Essay Writing Advice (for ECPE and C2 EFL exams)

First, let's have a look at some actual ECPE exam writing tasks so that we can see the different types of essay that we might have to write. 1994 Topic ! "n most families there is one family mem#er who doesn't follow society's rules and often em#arrasses the rest of the family #y doing or saying something unusual or funny. $escri#e one of your relatives who is like this. "nclude several examples of this person's #ehaviour. Topic %! Pesticides are chemicals used to kill insects that damage food crops. &ome people say farmers should not use pesticides #ecause the pesticides harm the environment and people who eat the food. 'thers say that if we stop using pesticides, insects will destroy large (uantities of our crops. $o you think farmers should stop using pesticides) Explain the reasons for your opinion. 1995 Topic ! There is a saying, *Curiosity killed the cat,* meaning that when a person is overly curious +eager to learn, know, or investigate something or someone, it can lead to trou#le. $escri#e a situation when curiosity got you or someone you know into trou#le. Topic %! The production, distri#ution and use of illegal drugs is an international pro#lem that affects almost every country. -hat actions should #e taken to reduce the production, distri#ution or use of illegal drugs around the world) $iscuss. 199 Topic ! Everyone has different opinions a#out what makes someone a good parent. -hat three (ualities do you think are the most necessary to #e a good parent) -hy are these (ualities important) $iscuss, giving examples. Topic %! .nemployment is a pro#lem facing many countries today. &hould the government and/or #usinesses take an active role in reducing unemployment) $iscuss, providing reasons. 2!!2 Topic ! &ome psychologists #elieve that there is more to intelligence than what traditional intelligence tests measure +mathematical ver#al a#ility,. They say there are many kinds of intelligence and many ways to #e smart. 0esides mathematical and linguistic intelligence, in what other ways do you think people are smart) 0e specific in your discussion and provide concrete examples.

Topic %! 1ost people agree that it is important for co2workers to have good relationships. 3owever, a recent survey suggested that friendships at work can also cause pro#lems. "n what ways can friendships at work #e harmful. $iscuss, giving specific examples. 2!!4 +'nly one topic provided in the sample from E4"2.1, The .nited &tates government recently passed a law that would punish schools whose students do poorly on national exams. &ome people think that schools should not take all the #lame. "n your opinion, what factors influence students' performance) $iscuss, giving specific examples to support your point of view. 2!1! Topic . &ome people #elieve that #ody language shows more a#out people567s true feelings than spoken language. 0ody language includes people567s facial expressions, hand gestures, and posture. $o you #elieve we can tell more from #ody language than from what people say) 0e specific and give concrete examples in your response. Topic %. Every generation of people is different from the previous one. -hat is one important way in which your generation is different from your parents567 generation) 3ow will this difference affect your country or culture) 8ive specific details and reasons to support your viewpoint. 4ooking at these examples, there are two o#vious types of essay (uestion! descriptive and discursive +i.e. presenting arguments and opinions,. &ome students who have experience of creative writing in their own language may find it easy to write the descriptive essay, #ut in our experience the ma9ority of students feel more comforta#le with the discursive essay, partly #ecause it is usually possi#le to use a formula and a num#er of set phrases. :ote that there is not always a descriptive essay option, #ut +as far as we know, there will always #e at least one discursive essay task. 'n the rest of this page we will concentrate on the discursive essay.

P"anning
Plannning can seem like a waste of time, #ut it isn't, especially when time is short and there is no possi#ility of redrafting the essay. &o after you have made sure that you have understood the topic correctly, give yourself a couple of minutes to note down some ideas you could mention in your essay. "f you can (uickly think of five or six, pause to decide which two or three you want to develop in your essay. Choose ideas that you know you have the voca#ulary to discuss. "f it is appropriate or necessary to mention examples, choose ideas that you know you have examples for. ;ou will get marks for how well2organised your essay is, which means you are likely to lose marks if you 9ust start writing a#out the first idea that comes into your head.

Form#"a for a disc#rsive essay

Every discursive essay needs an introduction and a main #ody. :ormally a final paragraph that rounds off the essay is needed, #ut examiners know that time could easily run out #efore you manage to round off your essay. :ot having a concluding paragraph will pro#a#ly not matter much< not having a good introduction will matter a great deal.

