Do your best! Bach

16.3.20

Writing test tips (2)

How to Write a For & Against Essay (or Advantages / Disadvantages)

For / against essays. They present both sides of an issue in a balanced way. In the concluding paragraph you can say why you find one side more convincing than the other.

A.- PLAN

PARAGRAPH 1

· Introduce the topic (summary of the topic without giving your opinion). The opening should engage the reader’s interest and give a hint of what is to follow.

PARAGRAPH 2

· State the advantages (or your arguments for), justifications, examples, and/ or reasons

PARAGRAPH 3

· State the disadvantages (or your arguments against), justifications, examples, and/ or reasons

PARAGRAPH 4

· Refer back to the topic and summarize. Here you can say why you find one side more convincing than the other.

BASIC DOS IN WRITING A FOR / AGAINST ESSAY

Introduce each paragraph with a main idea and then develop this idea.

Use a variety of structures and vocabulary adequate to your level.

Write in formal style (no contractions, colloquial words, or emotional language).

B.- VOCABULARY ( See also How to write an opinion essay for useful expressions)

Expresiones útiles para:

Introducir el tema:

Some / Many people think / believe / consider (that) …
However, others…
It is thought / beleived / claimed that…

Añadir ideas: 

Furthermore,… /Moreover, … In addition to this,… (Estos tres conectores van siempre después de punto, y delante de coma).

Hablar de razones y resultados:

One result / effect of this is that…
Because of / As a result of this, …
Consequently,…
… because

Contrastar ideas:

On the one hand,… .
On the other hand,…
One advantage of… is…
One disadvantage of… is
However,… / Nevertheless,…

Exponer ejemplos: 

For example, For instance, An example of this is…

Hacer recomendaciones o sugerencias: 

…should (not)…
(Noun / V+ -ing) would perhaps be a better solution / alternative.

An example: a FOR and AGAINST essay

Source: laearnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org

29.1.20

Contrasting pictures-speaking test

Instructions: Study the two photographs. Be ready to compare and contrast the two photographs ( 1.5 to 2 minutes):

give a brief description of the two photos (action, location)
say what the pictures have in common
say what in what way the pictures are different
say which of the activities presented in the pictures you'd prefer
explain why
answer a follow-up question from another student.

Students comparison might follow a clear order: introduction + similarities, differences, question.

Useful Phrases for the Follow-up Question

As far as I’m concerned,…
The way I see it,…
If I had to choose one of these two (…), I would (definitely) go for…
In my experience,…
In my case,…
Well, it’s not an easy choice, but I think I’d prefer to…
I would (…) no doubt.
I would definitely prefer/choose…
I believe that it’s more important to…

Useful Phrases to Compare Pictures

Here we are some useful expressions we can use in any comparison. However, as a basic tip, in order to compare, most of the connectors you’ll have to use are contrasting connectors.

Starting your comparison
- Both of these pictures show…
- These two pictures show…
- The two situations in these pictures are…
Talking about similarities
- These two pictures/situations are similar because/in that…
- In both pictures we can see…
- One similarity between these two pictures/situations is that…
- Another similarity might be that…
- One thing that these two pictures/situations have in common is that…
- One thing that these two pictures share is that…
- The most obvious similarity is that…
- These two pictures share the fact that…
- Both pictures (…) in the same way.
Talking about differences
- One of the most obvious differences (between these two pictures) is that…
- Another difference is that…
- Something that makes these two pictures different is…
- What makes these two situations (so/completely) different is…
- While the first picture …, the second one…
- The first picture…. However, the second one…
- The first picture… whereas the second one…
- Although the first picture…., the second one…
- On the one hand, the first picture shows… . On the other hand, the second one…
Introducing the answer to the question

As for + paraphrased question
As to + paraphrased question
In relation to the question,…
In response to the question, I’d say that…
As regards the question,…
Regarding the question of the task,
With regard to + paraphrased question

Speaking test tips

Compare (rather than describe)
Don’t overuse «and»: «And» is a connector to add ideas, not to express contrast.
Don’t focus too much on one picture
Don't answer only "yes" or "no".
Address the interlocutor.
Finish your sentences:Do not let your speech fade out in the middle of a sentence; finish expressing your ideas!
Do not keep silent.
Stick to the topic.
Ask for repetition if necessary.
Use related vocabulary. So make sure you draw on what you have studied and drop some advanced terms that might impress the examiners.
Smile.