ĐÂY LÀ TÀI LIỆU HƯỚNG DẪN CÁCH VIẾT TRONG PHẦN THI VIẾT CỦA ĐỀ THI TIẾNG ANH B1 THEO ĐỊNH DẠNG VSTEP QUY ĐỊNH CỦA BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐAO TẠO.TÀI LIỆU HƯỚNG DẪN CHI TIẾT VÀ CÓ CÁC BÀI VIẾT MẪ CHI TIẾT GIÚP NGƯỜI HỌC DỄ TIẾP THULÀ CẨM NANG QUAN TRỌNG CHO CÁC BẠN CHUẨN BỊ THI BI TIẾNG ANH
Trang 1TÀI LIỆU HƯỚNG DẪN PHẦN THI TIẾT ANH B1
PHẦN THI VIẾT (ESSAY WRITING) THEO CHUẨN VSTEP CỦA BỘ GIÁO DỤC & ĐÀO TẠO
GENERAL FORM OF AN ESSAY:
1 Introduction
2 Body Paragraphs
3 Conclusion
1) Introduction (Introductory paragraph)
You should do just two things:
State the topic of the essay, using some basic facts (that you may be able to
take from the question)
Say what you are going to write about (thesis statement)
2) Body Paragraphs
You should have 2 or 3 body paragraphs - no more, and no less
For your body paragraph, each paragraph should contain one controlling idea, and have sentences to support this
3) Conclusion (Concluding paragraph)
The conclusion only needs to be one or two sentences, and you can do the following:
Re-state what the essay is about (re-write the last sentence of your introduction
in different words)
Give some thoughts about the future (optional)
** Common types of essay in Vstep Writing Task 2:
1 Opinion (Agree or Disagree) essay
2 Advantages and Disadvantages essay
3 Problems and Solution/ Causes and Solution essay
WRITING TASK 2: USEFUL LANGUAGE
Introducing the topic
Some people argue that…
Have you ever considered…?
The question raises the issue of…
Stating an opinion (thesis statement)
I believe that…
It is my belief that…
This essay will argue that…
Indicating the scope of the essay
In this essay, I will state…
This essay will examine…
Trang 2 … will be covered in this essay
Giving reasons
One reason for this is that…
This can be explained by…
This can be attributed to the fact that…
Giving further reasons
Not only that, but…
A further reason is…
It should also be stated that…
Citing general opinions
It has been claimed that…
It is widely believed that…
There is a widespread belief that…
Refuting opinions
I would dispute this, however
However, this is not necessarily the case
There are some faults with this reasoning, however
Hedging strategies
It could be argued that…
One explanation might be that…
This suggests that…
Strengthening an argument
There can be no doubt that…
Therefore, we can say beyond any doubt that…
These are just some of the reasons why…
Concluding and summarising
To sum up, … / In summary, … / In short, …
Overall, … / On the whole, …
To return to my original idea, …
(A) THESIS STATEMENT
A Thesis Statement is an essential and crucial part
of an essay because it tells the reader what your essay is
going to be about It is the last sentence in the introduction
and may include an opinion
A thesis statement serves as a summary of the
argument you’ll make in the rest of your paper
* Remember:
Don’t use questions in the introduction; the thesis statement is not a question
Make it clear what you are going to write about briefly
Trang 3 If it’s an opinion essay, make your opinion clear in the thesis statement
The thesis statement comes after paraphrasing the question
The thesis statement should always conclude the topic and one controlling idea
* For each essay type this is what should be in the Thesis statement:
1 Opinion essays: write your opinion or how you feel about the topic
2 Advantages Disadvantages essays: outline 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage
3 Problem Solution essays: outline 1 or 2 problems and possible solutions
Here is an example introduction, with the thesis in bold:
Due to the increase in global trade, many of the goods that we consume every day are made in a different country and then transported over a long distance in order
to reach us In my opinion, this trend has more disadvantages than advantages
You would then go on to write about the advantages and disadvantages of global trade
(focusing more on the disadvantages as you think there are more of these)
(B) INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH:
In the writing for task 2, you must write an essay
within only 40 minutes In this time, you need to analyze
the question, brainstorm ideas to write about, formulate
an essay plan, and then write your response So, you
need to use your time carefully You need a good essay
introduction, but one thing you do not want to do is spend too long writing it so that
you end up rushing your paragraphs Your paragraphs are the most important thing as they contain all your supporting arguments and demonstrate how good you
are at organizing your ideas
You therefore need a method to write your essay introduction fairly quickly When you write an introduction, you should make sure you do two things:
1 Write a sentence introducing the topic and giving some background
facts about it
2 Tell the reader what you are going to be writing about
Make sure your whole introduction is under 55 words or it will be too long
How you do this will vary depending on the question, but here is an example:
Example 1:
Blood sports have become a hot topic for debate in recent years As society develops it is increasingly seen as an uncivilized activity and cruel to the helpless animals that are killed Blood sports should be banned
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample essay introduction:
Despite the fact that killing animals for sport is popular in modern society, it
remains a contentious issue I believe that blood sports are cruel and uncivilized
and so should be banned as soon as possible
As you can see, the first sentence consists of the topic plus some background facts on the topic which have been taken from the rubric
Trang 4The second sentence then gives the writers opinion and tells us that in the essay
the writer will be arguing the reasons why it is cruel
The topic does not have to be in the first sentence, but it should be made clear somewhere in the introduction You must always have a thesis
***PARAPHRASING
Another important point - don't copy from the question! You must paraphrase
(put it in your own words) To do this you can use synonyms and move the order of the sentence around
Using some of the same words is acceptable, but don't copy whole phrases
You can see how the question above has been paraphrased All the information
is from the question, but it has been written in a different way and has not been copied
***Further Essay Introduction Examples
Example 2:
According to a recent study, the more time people use the Internet, the less time they spend with real human beings Some people say that instead of seeing the Internet as a way of opening up new communication possibilities world wide, we should be concerned about the effect this is having on social interaction
How far do you agree with this opinion?
