NECESSARY PREPARATION FOR BOOSTING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ESSAY WRITING COMPETENCE ARGUMENTATIVE(OPINION) ESSAY

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO NAM ĐỊNH
TRƯỜNG THPT A HẢI HẬU

BÁO CÁO SÁNG KIẾN
NECESSARY PREPARATION FOR BOOSTING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ ESSAY
WRITING COMPETENCE - ARGUMENTATIVE(OPINION) ESSAY

Tác giả : VŨ THỊ THU THỦY
Trình độ chuyên môn: Cử nhân SPNN
Chức vụ: Giáo viên
Đơn vị công tác: Trường THPT A Hải Hậu

Hải Hậu, tháng 5 năm 2015

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THÔNG TIN CHUNG VỀ SÁNG KIẾN
1. Tên sáng kiến :
NECESSARY PREPARATION FOR BOOSTING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’
ESSAY WRITING COMPETENCE - ARGUMENTATIVE(OPINION) ESSAY
2. Lĩnh vực áp dụng sáng kiến : Dạy và học viết luận tiếng Anh- Dạng bài nghị luận
3.Thời gian áp dụng sáng kiến : 2012-2015
4.Tác giả :
Họ và tên : VŨ THỊ THU THỦY
Năm sinh : 08/04/1980
Nơi sinh: Tân Thịnh- Lạng Giang- Bắc Giang
Nơi thường trú : Hải Hưng- Hải Hậu- Nam Định
Trình độ chuyên môn : Cử nhân Sư phạm ngoại ngữ
Chức vụ công tác : Giáo viên
Nơi làm việc : Trường THPT A Hải Hậu

Địa chỉ liên hệ : Trường THPT A Hải Hậu
Điện thoại : 0917515009
5.Đơn vị áp dụng sáng kiến :
Tên đơn vị : Trường THPT A Hải Hậu
Địa chỉ : Khu 6- Thị Trấn Yên Định –Hải Hậu- Nam Định
Điện thoại : 03503877089

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. THE SITUATION AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE STUDY
II. ACTUAL SITUATION
III. SOLUTIONS
1. Types of essay
2. Structure of an essay
3. Some steps of reaching a thorough essay
4. Some tips of essay writing
5. Suggestions of writing a good argumentative (opinion ) essay
6. Suggestions of identifying an argumentative(opinion) essay
7. Argumentative essay templates

IV. RESULT AFTER APPLYING THE STUDY IN TEACHING
V. PROPOSAL

REFERENCES
1. Reference

2. Some outlines of several argumentative essay topics

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I. THE SITUATION AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE STUDY
- Essay writing is a difficult skill in teaching and learning English at high schools.
- Teachers and students at high schools are in the period of getting used to new
English textbooks. Moreover, essay writing didn’t use to be the main part in class and almost
all exams, so a lot of us – teachers of English at high schools – have difficulty finding out
steps of teaching essay writing effectively.
- Some teachers haven’t been clearly aware of the roles of essay writing in teaching
and learning a foreign language.
II. ACTUAL SITUATION
- To introduce necessary preparation of essay writing .
- To show how to organize steps of essay writing effectively and how to deal with
initial problems that may arise.
- To give teachers and students confidence in teaching and learning essay writing,
especially argument(opinion) essay writing .
- Scope : This subject is concerned with ways of enhancing essay writing competence,
especially argumentative(opinion) essay writing. Researching in the process of teaching and
learning essay writing in English at Hai Hau A high school.
- Object: HaiHau A High School Students
- Methods: Reading reference books , discussing with other teachers, applying in
teaching, observing and drawing out experiences.

