Sample writing for your exams

One of the sections of My That's English! we are more proud of is the series Writing workshop, where we followed a step-by-step guide on how to improve students' writing skills with a view to improving their performance in exams.

At the time we considered it unsuitable to provide samples for the different types of composition tasks that we were dealing with because we felt some students might fall into the temptation of using those samples for their school work. That is the main reason why we have very much been debating whether to post about Sample writing for your exams, a blog created by  Johanes Djogan which focuses on providing samples for the different types of tasks English students may come across in different kinds of exams (Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL).

This is the way Johanes Djogan introduces his blog:

"Examwriting is a blog focused on delivering free material for self-preparation. If you need to take IELTS, FCE, CAE or TOEFL, you have come to the right place. Plenty of essay examples, formal or informal letters, reports, descriptions are at your disposal.

The most important factors that can affect your overall score are your expressions, vocabulary and sentence structures. It is crucial that your ideas are logically organised and with sufficient argumentation. Read our sample essays and descriptions to improve your performance and use them as a means of maximizing your results."

So, Examwriting will help you get out of the box for a while and get a wider picture of the different types of writing tasks you might come across in exams, together with samples which might throw some light on the way you should tackle them.

Madrid Teacher: For and against television debate

Television is a recurrent topic in the English class, so most students at an intermediate level and above will be no strangers to this three-minute debate on TV, where two Madrid Teachers hold opposing views, one in favour of TV and the other one against it.

Once again, these Madrid Teacher videos give us the opportunity to get acquainted with the conversational strategies native speakers use in conversation. Watch the video through and pay attention to the following:

Expressing disbelief in what the other person is saying
You’re kidding right?
Are you kidding me? 
Really?

Showing the speaker that you are paying attention
Ok.
Right.
Uhum.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, true.

Involving the listener in the conversation
What do you think?

Explaining yourself more clearly
I mean

Introducing contrast, change or hesitation
Well

Introducing a change or a request for clarification
So



Remember that if you want to understand everything that is being said in the conversation, you can activate the CC subtitles on the lower side of the YouTube videoplayer, which will give you a very accurate transcription.

English students very often find 'for and against topics' (like TV, mobile phones, social networking sites, living in a big city, living in a flat, sharing a flat, being an only child) in the writing paper of exams. These composition tasks have a clear-cut structure that students must follow.

The topic in the composition below is 'advantages and disadvantages of university students living on campus'. Pay attention to the four-paragraph structure and the connectors or linking words that join ideas and which are highlighted in blue.

Paragraph 1: Introduction
In recent years, the number of British students living on campus has increased dramatically, but is this the most suitable form of accommodation for young people who are preparing to obtain a degree and who also have their first opportunity to learn about life?
 
Paragraph 2: List of advantages (usually two or three)
I will start by looking at the advantages of living on campus. For a start, life is usually cheaper. For example, food and accommodation are often subsidized by the university and students who live off campus have to pay normal prices for everything. Moreover, you don’t have to deal with things that go wrong in rented accommodation, such as washing machines breaking down or gas cookers that don’t work properly. The most important reason is the time you save being so close to places like the library. Consequently, you have much more time to study.

Paragraph 3: List of disadvantages (usually two or three)
However, there are some disadvantages too. First of all, it is easy to spend all your time on campus and because of that you can lose contact with the ‘real world’. What is more, you don’t have as much independence or freedom on campus as off. For instance, you normally can’t choose what and when to eat. Finally, if you live on campus, it isn’t necessary to develop the same life skills as you would if you lived off campus –skills like managing the day-to-day running of a house.

Paragraph 4: Conclusion
To sum up, we must bear in mind that the main reason for being at university is to study. Although it has some obvious drawbacks, living on campus allows students more time to study without the distractions and responsibilities of rented accommodation. As a result, I would recommend people to live on campus if they have the chance.

Suggested activity:
Write a for and against composition on the advantages and disadvantages of television. Write about 160 words.

So, much that is on television is just absolute garbage, trash. I think television has been getting worse, worse, and worse every year. It’s a . . . Really.
You’re kidding right?
No, I think the best thing for reading and literature is television.
Really?
Actually, yea, true, that’s true.
You’re kidding?
No, I’m not. Look “Big Brother”
What about it?
It’s, it’s garbage.
Ok.
It’s cheap trash, and what, children are watching that! People are watching that, and emulating that, copying that.
Right.
I mean they’re copying everything off that boob tube. They are copying the violence, a lot of criminals are actually learning. They’re getting an education there on how to be better criminals.
Uhum. . .
It’s an absolute waste of time. Instead of getting an education, children are watching three hours of TV a day, and as an added bonus they are gaining weight. They’re getting overweight watching television.
Are you done?
No, but go ahead. What do you think?
Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Are you serious? You really believe that all the problems in society have to do with television?
Mmmmm. . .. yeah!
Ok. So, where does parenting come in to all this?
Well, I think parents are delegating their responsibilities to television.
Ok. So, it’s not television the problem, it’s the parenting. Society not doing their job.
Well, if they didn’t have television, if they didn’t have television, they would find something else like take their children out to the park.
Oh, yeah. . .
But they can’t take their children out to the park, because, what! All the other children are watching television.
Well, that has nothing to do with it. People, to begin with. . . many. . . centuries, centuries, centuries ago... people were still violent, and you know. . . what, Hey! Look at the French Revolution. They were chopping people’s heads off left and right. What television was to blame then?
Well, thankfully, they didn’t have television, because...
So, who are you blaming then?
Well, if they’d had television, it would have been even worse.
Society is just screwed up! Society is screwed up because we’re, in… we’re usually just thinking about ourselves, and very selfish, and not only that, we have beast traits to us.
Yeah, true, but television is not helping anything out, it’s making it worse.
Oh, wow, so, what, making it worse? They were still being violent back then when there was no television. So, what, what, what are you saying now? Now, it’s just, the reason now that we know about all this violence is because of television, because now television serves as double. . . okay, a “double edged” sword. I’ll give you that, because before people did not hear about it, because they were in a mountain. Far and off, off, off away. And then so, who told them there was being killed or murdered or raped? No one! But now we have this beautiful world called. . . you know Media, and television, and we get images and then people are shocked, but this has been happening for centuries.

