban progress,

which has consequently led to the fast growth of cities. With more skyscrapers rising on the

outskirts and more freeways connecting nearby towns, many cities are experiencing an exceptional

period of expansion, so as to keep pace with the increasing demands of their burgeoning

populations.

In view of the factors I have listed above, I believe that some measures should be taken so as to

rein in the situation. Otherwise, many of todays prosperous cities may fall victim to problems of

severe water shortage, land crisis, energy scarcity, and even worse a more polluted environment.

ESSAY WRITING 13

4

Many people believe that the zoo should be closed because it is cruel to keep animals locked up.

Moreover, the zoo does not have a positive role to play in society. Write an essay expressing your

point of view.

On the one hand, the zoo provides recreation and refreshment for fatigued urban dwellers. People

relax when appreciating an elegant swan or a playful chimpanzee. This kind of relaxation is

something that can not be obtained through modern entertainment means, such as Karaoke or

discos. Its purely natural sensation.

On the other hand, the zoos are important to small children. If the zoos are places of recreation of

adults, then they must be dreamlands for small children. Do you remember the first time you were

taken to a zoo? Im sure it was something youll remember all your life. Small children learn how

to protect animals through observing them and this will also add to their knowledge something they

will never acquire in the classroom.

ESSAY WRITING 14

4. Conclusion

Linking words

: In conclusion, To summarise, In brief, To sum up

Pattern

[Conclusion linking words, + topic sentences in body paragraph. +

Thus, / Therefore , my opinion]

Example 1.

Vegetarianism is necessary in the world. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some people are consistently in favor of red meat, but other people are interested in becoming a

vegetarian. In fact, vegetarianisms several advantages influence a society to be better. In this respect, vegetarianism should be widely spread through our society.

To start with, vegetables are good for our health. We can get vitamins and fibre from fruit and

vegetables. In addition, vegetables contain less fat than meat. For instance, in recent US study 40%

less heart disease was shown in vegetarians but the outbreak of heart disease increased by 20% to

60% in a group of people, who is in favor of red meat.

Second of all, becoming a vegetarian is regarded as the good method to protect animals rights. For instance, in UK more greater than 500 million cows are slaughtered per year. Also, raising them

with artificial food and drugs in dark sunless sheds seriously arrogate their right to live freely.

Finally, it is cheaper to eat vegetables and fruit. In Asia the price of meat is three times higher than

the price of vegetables. It is cheap to raise them compared to raising animals to eat.

In conclusion, it is well known that eating vegetables is helpful for our health. Furthermore,

to protect animals rights becoming vegetarian is essential and vegetable guarantee the price competitiveness with a variety of nutrients. Thus, I totally believe that people should become

a vegetarian.

ESSAY WRITING 15

Sample 2

Body

First of all, students are likely to miss some chances to learn essential but unattractive knowledge if

they have only home schooling instead of traditional schooling. In other words, schools provide

diverse subjects with properly divided class time for students regardless of students will. However, students with home schooling can avoid some subject that they dont want to learn although the subjects are essential and significant in their curriculum. It means that home schooling might cause

partial or learning education but for appropriate control.

In addition, children could have difficulties in their socialization unless they go to school. The main

functions of traditional schooling are not only giving knowledge but also socializing students.

Though some of parents overlook its importance, socialization is one of the most essential parts in

their future social life, where interpersonal relationships can have influence on their business. If

students study at home, they are unlikely to experience and learn socialization.

Conclusion

To sum up, I am opposed to the view that students should study on the Internet at home instead of

going to school. My objection is based on two main reasons. One is a chance of neglecting

important but unattractive knowledge for students future; the other is difficulty in their socialization.

Read carefully the body paragraphs and rewrite the conclusion paragraph.

ESSAY WRITING 16

PRACTICE

1. The advantages of using mobile phones outweigh the disadvantages of using it?

Body:

To begin with, using mobile phones can cause some serious interference, which can be a risk for

particular people. For instance, when operating, a mobile phone near medical equipment can cause the

equipment to malfunction, this puts patients at risk. Moreover, the malfunction of aviation system in

airplanes can cause serious disaster.

However, it is tangible that mobile phones help people live better lives. For example, in Korea

mobile phones contain a location trace system. It can help Korean parents find their lost children. In

addition, people dont have to try to find a public telephone booth when they have a medical emergency.

Conclusion:

In conclusion,

2. A healthy person is often described as someone who has a good diet, gets lots of exercise, and avoids stress. What do people do to stay healthy in your country?

