Stairs. Entry group. Materials. Doors. Locks. Design

In this article I will try to give some tips to those who want to successfully complete task 40 from the section Writing for the Unified State Exam English language.

Some teachers believe that there is no need to specially prepare for passing the Unified State Exam in English, and all you need to do is conscientiously complete all the tasks offered in school textbooks. Personally, I fundamentally disagree with this formulation of the question. Of course, those students who will take the English language exam must master the school curriculum material very well. But individual lessons with a teacher, in which the principle of performing CIMs is explained in detail, valuable advice is given, difficult moments are explained (for an individual student), a psychological attitude is formed and the completion of homework is clearly monitored, will significantly increase the level of your readiness for the exam.

The skills and abilities required to write a statement with elements reasoning (Opinionessay):

— You must be good at spelling skills, that is, be able to write English words no mistakes. This, believe me, is not an easy task even for native speakers themselves. It is not surprising that in all English educational institutions (both schools and universities) a spelling hour is mandatory in the schedule. Can you imagine a highly qualified lawyer or doctor who writes with errors? Therefore, try to set aside time every day to study and spell 10 -15 new words.

- You must have sufficient vocabulary, to complete a communicative task on the topic proposed in the essay. Therefore, knowledge of history, literature, economics, geography, and even technical sciences (and this despite the fact that the English language exam is a humanities subject!) will become an integral part of your success.

- You should certainly be familiar with essay structure: be able to formulate a problem using paraphrase, state your point of view on a given topic, supporting it with arguments, competently build a system of counterarguments, and draw a conclusion.

- You must be able to correctly express your thoughts using necessary grammatical structures.

- You must know conjunctions, introductory words and cliche phrases, which will help you logically build your narrative.

— You should know that a statement with elements of reasoning ( Opinionessay) must be written using neutral style.

- You should know that maximum score, which can be obtained for this task - 14 points. Read more about the evaluation criteria

— You must know what is offered time to complete assignment 40 is 60 minutes Therefore, when training at home, develop a sense of time using a timer. This will allow you to avoid stressful situations during the exam and properly allocate time for completion. tasks from the “Writing” section.

— You should know that after completing task 40 in the draft, you need to transfer your answer to answer form No. 2. Remember! Entries in draft are not subject to verification!

It goes without saying that the decision to take the Unified State Exam in English should not be spontaneous; You need to prepare very seriously and for a long time.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COMPLETING A STATEMENT WITH ELEMENTS OF REASONING

1) Formally, checking your work begins with counting the number of words. The length of the essay should be 200 – 250 words. Your task is to learn to follow the proposed scope of the task. In order to determine visually how much space an essay of the required length takes up, print out the exam forms and write your essay in answer form No. 2. Count the number of words in each paragraph and write it in parentheses at the end. For example, if you can fit 6 - 7 words in one line, then you should write (200:7 or 250:7) 30 - 40 lines in your essay. Thus, you will visually learn to determine the required length of an essay, taking into account your handwriting.

The Specifications of the KIM Unified State Examination in Foreign Languages ​​provide the following instructions:

“The permissible deviation from the specified volume is 10%. If the completed task has 40 less than 180 words..., then the task is not subject to verification and is assessed at 0 points. If the volume is exceeded by more than 10%, i.e. if in a completed task more 275 words, then only that part of the work that corresponds to the required volume is subject to inspection. Thus, when checking task 40, 250 words are counted from the beginning of the work and only this part of the work is assessed.

When grading assignment 40 Special attention focuses on the examinee’s ability to produce a detailed written statement. If over 30% the answer is of an unproductive nature (i.e. textually coincides with the published source), then 0 points according to the criterion “Solving a communicative problem”, and, accordingly, The entire task is worth 0 points.”

The rules for counting characters can be found in the article

2) Use a neutral writing style, namely:

• try not to use shortened forms such as don't or can't (betterdonot andcannot – spelled together!);
• do not use parentheses and exclamation marks - this is typical for an informal writing style;
• don't start sentences with words and,but,also. IN spoken language you can use them, but avoid it in your essay;
• do not use introductory words characteristic of an informal style ( well,youknowGuesswhat!);
• avoid sentences that are too simple; unite simple sentences into complex ones, using logical means of communication (that is why - therefore, so - so, whereas/while - while, thus - thus, because - because, although - despite the fact that, as long as - since, provided that - provided that, etc.)

3) Divide the essay text into meaningful paragraphs so that they correspond to the plan proposed in the task:

• State the problem in the first paragraph (statetheproblem), which you will discuss, however, do not repeat the topic of the essay word for word - try to paraphrase it using synonyms, impersonal and vaguely personal sentences. Rhetorical questions would be appropriate here: Who knows? Who is right? Should schools have a dress code? Will life in the future be better, worse or the same as now? or quotes famous people: “If you are tired of London, you are tired of life” (Samuel Johnson). In the introduction it is also necessary to show that there is another point of view on this problem. Use the following expressions to represent different points of view:

• Nowadays many people believe that…
• Researchers believe that… / Many people believe that…
• It is impossible to imagine that…
• It is generally believed that…/ It is a common belief that…
• It is a well known fact that…
• It is universally known that…
• Some people think that...
• Some people consider that…
• Some people tend to believe…
• Some people argue that… /Others argue that…
• Some people maintain the idea that…
• People used to think that…
• Other people are of the opinion that...
• Others have a negative attitude to…
• However, there are some people who oppose the idea.