Letter Exemple Help -Sample letters for business and formal situations

There is some controversy in the teaching world over the suitability to provide learners with sample texts when it comes to composition writing, as the student might somehow feel straightjacketed and their imagination constrained. On top of that, sample compositions have a limited effect in exam classes, as the questions in the writing paper are anything but predictable.

Some teachers claim the idea is not to think of a composition as a product, but as the result of a process with the emphasis on answering the question in full and making sure the parts of the composition are coherent and the ideas well developed.

Having said this, let me tell you about Letter Example Help . Letter Example Help has been created by Melanie Walters "to help you address formal situations with a written letter. With the advent of the internet and people texting each other with incomplete sentences, I created this website for those that require inspiration for a formal letter example format." In addition, for non-native speakers of English finding the right formulaic expressions is sometimes an insurmountable task.

The examples on  Letter Example Help can be downloaded in Word format but Melanie makes a point of  reminding users to personalize each letter for their particular situation.

Melanie Walters is "a writer and editor for several businesses both online and offline. Her experience with writing business letters and marketing materials has helped her understand exactly what works in written communication for businesses. In the 10 years she's been writing, Melanie has amassed a large collection of letter examples that she gladly shares with you here on Letter Example Help ."

Conquering the comma

A long time ago I came across University English, a webpage written by Patrick McMahon, a lecturer in the UK teaching on a variety of Academic English courses and teacher training courses at Plymouth University.

University English is primarily intended for international students who want to improve their English language skills, but the site is full of resources for English language students at an intermediate level and above -reading, listening, writing and English language issues are dealt with in a systematic way.


It is on University English  that I first heard of the term comma splice, that is, the incorrect use of a comma in between two sentences, instead of using a conjunction to link the two sentences together, or simply separate the two sentences with a stop.


It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark. (comma splice)
It is nearly half past five, so we cannot reach town before dark. (use of a connector to link the two sentences)


Funnily enough, right after reading about the comma splice on University English, I just noticed how often this problem presents itself in students' writing of all levels.


Patrick McMahon suggested taking a look at an OWL’s powerpoint on the use of commas, conquering the comma. Pay special attention to slide 24 and following, where the problem of the comma splice is explained.

And make a point of dropping by University English on occasion. You won't regret it.

Writing workshop (and) 29

This is our twenty-ninth and last installment in our writing workshop. Throughout our posts we have intended to make students familiar with some techniques and we have also tried to raise their awareness about specific writing formats and tasks they may encounter in an exam.

Posts 1 to 9 of the workshop are based on basic writing techniques and have a universal value. This is very useful advice we can follow if we want to write well, inside and outside the class, as English students and in life. The ideas on the posts are mainly taken from Feedback, a Cambridge University Press writing course that despite its age, it was published in 1994, it is as valid today as it was when it first came out.

Posts 10-13 list a number of connectors that may come in handy when writing compositions, when dealing with any sort of task where we have to write complex sentences or when we speak and must link sentences together. In many respects,  these posts are also a good opportunity for grammar revision, as some of the connectors listed are closely related to specific grammar points to express condition, result, cause, and so on. They are mainly taken from another great book we can still find on the market, Successful Writing, intermediate and upper-intermediate, Express Publishing.

Posts 14-28 are intended for students at an intermediate level who must sit an English exam with a composition writing paper. More specifically, they were written with the Escuela Oficial de Idiomas  Intermediate cycle exam in mind, and especially for the distance –That’s English!- students, as they must work at home and are often lacking in a tutor’s guidance about specific aspects of the exam and how to tackle them.

Posts 14 and 15 focus on the different types of tasks and how to understand them.

Post 16 makes a summary of the most relevant aspects of all the information published on this writing workshop up until that moment.

From posts 17 to 28 we focused on task formats that demand the students know specific conventions and formulas that may have a key influence in the overall mark:
Post 17: Informal letters/emails
Post 18 Formal letters
Post 19: Letters of complaint
Post 20: Writing a character reference
Post 21: A letter of application
Post 22: A letter of advice
Post 23: A letter asking for advice
Post 24: A letter to the editor
Post 25: A report
Post 26: Expressing your opinion
Post 27: Expressing a balanced argument
Post 28: Problems and solutions

In some of these posts, especially in 26, 27 and 28, some specific writing techniques were also touched on.

There many other types of writing tasks we haven't explored:
Description of people, places, buildings
Description of festivals and events
Writing stories and narratives
Writing reviews of films, books, plays, concerts, CDs, websites

We have decided against dealing with them here because their occurrence in the exam so far has been marginal and because, let’s face it, however much we try to “fence in” the written task, reality always proves itself impossible to cover.

I always say in class it’s easier to win the lottery than guess the composition topics in an exam. It is an exaggeration, but my point is, and the point we have tried to make on the blog is, that technique is very important, and technique, together with inspiration and our grasp of English, can help us sail through whatever written tasks we are faced with.

We know that some of the content in the writing workshop would have demanded a more detailed explanation, with practical activities and composition samples, but that is ground that overlaps a teacher’s task and that students should explore on their own if a teacher is not at hand, or with the help of some of the reference book we have mentioned here.

Just before the Easter break a student, who was badly pressed for time, asked me how he could make headway in English without devoting too much time to it. I am afraid to say I don’t have the answer for that, but if this is your case and you badly need some quick guidelines for composition writing, I think that posts 3 and 16 will do it for you.

Writing Workshop 28: Problems and solutions

Problems and solutions

When we write, we always need to think about the reader. That means we have to introduce our ideas clearly. To do this, we need to use topic sentences.

We have mentioned topic sentences several times during this Writing Workshop. They help the reader follow the plan of our composition. They are like signposts for a driver.

Topics sentences are usually the first sentence in a well-organised and well-developed paragraph. But topic sentences are helped by other sentences within the paragraph, the supporting sentences, which develop the main idea, give examples, and explain points.