Sample essay introduction:
A recent study has shown that as people use the Internet more, they are spending
less time with human beings I believe that although this has increased the
communication around the world in positive ways, it has also led to negative
effects on the day-to-day social interaction of human beings
Example 3:
Unemployment has become an increasing problem in the recent past
What factors contribute to an increase in unemployment and what steps can be
taken to solve the problem?
Sample essay introduction:
Over recent years, the level of unemployment has been increasing at an alarming
rate in many countries around the world This essay will discuss the reasons for
this increase and consider what practical solutions are available
Example 4:
Some people think children in secondary school should study international news
as part of the curriculum Others think that this would be a waste of time as there are already too many subjects for children to concentrate on
Discuss both views and give your own opinion
Sample essay introduction:
While some people are of the opinion that it would be useful to include
international news as a subject in the school curriculum, others believe that this
is a waste of students’ time because they are already overloaded with subjects to
study This essay will examine both sides of the issue
Trang 5(C) CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH
You should do three things in your conclusion:
1 Use a concluding phrase (In short, / In
conclusion, / To conclude,)
2 Restate the thesis statement in different words
3 Give some personal opinions, hopes, fears, or
recommendations about the future (optional)
Take a look at this essay question and introduction The thesis statement is in bold:
Question:
Blood sports have become a hot topic for debate in recent years As society
develops it is increasingly seen as an uncivilized activity and cruel to the helpless animals that are killed Blood sports should be banned
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample essay introduction:
Despite the fact that killing animals for sport is popular in modern society, it
remains a contentious issue I believe that blood sports are cruel and uncivilized
and so should be banned as soon as possible
Sample essay conclusion:
To conclude, it is clear that blood sports must be prohibited as no civilized
society should allow the pain and suffering of animals simply for fun
For your final sentence, you can give some personal opinions, hopes, fears, or
recommendations about the future
I hope that governments around the world discuss this issue with haste and
forbid this inhumane type of sport as soon as possible
This then, is the full essay conclusion:
To conclude, it is clear that blood sports must be prohibited as no civilized
society should allow the pain and suffering of animals simply for fun I hope that governments around the world discuss this issue with haste and forbid this inhumane type of sport as soon as possible
***Further Essay Conclusion Examples
Question 1:
Currently there is a trend towards the use of alternative forms of medicine However, at best these methods are ineffective, and at worst they may be dangerous
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Introduction:
Alternative medicine is not new It is accepted that it pre-dates conventional medicine and it is still used by many people all over the world I am unconvinced that it is dangerous and feel that both alternative and conventional medicine can
be useful
Trang 6Conclusion:
To sum up, I strongly believe that conventional medicine and alternative
therapies can and should coexist They have different strengths and can both be
used effectively to target particular medical problems The best situation would
be for alternative therapies to be used to support and complement conventional
medicine
Question 2:
Some people believe the aim of university education is to help graduates get better jobs Others believe there are much wider benefits of university education for both individuals and society
Discuss both views and give your opinion
Introduction:
These days, more and more people are making the choice to go to
university While some people are of the opinion that the only purpose of a
university education is to improve job prospects, others think that society and the
individual benefit in much broader ways
Conclusion:
All in all, I believe that although a main aim of university education is to get the
best job, there are clearly further benefits If we continue to promote and
encourage university attendance, it will lead to a better future for individuals and
society
Question 3:
Global warming is one of the most serious issues that the world is facing today
What are the causes of global warming and what measures can governments and individuals take to tackle the issue?
