Email Writing

An email well-written, is a message well-spoken –clear, polite, and never broken.”

Email writing is a modern form of communication that allows individual to have their
message sent quickly, clearly and professionally. Email writing is an essential part of modern
communication. In Paper 1: Directed Writing of the Cambridge O Level 1123 English
Language syllabus, Students may be asked to write an email as part of their Directed Writing.

Some common Email writing task requires the candidate to perform one or more functions,
such as:

 Making a request.
 Giving suggestions.
 Describing an experience.
 Making a complaint.
 Persuading or convincing someone.
Effective email writing reflects students’ ability to communicate purposefully and
appropriately. These emails are evaluated on content, organization, style/tone, and language
accuracy.

Some of the most commonly evaluated ideas in O level 1123 English language is to write to
authorities, these emails are formal in nature and the use of language, structure are according
tot he formality of the email.

However, emails can sometimes be persuasive or neutral for the audience, which provides
suggestions or balanced arguments, or, it also helps the reader make up their own mind about
the topic.

While writing an email in O level 1123 Exam it is important to know about certain key
strategies for effective email writing.

1. Understand the purpose and Audience: Your tone and choice of word depend on who
you are writing to and why.
Some important ideas are
  Identify id the email is formal or informal.
 Use suitable tone and level of language.
 Maintain clarity and relevance throughout.
a. Example: if you are writing to a principal to request permission for a school
event, your tone should be formal and respectful e.g.
Dear Principal,
I am writing to request permission to organise a cultural day on behalf
of class 10A.
b. If you are writing to a friend about weekend plans, the tone can be casual e.g.
Hey John,
Guess what? We’re planning a hiking trip this weekend! Want to join?
Note: Use the correct level of formality to suit the audience, especially in assessment tasks.

2. Use a clear and logical structure: Email should be easy to follow. Using paragraphs
and logical connectors will make it compact and concise for the examiner to
understand.
a. Structure Breakdown:
i. Subject Line- Summarize the email’s purpose- Clear and relevant
(“When you have written your headline, you have spent eight cents out
of your dollar.” By David Ogilvy).
b. Salutation:
i. Dear Sir/Madam (if you don’t know the name).
ii. Dear Mr. Ahmed (if you know the name).
c. Opening line – State the purpose of the email in the first line.
i. I am writing to express my interest in participating in the upcoming
cultural exhibition.
d. Body- Organize points logically using connectors. Use paragraphs for each
bullet point.
i. Firstly, I have prepared a dress walk of Chinese Culture.
ii. In addition, I will mimic the common salutation words in Chinese
culture.
e. Closing Line- End with a polite conclusion or request.
i. I hope you will consider my request. I look forward to your response.
f. Sign-Off-
 i. Yours sincerely
ii. Ali Raza.
3. Maintain Appropriate Language and Tone
In formal emails, avoid contractions, slangs, and emojis. Use polite and professional
language.
a. Formal Examples:
i. Don’t say: I wanna know if I can join.
ii. Say: I would like to inquire whether I can participate.
iii. Don’t say: Plz reply ASAP!
iv. Say: I would appreciate a prompt response.
4. Ensure Accuracy and proofread
a. Before submitting, re-read your email to fix errors in grammar, spelling, and
punctuation. Avoid repetition or irrelevant details
You can all read aloud for clarity and flow.
i. Examples of Errors: i hope you are fine. I want to join the trip its very
fun and i am excited.
ii. Corrected Version: I hope you are well. I would like to join the trip, as
it sounds exciting and educational.
Note: Errors affect your language mark. Always Proofread!

