TEN WAYS. Questions 1-10 ) SLOW DOWN YOUR LIFE Complete the sentences. In this practice task, each answer is TWO WORDS. At work * Decide on a 1 .. aw and stick to it. ‘© Make sure that you take a 2 vo Of at least 30 minutes. « Prioritise your e-mails, faxes and 3... * Make good use of the 4 + Ae that wil tl be things in 8 at the end of the day. Talk to someone about something 6 som : At home ‘After work, concentrate on 7 Avoid 8 Play a part in your 9. «Toke up an activity tke painting, learning a 10. other people. or a new sport Focus on wri > Task 2 TASK APPROACH ANALYSING THE QUESTION 1 2 ing Structuring an argument Read the following advice on structuring, ‘+ Analyse the question carefully. Underline or circle the key points and consider what you understand by them. ‘© Decide on your overall response, and think about the evidence you need to provide, including any personal experience you have. ‘+ Make a paragraph plan. This wil help you cover athe key points and organise your writing as clearly and logically as possible. ‘+ Remember to link ideas within and between sentences and paragi aphs, Read the following Task 2.question. The key points in this task have been underlined for you. Consider carefully what you understand by them and. Aiscuss the questions on page 53 with a partner. Discuss the following: Do young people today make good use of their leisure time? Or do they spend too much time watching television and playing video games, instead of taking part in more productive activities? Use your own ideas and experience and support your arguments with examples. Write at least 250 words,| PROVIDING EVIDENCE eed to id PRESENTING © good use Is there a right and wrong way to use leisure time? © too much time How much is too much? Is there an acceptable level? © more productive activities What makes an activity ‘productive’? What kind of activities are ‘more productive’ than watching TV? Discuss these questions, mentioning any relevant personal experience you've had. Make notes of the main points using a mindmap (see page 51). 1 What problems (if any) do you see in children spending a lot of time watching TV or playing video games? What benefits (if any) might children gain from these activities? 3. List a few alternative activities and suggest how these can be more ‘productive. 2B When providing evidence, you may need to discuss the reasons for something. Read the following Useful language box and answer Questions 1 and 2. Useful language: expressing reasons Because Because children spend so much time indoors, they Children may have health problems because they . because of / Their schoolwork can suffer because of / as a result of ... as a result of so / such Some games are so realistic that children may ... Some games have such realistic effects that ... 1 What is the difference in usage between because and because of? 2. What is the difference between so and such? o} When presenting a written argument, it’s important to make it clear SUPPORTING POINTS whether you are stating a reliable fact or expressing an opinion — your own or someone else’s. is Stress is arguably one of the most serious Experts have often suggested ee gress sy ae modern diseases. According to a survey carried less of a problem fot bosses iki ane and Gut by the Institute of Management, approx: | subordinates, and this view is confirmed’ by imately 270,000 UK workers take time off work every year because of work-related stress, at cost to the nation in sick pay, lost production and medical bills of about £7 billion: Or do leo | \KEY LANGUAGE th ‘Reference links Dex 10, p. 193-194 a survey / the survey {fe UK the nation text above? 9 survey, which found that only 9 per cent of junior managers looked forward to going to work. Furthermore, only 7 per cent felt they were in control of their jobs. a Circle words or phrases in the text used to introduce or indicate an opinion. b Inorder to present a convincing argument, opinions need to be supported by facts. Which facts are used to support the opinions you identified in the 53¢ When you have more than one supporting reason, you can use linking ARGUMENT-LED APPROACH 6 PARAGRAPH PLAN Opening paragraph + Introduce topic + Provide background information Middle paragraphs + Analyse evidence + Start @ new paragraph for each point in evidence of this, they ... + Give reasons/examples to illustrat Closing paragraph + Swnmarise main points + State your overall conclusion EXAM PRACTICE 7 expressions like the following. 1 In the first place, One reason for this is... Another (reason) is... Inaddition, Furthermore, Moreover, ‘Think of two facts to support the following opinions. Then make statements linking the points suitably. © I?’sabad idea to give children too much pocket money. Mobile phones are an extremely useful means of communication. Hetais a basic model for a Task 2 answer. In this approach, you consider all the evidence and work towards an overall conclusion. This is known as an aargument-led approach. An alternative approach will be discussed in Unit 12. Study the paragraph plan below and then complete the sentences in the first two sections with your own ideas. SAMPLE LANGUAGE: Since television became widely available in the 1950s, it has grown steadily in popularity. Nowadays, many families . Some experts believe that young people are becoming more and more ... @ your views On the other hand, it ean be argued that watching TV can actually We have seen that ... To su up, .. Now write your answer to the task. Spot the error Most of these sentences contain common errors. Identify and correct the errors. 1 There never seems to be anything worth watching on the television. 2 Young people tend to hear the radio more than older age groups. 3, According to statistics, Americans spend 2.9 hours a day seeing television. 4 She finds playing piano the bes 5 Why don’t you move the television so that you can see it better? 6 Ninety per cent of people in Bri 7 Do stop talking and concentrat 8 You have to take a two-year trai Check your answers by referring 34 t way to relax, itain listen the radio at some time during the day. ¢ in your driving. ining course in order to qualify as a teacher. to the Error Hit List on page 55.