Body:

In the first place, most Koreans are willing to become vegetarians for their health. In fact, it is easy

for Koreans to become a vegetarian because their typical meal is made of vegetables. Obviously, it is

readily affordable to insist that the Korean typical meal, which consists of a variety of vegetables is a

sort of main cause of keeping Koreans healthy.

Second of all, Koreans consider the advice of doctors as essential. For instance, in a recent survey the

majority of Koreans preferred to consult their health with doctors regularly. Interestingly, more than half

of them tended to think that they can become healthy by following the doctors suggestions.

Last but not least, the governments effort makes citizens healthy in Korea. To illustrate, a regular complex health examination for citizens has been conducted over the past 7 years to improve peoples health. The government in particular has invested 20 billion wons worth of budget in building public health care centres for their people. It results in the significant enhancement of peoples health.

Conclusion:

In conclusion,

ESSAY WRITING 17

3. People should be encouraged to use public transport due to the serious traffic congestion on our roads. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Body:

First of all, its possible to reduce the number of cars on the roads by public transports capacity of commuters. A recent study, for instance showed that if public transport is used by 60% of commuters,

the unfavorable traffic condition to drivers on the roads will happen less than half as often as now.

In the second place, it is obvious that exclusive roads only for public transportation would reduce

traffic congestion. In fact, nobody wants to be stuck in a car in the middle of road, so there will be no

doubt that people are in favor of using public transport instead of using their own car when public

transport gives them a fast way to commute like running on exclusive roads for public transport.

Conclusion:

In conclusion,

ESSAY WRITING 18

5. Introduction

General Statement

It is

often

widely

generally

claimed/suggested

argued/maintained/felt

/believe/held/alleged

that .

some/many/

most people/experts/

scientists/sceptics/

critics

claim/suggest/argue/feel/think/that. maintain/believe/point out/agree/hold that.

advocate (+ing/noun)/support the view that. oppose the view that .

are

in favour of /against of the opinion that/convinced that

opposed to

One (very convincing) point/argument in favour of / against, A further common criticism of / It could be argued that ,

Over the past few decades, + present P.P ( ~)

It doesnt take a rocket scientists to work out that ~

(~ )

Some have begun to argue that~

In contemporary society, ~ ()

~depends on private tastes.

Whether to prefer working by hand or with machines depends on private tastes.

It has long been a controversy whether~

There seems little doubt that~

There seems little doubt that science is important because science gives us necessities. However, history is also important that on the ground that history helps

us understand ourselves.

~ could be a controversial issue.

Whether a university should spend the same amount of money in students sports activities as on their libraries could be a controversial issue.

There is a saying that ~

There is a saying that years know better than books, which means that knowledge from experience

is more important than that from books.

An old saying goes that ~

It has been said that when in Rome, do as the Romans do. The popular proverb means that people

should follow its customs in a new nation.

As the saying goes, ~

As the saying goes, clothes make the man, clothes can have great influences on peoples action.

Some people might say that it is better to because ~ ,

Some of the people contend that children should start to study in a school from a very early age because of having the habit of study.

Whereas others might argue(select, choose) that since ~

ESSAY WRITING 19

Thesis statement

I (dis)agree with the statement (idea) that ~ because A and B.

-in my opinion, / From my point of view, S+V because A and B.

-Nevertheless, I think that ~ since it ~ that ~ .

- I think (prefer, have), however, S+V in that(because, since)~.

I have two ways of ~ ing: A and B because ~.

I prefer to choose two traits: A and B because ~.

Since ~, I would rather~ because A and B.

ESSAY WRITING 20

II. Skills for the Writing Module Task 2

All too often students begin planning or even writing their answers in the IELTS Writing Module before they

understand what is actually expected of them. Following the steps below will help you to plan a well-

structured and coherent essay or report that addresses the given task.

1. Preparation You may wish to spend about 5~7 minutes working out exactly what you are going to do. There are five

steps to consider.

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 that point to the most important parts of the question.

Underline those words too. Ask yourself how the key words relate to the given instruction.

Think carefully about the topic. How do you feel about it? Establish a point of view and list some points for development. The answer normally takes the

form of a short essay. The word essay comes from the French verb essayer, which means to attempt or try out or to test. In an IELTS Writing Module Task 2 answer, your purpose is to develop your point of view in a convincing way.

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

Ensure that your points are arranged in a logical order.

2. Writing When you are writing a Task 2 answer, a structure based on the following elements could be used

(summarized in the flow chart opposite).

Introductory paragraph

The introduction of a Task 2 answer should begin with a general statement or idea of your own that

takes into account the key topic words or their synonyms. The last sentence of the introduction should

include a thesis statement, which shows the point of view or direction that will be taken in the answer.

