"Our lifestyles are less healthy than our grandparents'"
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The essay effectively addresses the prompt by discussing how modern lifestyles are less healthy than those of grandparents, providing relevant reasons and examples. Key strengths include a clear identification of the issues and a logical structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, critical areas for improvement include enhancing the development of arguments with clearer examples and improving the flow of ideas through better transitions. Structural changes made include correcting grammatical errors, improving coherence with cohesive devices, and refining vocabulary to avoid repetition and spelling mistakes. Suggestions for further improvements not implemented in the corrected version include expanding on specific health impacts of unhealthy eating and sedentary behavior, as well as incorporating a wider range of vocabulary. The tone used is appropriate for an academic essay, maintaining a formal and analytical style.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the flow of ideas is somewhat disjointed, and transitions between points could be smoother. For example, using cohesive devices like 'Moreover' or 'In addition' could enhance the connection between ideas. Improving the logical sequencing of arguments would also help.
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, such as incorrect verb forms ('have to working', 'to making'), subject-verb agreement issues ('peoples lifestyles'), and awkward constructions. While the meaning is generally clear, these errors affect the overall accuracy. To improve, the writer should focus on using correct grammatical structures and varying sentence types.
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 instances of repetition (e.g., 'people' and 'lifestyle'). There are also some spelling errors (e.g., 'excersize', 'fastfood', 'factorys') that detract from the overall quality. To improve, the writer should aim to use a wider range of vocabulary and ensure correct spelling.
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 discussing how modern lifestyles are less healthy than those of grandparents, providing relevant reasons and examples. However, the argument could be more developed with clearer examples and a more structured approach. For improvement, the writer could elaborate on specific health impacts of unhealthy eating and sedentary behavior.
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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