III. SOLUTIONS
1. Types of essays
1.1 The Descriptive Essay
2.1 The Definition Essay
3.1 The Illustration Essay

4.1 The Comparison/Contrast Essay
5.1 The Cause/Effect Essay
6.1 The Narrative Essay
7.1 The Process Analysis Essay
8.1 The Classification Essay
9.1 The Argumentative/Persuasive Essay
10.1 The Research Essay
11.1 The Critical Analysis Essay
2. Structure of an essay

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Essay Format

Capture attention – thesis statement

(paraphrase the essay statement)

Supporting idea 1
- topic sentence
-explanation/details
123Conclusion

Supporting idea 2
- topic sentence
-explanation/details
123Conclusion

(Transition)

Supporting idea 3
- topic sentence
-explanation/details
123Conclusion
(Transition)

(Transition)

t

Restate the thesis

Restate General Supporting Ideas

Powerful Conclusion or Statement of Significance

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3. Some steps of reaching a thorough essay
1.3 Brainstorming
- Writing an Essay is to express insight of your own, genuine essay-writing
brilliance.
- Generate a bunch of questions related to the topic, and start to think about them
until you come up with original insights to answer them.
2.3 Thesis (Thesis Statement)
- This sentence is definitely significant in an Essay.
- It is also a challenging task with which Essay writers usually have to struggle.
- Your thesis must be performed as a clear and concise sentence, which generates

your main points and tell the reader what you are going.
3.3 Outline
- Straightway sketch out your essay.
- Map out each paragraph with one point corresponding to the order of the essay’s
main points in the thesis.
- Bullet points to describe what each paragraph will contain.
4. Some tips of essay writing
1.4 Reading as much as you can to explore new ways and new beautiful structures as
you need to supplement your essay in order that your essay becomes more
professional and vivid.
2.4 Using as many synonyms as possible to create an abundant essay.
3.4 Following the four elements essential to a good essay
In order to write a good essay, students need to understand the four essential elements of
essay writing and how each element contributes to the whole.
The four elements essential to good essay writing are: unity, order, cohesion and
coherence , and completeness. The following example illustrates the importance of these
elements in essay writing.
Element 1: Unity. Unity in an essay begins with the thesis statement. Every essay has
two or three controlling ideas that is expressed in the body of an essay . In order to write a
good essay, think about your theme and all the points you want to make.
Element 2: Order. Order refers to the way you organize your supporting ideas.
Whether you choose chronological order, order of importance, or another logical
presentation of details, a solid essay always has a definite organization. In a well-ordered
essay, the reader follows along easily, aided by signposts which gain importance in the
argumentative essay. Order helps the reader grasp your meaning and avoid confusion.
Element 3: Cohesion and Coherence.

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Coherence is the quality that makes your writing understandable. Sentences within a
paragraph and the body paragraphs need to connect to each other and work together as a
whole. One of the best ways to achieve coherence is to use transition words. These words
create bridges from one sentence to the next and one paragraph to the next as well. You can
use transition words that show order (first, second, third); spatial relationships (above,
below) or logic (furthermore, in addition, in fact).
Cohesion describes the way in which a text is tied together by linguistic devices, such
as And so we see . . . , Additionally . . . , Therefore . . . , However . . . and On the other hand .
..
So cohesion refers to connectivity in a text. Coherence refers to how easy it is to understand
the writing
Element 4: Completeness. Completeness means an essay is well-developed. If all
sentences and paragraphs clearly and sufficiently support the thesis, then your essay is
complete. If there are not enough sentences and paragraphs or enough information to prove
your thesis, then the essay is incomplete. Usually three supporting ideas, in addition to a
introduction and concluding paragraph, are needed for an essay to be complete. The
conclusion or the last paragraph should restate your thesis by reinforcing your points.
4.4 Adding transitional words, such as adverbs at the beginning of the paragraph and
between each sentence if possible. This makes your essay sound smoother and
more professional.