$ntrod#ction
0egin #y redescri#ing the phenomenon, the trend or the de#ate that is the focus of the essay (uestion. "n a short ECPE essay this might only need one or two sentences. "n the past, it seemed o#vious to many that the only relia#le test of intelligence was one which assessed a person's a#ility to reason, especially the a#ility to see patterns in words, num#ers and sym#ols. "n recent years, however, there has #een a growing suspicion that those "= tests assume a conception of intelligence that is too narrow. End your introduction either #y! #riefly stating the point of view you are going to defend. >s " see it, musical and sporting a#ilities are two of the skill areas that deserve to #e regarded as forms of intelligence. % stating what you are going to do in the rest of the essay. "n this essay " will look at two skill areas that deserve to #e regarded as forms of intelligence. ? stating the two different points of view that you are going to consider. >lthough the vast ma9ority of farmers look upon pesticides as invalua#le, some consumers and pressure groups have spoken out against them. @ stating the (uestion you are going to answer. This raises the (uestion of whether the #enefits of pesticides outweigh their draw#acks. "f the essay (uestion specifically asks a#out your opinion, it might #e #etter to #riefly state this at the end of the introduction, without giving any details or arguments +#ut it is not a#solutely necessary, especially if you don't have a firm opinion,. "f you want to look at different points of view #efore you weigh them up and give your final assessment, it might #e #etter to use techni(ues three and four a#ove.

%ain &ody

This needs two paragraphs, each of which should develop one point. $epending on the essay task, you might need to descri#e examples +as in the (uestion a#out intelligence,, discuss different points of view, descri#e causes, make suggestions, and give reasons for your point of view. 0elow are examples of paragraphs that do each of these things. 'escri&ing exam("es The exceptional #odily control seen in some athletes and dancers could definitely #e viewed as a form of intelligence. The a#ility of a #allerina, for instance, to maintain perfect #alance and turn her movements into a work of art can only #e developed with years of strenuous training. "n a sense, #allet has its own language, and it seems reasona#le to compare the skill of using this language with the skill of using the ver#al language that has #een traditionally tested when measuring a person's "=. >dmittedly, performing in a #allet does not involve as much thought as solving pro#lems in an "= test, #ut that does not seem to me to #e a good reason to exclude this as a form of intelligence. >nother area in which people can show how smart they are is music. ... 'isc#ssing different (oints of vie) There are those who argue that the government should not interfere much in the economy, even if there are concerns a#out the level of unemployment. "t is said that the rate of unemployment will fall naturally if there is economic growth, and the #est way to guarantee economic growth is to allow the market to develop without government interference. Those with this point of view accept that the government has a responsi#ility, #ut they insist that it should not go #eyond providing a minimal unemployment #enefit to those who are temporarily out of work. 'n the other hand, it is often argued that... 'escri&ing ca#ses and ma*ing s#ggestions 'ne of the reasons why some children fail at school is poverty. &tudents will only make good progress if they do their homework well, #ut a child from a large and poverty2 stricken family who does not have a (uiet room at home in which to study will not #e a#le to do her homework well. Furthermore, in poor families the parents sometimes have a very low level of education and may even have a negative opinion a#out the importance of education. "n these cases, they will not #e a#le to give the help and encouragement that the child needs. >s regards the steps that need to #e taken to remedy this situation, the first priority should #e to...

+iving reasons for yo#r (oint of vie)

'ne very powerful argument against pesticides is that they are harmful to humans. Chemicals can only #e used as pesticides if they are toxic either to plants or animals. These are poisons, and it is hardly surprising that chemicals that are poisonous to some forms of plant life, for instance, also have detrimental effects on human health. Eating rice that has #een sprayed during storage and transport to prevent it #eing eaten #y insects may not make us ill immediately, #ut #y continually eating sprayed fruit and vegeta#les it is almost certain that we increase our risks of suffering from cancer. >nother reason for #anning pesticides concerns the effect they have on the environment. ...

