B2.

2 WRITING: DISCURSIVE ESSAY Cira Fernández

1. Introduction – a short paragraph stating 3. Points Against – one paragraph

both points of view and a thesis statement. giving reasons against. These reasons
(The thesis indicates your point of view) should be supported by evidence and
2. Points For – one paragraph giving examples. (This will develop the thesis)
reasons in favour. These reasons should 4. Further support and follow a
be supported by evidence and examples. logical argument.
(This will develop the antithesis) 5. Conclusion – a brief paragraph
stating your point of view (thesis) based
on the reasons and evidence you have
given.
A. Put the following paragraphs in order, then match them to sections 1-5 above:

The nice thing about receiving letters is that you can keep them and re-read them. Who wouldn’t
rather have a six-page letter full of news from a friend abroad than a two-minute telephone call on a
bad line? SECTION ____

Telephoning is ideal if you want immediate action. You wouldn’t want to write to the plumber if you
had water pouring through your ceiling, for example. It’s also the obvious choice if you need a quick
answer to a question like ‘What time is the next train to Oxford?’ or ‘Did I leave my wallet in your
shop?’ Many problems can be solved more easily and decisions taken more quickly if you can discuss
them with someone on the phone rather than wait for a reply to a letter. Finally, few people would
disagree that telephoning is a pleasant way to keep in touch with friends and family. SECTION ____

To sum up, letter writing is far from dead, in my view. Each form of communication has its
advantages and disadvantages: the important thing to recognise is which is more appropriate
for what you want to say, and to whom. SECTION ____

On the other hand, there can be a number of disadvantages to telephoning. In the first
place, some problems are too complicated to explain on the phone, especially if they involve facts
and figures, and it may be clearer if you set them out in a letter. Secondly, it might be important to
have a record of what you say, especially if it’s a booking or a complaint. Last but not least,
telephoning, especially long-distance, can be terribly expensive. SECTION ____

It’s certainly quicker to telephone than to write a letter but it may not always be the best way to
communicate. The use depends, like so many other things in life, on the circumstances.
SECTION ____
B2.2 WRITING: DISCURSIVE ESSAY Cira Fernández

B. Complete the gaps with the linking words and phrases in bold below each
paragraph:

‘The Future is Bright’

The future is a mystery to everyone. (1)_________ the future is bright because modern
technology will soon be able to solve most problems in our society. (2)________ modern
technology will bring about the destruction of the world. (3)________ the recent negative
environmental and social trends in the world today it is impossible to be optimistic about the
future.
If we consider Other people think that Some people would argue that

(4)__________ modern technology has solved many of the world’s problems, and may
continue to do so in the future. We have made rapid progress, especially in the fields of
medicine, communication and transport. Scientists are now able to cure or prevent many of
the diseases that previously affected millions of people. For example, polio can be
eliminated simply by vaccination. (5)___________ there has been an explosion in the area
of information technology and communication. This also makes it easier to conduct business
in any part of the world. (6)__________ the advances made in communication, transport has
also been improved all over the world. Even in developing countries, many people now own
private transport or are able to travel quickly and easily using public transport.
(7)__________, it is sometimes claimed that technology will provide mankind with the
universal panacea of the future.
As well as this Along with Therefore It can be argued that

(8)__________, modern technology (9)____________. Pollution is one result of increased

technology and industrialization. (10)___________ in the destruction of the ozone layer as
well as global warming. Improvements in technology have also increased the effectiveness
of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction. (11)________ modern technology,
certainly in the future new diseases will appear. (12)________ transport has improved, it
brings with it the danger of air pollution and traffic congestion. Overpopulation and starvation
will increase in the future because natural resources are limited and undoubtedly the amount
of fertile land is decreasing steadily.

also brings many disadvantages Although As a direct result of However

The effects of this can be seen

In conclusion, it is clear that for most people in the world the future is not bright because
mankind is destroying the environment through unsustainable development. Modern
technology can solve some problems but without careful planning the future looks bleak.

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B2.2 WRITING: DISCURSIVE ESSAY Cira Fernández

C. Write a discursive essay with the following title: ‘The best way to stay informed’.
Remember to discuss advantages and disadvantages of current technologies and
media. (150-180 words)

USEFUL PHRASES FOR AN ESSAY

INTRODUCING THE TOPIC With regard to, / For that matter, (respecto a
Many people believe /feel that… / It is often ese asunto)
claimed that… / We often hear that… As for… (en lo que se refiere a).
People’s opinions on … differ widely. Another advantage/ disadvantage is
Besides this
DEVELOPING YOUR ARGUMENT Finally,
One of the main advantages of … is that …
In the first place, / Firstly, / To begin with, / To EXPRESSING AN OPPOSITE POINT OF
start with, / First of all, VIEW
Second, / Secondly, / In the second place, / Although, / However, / At the same time,
Thirdly, / Finally, /Lastly, / Last but not least, … After all, /
In addition to that, / Apart from that, / Besides, In spite of + noun phrase/ -ing/ the fact that…
At first sight … but in fact, Despite + noun phrase/ -ing/ the fact that…
Apparently (al parecer), / the fact is that, / As a In contrast,
matter of fact,
For example… For instance… A case in point EXPRESSING BALANCE
is… (un caso que lo explica es) Some people… while/whereas others …
Clearly, / Obviously, / Needless to say, / As On the one hand … on the other hand…
everyone knows, While it is true that… / that maybe so, but,
surely…
FOLLOWING A LOGICAL ARGUMENT On the positive side... On the negative side
Therefore, / Consequently, / As a result, /
Thus, / Hence, / For this reason, EXPRESSING OPINIONS
For one reason or another, / Up to a point, In my view, / In my opinion, / It seems to me
In general, / As a rule, / On the whole, that… / As I see it, / To my mind,
In a way, / In a sense, / In some sense, (e.g. In I think/feel that … / I can honestly say that…
some sense I agree with you, but not entirely) As far as I am concerned, / As far as I know, /
In particular, / Especially, For all I know, / To the best of my knowledge,
Let alone (aún menos) / Not to mention (por It is my firm belief that
no decir). I would dispute the claim that
In other words… (en otras palabras). In any It is probably true to say that
case… (en cualquier caso) It is true to some extent that
Things being as they are… It cannot be denied that
It would be wrong to argue that
INTRODUCING ADDITIONAL There can be no doubt that
INFORMATION It is simply not the case that
Both … and / not only … but also … It is difficult to accept the idea that
In addition, / additionally, / in addition to this, /
What is more, / Furthermore, /Moreover,/ Saying what other people think
likewise, It is widely believed that
If this were not enough, / To make matters It is generally agreed that
worse, No one would dispute the fact that
Above all, / On top of all this, Few people would contest (/kənˈtest/oppose)
In these circumstances, / (the fact) that
B2.2 WRITING: DISCURSIVE ESSAY Cira Fernández

Few people would dispute (the fact) that

Some people feel that
Others argue that
There are those who argue that
It has been suggested that
It is often claimed that
Opponents/ Supporters/ Proponents
(supporters) of (bullfighting) argue that

Referring to sources
All the evidence/research suggests/shows that
A recent survey proved that
Judging by the comments made by
Interviews with (students) have revealed that
REACHING CONCLUSIONS / SUMMING UP
In conclusion, / To conclude, / To sum up, / On
balance,
All in all, / All things considered,
Taking everything into consideration, there are
some good arguments for…

On balance: after considering all the

information.
E.g. On balance, the company has had a
successful year.