TOOLS OF COHESION
Linking ideas and making transitions
Meaning
Function

Sentence Connectors

Clause Connectors
Coordinators

Subordinators

Content
Options

To introduce a
similar or
additional idea

Also
addition
Beside
moreover
Furthermore

And
Nor (‘and not’)

Another(adj)
An
aditional(adj)

To compare
things

Also
Likewise
Similarly
too

in

too
An
Both…and
Not only…but
also
neither…nor

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As
Just as

As…as
Like / alike
Just like
Similar to
(be)alike
(be)similar


To introduce an
opposite idea,
and to contrast
things

To introduce an
example

To signal
chronological
order

To indicate
order of
importance

However
Nonetheless
In contrast
Instead
In / by
comparison
Nevertheless
On the other hand
On the one hand
Still
For example
For instance

First,second
First of all
now,then,
Then, next
after
Meanwhile
Last, finally
then

But
Yet
But rather

Although
Even
although
Though
Whereas
while

Despite
In spite of
Compared
to/with
(be)different
(be)dissimilar
(be)unlike
Differ from

Such as
Like
An example of
Including

gradually

After
As
As soon as

Before
Now that
Since
Until
_____
When
While

soon
after that
since

Above all
First and foremost
More/most importantly
Significantly
Primarily
Last but not least

The first, the
second, the
next, the last,
the
final______
Before____
After____
Since 19_____
In the
year_____
A more

important_
The most
important_
The second
most
important_
the primary_

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To introduce a
cause or reason

for

To introduce an
effect or result

Accordingly
As a result
Consequently
Hence
Thus
Therefore

To emphasize

In fact
In particular

To explain

That is
Indeed

To introduce an
alternative

Otherwise
However

To conclude

All in all
In brief
In conclusion
In short
In summary
Indeed

Because
Since
as

so

Result from
(be) the result
of

Due to
Because of
The effect of
The
consequence
of
As a result of
As a
consequence
of
Result in
Cause
Have an effect
on
Affect
The cause of
The reason for
Repetition of
words

that

or

If
Unless
It is clear
that…
We can see
that...

The evidence
suggests
that…
These
examples
show that…

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5. Suggestions of writing a good argumentative (opinion ) essay
1.5 Here is what you need to keep in mind in order to write a good opinion essay
+ Decide your opinion as for the topic discussed.
+ Make a list of examples, viewpoints and reasons to support your opinion.
+ Write well-developed paragraphs
+ Use linking words and phrases to join the sentences and the paragraphs within the text.
+ Write in a formal style, introduce the topic clearly and state convincing arguments.
Normally, an opinion essay should be divided into 3 parts

Part 1: Open(Introduction)
In this part you should introduce the topic and state opinion clearly.
You may want to use some of these expressions.
+ Some people claim/believe/say....
+ It is sometimes said that.....
+ The question is....
+ We often read/hear that.....
+ In my opinion..., I strongly believe that..., I am in favor of..., it seems to me that....
+ From my point of view, as far as I can see, as I see it....
+ Many people think that…However, I think…
+ According to some people,…., Personally, I believe…

+ Some people are for the opinion that… Nevertheless, in my opinion,…

Part 2: Body
In this part you use examples and reasons to support your viewpoint (at least 2
paragraphs).You can also include a paragraph presenting the opposing point of view and
reason why you think it is an unconvincing idea.
Some useful expressions
- Making extra points
+ What's more...
+ In addition...
+ Furthermore, moreover....
- Introducing a contradictory point
+ Although, even though....
+ Despite...
+ Despite the fact that....
+ However..
- Contrasting views for and against
+ On the one hand/side....on the other...
+ While it's true that.....
+ You could also argue that........
+ Nevertheless..../ However...
+ One advantage..../ Another disadvantage is that....
+ Opponents of this idea claim/ maintain that…
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+ Those who disagree/ are against these ideas may say/ assert/ point out that…
+ Some people may disagree with this idea.
+ Others may argue/ think that…
+ There may be some truth in their argument, however it cannot be denied that…



Part 3: Conclusion
In this part you should summarize the main points of the essay and restate your opinion
in other words.
You may think of using some of these
+ On balance...,
+ I feel../I believe that....
+ Summarizing...,
+ To sum up.../in conclusion../
+ All in all, I believe that....
+ Given this, it can be concluded that.....
+ For all the above reasons, I am convinced that…

2.5 Three possible organisation patterns
All argumentative topics have supporting ideas and opposing ideas. Before starting
writing, it is imperative to make a list of three ideas and choose the most suitable ones
among them for supporting and refuting.

