IELTS Writing Task 2
Essay Topic: Distant Learning
Example Answer by Jeenn Lee Hsieh
海外教师谢振礼 通信讲座
信箱答疑 ielts360toefl@hotmail.com
IELTS Essay Prompt:
More and more colleges and universities are offering courses via distant learning. Distance learning has many benefits, but there are also drawbacks, and not every learner will be suited to this mode of study. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience to support your opinion.
Sample Essay (Jeenn Lee Hsieh):
While some are suitable for distance learning, most students prefer to go to colleges or universities and study for their careers in the traditional way. It is true that the advent of the Internet as a learning medium has helped to create distance-learning attractions world-wide; however, is it really possible to learn from home? What, then, are the advantages and disadvantages?
Distance learning benefits in particular those students who, for different reasons, are not able to physically take courses regularly on the campus. As the number of courses in this mode has increased a great deal in the past years, there are chances to receive the higher education from academic institutions all over the world. Nowadays, with a computer and an Internet connection, students can follow these courses from the comfort of their home. Among other advantages, learners can learn at their own space. That is to say, the content of the course can be viewed and read online again and again. It seems that all that is required in distant learning is a strong motivation to study as well as a good learning environment at home.
Nevertheless, things are not as positive as they seem because there are several obvious disadvantages to today's distant learning or what used to be called 'correspondence learning'. To begin with, learners are isolated and they seldom meet fellow students. What is more, it is difficult for them to get quick feedback on course work from tutors. In a worse case, they often have to wait some time before tutors can answer their questions, especially during technology break-downs. Apart from these drawbacks, it can also be hard to fit time for study into a busy working or family life. No wonder, some people who have tried this type of course, only to give up after a few weeks.
Given the choice, few learners would like to take distance learning seriously in order to become professionally successful in the future, considering that disadvantages clearly outweigh the benefits. Of course, distant learning may be an alternative mode to study on one's own without the need to leave home, and so what? As such, the goal to obtain a formal academic degree may remain a 'distant' dream.
(Essay created by Jeenn Lee Hsieh 谢振礼 ielts360toefl@hotmail.com )
写作概念复习：
>Do you AGREE or DISAGREE with the following statement?
*TOEFL>Use SPECIFIC reasons and examples and/or details (based on your knowledge or experience) to SUPPORT your answer.
*IELTS>Give reasons for your answer and include any RELEVANT examples and/or details from your own knowledge or experience to SUPPORT your opinion.
#Tips and Guidance:
Strong>Fast>Relevant
Structure=4 paragraphs 起承转合
起3承6转6合3=18 sentences
SPECIFIC reasons; RELEVANT examples to SUPPORT your answer (opinion)
Unity in Variety; Variety in Unity
Introduction>Say what you are going to say.
Body Paragraphs A+B> Say it (with evidence).
Conclusion>Say what you have said.
#雅思 IELTS (handwriting): 40 minutes
>250-360 words
planning=8 minutes
producing=27 minutes (1.5 min. x sentence)
proofreading=5 minutes
#托福 TOEFL (keyboard): 30 minutes
>300-360 words
planning=7 minutes
producing=18 minutes (1 min. x sentence)
proofreading=5 minutes
TOEFL/IELTS Essays: Scoring Standards
托福-雅思作文：评分标准
Development and Organization>Unity
Thesis: well focused
Structure: well organized
Content: well supported
Grammar and Vocabulary>Variety
Rhetoric: language effectiveness
Syntax: sentence variety
Lexicon: word choice
>TOEFL iBT Independent Writing Task: Scoring Standards
Typical Task>Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Use specific reasons and examples and/or details (from your knowledge or experience) to support your answer.
Rating the independent writing essay on overall writing quality, including development, organization, grammar and vocabulary. The writing task is rated from 0 to 5, converted to a scaled score of 0 to 30. An essay (top score) at this level largely accomplishes all of the following:
effectively addresses the topic and task
is well organized and well developed, using clearly appropriate explanations, exemplifications, and/or details
displays unity, progression, and coherence
displays consistent facility in the use of language, demonstrating syntactic variety, appropriate word choice, and idiomaticity, though it may have minor lexical or grammatical errors
>IELTS Writing Task 2
Typical Task>Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience to support your opinion.
An essay at the level of Band 9:
Task Response (TR) >fully addresses all parts of the task >presents a fully developed position in answer to the question with relevant, fully extended and well supported ideas
Coherence and Cohesion (CC) >uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention >skillfully manages paragraphing
Lexical Resource (LR)>uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as 'slips'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) >uses a wide range of (sentence) structures and full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as 'slips'
#3663=18 sentences
Introduction>(narrowing the scope of the essay topic) from general to specific
1. Thesis statement (which presents your position to answer the essay question)
2. Focus (on specific reasons or ideas)
3. Signposts A and B (which reveal the topic sentence A for Body A, and the topic sentence B for Body B.
Body A>(Developing) Signpost A
4. Topic Sentence A
5. Explanation
6. Example
7. Details
8. Example
9. Details
Body B>(Developing) Signpost B
10. Topic Sentence B
11. Explanation
12. Example
13. Details
14. Example
15. Details
Conclusion>(extending the scope of the essay topic) from specific to general
16. Signpost A+Signpost B
17. Focus
18. Thesis
