OPENING introducing topic and argument points in favour 01 telephoning Introduce opposite point of víew points against tefephoninglin favour ofwriting further support for letter writing CONCLUSION expressíng personal view and summing up Discussions There's no need to write letters any more. Telephoning is a better way of cornmunicating with people. Do you agree? It' s certainIy quicker to telephone than to writea letter but it rnay not always be the best way to communicate. The right form oí communication to use depends, like so many other things in life, on the circumstances. Telephoning is ideal if you want immediate action. You wouldn't want tú write to fue plumber ÍÍ you had water pouring through your ceiling, for example! It' s also the obvious choice if you . . need a .quick answer to a question like "What time is the next train to Oxford?" or "Did J leáve rny waHet in your shop?" Many problems can be solved more easily and decisions taken more quickly if you can discuss them with someone on the phone rather than wait for a reply to a Ietter, FinalIy, few people would disagree that telephoning ís a pleasant way to keep in touch with friends and family. ~there can be a number of disadvantages to telephoning In the first place, ome problems are too complicated to explain on the phone, ciallyif they involve facts and figures, and it may be clearer if yo letter.ondly, . might be important to have a reco f what yousay, especiallyífit'sabookingo t. stbutno lt§~ telephoning, especially long-dis~, can be terribly expensive. The niee tlring about receíving letters is tbat you can keep them and re-read them. Who wouldn't rather have a six-page letter full of news frOID afriend abroad than a two-minute telephone calI on a bad me? To sum up, Ietter writing is far from dead, in IDy view. Each forrn of communication has its advantages and disadvantages: the important thing to recognize is which is more appropriate for what you want to say, and to whom. qualifyíng the statement giving specific examples listing reasons balancínq the argument
Transcript
OPENINGintroducing topic andargument
points in favour 01telephoning
Introduce oppositepoint of víew
points againsttefephoninglin favourofwriting
further support forletter writing
CONCLUSIONexpressíng personalview and summing up
DiscussionsThere's no need to write letters any more. Telephoning isa better way of cornmunicating with people. Do you agree?
It' s certainIy quicker to telephone than to writea letter but it
rnay not always be the best way to communicate. The right
form oí communication to use depends, like so many other
things in life, on the circumstances.
Telephoning is ideal if you want immediate action. You wouldn't
want tú write to fue plumber ÍÍyou had water pouring through
your ceiling, for example! It' s also the obvious choice if you. .
need a .quick answer to a question like "What time is the next
train to Oxford?" or "Did J leáve rny waHet in your shop?" Many
problems can be solved more easily and decisions taken more
quickly if you can discuss them with someone on the phone
rather than wait for a reply to a Ietter, FinalIy, few people would
disagree that telephoning ís a pleasant way to keep in touch with
friends and family.
~there can be a number of disadvantages to
telephoning In the first place, ome problems are too
complicated to explain on the phone, ciallyif they involve
facts and figures, and it may be clearer if yo
letter.ondly, . might be important to have a reco f what
yousay, especiallyífit'sabookingo t. stbutno
lt§~ telephoning, especially long-dis~, can be terribly
expensive.
The niee tlring about receíving letters is tbat you can keep them
and re-read them. Who wouldn't rather have a six-page letter
full of news frOID afriend abroad than a two-minute telephone
calI on a bad me?
To sum up, Ietter writing is far from dead, in IDy view. Each
forrn of communication has its advantages and disadvantages:
the important thing to recognize is which is more appropriate
for what you want to say, and to whom.
qualifyíng thestatement
giving specificexamples
listing reasons
balancínq theargument
Notes on discussion essays
TopiesTypical discussion topies inelude statements which you are asked to agree or disagree with(e.g. There's too much vioIence on televisíonJ and invitations to discuss aspects of a subject(e.g. What are the advantages and disadvadages 01ai' traveI?)
ApproaehGenerally, the important thing is to consider the various aspects of the topie before giving abalanced opinion. Occasionally, you may be asked directly for a personal opinion (e.g. What'sthe best way to bring up childrenl); but even here you would need to consider some differentviews so that you can contrast them with your 0Wll.
StrucwreThe structure of a discursive composition should be clear and logical. In the first paragraph,introduce the topie and your argumento In the next. deal with one aspect of the topie. Givesupporting evidence in following paragraphs if necessary. Allerthat. considerthe opposite pointoí view. In the final paragraph, sum up your argument and give a balanced personal opinion.
Introducing the topieMany people be/ieve/jeel that ...Itis said ...People's opinions on ... differ widely.
Supporting your argumentOne olthe maín advantages or.; ts that.In the ñrst place,lFirstly,ffo begin with, .Secondly, / Thirdly, lFinally, Last, but not least,
Adding further reasonsIn addition, /What ís more, lFurthermore,
Expressing an opposite point of viewOn the other hand, there are (a/so) a number of dísadvantages:
Expressing opinionsIn my view/opínion,/It seems to me that .. s
Summing upIn conclusion,ffo sum up/On balance,
Practiee1 What do you think the advantages and disadvantages of living in tne country may be?2 What, in your opinion, is the best way to leam a ranguage?3 It has been said that ehildhood is the happiest time of one's lite. Do you agree?4 What do you think of the idea, expressed in some countries. that women should be paid awage for the work they do in the home?5 'The most importan! quality in a partner is a sense of humour". Do you agree?
Important note: In tne First Certiñcate exam you must write between 120 and 180 words. Themodel gíven on is /onger, in arder to ílluslrate the various usefuJ points
