An essay in a foreign language requires high-quality content and a good organizational structure, as well as competent language design.
It is one of the most problematic tasks when passing the Unified State Exam. In terms of complexity, only listening can compete with it. Therefore, training in essay writing should be especially intense and intense.
Since 2012, the time allocated for the entire foreign language exam has been increased to 180 minutes. Since the rest of the exam tasks have not been changed, we recommend that you spend additional time on the written part (80 minutes). Moreover, the plan for the assignments is clarified, which can make the task of writing easier.
In my opinion, cars should not be allowed into the city centers as they add to pollution and poison the air we breathe. We must also think about the people who live in the center and suffer from the noise made by cars. Moreover, the streets in the center are usually narrow therefore people are often stuck in traffic for many hours and, as a result, arrive late at their destination. Final-ly, with ho cars in city centers, there would be no need for large ugly car parks, which would allow more space for parks. However, many people believe we would not be able to survive without cars because most of the products for shops and other businesses are transported by cars. Besides, they are afraid that public transport would be overloaded. I am sure it is possible to solve these problems by introducing a reliable high frequency tram service as well as developing the underground. As for goods, we could use electric vehicles for their delivery.
To sum up, I believe that a clean, reliable and environmentally friendly public service would encourage people to use public transport and help smooth the transition to a car-free zone.
Nowadays people spend lots of money in order to go to an English-speaking country to improve their language skills. But is it really the most effective way of learning a language? In my view, studying in a foreign country has certain drawbacks. Firstly, this way is very expensive as the tuition fee for overseas students is rather high. Besides, when you study abroad, you have to adapt to a very different way of life, which can be quite stressful. What is more, English teachers do not speak Russian so if you don’t know English well, you will not understand their explanation.
It is often assumed that it is better to study a language abroad because you can always use it speaking with native speakers. However, I doubt that we will have lots of opportunities to speak abroad as we do not know many people there. It is also believed that Russian teachers are not as qualified as those in England. I totally disagree with this opinion because Russian teachers can compare two languages and explain grammar rules better.
To sum up, I would argue that the best way to learn a language is to study it in your native country because you can always get the necessary help from your teachers. Moreover, today we have lots of opportunities to improve our skills such as communicating with English pen-friends over the Internet. I think that we should travel abroad so as to practice a language but not to study it.
Most people understand that without knowledge of foreign languages it is difficult to survive in the modern world. Therefore they send their children to schools where they can study two or even three foreign languages. However, is it good to study several languages simultaneously? On the one hand, foreign languages are the main part of our culture so they help us to expand our outlook. We cannot broaden our minds if we see the world only from the perspective of our own culture. In addition, learning languages is a good exercise for the intellect. Moreover, if pupils know at least one foreign language, they learn new languages much faster. On the other hand, many pupils find it confusing to learn two or three languages at a time, especially languages that are similar, because children usually mix up lots of words. Besides, some languages are tricky enough to learn. For example, in English there are more exceptions than rules. In this case, children can be overloaded with homework. More than that, some pupils do not know their native language well and learning several foreign languages could prevent them from mastering their own language.
In conclusion, I want to say that learning languages is extremely beneficial and I would like to know different foreign languages. However, I believe children should not learn too many languages at the same time so as not to get confused. They ought to get a solid base in one language before they start learning a new one. 16. Internet. Pros and cons We live in the age of information technology and nowadays the Internet is nearly as common as the telephone. No doubt that it is a unique invention, which has influenced all areas of our lives. However, some people consider the Internet one of the greatest evils of our time. On the one hand, the Internet is very useful, because it lets us access a world of facts, figures and knowledge. In addition, with the Internet, it is now possible to speak to friends and relatives any-where in the world cheaply and quickly. Other services are also available through the Internet such as booking tickets or buying things. Moreover, the Internet allows a lot of talented people to show the world their achievements and makes it easier to find a job. On the other hand, the Internet can become a disaster for our society, because people spend hours in front of their computers and neglect their everyday duties. Another worry is the activities of cybercriminals. For example, hackers can steal your money or even your property while cyberterrorists may ‘attack’ the world’s computers, causing chaos, and making planes and trains crash. What is more, leaders of different terrorist or oppositional organizations can use the Internet to find new followers.
