In this unit you will review the following points:
- An overview of the writing test, Task 2
- Evaluating ideas
- Developing an argument and giving examples
- Using linkers to improve clarity and cohesion
- Using passive forms to improve clarity and cohesion
- Useful vocabulary: Health and illness
2. Task 2 questions: Brainstorming ideas.
Read the writing task below and write down as many arguments for and against the statement as you can.
Writing Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic:
"Prevention is better than cure"
We waste a lot of public money on treating illness. The government should transfer resources from treating illness to preventing it, by spending money on health education and preventative measures.
Discuss this view and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
When you have completed your list, compare it with this example list. Are there any arguments you didn't think of? Did you think of any that are not in the list?
| 1. | Living healthily and eating well are often options available only to the rich. |
| 2. | Many health problems disappear without treatment, so treating people early will mean treating more people. |
| 3. | Many illnesses are caused by or related to stress, which is preventable. |
| 4. | Many people will live unhealthily, even if you tell them how they can live well. |
| 5. | Patients suffer less if an illness is treated early. |
| 6. | Preventative measures are often cheaper. |
| 7. | Preventative measures do not always work. |
| 8. | Preventative measures save money and medical staff time. |
| 9. | Transferring money means less will be spent where it is really necessary – on people who are really ill. |
| 10. | Treating an illness that has been present for a long time is expensive. |
3. Evaluating ideas.
Do the following statements argue for or against the statement in the question?
4. Developing an argument.
TIP:
Once you have decided on the most important points, you need to think about how you are going to develop your argument.Match each statement (1-5) to the sentence (A-E) which develops each argument.
- How would you feel if doctors told you that you could not have treatment when you were really ill because the money was being spent on teaching children about nutrition?
- The body's immune system is capable of dealing with most diseases without any intervention.
- If fewer people are ill they will spend less time in hospitals, giving doctors more time to look after the people who need their attention most.
- Good-quality food is expensive, as are going to the gym and taking holidays.
- Being ill for a week is surely preferable to being ill for several months.
5. Giving examples.
TIP:
Giving examples to support your ideas helps convince the reader of your position and helps them understand your point of view.Match the statements (1-5) to the examples (A-E).
- A vaccination, for instance, is much cheaper than treating tuberculosis.
- For example, two very common complaints – back pain and headaches – are caused by stress.
- Diseases like diabetes are fairly cheap to treat, but if left untreated can result in serious complications, which need expensive medical interventions.
- For example, people often get influenza, even after being vaccinated, because the virus mutates so quickly.
- Everyone is aware that smoking is bad for you, but millions of people still smoke and many die of smoking-related diseases.
6. Discussion or argument approach?
Read the answer below to the question in exercise 2. Does the writer use a discussion approach (giving a balanced argument) or an argument approach (expressing a strong opinion)?
Many illnesses can be treated quickly and easily if they are caught early enough, saving financial resources and the time of busy medical staff, to say nothing of the benefits experienced by the patient. On the other hand, the longer a patient has to wait for treatment, the more extensive, and thus the more expensive, treatment is likely to be.
Educating people in a healthy way of life, especially if lifestyle changes are kept cheap and simple, can significantly improve general health and well-being, therefore decreasing requirements for medical care. Preventative health care, such as screening for common illnesses and regular health checks, also has an important role to play.
In some countries, all working adults are given a one-week holiday at a health spa, paid for by the government. Just imagine the positive benefits this would have on a society and its health system. A reduction in stress levels has been shown to have a positive effect on illness; indeed, a recent medical survey suggests that up to 70% of sick days are taken for stress-related problems. As well as improving health, a reduction in stress levels may also improve productivity and so have a positive effect on the economy.
It is true that redirecting financial resources from treatment to preventative care will cause short-term problems within the health system. However, I feel the long-term gains are well worth this short-term expense, especially if the government can implement a staged redistribution which involves direct trade-offs; for example, investment in anti-smoking campaigns could be funded through a cut in spending on treatment of related conditions such as lung cancer and heart disease.7. Examples, evidence and developing arguments.
What role do the sentences in red have? Do they:
- develop the argument of the sentences in bold?
