When you write the main body of your essay, you need to explain your ideas fully.

Examiners are looking to see how you develop your topic sentences, and will give
you a better score if you do it well.

Exam Skills: Developing topic sentences

1 Read this topic sentence. Work with a partner and write two more sentences
to explain it
One problem in big cities is the high cost of public transport.
2 Study these suggestions for developing ideas. Did you use any similar
techniques in Exercise 1?
A Linking phrases to explain the idea: That is to say,…../ In other words……
One problem in cities is the cost of public transport. That is to say, in big capitals
like London, the price of using public transport such as the buses or tube, is
extremely high. As a result, many people end up spending a significant percentage
of their income on public transport, or they take their car instead.
b. Giving reasons: This is because……/ The reason is ……
One issue is that a lot of young children do not have a healthy diet. This is
because their parents do not have time to cook, so they end up having takeaways
and processed food. As a consequence, the children get ill and put on weight.
c Describing facts: …. means that…..
One issue about living in a big city is the stress of getting from one place to
another. Living in a big city means that it takes at least an hour to get from your
house to where you want to go, which is very tiring and time consuming. For
instance, if you want to see a film, you have to leave an hour early if you live in a
big city, whereas people in small towns can get to the cinema in just a few minutes.
d. Describing the result: As a result…./ As a consequence…./ Therefore
One problem with working at home is that you do not have contact with
colleagues. If you are at home, you do not pick up new ideas from workmates. As a
result, it is difficult to improve your knowledge and skills. For instance, many
teachers get good ideas from other teachers in the staff room, but if they tutor
people in their homes, they do not get any input from others.
3. Developing these topic sentences using the ideas in exercise 2
1 One problem in cities is the lack of green spaces
2 One reason for crime is that many people are poor
3 One cause of poor student behavior at school is that many lessons are not
interesting
4 One cause of stress in cities is the high cost of living.
Suggested Answers:
One problem in cities is the lack of green spaces. In other words, many large urban
areas do not have enough parks and gardens, where people can relax. This is
because many councils have allowed property developers to build on green spaces,
instead of protecting them. The result is that many people get stressed and are not
able to relax and chill out in cities.
One reason for crime is that many people are poor. People are driven to commit
crime because they do not have enough money to pay their rent or to buy food.
Having a high property rate generally means that crime rate will be high as well.

Complete the paragraphs below with linking phrases:

As a consequence, in other words, means that, the reason is
One cause of poor student behavior at school is that many lessons are not very
interesting. In many cases, the subject material is presented by the teachers in a dry
and uninspiring way. ………1 that these teachers have not been trained to use the
most modern and dynamic teaching methods. 2……………, the pupils do not
concentrate on the lesson, and instead they behave badly in the class.
One cause of stress in cities is the high cost of living. 3…………in today’s world,
the price of housing, transport, food, and entertainment is rising all the time. For
instance, living in a big city 4…………. You have to spend a large proportion of
your salary on your rent or mortgage, which puts pressures on people to work
harder and harder to make ends meet.