In conclusion, I strongly believe that despite the criticisms by some and the fears of others, the Internet seems to have changed our world to the better and we must try to make the best use of it.
Recent advances in genetic biology have led us to quite a doubtful situation. People all over the world argue whether human cloning research should be controlled by the government as solving problems connected with human cloning is definitely not a piece of cake. In my opinion, human cloning experiments are extremely dangerous because there are huge risks of abnormalities in human clones. Moreover, if clones have been made, they will obviously have serious psychological problems connected with their unusual birth. Finally, there is no doubt that human cloning will change our perception of what is the value of a human life as we might change from having children to manufacturing them. However, scientists claim that human cloning could be very beneficial as therapeutic cloning could provide stem cells for regenerative medicine and tissues for transplantation. Besides, re-productive cloning will probably give parents who are both infertile an opportunity to have children. I am afraid that this technology is not safe enough to use on humans. It is also possible that clones will age quicker since the cell used in the cloning procedure has already been used in a real life individual.
To sum up, we must question whether human cloning is really worth it when weighed against the problems it raises. From my point of view, human reproductive cloning should be under the tight control of the government and the UN because it is dangerous to interfere with nature and the consequences can be really disastrous.
The latest advances in information technology make people think that schools of the future will use computers instead of printed books. Although electronic books have not been widely accepted yet, they have certain advantages over traditional paper volumes. But will they be able to replace printed books? In my opinion, students will be widely using computers for studying in the future. To begin with, computers can store lots of books in their memory and modern software allows us to quickly find the necessary information. Besides, with the interactive programs on computers studying will be much more exciting. What is more, electronic books will not degrade overtime like their counterparts printed. On the other hand, lots of disbelievers argue that computers will not replace printed books because a printed book is better for human eyes than a computer screen. In addition, books are cheaper and easier to use since they do not need electricity or the Internet connection. I cannot agree with this because modern computer screens emit no radiation and allow us to read even in low light conditions. Of course we will have to pay for electricity but I think it will be cheaper than to pay for printed books, which are very expensive nowadays.
To sum up, I think computers and printed books will peacefully coexist for years to come, but in the future technological progress will make it possible for students to carry laptops or even palmtops instead of traditional bags with lots of heavy books.
People have always had different hobbies but technological progress has caused the appearance of computers and computer games, which can keep a child occupied for hours. However, adults consider computer games a complete waste of time. As for me, I believe computer games are more than mindless entertainment. To begin with, computer games can teach people to achieve their aims as they regularly put obstacles and traps in the way of players which are necessary to overcome in order to progress through the rest of the game. Additionally, computer games can be a valuable source of accidental learning that can be applied to school, home, and social events. Moreover, teachers have also started to appreciate educational games as an opportunity to make their lessons more exciting. Nevertheless, quite a few people are against this activity as they find it rather addictive and harmful for children’s health. They argue that computer games make students neglect their school work. However, if we learn to control our computer use and play games for an hour just to relax after a hard day at school, this will not do us any harm. What is more, modern technology made it possible to eliminate the bad effect of computers on our eyes.
To sum up, I believe that computer games have more advantages than drawbacks. They make us persistent, develop our logical reasoning and help us to escape from everyday problems. The thing is to find a right balance between virtual reality and everyday reality.
Space exploration can mean a major leap for mankind. However, it is often criticized because the price for these space experiments is too high, especially while poverty still exists in many parts of the world. On the one hand, space research is extremely beneficial as it advances technology. As a result of this work, we have lots of inventions, which have made our lives much more comfortable. In addition, through the exploration of space, we could find new elements, minerals or even discover new laws of physics and eventually learn more about ourselves. What is more, space exploration will allow us to establish a human civilization on another planet as a hedge against the catastrophe that might occur on the Earth. On the other hand, the benefits of space exploration are not self-evident, no matter how real they are. It costs billions of dollars to fund the projects of space science whereas this money should rather be spent on meeting the needs of the underprivileged. Besides, some of the technology we develop through space science can be used in a destructive manner if it is in the wrong hands. Finally, a travel to space can be dangerous as we may discover something that is extremely harmful for the living beings on Earth.
To conclude, I want to say that space exploration satisfies the human desire for adventure therefore most people are interested in space research. Nevertheless, I believe our governments should find the right balance between social and space programs.