5. Stick to Word Limit and Be Concise: Avoid over-explaining or writing too vaguely.
If the question asks for 200-300 words, do not exceed it. Focus on what’s asked.
a. Too Wordy:
i. I think that maybe, if it is possible, we could probably have the event
next Friday because everyone might be free.
ii. Improved: I suggest holding the event next Friday, as most students
are likely to be available.
6. Use Appropriate Linking Words and Structure
Link your ideas smoothly to improve cohesion
a. Examples of Connectors:
i. Firstly, In addition, However, Therefore, Finally, as a result
ii. Example Paragraph: Firstly, I have experience managing events, which
will help in organising the event effectively. In addition, several
classmates have agreed to volunteer for the tasks.
7. Examples of Complete Emails (Formal & Informal)
a. Formal Email Example (Directed Writing)
Question: Write an email to your school principal requesting permission to
organise a charity fundraiser.
Subject: Request for Permission to Organise Charity Fundraiser
Dear Principal,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to request your permission to
organise a charity fundraiser on behalf of Class 10B.
The event will include a food stall, games, and a book sale, and all funds will
be donated to a local orphanage. We believe this will not only support a noble
cause but also promote teamwork among students.
Kindly let us know if we have your approval to proceed.
Yours sincerely,
Areeba Khan
b. Informal Email Example:
Question: Write an email to your cousin inviting him to visit you during the
holidays.
Subject: Let’s Plan a Holiday Together!
Hi Hassan,
I hope you’re doing well. Our school holidays are starting next week, and I
was wondering if you’d like to visit us.
We’re planning to go to Murree for a short trip and would love for you to join.
Let me know if your parents agree.
Can’t wait to catch up!
Take care,
Usman
O Level English Language – Directed Writing (Question 1)

How to Write a Letter (Formal and Informal)

In Question 1, you may be asked to write a letter. It can be:

- An informal letter to a friend or family member

- A formal letter to someone in authority like a principal or editor

You must use the ideas from the reading passage. Marks are given for writing in the right
style and tone, and for organizing your ideas clearly.

Informal Letter
This is a friendly letter to someone you know well — like a cousin, friend, or sibling. Even
though it’s informal, your grammar and spelling must still be correct.

Tips and Format:

- Start with: Dear [Name]

- Begin in a friendly way

Example:

- “Hope you are doing well.”

- “Sorry I didn’t write earlier – I’ve been busy with school.”

- Say why you are writing (this will be in the question)

- Use paragraphs

- One idea in each paragraph

- Follow the bullet points from the question

- End politely

Example:

- “Take care,”

- “Best wishes,”

- “See you soon!”

Do not use slang like “OMG” or emojis.

Formal Letter
This is written to someone you don’t know personally, like a headteacher, council member,
or newspaper editor. The style should be polite and serious.
Tips and Format:

- Start with:

- “Dear Sir/Madam” – if you don’t know the name

- “Dear Mr/Ms [Last Name]” – if the name is given

- “Dear Editor” – if writing to a newspaper

- Begin by saying why you are writing

Example:

- “I am writing to share my opinion about…”

- “This letter is about the poor condition of the library.”

- Use clear paragraphs

- One idea in each paragraph

- Explain your points clearly

- Use formal words (not casual ones)

- End with:

- “Yours faithfully,” – if no name used

- “Yours sincerely,” – if a name is used

No need to add address or extra layout formatting.

Sample Informal Letter

Question: Your cousin wants to join your school. Write a letter giving your opinion and
advice.

Dear Sana,

I was very happy to hear that you want to join my school! I think it’s a great idea, and I’m
excited to tell you more about it.

The teachers are kind and helpful. If you don’t understand something, they explain it again.
We also have fun clubs like sports, debates, and drama. I joined the writing club — it’s great!

The library is quiet and full of good books. I know you love reading, so you’ll enjoy it.

If you come here, I’ll show you around and introduce you to my friends. Let me know your
final decision.

Best wishes,
Ahmed

Sample Formal Letter

Question: You read about problems in the local library. Write a letter to the council with
suggestions.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to share my thoughts about our local library. I visit often and have noticed many
problems.

Many books are old or damaged. Some books are more than ten years old, and others have
torn pages. Also, the library closes early, so students don’t get enough time to use it.

