IELTSAcademicWritingTask2Activityteachersnotes

Description An activity to introduce Academic Writing task 2, involving task analysis, idea generation, essayplanningandlanguageactivation.Studentsarethenaskedtowriteanessayandto analysetwosamplescripts. Timerequired: Additional materials required: Aims: 130minutes(90100minutesforprocedure112.Followuptext analysisanother3040mins). NonealthoughyoumightliketoprepareOHTsofsampletask OHTsofWorksheets1,2,3and4photocopiesofWorksheet5and thesamplescripts. togivestudentspracticeinthemainstepsrequiredtowriteatask2 answer toanalysethetask,generateideas,consideridearelevance toreviselanguagefororganisingtheessay topractisewritingatimedessay toshowstudentshowtoassessessayscritically.

Procedure 1. ShowthesampletaskonanOHTtotheclass.Handoutworksheet1orshowiton anOHTandaskstudentstoworkinpairstodiscusstheiranswerstoit. 2. Holdawholeclassfeedbacksession,clarifyinganypointsasnecessary. 3. Askstudentshowmanysidestherearetothisquestion.Makesurestudentsrealise there arefour. Use an OHT of worksheet2 or draw four boxes onthe boardas in worksheet2andaskstudentstocopythemontoapieceofA4,orhandoutworksheet 2. 4. Askstudentstobrainstorminpairssomeideasandexamplesforeachbox. 5. Showworksheet3onanOHTorhandout.Askthepairsofstudentstodiscusswhich oftheseideasarerelevantforthisessay.Remindstudentsthattheywillbepenalised iftheyincludeideaswhicharenotrelevanttotheessayquestion. 6. Redividetheclasssothatnewgroupsoffourareformedwithstudentswhowerenot workingtogetherpreviously.Dothisbytakingfourpairsandaskingonestudentfrom eachpairtoformagroup.Ifclassnumbersdonotallowgroupsoffour,usegroupsof three.

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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7. Studentsnowpooltheirideasandorganisethemtoformaplan.Theyshould considerwhichideasgotogether.Perhapstheywillneedtodropsomeoftheideasif therearetoomany,sotheywillneedtoconsiderwhichideasarethemostrelevant andimportant. 8. Oncethegroupshavedecidedontheideastheywilluse,askthemtoconsiderwhich oftheirideasareclaimsorviewsandwhichonesaresupportingevidence.They shouldbesuretohavesupportingevidenceorexamplesforeachoftheirclaimsat thisstage. 9. Handout,orshowonanOHT,worksheet4.Asaclass,studentsthinkofasmany expressionsaspossibleforeachbox.Remindstudentsthattheywillbepenalisedif theydontclearlyorganisetheiressay,andiftheydontuseavarietyofthesetypes ofexpressions. 10. Addtotheworksheetasnecessarybygoingthroughitwiththewholeclass. 11. Students write theiressay under timed conditions (30 minutes, plus 5 minutes self checkingattheend). 12. Studentsexchangetheiressayswithapartnerandcheckthemagainbeforehanding themtotheteacher.

Additionalinformation Makeacopyoftheassessmentcriteriaavailabletothestudentsbeforethislesson. Iftimeandinterestallows,thefollowupactivitycanbedonebeforetheywritetheirown essayi.e.betweensteps10and11intheprocedure.

Suggestedfollowupactivities/questions(andanswers) 1.Handoutthetwosamplescriptsplusworksheet5eitherthesamedayorafollowingday. Alternativelyusetwoessaysthattwoofyourstudentshavewritten(askthestudentfor permissionfirst),plustheworksheet. 2.Askthestudentstoreadthesamplescriptsoressaysandcompletetheworksheetas theyread. 3.Studentsdiscusstheiranswersinpairsandthenasaclass. 4.Studentsapplythesamequestionstotheirownessay(ifthisisdoneasfollowup).