Hello my beloved readers.
If you are confident that you write excellent essays, forget about it!
Okay, it's kind of rough. But in reality this turns out to be true. All of us - Russian-speaking people - write excellent essays in Russian, but when it comes to essays in English for the Unified State Exam, then we start having problems (to put it mildly). The whole point is that we do not follow their rules and structure, but we should...
Therefore, today we will learn how to write an essay correctly, what requirements to comply with, and I will also give you ready-made essays so that you can clearly see how they should look.
For high-quality preparation for the Unified State Exam, you need to use simulators, which bring you as close as possible to the exam situation. You can use a similar simulator here . Practice and pass with 100 points!
Let's start with the main question. It is probably already obvious that an essay is a kind of composition on a specific topic. But it's not that simple. The first thing you need to clearly understand is the difference between the two types of essays. These include essays expressing personal opinion, as well as essays with a “pros and cons” structure. And you should know the difference between them by heart.
The main requirement for this task in 2017 is the volume of words. Alas, you are limited to 180-275 words. In addition, your essay must be grammatically correct, and the vocabulary, of course, must correspond to the language level. I do not recommend using words from the Elementary level when you are trying to pass the exam.
Style is also considered a very important element in assessing the quality of a written work. Yes, we are usually not very attentive to this aspect. With us, the “richer” and more “informal” the language you use, the better. But the British love a clear structure, so I not only do not advise you to do anything other than a formal writing style, but even forbid it!
Plans for different types of essays are also different.
For a pro-con essay, the following structure is usually used:
Start with a clear statement of the problem at hand, as well as a sentence that expresses ambivalence.
Decide on the arguments for it. Express them clearly and, most importantly, do not forget that they are still related to the problem.
Decide on the arguments against. You can even combine them with the previous paragraph. The main thing is that your thoughts are clearly defined and reasoned.
In conclusion, clearly and clearly summarize what has been said, but still repeat the controversial topic again, expressing some hope for its resolution.
What I usually recommend to my students is to outline your essay before you write it. The worst mistake is to write at random. Then you will find many mistakes, as well as complete confusion in your thoughts.
If you need to express your opinion, then the structure of the text will be completely different:
In this type of essay, the beginning is identical to the previous one: you just need to identify the question that interests you.
Here you express your point of view and give several arguments why you think it is correct. Don't waste all your arguments on this part. One or two will still be useful to you in the future. Here you can give 2-3 arguments.
Any point of view has arguments opposing it. So imagine them here. It is not advisable to write less than two.
And here you can use those couple of arguments that I advised you to save. In this case, 1-2 will be quite enough.
The rules for writing an essay are an important stage, but it is equally important to use introductory structures and expressions that will show your level of language proficiency, as well as dilute the boring formal text with neutral phrases. Let's look at some examples with translation:
People say.../ It is thought... - They say...
Firstly… / Secondly… - Firstly/secondly…
To begin with... - Starting with...
In addition to… - In addition…
Besides... - Besides...
Despite… - Despite…
As a result... - As a result...
On the one hand... on the other hand... - On the one hand... / On the other hand...
The problem is/might be/seems to be… - The problem is/maybe/seems to be…
While... - While...
What is more... - Moreover...
Summing up... - Summing up...
In conclusion… - In conclusion…
Of course, I cannot say with certainty what essay topics will be this year, but from experience I can say that the topics are always of a general nature. The reason for this is that few people can write about banking, for example. But on general topics, any of us can write anything based on our own experience. Therefore, here are some suggested essay topics:
By the way, there is a wonderful guide that will help everyone learn to write excellent essays! Just follow the rules and practice. The author gives here the maximum that a student can get when preparing for the written part of the exams.
Of course, I couldn’t leave you with nothing, and not even give you a template or example of how to complete this task. Read and analyze.
Have domestic appliances improved the quality of our lives?
Nowadays, many people have a great variety of devices at home that are thought to make our life easier. However, they also have some disadvantages. (Remember that you need to start with a clear definition of the problem)
On the one hand(don't forget to use introductory words ) , they definitely reduced the amount of time we spend on doing household chores. Cleaning, for example, has become much easier due to the invention of vacuum cleaner. What is more, washing clothes does not seem to be a big problem anymore. Women do it far more quickly than they used to. In addition, the process of cooking for a big family has become much easier. You can have a microwave as long as multi-cooker to prepare food in an hour insteadofspending the whole evening in the kitchen. (In this type of essay, it is important to have a clear structure: write only about the advantages right away, and then only move on to the disadvantages. Or vice versa. But never mix).