Important! In this paragraph No need express your opinion on one of the problems.

1 paragraph – 40 – 50 words.

• In the second paragraph essays you must submit own point of view on the problem presented in the introduction. It is necessary to select compelling arguments to support your point of view and the form of their presentation. To do this, use the following expressions:

- To my mind...

- In my opinion...

- I think that...

- I consider that...

- I am convinced that...

— I strongly believe that...

— I am strongly opposed to the idea that...

— I agree with the point of view that...

— According to my point of view,…

- It seems to me that...

- I am sure that...

• Use logical communication tools to help the reader follow the logic of your reasoning. Remember that introductory words are separated by commas:

- Firstly,... / First of all,... / To start with,... / To begin with,...

- Secondly,... / Furthermore,... / Moreover,... / What is more,...

- In addition,...

- Finally,... / Last but not least,...

2 paragraph – 50 – 60 words.

HOW TO SELECT ARGUMENTS?

The basic rule is that arguments should not contradict generally accepted truths and common sense. You need to keep in mind that arguments cannot be selected if you do not have an understanding of the problem formulated in the stimulus text. Therefore, in the assignment you need to highlight key words and formulate a thesis, that is, the opinion that you will defend. So, the thesis will represent a certain problem, and the argument will be a way to solve this problem. Remember the diagram that will help you choose the right arguments:

THESIS → BECAUSE → ARGUMENT

ARGUMENT → THEREFORE → THESIS

When choosing arguments “FOR”, do not refer to the opinion of your opponent.

Consider the following stimulus text: “Some people prefer to eat out. However, many people still like to cook meals at home. What is your opinion?”

Arguments: 1. Home-made meal is always fresh and wholesome.

1. Cooking at home, you spend less money.
2. Cooking at home, you can avoid genetically modified ingredients.
3. Cooking at home, you can obtain useful practical skills which you need for life.
4. Cooking at home, you can create your own exclusive recipes.

HOW TO SELECT ARGUMENTS?

Evidence is examples that support your argument. The cause-and-effect relationship between an argument and an argument is the same as between an argument and a thesis:

ARGUMENT → BECAUSE → ARGUMENT

ARGUMENT → THEREFORE → ARGUMENT

Argument: Home-made meal is always fresh and wholesome.

Argument: For example, while cooking, you can use a steamer which preserves vitamins well.

Argument: Cooking at home, you can avoid genetically modified ingredients.

Argument: You can use fresh vegetables which you grow yourself.

Argument: Cooking at home, you can obtain useful practical skills.

Argument: For instance, your mum or granny can teach you how to make salads or pelmeni.

Argument: Cooking at home, you can create your own recipe.

Argument: For example, if you are keen on baking, you can mix different ingredients to get an unusual flavor.

• In the third paragraph you need to present the opposing point of view(that is, the point of view of an imaginary opponent) with 1 – 2 arguments. To do this, use the following phrases:

- However, some people consider that...

— However, some people do not agree with this opinion.

— There is another side to the issue / question of…

— There are people who have got the opposite opinion.

— Nevertheless, some people disagreed that...

- Nevertheless, other people suppose that...

— At the same time, we can find the opposite opinion.

It is important to comply with the required amount of written work: 3 paragraph – 50 – 60 words.

• The fourth paragraph should explain why you disagree with the opposing point of view(that is, provide counterarguments). To do this you will need to use denial tactics, which will be directed not against the opinion of a conditional opponent, but against his arguments. Thus, you need to prove that your opponent's arguments are unconvincing. In other words, you should argue with the opposing viewer on the merits, rather than simply add additional thoughts to support your point of view. The following phrases will help you express your position:

• However, I cannot agree with this point of view because…
• Personally, I believe that…
• I don't believe that...
• It is hard to accept that…
• Nevertheless, I feel that…
• In spite of the fact that… / despite the fact that…
• Regardless of the fact that…
• Though (although)…

Maintain the required amount of written work: 4 paragraph – 40 – 50 words.

• In the fifth (final) paragraph, make a general conclusion. Re-read the introduction and your point of view. It is important that the introduction and conclusion are based on your personal point of view on the issue presented in the assignment! To summarize, you can use different strategies. For example,

- You can express strong confidence in your own opinion;

— You may express an opinion about the need to consider different points of view, while significant attention is paid to your point of view.

The following expressions will help you write the output:

- All in all,...

— To conclude, I would like to stress that...

— In conclusion, I would like to state that...

- To sum up,... / Summing up, it is worth stating that...

— On the whole, I believe that...

— According to the arguments presented above,…

Usage English proverbs and the sayings in the final part will only emphasize your good knowledge of the subject.

Chapter 4 "Letter"

Exercise 40

Comment on the following statement.

Some people prefer to eat out. However, many people still like to cook meals at home.

What is your opinion?

Write 200 - 250 words.