Let’s have a look at an example. Take the composition topic “The number of people who are overweight or obese is far higher than in previous generations. What are the reasons for this, and how can the problem be dealt with?”. We have included five points within our paragraph:

1 The main idea of the paragraph = topic sentence
2 An explanation of the main idea
3 An example
4 The solution to the problem
5 The result of the solution (i.e. what would happen if we tried the solution). We tend to use the conditional would because we are making hypothesis.

One of the reasons that so many people are overweight is that they eat junk food instead of cooking a healthy meal (1). It is common these days for people to eat takeaway food or pick up a ready meal from the supermarket, rather than cook a healthy meal (2). For instance, in the UK, sales of pre-prepared meals, which contain high levels of fat and salt, have increased dramatically in the last few years (3). To tackle this issue, the government could increase sales tax on food considered to be unhealthy (4). This would hopefully encourage consumers to buy healthier food and therefore lose weight (5).

There are several ways we can develop topic sentences in a paragraph. Let’s have a look at some of them:

a) Linking phrases to explain the main idea: That is to say, … / In other words, …
One problem in cities is the cost of public transport. That is to say, in big cities like Madrid the price of using public transport such as the bus or tube is extremely expensive. As a result, …

b) Giving reasons:  This is because… / The reason is…
One issue is that a lot of young children don’t have a healthy diet. This is because their parents don’t have time to cook, so they end up having takeaways and processed food. As a consequence,…

c) Describing facts: … means that …
One issue of living in a big city is the stress of getting from one place to another. Living in a big city means that it takes at least an hour to get from your house to where you want to go, which is very tiring and time consuming. For example,…

d) Describing the result: As a result, … / As a consequence, … / Therefore, …
One problem with working at home is that you don’t have contact with colleagues. As a result, it is difficult to improve your knowledge and skills, as you don’t get new ideas from workmates. For instance,…

Problems and solutions is another typical task we can come across in composition writing. As usual, a clear organization of our writing is key:

Introduction
Paragraph 1: Cause 1 + Solution 1
Paragraph 2: Cause 2 + Solution 2
[Paragraph 3: Cause 3 + Solution 3]
Conclusion

With information from IELTS Advantage Writing Skills, Delta Publishing

Writing Workshop 27: A balanced argument

A balanced argument

In some written tasks, we have to present the pros and cons, the advantages and disadvantages of something. In other words, we have to write a balanced argument.

As usual, our essay will be clearly structured:
Introduction
Advantages
Disadvantages
Conclusion

Remember it is very important to make a good start to our composition by writing a clear introduction. In writing workshop 26 we mentioned the technique of writing a rhetoric question in the introduction to help us present the topic.

Today we are going to present a ready-made formula that may help us write the introduction. It consists of four sentences:
Write a general sentence about the topic (a)
Add an extra sentence to support the first (b)
Focus on the question in your own words (c)
Tell the reader your plan (d)

Let’s take, for example, the topic of studying on campus. An introduction to the topic using the above-mentioned technique would look like this.

(a) Living on campus is one of the accommodation options university students have. (b) In fact, the number of British students staying at halls of residence has increased dramatically in recent years. (c) However, there are both pros and cons to deciding to do this. (d) In this article/composition/essay/post, I will look at both sides and try to draw some conclusions.

We also discussed conclusions in writing workshop 26. Let’s work on a more specific technique to write a conclusion. A good conclusion generally consists of:
1 A general, one-sentence summary
2 A focus summary of the main points –avoiding repetition of vocabulary
3 Something new/your opinion

Let’s apply this technique to the composition of studying on campus:
To sum up, we must bear in mind that the main reason for being at university is to study. Although it has some obvious drawbacks, living on campus allows students more time to study without the distractions and responsibilities of rented accommodation. As a result, I would recommend people to live on campus if they have the chance.

When we write a balanced argument, or any piece of writing for that matter, we most certainly have to list reasons. The following linking words can be of help:
Firstly / In the first place / For a start / First of all
Moreover / On top of that / Secondly / What is more
Lastly / Finally

To introduce the advantages and disadvantages we can use some of these phrases:
Let’s begin by looking at the advantages of studying on campus.
I will start by looking at the advantages of studying on campus.
There are a lot of advantages to studying on campus.
The main/first/most important advantage of…
Another/An additional advantage is

Turning to the other side of the argument, studying on campus also has some downsizes.
However, there are some disadvantages to studying on campus too.
The main/first/most important disadvantage of…
Another/An additional disadvantage is

With information from IELTS Advantage Writing Skills, Delta Publishing and Straightforward Intermediate, Macmillan

Writing workshop 26: Expressing our opinion

Expressing our opinion
Opinion compositions can present themselves in different ways and with different formats in an exam task:

• Write a newspaper article expressing your opinion about the current controversy with … 
• Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper stating your views about the situation of … 
• Your school is organizing a composition competition about the topic of… 
• You have decided to post an entry in an internet forum about the problem of … 
• Write a diary entry with your views on … so that future generations find it easier to understand the problem. 

In this type of composition, we take a side in an argument, we express our own ideas about an issue, we say whether we agree or disagree with something and we give our reasons for our point of view.

The first thing we must bear in mind is that our written document must have a clear structure. A standard paragraph layout in this type of task would include four paragraphs:

Introduction to the topic
What some people think about this issue
Your opinion on the issue
Conclusion

Remember that in an essay, it is important that the introduction engages the reader’s attention. It should introduce the topic, but should not include the specific points that we are going to mention in the body of the text.

A good introductory paragraph describes the present situation and gives supporting evidence. It should refer to the statement or question you have been asked to discuss. This can often be done in the form of a rhetoric question which the rest of the paragraphs should answer.

For example, for the topic “More and more people are getting addicted to text-messaging in today’s world” the introduction could be:
Being able to send short, written messages with mobile phones or ipads has clearly advanced communication in many aspects, but do you know anyone who spends over an hour a day texting their friends? Or anyone who neglects their work or studies to check their phone for text messages? If the answer is yes, the chances are that these people are textaholics.

The paragraphs where we present what some people think about the problem and our own opinion must also have a clear structure, with a topic sentence and two or three supporting sentences.

Topic sentence: What the paragraph is about. It is usually the first sentence in the paragraph.
Supporting sentences:  We expand the topic sentence by giving (an) example(s)  and/or giving reasons/consequences or explaining the idea in the topic sentence.