However, even though all this equipment was made to save our time, it also encourages people to work more, or spend their free time in front of television or computer. And that does not necessarily make people happier. They become lazier and in case something happens- they will no longer be able to survive without all these appliances.
Summing up, it must be said that although technology has made the life easier it should not define thequality of our lives. (Don't forget to make a conclusion at the end, but by doing so, emphasize your point).
The structure of the essay, as I already said, differs depending on the type. Therefore, I will give you an example with various clichés of the second type.
Is it better to go on holiday with family or friends?
It is usually thought that going on holidays with friends is much better than spending free time with your family. I completely disagree with it. ( Similar to the previous comment - don't forget to identify the problem and mention it).
First of all, it is much more economical as parents usually pay for their children so you do not have to spend much of your money. Secondly, it may seem that going on holidays with your parents may be boring, but the reality shows that you can have as much fun with your relatives as you could have with your friends. (We express 2-3 arguments in support of your opinion).
There is also an opinion, that spending time with your friend or without your parents makes you more responsible and confident. It is thought that you learn to live on your own. (Don't forget that it is also necessary to indicate someone else's opinion opposite to yours).
I cannot agree with this point of view as the adolescence is the process that cannot be fulfilled during your holidays. And sharing time with you family, on the other hand, strengthens your relationship and encourages you to develop core human values. (Contrast the new arguments with the counterarguments that you received).
So whether there is a question who to spend your vacation with, make sure that it will be spent with those who love you most- your family. (And, in the end, remember to make the right point when asserting your opinion).
Of course, there are no mistakes. But there are mistakes that are typical for almost 50% of students taking the exam. Therefore, I want to highlight those that will be embarrassing:
Guys, if you seriously want to structure your knowledge and improve your skills for the Unified State Exam 2017 under the guidance of a great teacher:
Quicker sign up for a free introductory lesson at the EnglishDom online school. There will determine your level language proficiency, learn weak sides, will pick up the most suitable a teacher for you, and you can study individually through a convenient online platform at the optimal time for you and for a reasonable fee.
Well, my dears, I am sure that your essay is no worse, and maybe even better. I hope that after today’s lesson, writing will become much easier for you, and the word “essay” will move from the category of “oh, what a horror” to the category of “well, that’s wonderful.”))
And in order to improve not only your writing skills, but also everything else that you will need when passing the frightening three-letter appearance, subscribe to my blog’s mailing list. There I regularly share useful materials, tips and tricks based on personal experience.
In the meantime, I say goodbye to you.
Until next time.
P.S. If you are interested in learning about my experience passing entrance exams and just reading my thoughts on this topic, then go ahead to my article “”
The New Year holidays have passed and it’s time for everyone who studies in grades 9 and 11 to think about the upcoming exams. The time to start preparing for them is now. The first thing you need to do is to repeat the vocabulary you have learned, that is, the completed topics in English.
So, the main task for the next six months is to transform all the vocabulary that lies passively in the head from passive to active.
Passive vocabulary- words that you understand by reading texts and listening to audio recordings. Active vocabulary– words that you know how to use in oral and written speech.
We present to your attention list of topics in English, vocabulary for which must be activated in order to pass the Unified State Examination well. Although this year the format of the oral exam has changed (see), the essence remains the same: you need to know the words and be able to speak on given topics: ask questions, describe photographs, analyze, compare, find differences, argue, etc. Presentations Below they contain tasks on all types of speech activity and will help you prepare and successfully pass the Unified State Examination in English. Here is the content of the article:
The designation in brackets (for example, letter - 13, 18) means that the corresponding topic can be repeated by writing a letter (task No. 13, 18), which are given in the presentation “Personal letter”.
