GENERAL ESSAY WRITING GUIDELINES

SUGGESTED MARKING SCHEME

Content 15%
Organisation 8%
Language 12%

Total 35%

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

General Statement Thesis Statement

A sentence that reflects an

A general idea about
opinion or judgement of the writer
the question/topic
on the topic.
State all your points.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Thesis Statement:

The similarities and differences are …

E.G.
Stress is one of the biggest and most important problems
of this age because stress always affects our life in many
ways. In the past people used to have an easy life, but
today the world has changed tremendously. People are
more likely to suffer from stress. In my opinion, there are
three main effects of being stressed on people’s
psychology, work life and health.

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BODY PARAGRAPH

E.G.

The art of letter writing is dead. There was a time when

intimate thoughts were expressed in long flowing letters -
between lovers and friends. The writing of letters developed
language and much planning was involved and accuracy of
expression. The telephone ended all that. Now, even friends
in different continents prefer to talk rather than write. In this
case, having a telephone is indeed a curse.

TIPS

Do not overgeneralise your statements.

Everybody uses the Internet nowadays.

No-one can run a business without information
technology.

To modify overgeneralised statements, use the following

modifiers:
few, sometimes, generally, frequently, often

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Here are some useful phrases:

Some people believe …

According to most scientists …
It is generally agreed …
Therefore it seems that …
It can be concluded that …
This suggests …
In modern days …
Over the years …
In recent years …

Use the following connectors:

Furthermore, Additionally, Besides that, Moreover,

Finally …

Words that may help:

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 Conclusion

KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAYS

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