For example, for the topic ‘People who take unnecessary risks should not receive free health care' the paragraph where we state some people’s opinion could look like this:
Topic sentence: I've heard it said that people who take unnecessary risks should not receive this free health care.
Supporting sentences: For example, people who participate in risky activities such as skiing are more likely to have an accident. It has been suggested that these people should pay for any medical treatment they require.

Some typical phrases to introduce what some people think are
I’ve heard it said that
It has been suggested that
Some people think that
It’s sometimes said that
Some people argue
It is often claimed that

Some typical phrases to introduce your opinion are
Personally
In my opinion
I feel that
I believe that
In my view

To refute opposite arguments
This may have been true in the past, but nowadays,…
There are a number of flaws in this argument
This is simply not the case

The conclusion should briefly sum up the arguments we have made without repeating –as far as possible- the same words, and can include our personal opinion, which should follow logically from the arguments presented.

With information from English Result upper-intermediate, Oxford University Press, New Headway Advanced, Oxford University Press and Straighforward Advanced, MacMillan

Writing Workshop 25: A report

Writing a report is something we might find useful in an English speaking work context as well as being a type of written task we may have to do in an English exam.

The important thing to bear in mind about reports is that they are written for somebody else, so they must be clear and concise, and they will be divided in paragraphs or sections, each of which with its own heading/title.

The basic structure of a report will consist of:
title
introduction
sections
conclusion

In the introduction you must say what the aim of the report is. A standard phrase commonly used in the introduction is: The aim of this report is to assess…

In each section (or paragraph) we will deal with a specific aspect, and we must state its strengths (positive points) and weaknesses (negative points), and then make a recommendation for improvement. Each section or paragraph deals with a specific point and has its own heading or title.

For this reason, we must use a variety of expressions to refer to the strengths and weaknesses within a section:
As for / As regards / Regarding  the layout of the office,…
As far as the layout of the office is concerned…

We must also be familiar with different expressions to make suggestions:
We suggest buying new computers.
We propose purchasing computers.
I strongly recommend buying computers.
It would be advisable to buy computers.
It would be far more preferable for each employee to have their own station.

Similarly, we must be well acquainted with linking words for generalizing:
Generally speaking,
In general,
The general view is that…
It is generally considered / thought that
Overall, the majority of employees…

We can start the conclusion by using one of these expressions:
To sum up… / To summarise…
In short… / In conclusion…
In the light of (this year’s experience)…
In my view, in the future, we should…

We should also pay attention to the following:

• Read the instructions in the task carefully. 
• Use an appropriate professional style, avoiding informal expressions. 
• Try not to  exactly use the same words given in the information the report is based on.
• Try and use the passive to give your report a professional aura and to detach yourself from it.

 Sample report:
A report on King James's Language School

Introduction
The aim of this report is to assess student satisfaction with the classes and facilities at King James's Language school, and to make suggestions for improvements.


Testing and registration of new students
Most students were satisfied with the testing process for new students. However, they complained about the long queues at registration. We believe it would be preferable either to have more staff available to deal with registrations, or to give students a specific day and time to register.


The classes
In general students rated the teachers very highly. Their main criticisms were of class sizes and the length of classes. As regards class sizes, most students think there should be no more than 12 students in a class. As for the duration of classes, they officially last an hour, but in practice they are usually only 45 minutes because of the students who arrive late. We propose that all students who arrive more than five minutes late should have to wait until the break to be admitted in the class.


The self-study centre
It is generally thought that the self-study centre, while useful, has two main disadvantages. There are not enough computers, and at peak times they are always occupied. Also the centre closes at 7 p.m., so students who come to the later classes cannot use the centre at all. We suggest buying more computers and extending the opening times until 9 p.m.


The cafeteria
The cafeteria was replaced last year by machines for drinks and snacks. Although it is true that people often had to wait to be served, most students preferred the cafeteria and would like it to be re-opened.


Conclusion
To sum up, the majority of students are extremely positive about the school, and feel that if the suggested changes are put into practice, it will be an even better place to study.

With information from First Certificate Expert, Longman, and New English File, Oxford University Press

Writing Workshop 24: A letter to the editor

We can express our opinion on some topics of general interest to the public through different kinds of writing to show agreement or disagreement or discuss a problem and its solutions.
-  A letter/email to a newspaper or magazine
-  A letter/email to a radio or TV station saying what you think about a programme
-  A message to an internet forum / message board expressing an opinion
-  A factual article for a newspaper
-  A report related to your work or area of expertise

All these kinds of writing are intended for an unkown general public and, consequently, the language we use may be more formal. This includes:

• Uncontracted auxiliary verbs
• Polite phrases
• Impersonal style
• Longer, more complex sentences
• Formal vocabulary and grammar

Whichever the kind of writing, the layout will be pretty similar, and should consist of:
a)  A short introduction in which you clearly give the reason why you are writing and express your general opinion about the topic. Beware, however, of the fact that if your letter is written in reply to another letter, article or post in an internet forum you should also mention where and when you read it, as well as referring to any key information in the original writing.

b) A main body in which you present the problems and their consequences or suggestions and results in separate paragraphs. Bear in mind that space is limited and you may not be able to write your ideas in detail or about all the points you would like to. The main body should have three medium-sized paragraphs maximum.

c) A conclusion in which you summarise your opinion or restate it, using different words.

In addition, you should also respect the typical conventions we keep to when writing a letter or email:

Greeting
Dear Sir or Madam; Dear Editor

To begin the letter
I am writing in response to your article on
I am writing about Trent Council’s decision to build
I am writing with regard to
I am writing to express my approval/disapproval of

To end the letter
I hope my comments/suggestions will be taken into consideration
I hope the government/local council/we will
I hope something will be done about this urgently

Farewell
Yours faithfully

Apart from that we will have to use a variety of structures to express our opinion and show our attitude:
In my opinion
I (do not) feel/believe/think
I am (totally) opposed to/in favour of
I (strongly) agree/disagree with
It is my considered/honest/personal opinion that
The accepted/general/traditional view on this is
Personally, / As far as I know, / As far as I am concerned

Also bear in mind that after the short introductory paragraph, the body of the letter –the real reason for writing- will work like a discursive composition, and we must use the connectors one might expect to find in this piece of writing.