Use the following plan:

• Make the introduction (state the problem)
• Express your personal opinion and give 2 – 3 reasons for your opinion
• Express the opposing opinion and give 1 – 2 reasons for this opposing opinion
• Explain why you don’t agree with the opposing opinion
• Make a conclusion restating your position

Nowadays a lot of people enjoy eating out with their friends, colleagues and relatives at the restaurants and cafes especially in big cities. At the same time, there are those who are good at cooking and like family dinners at home. So, what is better? (44)

Are you waiting for the international exam TOEFL, IELTS or others, where one of the stages is writing an essay? Or maybe you are applying to enter a university and you need to talk about yourself, your achievements and plans in an essay? In any case, your goal is to write an excellent essay in English. This is not as difficult to do as it might seem at first glance, and we will help you figure it out.

This article will tell you how to write an essay in English, what types of essays there are in English, how to write an introduction to an essay, and what linking words to use in the text.

What is an essay?

Essay in English is a short essay in which you express your point of view on a given topic. Writing a quality essay in English involves high level language proficiency, a rich vocabulary and the ability to clearly and concisely express your thoughts.

The formal style of storytelling is one of the features English essay, distinguishing it from essays on a free topic, to which we are accustomed in the Russian language. The British take the style of presenting thoughts in essays seriously, so it is not recommended to use abbreviations and, in general, allow yourself to be frivolous in the text. Also, any essay, regardless of the topic, has a certain structure. But first things first.

Types of Essays

There are three main types of essays in English:

For and against essay

The name of this type speaks for itself: it requires you to present arguments “pros and cons” on a given topic.

Writing Plan: In the introduction, you lead the reader to the problem; in the main part, neutrally describe the arguments “for and against”, without expressing your own opinion; in conclusion - express your opinion about the problem and draw a conclusion.

Opinion essay

Unlike a pro and con essay, an opinion essay is designed to express your thoughts on a topic. The peculiarity of the opinion essay is that you need not only to express your own opinion on the problem, but to reflect other points of view in the essay. So to speak, look at the topic from a different angle.Writing plan: in the introduction indicate the topic of the argument; in the main part - you express your opinion on the problem, supporting it with confident arguments, and also describe what other points of view there are; in conclusion, you summarize the results that support your opinion on the issue.

Suggesting solutions to a problem essay (essay proposal for solving a problem)

Usually in such essays you are given some kind of global problem, and your task is to offer the most possible and relevant ways to solve it.

Writing plan: introduction describes the problem and the reasons for its occurrence; in the main part you need to offer several options for solving the described problem and possible consequences each of them; the conclusion summarizes the results and the final decision or recommendations.

Typically, the type of essay depends on the chosen topic and is often indicated directly in the assignment. If there are no recommendations on the type, then use any one that, in your opinion, is best suited to the given topic.

The above-mentioned types of English essays are the most common, but there are others. Sometimes you need to write about your achievements and plans for the future (for example, when applying to university or college), and sometimes you need to write a free-form essay about what worries you right now (that is, without a given topic).

Whatever the topic of the essay, when writing it you should adhere to a certain generally accepted structure.

Structure

Typically, an exam essay should be 180-320 words in length, but these limits are not rigid and must be indicated in the assignment along with the topic.

Before writing, it is worth remembering that an essay is not a detailed essay-reasoning on a free topic, but only a clear and succinct expression of thoughts on a given problem. Therefore, all essays in English have a common structure:

Heading

The title of the essay, which reflects the topic or problem that will be revealed in the text. The title should be as concise and understandable as possible. In fact, the title of an essay is similar to the title of an article: it should contain the main idea, which will be discussed in more detail in the text.

Introduction

It should indicate what the main part will be about. The introduction should explain the topic of the argument and how you understand it, be concise (occupying about 5-10% of the text), briefly outline the outline of the essay, and cite sources or other data as necessary. Main part

This is the main part of the essay in English, which reveals the problem and your opinion on it, depending on the type of presentation chosen. Here are arguments and examples, as well as other points of view on the topic. At the end of the main part, the text should smoothly lead the reader to the conclusion.

This part of the essay occupies approximately 75-85% of the total volume of the text.

Conclusion

At the end, you need to summarize all the ideas covered in the body of the essay.

A good conclusion is not just a dry listing of all the above facts, but a well-reasoned conclusion on the topic. It may echo or refer to the introduction, but in different wording. In conclusion, you should not put forward completely new ideas or refute those already expressed, and also, use an apologetic tone for your opinion. Be confident in your point of view and simply restate it. The acceptable amount of text in the conclusion is 10-15%.

If you have an exam on the horizon, then you will find our recommendations and tips on how to write an essay in English useful.

Adviсe:

1. Draft

If you have limited time to write, use a draft. Draw a plan on it and write down the main thoughts. This will help you write your essay faster and avoid making mistakes in the final version.

2. Stick to structure

3. Be concise

Express your thoughts briefly, without going deep into reasoning.

4. Give reasons

Provide clear evidence to support your words when expressing your own or someone else's point of view on a topic. Based on these arguments, draw a conclusion and conclusion.

5. Keep it formal

The official style of presentation is the most best option for essays unless otherwise noted. Avoid using abbreviations, slang and colloquialisms.

6. Use linking words

Special words will help you consistently express your thoughts, lead the reader to a conclusion, and build the correct structure in the text.