Body paragraphs

Body paragraphs each consist of several sentences that are arranged in a logical way to develop a main

idea. You can expect to write about 2~4 body paragraphs for a Task 2 answer. Each of these contains an

appropriate connective word to ensure a smooth transition between paragraphs. This connective is then

put in a topic sentence, which is the main point of the paragraph clearly stated in a sentence. Every

sentence in the paragraph must be directly related to it. Try to develop every paragraph adequately. This

may be done through the use of examples, explanations, detail, logical inference, cause and effect, or

making comparisons or contrasts. There are many different ways to organize your ideas for body

paragraphs. Be confident of the ideas you choose.

The conclusion

A good conclusion serves several purposes:

It indicates the end of your essay.

It gives your final thoughts and assessments on the essay subject.

It weighs up the points in your essay and should strengthen your thesis statement.

ESSAY WRITING 21

Do not simply repeat your opening paragraph. This appears mechanical and superficial.

3. Editing (about 3~5 minutes) In the last few minutes you should check for obvious errors, such as spelling or grammatical errors.

Be sure that you have written what you intended and that there are no important ideas missing.

Study the checklist for editing. It lists points to think about when checking your essay. Become

familiar with the list so that you will know what to check for in the actual IELTS Writing Module.

INTRODUCTION General statement Thesis statement

BODY PARAGRAPH 1 Topic sentence including connective word First supporting sentence Second supporting sentence Third supporting sentence

BODY PARAGRAPH 2

BODY PARAGRAPH 3

FURTHER BODY PARAGRAPHS

CONCLUSION Final assessment with concluding connective

ESSAY WRITING 22

III. IELTS Essay Writing Checklist

1) Does the essay have an introductory paragraph?

2) Does it have a clear thesis statement? Please underline it.

3) Does each body paragraph start with a topic sentence? Please underline them.

4) Do the topic sentences relate to the thesis statement?

5) Are there enough examples/supporting points to support the topic sentence? Please number them.

6) Does each sentence in the body paragraph relate to the topic sentence? If not, please remove

them.

7) Does the essay use a variety of transitional expressions within paragraphs? Please underline

them.

8) Does the essay use a variety of transitional expressions between paragraphs? Please underline

them.

9) Does the essay have a conclusion paragraph?

10) Does the conclusion paragraph restate the thesis statement and/or the main points of the essay?

Please underline it.

11) Does the conclusion paragraph offer a solution/suggestion/conclusion?

12) Did the essay make sense? Was it easy to follow? Or was it confusing?

ESSAY WRITING 23

IV. Linking words or phrases

Personal opinion

Linking word

In my opinion, / In my view, / To my mind, / To my way of thinking,/

Personally I believe that / It strikes me that / I feel very strongly that /

I am inclined to believe that / It seems to me that / As far as I am concerned, /

I think that the world would be much better place without nuclear power.

To list advantages

Linking word

One advantage of / Another advantage of / One other advantage of / A further advantage

of / The main advantage of / The greatest advantage of / The first advantage of travelling

to work by bicycle is that it is cheap; you dont have to pay for fuel.

To list disadvantages

Linking word

One disadvantage of / Another disadvantage of / One other disadvantage of / A further

disadvantage of / The main disadvantage of / The greatest disadvantage of / The first

disadvantage of traveling to work by bicycle is that you have no protection from the

wind or rain.

To express effect

Linking word He passed his exams; thus, / therefore, / so / consequently, / as a result, / as a

consequence, / for this reason, / he was able to go to university.

To express reality

Linking word

It is a fact that / In effect, / In fact, / As a matter of fact, / The fact of the matter is (that) /

Actually, / In practice, / Indeed, / To tell you the truth, a crash helmet would be quite

useless in the event of a serious motorcycle accident.

To make contrast point

On the other hand, however,

still, yet, but, nonetheless,

nevertheless, even so,

It may be said / argued / claimed

that , ..

Others/ many people Oppose this viewpoint (strongly)

disagree .., Claim/feel/believe this argument is

incorrect/ misguided

Opponents of .. argue / believe / claim that.. The fact that . Contradicts the belief / idea that While it is true to say that , in fact While / Although , it cannot be denied that .

