Writing tips for 1º bachillerato students

1. WRITING INWRITING IN
ENGLISHENGLISH??::
YES, YOU CAN!YES, YOU CAN!

2. IINGREDIENTS:NGREDIENTS:
1. SOME GRAMMAR + VOCAB.
2. SOMETHING TO SAY.
3. ORGANIZATION.

3.  PAU:
 150 words composition in 30 or 40
minutes, based on a topic that you
can choose out of two titles.
 This task is not very difficult as long
as you:
1. HAVE A PLAN.
2. DON´T PANIC.
There are five main steps to write a good
essay.

4. 1. Read the title and1. Read the title and
decide what type ofdecide what type of
essay it is.essay it is.

5.  Smoking should be considered a crime. Do you agree?
 Write a letter to a clothes shop applying for a job.
 Write an essay about a Christmas in your country.
 Write about the advantages and disadvantages of living
with your parents.
 Describe your favourite place for a holiday.
 Write a story which ends: “When it was all over, I
promised I´d never do anything like that again.”
 Write a biography of a famous person.
 Write a film review of a film you have seen recently.
 Write the summary of the following text.

6. 2. Underline key2. Underline key
vocabulary.vocabulary.

7. Underline key words:Underline key words:
 Should governments spend money on
space exploration, or should they spend
the money on problems here first?
 Governments = nations, countries, authorities, politicians
 Spend = , give, provide, make available, waste.
 Space exploration = space program, trips to the moon,
planets, planetary voyages.
 Money = budgets, taxes, resources.
 Problems = concerns, issues, worries, disasters, terrorism,
war, famine, poverty, education, homelessness, drugs, global
warming.
 Here = on earth, in our own countries, closer to home, in
developing countries.

8. 3. Get ideas3. Get ideas
. Group similar ideas together.
. Discard irrelevant ideas.
. Give each group a name (ideas in
favour, ideas against, introduction,
conclusion...)

9. 4. Decide layout4. Decide layout
(structure)(structure)
USE PARAGRAPHS
Students who DON´T have
paragraphs FAIL.
ALWAYS:
 INTRODUCTION – BODY - CONCLUSION
 BEGINNING – MIDDLE - END

10. 5. Write5. Write
Write a first DRAFT. Leave spaces
between lines to add ideas.
Read your draft. Check:Grammar
and vocabulary; relevant ideas;
structure (beginning, middle, end),
good use of connectors...
Write a final version.

11. LET´S GET STARTED!LET´S GET STARTED!
OPINION OR ARGUMENT?
“Should Physical Education be compulsory in 2º
Bachillerato?”
“Write a for and against essay discussing the
advantages and disadvantages of taking a gap
year.”
“Some people believe that children under 13
should not have mobile phones. Do you
agree?”
“Write about the advantages and disadvantages
of living in the countryside?”

12. Decide layout:Decide layout:
The easiest is 3773. That means
four paragraphs: introduction (3
sentences) one side (3 sentences),
the other side (3 sentences) and
the conclusion (3 sentences). This
will give you 12 sentences. An
average of about 12 words each,
that is 144 words. Perfect!

13. How to write yourHow to write your
introductionintroduction
 Write two sides of the present
situation or the two different
opinions on a topic. The third
sentence (thesis) will describe
what you are going to do in
your essay.

14. Opinion:Opinion:
 Who should take care of our old
people?
 Sentence 1: In my country, most old
people live happily with their children.
 Sentence 2: Increasingly however,
many families cannot take care of their
parents
 Sentence 3 (Thesis): This essay will
describe some of the problems involved
with taking care of old people, and
discuss who should be responsible.

15. ArgumentArgument
 Does space exploration benefit
mankind?

 Sentence For
 Many people are excited about space
exploration.
 Sentence Against
 However, others feel it is a massive waste of
money
 Sentence 3 (Thesis)
 This essay will look at some of the arguments
for and against space exploration.

16. More examples of thesesMore examples of theses
sentences:sentences:
 In this essay, I will outline the arguments for and
against sex education in schools.
 In this essay, I will examine some reasons for the
growth of the tourism industry.
 This essay looks at ideas in favour of and against early
marriage.
 This essay will discuss the benefits of having universal
free health care.
Words to use in the thesis sentence
analyze, look at, examine, discuss, outline, consider,
describe

17. Tip:Tip:
Finally, if you are having problem
thinking about an introduction,
leave some space and write it later
- AFTER you write the body or
conclusion.

18. Body : Use two paragraphsBody : Use two paragraphs
ARGUMENT ESSAYS: To give both sides
of an argument or situation (one pragraph
for and one against)
OPINION ESSAYS: To show agreement
(one paragraph) and then disagreement
(second paragraph)

19. Three is a magic number: include three ideas inThree is a magic number: include three ideas in
each paragraph:each paragraph:
“In my opinion, travelling by train is far better than travelling
by car when taking a holiday.
First of all, most countries in Europe have excellent train
links which are fast and efficient. Secondly, travelling by
train removes the responsibility from you as a driver and
allows you to spend the time reading a book or relaxing.
Furthermore, unlike cars, all the facilities you need such as
food, refreshments and toilets are available on the train..
On the other hand, oponents to the use of trains claim that it
is slower that the car. In addition, they say that a car gives
you more freedom.

20. CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION
DO:
 rephrase the question
 summarize the main ideas
 give your opinion, if you haven't given it
already
 look to the future (say what will happen if the
situation continues or changes)
 DONT:
 Add new information.

21. In conclusion, although there are
undoubtedly some problems with
the railway system in this area, I
feel strongly that the use of public
transport by the people will highly
contribute to a better country.

22. USEFUL VOCABULARYUSEFUL VOCABULARY
 Conclusion: In summary / Finally, / In conclusion,
/To sum up, / In a nutshell,
 Comparison:
 Despite / In spite of...... (+ sustantivo / +
gerundio )
 In contrast to…
 By comparison…
 Unlike…./ Like….
 Is (far) better than…. / Is less…. / Is more ……
 Although / Even though / Whereas

23.  Opinion: In my view / As far as I am concerned /
Personally / In my opinion
 Order: First of all.... / Seconly ….. Finally… / To begin
with…. / In conclusion….
 Addition: In addition / What is more / furthermore /
Besides
 Reason: because / as / since;
 Consequence: consequently / therefore / as a result.
 OTHERS: On the one hand… / On the other hand../
 However / Nevertheless / Both positive and negative
aspects...