Fina" (aragra(,
.se this paragraph to re2emphasiAe the main point or points you want to make, or to weigh up the opinions presented earlier in the essay. Then add a comment a#out, for instance, why this is so important, or a#out how difficult or easy it will #e to change things, or a#out the likely conse(uences if we do nothing. "n conclusion, for the sake of #oth the environment and human health drastic reductions in our use of pesticides must #e made. >dmittedly this will not #e easy, since they have #ecome such an important part of modern agriculture. 3owever, if there is enough investment in research into alternatives " am optimistic that we will #e a#le to phase out the use of these harmful toxins. Try to avoid simply repeating what you have already said. This can #e particularly difficult, especially when the essay task merely involves descri#ing different aspects of something +like the forms of intelligence,. To sum up, it is clear that the a#ility to do the old2fashioned "= tests is not the only form of intelligence. :ot only are music and movement areas where we can see how smart people are, #ut there are also many others. "t is wonderful that we are now appreciating this variety instead of giving a privileged place to one narrow set of a#ilities.

Forma" or informa" Eng"is,-hen writing academic essays the usual advice is to avoid expressions that are considered informal. For instance, expressions with "get" are considered (uite informal, so instead of saying "kids will get bad marks," it would #e #etter to say, "children will receive a poor grade." 'ne good reason for following this advice is that most of the language you have #een learning on your proficiency course is formal, and so #y choosing a formal register +as we call it, you give yourself more opportunities to show what you have learnt on the course. 3owever, you may #e surprised to see that the sample essay from 1ichigan which was given an honors grade #egins with a very informal conversational style. 'B, so your son got a low score in his "= tests. $on't #e discouraged since this does not mean he is not *intelligent*. "t simply means they may not have tested his main

intelligence. 1ore and more reassuring news is coming from new research. These new studies indicate that there is more to intelligence than the traditional mathematical and linguistic intelligence. "n his notes, the examiner calls this a *strong #eginning,* #ut not every#ody would agree. +0y the way, the rest of that essay didn't use a conversational style., 'ur advice is to use more formal and sophisticated language wherever you can #ecause this will give #etter proof that you have #ecome a proficient user of the kind of academic English that makes up most of the ECPE exam.

'os and 'onts

$o make sure you have understood the task correctly. $o ask if you are not sure a#out the task. $o spend a couple of minutes thinking of ideas, choosing the #est ones and the order you will discuss them in. $o try to have a good introduction. This creates the first impression on the examiner, and first impressions are very important. $o show that you appreciate how complex the topic is +vital if you want to get a rating of > or 0, $o make sure that each paragraph in the main #ody of your essay has a clear topic. $o develop your ideas #y giving arguments for the opinions you mention, and/or giving examples, or drawing a contrast, or #y acknowledging the opposite point of view +if you have not planned to do that in the following paragraph,. $o imagine that you are writing for someone who is not (uite as well2informed as you are, so that you really have to make your points clear. $o try to use a good range of voca#ulary. $o not 9ust use the simplest expressions that come to mind first, and avoid repeating the same words if you can. $o find ways to avoid the sort of repetition seen here! "A major health hazard nowadays is pesticides. Pesticides are widely used in modern agriculture." $o use expressions such as "On the one hand," "Secondly," " y contrast," "!urthermore," ""ast but not least," "All in all," etc, where appropriate, to make the connection #etween your sentences perfectly clear. &ee our list of useful phrases for essays. $o vary the length of your sentences. "f all your sentences are either very short or very long, the essay will #e #oring to read. $o use some of the lovely proficiency structures you have learnt throughout the course. &ee our essay grammar structures to get a few ideas. $o not use phrases like, "As # said above," which 9ust prove that either you didn't plan the essay or the plan was a #ad one. $o not use extremely general sentences that say nothing a#out your particular topic +sentences such as "$here are two sides to every coin." "%verything has its drawbacks." "&othing is per'ect." etc,. $o try to write sufficiently neatly so that your essay is easy to read. >s long as you manage this, it does not matter if certain words and phrases are crossed out.

$o keep one eye on the clock and leave yourself a minute or so to check your work. -e all make mistakes, and if you can correct some of yours, you will save valua#le marks.