Whatever you are writing, avoid repeating words or phrases, either by using synonyms or alternative constructions. Also remember to write about all the points in the task and avoid copying whole phrases and sentences from it.

Typical tasks which entail writing a letter to a magazine would be:

You have read the headline below and feel strongly about it. Write a letter to the newspaper expressing your views.
CONGESTION CHARGES WILL EASE TRAFFIC CHAOS

The government is planning to put an end to IDs as a way of identification because the system is expensive to run, difficult to organise and easy to forge. From next year onwards, it will be enough for Spanish citizens to show bills and banks statements as a proof of identity. Write a post for the andnowtheywanttogetridofIDs forum expressing your views on this matter.

You are going to write a letter expressing your own opinions in reply to this letter written to a newspaper one week ago:
In these days of equality between the sexes, it seems to me perfectly reasonable that, in wartime, women soldiers should be expected to fight alongside their male counterparts on the front line. Unlike your reporter (Ref Why we should continue to protect our women, The Evening Times, Friday 13 April) I firmly believe that, given the right training and experience, women are as physically and mentally tough as men.
In my view, those who claim that women are not capable of fighting effectively because of their emotional make-up are guilty of simple, old-fashioned sexism.
Jenny Lavender (Manchester)

With information from Real Writing 4, Cambridge University Press; Intermediate Successful Writing, Express Publishing; First Certificate Expert, Longman.

Writing Workshop 23: Asking for advice

In Writing Worshop 22 we focused on giving advice. A variation of this kind of task is the letter in which we have to ask for advice about a (real or imaginary) problem we may have.

We may address the letter to a friend or relative (informal letter) or to an expert like an agony aunt in the advice column of a magazine (formal letter).

Typical tasks of letters asking for advice would be:
Your parents will not let you go on holiday as they want you to study for exams. Write a letter to a friend asking for his/her advice on this matter.

You feel that you and your mother cannot agree on anything. Write a letter to a problem page asking for advice.

The typical layout for this letter would be:
Paragraph 1: Reason(s) for writing
Paragraphs 2/3: Description of problem(s)
Paragraph 4: Closing remarks

Opening remarks
I am writing to ask if you could help me with… (formal).
I would appreciate it if you could give me some advice about (formal).
I wonder if you could help me with a problem (formal).

I am writing to ask for your advice (informal).
I’ve got a problem and I need your advice (informal)


Closing remarks
I look forward to receiving your advice (formal).
I would appreciate it if you could give your advise as soon as possible (formal).
Please let me know what you think I should do (informal).
Please tell me what to do (informal).

Writing workshop 22: A letter of advice

When we have personal problems, we may want to discuss them with several people: members of our family, friends, teachers, work colleagues, professional counsellors, experts on radio or TV programmes, an agony aunt in a magazine or newspaper.

Depending on the person we are giving advice to, the register will be more formal or informal.

This is one of the key aspects we must bear in mind when we write a letter of advice:
Check Writing Workshop 17 to be reminded of key aspects of informal letters/emails.
Check Writing Workshop 18 to be reminded of key aspects of formal letters/emails.

This is a typical task we may have to do when writing a letter of advice:
You work as an agony aunt in a local newspaper and have received the letter below from a reader. Write a reply letter in 160-180 words giving Jack advice. Do not write any postal addresses.
"I feel really lonely and unhappy because I’m finding it impossible to make friends. When I go to parties, I always end up by myself.
I have had friends –some quite good ones- but recently I seem to have been rather unlucky. People seem to like me at first, but after a while they lose interest. They stop phoning and always seem to have excuses for not seeing me.
I thought things would improve as I got older, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. I’m 34 years old and I live on my own.
Thank you in advance for your attention.
Regards,
Jack"

A typical layout in this kind of letter would be:
Paragraph 1: Thanks for letter / express understanding of the problem
Paragraph 2/3: Suggestions + reasons
Paragraph 4: Closing remarks

In addition to polite formulas, you will have to include a number of structures to give advice:

Formal structures to give advice:
My suggestion is / would be to ...
You should/ought to ...
If I were in your position, I would ...
I strongly recommend that…
I would advise you to…

Informal structures to give advice:
What I'd suggest is that you ...
If I were you, I'd ...
If I were in your shoes, I’d ...
Why don't you ...?
How about ...?
You could / might even ...
The best advice I can give you is…

Opening remarks
I am writing in reply to you letter asking for advice about… (formal)
I just got your letter and was really sorry to hear about your problem. (informal)

Closing remarks
I hope this will be of help. (formal)
I would very much like to know if this was helpful. (formal)
Hope this has helped. (informal)
Let me know what happens. (informal)

As with any type of writing task, always remember

• Brainstorm for ideas before you start writing and choose those which can best help you to do the task well and show your grasp of English.
• Plan the paragraph layout.
• Write the first draft of your letter.
• Write the final version of your letter.

Writing workshop 21: A letter of application

An interesting variation of the character reference that we discussed in Writing Workshop 20 is the letter of application. This time the topic of our letter is ourselves.

We may need to write a letter of application for several reasons: We want to get a job, a grant, a place at a university.

This is a standard task we can find in a typical letter of application:

Stewards required to work at Festival UK, a well known world music festival event in the west of England from August 3rd to 7th.

ResponsibilitiesTo ensure the safety and comfort of the public and to assist in the running of a successful festival.
To reduce any crowd-related problems.
To prevent unauthorized access to the site by members of the public.

RequirementsYou must be aged 18 or over on the date of the festival and be eligible to work in the UK.
You must be fit and healthy and able to work in a demanding atmosphere.
You should have a high level of English, and some experience of dealing with the public.

How to applyEmail your CV to Emma Richards (E.Richards@festivalmail.co.uk).

As you may well imagine, a letter of application is a formal letter, so we will have to make use of the conventions that we learnt in the Writing Workshop 18.

