Lecture Notes: Improving Essay Writing for Tests

Introduction

• Speaker: Emma
• Importance: Essential for tests with a writing component (IELTS, TOEFL, CELPIP, university exams)

Common Essay Question Example

• Sample Question: "Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country. Do you agree or disagree?"
• Common Student Response: Starts with "I agree that education is the single most important factor in the development of a country because..."
• Problems: Loss of marks for copying the question wording, not showcasing personal ability

Solution: Paraphrasing

• Paraphrasing: Changing the wording and structure of the question
  • Keep the same meaning
  • Use synonyms and different sentence structures

Using Synonyms

• Synonyms: Words with the same meaning but different words.
  • Example: "Big" and "Large"
  • Original: "Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country."
  • Paraphrased: "Schooling is the single most significant element in the advancement of a nation."

Synonym Examples

• Education → Schooling
• Most important → Most essential, Most significant
• Factor → Element, Aspect, Part
• Development → Advancement, Progression, Evolution
• Country → Nation

Changing Sentence Structure

• Alter sentence order and word forms
  • Example: Verb to noun (Developing → Development)
  • Example: Noun to adjective (Technology → Technological)
  • Original: "Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country."
  • Paraphrased: "The most essential element of a nation’s development is education."

Adding Concessions

• Concession: Acknowledging the opposite opinion before stating your own
  • Shows consideration of both sides of the argument
  • Example:
    • Original: "Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country."
    • Paraphrased: "Although many would argue that the economy is the most important factor in nation-building, I think education has a far greater impact."
  • Structure: Two clauses separated by a comma
    • "Although" clause: Opposite opinion
    • Main clause: Your opinion

Conclusion

• Paraphrasing Techniques:
  • Using synonyms
  • Changing sentence structure
  • Adding concessions
• Recommended Resources: www.engvid.com for vocabulary improvement, video lessons, and quizzes

Practice and Resources

• Improving vocabulary
• Videos on concessions and sentence structure
• Practice quiz on paraphrasing to gauge understanding

Final Thoughts

• Skill applicability: High school essays, university essays, and various standardized tests
• Encouragement to visit website for further practice and resources