INTRODUCTIONS

Golden Rules
Do not use a single sentence introduction
Do not repeat the question word for word rephrase it
Identify the question to be answered
Lead in to the main body of the essay
1. The introduction is a paragraph like any other paragraph it needs to be
coherent and developed. This means more than 1 or sentences.
. The introduction focuses on the question.
!. The question comes in parts" background information and immediate
issue.
#. $ow you start sentences is critical" one strategy is to start by learning
some set phrases as you get better% you can make your own.
Argument Essays
&eneral statement identifying the issue '(pand on its importance ) why it is a
matter of debate.
Example:
*ne very comple( issue in today+s world is the funding of museums and art
galleries. There is an argument that they should be free to the general public and
funded by governments% but there is also a case for saying that they should charge
an entrance fee like other attractions.
Opinion Essays
&eneral statement identifying the issue ,tate your opinion '(pand on the
main reason for your opinion
'(ample"
There has always been considerable discussion about whether governments
should spend ta( payers+ money on space research. In my view it is impossible to
-ustify the amount of money spent on such pro-ects. &enerally speaking% the
main reason for this position is that there are several areas in which the money
could be invested better.
Important Language
There has always been considerable discussion about.
*ne very comple( issue in today+s world is.
*ne problematic issue in the modern world is.
*ne issue that creates intense debate nowadays in many countries is..
,tructuring an essay using key vocabulary
Read through this essay model and count the words.
How many words do you need to write in your essay? 250
How many does it contain? 125
For and Against Essay
*ne of the most controversial issues today relates to . ...... In this essay% I
am going to e(amine this question from both points of view.
*n one side of the argument there are people who argue that the benefits of
........ considerably outweigh its disadvantages. The main reason for
believing this is that ........ It is also possible to say that ...*ne good
illustration of this is .....
*n the other hand% it is also possible to make the opposing case. It is often argued
that in fact ..... /eople often have this opinion because ..... 0 second
point is that .....0 particularly good e(ample here is......
0s we have seen% there are no easy answers to this question. *n balance% however%
I tend to believe that .......
Subjects such as Art Sport and !us"c are be"n# dropped $rom the
school curr"culum $or subjects such as In$ormat"on Technolo#%&
!an% people ch"ldren su$$er as a result o$ these chan#es& To 'hat
extent 'ould %ou support or reject the "dea o$ mo("n# these subjects
$rom school curr"culum)
In recent times there has much debate about which subjects should be included
on the school curriculum. One particular issue is whether the introduction o
more modern subjects such as I! or more traditional subjects such as art and
music disad"antages the pupils.
!here is one major argument in a"our o replacing art# music and sport on the
curriculum with subjects li$e I!. !his is that the purpose o school is to prepare
children or their wor$ing lie ater school# so the subjects on the curriculum
should be rele"ant to their potential careers. %rom this point o "iew# I! is much
rele"ant to schoolchildren as they need to be computer literate i they want to
sur"i"e in the wor$place. %or e&ample# it is easy to see that word processing
and programming s$ills will impress employers more than the ability to run
ast or draw well.
!here are also# howe"er# strong arguments or retaining the more traditional
subjects as part o the curriculum. One signiicant counter'argument is that the
purpose o education is not just to prepare children or later careers# but also to
de"elop their all round (culture). It is important that children lea"e school with
some $nowledge o art# music and sport as all these are all help de"elop aspects
o young people*s personalities.
+y own personal point o "iew is that there is merit in both sides o the debate
and that all children should study some I!# art music and sport at least at
primary school. ,t secondary school# howe"er# children should be oered a
choice between these subjects so that they can continue to study them i they
wish.
!odern l"$est%les mean that man% parents ha(e l"ttle t"me $or the"r
ch"ldren& !an% ch"ldren do not #et as much attent"on $rom the"r
parents as ch"ldren d"d "n the past& To 'hat extent do %ou a#ree or
d"sa#ree)
One common concern nowadays is how modern liestyles can ha"e a
negati"e eect on amily lie. , particular worry is that parents no longer are
able to pro"ide suicient care and support or their children. +y own "iew is
that this is generally true# but not always so.
I we loo$ at the past# the traditional amily structure was the husband
was the head o the amily and his duty was to pro"ide or his immediate amily
by going out to wor$. His wie*s role was to stay at home and bring up the
children. In this situation we should note that the children re-uently did not see
much o their ather during the wor$ing wee$.
In the present day# that traditional structure has changed in many cultures.
One reason or this is that it is more and more common or the wie to go out to
wor$ because it is now accepted that woman ha"e as much right to wor$ as
men. , conse-uence o this is that many children do not see their mother as
oten as they would ha"e done in the past. , second reason is that di"orce has
increased and in single'parent amilies children only e"er see one parent.
.e should also consider# howe"er# that these changes are not the same or all
amilies. In low income amilies# or instance# it has always been normal or
both parents to wor$. /i$ewise# i the amily is close'$nit# the parents will still
spend time with their children e"en though they both wor$.
+y conclusion is that generally most children see less o their parents and this is
due to changing liestyles. Howe"er# this is not always the case.
12! words3