7. Diversify your vocabulary and grammar

Even though the essay is written in a formal style, it doesn’t hurt to add a little flair to give the text some personality. If thisappropriate, use synonyms and .As for grammar and complex sentences, use them only if you are confident in your knowledge. Otherwise, mistakes or poor use of time will not work to your advantage.

8. Be correct

Often the topics for essays are pressing social issues, on which opinions can be sharply polarized. When expressing your thoughts on controversial issues, you should be as correct as possible and not forget about basic delicacy, tolerance and politeness.

9. Check for errors

Obvious, but extremely important advice. Take a look at the finished essay to check it for all sorts of errors and typos.

• Remember that you are writing an essay for another person who is not your friend or colleague, so stick to neutral language, use standard speech patterns, write to the point, and stay on topic.

• Do not overuse adjectives, exclamation marks and avoid general words (all, any, every). Also, you don't need to use phrasal verbs(put it, get off, etc.) and abbreviations (can’t instead of cannot, don’t instead of don not, etc.). Adhere to an academic-informational style in your presentation: avoid personal pronouns (I, my, we, our) and give preference to the active voice instead of the passive voice.

• To give objectivity to the text, express an opinion on the topic using impersonal constructions (It is believed that...; It cannot be argued that..., etc.) and non-categorical verbs (suggest, suppose, claim, etc.). Words such as apparently (obviously), arguably (probably) and other adverbs will help you correctly express your opinion on the issue.

• Divide the main part of the text into paragraphs according to meaning, which can be interconnected and complement each other. Don't overload your paragraphs with sentences and make them all about the same length. At the beginning of a paragraph, it is better to use linking words that will help continue the idea expressed earlier.

• If you provide examples or quotes in your texts, refer to the source and date of publication of the statement. This can be done in parentheses, indicating the author and year.

Useful words for essays

Introductory words

Introductory phrases for essays in English are universal and suitable for any type of essay.

This essay deals with... - This essay is dedicated to...
This assignment will examine… - This work examines…
This report will analyze... - This report analyzes...
This essay will consider… - This essay will consider…
It is believed that... - They believe that...

Some phrases that will help outline the outline of the essay and explain the content:

The essay is divided into four sections... - This essay consists of four parts...
It will first consider… - First considered…
It will then continue to describe... - After which we will continue to describe...
The third part compares… - The third part compares…
Finally, some conclusions will be drawn as to... - And finally, some conclusions will be drawn regarding...

Linking words

Linking words or linkers will help you not only logically express your thoughts in an essay, but also make the text easy to read and structured. Take these words into account for everyday speech, because connectives make it more logical and bring it as close as possible to the speech of native speakers themselves.

Linkers for sequencing ideas(linking words to organize thoughts)

Finally - finally, in the end
First(ly)... second(ly)... third(ly) - first (firstly)... second (secondly)... third (thirdly)
Lastly - finally, at the end
The first point... the second point... the third point - firstly (first point)... secondly (second point)... thirdly (third point)
The former... the latter - first... last
To begin with... then... to conclude - to begin with... then... finally

Linkers for expressing opinions(linking words to express opinions)

According to... - According to...
It cannot be denied that... - It cannot be denied that...
It is said/believed that… - They say/believe that…
Some people say that... - Some people say that...
There is no doubt that... - Without a doubt...
We must admit that... - We must admit that...

First person:

As far as I am concerned - As far as I know...
From my point of view - It seems to me that...
I agree - I agree
I am in favor of - I am a supporter...
I am against the idea of ​​- I am against the idea...
I believe that - I believe that...
I disagree - I don’t agree
In my opinion - I believe that...

Linkers for giving examples(linking words to give examples):

As follows - next, as indicated below
For example For instance - for example
Namely - namely
Such as - such as

Linkers for giving reason(linking words to explain reasons):

As - since
Because - because
Because of - due to the fact that
Due to - according to
Owing to - thanks
Since - since

Linkers for contrasting ideas(linking words for opposition):

Although / even though - although, even if
But - but
Despite - despite
However - however
In comparison - in comparison
In contrast - unlike
In spite of - despite
In theory - in theory
In practice - in practice
Nevertheless - despite, after all
nevertheless - nevertheless
On the contrary - on the contrary
On the one hand - on one side
On the other hand - on the other hand
Unlike - unlike
Whereas - whereas
While - while

Linkers for adding information(linking words for additional information):

Also - also
And - and
Apart from - except, along with
As well as - just like...
Besides - besides, besides
Furthermore - moreover
In addition to - in addition to
Moreover - in addition, moreover

Linkers for summarizing information and showing the result(linking words to summarize)

As a consequence - as a consequence
As a result - as a result
Consequently - as a result of this
Hence - therefore
In brief In short - briefly, in a nutshell
In conclusion - in conclusion
In summary - in summary, summing up the above
Therefore - therefore
Thus - in this way
To conclude - drawing conclusions
To summarise - summing up

Very often, the final type of work when testing English language knowledge is writing an essay. Many students do not like it because their level of language proficiency is not high enough. The reason lies in the fact that to write a coherent text you need to have a good command of the grammatical structure of an English sentence and have a rich stock of active vocabulary. But in fact, writing in a language is not that difficult, the main thing is to understand where to start.

It is a mistake to believe that the word "essay" came to us from the English language. In fact, it has French roots, but this word was brought into English culture by a world-famous philosopher and politician.

