Do your best! Bach: Writing test tips (1)

Opinion essays. They present the writer’s personal opinion on the topic, supported with examples and reasons.

A.- PLAN

PARAGRAPH 1

· Introduce the topic and give your opinion. Say whether you agree or disagree with the statement.

PARAGRAPH 2

· Present a reason, a fact and an example to support your opinion (or further information).

PARAGRAPH 3

· Give a second reason to support your opinion.

PARAGRAPH 4

· Summarise your arguments and restate your opinion using different words from those in paragraph 1

BASIC DOS IN WRITING AN OPINION ESSAY

Introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence, outlining the main ideas.

Do not write about advantages or disadvantages or points for or against.

Write in formal style.

BASIC DON’TS IN WRITING AN OPINION ESSAY

Don’t use colloquial expressions.

Don’t use short forms.

Don’t use emotive vocabulary.

Don’t give personal examples.

B.- VOCABULARY

EXPRESSING OPINIONS
In my opinion, ….	En mi opinión…
Personally, I think/ I believe (that)…	Personalmente, creo que…
I strongly believe that….	Creo firmemente que…
It is clear (to me) that…	Me parece evidente que…
I feel very strongly that…	Siento firmemente que…
I (completely) agree/disagree with …	Estoy (totalmente) de acuerdo/ en desacuerdo con….
It seems to me that…	Me parece que..
As I see it, …	Como yo lo veo…
To my mind….	En mi opinión,…
In my view,…	Desde mi punto de vista,…
From my point of view, ….	Desde mi punto de vista,…
As far I am concerned, …	En cuanto a lo que a mí respecta,…
I am sure/ convinced that …	Estoy seguro / convencido de que…
I (dis)agree with the statement, because …	Estoy de acuerdo/ en desacuerdo con la afirmación porque…

EXPRESSING FACTS
It is widely known that…	Es ampliamente conocido que..
It is a well-known fact that …	Es un hecho bien conocido que…
Research has shown that…	La investigación ha demostrado que…
There are definitely…	Definitivamente hay…
It is a fact that…	Es un hecho que…
It is clear/ true that…	Está claro que/ es verdad que…
For example/ for instance,...	Por ejemplo,…

ADDING IDEAS
What is more,…	Y lo que es más,..
Moreover/ furthermore/ in addition (to)	Además,…
Apart from (that)…	Aparte de…
Firstly,…	En primer lugar,…
First of all,…	En primer lugar,…
Secondly,..	En segundo lugar,..
Thirdly,…	En tercer lugar,..
Lastly,…	Por último,..
Finally,…	Finalmente,…

EXPRESSING CONTRAST (LINKERS OF CONTRAST)
ALTHOUGH (aunque)	Although I was feeling depressed, I went to the party.
DESPITE (a pesar de)	Despite the rain, I went to the party. Despite feeling depressed, I went to the party.
IN SPITE OF ( a pesar de)	In spite of the rain, I went to the party. In spite of feeling depressed, I went to the party.
EVEN IF (incluso si)	I will go to the party, even if I feel depressed.
WHEREAS (mientras que)	Adults can make their own decisions, whereas teenagers have to do what other people tell them.
HOWEVER (sin embargo)	Mike is a very good singer. However, he can’t play any instruments.
IN CONTRAST
BUT (pero)	Their music is very good. But, their lyrics are not very interesting.
ON THE ONE HAND….. ON THE OTHER HAND (por una parte…. por la otra)	On the one hand, they are extremely rich. But on the other hand, they have lots of debts.

EXPRESSING PURPOSE (LINKERS OF PURPOSE)
We use linkers of purpose to introduce reasons:
SO (THAT) (para)	I have brought a microphone so that the audience will be able to hear us.
IN ORDER TO ( para)	We need to register with the council in order to vote.
TO (para)	I am phoning to ask information about the event.
SO AS TO(para)	We all need to vote so as to express our opinions.

CONCLUDING THE ESSAY
TO SUM UP,…	Para resumir…
TO CONCLUDE,…	Para concluir…
IN CONCLUSION,…	En conclusion…
IT IS CLEAR THAT…	Está claro que
IN SHORT	En resumen…
ON THE WHOLE	En general…
ALL IN ALL,…	En conjunto, en términos generales,…

C.- EXAMPLES

Sample essay:

Do your best! Bach