I suggest that the council should buy new books and update the library. Also, extending the
opening hours will help many people. The chairs and lights also need fixing to make reading
more comfortable.

I hope you will consider these ideas and improve the library for everyone.

Yours faithfully,

Ali Hassan

Formal Letter: Books and Publication Problem (Simplified)

Question: You saw many damaged and old books in the library. Write to the council to
explain the problem and give suggestions.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to talk about the poor condition of books in our local library. Many books are
too old or damaged.

Some books are very outdated, especially in science and current affairs. A few books have
missing pages or broken covers. This is not helpful for students who come to study.

I think the library should:

1. Get a budget to buy new books every year

2. Remove old or damaged books

3. Start a book donation campaign in schools

These changes will help students and make the library more useful for the whole community.

Thank you for reading my letter.

Yours faithfully,

Hamza Ahmed
 Speech Writing
Format and Structure of Speech Writing
1. Speeches are to inform, share, support or persuade your audience
on certain topics/topics given to you in section A- Directed Writing.
2. Start with opening your speech marks: " " or both are fine.
3. Begin with greeting your audience. Keep in mind the type of speech
being delivered (formal or informal). For example: "Good morning
friends", "Hello", "Greetings my dear fellow peers", "Good evening
ma'am, respected teachers" etc.
4. A greeting should be followed by a brief introduction. E.g. "My name
is Sara and I am representing my class. I am a student of O-level
and my name is Awab. I am speaking on behalf of my staff members
or I hereby speak on behalf of my residential community" etc.
(depending on the type of speech, either formal or informal).
5. Do not confuse it with a debate. The motion of the house is...
6. Proceed by informing the audience about the purpose of your
speech. What is the speech about? "I am here with you to
discuss/inform/share/ask your views about the rising rates of the
edibles at our school canteen". "I would/will like to talk about
increasing issues on misconduct of my fellow peers on campus" etc.
7. Speech should be written in a way as it must be spoken. Thus, it is
the only genre in directed writing where the candidate is permitted
to experiment with the pattern of sentence structure (SVO) used as
a standard in English language. e.g. "On behalf of my class I would
like to speak on some imperative issues, never discussed before"
could be written as "There are some imperative issues, never been
discussed, ever, before here on campus, so on behalf of my entire
class, I would like to speak on those, today."
8. In an informal speech the candidate can use ellipses or fillers to give
it a realistic flavour. E.g. "hmm, Good morning! friends... my name is
SSara". The repetition of the letters highlights a stress given by the
speaker. And the speech begins with 'hmm', another technique that
shows whether the speaker is hesitant or either preparing himself to
begin his speech. Moreover, this technique may help to identify a
sense of anxiety or tension projected in the speech. Furthermore,
these are best suited in writing an informal speech.
9. NOTE: The fillers and ellipses should be used sparingly; otherwise, it
would give the impression to the examiner that the candidate is
deliberately using these tools to show the examiner of his
awareness of this technique.
 10. Writing a speech does not permit you to add 'slangs' or any
nonstandard form of English words like 'I wanna talk too ya', 'you
gotta luv it'.
11. Use inclusive pronouns like we, us, ours, ourselves to evoke a
sense of commonality/rapport between a speaker or writer and his
or her audience.
12. A speech must have rhetorical questions (those questions that
do not make your audience think hard about something) to show the
speaker is in immediate interaction with his audience. E.g. "I hope
you understand what I mean?", "I hope you all are doing well?", "do
you have any questions on this matter? I would love to answer
those".
13. Contractions are included. E.g. 'I'm here' instead of 'I am
here'.
14. In speech writing, make use of exclamation marks. This would
show stress being laid on some spoken words.
15. The candidate can italicize the words or use upper case like
'ARE YOU with me!' Other variations like underlining the sentence or
a particular word would suggest a rise and fall in intonation of the
speaker. And this would add a realistic feel to your speech.
16. Remember you have to write as if you are speaking to your
audience at present. Hence, whatever you write must show as if you
are in front of your audience; fully aware that speech writing differs
from other forms of written genres in this respect.
17. End your speech by thanking your audience for listening to
you. "Thank you all for being with me today. In an informal speech
you could add a joke stating how the audience had put up with you
for so long."
18. You may also end with asking them to present their queries on
the matter, for example "would you like to ask some questions? I
would appreciate to have a question answer session with you all".
19. In the end a simple 'Thank you and good evening,' "Thank you
and see you all again" would also be correct.
20. Remember not to exceed the word limit.
21. Do not forget to close the speech marks at the closing of your
speech, students often tend to forget it at the end.
Eight Key Steps to Improve Speech Writing
1. Strike the Right Tone:

Who is my audience? Why are they here? And what do they want? These
are the questions you must consider when writing a speech. Writing a
speech involves engaging the expectations of others, whether it’s to
inform, motivate, entertain, or even challenge. You must always get it
right.

2. Know Your Purpose:

Know what you want to achieve with your speech. There’s a reason why
you’re going to gather the audience. Share a specific story to captivate
them and communicate your feelings effectively.

3. Create a Strong Opening:

Capture your audience’s attention from the very start. Begin with a story
or a powerful quote that connects them to your message.

4. Be Clear and Concise:

Audiences want to hear from a speaker. A punch and a distinction! They

want to know what you’re talking about. As you write and revise, focus on
structuring and simplifying, rather than overwhelming, the audience with
complexity or confusion.

5. Repeat Yourself:

Remember, an audience may only remember a single line. There are

other rhetorical devices you can incorporate. Metaphors, similes,
analogies, and alliteration can help your points resonate and find their
place in the heart spot.

6. Seek Transitions:

Use transitions to recognize what is important. Think of these as bridges

between points in your speech. For example, take a rhetorical question
and elaborate on it with a pause. Silence emphasizes your point and
allows your audience to absorb what you’ve just drifted on. Similarly, “the
next point is the lesson” also captures the audience’s attention.

7. Keep It Short:
 Start with a strong story which means that one can say it far more by
using the minimum — an intriguing line. In other words, being brief is
impactful.

8. Make Your Ending Strong:

Make your closing story more strong to close the speech. This is a fact
that your audience will remember after your closing words. So, recap your
biggest takeaway. Your ending is what audiences will ultimately talk about.
Don’t hold anything back.

Sample Question and Response 1

Read both texts, and then answer Question 1 on the question

paper.

Text A: eSports in the Olympic Games?

eSports is the short name for electronic sports, where players play video
games against each other with fans watching them. This article discusses
whether eSports should be included in the Olympic Games.

eSports currently enjoys enormous attention and funding. Last year, the
global audience for eSports grew by millions with global revenue for the
eSports industry huge and still rising. In many countries, audiences pack
stadiums and concert venues to watch teams compete against each other
in a range of video game tournaments. People from around the world also
watch from the comfort of their homes thanks to entire channels
dedicated to streaming live footage of people playing video games.

Fans argue that eSports athletes are athletes in the real sense of the term
– citing shooting, archery and dressage as examples of Olympic sports
where the skills and talents of individuals are recognized. It takes
dexterity, intelligence, reflexes and coolness under pressure to succeed in
gaming. eSports athletes are legitimate competitors who happen to wield
a joystick. How’s that so different from a pole vault?

Experts on sports law are cautious: ‘Many sports want to get Olympic
recognition. It’s a public demonstration to the world, and a surge of
interest often follows. Although eSports is growing, that doesn’t
necessarily make it widely accepted. eSports is young, its players and
audiences are young, and the Olympics people as ‘fads’ or unimportant
activities. eSports is an opportunity for young people to take an existing
passion, competitive gaming, and make something of it, even earning a
living from it – after all, this is often given as a reason to celebrate and
support sports in general.

eSports, it is claimed, is the real deal. But arguments around popularity

and difficulty only go so far. Becoming a prima ballerina is so difficult it’s
virtually impossible: as a sporting endeavor it is far harder than qualifying
for the Olympics in any sport. Should dancing to Swan Lake be an Olympic
sport? No. This activity knows to stay in its own lane.