In England, this genre became part of journalism and gained enormous popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries. An essay is a short prose text that expresses a person’s subjective attitude to what is happening. in English contains an introduction, main part, and conclusion.

Signs

Any genre has a specific pattern in its structure, an essay in English is no exception. The writing sample is formed on the basis of certain characteristics. With the help of them, you can easily determine that in front of you is nothing more than this genre of literature. Knowing the characteristics of the genre will also help to better understand its structure and determine which components must be present in this type of essay. Let's look at the elements that set essays apart from other genres of literature:

• Narrow focus. Unlike other genres of literature this type work may not cover multiple issues. On the contrary, it is aimed at revealing one issue, but very deeply.
• Subjectivity. This genre is not intended to show how everyone feels about the problem; it is intended to show the opinion of one person, to reveal the attitude not of society, but of the individual.
• The essay evaluates not the information that the author gives us, but his internal qualities, the ability to think logically, worldview and everything that distinguishes him from other people.

What types of essays exist in English?

The general purpose of writing an essay in English is to express your thoughts about some phenomenon, process or object. But you can express your thoughts in different ways: find positive and negative sides of objects, look for pros and cons. Therefore, in English there are several types of essays:

1. Opinion Essay- it needs to express your thoughts about something specific the question asked. The problem is that when writing this type of essay, it is important to be able to find different approaches to the problem, look at it from different angles. This essay cannot strictly defend its position.
2. For and against, or For and against essays. The type of essay that forces a person to look at an object from two sides. Nothing is absolutely perfect or absolutely flawed. Therefore, you need to be able to find both bad and good sides in any issue. You need to learn very well how to write this type of essay in English; the Unified State Examination requires writing exactly this.
3. Suggesting ways to solve a problem, or Suggesting solutions to problem. The main problems are always global negative phenomena in the environment and society. Having looked at a certain issue holistically, the student must propose a solution.

How many parts is the essay divided into?

Since school, we know that a text usually consists of several parts: an introduction, the body of the text and conclusions. An essay has the same structure, but unlike a simple narrative, it should have more concise information, while containing as much information as possible. more facts and subjective arguments. The entire content of the work is a consistent chain of statements and evidence for them. Logicality is the main quality that will help a child write an essay in English. The Unified State Exam tests not only knowledge, but also the ability to think.

Introduction

The introduction is an important component in the structure of the story. It is in this part that the author outlines the problem that he poses for himself and tries to convey to the reader how he relates to the issue raised in the main part. Also in the introduction, he forms a list of the main issues and facts raised. The introduction should be as concise as possible and contain the key elements of the problem. In addition, the examiner develops a psychological portrait of the subject in his mind. An essay in English reveals a person’s way of thinking.

Main part

It should contain all your thoughts about the question asked. main part The text consists of a chain "argument - proof". You cannot talk about any phenomena or objects if you cannot prove them. In order to properly structure and logically present information, it is imperative to divide the text into paragraphs. It should be said that when written, the arguments in the main part will present two opposites. And only with the correct structuring of the text can you write a good essay in English.

Conclusion

Conclusion - what conclusions were drawn when considering this issue. It is in this part that you need to sum up all the results of your reasoning. Write general provisions, which were previously stated in the introduction and explained in the main part. Use linking words to help indicate that this is the end of the essay and you are summing up everything that has been written so far. As you can see, the structure of an essay in English must be taken into account when writing.

What plan should I use to write?

By sticking to a specific writing plan, it will be easier for the student to concentrate and not get stressed. Essentially, any essay is a text formed according to certain logical rules. It is important to be able to use both deductive (analysis of information from general to specific) and inductive (from specific to general) methods of logical reasoning. If the work is based on logic, then when writing an essay in English, a plan is an important part of the preparation. Below is the writing algorithm:

• Think carefully about the question you want to cover in your essay.
• Determine how you feel about this issue (form an introduction from this).
• Highlight the facts that best define the problem posed to you.
• Support your facts with specific arguments
• Select a separate paragraph for each fact and its argument to structure the text.
• Indicate all the most significant points of the essay in the conclusion.

In order to write an essay easily and efficiently, we have prepared several recommendations. By following them, you can not only learn to write essays well in English, but also understand how to handle the text:

1. Essay topics in English are very diverse, so develop your knowledge by reading books and encyclopedias.
2. Learn to understand English grammar and try to memorize as much vocabulary as possible. Incorrect sentence structure and low vocabulary are immediately visible, and this indicates that you do not know the language.
3. Always keep a draft with you, but you need to know how to use it wisely. Don’t try to write the entire essay there first and then rewrite it into a clean copy. On the contrary, in your English essay draft, outline a writing plan, the most important facts and arguments for them.
4. Don't forget that it plays a very important role. Unstructured text looks ugly, and most importantly, it confuses your thoughts and does not allow you to sort information into categories.
5. The style of this genre is formal, but if you find it difficult to write official language, then you can choose semi-formal, but in no case use slang forms of communication.
6. Conciseness is not always poor quality, in an essay it is very important to be able to select the main information and make the text as informative as possible and as less cumbersome as possible.
7. Always keep in mind that you need not only to write the text, but also to check it. Calculate the optimal amount of time you will need to write, taking into account rereading.
8. Any fact that you cover must be reasoned and logically justified.
9. Learn to express your thoughts correctly. Never present facts about which you know nothing or know very little. Be sure that the words you write are correct.
10. Learn linking words that serve to connect parts of the text and move smoothly through them. Remember that in English essays clichés are a common occurrence (We cannot ignore the fact that..., One must admit that..., In addition to..., According to some experts).
11. Be gentle in your beliefs. Because the essay shows subjective perception proposed problem, never emphasize that you are completely right, because other people have their own opinion on this matter, and it may not coincide with yours. Also, do not touch sensitive topics, including politics, religion, etc.

