Some people think that competitive sports have a positive effect on the education of teenagers while others argue that the effect is negative. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The essay effectively addresses the task by discussing both views on the impact of competitive sports on teenagers' education and presents a clear personal opinion. Key strengths include a well-structured format with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, as well as appropriate vocabulary that conveys the intended meaning. However, critical areas for improvement include enhancing the development of ideas with more specific examples and a deeper exploration of the arguments, as well as improving transitions between contrasting views. Structural changes made include refining the topic sentences for clarity, adding transitional phrases like 'Conversely,' and varying vocabulary to avoid repetition. Suggestions for further improvements not implemented in the corrected version include incorporating statistics or studies to strengthen arguments and varying sentence structures for greater complexity. The tone used is appropriate for an academic essay, maintaining a formal and objective stance throughout.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The essay is generally well-organized, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Ideas are logically sequenced, and cohesive devices are used appropriately. However, the transitions between some ideas could be smoother. For example, using phrases like 'On the other hand' or 'Conversely' could improve the flow when contrasting the two views.
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 good range of grammatical structures, with mostly accurate usage. There are minor errors, such as 'teenagers education' which should be 'teenagers' education,' and some awkward phrasing, but these do not significantly impede understanding. To improve, the writer could focus on varying sentence structures and ensuring grammatical accuracy in all instances.
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 effectively. There are some instances of repetition, such as 'students' and 'education,' which could be varied with synonyms or paraphrasing. Additionally, incorporating more sophisticated vocabulary could enhance the overall quality, such as using terms like 'academic performance' or 'extracurricular activities.'
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 impact of competitive sports on teenagers' education and presents a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas could be enhanced with more specific examples and a deeper exploration of the arguments. For instance, including statistics or studies on the impact of sports on academic performance could 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
Related Writing Samples
Many people believe that social networking sites (such as Facebook) have had a huge negative impact on individuals and society. To what extent do you agree?
Whether or not someone achieves their aims is mostly a question of luck. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
We have become a disposable society, preferring to buy new products rather than fixing existing items. What are the causes of this trend and what are the possible solutions?
The tendency that news reports in media focus on problems and emergencies rather than on positive developments is harmful for individuals and the society. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Today single-use products are still very common. Why is this? What are the problems associated with this?
In the future, more people will choose to go on holiday in their own country and not travel abroad on holiday. Do you agree or disagree?