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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IELTSAcademicWritingTask2Activityanswerkeys
KeytoWorksheet1 1.Isthetextinnormalprintsimplyadvice,ordocandidateshavetofollowit? TheseinstructionsappearoneachAcademicWritingQuestionPaperandcandidatesneed tofollowthemsothattheyanswerthequestionscorrectly. 2.Aretheretwosentencesthatgivecandidatesinstructionshere? No.Therearefourseparateinstructionsinthisquestion: Spendabout40minutesonthistask Writeaboutthefollowingtopic. Givereasonsforyouranswerandincludeanyrelevantexamplesfromyourownknowledge andexperience. Writeatleast250words. TheseinstructionswillappearwitheachWritingTask2andtheremaybeotherspecific instructionsinthequestionitself.Candidatesshouldalwaysmakesuretoreadallofthe printedinformationcarefully. 3.Isthewritinginbolditalicsthequestioncandidateshavetoanswer? Yes.ForeachAcademicWritingQuestionPaper,theTask2questionitselfisprintedinbold italics. 4.DocandidatesonlyhavetoanswerthequestionTowhatextentdoyouagreeor disagree? No.Thethreesentencesbeforethiscontaininformationwhichtellsthecandidatestheexact topicthattheyneedtodiscuss.Theywillneedtopresentinformationwhichisrelevanttothe topic,inthisparticularcase,theadvantagesanddisadvantagesassociatedwithnuclear weaponsandnuclearpower.Anyviewsexpressedwillneedtobesupportedusing examplesorevidencewhicharespecificallyrelevanttothetaskset. StudentsneedtoanswerthequestionTowhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreebygiving theiropinion,havingevaluatedtherelevantprosandcons. 5.Isitenoughforcandidatestogivejusttheirownopinionaboutthistopic? No.Inthiscasecandidateshavetosayhowmuchtheyagreeordisagreewiththeuseof nucleartechnology,andforeachWritingTask2theymustbesuretofollowtheinstruction whichsaysGivereasonsforyouranswerandincludeanyrelevantexamplesfromyourown knowledgeorexperience. 6.Docandidateshavetopretendtobeaspecialistwhentheyarewritingtheir answer? No.Candidatesanswersshouldbeformalandacademicbuttheyarenotexpectedtobea specialistandshouldwriteinanonspecialistwaysothattheiranswercanbeclearly understoodbysomeonewithnospecialistknowledgeofthistopic.Thisisreinforcedbythe instructiontoincludeanyrelevantexamplesfromyourownknowledgeorexperience.

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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KeytoWorksheet2 Possibleideasare:

AdvantagesofNuclearPower Comparedtofossilfuels,nuclearpower is: cheapertoproduce quickertoproduce cleanertoproduce(e.g.nosmokeas thereisfromcoal) Itcannotrunout(comparedtoe.g.oil risingpricesasitisrunninglow)

AdvantagesofNuclearWeapons Thethreatofthemisenoughtostopwar breakingout(e.g.USAandformerSoviet UnionduringtheColdWar)

DisadvantagesofNuclearPower Possibilityofserioushealthrisksifnot handledcarefully(e.g.Chernobyl) Expensivetosetupinitially Poorimage

DisadvantagesofNuclearWeapons Onlyrichcountriescanaffordthem,leading toanimbalanceofpower(e.g.America) Incrediblydestructive Createsaclimateofdistruste.g.NorthKorea

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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KeytoWorksheet3 Theideasinthefirstcolumnareallirrelevanttothisessaywhilethoseinthesecondcolumn couldbeincluded.

Thedevelopmentofweapons throughhistoryAlthough weaponsarereferredtohere,itis onlyinthecontextofnuclear technology,soadiscussionof weaponsingeneralwouldbe irrelevanthere. Suggestionsforachievingworld peaceAlthoughworldpeaceis referredto,itwouldbeamistaketo concentrateonthistoomuchasit willinevitablyleadthewriteraway fromthetopicofnuclear technology.

