I. Generate ideas.

1. Nowadays animal experiments are widely used to develop new medicines and
to test the safety of other products. Some people argue that these experiments
should be banned because it is morally wrong to cause animals to suffer, while
others are in favour of them because of their benefits to humanity. Discuss both
views and give your own opinion.
2. Some people believe that it is morally wrong to keep animals in zoos, while
others think that zoos are both entertaining and ecologically important. Discuss
both views.
3. In some countries, young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year
between finishing high school and starting university studies. Discuss the
advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this.
4. We cannot help everyone in the world that needs help, so we should only be
concerned with our own communities and countries. To what extent do you agree
or disagree with this statement?
5. When choosing a job, the salary is the most important consideration. To what
extent do you agree or disagree?
II. Common structures
One-sided - I completely/ totally/ whole-heartedly/ absolutely agree/
disagree with this statement/ opinion.
- While some people may think that…., I strongly believe
…..
- I cannot disagree/ agree more with the aforesaid
statement.
Balanced - I believe there are two sides of the problem, although it
is my opinion that…
- While there are some benefits to…, I would argue
that……
- Although it is indeed effective to…., my opinion is
that…..
- Despite the truth that ….., I believe…..
Body - It is clear that…..
paragraph - While it is…., I believe there are….
- It can be seen that…
- However/ Nevertheless/ Still,…
- On one hand, it is….. On the other hand, it is….
- On top of it,…
- Thus/ Due to,…
 - Besides, it is also worth noting that…
- In addition to this/ Additionally…
- To begin with, there are some reasons why people
believe that…
- However, it is worth considering the other side of the
problem.
- Meanwhile, the truth is that…
- Despite the arguments mentioned above,…
- On the one hand….. On the other hand….
- Although it is indeed justified to say that…., my opinion
is that….
Ending - In conclusion,…
paragraph - To sum up,…
- To summarize the matter,…
- In summary,…
- From all the arguments above,…
- To sum up, it is fair to say that…., though my opinion is
that…
- To conclude, this issue has its pros and cons. But from
my perspective, the former/ latter outweigh the latter/
former.
- In summary, although there exists certain problems to
this matter, I believe that…
Opening - Although it is true to say that…, my opinion is that…
paragraph - While it is understandable for some people to say
that…., I would argue that…
- Despite the popular though that…., I believe…
- It makes sense to declare that…, though I would say….

Opening - It is true that this phenomenon brings about many dire

paragraph consequences, but measures can still be taken to
eliminate them.
- There are many problems connected to this situation,
though the governments can implement laws to control
the unexpected outcomes.
- There are a number of reasons account for this
phenomenon, and we can safely assume that some
viable solutions would help to get rid of them.
- This problem happens for a few reasons, but it is by no
means beyond the control of human beings.
 - This essay will first look into the causes/ roots of the
problems, and then suggest possible measures to deal
with them
Body 1 - There are many reasons why this phenomenon is
occurring.
- Some reasons could be counted as being responsible for
the rise of this problem.
- The origin of this situation could be traced back to….
- Indeed, this particular problem has resulted in even
more severe spin-offs.
- This situation has created concerning issues all over the
world, namely…
Body 2 - Despite its severity, this problem can still be fixed.
- However, there exists some solutions that people may
find useful.
- Nevertheless, the governments can still carry out/ enact/
implement laws/ regulations to keep the problem in
order.
- Several/ A number of actions/ measures can be taken to
deal with/ eliminate/ improve the situation.
Ending - To sum up, it is indeed troublesome to know that…, but
paragraph with joint force from the society, we can still tackle the
problem.
- In conclusion, this phenomenon is worrying, but its
spin-offs can still be controlled by viable solutions.
- To conclude, the effects of this phenomenon have a
negative impact on our lives, but together we can still
reduce its severity.
- In short, this problems calls for the whole society to
work out possible solutions, in order to make sure their
effects are under control.

? Why should we wait until the second body paragraph to state our viewpoint
- Unlike the opinion essay, discussion and opinion essay requires you both
to discuss about both sides of the matter, and then it asks for your stance.
- Therefore, it makes sense that your body paragraphs should be as followed:
+ Paragraph 1: your arguments on the side you disagree with.
+ Paragraph 2: your arguments on the side you agree with.
- If you plan your body paragraphs this way, the judges would not feel
uncomfortable with your thread. Also, as you will need to repeat your opinion
in the ending paragraph, writing about your viewpoint in the second body
paragraph will create a link that makes your essay more coherent.
Exercises: find the synonyms
Difficult

Negative

Bad

Good

Aware of

Popular

Improve

In the
future

Shameful

New