Introduction:
Probably the most worrying threat to our planet at the present time is global
warming This essay will examine the reasons why global warming is occurring
and discuss some possible solutions
Conclusion:
To conclude, although global warming is a serious issue, there are steps that
governments and individuals can take to reduce its effects If we are to save our
planet, it is important that this is treated as a priority for all concerned
(D) HOW TO RECOGNIZE TYPES OF ESSAY
Here are the signals to identify each type of essay with useful language, model
structure and examples followed
1 Opinion Questions (Agree or Disagree)
* Signals words/ phrases/ sentences:
Trang 7- What is your opinion?
- Do you agree or disagree?
- To what extent do you agree or disagree?
* Useful language:
- Introduction:
o Agree: Personally, I agree that…
o Disagree: Many people argue that… However, I believe that…
o Neutral: To a certain extent I agree that… However, I also believe that…
Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part
of high school programmes (for example working for a charity, improving the neighborhood or teaching sports to younger children)
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
* Model structure:
* Model essay:
Trang 8It is argued that volunteering should be made part of the school curriculum This essay agrees with that suggestion completely because of the benefits it brings to pupils The essay will first look at how voluntary work can help students develop soft skills and then discuss how these extracurricular activities are valued by universities and employers
Education should not be limited to strictly academic pursuits and those in education should also develop life skills, such as teamwork, empathy and self- discipline, and one of the best ways to hone these aptitudes is through community service Serving those less fortunate than ourselves teaches us many lessons including how to work with people from other backgrounds and the value of hard work For example, I personally volunteered to spend 6 weeks in Africa teaching disadvantaged children and this led to a much higher work ethic when I returned to my studies
Many colleges and companies are also increasingly looking for this type of experience Most school leavers have the same grades and charitable works can help set you apart from the herd For example, Cambridge and Oxford receive thousands of applications from straight-A students every year and can only accept a small percentage of applicants What you have done outside the classroom is often the thing that differentiates you from everyone else and gets you that coveted spot
In conclusion, teenagers should be made to partake in unpaid work as part of their schooling because it will help them learn things they wouldn’t ordinarily learn from their teachers and it will also boost their chances of getting into third level education
2 Advantages and Disadvantages Questions:
* Signals words/ phrases/ sentences:
- Advantage = benefit, profit, merit, positive aspect, strong point
- Disadvantage = drawback, negative aspect, weak point
+ The first/main/greatest/important advantage of … is …
+ One/another additional advantage/benefit … is …
+ What makes …important… is …
+ One/Another point in favor of … is …
- Disadvantages:
+ The first/main/greatest/ most serious disadvantage of … is …
+ One/another/an additional disadvantage of … is …
+ The most negative thing about… is…
+ Points against include…
+ One of many disadvantages is…
+ Although … has many advantages, there still exist some noteworthy disadvantages
Trang 9- Concluding paragraph:
I would therefore argue that although there are advantages/ disadvantages of the current trend to …, they are outweighed by the disadvantages/ advantages
- Switching to talking about the other:
+ On the other hand,…/ Nevertheless,
+ Looking at the other side of the argument,…
+ Switching from the pros to the cons,…
* Example:
Computers are being used more and more in education
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own opinion
* Model structure:
* Model essay:
It is argued that technology is playing an every increasing role in schools and universities This essay will firstly, discuss student freedom as one of the main advantages of this and secondly, outline decreasing levels of face to face contact as one of the main disadvantages
One of the principle advantages of an increase in the use electronic devices in education is the autonomy it provides students Students have the freedom to focus on whatever topic or subject they want and study it in depth through the internet A prime example of this is the amount of online university courses available to students, covering a myriad of subjects, that up until recently were unavailable to most learners This has resulted in more people studying third level degrees than ever before, at a pace and schedule that suits them
Trang 10The main disadvantage associated with increasing use of technology in education is the decrease in face to face interaction between students Students spend more time looking at computer screens by themselves than interacting with each other For instance, the recent explosion in smart phone use has been at the expense of genuine human interaction This results in soft skills, such as verbal communication and empathy, being effected
In conclusion, the benefits technology brings to education, such as student autonomy, must be weighed against the drawbacks, such as negative effects on human interaction Overall, the educational benefits outweigh the disadvantages because human beings will always want human contact and most people will not solely use IT for education
3 Problem and Solution Questions:
* Signals words/ phrases/ sentences:
+ Because of/ Owing to/ Due to (the fact that)
+ The reason that…/why…/for… is that…
+ This matter/problem… | can be attributed to …/ is resulted from
+ … lead to this prolem…