Introductory phrases: what they are and how they can help

An English language essay contains standard usages that help the author formulate his thoughts, emphasize the importance of a statement or objectivity in his assessments. These are called introductory phrases. With their help, the essay becomes more structured and lively. For each part of the statement there is a huge number of introductory phrases. For example, for the introduction they use phrases that attract the reader’s attention (Many people think ... but others do not agree), in the main part they use comparison phrases (From the other hand), in the conclusion phrases that indicate drawing conclusions will be relevant (To sum up). Be sure to use the above options, they help to express thoughts clearly.

The most common mistakes

Writing an essay in English is not without its drawbacks, and this fact is very important to take into account, because forewarned is forearmed.

Carefully study the list of the most common mistakes, which will be presented below, and draw conclusions for yourself: see which of the listed mistakes you do not make, and which you need to work on. This way you can find out your weak points and try to improve them. The most common mistakes are:

- Boring start to the story. It is very important to interest the evaluator from the very first lines, to show that he is reading your essay not because he just needs to evaluate it, but because he will find useful information for himself.

- Work not personally verified by you. Only by re-reading your text will you be able to find flaws and missing elements in it. When a person rereads what is written, he perceives it holistically. Don't forget to take the time to check your essay.

- The essay is based on unsubstantiated facts. It's better to do less, but better. Choose only those facts that you can correctly substantiate.

- The question is not fully answered. Despite the fact that essay topics in English are varied (“Animals in the zoo. How do you feel about this”, “Computer games. Pros and cons), learn to fully disclose your position.

- You are trying to be something you are not. Always write your essays from the heart and say only what you think. Only then will you be perceived as an individual.

What kind of beast is “esse” and how to fight it? Of course, it is best to tame it. We suggest that together, here and now, we sort everything out and figure out how to write an essay. Often, a successfully written essay can open up a lot of opportunities on the path to realizing ourselves, and at the same time realizing our cherished desires and goals.

What is an English essay

Essay in English- this is a type of creative work that has an arbitrary composition and reveals the author’s opinion on a particular social, cultural or historical problem. This is not an English essay, article, abstract or any other work of a creative genre. The essay proudly occupies a separate hole in the world of journalism. Let's compare it with an article, an essay in English and an essay. To better understand what an essay is and why it cannot be called an article, abstract, etc.

An essay is very similar to a reasoning essay, however, the main difference between these genres is the purpose of writing an essay - an essay in English always has a conclusion, and an essay only encourages the reader to think and make his own. In an essay, the author only discusses, raises current topics, but does not make a final conclusion, unlike an essay. An article is really very similar to an essay, because there is no specific structure, there is a relevant topic. However, an article is a work of journalism, as opposed to an essay. It is this factor that makes the article one and only in the world of the journalistic genre. And so that you don’t have the slightest desire to compare an essay with an essay, let’s look at the last differences. First of all, the abstract is larger in volume - about 5 pages, while the essay most often takes 1.5 - 2 pages. Also, the essay is narrated on behalf of the author, and the abstract is a report on a clearly defined topic.

Where is an English essay useful:

• To pass the international English language exam.
• For entering university.
• For hiring.

However, these are not all the moments where an essay can be useful. It's no secret that writing essays develops imagination and helps develop analytical thinking skills.

Conclusion: if you want to develop, write an essay. It plays an extremely important role in school, university and even at work. It is very important to learn to understand how to write an essay in English correctly, so that you can confidently move towards success from your school years.

Types of essays

There are 3 types of essays in English:

• For & Against Essays.
• Points to consider (“Problem and solution”).
• Opinion Essays.

For & Against Essays

Essay “For and Against” - in this type of essay, the main task is to consider two existing points of view. It is important to objectively evaluate both positions and express your understanding of each side.

1. Structure:
2. 1) Introduction (here it is important to characterize the topic that will be discussed without expressing your own opinion).
   2) Main part (here it is important to express your opinion about the problem, give examples and evidence).
   3) Conclusion (in this section you summarize and summarize all of the above. Remember that in this type of essay you should not draw a specific conclusion, you can only distribute all the arguments into two bowls).

Important! Words I think, I believe,In my opinion, etc. can be consumed only in custody, where you express your position.

Useful phrases :

When considering points of view (beginning of essay):
firstly- Firstly
in the first place- at the first place
to begin with- let's start with
secondly- Secondly
finally- in the end

To indicate benefits:
another- other
an additional advantage of… is... - there is an additional advantage of something
the main advantage of… is... - there is an additional advantage of something

To point out flaws:
a further- next
a major disadvantage / drawback of... - the main disadvantage
the greatest / most serious / first disadvantage- main disadvantage
another negative side of... is another negative side of this...

