Personal comment on an issue

Guidelines
In a personal comment task you are asked to give your own opinion on a specified topic
or question. This type of task shares some of the features of argumentative essays. The
key feature of a personal comment, however, is that it will usually ask you to explain your
opinion based on your own experiences and it is therefore appropriate to write in the first
person and to include personal examples to support your statements. The following
phrases can be useful for this type of task:

Giving an opinion
I believe/do not believe that…(because)…
Personally, I feel that…
It seems to me that …
I would argue that…
I feel strongly that…
I am convinced that…
I am of the opinion that…
I am greatly in favour of/against…
I am completely opposed to…

Examples of personal comment tasks

1. Why study at university? Explain what you hope to gain from your time as a
student.

2. Describe an occasion when your attitude towards a concept, a person or a place

changed.

3. What, for you, is an icon of Germany?

4. To what extent do “ethical” considerations, for example concerning the

environment or fair trade, play a role in your own shopping and consumption habits?

5. “Don’t vote, it only encourages them.” (author unknown)

To what extent is the sentiment quoted above a reflection of YOUR attitude to
politics?
Personal Comment Assessment Criteria

These are the main points related to writing a personal comment which students are
expected to know and to be able to do. These points are used as a framework when
assessing how well a personal comment has been written.

The student can:

1. take a clear stance on the topic/issue/event that is prompted by the task; students
should avoid remaining neutral on the topic/issue/event.
2. provide relevant details to support their arguments and opinions; students may
include relevant information from personal experiences.
3. write in a style that is appropriate for the task; if the task does not specify an
audience, students should assume that the personal comment should be written
in a formal register.
4. include relevant knowledge of English-speaking countries if necessary.
5. avoid ONLY using arguments or opinions found in source texts; students should
include their own ideas.
 Worksheet for Critical Reading

1. What is the setting of the text? (e.g., a text book, a newspaper, etc.)

2. Who is the author of the text? What is the author’s background and status?

3. When was the text written?

4. What is the text about?

5. What is the purpose of the text as a whole as it appears in this context? Does it
provide information, entertainment or something else?

6. What is the author’s own purpose in writing the text?

7. Who is the intended audience of the text?

8. What shared cultural knowledge is assumed by the author of the text?

9. What shared values and understandings are implied in the text?

10. What rules or conventions limit how this type of text might be written?

How is the language of the text influenced by each of these factors?