Research: B2+. Anneli Williams

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      In this case, you are instructed to make judgements about the media coverage. You might ask yourself: How good or bad was it? Or: To what extent was it fair, accurate, or thorough?

      Notice how changing the instruction word changes the approach.

      For example: Analyse media coverage of the 2008 banking crisis.

      This question requires you to study media coverage in order to come to an understanding of why it was the way it was. This might involve looking for patterns or dividing it into categories in such a way that allows you to understand it more deeply. You might ask yourself questions such as: How frequently was the banking crisis mentioned in the news? Which aspects of the crisis were given most attention? What sort of language was used to describe the crisis?

      Instruction words often appear in the introductions to essays and reports. Complete the essay extracts below by underlining the most appropriate word in italics.

      1 Section 1 will discuss/justify racial stereotyping with regard to the ‘big five’ personality traits. Section 2 assesses/examines the interplay between cultural stereotypes and media representations of minority ethnic communities.

      2 This essay compares and contrasts/outlines the main components of the government’s poverty reduction strategy… A final evaluation will trace/assess the extent to which government measures to reduce child poverty have met targets set in 2000.

      3 This study will trace/justify the one-thousand-year history of the Catalan language. It will then outline/compare and contrast Spanish policy on minority language protection with that of the Scottish government in relation to Gaelic.

      4 This essay will argue that there is little evidence to justify/outline arguments in favour of state intervention.

      Eight common instruction words and expressions along with examples are given in the table below. Match each expression with the correct definition a–h.

      Write definitions for the instruction words in bold below.

      1 Comment on the key components of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

      2 Illustrate the impact of management style on teamwork in organizations.

      3 Relate the principal factors that are commonly thought to influence a person’s choice of life partner to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

       Describing versus presenting an argument

      Some essay questions require you to describe, that is, to display knowledge without necessarily giving your opinion about it.

      For example: Which regions of the world are most seriously affected by conflict over access to water resources?

      This question asks you to list and describe the parts of the world where there are the most serious conflicts over lack of water.

      Other questions require you to present an argument, that is, to give your opinion backed by supporting evidence.

       Glossary

      supporting evidence Supporting evidence is information that is used to prove something.

      notable Someone or something that is notable is important or interesting.

      For example: How can conflicts over Nile River water resources best be resolved?

      To answer this question you need to give your opinion about the best way or ways to deal with conflicts over access to Nile River water. You need to give reasons for your opinion and supporting evidence, that is, examples and data to prove your point. You also need to show that other ways of dealing with the problem are or have been less effective.

      Often essay questions ask you to both describe and argue.

      For example: What have been the most notable conflicts over water resources over the last ten years and what are the most effective approaches to resolving these types of disputes?

      To answer this question you have to list and describe and present an argument based on your evaluation of the evidence. Be careful! It is often easier to describe than to evaluate. Less experienced students often focus too much on displaying information and not enough on developing an argument. Instruction words can also be categorized in terms СКАЧАТЬ