Page 6 - Writing Success B2 Sample pages

Writing Success GUIDE ON WRITING TASKS

ESSAY & ARTICLE Exercise B
Say if the statements are True or False.
There are many different types of essay or article questions. 1. The main use of descriptive writing
The main difference between an article and an essay is that is to talk about a person. ______
False
an article is usually written for a newspaper, magazine or
website. However, articles and newspapers often cover 2. You should use very simple vocabulary
similar topics. So let’s look at the most common types of in descriptive writing. ______
False
essays/articles.
A discursive essay/article is when a topic is discussed. It can 3. Writing a story usually involves
True
either support one side of an argument or discuss both sides narrative writing. ______
in a balanced way. Look at this example of a discursive
essay/article question: “Zoos are an old­fashioned form of 4. Narrative writing is usually based on
False
entertainment and should be banned.” future events. ______
Similar to this is an advantages & disadvantages article/essay Reading and understanding the question
where both the negative and positive aspects of a situation or
topic are explored. Look at this example: “More and more It may seem an obvious thing to say but the most important
young people are taking a gap year to travel before starting thing about starting to answer a writing task is to read the
university. What are the advantages and disadvantages of question carefully. Ask yourself the following questions:
doing this?”
If there is a choice of questions, which topic do I know
In discursive writing you may or may not be asked to give your most about, and do I have the language to talk about it?
own personal opinion. Also you may be given notes or infor- How much time do I have?
mation to use in the content of your writing which you must
include in your answer How many words must I write?
What is the essay about?
What am I being asked to do exactly?
Exercise A
Say if the statements are True or False. Am I being asked for my personal opinion?
Are there notes or other pieces of information that
1. Essays and articles deal with completely I must refer back to in my essay?
False
different subjects. ______
2. Discursive writing may express the Making a time plan for a 40-minute writing task
True
writer’s personal opinion. ______
Step One: Plan it (10 minutes)
True
3. You often find articles on the internet. ______ The more time you spend planning your essay, the clearer your
ideas will be and the quicker you will write down your ideas.
4. You must read the question carefully to
check if you are required to include specific A good place to start is to brainstorm (quickly write down)
True
information. ______ words and phrases related to the topic.
Next, you should think about how you’re going to begin (the
A descriptive essay/article is exactly what the name suggests. introduction), how you’re going to connect the main ideas
You will be asked to describe someone or something, so it (the body) and how you’re going to finish (the conclusion).
could be anything from a person, a place, an experience, even
a memory or an object. The important thing to remember Brainstorming your ideas
about descriptive writing is that you want the reader to get a Look at the essay question below and the ideas that a student
clear picture of what you are describing, so the language you has brainstormed.
use must be interesting and varied. You will need to use lots
of adjectives and adverbs and interesting synonyms. Look at “More and more young people are taking a gap year to travel
this example: “Describe a place that is particularly important before starting university. What are the advantages and the
to you and say why it has had an impact on your life.” disadvantages of doing this?”
A descriptive essay/article should not be confused with a
narrative article/essay. Narrative writing describes an experi- Gap Year
ence or tells a story of some kind. It can be based on one of
your own experiences, either past or present, or it can be
based on the experiences of someone else. In addition to Advantages Disadvantages
telling a story, narrative writing also communicates a main explore the world
idea or a lesson learned. See the section on story that follows think about future spend money (debt)
for more detail. become independent delay gradua ng
Now look at this example of a narrative article/essay: get out of habit of studying
make new friends can be stressful
“Write a story that begins with the sentence: As I saw the have an adventure feel homesick
train leave the station, I knew I was in trouble.” educa onal
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