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
This is the third sample article that conforms to the writing section requirements of the ECPE (Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English) of the University of Michigan.
Reading a variety of articles will help candidates and ESL students acquire a better understanding of what such types of writing involve. As mentioned in the first post to deal with articles, there are a number of points candidates need to bring to the table when it comes to writing. The main ones are:
- argumentation
- organization of paragraphs
- development of one's reasoning
- wide range of grammatical structures
- lexical range
- authorial voice
Creating a solid piece of writing that will combine all these points requires a lot of hours spent reading
other people's work and getting a feel for the way a writer creates a connection not only with the subject discussed, but most importantly with the recipient of his or her statements, in other words, the reader.If you haven't done so already, read What do I do with the sample writing found on this blog? to get the most out of these types of posts.
Here is the question (found in Practice Tests for the ECPE Book 1 (revised 2021 version).
The government has announced plans to invest a lot of money to produce children’s educational programming for TV and the Internet. Write an article for a local news website explaining the impact this will have on children and your opinion of it. Include at least one piece of information given above to support your response.
The prompts accompanying the question were:
- a pie chart entitled "Screen Time Among Children Aged 1-9 years", with the following data
- 49.2% watches more than 1 hr per day
- 43.3% watches 1 hr or less per day
- 7.5% watches no TV
- a statement by US Congress: " All TV stations in the US must provide at least 3 hours of programming per week to educate and inform children."
- a statement based on a medical university study that says "Too much screen time is not good for kids."
Here is the sample article, long by all accounts, which is over 700 words. I always say that giving candidates more is better than giving them less. It's hard trying to get them to read online articles by themselves, so at least the one or two articles per week they have to read as part of their preparation ought to be substantially sizeable.
Children’s Educational Programs: Should I Have Some More Please?
“If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain” Frances Bacon wrote in his Essays in the 17th century. How, you might ask, does this relate to children’s education nowadays? Well, put simply, when children refuse to spend extra time learning after school, then bring the learning to them in ways they will enjoy. This is the thought behind the initiative set out by US Congress which aims to introduce at least three hours of educational programs on all TV stations, a trend which will also undoubtedly continue to a great extent online. Will this impact the young? Most definitely. Do they stand to gain much from government investment in televised and online educational programming? Yes and most categorically no, to be precise.
To begin with, there are those who perceive the benefits in the production of such children’s educational programs. More educational material for children to assimilate will be made available which translates to more hours being spent constructively learning new things. Because of the fact that this material will be available outside school hours, children will have the opportunity to continue “schooling” outside school premises. This also means that whichever part of the syllabus cannot be covered by teachers, either because the teacher has not prepared for it or there is limited time, becomes available. A third point in favor is the format that knowledge can take. Youngsters now can enjoy audio-visual content instead of reading through 2D textbooks or listening to one person recite facts and figures in front of a class. Lastly, as slightly over 92% of children already get at least an hour’s worth of screen time per day according to a recent study, why not give them something productive to watch during that time?
On the other hand, on the surface of things, things aren’t as rosy as they seem. Based on research carried out by medical university scientists, too much time spent in front of a screen “is not good for kids.” Screen radiation is a proven hazard which leads to dryness of the eyes and other eye disorders, while sedentary learning habits lead to childhood obesity and lack of proper social skills. It could be argued that adding three hours of educational programming per week is not that dramatic a move so as to increase obesity rates among children, but unfortunately if these hours are added to the hours children already spend playing or chatting to their friends online on a daily basis, then at some point this added screen time will take its toll. Add to this the question of whether we want our children to set their priorities along the lines of gaining knowledge and building up a long list of qualifications, or living a happy childhood and leading fulfilled lives. Where has all the fun of being a kid gone? Do parents even realize they are responsible for the lack of fun in children’s lives? Providing parents with educational programs their children can watch outside of school hours is like handing them a get out of jail free card they can use to spend time completing other tasks while dodging the guilt about not spending time teaching their offspring something useful.
So, all in all, should we applaud the money the government plans to allocate on educational programs or not? I would say it would be better spent on building up schools by bolstering facilities, improving the syllabus and making more equipment available to teachers so that children can actually enjoy waking up in the morning and going to class. Kids already have enough on their plate and need to redirect their attention away from screens. Although providing educational shows on TV or the internet cannot be condemned as a step in the wrong direction, the money invested in such an endeavor would best be spent on fortifying schools instead of giving parents, teachers and children another excuse to make the latter dedicate more hours sitting in front of a TV set or tablet rather than enjoying the fresh air and carefree days of their youth. In a parallel literary universe, instead of Oliver Twist asking for more education, he had better question the logic behind it.
For more sample writing, click on the image below.
