Writing: B2+. Els Geyte Van
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Название: Writing: B2+
Автор: Els Geyte Van
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Иностранные языки
isbn: 9780008101794
isbn:
Both definitions suggest that ‘discuss’ means ‘talk (or write) about’. However, in an academic context ‘discuss’ often means something more specific: in order to discuss, you need to refer to different aspects of a topic, look at the benefits and drawbacks of different points of view, and give your own conclusion.
Exercise 1
In which of these essay questions does ‘discuss’ mean ‘write about, describe’, and in which does it mean more? Put a tick in the correct column.
| = write about, describe | = give different points of view (and your opinion) | |
| 1 Parliament today is less effective than it has ever been. Discuss. | ||
| 2 Discuss the geological history and likely method of formation of the Lewisian rocks. | ||
| 3 Discuss the circumstances that can lead to a dramatic change in the use of technology. | ||
| 4 ‘Current stem cell technology is sufficiently advanced for use in medicine.’ Discuss. |
Exercise 2
In the table below, match the instruction words in the centre column with the correct academic meanings on the left. Some of the first and/or second dictionary definitions of the instruction words on the right may help you find their academic meaning.
Tip
Read academic texts in your own discipline to become more aware of the conventions. For example, the instruction word ‘sketch’ can have completely different meanings dependent on the context. To an engineer it can mean ‘draw’, to a theologian it is more likely to mean ‘give a brief description’.
Analysing key words and structure of essay titles
Underlining or highlighting key words is a good technique which you are probably familiar with. The following is an example of an IELTS-type essay question where the most important words have been highlighted (you may find a similar question in the TOEFL test):
Glossary
irrelevant ADJ If you describe something such as a fact or remark as irrelevant, you mean that it is not connected with what you are discussing or dealing with.
Learning to manage money is one of the key aspects of adult life.
How in your view can individuals best learn to manage their money?
(Source: Collins, Writing for IELTS, 2011)
There is usually more information in the question than you think: it can direct you both in terms of structure and content. Even a single word in the question can give you a useful clue about what you are expected to write in your essay. For example, look at the following essay title:
Does the media always misrepresent minority groups?
This question tells you that the media does misrepresent minority groups, but you will still have to briefly explain this in your essay, with examples. The question is whether this is always the case, i.e. whether there are examples you can give where the media represents minority groups correctly. You will also have to try and explain why this is or is not the case.
When the essay question is very long however, you should also analyse the structure of the question to make sure you give a full answer without including irrelevant information.
You could follow these steps:
1 Look for the topic.
2 Use your knowledge of language to find all areas and make a note of the instruction words.
3 Use your knowledge of language to decide what should be included in your answer and what should be excluded.
Let’s apply this to the following question.
Discuss the factors that give rise to parallel trade and evaluate how much of a problem this is for international marketers. Give examples of what a firm can do to minimize the problem.
1 The topic is ‘parallel trade’.
2 There are two sentences. The first sentence has two parts: ‘Discuss the factors … AND evaluate …’. The second sentence asks you to ‘give examples’. In total there are three parts.
3
| Part | Instruction | What I should do |
| 1 | Discuss the factors that give rise to parallel trade. | define parallel tradestate and describe the different causes of (what ‘gives rise to’) parallel trade |
| 2 | Evaluate how much of a problem this is for international marketers. | introduce international marketing (what it is)answer the questions: Is parallel trade a problem for international marketing? How much (= in which ways)? How important is this problem and why? (‘evaluate’ refers to importance and reasons) |
| 3 | Give examples of what a firm can do to minimize the problem. | answer the question: what can be done to reduce the problem of parallel trade?give examples of actions that firms have taken (with positive results) or give suggestions about what they could do and say why this would work |
Note that your knowledge of language helps you understand the question: ‘this’ refers to ‘parallel trade’, and ‘a’ in the second sentence tells you that you do not have to give examples of one specific firm, as ‘a’ here means ‘any’.
The word ‘and’ is very important. Normally it means that you will need to look at two areas separately. Occasionally you could look at both areas at the same time.