A Everyday life and everyday life, distribution of household responsibilities in the family. (writing - 13, 18) Shopping (writing -5, speaking -3) B Life in the city and countryside. Problems of the city and the village (speaking - 23) IN Communication in the family and school (writing -11), family traditions (speaking -18), interpersonal relationships with friends and acquaintances (writing - 8,14, 16,17,20, speaking -21) G Health and care (letter - 10, essay - 3) well-being, medical services. Healthy lifestyle (writing -7, speaking - 6, 22) D The role of youth in modern society (essay-7), their interests and hobbies (speaking -6, 10, writing-4, 6, 12) E Leisure time for young people: visiting clubs, sports sections, interest clubs (essay -15, speaking -9,). Correspondence AND Home country (speaking -11) and countries of the language being studied. Their geographical location, climate, population, cities and villages, attractions(separate article COMING SOON). Z Traveling in your country and abroad, sightseeing (essay - 16) AND Nature and environmental problems (essay -9) K Cultural and historical features of your country and the countries of the language being studied(separate article COMING SOON). L The contribution of Russia and the countries of the language being studied to the development of science (essay-1) and world culture (speaking -13) M The modern world of professions, the labor market (speaking-19) N Opportunities for continuing education in higher education (essay – 10) ABOUT Plans for the future, the problem of choosing a profession (speaking -19, writing -19) P The role of foreign language proficiency in the modern world (letter-9) R School Education (Essay-11). Subjects studied, attitude towards them. Holidays (speaking -5, 20) WITH Scientific and technological progress, its prospects and consequences (essay -20) T New information technologies (essay -20) U Holidays and significant dates in various countries of the world (speaking -4, 14)Source: Codifier of content elements and requirements for the level of training of graduates of educational organizations for conducting a unified state exam in ENGLISH in grade 11 in 2015
Below we offer 20 topics that correspond to the specifications from the FIPI website. Pay special attention to the highlighted topics that are included in the content of the substantive speech:
Below we offer 24 speaking topics, which correspond to the specifications from the FIPI website. Pay special attention to the highlighted topics that are included in the content of the substantive speech:
Do you have an exam coming up soon? Then you are probably interested in learning how to write excellent essays in English. We will tell you about the types and correct structure of essays, and give tips that will teach you how to write such works in English quickly and competently.
What is an essay in English? This is a short essay with a specific structure in which you discuss a specific topic and express your point of view on a given topic.
How many words should there be in an English essay? Each exam has an optimal amount of written work. Typically, the assignment involves writing an essay ranging from 180 to 320 words in length, depending on the exam. If you are going to take an English test, we recommend that you clarify the required amount of written work in advance and practice writing text of the appropriate length.
The structure of the English essay is universal for all exams. The written work consists of the following parts:
Each of the paragraphs in the body of the essay begins with an introductory sentence (Topic Sentence), this is the “introduction” to the paragraph. The following sentences develop and confirm the idea expressed in the Topic Sentence.
To learn how to write an essay strictly according to plan and clearly structure your thoughts, use theeasyessay.com or. On this resource you can create an outline for the perfect essay, following simple instructions. Practice writing papers according to this plan, and in the exam it will be easier for you to write a good argumentative essay.
The type of English essay you need to write depends on the given topic and is sometimes specified in the assignment. According to an authoritative source - the book Successful Writing by Virginia Evans - it is customary to distinguish three main types of essays:
The name speaks for itself: you present arguments for and against a phenomenon. The outline of the essay in English is as follows:
An example of such an essay(all examples taken from the textbook Successful Writing by Virginia Evans, Intermediate level):
You express your thoughts on a given topic. It would seem that any composition is an expression of one’s own thoughts. What is the point of this type of essay? In Opinion Essays, you need to not only reflect your point of view, but also look at the proposed topic from different angles. Consider all aspects of the issue, write your opinion and be sure to support it with strong arguments.
Plan for an opinion essay in English:
An example of such an essay:
In this type of written work, you will be asked to consider a global issue or issues. Your task is to offer solutions.
The plan for this type of essay is as follows:
An example of such an essay:
Before writing an essay in English, familiarize yourself with some rules for writing it. These simple guidelines will help you successfully complete your written work.
Once you have received the assignment, determine the type of essay and the plan according to which you will write it. After that, go straight through the points: title - introduction - a few body paragraphs - conclusion. Be sure to follow this strict essay structure, otherwise your work will not be highly appreciated.
Since there is little time allocated for writing an essay in English, the draft must be used wisely. If time is short, we advise you to immediately write down your thoughts and arguments in the form of short abstracts after receiving the assignment and becoming familiar with the topic. This will allow you not to forget important thoughts while writing the final draft.