There’s a logistical problem too, one that threatens eSports as an Olympic

event far more than narrow-minded traditionalists like myself. The
different games played in various eSports competitions have definitive
lifespans and age quickly. Games are frequently replaced by sequels and
upgraded versions. It is an impressive effort to call playing video games
‘eSports’ and hope that saying it enough will convince people it is actually
a sport. But moving a joystick simply has no athleticism, physicality or
exertion – things that make something a sport. Competitive gaming
sounds good too, but no one is suggesting that features in the Olympics.

Text B: Resistance is futile: eSports is massive

This text discusses the popularity of eSports.

Imagine a stadium full of screaming fans. Zoom in on the contestants,

sweating from the intensity of the competition. This is not football,
basketball or boxing. It’s eSports, and the ‘athletes’ are headset-wearing,
energy-drink-guzzling video-gamers. Couldn’t happen? Think again.

More than 20 years after the first video game tournaments, top eSports
tournaments now draw audiences that rival the biggest traditional
sporting events; popular midweek live streams routinely attract more than
100 000 online viewers. Massive global brands have weighed in as
sponsors. Gaming is what every traditional sports league is desperate to
become: young, global, digital and increasingly diverse. eSports is here. It
is real. It is growing – and we have the numbers to prove it.

So how big is this gaming thing? Let us start with this: according to market
research so many millions of people watched or played eSports that if the
eSports nation were actually a real nation, it would be the fifth largest in
the world. eSports has long been biggest in Asia. Now North America and
Europe also claim tens of millions of eSports fans, with numbers growing
by 21 per cent a year.
The most popular video-streaming site boasts 55 million users and is
arguably the most important contributor to eSports’ growth. It offers
streams of games and tournaments, and access to gaming’s stars. It’s
also where the next generation of would-be gamers post their own
streams. Apparently someone’s watching.

Although the gamer stereotype is young, single, male and living in some
sort of basement, the reality is that more than half of eSports fans are
employed full time, 44 per cent are parents and 38 per cent are women.
eSports fans do tend to be young. Just 28 per cent are over 35, a selling
point to advertisers looking to reach the next generation of consumers.

People watch this thing? Well, in a word, yes. Today, eSports’ biggest
tournaments rival practically any sporting event.

Section A: Directed Writing

Read Text A and Text B in the insert and then answer Section A,
Question 1 on this question paper.

Question 1

Imagine you are a student at a school which is considering introducing

eSports as part of the sports curriculum

Write the speech you give to your school community, giving your views.

In your speech you should:

 evaluate the views and attitudes about eSports given in both texts
 give your own views, based on what you have read, about whether
eSports should be offered in schools
Base your speech on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to
use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to
350 words.

Sample Response 1
“Good morning my dear fellow students and respected faculty members, I
am Ali Afan of grade eleven and I feel immense pleasure standing on the
stage in front of you all to put light upon a very important matter related
to the inclusion of e-sports in the school's curriculum. Have you ever
imagined playing video games in school? Today, I stand before you all with
a long list of apprehensions and drawbacks, related to this integration of
technology linked with sports.
esports...a global event, is currently getting a huge revenue due to the
enormous attention and funding it has been receiving. However, it must
be noticed that it is considered as athletic as other sports for the players
display dexterity, intelligence, reflexes, and sportsmanship just like any
other athlete.

Dear audience, the market research has also announced that if esports
nation was a real thing, it would be the fifth-largest in the world. The
fandom keeps growing as even the video streaming site has declared to
have earned 55 million users due to the contribution of esports. Another
advantage is when students participate in any sports matches of
competitions, then they need good teamwork, cooperation, and
coordination.

