B2.1.

|WRITING ASSESSMENT 1

An epic match!
Communicative goals:
 Write a concise summary of the main ideas of a longer structured text.
 Write a report, if provided with a model.
 Summarize in writing different points of view.

1. Think about…

 Are you interested in sports events like

world cups, tournaments, championships
or the like?
 Have you ever witnessed an epic sport
event?
 What was the last unforgettable sports
competition that you watched?
 Why do you consider it unforgettable?

To witness: To see something happen.

Unforgettable: Something or someone that

you will always remember.

2. Words matter!
To do well in this lesson you need to become familiar with a number of words.
Complete the following exercise to learn more vocabulary.

2.1. Underline the expression that best matches the idea of the boldfaced word or
phrase. Have a dictionary at hand.

1. You definitely have to watch the clash between Federer and Nadal next weekend in
the Wimbledon Final.
- Confrontation - Meeting
2. They are always bringing up the debate of who is the best tennis player.
- Provoke - Elevate.

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 3. Michael Jordan has become a legend in basketball.
- Unknown, ignored -Very famous, admired
4. Almost every point in that match was mythic.
- Remarkable, historical. - Boring, easy to forget
5. No one has beaten Federer in a long time.*
- To lose -To defeat

2.2. Match the word on the left with the meaning on the right. Write in the parenthesis
the corresponding letter.

EXPRESSION MEANING
1 Take your hat off ( ) A Used to indicate that a particular fact does
not make the rest of the sentence untrue
2 Even though ( ) B To provide or supply
3 Due to ( ) C To praise a remarkable action
4 To fuel ( ) D One after the other
5 Head-to-head record ( ) E The moment when a situation starts to
change in an important way
6 In a row ( ) F Because of
7 Turning point ( ) G The history of confrontation

3. Read a bit!

Read the following summary about a newspaper article commemorating an important

sports competition.

‘Federer Vs. Nadal 2008: Wimbledon’s greatest final a decade on’

by Andy Bull.

In the article “Federer Vs. Nadal 2008:

Wimbledon’s greatest final a decade
on”, published on The Guardian, the
author, Andy Bull, brings up the
magnitude of the epic clash that took
place ten years ago between two of the
greatest tennis players in the history of
sports.

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 To begin with, the author accepts that it is quite difficult to pick the best tennis match when
you have about 100 years of tennis competition to consider. Even though, he claims that
the election is very simple if you think of the Federer V Nadal 2008 Wimbledon confrontation
due to the special characteristics of the match.

Firstly, the author quotes former legends such as Jhon McEnroe and Bjorg Borg who took
their hats off before the talent and skill displayed by the two players during the match
which made them consider that they were witnessing the best tennis.

Secondly, the article indicates that the match was very special for both players because there
was lots of history between the two players and because a lot of emotions were fueling their
bodies before, during, and after the match. On one hand, it was the third final in a row that
they were playing against each other on* the tournament. Federer had won the previous two
in 2006 and 2007, but, on the other hand, Nadal had the better head-to-head against
Federer and had beaten him in their last encounters that year. For this reason, the author
argues that the two players felt they had something to prove to themselves and each other.

Thirdly, the author illustrates in detail the development of the match, exemplifying the high
level strategies used by Nadal, noting Federer’s brilliance and magic, and describing the
turning points that led to the conclusion of the event.

To conclude, the article suggests that the mythic quality of the match was also granted by
the effect it had on the public and their reaction when Nadal won.
Bull, A. (2018). Federer v Nadal 2008: Wimblendon’s greatest final a decade on. The Guardian. Retieved August 06, 2018,
from: https://www.theguardin.com/sport/2018/jul/01/roger-ferderer-rafael-nadal-wimbelndons-greatest-final-a-decade-on

4. Tips for composition:

In this session, you will find grammar elements and composition strategies that will
help you improve your writing skills. Read the explanation, this is important for the
next step!

A SUMMARY IN FOUR STEPS

1
At the beginning of your summary, you should clearly state the type of work you are going to summarize, its
title, its author and its main point. This statement should be written in Simple Present Tense.

