Planning Essays

Common structures used in essays:Time organization structure

Past Present future

Common structures used in essays:Comparison organization structure

Examination and comparison

of topic 1

Examination and comparison

of Topic 2

Examination and comparison

of topic 3

Examination and comparison

of topic 4

Common structures used in essays:For and Against organization structure

Advantages and disadvantages of system 1

Advantages and disadvantages of system 2

Example

• Outline the development of the modern tourist industry:• A) Introduction: Current situation: growing demand/curernt

problems, e.g. Pollution• B) Main Body

– i) mass tourism began in 1960s with development of jet aircraft– İi) package holidays helped to popularize foreign travel– İi) constant demand for new destinations and new types of holiday– İii) danger of damaging environment through growth of visitorsc) ConclusionIndustry has grown tapidly but faces variety of threats

Which structure would be the most suitable for the following titles?

• A) Prisons make criminals worse, and should be abolished.Discuss.

• B) In the UK, radio is gaining audience while TV is losing viewers. Consider possible reasons.

• C) Trace the development of mass production and evaluate its main benefits.

• D) Examinations can never be fair: To what extent is this true?

• E) The internet will make books redundant in twenty years. Discuss.

Which structure would be the most suitable for the following titles?

• A) Prisons make criminals worse, and should be abolished.Discuss.– For and against

• B) In the UK, radio is gaining audience while TV is losing viewers. Consider possible reasons.– Comparison

• C) Trace the development of mass production and evaluate its main benefits.– Time

• D) Examinations can never be fair: To what extent is this true? – For and against

• E) The internet will make books redundant in twenty years. Discuss.– Comparison

Exercise 7: Planning longer essays

• Task: Use the notes to write a plan for the title:

• Title: Student numbers in higher education are rising in most countries. Is it desirable to keep increasing the numbers of young people to take a degree?

Possible answer

• Introduction• In 1985 12% of young people went to

university in the UK. Now the figure is over 30%. Similar growth has been experienced in many countries, developed and developing.

• Outline of essay: benefits and drawbacks of expansion

Possible answer

• Main Body• 1. Benefits of expansion• Modern economies are based on knowledge.

Therefore every country needs to educate its workforce as highly as possible to compete with other economies.

• University education may help students from poorer countries to move into a higher social position.

Possible answer

• Main Body• 2. Drawbacks of expansion• As student numbers rise, standards fall. Classrooms become

more crowded, and overworked teachers are less able to give students personal attention.

• Because increasing numbers of young people are gaining a first degree, their degrees are worth less. It is now necessary to have a second degree to compete in the labour market.

• Recent research shows thatr employers are looking for personal skills rather than educational qualifications.

• The average students in Britain now leaves university with debts of £15,000.

Possible answer

• Discussion• Higher education does not benefit everyone.

Advantages have to be balanced against time and money invested.

• Conclusion• Not clear that numbers in higher education

can be expanded indefinitely.

Organizing paragraphs

Paragraphs- Building blocks of articles.A collection of sentences that deal with one subjectAll paragraphs contain topic sentencesIntroductory paragraphs – definitionsDescriptive paragraphs – informationOther sentences – examples – reasons - restatements

Analysis of paragraphsSentence 1 topic

Sentence 2 Definition

Sentence 3 Example

Sentence 4 Detail

Sentence 5 Detail

Sentence 6 reason

Topic London has been …

Restatement For many centuries …

Reason Its dominance is due …

Example The romans were the first …

information Over 500 years ago …

Organizing the main body:description development

a b c d

Organizing the main body:for and against

x

X1

X2

y

Y1

Y2

Organizing the main body:for and against

x

X1

X2

y

Y1

Y2