However, I am afraid that gaming in school will imply a negative

connotation. Most students will spend more time playing them than they
spend on homework. And before I get the whole "you're clearly not a
gamer" Let me tell you, I do play computer games and have realized that
they don't belong as a subject in school. Kids these days are getting obese
enough without being encouraged to spend more time on computer
games. Another negative impact of esports is that the people who play
the games also try to implement them physically in real life which could
be dangerous and promote violent behaviour like PubG, Fortnite, or Call of
Duty. Playing games regularly would make students addicted to them and
would impact school work adversely.

Hence with these words, I conclude that esports must not be a part of the
school's curriculum as it will badly impact students' interest in the rest of
the subjects.

Thank you for listening!”

Article Writing

Overview:

The purpose of an article is often to inform and persuade the reader. Articles give the reader
information about a certain topic, bringing together and discussing different perspectives to
provide a balanced argument which lets the reader make up their own mind about the topic.
Articles can also be used to persuade the reader that a certain viewpoint is correct. For
example, articles in newspapers or magazines might express a particular viewpoint or
perspective; this may be positive or negative depending on the topic. The ways you use
language and organise your ideas when writing an article will depend on the audience and the
purpose you are writing for.

Tips for Writing a Good Article:

Language

 Think about the audience that the article is for – when writing an article, you do not
usually know your readers personally and so you will need to think about their likely
interests and experience before you write.

 How you expect, or want, your audience to react – remember that the tone of most
articles should be semi-formal, so before deciding on your tone imagine your article
being read out loud and how that might sound to your reader. For example, an article
reviewing a film may be humorous, even sarcastic, but that would not work well for
more serious readers or topics.

 The purpose for the article – is the purpose, or reason, for writing your article to
persuade your readers to agree with you or to invite your readers to think about
different points of view and decide for themselves? For example, do you need to
sound reliable and well informed, or choose words that strongly convey a particular
emotion?

 How to keep your readers interest – imagine how boring it would be for your reader if
you used the same kind of sentences and simple repetitive vocabulary all the way
 through your article. Try to include a range of grammatical structures and relevant
vocabulary to make sure that your reader wants to keep reading.

Organisation

 Plan a route through your article before you start writing it – the structure of an article
is usually in three parts. For example:

1. An introduction – engage your reader’s interest and introduce your argument or the
main points of the topic to be discussed.

2. A middle – develop relevant and interesting points about the topic to interest and/or
convince your readers to think about a particular perspective.

3. An end – draw your points together and leave your reader with a clear impression of
the argument you want them to believe or the viewpoints you would like them to
consider.

 Organize your ideas into paragraphs as appropriate – this will help you to develop and
support your points convincingly, to build your argument and offer a full explanation
of a particular point of view.

 Show your reader at a glance what your article is about – articles usually have a
suitable headline to attract their readers’ attention and you can choose to use
subheadings to help break your article up and move your reader on.

 Show the connections between ideas in sentences and paragraphs – for example,
where a new point or idea follows on from what you have already said you might use
linking words or phrases such as, 'in addition’, ‘likewise’ or ‘similarly’.

Article Structure

Article should be structured into five or six paragraphs:

 Remember, each paragraph does not have to be the same length

 Better answers vary the lengths of their paragraphs for effect

 Develop separate ideas or points in each paragraph

  But avoid repeating the same idea throughout your article

Format of Article Writing:

 Title (heading)

 By-line (the name of the writer)

 First paragraph (introduction)

 Second paragraph (first argument + evaluation)

 Third paragraph (second argument + evaluation)

 Fourth paragraph (third argument + evaluation)

 Fifth paragraph (conclusion)

Now let’s take a look at each of the above point in detail.

Title (heading):

This is the most important part of your article.

Steps to write a good title:

 Understand the topic.

Read the question carefully and find out what the examiner wants from you.

 Understand your audience.

Your target audience will help you write a good title because your headline can perfectly
target the emotions of your readers.

 Use “power words”.

Power words persuade the reader to keep reading your article. For example, Profound (for
happiness), Unforgettable (for memorability), Basic (for simplicity), Thrilling (for
excitement) etc.

