Writing Part 1 - An essay

Read this advanced student's essay and divide it into four paragraphs.
Methods students should adopt to select the right university
I'm sure that choosing what to study at university is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make in
your life. This is because if you make the right choice, a successful future is probably guaranteed. But
making the wrong one can be a catastrophe at the end of the day. So how can you ensure success? To
start with, I believe you should get as much information as possible. A good way is to talk to people who
are already attending the course you are interested in, to find out what their experience of it has been. Ask
about how it's taught and whether they benefit from the lectures and seminars. Check how many contact
hours they have per week, and whether they can cope with all the work they get. Another thing you can
do is to go online; you can also find the information you need in forums and chat rooms. And, examine
your motivation for doing the course. Be very clear what you yourself think about whether you are doing it
just for interest and enjoyment, or to qualify for a career. So, if after you've done what I suggested you are
still unfortunate enough to find you've made the wrong decision, I think the best thing you can do is to talk
to your tutors and find out whether it is possible to move to another course.

Now, rewrite the essay, replacing the words and phrases in italics with one of the more formal expressions in box A.
You should also replace the verbs underlined with one of the more formal verbs in box B.
A almost certainly assured an alternative despite following this advice finally
find the workload manageable firstly howeverin addition in my opinion
in your own mind purely one method of doing this the teaching methods
there is no doubt that ultimately prove disastrous

B analyse establish gather inquire locate require transfer

Read the essay task below.

1. Discuss the topic of the essay with a partner, using your own experience of schools or universities.
2. Do you agree with any of the opinions expressed?

You have taken part in a seminar discussing how schools and universities can help to make the exam
period less stressful for students. You have made the notes below.

How can schools and universities help to ensure that students do not suffer from stress during
the exam period?
support from tutors
a structured revision timetable prior to exams
time for relaxation and leisure activities

Some opinions expressed in the seminar

'Students need to remember that there is more to life than exam success.'
'Revising for 24 hours a day before exams doesn't necessarily lead to success,'
'You won't do well on the day if you feel stressed.'

Write an essay discussing two of the methods in your notes. You should explain which method you
think is more important for schools and universities to adapt, providing reasons to support your
answer. You may, if you wish, make use of the opinions expressed in the seminar, but you should use
your own words as far as possible.

Which of the following paragraph openings would be appropriate for this essay and in which paragraph (1-4) would each
of these fit best?
1. One way in which schools can help is ... Para 1: Introduction showing the writer's general
2. Both of these methods... approach to the topic
3. I feel incredibly stressed out when ... Para 2: One of the methods
4. Firstly, ... Para 3: The second method employers could use
5. For many students, exams are ... Para 4: Conclusion: the writer's opinion
6. Another method ...
7. Exams don't bother me much ...
8. In my opinion, the more important ...
9. Exam stress is a problem which ...
10. In addition, ...