Some universities offer online courses as an alternative to classes delivered on campus. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The essay demonstrates several strengths, including a clear position on the topic and relevant personal examples that support the argument. The structure is generally well-organized, with distinct paragraphs focusing on specific points. However, there are critical areas for improvement, particularly in grammatical accuracy and the use of cohesive devices. The revised version addresses grammatical errors and enhances transitions between ideas, improving overall clarity. Further improvements could include varying vocabulary to avoid repetition and providing more specific examples to deepen the exploration of both positive and negative aspects of online courses. 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 well-organized, with a logical flow of ideas. Each paragraph focuses on a specific point, contributing to the overall argument. However, the use of cohesive devices could be improved; for instance, transitions between ideas could be smoother to enhance clarity.
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 'this save lot of money' (should be 'this saves a lot of money') and 'this make it difficult' (should be 'this makes it difficult'). These errors affect the overall accuracy, but the meaning remains clear.
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 repetitive phrases, such as 'online courses' and 'students,' which could be varied for better lexical richness. Additionally, some phrases could be more sophisticated, such as replacing 'good university' with 'reputable institution.'
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 both the positive aspects and some challenges of online courses. It presents a clear position that online courses are mostly positive, supported by relevant examples. However, the development of ideas could be enhanced with more specific examples and a deeper exploration of the negative aspects.
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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