Introduction and Body:

When writing an introduction, mention the purpose of your writing (why are you writing?).

When writing body, make one paragraph for each content point (the point to be covered that
is given the question).

Conclusion:

Thank your audience for reading your work, and reinstate the purpose of your writing.

Note that in conclusion, it is very important to provide a sense of closure.

Sample Article:

Question:

Write an article for your school magazine on the upcoming Cambridge exams preparation
tips. You should include the following points as well:

 How a revision schedule helps students?

 Feeling hopeful is better than being pessimist.

 The impact of studying habits on preparation.

Cover all three points in detail. You should make your article informative. Start your article
with a suitable title.

Candidates Response:

Acing the Exams

by: Adam Ryan

I truly appreciate your overwhelming feedback on my previous article. Therefore, I have

decided to provide some exam preparation tips to you. This is because of the upcoming
Cambridge exams this June.

First of all, it is essential to make a study schedule because it ensures the (proper) coverage
of the syllabus on time. As a result, the lengthy topics (in your syllabus) become manageable,
and the schedule keeps you aware of the future plans.
A schedule keeps you organized, and you do not have to panic about missing anything. This
is because it will help you use your time wisely and learn as much information as you can (in
the shortest possible time).

Apart, it is important to be stress-free before your exams. This is because exam fear does not
allow students to perform with their complete capabilities. Thus, their performance is
negatively affected.

This is the reason I advise you to adopt an optimistic and positive approach. It will ensure
that you are comfortable and ready to face all challenges in your exams.

The study techniques such as taking breaks, consulting your teachers and preventing
distractions (such as mobile phones) make a student more focused.

Similarly, these habits ensure healthy and quality learning, which is essential to ace
Cambridge exams. However, the practices such as only studying overnight can produce
unpleasant results in the examination.

To conclude, let me know what you think about these suggestions through your feedback.
Thank you for reading and article, and do follow these proven tips to get your desired results.

I wish you the best of luck with your upcoming exams.

Examiners Feedback:

(The strong aspects):

This article is a perfect sample to discuss some key points.

 Talking about the positive points of the response, it is started by a

proper heading (title) and a by-line. This shows that the student followed the
instruction given in the question.

The answer has 5 paragraphs (one for each content point along with an introduction and
conclusion) which are good.

 The article is relevant and follows the word limit (200 to 300 words).

Note that the article needs to be brief and to the point (as I mentioned earlier). One thing I
want to discuss over here is the introduction and conclusion.
Many students write a very lengthy introduction and conclusion. You should know that an
introduction should not be more than 4 to 5 lines. Similarly, keep your conclusion brief as
well.

Practise Question:

Your team recently won a sports competition. Your English teacher has asked you to write an
article about your success. You should include the following points as well.

 Which sports competition did your team win?

 What improvements made your team successful.

 How this victory helped your team.

Cover all the above points in detail. You should make your tone polite and informative. Start
your article with a suitable heading.

Connecting Words and Argumentative Phrases – Examples:

Expressing opinions: I agree / disagree with the above statement that

 In my opinion  I am against the idea of

 I believe that  It seems to me that

 I am in favour of  I sympathize with

Presenting and contrasting opinions: The main argument in favour / against is

 It is often said that  Moreover

 First of all, I should like to  Nevertheless

consider  And
 Apart from that  Or
 Even though  But
 Furthermore  Finally
 In addition  Lastly
  Despite the fact that/ In spite  What matters most in this
of case is

 On the other hand  It is a fact that

 On the contrary  Besides

 Whereas  After all

 What is more  There is no doubt that

Reasoning: Because of

 As a result of  Consequently

 Owing to  On account of

 Through  Therefore

 Due to  Hence

Concluding: To sum up

 To conclude  I believe that

 It can be concluded that  Thus, I am of the opinion

that

Argumentative verbs (use these instead of say/tell):

 Claim  Allege

 Assert  Suggest

 Insist  Point out

 Argue  Maintain