To represent each point of view:
one point / argument in favor of... - one argument in favor of ...
one point / argument against... - one argument against...
it could be discussed that... - there are disputes that...

When reasoning:
moreover- moreover
in addition- in addition
furthermore- Besides
besides- besides
apart from- except
as well as- as well as
also- Also
both- both
there is another side to the question... - there is another side to this issue ...

To express contrast
however- however
on the other hand- on the other side
still- more
yet- more
but- But
nevertheless- nevertheless
it may be said/ claimed that- they say that...
although- Although
while- while...
despite / in spite of- despite...

Opinion Essays

“Minor opinion” - in this type of essay it is important to express your position regarding a particular issue. It is important to provide examples, arguments in favor of your opinion, and also to express your position quite transparently.

1. Structure:
   1) Introduction (here it is important to indicate the issue that will be considered, as well as your position regarding it).
   2) Main part (it is important to indicate opinions opposite to yours, explain why they have a right to exist, and also give arguments in favor of your opinion).
   3) Conclusion (in this section you once again express your point of view in other words).

Useful phrases:

To express your own opinion:
to my mind,… - my opinion
in my opinion / view… - I think…
I strongly believe... - I am firmly convinced...
I am (not) convinced that... - I'm not sure that...
I (definitely definitely) feel / think that... - I definitely think that ...
it seems / appears to me... - it looks like...

Points to consider essays

The Problem and Solutions essay is written in a formal style. It is important to pose a problem, then consider ways to solve it.

1. Structure:
   1) Introduction (this is where you state the problem).
   2) Main part (it is important to show possible ways to solve the problem and its consequences).
   3) Conclusion (in this section you express your own opinion about solving the problem).

Useful phrases:

To explain the situation:
because- because
due to (the fact that) - thanks to something
the reason is that- The reason is that
thus- Thus
consequently- as a result
so that... - Thus
in order to... - in order to
with the purpose of- with the aim of
intention of (+ing) - with intention

To express probability:
it can / could / may / might be… - Maybe...
it is possible- Maybe
unlikely- hardly
foreseeable- foreseeable
certain that... - I'm sure that...
the likelihood- probability

Rules for writing essays in English

Stick to structure. Don't forget to use a draft. Make notes to yourself, outline a plan for writing an essay in English, sketch out a list of all the arguments before you start writing. It is important to be fully prepared and ready for any topic.

It is best to prepare for writing an English essay in advance, and the more you write, the better. Thus, no matter what topic you come across, you can develop it based on the knowledge and experience that you gained during preparation.

An essay may be perfect in content, but if it contains grammatical errors, everything is lost. Be sure to remember to check your work after writing. It is advisable to do this twice. First, from the very beginning to the end, and then read the entire work in reverse order. The work should be read in reverse order to identify errors in words.

Be sure to follow one of the three essay types throughout your work. It is important to be specific in your essay, but you should not make it too short. Most often, an essay consists of 180-320 words, depending on the purpose of writing. Don't forget about linking words. They show the author's literacy. Use quotes that will confirm this or that opinion.

Important! TO The number of words in an English essay usually ranges from 180 to 320 words.

We can conclude that the essay is not as scary as it might seem at first glance. The main thing is preparation. Even after reading just this article, you will already have enough information to understand how to write an essay in English. It's just a matter of practice. Write as many essays as possible, get inspired to write an English essay on a topic unfamiliar to you, be it saving animals or trends in world art.

English via Skype - essay preparation

If you still doubt that you will be able to prepare perfectly on your own, we recommend that you try individual training via Skype at our English language school “EnglishDom”.

EnglishDom teachers have repeatedly prepared students to write essays and more. Our students show brilliant results, for which we would like to thank them. In order to make sure high quality learning at EnglishDom, you can first register on our website and try to train your knowledge and expand your vocabulary with the help of absolutely free content. We are focused on the knowledge of our students, so you can study with us even for free.

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The maximum number of points you can receive for an essay is 14 points.

Before you think about correct execution each criterion, first let's make our English essay testable. The most important thing here is volume.

Formally, your English essay should be within 200-250 words. This should not be taken literally and panic if you have written 198 words. However, keep in mind that the essay will not be checked if the number of words in it is less than 180. If you get more than 275 words, then the examiner will count 250 words from the beginning of the essay, mark out the rest and check everything down to the line. That is, in the first scenario you lose the entire essay; with the second, you will most likely lose the conclusion, which is also important.

First of all, your English essay must cover ALL the aspects outlined in the assignment, and must also be written in an appropriate (neutral) style. It should be logically divided into paragraphs and correspond to the plan proposed in the assignment.

In order not to get confused in the process of writing your essay, you need to spend 5-7 minutes thinking about the plan and preparing all the arguments. Traditionally, we will divide the essay into five paragraphs.

Paragraph 1. Introduction

There should be a problem statement here. Since the statement of the problem is already stated in the assignment, your task is to correctly retell it. It is RETELL, not paraphrase.

Advice: Do not re-read the task 10 times until the wording is hammered into your head. Then writing the introduction in your own words will be very, very difficult. Read the situation given in the task once or twice, make sure that you understand it correctly. Close the finished situation and try to retell it in English exactly as you understood it, as if you were telling a friend about it who did not understand what was being said. ATTENTION: after you have done this, be sure to open the situation and make sure that your retelling essentially coincides with the situation given to you. Now you can move on.

