Formal essay

1. Do the following first:

 analyze the question
 brainstorm for ideas
 prepare a quick outline
 check the work for mistakes – spelling, punctuation, & capitalization
2. Give opinions; support what you say with reasons & examples.
3. You may have to
 agree or disagree with an issue
 write about the advantages & disadvantages of a topic
 solve a problem
4. Introduction
 should be concise, short and relevant
 can start with a general comment about the topic, introduce & give your opinion
at the end
5. Include 2/3 main paragraphs
 paragraph should have a good topic sentence & supporting ideas
 use cohesive links – firstly, moreover, finally, in conclusion, to sum up
6. Short summary to recap the main points
 no new information on the summary

“The education you receive from your family is more important than the education that you
receive from school.” To what extent do you agree with this statement and why?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or
experience. Write at least 250 words.

Education comes from many places, not just formal schooling. People learn from their family,
friends, the television and personal experience among many other ways. Although these
avenues of learning are certainly important, I believe that education within schools is much
more important, as it lays the foundation for future achievement and wider success as I shall
show.

Firstly, formal qualifications which are earned at school are often the entry points to certain
careers and jobs. In order to be a lawyer or doctor, you need to do well at school so you can go
on to study for professional qualifications. Additionally, many jobs ask for basic qualifications in
Mathematics and English when you apply. Without these qualifications, an individual could
become limited in what they can do with their professional lives.

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In addition to this, school also prepares you for relationships outside your family, which is an
important aspect of life. School is a good socialization tool because a student needs to deal with
relationships on many different levels, for example with teachers and school friends, and they
also need to deal with threats to happiness such as bullying or workloads.

Families are important as often children gain their moral outlook and aspirational goals from
their parents. However, children can succeed without a favourable family setting to a certain
extent. It is doubtful whether they could succeed without schooling.

In conclusion, although there are many beneficial forms of education, I believe schooling is
more important than education within the family. This is because formal education gives you
qualifications and socialization that the family cannot offer.

Paragraph & text organization

A text contains paragraphs & a paragraph contains sentences. In English a text is divided into
paragraphs and each paragraph focuses on one main idea. All the sentences in a paragraph
relates to this main idea. Information in a text and a paragraph is organized as follows. general-
specific

Paragraph organization

A topic sentence explains the main idea of a paragraph. It usually comes at the beginning of a
paragraph so that reader knows what the paragraph is about. The topic sentence gives general
information on the main idea. The topic sentence does NOT contain details.

The other sentences in a paragraph add extra information to the main idea presented in the
topic sentence. These sentences can be: explanations, details, reasons, contradictions, problems,
solutions, opposite views etc. These sentences contain details and extend the main idea in the
topic sentence.

The function of sentences

Each sentence in a paragraph has a function. It must be connected to the sentence before and
the sentence after and add information about the main idea in the topic sentence. Linking
words and reference words help to connect sentences together and highlight their role.

1 Celebrities have had a large impact on the fashion industry. 2 This is due to the fact that they
make successful advertising campaigns. 3 Sports stars, pop stars and actors, for example, are
often connected with a particular product. 4 Consequently, fans of the celebrity buy the
product and company profit increase. 5 However, using celebrities make people want products
they do not want or need.

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1 ………………………….. 2 ……………………………. 3 ……………………………………………

4 ………………………….. 5 …………………………….

Match following paragraph sentences to their functions.

1. During the 1960s fashion in the West went through an extensive transformation.
2. Most of the changes were due to the influence of popular music and the ideas of young
people.
3. The new less traditional views of lifestyle were seen in items of clothing such as the
miniskirt and the choice of bright colours, which became popular with young people.
4. In contrast, people from the older generation saw this new fashion as undermining
traditional values.
5. This conflict over fashion between the younger and older generations has continued
since then.
A Result B Reason C Opposite view D Topic sentence E Example

writing

Describe a relative or family member you are especially close to.

You should say:
who it is
in what ways you are similar to and different from this person
what things you do together & explain why you are so close to this person.