On top of that, the typical layout of this kind of letter will consist of the following parts:
• Paragraph 1: why you are writing and where you read about the job: I’m writing to apply for the post of
• Paragraph 2: give relevant personal information.
• Paragraph 3: talk about relevant experience and qualifications you have.
• Paragraph 4: explain why you think you would be suitable for the job.

Other details you should bear in mind are:
• Never start the letter introducing yourself. Use the formula you have read above:  I’m writing to apply for the post of…
• When you say why you think you are suitable for the job, don't ‘over-sell’ yourself. Be factual and positive, but not arrogant.

Now you can try your hand with a letter of application. Here’s another task. Write a letter/email in about 180 words.

Do you want to work for us?
Are you the right person for the job?
We are looking for fun, energetic, experienced people of any age to work as camp monitors at our day and residential summer camps in July and / or August. Children are aged between 7 and 15, and take part in a wide range of sports and activities from swimming and water sports to survival skills and cooking.

Do you enjoy working with children?
Are you good at working in a team?
Do you have any relevant experience or qualifications?
Do you speak English either as a first language or fluently?
You can earn between £200 and £300 per week (food and accommodation provided).
Minimum contract: one month.

Interested? Send an email, brief CV, and photo to Richard Cunningham at summercamp@bt.com

Remember you can read samples of application letters on Flo-Joe and Microsoft.

Writing workshop 20: Writing a character reference

Descriptions of people can be found in narratives, letters of recommendation, character references, police reports, newspaper articles, and so on. In this kind of task, the description is only one more element of the whole picture, and you must combine several styles of writing. Example tasks:

• Somebody in your community whom you have known for a long time wants to spend a year looking after children in an English-speaking country, and has asked you to write a character reference. You should write a detailed reference, indicating how long and in what capacity you have known this person, the strengths and weaknesses of their personality, and why you would support their application.

• You have seen the following competition advertised in an international student travel magazine: Win a holiday for you and your friend! We are looking for the winner of this year’s ‘Best Friend’ award and are offering a three-week all-inclusive holiday in the Caribbean. Write an article explaining why you are nominating your friend and saying how your friend would benefit from the holiday.

• A colleague at work has applied for a job as Chief Administrator of an international school and you have been asked to a character reference for the applicant. You should indicate how long and in what capacity you have known the applicant, comment on his or her administrative skills and mention any information about the person's character (e.g. ability to form relationships with colleagues, manner with the public) that you think might be relevant to the job.

Now the practice most students are given in class or in standard textbooks only accounts for a general description of a person, which would include the following information:

• Physical description: What the person looks like.
• Personality: What the person is like.
• Hobbies: What the person likes.
• Personal relationship: How you met this person and what your relationship is like.

The problem with this layout is that it partially addresses the task in hand. Once again, a writing task demands that we combine two types of writing, in this case the description of a person with writing a formal letter or an article, and we must show a good command of the conventions of each kind of writing.

A typical paragraph plan for writing a character reference letter would consist of:

• Paragraph 1: Talking about your relationship with the person.
• Paragraph 2/3: Talking about the qualities of the person and experience.
• Paragraph 4: You have to decide whether to include some negative quality to sound more objective or not. Anyway, if you include anything negative try to present it in a way that leads to a positive assessment of the person.
• Paragraph 5: Recommeding the person.

Some useful phrases you may want to include are:

Relationship
I have (known) ... for ... years, both as (a friend) and as (a work colleague).
In that time ... // Over the years ...
My most recent (contact) with him/her was ...
As part of his/her (duties), he/she ...

Qualities
I have always known him/her to be ...
I remember him/her being ...
He/She always gives the (impression that) …
He/She has always proved himself/herself to be extremely ...
As a (colleague) / With (children), he/she ...
On a (social) level, he/she ...
In fact, I would go as far as to say that he/she ..

Negative qualities
I regret having to say anything negative about ... but ...
Sometimes his/her ... can (lead to) ...
The one (drawback) ...  // The only (weakness) ...

Recommendation
I believe that ... would make a (good) ...
For the reasons I have given I have no hesitation in (supporting) ... application for …
I am pleased to (recommend) ... for the (position) of...

You can see samples of reference letters in Microsoft.

With information from First Certificate Expert, Longman.

Writing Workshop 19: Complaints in writing

Complaints in writing

As it usually happens with writing tasks, a specific task, like writing complaints, can present itself in many different formats in the exam. For example:

1 Write an email to a supplier using the information below:
 • You ordered 1,000 t-shirts but only 800 were delivered.
 • You need these t-shirts urgently.
 • There is also a problem with the position of the logo –it should be placed on the right, not in the centre.
 • When you called to speak to someone about it, no-one was willing to deal with you to solve the problem.
 • You have been customers for five years and demand a quick solution or you will stop doing business.

2 You have received this letter from a hotel after a recent visit.
Thank you very much for filling out our feedback questionnaire. We are sorry to see that you were not satisfied with your arrival arrangements. Would you be so kind as to provide us with detailed comments and make suggestions for improvement? We trust the rest of your stay was satisfactory and will happily give you one night’s free accommodation the next time you visit us.
Write your letter of complaint.

3 You recently went for a meal at Benny's fast food restaurant, which is part of an international chain. Unfortunately, the service was very slow and the food was badly cooked so you complained to the supervisor. However, he was very rude to you and insisted on your paying for your meal. You have decided to write a letter of complaint to the company's head office. Write your letter, explaining the reasons for your complaint and saying what you expect the company to do.

4 Write a blog entry describing a complaint you have about a specific aspect of everyday life.

Whatever the task, you will always have to pay attention to several details outside the complaint itself. This involves:
• Study the task carefully and mark all the points in the task.
• As far as possible, use your own words and avoid copying sentences and phrases from the input of the task.
• Use the appropriate layout and conventions for the piece of writing you have been asked to produce –formal/informal letter or email, blog entry.
• Organise the information in paragraphs.
• Use connectors to list and link your arguments.
• Use sufficiently complex sentence structures and a good range of vocabulary.
• Use the register consistently –formal, neutral or informal.
• Write the required number of words approximately.