Instead of banal “ Some people think, ... Others think, ..." can be used:

Some people claim that ..., while others argue that ...

After you have described the essence of the problem, you can ask the question directly, which you will answer in your essay. For example: “What is better: ... or ...?”, “What should we do: ... or ...?” it. d.

The last sentence of the introductory paragraph should state the purpose of your essay. This can be done, for example, like this:

In this essay I will try to look upon this issue.
In this essay I will try to express my opinion on this issue.
In this essay I would like to express my point of view on this issue.
In this essay I will try to answer this question. (This is the simplest option, if it is difficult for you to remember the previous two, remember it)

Paragraph 2. Your opinion

It is most logical to start this paragraph by expressing your position on this issue. Useful phrases (be sure to follow this punctuation!):

In my opinion...
From my point of view, ...
To my mind...
Personally, I think that...
I'm certain that...
As far as I am concerned, ...

Next, you need to give 2-3 arguments confirming your point of view. There can be any arguments, as long as you interpret them correctly. That is, such that it would be difficult to argue with them (within reasonable limits, of course).

Advice: It is better to give 2 arguments and justify them in detail and give examples to support them, than 3 short and not fully developed ones. Remember that the essay has a word limit.

Here we must not forget about the means of logical connection of sentences. The first argument is good to start with:

Firstly...
To start with, ...
To begin with, ...
First of all...

After you have formulated the first argument, you need to confirm it and/or give an example to support it. Here are the most simple models, How can I do that:

,because...
argument. That's why...
argument. For example, ...

If you started with the word “Firstly,...”, then the second argument should begin with the word Secondly...

If the first argument came with the phrases “To start with, ...”, “To begin with, ...”, then the second argument can be started with the following words:

Moreover...
Furthermore,...
Besides...
In addition...

The second argument must also be supported by an example or proof.

Paragraph 3. Opposite opinion

You will begin the paragraph by stating an opposing opinion on the proposed topic or issue. You can do it like this:

Others believe that...
Some people argue that...
However, some people think that...

This is followed by 1-2 arguments confirming the opposite opinion. I advise you to initially think about two. And how much to write in the end: 1 or 2 – decide in the process, based on the resulting size of your essay.

Advice: You will have to challenge opposing arguments later, so when you come up with them initially, think about how you will challenge them. If you have nothing to object to an invented argument, it is better to immediately replace it with another, so as not to have to do this while writing an essay. It's also limited!

Tip: When challenging arguments, you should not repeat anything written in the second paragraph. Therefore, if you cannot come up with a counterargument without repeating yourself, try to come up with something else. Alternatively, you can come up with other arguments in favor while the essay is not yet written. In any case, it is better to think about this initially while you are planning your essay, rather than during the writing process!

Paragraph 4. Your counterarguments

The point of this paragraph is to explain why you disagree with the opposing opinion. You can start a paragraph, for example, with a sentence:

I can't agree with this opinion because ...
I'm afraid I can't agree with this idea because ...

ATTENTION: if you gave two arguments in the previous paragraph, then you must refute both. They can be distinguished by the following phrases:

As for...,
Speaking about...,
As far as... is concerned,

Advice: When refuting opposing arguments, it is best to suggest ways to solve them, rather than prove their ineffectiveness. For example, if someone believes that pets are dangerous, then one should not argue that they are, in fact, harmless. It is better to turn this disadvantage into an advantage, saying that they are excellent guards in country houses.

Paragraph 5. Conclusion

The most common mistake many students make is that in conclusion they simply express their opinion. This is not enough. After all, the conclusion applies to the entire essay, not just the second paragraph.

Thus, in the conclusion you need to summarize everything that was said in the essay and express your point of view. You can also give your recommendations on the existing problem. The most important thing is that the conclusion should not contain any new information.

In conclusion...
To sum up...
To conclude...

Next, we let the reader understand that there are two points of view on this problem, and despite the opposite point of view, we still adhere to ours. For example, this can be done according to the following scheme:

Despite the fact that ..., I’m convinced that ...
Taking into consideration different opinions on this issue, I believe that ...

Language design of the essay

After you have written Unified State Exam essay in English, be sure to review it again for possible errors. From my experience the most common mistakes, I advise you to pay attention to the following things:

Go through each noun separately. If a noun is countable and singular, it must be preceded by an article! Most likely, you should have it undefined (but look for yourself in the context).

Go over all the introductory words and phrases and make sure they are followed by commas. On the contrary, there should be no comma before the word ‘that’: “I think that...”, “Others believe that...”.

If the subject is expressed by the 3rd person singular ( he/she/it), do not forget to add the ending –s to the verb!

There is a separate discussion about “smart” words. There is a separate item in the assessment criteria: Vocabulary. Believe me, it is better not to use a buzzword than to use it incorrectly and get minus points for it.

Tip: If you don’t know a lot of “smart” vocabulary, cram it as much as possible into pre-memorized phrases. For example, instead of the banal “for example” you can use “for instance”; Instead of “I think” use “I believe / suppose / presume”. That is, in essence, you need to come up with vocabulary that you can definitely use in your English essay, no matter what topic you come across.