http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/essaywriting

1. Teaching essay writing
Sandy Millin
Director of Studies, IH Sevastopol
25th January 2014
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/essaywriting

2. Nice
Not nice
Sue O’Connell, Think Smart – Developing Thinking Skills for IELTS students (IATEFL
Liverpool 2013)

3. What is an essay?
• Why do you write them?
• When was the last time you wrote one?
• Who did you write it for?
• Do your students know what an essay is?!?

4. Criteria
•
•
•
•
Task achievement
Grammar/vocabulary – range and accuracy
Organisation/coherence/cohesion
Style/level of formality

5. The biggest problems
• Task achievement
• Organisation/coherence/cohesion
• Ideas!

6. Insight into IELTS SB p83, Exercise 6, Unit 7
Task achievement
Enormous effort is put into
researching and marketing
‘the perfect potato crisp’
while research into stress at
work, for example, is
ignored.
How important are staff
working conditions? Should
employers research and
improve the working
conditions of their staff or
should they concentrate
more on their product?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
a comparison of different types of
product
a discussion of the difficulties of
food industries
an analysis of the effects of bad
working environments
an analysis of how to be successful
in business
a description of a business you
know well
an analysis of the importance of a
company’s product
a discussion of how products are
manufactured
a discussion of the value of
company staff

7. Insight into IELTS SB p83, Exercise 8, Unit 7
Task achievement
Enormous effort is put into
researching and marketing
‘the perfect potato crisp’
while research into stress at
work, for example, is
ignored.
How important are staff
working conditions? Should
employers research and
improve the working
conditions of their staff or
should they concentrate
more on their product?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
a comparison of different types of
product
a discussion of the difficulties of
food industries
an analysis of the effects of bad
working environments
an analysis of how to be successful
in business
a description of a business you
know well
an analysis of the importance of a
company’s product
a discussion of how products are
manufactured
a discussion of the value of
company staff

8. Analysing the questions
• Types of essay question (DC IELTS)
Photo from ELTpics by @yearinthelifeof, under a Creative
Commons Attribution Non-Commercial license

9. Essay question checklist
1. Does it ask me what my own opinion is about a
topic? → Discussion question → Use my own
opinions.
2. Does it ask me to discuss a particular proposal?
→ Proposal question → Discuss that proposal.
3. Does it ask me to decide between two different
opinions or look at the advantages and
disadvantages of a topic → Argument
question→ Discuss both sides and come to a
decision.
Taken from: Different types of essay questions in IELTS Dominic Cole's IELTS and Beyond
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

10. What type are these?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Many people have an unhealthy diet and do not take enough
exercise. What do you Discussion
think are the reasons for this and what can
be done to encourage people to lead a more healthy lifestyle?
Although countries with long average working hours are
economically successful, this often has some negative social
Proposal
consequences. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Some people think that paying taxes is enough to contribute to
society. Others argue that being a citizen involves more
Proposal
responsibilities. Discuss.
Many people argue that children should stay in school until the
age of eighteen. What Argument
are the advantages and disadvantages of
making school compulsory until the age of 18?
Many people nowadays leave their county to work abroad and
take their family with them. What are the advantages and
Argument
disadvantages in terms of family development?
Taken from: Different types of essay questions in IELTS Dominic Cole's IELTS and Beyond
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

11. Idea generation
Photo from ELTpics by @acliltoclimb, under a Creative Commons
Attribution Non-Commercial license

12. Creating a plan
• Essay planner
• Compare and contrast essay

13. Travel broadens the mind and widens our horizons (FCE)
Travel abroad is no longer a luxury and nowadays most people in my country have had at
least one foreign holiday. Personally, I think this has benefited our society in a number of
ways.
Firstly, it enables us to observe and value other cultures and to understand that ours is not
the only way of life. Consequently, this helps combat ignorance and narrow-mindedness,
which so often lead to racial prejudice and even violence. Secondly, foreign tourists can learn
from and ‘borrow’ those aspects of other cultures which are better than in their own
country. It seems to me that the improvement in my country’s eating habits owes a great
deal to foreign travel.
Another benefit is that more people can now see the world’s most spectacular natural sights
and visit its most important historic monuments. As a result, we discover our planet and
become more knowledgeable in a way which is simply not possible with the Internet or
television.
To conclude, I strongly believe that if we travel with an open mind, our horizons will be
widened even further.
Ready for FCE, SB p120
Essay structure

14. Analysing the structure
• What goes into each part of the essay?
– Introduction
– Individual paragraphs
– Conclusion
• See ‘essay structure’ by PavlaMilerski

15. Linking words
Intro
• Most people think that…
• However,…
• Personally, I think this has
benefited our society in a
number of ways.
Paragraph 2
• Secondly,…
• Another benefit is
that…
• As a result, …
Paragraph 1
• Firstly,…
• Consequently,…
Conclusion
• To conclude,…

16. Linking words
He did not plan to.
My dog had died
that morning.
I want to travel.
and
but
because
He had not
discussed the
matter with her.
I’m studying
English.
I wasn’t as sad as I
expected.

17. Linking words
• He had not discussed the matter with her and
he did not plan to.
• My dog had died that morning, but I wasn’t as
sad as I expected to be.
• I’m studying English because I want to travel.
Now rewrite the sentences with other linking
words.

18. Checklist
• Does your introduction include your main argument
and indicate the topics of your paragraphs?
• Does your conclusion refer back to the introduction?
• Is the register consistent and formal/neutral?
• Have you included suitable linking words? (If any of
your sentences start with But ....., And...., Because..... ,
please change them by using the linking your teacher
gave you )
• Have you supported your arguments by
examples/justification? Will the reader be generally
informed about your view on the topic?
PavlaMilerski,, Exam Writing seminar

19. Criteria and feedback
•
•
•
•
Task achievement
Grammar/vocabulary – range and accuracy
Organisation/coherence/cohesion
Style/level of formality