Sequencing worksheet IPP Education – Huyen Pham

ADDING INFORMATION
Look at the argument below and figure out 3 points/ideas (conclusions of the
writer) and 3 supporting evidences:
There are several reasons why the government collects taxes. Firstly, the money
raised can be used to build new roads and public buildings. Secondly, existing
infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, can be updated or repaired. Finally,
these funds are needed to pay the salaries of all government workers, including
firefighters and the police. Thus, taxed help improve the community while also
making it safer.
Points Evidences to support these points
(writer’s conclusion)
1

• Words and phrases often used in this type of argument are:

……………………………………………………………………………………
Notes:
• If the reasons are unclear and illogical, then your position or conclusions
will be also unclear. if the reasons are missing, your ideas will not be
supported.
• The main points made above are usually broad and general. In contrast,
the reasons given are more specific and they provide concrete supporting
evidences to support ideas, eventhough sometimes you do not use the
phrase “for example”.
• In the argument above, the word “taxes” is used repeatedly -> you should
paraphrase it to avoid repetition.

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Sequencing worksheet IPP Education – Huyen Pham

ADDING EMPHASIS
The language used in the aforementioned argument tells the reader that each
reason is equally important. However, we sometimes want to show that one
reason is more important than the others, as in the example below:
There are several reasons why the government collect taxes. In terms of
infrastructure, the money raised can be used to build new roads or public
buildings, or to maintain existing structures such as schools and hospitals. More
importantly, these funds are needed to pay the salaries of all government
workers, including firefighters and the police. Thus, taxes not only help improve
the community but also make it safer.
• Some other phrases to help you emphasize when making an argument
like this are:
…………………………………………………………………………………..

SIGNPOSTING WORDS
Read the two versions below out loud. As a reader, which style do you prefer?
Version 1:
There are several reasons why the government collects taxes. Firstly, the money
raised can be used to build new roads and public buildings. Secondly, existing
infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, can be updated or repaired. Finally,
these funds are needed to pay the salaries of all government workers, including
firefighters and the police.
Version 2:
There are several reasons why the government collects taxes. The money raised
can be used to build new roads and public buildings. Existing infrastructure, such
as schools and hospitals, can be updated or repaired. The funds are needed to pay
the salaries of all government workers, including firefighters and the police.
Notes:
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………

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Sequencing worksheet IPP Education – Huyen Pham

SHOWING CAUSE AND EFFECT

Another way to prove that your conclusions (points/ ideas) about an issue are
reasonable and logical is to show the effect that something has. Rather than
separate reasons added together, these arguments show that one idea has an
impact on a second, and perhaps even a third, in a domino effect.
They are all connected, like links in a chain, which is why we also refer to this as
a chain reaction. This type of argument helps explain that you believe something
is a good or bad idea because of the impacts it can have, and these provide the
evidence in this type of argument. Generally, these arguments are based around
facts or claims made by the writer, which may come from a claim made in the
question itself, or may be based on your own knowledge or experience. So, use
an arrow ( -> ) to show the connection between ideas in this kind of argument.
• Some phrases that are often used to present an argument like this:
……………………………………………………………………………………

Look at the example below. Can you identify the claim being made and three
effects this has? Write these on your paper and use arrows to show the connection.

In many big cities, the population exceeds the number of flats and houses
available, which means that many people do not have anywhere to live. This
causes several problems. Firstly, it can put pressure on local charities, who then
have to find food and shelter for the homeless.

………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………

Note: Explaining complex ideas in a clear and simple way will raise your
chances of achieving band 7, not lower it.

