CPE Writing Formal Essay: Plan
Step 1 – Text analysis
- Read both texts and decide if they are complementary or contrasting.
- Underline the two key content points in each text.
Step 2 – Paraphrasing and summarising
- Brainstorm different ways to paraphrase and summarise the key points.
- What impressive structures can you use? Inversions, passives, collocations, expressions are expected at this level.
Step 3 – Evaluate and react
- Decide which points you agree and disagree with.
- Brainstorm your own thoughts and experiences on the subject.
*Remember your aims are to summarise, evaluate and react in an organized, logical and consistent manner, making it clear when you're doing one thing or the other!
Ideas for an elaborate introduction: Present the topic of discussion and deal with questions the essay will answer.
Over the past ten years or so there has been rising concern about ..........
The trend among the vast majority of the general public nowadays is towards.................................... (gerund).
Still, one may wonder what is really being done about this environmental problem by governments and big corporations.
Although most people would generally agree that …………… few would deny that ……………., which raises the issue of whether or not……………..
This question strikes a chord with the opinions presented by the two texts under analysis.
Finish your introduction with the following sentence:
Both extracts discuss the nature of these notions, but from slightly different viewpoints.
Languagewise: synonyms for...
*extracts: texts: passages
*discuss: evaluate: explore
*notions: concepts: ideas
*viewpoints: standpoints: perspectives: points of view: angles
Paragraph 1 – Text 1: Possible structures:
The first (1)text (2)argues that………
(1)extract/passage
(2)suggests/puts forward the idea that/asserts
Paragraph structure:
| Option 1 | |
Option 2
|
Stating your opinion
As I see it,
It seems to me that ………… I would also say that ….
I am convinced that ……………
I am inclined to believe that ………………
There is no doubt in my mind that ………………
To my mind, one of the drawbacks of ……. is ……….
However, I consider/understand/ believe/ find that one of the benefits is that …………
EMPHASIZING
–I would like to stress that ...
–It should be noted that ...
–It is worth bearing in mind that...
Words to introduce CAUSES:
-lead to: Recycling could lead to a solution to the problem posed by excessive waste.
-result in: Advertising may result in reckless purchasing of unnecessary gadgets.
-be responsible for: Advertising could be responsible for our tendency to discard gadgets too soon.
-bring about: Overconsumption of communication technology may bring about an unprecedented amount of non-biodegradable waste.
-give rise to: Insufficient recycling can give rise to unprecedented levels of refuse accumulating thus causing a negative impact on the environment.
-trigger: to make something suddenly start to happen, especially a bad situation such as a crisis or a war, or a medical condition: The poor example set by those in power may trigger lack of social concern with these issues.
-contribute to: Our desire to compete with one another might contribute to irresponsibly discarding perfectly working cell phones for the latest models.
-factor: Publicity is often the deciding factor when changing any product.
Describing causes
One factor which leads to ………… is …………..
One of the factors brings this about is ………
The problem often stems from ………………..
The situation is exacerbated by …………….
………….. only makes the situation worse.
One consequence of ……………. is …………….
Concluding
All in all, it seems to me that ………..
The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that …………………..
All things considered, ………….
On balance, I tend to believe that …………
The world would surely be a better place to live in if …………..
If people stopped ….ing, we would have/ we could look forward to a ……………
The prospects for the future will be bleak/grim unless ……………….
