Essay Writing for English Tests

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Essay Writing for English Tests

• What can we do?

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What do you need to prove?

• Can select relevant ideas and information to
  answer a question
• Can show your knowledge and understanding of a
  topic
• Can present a logical argument
• Can organize your ideas systematically
• Can use sophisticated English
• Can master basic English grammar and vocabulary

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What is not so important?

• Understanding of the question
• Knowledge of the subject
• Selecting and presenting ideas appropriately
• Language skills

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What are the focuses?

• Many people believe that eating meat is not
  humane. Do you agree?
• Vegetarianism has become a trend in the modern
  world, but many people argue that it is harmful
  to our future generation. What is your opinion?
• A lot of species would extinct unless the
  majority of the world population changes to
  vegetarian eating. Do you agree or disagree with
  this statement?

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A

• Giving up meat can sometimes be a warning sign of
  something serious, like eating disorder. Experts
  say many young women who suffer from anorexia
  start out as vegetarians.

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B

• As we all know that if children are overweight
  because of eating too much animal fat, they may
  easily develop heart disease or other chronic
  illnesses in the later life, thus adding burden
  to the whole society.

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C

• For most of the history, peoples biggest problem
  has been getting enough to eat. Five hundred
  years ago, all but the richest people would have
  had great difficulty hunting, gathering or
  farming their own food. Yet, in the developed
  world we are enjoying today, the scenario is just
  the opposite.

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D

• There is no doubt that over-dieting has become a
  serious problem. Many young females skip
  breakfast or lunch and eat unhealthy diets, in
  some cases, refusing to eat any meat or rice at
  all. However, this is never an effective way to
  lose weight and would only end in anorexia and
  bulimia.

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Understanding the question

• Everyone knows that health is the most important
  aspect in life. However, it is not uncommon to
  find young people slowly killing themselves with
  the junk food they eat. Therefore, some people
  suggest that the government needs to integrate
  healthy eating habit into the school curriculum.
• To what extent do you agree or disagree with this
  opinion? Write to the SCMP to give reasons for
  your answer. Include some relevant examples from
  your own knowledge or experience.

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What is your task?

• To present both sides of the argument?
• To either strongly support or strongly oppose the
  argument, depending on your own personal opinion?
• To partly support or partly oppose the argument,
  depending on your own personal opinion?

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Define the terms (I)

• Many people are willing to spend an enormous sum
  of money on fitness centers to change their
  appearance. What do you think are the causes of
  this trend?

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Define the terms (II)

• In well-developed countries, it is not uncommon
  to find people slowly killing themselves with the
  junk food they eat. Therefore, some people argue
  that our government needs to educate young people
  about healthy eating habits. To what extent do
  you agree or disagree with this opinion?

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What is the problem?

• Meat is very important to us because it is an
  essential part of our diet. Everyone needs it.
  Nobody can live without meat. I eat meat and so
  does my family. Some people do not eat meat but
  they are wrong. Without meat, no one can live.
  Therefore, people should not give up eating meat

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Brainstorming ideas

• Random (Consider all factors)
• Spider web
• Format layout
• Classification
• Compare and contrast (present vs past pros vs
  cons west vs east young vs old etc)