In the minds of ESL exam candidates, e ssay writing is one of the most daunting tasks they are required to complete, regardless of the level of the exam, the administering body or the ease with which they themselves use the language. The same applies to students who are asked to write an essay by their teachers at school. In the previous sample essays posted on the blog, the main point I stress is the need to become acquainted with this form of writing (as opposed to writing a letter, review or report, for instance), to get a feel of what authorial voice is and how to organize and progressively express the arguments you wish to make in a coherent manner. Unfortunately, the best way to prepare for exam writing or learn how to write good essays for school is to read as many essays from as many sources as possible, then write as
To get the most out of these sample essays and letters, please read "What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog?" before reading this blog entry.
The following letter is an example of how examination candidates could tackle the subject of planning a fund raiser. The sample has been modeled on the University of Michigan Examination for the Certificate of Competency in English (ECCE) Task 1 question of the Writing section available on page 110 of the Hellenic American Union's ECCE Practice Examinations book (Book 1).
The rubric has informed candidates the one of the poorest countries in Africa, Mozambique, has been devastated by floods, with hundreds dead and thousands homeless and starving. The newspaper The City Times has set up a relief fund welcoming donations of money, food, clothes and medicine.
Candidates are to write a letter explaining how their school or workplace is planning to raise money for the newspaper's flood relief fund through fund raising events they have decided to organize.
The letter should begin with "Dear Editor".
If you haven't already done so, read this post B2 Writing: The Basics
Dear Editor,
Having
read your article in The City Times, as a 15-year-old junior high school
student, I would like to inform you that St. Andrew’s High School plans to
raise money for the Mozambique Flood Relief Fund in a number of ways.
To
begin with, we have decided to hold a bake sale in two weeks’ time, on
Saturday, March 12. Students will bring home-made cakes, biscuits or other
sweets at the school and there will be stands outside the front entrance where
these delicious things will be sold. Each student can set a price, though it is
recommended that cakes be sold €10 each, while cookies and candy for €1 each.
In
addition to this, we are planning an Arts Night next month. After many
volunteers from the student body as well as faculty came forth to offer their
creative talents, the student council has fixed the date for this evening of
the arts for April 5. Students and faculty members will participate in singing,
dance and drama performances, skits, poetry readings and there will even be a
creative writing contest. We want to ask our community to spread the word and
invite them as well as their family and friends to contribute to our effort to
raise money by buying tickets to our show.
Mozambique has been devastated by the floods and the people
there are struggling to survive. St. Andrew’s has decided to come to their aid
and asks that everyone support us in this endeavor to raise money for the
needy. We would like to thank everyone in advance for their help and are
certain that our two fund-raising events will be a success.
Yours
faithfully,
Kelly
Compton
For more sample letters or essays, click on the image below.