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Pattern 1

-Thesis statement(Agree/Disagree with the statement)
- Paraphrasing, instead of rewriting, the essay statement

Supporting idea
1( for your side)
- topic sentence

-explanation/details
123Conclusion
(Transition)

Supporting idea
2( for your side)
- topic sentence
-explanation/details
123Conclusion
(Transition)

Supporting idea
3( for your side)
- topic sentence
-explanation/details
123Conclusion
(Transition)

t

Restate the thesis

Restate what you think and make any suggestions if you want

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Pattern 2

-Thesis statement(Agree/Disagree with the statement)

- Paraphrasing, instead of rewriting, the essay statement

Supporting idea
1( for your side)
- topic sentence
-explanation/details
123Conclusion
(Transition)

Supporting idea
2( for your side)
- topic sentence
-explanation/details
123Conclusion
(Transition)

Opposing idea +
refutation
- topic sentence
-explanation/details
123Conclusion
(Transition)

t

Restate the thesis

Restate what you think and make any suggestions if you want

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Pattern 3

-Thesis statement(Agree/Disagree with the statement)
- Paraphrasing, instead of rewriting, the essay statement

Opposing idea 1+
refutation
- topic sentence
-explanation/details
123Conclusion
(Transition)

Opposing idea 2 +
refutation
- topic sentence
-explanation/details
123Conclusion
(Transition)

Opposing idea 3 +
refutation
- topic sentence
-explanation/details
123Conclusion
(Transition)

t

Restate the thesis

Restate what you think and make any suggestions if you want

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6. Suggestions of identifying an argumentative(opinion) essay
Normally, argumentative essays have the following types of questions:
+ To what extend do you agree or disagree?
+ What is your opinion on this?
+ What do you think (of this statement)?
+ What are your opinions about….?
+ Is it a good idea to….?
+ To what extent is …. always good?
+ Which of the views do you agree with?
+ Should people marry before 25?
+ Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the given statement?
+ Do you believe…?
Eg:
Some people argue that immigrants should adopt the local culture when immigrating to a
new country. An alternative view is that they can adapt to a new environment by establishing
a minority community. Discuss these two views and give your opinion. ==> Discussion.
Some people argue that immigrants should adopt the local culture when immigrating to a
new country. An alternative view is that they can adapt to a new environment by establishing
a minority community. What is your opinion? ==> Argument.
7. Argumentative essay templates

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SAMPLE 1
Task:
Nowadays, computers are an important part of most people’s everyday lives. This
change has improved the way people live.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Answer :
Introduction
Positive changes:
- Increased access to information.
- Better communication.
- Business, transactions and goverment conferencing
- (Your opinion).
Negative changes:
- Physical and psychological problems.
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- (Your opinion).
First Body Paragraph:
(Topic sentence) To begin with, computers have substantially improved people’s lives.
(Supporting Idea 1)Needless to say, increased access to information is one of the most
evident ways computers have changed the way we live. (Example 1) From work, to hobbies,
to learning about world events and scientific advancements, the Internet has given people
immediate access to information that was previously difficult or even impossible to get.
(Expanding 1) With more and better information, we can make smarter decisions.
(Supporting Idea 2) Another beneficial change to people’s lives that can be directly
attributed to computers is that of better communication technologies. (Example 2) These
include the most personal exchanges carried out via email or instant messaging, to the most
complex communication satellite systems that allow us to watch a World Cup game live

from the other side of the world.

Second Body Paragraph:
(Supporting Idea 3) Moreover, on top of these advances in our ability to obtain information
and communicate, computers facilitate everyday business, transactions and government
conferencing. (Expanding 1) People nowadays can do business online, which saves them a
lot of time and money. (Example 1) Online systems allow people to do their banking, pay
the bills, and even buy a new wardrobe without having to leave home or even putting pen to
paper.(Expanding 2)Similarly, goverment conferencing can take place online with no need
to travel long distances to attend meetings. (Example 2) This form of meeting is becoming
more and more popular in many countries. (Concluding) Thus, since the advent of
computers, people’s lives have changed a lot in a positive way.

