In recent years, many small local shops have closed because customers travel to large shopping centres or malls to do their shopping. Is this a positive or negative development?
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The essay effectively addresses the prompt by arguing that the closure of small shops is a negative development. Key strengths include a clear structure with distinct paragraphs and relevant points made in each. However, critical areas for improvement include the need for more specific examples to support the arguments and the correction of grammatical errors, particularly in verb forms and subject-verb agreement. Structural changes made include the addition of transitional phrases like 'Furthermore' and 'Additionally' to improve coherence and the correction of spelling errors. Suggestions for further improvements not implemented in the corrected version include incorporating more varied vocabulary to avoid repetition and providing specific examples of unique products offered by small shops. The tone used is appropriate for an academic essay, maintaining a formal and persuasive style throughout.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The essay has a logical structure with clear paragraphs, but the flow could be improved. Some transitions between ideas are abrupt. Using cohesive devices more effectively, such as 'Furthermore' or 'In addition,' would enhance the overall coherence.
How to improve:
- Use a clear paragraph structure
- Connect ideas with appropriate linking words
- Maintain logical progression
- Use referencing effectively
What this means:
The essay contains several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('shops closed' should be 'shops have closed') and incorrect verb forms. While the meaning is generally clear, these errors affect the overall accuracy. To improve, the writer should focus on proofreading for common mistakes and varying sentence structures.
How to improve:
- Use complex sentence structures
- Maintain grammatical accuracy
- Use a variety of sentence patterns
- Check for common grammar errors
What this means:
The vocabulary used is generally appropriate, but there are some repetitive phrases, such as 'small shops' and 'malls.' To improve, the writer could use synonyms or varied expressions, like 'local businesses' or 'shopping centers.' Additionally, there are some spelling errors (e.g., 'loose' instead of 'lose,' 'familys' instead of 'families,' 'enviroment' instead of 'environment') that detract from the overall quality.
How to improve:
- Use a wider range of vocabulary
- Demonstrate awareness of collocations
- Avoid word repetition
- Use more sophisticated vocabulary accurately
What this means:
The essay addresses the prompt by arguing that the closure of small shops is a negative development. However, it could be improved by providing more specific examples and a clearer structure. For instance, elaborating on how the loss of local shops affects community identity would strengthen the argument.
How to improve:
- Address all parts of the task fully
- Support ideas with specific examples
- Develop each point thoroughly
- Stay relevant to the topic
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