CPE Writing Part 1 : Formal Essay

Step 1- Text analysis

Read both texts and decide if they are complimentary or contrasting.

Underline the two key content points in each text.

Step 2 Paraphrasing and summarising

Brainstorm different ways to paraphrase and summarise the key points.

What impressive structures can you use? Inversions, passives,
collocations, expressions.

Step 3 Evaluate and react

Decide which points you agree and disagree with.

Brainstorm your own thoughts and experiences on the subject.

Summarise, evaluate, react.

Introduction
Present the topic of discussion and ask questions the essay will answer.
Hardly a week goes by without another report of ................. appearing in the
media.
Over the past ten years or so the media have frequently carried reports
of ...............
The trend nowadays is towards (gerund)
How has the publics opinion on this issue shifted over the last few years?
Although most people would generally agree that ............... few would deny
that ................
This raises the issue of whether or not.................
This issue strikes a chord with the vast majority of the general public.
What impact, if any, have these shifts/changes/developments had on the general
publics psyche?
How are we to gauge the effect of such shifts/changes/developments?

Both (1) extracts (2) discuss the nature of these (3) notions, but from different
(4) viewpoints.

*synonyms for words in bold

Paragraph 1 Text 1
The first (1)text (2)argues that

Try and sum up the first point

neatly with an inversion:
Seldom does the airplane make
the top 5, let alone the top spot
when the lists of the so-called most
influential inventions are drawn up.
Not since. Only when.. Not until.
Seldom/rarely..

Not only. But also No sooner than

Barely/scarcely/hardly when

Paragraph structure:
Option 1
Introduce content point 1
(paraphrased)
Evaluate and react. (your
opinion)
Introduce content point 2
Evaluate and react. (your
opinion)

Option 2
Summarise both content points
Own evaluations and reaction.

Stating opinion
Stating your opinion
As I see it,
It seems to me that ............ I would also say that ....
I am convinced that ...............
I am inclined to believe that ..................
There is no doubt in my mind that ..................
One of the drawbacks of ....... is ..........

However, one of the benefits is that ............

EMPHASIZING
-I would like to stress that the research is still at an early stage.
-It should be noted that there are a number of alternative methods available.
-It is worth bearing in mind that 90% of the scientists researching herbicides
in the US are employed by chemical companies.

CAUSE
-lead to: The research could lead to a cure for many serious illnesses.
-result in: The fire resulted in damage to their property.
-be responsible for: He was responsible for the accident.
-bring about: The war brought about enormous social change.
-give rise to: Poor performance in exams can give rise to depression and even
thoughts of suicide.
-trigger: to make something suddenly start to happen, especially a bad
situation such as a crisis or a war, or a medical condition: Certain foods can
trigger allergies.
-contribute to: Passive smoking could contribute to the development of
respiratory diseases among nonsmokers.
-factor: Cost is often the deciding factor when choosing any product.

Describing causes
One factor which has led to ............ is ..............
One of the factors which has brought this about is .........
The problem often stems from ....................
The situation has been exacerbated by ................
.............. has only made the situation worse.
One consequence of ................ is ................

Concluding
All in all it seems to me that ...........
The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that .......................

All things considered, .............

On balance, I tend to believe that ............
The world would surely be a better place to live in if ..............
If people stopped ....ing, we would have/ we could look forward to a ...............
The prospects for the future will be bleak/grim unless ...................

Types of essay
Take into consideration that there are two main types of essays:
Discursive essays and Opinions essays.

In a Discursive Essay you introduce the topic in the first paragraph.

Then present arguments for in the second paragraph, arguments
against in the third and a conclusion in the forth.

In an Opinion Essay you give you opinion in the first paragraph and in
the paragraphs that follow you support that opinion with ideas and
examples.

"In an opinion essay, the writer starts out stating his/her opinion; in a discursive
essay, the writer gives a balanced view and in the conclusion can either state his/her
opinion or give a summary of both sides of the argument."

TASK:
You have recently had a class debate in which students discussed whether knowledge or

social connections were more useful in achieving success. Your teacher has asked you to
write an essay giving your opinion on the following statement:
Its not what you know, but who you know that counts
Write your essay in 220-260 words

What you know or who you know?

I strongly believe that having the right skills and qualifications is essential in order to
get a good job and succeed in life. However, with the large numbers of people
competing for jobs nowadays, arent social connections equally important?
Some parents encourage their sons and daughters to keep up with the academic
work in order to acquire the necessary knowledge to get into college and obtain a
well-paid job one day. These young people do their best to be the first student in the
class, they qui ttheir social life and have very few friends. But then when they finish
their studies, despite their impressive marks, they struggle to find a job.
On the other hand we can find a group of people who were not necessarily brilliant at
college but who have the right connections. They are the ones who get a good place
in a company because they know the right people. Having knowledge is undoubtedly
important but I think we all need a little push from others to succeed in todays
society.
Nevertheless I want to make it clear that I believe that getting a job only because you
have connections is not fair and people should not be given a job if they do not have
the right qualifications. The way I see it both, knowledge and connections, are
equally important.

Useful language for essays

Sentence openers :
The first text suggests that..

The second text raises the issue of ..

The writer is of the opinion that.
Additionally, it is ragued that..
The two texts contrast differing views of..
According to the first passage.
Personaly, i .
The second text put forward
I believe that
In conclusuon , it is my opinion that
Linking points and arguments

As opposed to
In the sense that..
For this reason..
Making generalisations :

On the whole.
In general..
For the most part.
As a rule
It is often that.
It is usually the case that..
People to regard..
The reality is that..
Being specific:
With respect to...
In the case of...
As regards...
In terms of.
With the exception of..
From the .. point of view.
They are seen as..

As far as are / is concerned

Raising an argument:
Considering..
On the question of.
No one would dispute.

Giving one side:

One argument in favour of this is .
In support of..
It is true that

Giving the other side:

At the same time.
In actual fact..
On the other hand.
In contrast to.
Set/ weighed against this is..

Attitude :
Personally...
Unfortunately...
Obviously...
Evidently...
Presumably...
Naturally...
fortunately..

Quantity:
a great deal of...
to some / a large extent...
a large number of.