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Third Body Paragraph:
(Topic sentence) Some observers might say this all sounds great, yet there are downsides to
the computer revolution that lessen some of the appeal of these benefits, if only slightly.
(Supporting idea 1) The most prominent is physical problems. (Expanding 1) If people
spend so much time at their computers, they do not get enough exercise, which can lead to
numerous health problems. (Supporting idea 2) Psychollogically , with too much time spent
sitting in front of computers, they do not develop healthy interpersonal skills. (Example 2)
Increases in depression and violence are two visible effects of this problem.

Conclusion
(Summary) It is far from clear where the changes computers have brought to our lives will
eventually take us. Like all new technology, computers bring mixed blessings to peole’s
everyday lives. (Opinion) At present, I believe the benefits outweigh the negative
consequences.

SAMPLE 2

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You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Present a written argument to an educated reader with no specialist
knowledge of the following topic.
In the last 20 years there have been significant developments in the field
of information technology (IT), for example the World Wide Web and
communication by email. However, these developments in IT are likely to
have more negative effects than positive in the future.
To what extent do you agree with this view?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your
own experience or knowledge.
You should write at least 250 words.
1) Introduction
You should keep your introduction for short. Remember you only have 40 minutes to write
the essay, and some of this time needs to be spent planning. Therefore, you need to be able to
write your introduction fairly quickly so you can start writing your body paragraphs.
You should do just two things:



State the topic of the essay, using some basic facts (that you may be able to take from
the question)
Say what you are going to write about

Here is an example introduction for the above essay question about IT:
The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected by

IT, with many advances in this field. However, while these technological advances have
brought many benefits to the world, it can be argued that these developments in IT will
result in more negative impacts than positive.
As you can see, the first sentence makes sure it refers to the topic (IT) and uses facts about
IT taken from the question. Note that these are paraphrased - you must not copy from the
rubric!

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2) Body Paragraphs
For a good essay, you should have 2 or 3 body paragraphs - no more, and no less.
For your body paragraph, each paragraph should contain one controlling idea, and have
sentences to support this.
Let’s look at the first paragraph for the essay about IT. The essay is about the benefits and
drawbacks of IT, so these will need to be discussed in separate paragraphs.
Here is the first body paragraph:
To begin, email has made communication, especially abroad, much simpler and faster,
resulting in numerous benefits for commerce and business. Furthermore, the World Wide
Web means that information on every conceivable subject is now available to us. For
example, people can access news, medical advice, online education courses and much more
via the internet. It is evident that these improvements have made life far easier and more
convenient for large numbers of people and will continue to do so for decades to come.
The controlling idea in this first paragraph is the 'benefits of IT', and there are two
supporting ideas, which are underlined. No drawbacks are discussed as the paragraph would
then lose coherence.
Most of the essay will focus on the negative aspects of IT, as the writer says there are more
negative effects in the introduction. So the next two paragraphs are about these.
The topic sentence in the next paragraph therefore tells us we are changing the focus to the
negative points:

Nevertheless, the effects of this new technology have not all been beneficial. For
example, many people feel that the widespread use of email is destroying traditional forms of
communication such as letter writing, telephone and face-to-face conversation. This could
result in a decline in people's basic ability to socialize and interact with each other on a dayto-day basis.
The final body paragraph gives the last negative effect:
In addition, the large size of the Web has meant that it is nearly impossible to regulate and
control. This has led to many concerns regarding children accessing unsuitable websites and
viruses. Unfortunately, this kind of problem might even get worse in the future at least until
more regulated systems are set up.