An English essay shows not only your level of language knowledge, but also your erudition. Therefore, before preparing for the exam, read texts on different topics. This will help you broaden your horizons and remember new words, phrases and clichés that you can use in your written work in the exam.
Allocate your time so that at the end of the exam you have at least 5 minutes left to check your essay. As a rule, the grade is not reduced for accurate corrections, so this is a real chance to “save” your work by correcting detected errors.
An English essay is a short written piece of work. Some students think that the “more is better” principle works and write huge opuses. Alas, the examiners will not only not increase, but will also lower your grade for not meeting the required scope.
Every written thought should not sound unfounded. Support it with arguments, a clear example, statistics, etc. Your written work should show the evaluator that you know what you are writing about and are confident that you are right.
Introductory words for an essay are important links that connect sentences together, forming a logical chain of your thoughts. They will help to combine sentences or show contrast, indicate a sequence of actions, etc. We recommend studying such useful structures in the article “ Linking words in English".
Avoid repetition of words, use synonyms and complex grammatical structures - show the examiner that you speak English at a high level. Instead of the boring good, use, depending on the context, remarkable, gorgeous, fascinating. Use complex structures and different tenses to express your thoughts. A text in which all sentences are written in Present Simple will receive a low grade.
An essay is a written expression of your thoughts on a specific topic. And here it is important not to forget about basic delicacy. If possible, avoid touching on politics, religion and other “slippery” topics. If the task involves the consideration of some “painful” topic, express your point of view tolerantly and politely. In this case, it is better to adhere to a formal tone and avoid violent manifestations of emotions.
Although you should write your thoughts on this issue, try not to often use structures of the following type: “I am sure that...”, “I know that...”, etc. Write softer, for example , “It seems to me...”, “In my opinion...” - this will sound more formal and correct in relation to the opinions of other people.
For those who want to learn how to write better, we recommend watching the following video:
Now you know how to write excellent essays in English. In order for this theoretical knowledge to bring you practical benefit in the form of a high grade in the exam, actively use it. Practice writing essays on different topics - this will be the best preparation for the exam.
And if you need to quickly and efficiently prepare for an English exam and get a high grade in it, we suggest enrolling in English at our school.
Without much embellishment, we can say that in the Unified State Examination in English, the essay is the most difficult task. How can you correctly express your thought, give it logical arguments, support them with examples and explanations, and at the same time format the text correctly and without errors, and also not go beyond the limit on the number of words? In this article we will try to analyze the structure of the essay and give tips on improving the quality of your essay.
Let's start from the end. The essay you write will be assessed according to the following criteria:
The maximum number of points you can receive for an essay is 14 points.
Before thinking about how to properly fulfill each criterion, first let's make our English essay testable. The most important thing here is volume.
Formally, your English essay should be within 200-250 words. This should not be taken literally and panic if you have written 198 words. However, keep in mind that the essay will not be checked if the number of words in it is less than 180. If you get more than 275 words, then the examiner will count 250 words from the beginning of the essay, mark out the rest and check everything down to the line. That is, in the first scenario you lose the entire essay; with the second, you will most likely lose the conclusion, which is also important.
First of all, your English essay must cover ALL the aspects outlined in the assignment, and must also be written in an appropriate (neutral) style. It should be logically divided into paragraphs and correspond to the plan proposed in the assignment.
In order not to get confused in the process of writing your essay, you need to spend 5-7 minutes thinking about the plan and preparing all the arguments. Traditionally, we will divide the essay into five paragraphs.
There should be a problem statement here. Since the statement of the problem is already stated in the assignment, your task is to correctly retell it. It is RETELL, not paraphrase.
Advice: Do not re-read the task 10 times until the wording is hammered into your head. Then writing the introduction in your own words will be very, very difficult. Read the situation given in the task once or twice, make sure that you understand it correctly. Close the finished situation and try to retell it in English exactly as you understood it, as if you were telling a friend about it who did not understand what was being said. ATTENTION: after you have done this, be sure to open the situation and make sure that your retelling essentially coincides with the situation given to you. Now you can move on.
Instead of banal “ Some people think, ... Others think, ..." can be used:
Some people claim that ..., while others argue that ...
