International Exam Practice - Exam Writing & Speaking Practice
International Exam Practice - Exam Writing & Speaking Practice
Items in this lesson
International Exam Practice - Exam Writing & Speaking Practice
What's your stance on St Valentine's Day? Do you celebrate it?
Essay question
Some people believe that dating apps and social media have improved romantic relationships by expanding opportunities. Others argue that they have negatively influenced the nature of intimacy.
How have technology and media influenced modern dating? What is your opinion?
Write at least 250 words.
What's your opinion?
Dating apps and social media have improved romantic relationships by expanding opportunities
Dating apps and social media have negatively influenced the nature of intimacy.
Give 2 arguments supporting your position.
No examples. Only reasoning.
1
minute
40
second
Would this sound convincing in an academic essay?
it makes dating easier
people want better options
people use apps too much
relationships become less serious
Drag and Drop
reshape
enhance
undermine/hinder
facilitate
make easier
change
make worse
make smth better
Change, using any of the suggested alternatives
It makes dating easier:
facilitate/enhance dating experience
Change, using any of the suggested alternatives
People want better options:
desire/undermine commitments/reshape dating norms
Change, using any of the suggested alternatives
People use apps too much:
excessive usage/over-reliance/hinder/undermine
Change, using any of the suggested alternatives
Relationships become less serious:
reshape/hinder/undermine
Pair work
Compare your compositions (A or B). Where the text differs, you must choose the version which is more appropriate for an essay or report and correct your versions accordingly.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F4GslrlKjvfw5bNUyKttTjx0mCfnVvyVcWFDzw0Yre4/edit?usp=sharing
basic wordings
academic collocations
Now complete the table with the examples from the essay
Essay structure
Speaking! But, firstly, some strategies...
“Add Internal Conflict” Strategy
Useful Phrases / Sentence Starters:
On the one hand…
At the same time…
Part of me wanted…, yet another part felt…
Intellectually…, but emotionally…
Speaking! But, firstly, some strategies...
How to Apply It
Introduce your desire or action
On the one hand, I wanted to try online dating…
Show the conflicting feeling
At the same time, I felt nervous about meeting strangers.
Add complexity / depth
Part of me wanted to explore new connections, yet another part felt it was risky.
Intellectually, I knew it was safe, but emotionally, I couldn’t stop worrying.
Speaking! But, firstly, some strategies...
“Add Evaluation” Strategy
Useful Phrases / Sentence Starters:
In hindsight…
Looking back…
At the time, I underestimated…
What surprised me was…
It turned out to be… than I expected…
Speaking! But, firstly, some strategies...
How to Apply It
Describe the experience briefly
At the time, I thought joining a dating app would be simple…
Add your reflection / evaluation
In hindsight, it taught me a lot about how people present themselves online.
Looking back, I underestimated how emotionally draining it could be.
Add comparison or unexpected insight
What surprised me was how much I enjoyed chatting with people I would never have met otherwise.
It turned out to be more fun and insightful than I expected.
Speaking!
Choose a cue card. You should spend no more than 2-3 minutes.
Evaluate suggested strategies.
