structure Rewriting the topic of the essay here or

paraphrasing it won’t catch the reader’s

attention 
It may cost points in a task achievement
category.

Paragraphs consisting of
topic sentence and one
sentence of development
aren’t allowed!

Using I, me, my is allowed here 

(In Intro also)
 introduction
"Are you in favour of or against exams being abolished?"
 
In a current educational system too much emphasis is placed on diverse exams. Hence, many
people claim that schools should resign from this way of checking students’ knowledge due to its
shortcomings. To my mind, although tests have been present at schools for ages, their significance
should be limited since they can be unfair and unreliable.

THESIS STATEMENT = YOUR OPINION + EXPLANATION

Thesis statement can be either DIRECT or INDIRECT

1. A direct thesis statement gives a specific outline of the essay,

e.g. Because vaccines are widely supported by research, have few side effects, and have proven successful in
halting the spread of disease, I believe it is important that all parents continue to vaccinate their children.

2. In an indirect thesis statement, no such outline is provided; however, the reader will still know what
aspect of the topic the essay is going to discuss,
e.g. I strongly believe that plagiarism is irresponsible from a social and an academic standpoint.
Main body – arguments supporting opinion (2)

In the first place, exams do not actually test a person's knowledge of a subject but rather how much
they can remember on the day of the exam. It is not taken into account if a student feels unwell or
suffers from nerves on the day of the exam. Consequently, even if a person has learned the whole
material by heart and understands it perfectly, stress can make them unable to perform well.
Furthermore, the exam system is unfair since cheating is a common practice amongst students. As
such, if one has prepared a good crib, the grade received may not reflect the state of their
knowledge. Resigning from written exams would eradicate this problem and students would
perform according to their real abilities.

Like in a FOR/AGAINST ESSAY, there are: a topic sentence in which you present your point of
view and supporting sentences in which you explain your standpoint, give examples, etc.
Main body – counter-argument and refutation (1)

COUNTER-ARGUMENT: you introduce a general belief that you would like to refute (=prove that it
is a weak point of view)

However, it is argued that exams often encourage people to compete to get better grades. In
turn, students will do their best to master the material as well as it is possible. Yet, making
exam results the main point of learning gives students the wrong idea of what education is all
about. What has real significance for them is not practical knowledge, but theoretical one
which is important only during exams.

REFUTATION: you reject the opposing view and explain why the counter-argument is weak and
your position strong.
 Conclusion (app. 2-3 sentences)

In conclusion, it seems to me that exams should not be the only way of assessing students’
knowledge. Generally, they prove not to be reliable since stress can negatively affect the
results. The grade may also not correspond with a student’s factual knowledge if one has
cheated.

1st sentence: you present your opinion once again

2nd (-3rd) sentence: you summarise your arguments that prove your point.