Skip to main content

Hot Off The Press

C2 Sample Essay 39 (School or family shapes one's personality)

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

B2 Sample Writing 10 (Letter / Email - Living with Grandparents)

https://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/2019/02/b2-sample-letter-grandparents.html
The following sample letter has been written so that exam candidates for a B2 level English examination (FCE now called First for Schools, ECCE, IELTS - 5.5 / 6.0, MSU-CELC, ESB, LRN) can get some ideas about how to organize and argue their writing. 

 First take a look at how to use the sample essays and letters that appear on this blog by reading the following post:


What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog?

   

Remember: such topics can also be used to start class discussions, so teachers might also want to read on to get ideas about a class activity they could set up to improve students' oral skills.

 

 
This particular question has been taken from an ECCE textbook which means that the rubric contains an introductory situation and then the question itself. The length of the sample letter that follows is approximately what examiners would expect to be completed in half an hour's time.

Here's the rubric: 



Dear Amber,


I have a problem with my grandparents. They live with us and when I was little, I was happy to have them around. Now, we have more problems. For example, they always complain about my clothes and my music. They embarrass me in front of my friends by treating me like a child. In general, they don’t seem to understand me at all. I love my grandparents, but they are making my life really difficult! What can I do?

Sincerely, 
Struggling with grandparents


























Write a letter to Struggling with grandparents giving advice and offering suggestions as to what you think they should do to make living with grandparents easier. Start your letter: Dear Struggling with grandparents.


Sample Letter


Dear Struggling with grandparents,



                  Having read about the difficulties you are having with your grandparents, I believe as a 15-year-old with similar problems that I can help you with some advice on the matter.

                  To begin with, there are some things you can do to make living with them easier. First of all, try talking calmly to them, without insulting them, and express how hurt you feel when they embarrass you or when they look down on you, your music, and the style of clothes you choose to wear. Try to remind them about how they were when they were your age, how often they were upset when they did things others did not approve of, and how they felt when they were treated like minors. In addition to this, try to turn down the volume of your music when they are around – if they can’t hear it, they can’t complain about it.

                  On the other hand, you should also turn to your parents for help. After all, they’re your grandparents’ children, so if anyone knows how to handle them, it is certainly they. Explain to your parents that it’s their job to play the referee between your grandparents and you, and that if they talk to them, your grandparents will be more likely to listen.

           All in all, it is usually the case that grandchildren aren’t taken seriously because most teenagers don’t spend time with older people. Were you to spend time with your grandparents and let them get to know you, I’m sure they would see you as an individual, with intelligence and a personality that ought to be respected.



          Yours faithfully,


                             Jackie Smith



If you'd like to take a look at more B2 letters and essays or more articles related to B2 level matters, just click on the image below.

https://argutelegacy.blogspot.com/search/label/B2


Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Writing Letters of Complaint - Useful Phrases

Whether it's to complain about something you bought or a service you found was unsatisfactory, as part of your job or because you are preparing to take an exam in English at B2 or C2 level, it is a fact that you should know the basics about writing or even orally expressing your dissatisfaction.  The following post should help you organize your letter or email (even an oral statement, if necessary) as well as give you some useful phrases you can use.
Read more

Virginia Woolf - The Legacy (Overview)

When a wife dies and leaves her husband her diary, all is possible. In Gil bert Clandon's case, the legacy his wife leaves him is much more than he could ever have imagined.  Virgi nia Woolf signs an exceptional short story which questions the foundations of marriage, people's need for communication by any means possible a nd their inclusion in a mutually beneficial partnership . When one reneges on that contract, the other will seek new outlets to grow , as p ersonal d evelopment in any marriage is inevitable. If that development is undertaken without any consideration for one's spouse, then problems will unavoidably ensue.
Read more

Tobias Wolff - Powder (Overview)

"Powder" is a short story intended to quickly state the obvious - a father's bond to his son is always a difficult thing to forge when parents aren't on good terms with each other. The level of difficulty in achieving this increases as fathers aren't used to explicitly explaining to their sons that they are trying to forge a stronger bond at a particular moment in time to begin with. Accordingly, the complications the father in this particular story is required to overcome are not only the time constraints the mother has placed on the trip as a whole or the mistrust towards her husband she has allowed her son to bear witness to which the father feels he must compensate for, but also the disparity in character traits that father and son exhibit. Having read the story for the first time, students predominantly respond to the query "What was the story about?" either with "I didn't get it. Some father and son skiing" or "S...
Read more

Nadine Gordimer - An Intruder (Overview)

The short story An Intruder was incorporated in Nadine Gordimer's short story collection Livingston's Companions, published in 1970. As such, it must be read and viewed through the prism of her somewhat earlier works which dealt with South African society's inequality and the problems arising from the diseased status quo of the times. An Intruder focuses on relationships between characters and how perceptions of a situation differ in the eyes of each individual based on a combination of nature and nurture, or at the very least that is what Gordimer would have the reader gauge. What made James Seago what he is? Why is Mrs Clegg, Marie's mother, such a typical depthless wishful socialite with an exaggerated respect for higher social status? Couldn't Marie judge the merit of the man who treats her like a child or is she turning a blind eye to his behavior because it suits her? Whatever the answers to these questions, the one certainty we have is that the noti...
Read more

C2 Sample Essay 8 (Parenting)

Writing at C2 level (Proficient User) on English language examinations is the same no matter the awarding body when it comes to writing essays. If you are a candidate giving an exam in English (IELTS, CPE, ECPE, CELP, LRN, ESB, TOEFL), make sure you read my earlier post What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? to get the most out of the sample essays provided on Argute Legacy .     The topic of this essay is to discuss what the responsibilities of parenting are. If you are not taking an exam but need to discuss this topic, then read on and note down what you deem useful. If you intend to use this essay as part of an assignment, remember to paraphrase so as not to plagiarize. The topic is similar to what candidates expect in any other C2-level examination in that examiners want to see a well-organized, coherent and cohesive discussion of the issue with arguments and examples written in approximately half an hour. Whether or not you ...
Read more