Some people believe it is important to know their personal strengths and weaknesses, while others think it is better to focus only on developing new skills. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The essay effectively addresses the task by discussing both perspectives on the importance of self-awareness versus skill acquisition, and it presents a clear opinion that prioritizes self-knowledge. Key strengths include a logical flow of ideas and relevant personal examples that support the argument. However, critical areas for improvement include grammatical accuracy, particularly with subject-verb agreement and preposition use, as well as the need for more varied vocabulary to avoid repetition. Structural changes made include correcting grammatical errors, enhancing transitions between paragraphs, and refining the conclusion for clarity. Suggestions for further improvements not implemented in the corrected version include incorporating more sophisticated vocabulary and complex sentence structures to enhance the overall quality of the writing. The tone used is appropriate for an academic essay, maintaining a formal and reflective style throughout.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The essay is generally coherent, with a logical flow of ideas. The use of cohesive devices is present, but there are moments where transitions could be smoother. For instance, the phrase 'However, I strongly believe...' could be better linked to the previous paragraph to enhance the flow. More varied cohesive devices could also improve the overall cohesion.
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 demonstrates a reasonable range of grammatical structures, but there are several grammatical errors, such as 'focus in learning' (should be 'focus on learning') and 'what we good at' (should be 'what we are good at'). These errors affect clarity and accuracy. More complex sentence structures could also be employed to enhance the grammatical range.
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 appropriate and conveys the intended meaning. However, there are some repetitive phrases, such as 'good at' and 'learning new skills.' To improve, the writer could use synonyms or more sophisticated expressions, such as 'proficient in' or 'acquiring new competencies.'
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 task by discussing both views on the importance of knowing personal strengths and weaknesses versus focusing on developing new skills. The writer provides a clear opinion that knowing oneself is more important for success. However, the argument could be strengthened with more specific examples and a clearer structure in the conclusion.
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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