172 WRITING COACH An essay is an academic piece of writing in which you inform/convince the reader of a certain point of view, outline a problem or discuss an issue considering different aspects. It is usually written as part of an exam or a competition and read by a teacher or a jury. The language is neutral or formal, and the reader is not addressed directly with (rhetorical) questions. There are no contractions, and personal pronouns (I, you) should be avoided. Essay Essays in a nutshell Layout Title Paragraphs Organisation Introduction: Include your thesis statement. Main body: Address and develop the content points. Start a new paragraph for each content point with a topic sentence, followed by supporting details. Conclusion: Summary An essay consists of the following parts: Title: stating the topic It should be factual, precise and make clear what the essay will discuss, ideally foreshadowing the writer’s opinion. Introduction: thesis statement The first paragraph introduces the topic. It ends with a thesis statement that should present the arguments you intend to develop in the main body. Main body: explaining and proving the thesis statement The body consists of paragraphs (developing the content points) in which you discuss your arguments in detail. Each paragraph builds on one argument that reflects your opinion. You start a paragraph with a topic sentence and support it with relevant details (evidence, examples, explanations). Your argument might become even more convincing if you start your topic sentence with a rebuttal (counter argument) and wrap up your paragraph by linking the last sentence to the topic sentence. Conclusion: summary The conclusion summarises and paraphrases (to show your command of the language) your opinion based on the arguments given in the main body. It does not introduce additional/new ideas. Sample task A think tank of international traffic experts is discussing the current popularity of e-scooters, wondering whether e-scooters will solve traffic problems in the future. They want to get young people’s opinions on this and are asking for essays. You have decided to send one in. In your essay you should discuss: how convenient e-scooters are the danger they pose to people their impact on traffic Give your essay a title. Write around 400 words. Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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