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Sequencing worksheet IPP Education – Huyen Pham

PREDICTING A RESULT OR EFFECT

You may want to prove that an action is good or bad by making a calim about
the effect or result: it will, would, may or could have.
In this type of argument, you are offering this predicted result as a reason for
giving your support to it, or for deciding that it should not be allowed to happen.
You may be sure of the effect because you have the direct experience of it, or
you may be expressing a future concern, or making a possible prediction.
This type of argument used the language of speculation, and such sentences
often begin with “IF” or “WHEN”. The language tells us how likely it is that the
action will occur, and how confident the writer feels about the result of the
action -> Cautious language.
Identify the actions and results in the sentences (1-6) and write them in the table
on your worksheet.
1. If the government helps homeless people, this will solve all of their
problems.
2. When homeless people are given free accommodation, their health often
improves as a result.
3. If the government built more affordable housing, then this could improve
the situation for many people.
4. When homeless people have nowhere to shelter, winter is extremely
difficult for them.
5. Very few people would be upset if taxed were increased in order to help
the homeless.
6. If people are unemployed for a long time, they may eventually become
homeless.

Look at the language used in the actions and decide if:

A. The action already happens regularly
B. The action is possible in the future
C. The action is less likely to happen in the future
Look at the language used to talk about the result of these actions and decide
whether the writer feels:
D. 100% sure of this result (it is definite)
E. 75% sure of this result (it is likely)
F. 50% sure of this result (it is possible)

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Sequencing worksheet IPP Education – Huyen Pham

Action + how likely it is to Result + how sure the writer feels

happen about this
1

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Sequencing worksheet IPP Education – Huyen Pham

SHOWING CONTRAST
We can provide strong reasoning or give extra support for an idea by making a
point about a contrasting idea or argument. This can be a useful way of finding
extra ideas when you are stuck. To get ideas like this, ask yourself:
- What would happen if we didn’t have/ do this?
- What happens when we don’t have/ do this?
For ex: what happens if the government doesn’t help poor people?

Words/ phrases to describe the contrast:

……………………………………………………………………………………
Look at the following example:
In many big cities, the population exceeds the number of flats and houses
available, which means that many people do not have anywhere to live. This
causes several problems. firstly, it can put pressure on local charities, who have
to find food and shelter for the homeless. If the government does not step in to
help people who are struggling financially, then this puts even more stress on
community programmes, and causes homelessness to rise even further.
➔ If the government does not step in to help people who are struggling
financially, then this ……………. even more stress on community
programmes, and ………………. homelessness to rise even further.

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Sequencing worksheet IPP Education – Huyen Pham

COMBINING DIFFERENT TYPES OF ARGUMENTS

What is the problem of the concluding sentence in this paragraph?

This creates a referencing problem – the pronoun “IT” confuses the reader, and
the conclusion becomes unclear. A pronoun refers back to the last noun
mentioned, which in this case is “homelessness”:

To show that we are referring back to this much earlier idea in the first sentence,
we need to use a synonym, or paraphrase it, like this: “In addition, a lack of
accommodation…”
This paraphrase clearly signals which 2 ideas are being linked by the connecting
phrase: “In addition”

Which of the following points would follow on logically from this to conclude
our paragraph?

Thus, housing problems have an impact on everyone in the community.

Thus, houses are likely to become even more expensive in the future.
Thus, employment is also a very important issue.

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Sequencing worksheet IPP Education – Huyen Pham

JOINING IDEAS TOGETHER TO VARY SENTENCE LENGTH

High-level writers show an awareness of style, and try to vary the length of
their sentences. Using a mixture of long and shorter sentences makes reading
easier and also makes your writing less repetitive. Try reading this paragraph
aloud to see how this variety helps:

In many big cities, the population exceeds the number of flats and houses

available, which means that many people do not have anywhere to live. This

causes several problems. Firstly, it can put pressure on local charities, who have

to find food and shelter for the homeless. If the government does not step in to

help people who are struggling financially, then this puts even more stress on

community programmes, and causes homelessness to rise even further. In

addition, a lack of accommodation means that house prices and rents remain very

high. Thus, housing problems have an impact on everyone in the community.

Tracing the development of an argument:

Now make notes on the sentences written above to show cause-effect relation.