Essay Writing

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

Essay Writing

A how-to guide

Test November

- (Formal) Letter

OR

- Essay

Lesson Goals

- You can recognize and create a proper general essay structure.

- You can discuss two specific essay structures.

Which elements do you often find in an essay?

DOs

1. Write proper English, so I can read it.
2. Use signal words, wherever necessary
3. Use paragraphs ( as signified by indentation/blank line)
4. Use a difficult grammar item every now and then (Passive, relative clauses)
5. At the end, check your work.
   

Don'ts

1. Forget about the lay-out
2.  Use the first translation you find in a dictionary without checking. 
3. Forget content elements 
4. No swearing 
5. Dumb language (gonna, u, 2, etc.) 

Basic text structure

- Title

- Introduction

- Body

- Conclusion

Title

- One line

- Covers the work

- Should be attractive to readers

Example

• Topic = secret price agreements in the fishing industry

• Simple option: Secret Price Agreements in the fishing industry

• Attractive: Something smells fishy.

Create a title for an essay on "Gun Control".

Introduction

- Attention Grabber

- Introduction to the topic

- Thesis Statement: Smoking is an unwise life choice, because it is unhealthy, anti-social and financially damaging.

Argumentative

Generally three paragraphs:

- 2 arguments for the thesis

- 1 argument against + refutation

Analytical

Generally 2-4 paragraphs

For example 2 arguments for the topic

2 arguments against the topic

Body

Paragraph Structure

(transitional sentence)

- Topic Sentence

- Supporting Sentences

Conclusion

- Show your essay is coming to an end

- Reinforce your thesis

- Leave an impression on the reader

Is there something you need more explanation on?

Practice Essay 1

- Write an argumentative essay on one of the following topics:

- The alcohol age limit of 18

- School day start times

- Dutch corona policies

Support your topic and write a clear structure. Use approximately 350 words.