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3) Conclusion
The conclusion only needs to be one or two sentences, and you can do the following:



Re-state what the essay is about (re-write the last sentence of your introduction in
different words)
Give some thoughts about the future

Here is an example:
In conclusion, developments in IT have brought many benefits, yet I believe developments
relating to new technology are likely to produce many negative effects in the future that must
be addressed if we are to avoid damaging impacts to individuals and society.

The full Essay:
The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected by
IT, with many advances in this field. However, while these technological advances have

brought many benefits to the world, it can be argued that these developments in IT will result
in more negative impacts than positive.
To begin, email has made communication, especially abroad, much simpler and faster,
resulting in numerous benefits for commerce and business. Furthermore, the World Wide
Web means that information on every conceivable subject is now available to us. For
example, people can access news, medical advice, online education courses and much more
via the internet. It is evident that these improvements have made life far easier and more
convenient for large numbers of people and will continue to do so for decades to come.
Nevertheless, the effects of this new technology have not all been beneficial. For example,
many people feel that the widespread use of email is destroying traditional forms of
communication such as letter writing, telephone and face-to-face conversation. This could
result in a decline in people's basic ability to socialize and interact with each other on a dayto-day basis.
In addition, the large size of the Web has meant that it is nearly impossible to regulate and
control. This has led to many concerns regarding children accessing unsuitable websites and
viruses. Unfortunately, this kind of problem might even get worse in the future at least until
more regulated systems are set up.

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In conclusion, developments in IT have brought many benefits, yet I believe developments
relating to new technology are likely to produce many negative effects in the future that must
be addressed if we are to avoid damaging impacts to individuals and society.
SAMPLE 3

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television has destroyed
communication among friends and family. Use specific reasons and examples to
support your opinion.

The invention of television is undoubtedly one of humankind's greatest inventions. It is a

way of communication among people of one country and different countries and nations.
People watch TV to find out about the latest news, weather, sports, etc. It is a great way to
learn new and extend one's range of interests. Scientists say that children spend the same
amount of hours in front of TV as they do in school. I think that this can be said about many
grown people too. Also, television is a great means of eliminating stress and tension. One
can relax and leave one's troubles behind lying on one's favorite sofa and watching a comedy.
However, some people believe that television has destroyed communication among friends
and family.
Personally, I do not agree with this statement. A couple centuries ago people spent their time
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gambling, reading, gossiping or playing chess. I do not think that television is a cause of
destroyed communication among family members and friends. First of all, if members of a
family have common interests and they want to make each other happy they will always find
many ways to spend their time together and be close. Otherwise, if people avoid each other
and they do not have anything to share with each other they will find television a great way
to escape from this miserable existence. I believe that many people chose family and their
friends over some soap operas or a movie.
Second of all, I think that television can be a great resource of subjects to discuss. Many
people watch different educational programs to find out more about their environment,
nature, wild life animals, economic situations, etc. So, when they gather with their friends
they discuss important issues and arque with each other in looking for the truth.
My husband and I often watch the news channel to keep abreast of the latest news. After that
we always discuss some issues we concerned about. Also, we like to watch a TV show "the
funniest animals". We like this program because it makes us laugh. I can not imagine how
these programs can prevent our communication and be harmful to our relations.
To summarize, I would like to add that if people want to communicate with each other they
will find a way to do it. Otherwise, if television were not existent, people would find other
escapes and reasons not to be with each other such as drugs, gambling, etc.

SAMPLE 4
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should begin learning
a foreign language as soon as they start school. Use specific reasons and examples to
support your opinion.
Language is the best means of communication. In the modern globalization era it is not
enough to be able to speak one language to communicate with the outside world. I strongly
support the idea that children should begin learning a foreign language as soon as they start
school. They faster become familiar with a strange language, improve their hearing ability to
understand new words as time goes by and learn new words. In the following paragraphs I
will list some reasons to support my position.
First of all, if one wants to see outcome soon, one must start sooner. So, the early children
begin to learn new language the better will be the result. Scientists say that a child does not
confuse two different languages but learns them more effectively.
Second of all, adults are often afraid to make mistakes when they are speaking in a new
language. This fear is one of the biggest barriers for a person in his efforts to speak freely.
Otherwise, children do not afraid of making grammatical mistakes because basically they
just repeat words and sentences in the way they hear them. Also, children have a better
chance to get rid of an accent. They faster get used to the right pronunciation and better feel