- provide evidence?
- give examples?
9. Linkers.
Drag the linkers from the text into the correct category. If you are not sure of the use of the linker, find it in the essay and use the context to help you understand its meaning.
Many illnesses can be treated quickly and easily if they are caught early enough, saving financial resources and the time of busy medical staff, to say nothing of the benefits experienced by the patient. On the other hand, the longer a patient has to wait for treatment, the more extensive, and thus the more expensive, treatment is likely to be.
Educating people in a healthy way of life, especially if lifestyle changes are kept cheap and simple, can significantly improve general health and well-being, therefore decreasing requirements for medical care. Preventative health care, such as screening for common illnesses and regular health checks, also has an important role to play.
In some countries, all working adults are given a one-week holiday at a health spa, paid for by the government. Just imagine the positive benefits this would have on a society and its health system. A reduction in stress levels has been shown to have a positive effect on illness; indeed, a recent medical survey suggests that up to 70% of sick days are taken for stress-related problems. As well as improving health, a reduction in stress levels may also improve productivity and so have a positive effect on the economy.
It is true that redirecting financial resources from treatment to preventative care will cause short-term problems within the health system. However, I feel the long-term gains are well worth this short-term expense, especially if the government can implement a staged redistribution which involves direct trade-offs; for example, investment in anti-smoking campaigns could be funded through a cut in spending on treatment of related conditions such as lung cancer and heart disease.11. More about passive forms.
TIP:
In English, the topic or the "old" information is usually at the beginning of the sentence and the "new" information is at the end. This makes a text easier to read, as it's easier to understand something if you start with the familiar.The passive is very commonly used:
- to allow us to start the sentence with "old" information and leave "new" information until the end.
The patient should be the main concern, so they should be treated using the best treatment available.
(NOT: The patient should be the main concern, so the best treatment available should be used to treat them.) - when the agent of the action is not considered important.
For example, people often get influenza, even after being vaccinated, because the virus mutates so quickly.
(NOT: For example, people often get influenza, even after medical staff vaccinate them, because the virus mutates so quickly.) - to avoid more complicated relative clauses; in this case, the reduced passive is often used.
The treatment (which is) given to patients has been largely effective.
(NOT: The treatment which doctors give to patients has been largely effective.)
Choose the best options to complete the text.
12. Sentence transformations.
Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first. Type two to four words in each space.
13. Practice question.
Read the instructions and write your answer. Remember to:
- brainstorm ideas.
- decide which are most important points before you start writing.
- develop your arguments and give examples and evidence to support your ideas.
- use a range of linkers where appropriate.
- use passive forms where appropriate.
Writing Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people spend a lot of money on alternative health care such as homeopathy, massage and herbal medicines. Do these treatments really work? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using alternative medicines?
Discuss both these questions and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
When you have completed the writing task, you can look at a sample answer. Compare the sample answer with your own.
Alternative medicines are often used by people who have tried conventional medicine but have not experienced any improvement in their health. There are others who use them because they are believed to be more "natural" and therefore better or safer in some way, but how effective are they?
Critics say that there is no evidence to show that alternative medicines are effective; however, nothing could be further from the truth. Many of these treatments have been used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, and if they did not work people would have stopped using them. Many Chinese medicines, for example, are based on theories that Western science cannot explain. Yet several of these treatments have been proved to work, the only part we do not understand is how.
In fact, many modern medicines are based on plants; aspirin, for example, is a synthetic version of a chemical found in the bark of a tree. People used to make tea from the bark and drink it when they had a headache. Indeed, some people still do. Interestingly, the natural versions of drugs are often more effective – possibly because of the other naturally occurring substances in the plant – and generally cause fewer side effects, although these can still be a problem.
It is important not to think that because these medicines are natural you can take them without expert advice. Plants contain chemicals too, and taken inappropriately they can cause side effects just like any other drug.
Despite a lack of scientific evidence of the effectiveness of alternative treatments, they have a long tradition of healing, and this in itself could be taken as proof as of their usefulness. These medicines should be used with care under the supervision of an expert, but should certainly not be written off as ineffectual nonsense.