C(S)E Schriftelijk Engels HAVO '24-'25

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

C(S)E Schriftelijk HAVO 24-25

Per 10 woorden minder is de aftrek 1 punt tot een maximum van 5 aftrekpunten

Beoordelingskader

Beoordelingskader

Inhoud	Alle elementen zijn aanwezig en begrijpelijk (de boodschap moet duidelijk zijn voor een native speaker)	max. 6 pt.
Grammaticale correctheid	Zinsbouw, toepassing grammaticale regels	max. 6 pt.
Spelling, interpunctie en lay-out	Spelling, hoofd- en kleine letters, interpunctie, schrijfconventies, alinea-indeling	max. 2 pt.
Woordgebruik	Accuraat & gevarieerd	max. 6 pt.
Coherentie	Opbouw van de tekst is voldoende	max. 2 pt.
Minimaal aantal woorden	Per 10 woorden minder, 1 punt aftrek	max. -5 pt.

An essay is defined as:

"a short piece of writing that expresses information (as well as the writer's opinion)."

argumentative essay

one in which you argue to support your point of view 

a ‘for and against’ essay

one in which you consider a topic from opposing points of view 

An argumentative essay 

the author is trying to persuade you of his/her point of view. 

You:

• give your opinion on a particular topic.
  
• support your opinion by giving reasons.
  
• refute counter arguments.
  

Be nuanced; next to giving arguments that support your opinion you should also refute counter arguments.

Writing tips 

* Use complete sentences, including a subject, verb, and complements (objects, adverbials, etc.)

* Do not use informal language

* Do not start sentences with for, and, but, or, yet, so, because , etc.

* Do not use 'I' or 'you' (neutral tone)

* Do not use contracting words (don’t)

* Do not repeat the same word, use synonyms

* Be sparing with punctuation marks like exclamation mark, question mark, series of dots

* Remember everything from your grammar classes, e.g. irregular verbs, tenses, word order, adjectives, adverbs

Outline of an essay

Introduction

Opening sentence: getting straight to the point 

Broad observations / background information: why, reasons etc

Focus what will be the focus of the essay

Thesis statement/argument the point of your essay

Try to introduce by using a "HOOK" 

 a joke, a fact or anything that will grab the reader's attention

DO

Pay Attention to Your Introductory Paragraph 

Because this is the first paragraph of your essay it is your opportunity to give the reader the best first impression possible. The introductory paragraph not only gives the reader an idea of what you will talk about but also shows them how you will talk about it. 

DO NOT 

 I/My or you/yours

Unless it is a personal narrative, avoid personal pronouns like I, My, or Me. At the same time, try to avoid the use of second singular/plural person such as you and yours.

Try instead to be more general and you will have your reader hooked. 

Develop a thesis statement

Your thesis statement is the main point of your essay. It is one sentence that states what the essay is about. 

For example, your thesis statement might be  

"The death penalty should be reinstated, because.....(2/3 arguments)......".

* Use the thesis statement as the basic premise to write your entire essay about; 

* Remember that all of the different points lead back to this one main thesis; 

* State your thesis statement in your introductory paragraph;

*  Thesis statement should be broad enough.

Body of the paragraphs

1) Topic sentence A;   followed by; 

2) Supporting sentence B containing evidence and explanation;  followed by; 

3) Supporting sentence C containing evidence and explanation; etc.

TEEL

Use the TEEL strategy to organize your paragraphs. 

TEEL stands for 

Topic sentence, 

Explain, 

Evidence or example, 

Link, or refer to the essay’s main idea. 

If your sentences are logically connected, your argument will be clearer and more convincing. 

Topic sentence:

Explain: 

Evidence: 

Link:

School uniforms may reduce the number of serious behavioral problems.

Evidence suggests dressing alike lowers peer pressure, promotes discipline, and prevents the display of controversial or offensive imagery.

For example, according to the Ohio Board of Education, schools that introduced uniforms reported 44% fewer disciplinary referrals, such as detentions and suspensions. Furthermore, 66% of surveyed students said they witnessed fewer bullying incidents after they started wearing uniforms.

These findings suggest that implementing uniforms is an effective way to foster a disciplined school environment.

Address a counterargument to strengthen your claim. Mention an argument that opposes your thesis, then explain why it’s incorrect. 

Be sure to bring up a strong counterargument. This is called a concession or rebuttal, and it strengthens your argument and shows you're unbiased. However, countering a weak argument that doesn’t actually represent the opposing side’s strongest claims will weaken your essay.

DO 

Tie Things Together

The first sentence – the topic sentence - of your body paragraphs needs to have a lot individual pieces to be truly effective. Not only should it open with a transition that signals the change from one idea to the next but also it should (ideally) also have a common thread which ties all of the body paragraphs together. For example, if you used "first" in the first body paragraph then you should use "secondly" in the second or "on the one hand" and "on the other hand" accordingly.

DO NOT 

Be Too General

Examples should be relevant to the thesis and so should the explanatory details you provide for them. It can be hard to summarize the full richness of a given example in just a few lines, so make them count. If you are trying to explain why George Washington is a great example of a strong leader, for instance, his childhood adventure with the cherry tree (though interesting in another essay) should probably be skipped over.

How to 'fluff' your essay

1: Use more transition words and phrases

Transition words and phrases give your essay fluidity and help readers understand how one thought relates to another.

When you use transition words strategically, they help fill out an essay and make it longer without sacrificing quality. Examples of transition words to use in your essays include:

• However
  
• In addition
  
• Furthermore
  
• Additionally
  
• In conclusion

How to 'fluff' your essay

Include several examples

Providing examples throughout your essay is another great way to add fluff and engage your readers further. Depending on the subject, you can provide examples from personal experiences or historical references when writing your essays.

Aside from increasing the length of your essay, examples provide context for arguments so readers can fully understand what you’re discussing.

Conclusion

• Rephrase your thesis statement; use other words
• Do not repeat your thesis statement! 
• summary of the main points;
• a final comment (if appropriate).

DO 

Be Powerful

The conclusion paragraph can be a difficult paragraph to write effectively, but as it is your last chance to convince or otherwise impress the reader, it is worth investing some time in. Take this opportunity to restate your thesis statement with confidence; if you present your argument as "obvious" then the reader might just do the same. 

Also, find synonyms for the words used in your thesis statement.

DO NOT 

 Copy the First Paragraph

Do not use the same key words in the conclusion as you did in the introduction, try not to copy whole phrases word for word. Instead, try to use this last paragraph to really show your skills as a writer by being as artful in your rephrasing as possible.