It’s difficult to choose one person because I’m close to everyone in my family, but if I have to
select someone then I would say I am closer to my Mum so I will tell you about her. My Mum is
fifty-two years old and a house wife. She was born in Mathara and has lived there all her life.
She’s happily married and she has two kids, including me.

My mother and I are similar in many ways; I look like her. People say we have the same eyes
and nose. Our personalities are similar, too. My mother is out-going and talkative and I’m like
that, too. We also have a lot of common interests – shopping, fashion, travel and food.
However, we are different in some ways. Mum is not very ambitious; she’s happy to be a house
wife and stay at home but I want a career. For her, family is the most important thing; I am not
sure whether I want to have kids or not. Another difference is religion; I’m an atheist whereas
my mother is quite religious. She’s a Buddhist and often goes to worship at temples.

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Mum and I do a lot of things together; we go shopping, mostly window shopping I should say.
We love searching for bargains in clothes stores. We also spent a lot of time together at home –
I often help Mum prepare meals.

I think there are several reasons why Mum and I are so close. I don’t have a sister – just a
brother – so when I was growing up she was like a big sister to me. And because Mum didn’t go
out to work that meant we spent lots of time together. Another reason is that we get along well
together because we are very similar.

Use words from the box to complete the answers.

However generalize major on the other hand that is

another main drawbacks overall firstly complicated issue

1. Do you think that gay couples should be allowed to marry?

It’s a ………………………… and I don’t know very much about it. ……………………………. from what I’ve
heard, I would say that they should be allowed to get married. If two adults want to get married
and it doesn’t harm anyone else, I don’t see any problem with it.

2. When a couple divorces, who do you think should get custody of the children?

I think it is difficult to …………………………. about such a complicated issue. In my opinion, who

should get custody depends on each individual case; …………………………… which parent can
provide the best environment and is best suited to looking after the child.

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of marrying late?

The ………………… advantages of marrying late are that the wife and husband are more mature
and their financial situation is better. ………………………. marrying later does cause some problems;
there’s less time to have children and it may be harder for the couple to adapt to marriage.

4. What are the pros and cons of living together before getting married?

One of the ……………. ……… of co-habiting is that the man will put off getting married. Another is
pressure from family members. The advantages are that you can get to know your partner
really well and find out if you are a good match. ……….………………. I think the advantages
outweigh the disadvantages.

5. What are the benefits of arranged marriages?

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There are several benefits. ……….……………….. have more experience of life and relationships.
They know their children very well so they can choose someone who is compatible. …………………
advantage is that they will make a decision based on reality rather than just feelings of love
which seldom last.

1. In what ways has health care changed in your country?

Health care is ………much more……… high – tech now. There are a lot of machines such as
scanners. In addition, people go to hospitals more often than before,……even for……….. simple
things, because the government’s national health insurance has made visiting hospitals so
cheap. I also think that in the past, western medicine was ……..less popular…… than traditional
medicine. Nowadays, most people prefer western medicine, especially for serious medical
problems.

2. What problems have changes in the health care system caused?

Because medicine has become more high-tech, it has also become more expensive. Only big
hospitals in large cities can afford the best equipment. ……The result ……….. is that the gap
between rural and urban areas has grown. ……….Another problem ………. is that too many
people are going to hospital for minor problems because the national health insurance system
has made it so cheap for patients. This overuse is expensive for the government and ……means
that…… doctors spend less time with patients.

3. What are some possible solutions for these problems?

Well, I’m ………not sure…………………. how we can narrow the rural-urban gap in medical
equipment but the government has been trying to increase the quality of medical personnel in
rural areas; many medical school graduates who have studied on government scholarships are
now required to serve in remote areas for at least one year. ……As for……...the problem of
overuse, the solution is relatively simple; the government needs to increase the cost of
medicine care at hospitals.

4. What are some of the most serious health problems in the developed world?

People in the developed world tend to eat, drink and smoke a lot. As a result, the most serious
health problems are heart disease, cancer, especially lung cancer and diabetes. Traffic accidents
are also a ……major cause…...of injuries and deaths. Mental health is a big problem; depression
and stress ……………………………. increasingly common in developed countries.

major cause less popular another problem even for as for

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much more means that not sure the result

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