Linking word

Although, though, even though, while, whilst, whereas, despite / in spite of (the fact

that), regardless of the fact that, yet, however, nevertheless, but, as the same time, even

so, still, nonetheless, regardless of the fact that, / on the other hand, / on the contrary, / by

comparison, / where, / compared to , / up against, / balanced against, / vis a vis, /

conversely, / mean while, / after all, / although this may be true, By way of contrast

ESSAY WRITING 24

Reason & result

Linking word

Due to / on account of / owing to / because of

He failed his exam [ due to / on account of / owing to / because of ] his lack of revision.

Reason for

The police asked him his reason for speeding through the town.

Prompt Sb to

A persistent cough prompted him to seek professional medical help.

With the aim of

She started haranguing the crowd with the aim of starting a riot.

In order to

He spend the whole weekend revising in order to pass his exams.

So as not to

They came in quietly so as not to wake anyone.

As a consequence

He failed to send off his application form and as a consequence was unable to enroll for

the course.

To prove

Linking word Because, / for, / since, / for the same reason, / obviously, / evidently, / furthermore,

moreover, beside, / indeed, / in fact, / in addition, / in any case, / that is

To show exception

Linking word Yet, / still, / however, / nevertheless, / in spite of, / despite, / of course, / once in a while,

/ sometimes

To show time

Linking word Immediately, / thereafter, soon, / after a few hours, / finally, / then, / later, / previously, /

formerly, / next, / and then

To repeat

Linking word In brief, / as I have said, / as I have noted, / as has been noted,

To emphasize

Linking word

Definitely, / extremely, / obviously, / in fact, / indeed, / in any case, / absolutely, /

positively, / naturally, / surprisingly, / always, / forever, / perennially, / eternally, / never, /

emphatically, unquestionably, / without a doubt, / certainly, / undeniably, / without

reservation

To give an example

Linking word For example, / for instance, / in this case, / in another case, / on this occasion, / in this

situation, / the case of, / to demonstrate, / to illustrate, / as an illustration, / to illustrate

To summarize or conclude

Linking word

In brief, / on the whole, summing up, / to conclude, / in conclusion, / as I have shown, /

as I have hence, / therefore, / accordingly, / thus, / as a result, / consequently, / on the

whole

To add more points

Linking word

What is more, / Furthermore, / Apart from this(that), / In addition(to , this), / hence, /

Moreover, / In other words, / as well as, also, not only but also / as well / both and , there is another side to the issue / question / argument of,. Besides (this), / . not mention the fact that cars are extremely expensive to maintain.

As mentioned before, / again , / and then, / equally important, / finally, / further, / nor, /

too, / next, / lastly,

ESSAY WRITING 25

V. Essay Practices

AGREE / DISAGREE

It is important for children to learn what is right and what is wrong at an early age. Punishment is

necessary to help them learn the distinction.

To what extent do you agree, and what sort of punishment should be given?

CAUSE & SOLUTION

Traffic is developing rapidly all round the world at present. What are the traffic problems in your

country?

What causes these problems? Make some solutions.

PROS:

CONS:

CAUSES:

SOLUTIONS:

ESSAY WRITING 26

ADVANTAGE & DISADVANTAGE

There are various kinds of media used for communicating information, such as the theatre, films,

comics, TV, radio and books. Which do you think is the most effective?

What are its advantages and disadvantages?

COMPARE & CONTRAST

Many people think that countries have a moral obligation to help each other, while other argue that

the aid money is misspent by the government that receive it, so the international aid should not be

given to the poor countries.

Discuss these two points of views and give your opinion.

ADVANTAGES:

DISADVANTAGES:

STATEMENT:

Support:

STATEMENT:

Support:

ESSAY WRITING 27

Answer

AGREE / DISAGREE

Child education in modern society is attracting much public attention, as parents and society as a whole both

believe that children should learn what is right and what is wrong at an early age. Some people insist that

certain kinds of punishments be adopted to achieve this end. As for me, I think that it is indeed necessary for

parents to resort to certain moderate punishments when a child misbehaves.

Firstly, parents should make their children learn the distinction between right and wrong by slapping their

hands, for instance, when they have touched something they have been told not to touch. Some parents

believe that other forms of physical punishment are also necessary when a child intentionally seems to

behave badly.

Secondly, parents should reinforce the childs concept of right and wrong by leaving him or her alone for a while to reflect and eventually realize the necessity of apologizing. It is true that many parents in Western

culture communicate with their children on equal terms. But they still leave their children alone in a confined

space so as to reflect on their poor behavior.

Thirdly, kindergarten teachers should discipline children who fail to obey them by temporarily depriving

them of toys or isolating them from their friends. For some, this kind of punishment may seem cruel, but

many teachers find that it works well with most children.

In conclusion, there is no denial that parents should love their children and teachers should love their pupils.

