Sample Essay

Task
Present a written argument or case to an educated non-specialist audience on the following topic.
In recent years, information technology has come to play a major part in many aspects of our lives. There is more
information than ever before and communication has become instant, but university lecturers are putting their
lectures on the internet rather than giving the lectures to students themselves and people sitting next to each other
in offices are emailing each other rather than speaking.
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of these developments?
You should write at least 250 words.
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience, and support your arguments with examples and
relevant evidence.

Macmillan Publishers 2004.

Sample Answer

Everybody is always saying how big change in our lives the internet is. Words like
revolution are often heard in conversations and newspaper articles about it.
Maybe we need to go forward in history to know how big change really it is. But it
seems to me now that it is good change, despite there is a few problems.
In the first place, information technology helps education. In my university, for
example, there are many thousands of students, all keen to learn and to get on in
life. However, there are not enough lecturers or lecture halls. This means that
some students have to sit in corridors, and maybe try to hear the lectures on a
video link. They can hardly meet the lecturers.
So for us, it is good opportunity if we can see lectures on the internet in our
homes. Also, we can do useful researches on the internet to help us with our study.
We can use chat rooms and email lists to share our ideas together. Then we can
send our works to our teachers by email, that is very convenient.
In offices, people can exchange information very easily, and this is very efficient.
When you make a phone call, you must spend your time talking in a social way
before the business is beginning, but when you write an email, you can just write
what you need to for business. Therefore, information technology grows
efficiency.
In conclusion, I would say that through history people have thought that their
time was the time of the greatest change. Everybody thinks the developments of
their time are the fastest developments. Information technology is not such big a
change like inventing airplanes, for example. We should be more calm and accept a
few negative effects of this development.

Macmillan Publishers 2004.

Examiners Commentary

Communicative quality
Q. Does the answer communicate its message clearly? Are there irrelevant sections? Are the tone and register
appropriate? Is paragraphing and sequencing used to good effect?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
A. The message is very clear and easy to follow. There is nothing which is not relevant; the description of the
students situation at university is used to show how information technology can play a part in students
education. The tone and register are appropriately neutral, neither unsuitably informal nor unnecessarily
formal. The answer is effectively divided into paragraphs, each one representing a logical step in the argument.

Arguments, ideas and evidence

Q. Is a clear argument or point of view developed? Are the ideas supported by detail, example or logic?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
A. There is a clear argument, in favour of information technology. The potential negative aspects are
addressed, but the answer as a whole leads towards the strong judgement in favour of information technology.
There is useful detail, and examples from the writers own experience. There is an excellent long-view
argument, that we need to need to see information technology within the broad context of history.

Vocabulary and sentence structure

Q. Is there a good range of vocabulary? Is the vocabulary appropriate? Is there a range of sentence
structures? Is language used accurately?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
A. There is a reasonable range of vocabulary, and it is used appropriately exchange information, for
example. Good control of sentence structure is shown, with a variety of complex sentences being appropriately
employed to support the message. A number of linking devices In the first place, However, In conclusion, etc.
are used correctly to make the answer easy to follow. There are a few inaccuracies, which reduce the overall
effect, but do not make it difficult to understand the argument. Included among these are:
1st paragraph, 1st sentence: how big change should be how big a change or what a big change.
3rd sentence: really it is should be it really is.
4th sentence: there is should be there being.
2nd paragraph, final sentence: hardly meet should be rarely meet or hardly ever meet.
3rd paragraph, 2nd sentence: researches should be research.
Final sentence: that should be which.
4th paragraph, 2nd sentence: is beginning should be begins.
Final sentence: grows efficiency should be increases (or improves) efficiency.
Final sentence, 3rd sentence: not such big a change like should be not as big a change as or not such a big
change as.

Macmillan Publishers 2004.

Band score
This answer would be likely to receive a band score of approximately 7.

Macmillan Publishers 2004.