Research: B2+. Anneli Williams

of the role of ribonucleic acid in protein synthesis. e Investigate closely and in detail 6 To what extent should parents be held responsible for criminal acts committed by their children? Justify your view. f Make a judgement about something, for example how good or bad it is 7 Outline the key components of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. g Consider a topic from different points of view in order to reach a decision about it 8 Trace the history of the comic book. h Describe the main features of something

      

Exercise 5

      Write definitions for the instruction words in bold below.

      1 Comment on the key components of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

      2 Illustrate the impact of management style on teamwork in organizations.

      3 Relate the principal factors that are commonly thought to influence a person’s choice of life partner to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

       Describing versus presenting an argument

      Some essay questions require you to describe, that is, to display knowledge without necessarily giving your opinion about it.

      For example: Which regions of the world are most seriously affected by conflict over access to water resources?

      This question asks you to list and describe the parts of the world where there are the most serious conflicts over lack of water.

      Other questions require you to present an argument, that is, to give your opinion backed by supporting evidence.

       Glossary

      supporting evidence Supporting evidence is information that is used to prove something.

      notable Someone or something that is notable is important or interesting.

      For example: How can conflicts over Nile River water resources best be resolved?

      To answer this question you need to give your opinion about the best way or ways to deal with conflicts over access to Nile River water. You need to give reasons for your opinion and supporting evidence, that is, examples and data to prove your point. You also need to show that other ways of dealing with the problem are or have been less effective.

      Often essay questions ask you to both describe and argue.

      For example: What have been the most notable conflicts over water resources over the last ten years and what are the most effective approaches to resolving these types of disputes?

      To answer this question you have to list and describe and present an argument based on your evaluation of the evidence. Be careful! It is often easier to describe than to evaluate. Less experienced students often focus too much on displaying information and not enough on developing an argument. Instruction words can also be categorized in terms of whether they require mainly description or mainly argument in the response.

       Tip

      

Remember that to achieve higher marks it is usually necessary to critically evaluate information and present a strong argument.

      

Exercise 6

      Look again at the instruction words a–l below and answer questions 1–3.

a assess		b compare		c contrast		d discuss		e examine		f give an account
g justify		h outline		i trace		j comment on		k illustrate		l relate

      1 Which require mainly description?

      2 Which definitely require you to give your opinion?

      3 Which instruction word is most common?

      Note that the answers given in the answer key are suggestions only. In practice, you should interpret each assignment task in the context in which it has been set. Remember that certain instruction words, for example, ‘compare and contrast’, sometimes require a more descriptive response and sometimes a more evaluative response.

      For example: Compare and contrast horizontal axis design wind turbines and vertical axis design wind turbines.

      This instruction requires a straightforward description of the similarities and differences between two types of wind turbine.

      For example: Compare and contrast electricity generation from wind power versus electricity generation from hydropower in terms of efficiency, value for money and environmental impact.

      Here you have to describe the similarities and differences between two forms of electricity generation in order to make judgements about them.

       Understanding long and complex essay assignments

      Sometimes essay assignments can be wordy and complex. However, these too can be broken down into parts:

       Glossary

      preamble A preamble is an introduction that comes before something you say or write.

      1 The preamble: background information about the context of the question.

      2 The question (or questions): what you need to find out.

      The preamble gives you important information about the topic and its limitations. Notice that you need to focus your discussion on secondary school pupils (not primary school pupils or university students) and their performance in three subjects: language, mathematics and science.

      Note that there are several questions that need to be answered.

      Question 1 requires you to describe similarities and differences and to analyse