After you have described the essence of the problem, you can ask the question directly, which you will answer in your essay. For example: “What is better: ... or ...?”, “What should we do: ... or ...?” etc. In 2018, a clarification was issued that classified rhetorical questions as stylistic errors. That's why we don't use them.
The last sentence of the introductory paragraph should state the purpose of your essay. This can be done, for example, like this:
In this essay I will try to look upon this issue.
In this essay I will try to express my opinion on this issue.
In this essay I would like to express my point of view on this issue.
In this essay I will try to answer this question.
(This is the simplest option, if it is difficult for you to remember the previous two, remember it)
It is most logical to start this paragraph by expressing your position on this issue. Useful phrases (be sure to follow this punctuation!):
In my opinion...
From my point of view, ...
To my mind...
Personally, I think that...
I am certain that...
(Please note! We do not abbreviate: we write I am...)
As far as I am concerned, ...
Next, you need to give 2-3 arguments confirming your point of view. There can be any arguments, as long as you interpret them correctly. That is, such that it would be difficult to argue with them (within reasonable limits, of course).
Advice: It is better to give 2 arguments and justify them in detail and give examples to support them, than 3 short and not fully developed ones. Remember that the essay has a word limit.
Here we must not forget about the means of logical connection of sentences. The first argument is good to start with:
Firstly...
To start with, ...
To begin with, ...
First of all...
After you have formulated the first argument, you need to confirm it and/or give an example to support it. Here are the simplest models of how to do this:
<аргумент>,because...
<аргумент>. That's why...
<аргумент>. For example, ...
If you started with the word “Firstly,...”, then the second argument should begin with the word Secondly...
If the first argument came with the phrases “To start with, ...”, “To begin with, ...”, then the second one can begin with the following words:
Moreover...
Furthermore,...
Besides...
In addition...
The second argument must also be supported by an example or proof.
You will begin the paragraph by stating an opposing opinion on the proposed topic or issue. You can do it like this:
Others believe that...
Some people argue that...
However, some people think that...
This is followed by 1-2 arguments confirming the opposite opinion. I advise you to initially think about two. And how much to write in the end: 1 or 2 – decide in the process, based on the resulting size of your essay.
Advice: You will have to challenge opposing arguments later, so when you come up with them initially, think about how you will challenge them. If you have nothing to object to an invented argument, it is better to immediately replace it with another, so as not to have to do this while writing an essay. It's also limited!
Tip: When challenging arguments, you should not repeat anything written in the second paragraph. Therefore, if you cannot come up with a counterargument without repeating yourself, try to come up with something else. Alternatively, you can come up with other arguments in favor while the essay is not yet written. In any case, it is better to think about this initially while you are planning your essay, rather than during the writing process!
The point of this paragraph is to explain why you disagree with the opposing opinion. You can start a paragraph, for example, with a sentence:
I cannot agree with this opinion because ...
I am afraid I cannot agree with this idea because ...
“I am afraid” rather than “I"m afraid” sounds a little strange, but it’s better not to shorten it, because you can pay for it with precious points.
ATTENTION: if you gave two arguments in the previous paragraph, then you must refute both. They can be distinguished by the following phrases:
As for...,
Speaking about...,
As far as... is concerned,
Advice: When refuting opposing arguments, it is best to propose ways to solve them, rather than prove their ineffectiveness. For example, if someone believes that pets are dangerous, then one should not argue that they are, in fact, harmless. It is better to turn this disadvantage into an advantage, saying that they are excellent guards in country houses.
The most common mistake many students make: in conclusion they simply express their opinion. This is not enough. After all, the conclusion applies to the entire essay, not just the second paragraph.
Thus, in the conclusion you need to summarize everything that was said in the essay and express your point of view. You can also give your recommendations on the existing problem. The most important thing: the conclusion should not contain any new information.
In conclusion...
To sum up...
To conclude...
Next, we let the reader understand that there are two points of view on this problem, and despite the opposite point of view, we still adhere to ours. For example, this can be done according to the following scheme:
Despite the fact that ..., I am convinced that ...
Taking into consideration different opinions on this issue, I believe that ...
After you have written your Unified State Exam essay in English, be sure to review it again for possible errors. From my experience of the most common mistakes, I advise you to pay attention to the following things.