The paragraph structure when writing complaints will usually keep to the following plan:
• First paragraph: Give reason(s) for writing and all the necessary back ground information.
• Middle paragraph(s): Give details of the problem(s) and the consequences they had on you.
• Final paragraph: Summarise the difficulties and request action.

Useful language
Reasons for writing 
I am writing...
… in connection with my order FS690 which arrived today.
… to complain about the poor service we received from your company.
… to complain about the quality of a product I bought from your website.

Problem(s)
I would like to begin by saying how frustrated I was…
My next complaint was with …
Another problem was …
The thing that angered me the most was …

Request for action 
I hope that / trust this situation will not occur again.
I would be extremely grateful if you could give me a reply before tomorrow.
I would appreciate it if you would send me a refund.
If I do not hear from you within two weeks, I am afraid I will have to take legal action.

For a corrected and explained letter of complaint, check Flo-Joe here.

Microsoft also offers a wide range of sample letters of complaints here.

For other models of corrected and explained composition tasks you can visit Flo-Joe.

With information from First Certificate Expert, Longman.

Writing workshop 18: A formal letter

There are different types of letters/emails we can be asked to write. These letters can be  either informal (I) or formal (F):
Introducing yourself to a penfriend (I)
Asking for information from a friend (I)
Giving news to your family or friends (I)
Applying to go to university (F)
Asking for information from an institution (F)
Applying for a job (F)

It is important to emphasize that whatever kind of letter/email we are asked to write, it must have a clear structure and must answer all the points we have been asked to write about in the task.

Sample task
You see this ad in a magazine and are interested in applying for the job.
Are you a strong swimmer?
Do you know about first aid?
Do you enjoy working with people?
Then you might be right person for us!
We are looking for someone in August to assist our lifeguards, provide supervision during beach activities and observe swimmers. Lifeguard qualification and experience desirable but not essential as training will be given. If you are interested, write to the Lifeguard Manager saying why you think you are the right person for the job.
Write a letter of application in 160-180 words.

A good composition layout for the task above would be:
Paragraph 1: Introduction: Name, when and where you saw the ad and one of your reasons why you are interested in the job.
Paragraph 2: Personal information, which could include age, where you live, education, training/qualifications, present job and/or work experience.
Paragraph 3: Further reasons for applying and why you are a suitable candidate for the job.
Paragraph 4: Conclusion: When you are available for an interview and names and addresses of two people (referees) who can recommend you.

As with informal emails and letters, we must not neglect basic letter conventions, which would include:
• Greeting: Dear Sir or Madam, Dear Mr Williams
• Opening remark: I would like to apply for the job of …; I am writing to apply for the position of …
• Closing remark: I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible
• Farewell formula: Yours faithfully (if the greeting was Dear Sir or Madam, ie you didn’t know the person’s name), Yours sincerely (if the greeting was Dear Mr Williams, ie. Dear + person’s surname)

On top of that, the style should be formal and you must use:
• a polite, impersonal tone: I am writing to enquire whether (not *I want to ask if)
• polite formulas without contractions: I would be grateful if; I would appreciate it if you could
• passive voice: I can be contacted (not *You can contact me)
• formal linking words: consequently, therefore, for this reason
• remember: colloquial expressions, phrasal verbs, idioms and contracted forms are not used in formal style

Another sample task
Helpers needed in our summer camp for 10-14 years old. Duties include helping with games and other activities. Helpers must speak English and be able to work at any time, including some evenings, from 5th to 25th July. Apply in writing to Ben Carroll
Write your letter of application in 160-180 words.

For composition samples corrected and explained you can visit Flo-Joe.

With information from Successful Writing Intermediate, Express Publishing and First Certificate Expert, Longman

Writing workshop 17: The layout of an informal email/letter

In the next series of posts in our writing workshop we are going to make emphasis on the structure of the different types of writing formats we can come across. This way, we will be getting familiar with both the tasks (or instructions or rubrics) and the layout or structure our piece of writing can have.

Read the task below:
You have been given the email address of an English-speaking person who is looking for a contact in your country. Write an email about you and your family, and suggest meeting at some time in the future.
Write your email in 140-160 words.

A suggested structure for this email can be:
Paragraph 1: Opening remark and reason for writing
Paragraph 2: Information about you
Paragraph 3: Information about your family
Paragraph 4: Suggestions for meeting at some time in the future and closing remarks

Other factors you should consider in an informal email:
The style: Informal or neutral style

• Everyday vocabulary
• Colloquial expressions
• Phrasal verbs
• Contractions

Email conventions:

• Greeting: Dear Lee, Hi Lee, Hi there
• Opening remark: I thought I'd write and let you know; I'm writing because; Just a quick note to let you know...
• Closing remark: That's all from me for now; I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon; Write back and tell me what you think about my plan 
• Farewell formula: Take care; Best wishes; Bye for now; Lots of love

Another example of an informal email:
You recently moved to a big city and have decided to write to a friend from your old neighbourhood. Write an email describing life in your new city and your feelings about the change.
Write your email in 140-160 words.

A suggested structure for this email can be:
Paragraph 1: Opening remark and reason for writing
Paragraph 2: Life in the new city
Paragraph 3: Writer's feelings about the change
Paragraph 4: Closing remarks

One more example of an informal email:
You've got two tickets for a week's cruise in the Mediterranean. Write a letter/email to your friend, inviting him/her to join you, giving details of which places you are going to visit and suggestions as to what he/she will need to take with him/her.

For composition samples corrected and explained you can visit Flo-Joe.

With information from Successful Writing Intermediate, Express Publishing and First Certificate Expert, Longman

Writing workshop 16: The story so far

This is the 16th post of our writing workshop and I think it is a good time to look back on what we have been publishing so far, so that we can collect our ideas and gain some straightforward framework in the technque of composition writing.

Here are the main ideas that we have been touching on so far.

Presentation
Your composition will always be neatly presented, written in blue or black ink, and with no corrections or insertions. You must leave a margin at the top, bottom, on the right and on the left. If you are word processing your composition, remember to double-space it, so that the teacher can insert their comments in-between the lines.