23


the melody of a language.
To sum up, I think that it is very essential for children to begin learning a foreign language in
their early ages. It is brings many benefits such as great pronunciation. Also, it help a child
develop and gain more knowledge which is good for a long run.
SAMPLE 5
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents are the best teachers.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Obviously, the first teachers we have in our lives in most cases are our parents. They teach
us to speak, walk, ride a bike, behave ourselves etc. From my everyday experience and
observation I can totally agree with the statement that parents are the best teachers. In the
following paragraphs I will try to support my answer with some reasons and examples.
First of all, I would say that parents are our very first teachers. They with great patience pass
down the essential knowledge that we need in order to join "the real world". Children often
copy their parents' habits and traits because children are sure that parents do only right things.
Often children's first wish is to be like their mother of father. Parents are the best teachers
because they wish their children a success and they do not teach them bad things.
However in order to succeed in today’s world children need more than just to know good
manners and be able to read and write. They need real teachers who would teach them logic,
mathematics, literature, foreign language, management etc. Moreover, they need to
communicate with the children of the same age. Adolescence is a period when children learn
more from their friends then from their parents. At this age many young people reject their
parents' advices and warnings. They begin to learn from their own experience, make
conclusions and analyze their first mistakes. It is very important for parents in this period to
be supportive and patient. Children may slam door and refuse to do some things because they
want to feel independence.
Another important aspect of this is that parents are the first people who must worn their
children about the danger of drugs and cigarettes and how to avoid and say "No" when they
need to. In the modern world parents must talk with their children about everything because
it can save their life and make them happier. So, the role of parents is really important
because it gives the strength and understanding the real world.
In conclusion, I think that parents are the best teachers because they give their knowledge
that can not be taken from books when it needs to be known by children.

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SAMPLE 6

According to a recent study, the more time people use the Internet, the less time they
spend with real human beings. Should we worry about the effect this is having on social
interaction or should we see the Internet as a way of opening up new communication
possibilities worldwide ?
What are your views ?

Internet has been playing an essential part in human lives and having an enormous impact on
every working sector. Supporters of internet application regard it as a way of creating new
chances for peope to communicate with one another. Meanwhile, others argue that Internet
does reduce social interaction. Personally, I find the latter viewpoint fallacious for the
following reasons.
To start with, thanks to the Internet, people can emotionally keep in touch with their friends
and relatives all around the world. There has been a trend of studying abroad among
Vietnamese students with hope enjoying advanced studying facilities and innovative teaching
methods as well as having the feasibility of well-paid salary in the future. Besides, offices in
almost every field have been sent overseas to have access to and learn how to apply new
technologies or go to for a business trip to seek for potential cooperation. For these reasons,
more and more people are living far away from their family and friends. However, with
Internet connection, thay can still contact with each other by sending email, or messages on
Facebook, and chatting through Yahoo Messenger, or even Skype where they can hear voice
or see faces.
Furthermore, people also use Internet as a means of working communication. The abovementioned utilities, applications as well as services provided by the Internet enable bosses to
send their request to their employees immediately or give suggestions to deal with difficulties
by mail. In addition, with room chat, they might organise online meetings as wanting to have
the attendance of members working abroad.
Nonetheless, opponents argue that Internet exerts negative influences on social interaction
because they insist that the more time the Internet is used, the fewer opportunities for real
interaction with others there will be. This argument is true to some extent, however, it is
obvious that only in the past did this situation exist. With such devices as webcam or
microphone, and the latest version of Yahoo Messenger and Skype, people nowadays can also

have face-to-face conversation regardless the geographical distance.
In summary, Internet has been applied to keep human beings closer worldwide. And with such
fast speed of technology development, it is expected to play a more vital part in human lives
in the near future.

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