Example: In the article “Federer v Nadal 2008: Wimbledon’s greatest final a decade on”, published on The
Guardian, the author, Andy Bull, brings up the magnitude of the epic clash that took place ten years ago
between two of the greatest tennis players in the sport history.

Check your outline and the original to make sure you have covered the important points.

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Take a look at the following article.

Was Russia 2018 the Greatest of All World Cups?

By Rory Smith
 July 13, 2018

MOSCOW — Sometime around France’s virtuoso victory against Argentina and

Belgium’s breathtaking comeback against Japan, the planet seemed to come to a
decision. Russia 2018, it was universally decided, had not just been a good World Cup,
and not just a great World Cup. It had, in fact, been the best World Cup.

That assessment may not last, of course: once we have all had a chance to reflect, it may
not quite live up to the standards of the 1982 tournament, most people’s market leader
whenever this conversation arises.

Regardless of its exact place in the hierarchy, the effusive discussion itself will be of
considerable relief to FIFA, which hitched its fortunes to President Vladimir V. Putin of
Russia, for better or for worse. When international soccer is being outflanked in so many
ways by the club game, when it can appear to be such an afterthought, when the next
edition, in 2022 will be held in December and the next, in 2026, will expand to 48 teams
from 32, these five weeks needed to be a success.

Have they gone well enough to carry FIFA and the World Cup through the next eight years
of upheaval without suffering considerable damage? Certainly, this has not only been an
enjoyable tournament, but a significant one; one whose broader consequences may
echo for a few years. In more than one way, Russia 2018 really was a game-changer.

Smith, R. (July, 2018). Was Russia 2018 the Greatest of All World Cups? The New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2018,
from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/13/sports/world-cup/greatest-russia-history.html

4.1. After reading the article, complete the following information.

TITLE

AUTHOR

SOURCE

MAIN POINT

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After you have introduced the summary, you will need to mention the main point and the key
supporting details of the text you are summarizing.

To identify them, try to read the text several times, highlight important information and take notes.

(KEY SUPPORTING (KEY SUPPORTING

POINT) (MAIN POINT) POINT)

EX: “The special
characteristics of
the match.”
Ex: The author brings up EX: “There was lots
the magnitude of the epic of history between
clash that took place ten the two players.”
years ago between two of
the greatest tennis players
in the sport history.

(KEY SUPPORTING POINT) (KEY SUPPORTING

POINT)
(
Ex: “It was the third final
in a row EX: “The high level
( that they were
playing against each other strategies used by
on the tournament” Nadal.”

(
4.2. Using the article you chose for the previous exercise, fill the missing information
in the next graphic.(

(KEY SUPPORTING (KEY SUPPORTING

(MAIN POINT) POINT)
POINT)

(
(KEY SUPPORTING
POINT)

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Summaries are based on rewording. After you have read and targeted the main and supporting ideas, it
is time to present them anew. Therefore, you will paraphrase the author’s ideas.

You might use expressions such as:

The article claims”….”

The author suggests”…”

The article/author argues “….”

Do not add anything that does not appear in the original text and avoid including your own opinions or
interpretations. You will need to be neutral and choose your words carefully.

EX:

ORIGINAL MAIN POINT REWORDED MAIN POINT

Just ask McEnroe, who commentated on it – “The
greatest match I’ve ever seen” – or Borg, who
watched it from the royal box: “That’s the best
tennis match I’ve ever seen in my life. I was just
happy to be there, to be part of that final. You
cannot see a better tennis match.”
The author quotes former legends such as Jhon McEnroe and
Bjong Borg who took their hats off before the talent and skill
displayed by the two players during the match which made
them consider that they were witnessing the best tennis.

4.3. Paraphrase the main point and one supporting point of the article you chose.

ORIGINAL MAIN POINT REWORDED MAIN POINT

ORIGINAL MAIN POINT REWORDED MAIN POINT

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Finally, your reader may want to explore more about the work you summarized, so including a complete
bibliographic citation is a must. A complete citation includes as a minimum, the title of the work, the
author and the source. Use APA format.

Taken from: https://libguides.library.cofc.edu/citationstyles/apa

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