Before writing
• Read the task carefully so that it is clear to you. Remember: ALWAYS DO THE TASK.
• Planning your writing in advance will help you organize your ideas in the most logical way and save you time.
• Brainstorm for ideas to add to the information you are given in the task. Choose the ideas you can best write in English about and have more vocabulary for.
• Make a paragraph plan. Your article will definitely have 3 clear parts: Introduction+body+conclusion, and we will be writing a four-paragraph or five-paragraph composition: With the word limit we are given (around 180 words), there is no room for more paragraphs.

The composition
• A short, catchy TITLE is essential in all types of compositions except in letters and emails.
• All writing tasks demand an INTRODUCTION which gives a summary of the topic in the task. 
• The composition will usually have two or three main paragraphs, which will make up the BODY  of the composition. In the body, we will develop our ideas and opinions. Basic rule for writing paragraphs: Each new paragraph has ONE MAIN IDEA. The main idea is stated in the TOPIC SENTENCE. The topic sentence is usually the FIRST SENTENCE in the paragraph.
• The main idea, the TOPIC SENTENCE, is supported and developed by RELEVANT DETAILS in the paragraph. The sentences which develop the topic sentence are called SUPPORTING SENTENCES. We cannot write more than three or four supporting sentences in a paragraph. The supporting sentences will usually consist of  an EXAMPLE or ILLUSTRATION (a very short anecdote or example); and/or REASONS/RESULTS (causes or consequences) of the idea in the topic sentence. We can also close a paragraph by MAKING SUGGESTIONS to improve the problem or situation dealt with.
• A CONCLUSION -brief and to the point- that rounds off the text. We must be careful not to introduce new arguments in the conclusion and we have to try and refer back to the main ideas we have defended in the article but USING DIFFERENT WORDS.

• The sentences within a paragraph are often connected by LINKING DEVICES/CONNECTORS.
• The different paragraphs are also connected by LINKING DEVICES/CONNECTORS.

After writing
We must always allow time to check and revise our composition.

Writing workshop 15: Understanding the task

Understanding the task

Before writing your composition you need to understand the task, or the instructions, or the rubric as the task is also called.

We must read the task carefully and make a note of the key words and phrases which tell us what we must write about.

In the task (or composition instructions or rubric) we will usually have to distinguish four different components:
1 The imaginary situation you will write about. This can suggest who you are and what has happened:  You are reporter who has to inform about a recent accident or report in your town.
2 The imaginary reader who is going to read your piece of writing: The manager of the company you work for has asked you to write … This will help you decide on the required writing style (formal/neutral/informal).
3 The type of writing, i.e., a letter, an email, an article, and so on.
4 The specific points you should include in your piece of writing (write about the advantages and disadvantages of keeping a pet in a flat).
5 The number of words in your composition.

Examples:
(1) You work for a travel magazine. (2) You editor has asked you to write (3) an article discussing (4) the pros and cons of air travel, including factors such as cost and convenience. (5) Write 120-180 words.

(1) Your (2) best friend is (1) spending the summer in Spain and needs advice. (3) Write a letter (4) advising him where to go and what to do and telling him approximately how much money he should bring. (5) Write around 150 words.

(1) You are a writer for an international English-language magazine. (2) Your editor has asked you for (3) a short article about (4) a famous person from the twentieth century that you admire. Write your article about the person, (4) describing his/her personality as well as the reasons why you admire him/her. (5) Write 170 words.

Most of the information on this post comes from Successful Writing Intermediate, Express Publishing.

Writing workshop 14: Types of writing tasks

TYPES OF WRITING TASKS

When we do a writing task we need to express our ideas in the specific type of writing required. This type of writing is like the wrapping paper which gives us the reason to write.

It is essential that we respect the conventions of the specific type of writing required.

The writing task can be in the form of a letter/email, an article, a composition (or essay) and a report.

LETTERS/EMAILS/POSTCARDS are written to a person (your pen friend, a newspaper editor) or a group of people (the students' society, the local football club) for a specific reason (e.g. to give advice, to make a complaint, to thank someone, to apologise, to accept/refuse invitations). They include:
• Informal fetters/emails to people you know well, written in a personal chatty style.
• Formal Ietters/emails to managers/officials etc, written in a polite formal style.
• Semi-formal letters/emails to people you do not know well or people you know but you want to sound polite and respectful e.g. a teacher, your pen friend's parents, and so on, written in a polite and respectful style.

ARTICLES are usually found in magazines and newspaper, but now with the proliferation of the internet, you may need to write a blog post on an internet forum. The following can be found in the form of an article:
• Descriptions of people, places, buildings, objects, festivals, ceremonies.
• Narratives about real or imaginary events which happened in the past. They can be written in the first person (first-person narratives) when the writer is the main character of the story or in the third person (third-person narratives) when the writer is describing events which happened to another person or group of people.
• News about current/recent events (e.g. fires, accidents) written in impersonal style. News reports present facts objectively and unemotionally.
• Reviews discussing a film, TV programme, book, restaurant, and so on, and recommending it or not to the reader.

The traditional COMPOSITIONS or ESSAYS are sometimes presented with the excuse that you have decided to take part in a composition competition, or your teacher has asked you to do so. These discursive compositions/essays present arguments concerning particular subjects. They include:
• Advantages and disadvantages compositions present the pros and cons on a specific topic.
• Opinion compositions present the writer's personal opinion on a specific topic.
• Solutions and problems compositions present a problem and its causes, making suggestions and mentioning the expected results and consequences.
• A composition/essay is sometimes part of a letter to the editor of a newspaper  where the student gives their personal opinion and suggestions on a specific topic. This way, two different forms of writing are included in the same task.
• A variation of the COMPOSITION task is the WRITING A NOTE task, where we have to write a (usually) informal note to someone informing them about something, or giving them instructions on how to do something. 
• Another variation is the DIARY ENTRY, where the student writes their feelings on a specific topic or situation.

REPORTS are formal pieces of writing and have a specific format and features. They include:
• Assessment reports discussing the suitability of a person, place, plan, etc for a particular purpose, job.
• Proposals reports discussing suggestions or decisions about future actions.

Before we start doing the writing task, we must be fully aware of the type of writing the task involves, and stick to it and its conventions.

Most of the information on this post comes from Successful Writing, Intermediate, Express Publishing