Thedepletionofnatural resources Thisisonepossible reasonwhymorecountriesare consideringnuclearpowerandso isrelevant.

ThehighcostoffuelThiscan bearguedasareasonwhy cheaperpowersourcesneedtobe found.

Ourincreasingrelianceon moderntechnologyModern technologyisnotlinkedtothe themeofnucleartechnology.

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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KeytoWorksheet4 Introduction Today Thisissue/problem Generallyspeaking Causeandeffect Asaresult Becauseof Owingto So Since Giventhat Conclusion Inconclusion Finally Insummary Tosumup Therefore Thereseemstobelittle doubtthat Forexample Suchas Forinstance Acaseinpoint Oneexampleofthis Inthisway

And Also Inaddition Furthermore Moreover Whatismore Notonly ...butalso... Firstly... Secondly... Finally...

But However Although Despite Inspiteof Incontrast Nevertheless

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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KeytoWorksheet5 SampleScriptA THEINTRODUCTION 1. Doestheintroductiontell No,itcouldbemorefully youexactlywhatthe developedorclearer. topicis? 2. Doanyoftheideas Itisnotclearwhypresent needmoreinformation? sourcesofenergywill finish. 3. Whatconnectorshave beenusedtoimprove thecohesionofthe paragraph? THEBODYOFTHE ESSAY 1. Whatbenefitsofnuclear Thesameasthequestion Nothreatofpollution technologydoesthe +nucleartechnologycan limitlesseffectivefor writergive? helpinthefieldofmedicine industrialpurposes. andtheengineeringsector andnuclearrayscantreat cancer. 2. Arethebenefitsgiven differenttotheonesin thetitle? Someare. Yes. None. Yes,thoughthesecond sentenceintroducesanew idea. No. SampleScriptB

WhichDuringtheseyears but

3. Whatdisadvantagesof None. nucleartechnologydoes thewriterdiscuss?

Limitedonlytoafew countriesifmishandled thereisariskof contaminationtonearby population. Andthisisduetosincein factwhenandif...thenthe followingasstatedbefore theadvantagesarethat... thedisadvantagesarethat ...alsoasweallknowitis clearthatinconclusionso that

4. Whatconnectorsare usedtolinktheideas together?

Andthatiswhybecause thensothoughbuton theotherhandin conclusion

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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5. Isthereenough evidencetosupportthe writersclaimsand ideas?

No.Noexamplesgivenof disadvantagesno examplesofhownuclear technologycanhelpin engineeringcannuclear rayscurecancer?

Yes.

6. Doanyoftheideas needtobedeveloped further?

Yes(seeabove)+whydo Perhapsmoreinformation otherenergysourcesneed abouttheenergycrisisand largeinvolvementlike whatwillcauseit. works,machineriesetc? No. Theadvantagesare repeated.

7. Areanyideasrepeated toooften?

THECONCLUSION 1. Isitclearwherethe conclusionbegins? YesInconclusion... Yes.Inconclusion...andit thoughaseparate isalsomarkedwitha paragraphwouldbebetter. separateparagraph. No,theproblemsarenever Yes. discussed.

2. Doestheconclusion summarisetheideas usedinthebodyofthe essay? 3. IsthequestionDoyou agreeordisagree? answered? 4. Whatconnectorsare usedintheconclusion?

Notdirectly.

Thewriterspositionismade clearNuclearpoweris good. Inconclusionitisupto... sothat

Inconclusionbut

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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IELTSAcademicWritingTask2ActivityStudentsWorksheet1
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Isthetextinnormalprintsimplyadvice,ordocandidateshavetofollowit? Aretheretwosentencesthatgivecandidatesinstructionshere? Isthewritinginbolditalicsthequestioncandidateshavetoanswer? DocandidatesonlyhavetoanswerthequestionTowhatextentdoyouagreeor disagree? Isitenoughforcandidatestojustgivetheirownopinionaboutthistopic? Docandidateshavetopretendtobeaspecialistwhentheyarewritingtheiranswer?