However, it is also necessary for both parents and teachers to discipline children from an early age with

justifiable punishments.

CAUSE & SOLUTION

Transportation has been developing rapidly in recent years, especially in large cities. However, it must be

admitted that, along with the benefits of the rapid development of urban traffic, have com certain problems.

One of the biggest problems, in my opinion, is traffic jams in some heavily-populated cities. It has become

common to see passengers and drivers having to wait in long lines of buses and cars moving at a snails pace on the streets during the rush hours.

On the one hand, there are several reasons for this problem. First, the number of vehicles is increasing much

more rapidly than the building of roads. No sooner has a new road been completed and opened to public

traffic than it is crowded with all kinds of vehicles. Second, there seem to be too many private cars and not

enough public buses. In most cases, a car carries only one or two people, while it occupies almost half the

space a bus does. Third, many people, including drivers, pedestrians and cyclists do not obey traffic rules

properly, especially at busy intersections. And this undoubtedly worsens the already grave situation.

In view of the seriousness of this problem, effective measures must be taken before things get worse. On the

one hand, the government should invest more money in the building of new roads and the repairing and

maintenance of old ones, particularly those in busy areas of cities. On the other hand, the number of private

cars in urban areas should be limited while the number of public buses should be increased. At the same time,

it is essential that stricter traffic rules and regulations be issued to strengthen traffic control and facilitate the

normal and efficient running of all means of transportation.

With such efforts made and persisted in, I am confident that it will not be long before city traffic in Korea

flows in a smoother and more efficient manner.

ESSAY WRITING 28

ADVANTAGE & DISADVANTAGE

It is and undeniable fact that there are all kinds of media used for information communication today, and they

all have their own strong points. Yet, when it comes to effectiveness, TV, in my opinion, outdoes the others.

In the first place, the popularity of TV makes it the most effective channel of communication. Nowadays, it is

common for a TV-broadcast NBA game do have billions of people sitting in front of that little screen

cheering their favorite sports stars. This would have been unimaginable in the days of traditional media such

as books, theatres and films. In the second place, TV has no rival in the speed of information communication.

When a historical event takes place anywhere in the world, TV is always the first convey this message to us.

Last but not least, the interactive way of communication that the latest TV developments have provided us

with also makes it more effective and efficient. Someday, you might be able to do your grocery shopping just

by pressing a button on your remote controller.

However, as there are always two sides to every coin, the magic box also has its weak points. For one thing,

in the crazy pursuit of audience ratings, some low-quality programs flood the TV screen and exert unhealthy

effects upon young people. TV is also sometimes used as a propaganda tool by governments, and this

seriously weakens the authenticity of its messages.

In a word, TV has both its strengths and its weaknesses. Yet this two-sidedness doesnt prevent TV being the most effective of all the media in society today.

COMPARE & CONTRAST

With the economic progress, the world has become better, but many countries like African countries still have

confronted severe problems ranging from slow development of domestic economy to starvation. This fact

convinces advanced countries to help morally such the poor countries, but some people claim that the

international aid for disadvantaged countries should be prohibited on account of the poor countries government misspending it. As far as Im concerned, it should continue to be conducted.

On the one hand, the economical difference among countries can be reduced by financial aid from developed

countries. For example, in the recent survey advanced countries annually provided African deprived countries

with more than $6,000 billion. As a consequence, the economical gap between African countries and

advanced countries started to be diminished. Furthermore, the reduction of economical gap between them

helps succeed in taking the economical equality among countries.

On the other hand, it might be true that the aid money was not spent on the people of disadvantaged countries.

However, now the UN inspects regularly the use of fund for them. Moreover, the direct intervention of

developed countries in the use of the fund prevents the countries government from misspending it. Therefore,

it is impossible to say that nowadays the aid from advanced countries is misused.

In conclusion, in the past, poor countries government misspend aid money from rich countries sometimes,

but now stringent inspections about the use of it by the UN and developed countries make that case

impossible. In addition, economical fund for poor countries is the best method to reduce the economical gap

between rich and poor countries. Thus, Im convinced that the developed countries should continue to help economically deprived African countries.

Appendix. Sample Writing Answer Sheet

Candidate Name: Candidate Number:

Centre Name: Date:

Module: ACADEMIC Tick as appropriate

GENERAL TRAINING Version:

TASK1

EXAMINERS USE ONLY

ESSAY WRITING 30

EXAMINERS USE ONLY

ESSAY WRITING 31

TASK2

EXAMINERS USE ONLY

ESSAY WRITING 32

EXAMINERS USE ONLY