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

IELTSAcademic WritingTask2ActivityStudents Worksheet1

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IELTSAcademicWritingTask2ActivityStudentsWorksheet2

AdvantagesofNuclearPower

AdvantagesofNuclearWeapons

DisadvantagesofNuclearPower

DisadvantagesofNuclearWeapons

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IELTSAcademicWritingTask2ActivityStudentsWorksheet3
Whichoftheseideascouldbeincludedinthisessay?

Thedevelopmentofweaponsthroughhistory Suggestionsforachievingworldpeace Ourincreasingrelianceonmoderntechnology Thedepletionofnaturalresources Thehighcostoffuel

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IELTSAcademicWritingTask2ActivityStudentsWorksheet4
Introduction Today Causeandeffect Asaresult Conclusion Inconclusion

And Also

But However

Forexample Suchas

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IELTSAcademicWritingTask2ActivityStudentsWorksheet5
LookatSamplescriptsAandBandanswerthefollowingquestions: SampleScriptA THEINTRODUCTION 1. Doestheintroductiontell youexactlywhatthe topicis? 2. Doanyoftheideas needmoreinformation? 3. Whatconnectorshave beenusedtoimprove thecohesionofthe paragraph? THEBODYOFTHE ESSAY 1. Whatbenefitsofnuclear technologydoesthe writergive? 2. Arethebenefitsgiven differenttotheonesin thetitle? 3. Whatdisadvantagesof nucleartechnologydoes thewriterdiscuss? 4. Whatconnectorsare usedtolinktheideas together? 5. Isthereenough evidencetosupportthe writersclaimsand ideas? 6. Doanyoftheideas needtobedeveloped
UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

SampleScriptB

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further? 7. Areanyideasrepeated toooften? THECONCLUSION 1. Isitclearwherethe conclusionbegins? 2. Doestheconclusion summarisetheideas usedinthebodyofthe essay? 3. IsthequestionDoyou agreeordisagree? answered? 4. Whatconnectorsare usedintheconclusion?

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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IELTSAcademicWritingTask2ActivitySampleTask
Sampletask AcademicWritingSampleTask2B

Youshouldspendabout40minutesonthistask.

Writeaboutthefollowingtopic.

The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power providescheapandcleanenergy.

Thebenefitsofnucleartechnologyfaroutweighthedisadvantages.

Towhatextentdoyouagreeordisagree?

Give reasonsfor your answer and includeany relevantexamplesfrom your knowledgeor experience.

Writeatleast250words.

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IELTSAcademicWritingTask2ActivitySampleScriptA

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Examinercomment

Band5 Although the script contains some good arguments, these are presented using poor structures and the answer is not very coherent.Thecandidatehasaclearpointofviewbutnotallthesupportingargumentsarelinkedtogetherwellandsometimes ideasareleftunfinished.Thereisquitealotofrelevantvocabularybutthisisnotusedskilfullyandsentencesoftenhavewords missingorlapseintodifferentstyles.Theanswerisspoiltbygrammaticalerrorsandpoorexpression.

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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IELTSAcademicWritingTask2ActivitySampleScriptB

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Examinercomment

Band7 Theansweriswellwrittenandcontainssomegoodarguments.Itdoestendtorepeattheseargumentsbutthewriterspointof viewremainsclearthroughout.Themessageiseasytofollowandideasarearrangedwellwithgooduseofcohesivedevices. There are minor problems with coherence and at times the expression is clumsy and imprecise. There is a wide range of structures that are well handled with only small problems in the use of vocabulary, mainly in the areas of spelling and word choice.

UCLES2009.Thismaterialmaybephotocopied(withoutalteration)anddistributedforclassroomuseprovidednochargeismade.Forfurther informationseeourTermsofUseathttp://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo

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