In this post: Reusable sentence frames for the introduction, the body paragraphs and the conclusion, then the scores of my seven Agree/Disagree essays and what worked in them.
Agree/Disagree Essays · 3 parts
- 1. The question and paragraph blueprints
- 2. Sentence frames and what worked (you are here)
- 3. What kept me at 7, plus practice
5. Sentence frames you can reuse
Introduction
The question’s “some people think” can be replaced with these verbs: reckon that / advocate that / believe that / think that / support that / argue that. The ones I used most were advocate that and It is argued that.
Some people advocate that + [paraphrased question].
It is argued that + [paraphrased question].
It is commonly thought that + [paraphrased question].
I totally / strongly agree (disagree) with this statement / viewpoint / assertion because + [reason 1] + and + [reason 2].
I wrote the same question twice, taking opposite positions. Essays 10 and 12 both answer the question of whether schools should teach practical skills, such as car maintenance and managing a bank account, alongside academic subjects. Here are the second sentences of the two introductions:
I totally agree with this statement because practical skills are valuable and can enable school children to find their interests. (Essay 10, agree)
I totally disagree with the statement, because I think that real-world skills distract schoolchildren to their academic study and lead to financial burden. (Essay 12, disagree)
Both essays received TR 8, CC 7 and 7 overall. That taught me an important lesson: the examiner does not care which side you take, only whether your position is clear and your reasons are developed. So when you see a question, do not agonise over which side is “right”. Just choose the side that is easier to support with examples. (In Essay 12, distract … to should be distract … from.)
Opening Body 1 and Body 2
The formula for opening Body 1 is “sequencer + topic + reason”. It is best to restate your position at the start of Body 2 so the reader is sure you have not switched sides.
| Position | Pattern | My original sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Body 1 | The main reason why I believe … is that … | The main reason why I believe longer weekend seems to be beneficial is that it increases workers productivity and efficiency. (Essay 32) |
| Body 1 | First and foremost, … because … | First and foremost, sugary products should be affordable because sugar is sometimes an essential ingredient for human beings. (Essay 7) |
| Body 2 | Another factor supporting my opinion is that … | Another factor supporting my opinion is that it enhances workers’ mental well-being. (Essay 32) |
| Body 2 | Another reason I support that … is … | Another reason I support that practical skills should be taught at schools is due to the fact that they can help students to find new interests. (Essay 10) |
| Body 2 (disagree) | I strongly disagree with the opinion that … due to … | I strongly disagree with the opinion that practical skills should be assigned in schoolchildren’s daily schedule due to the extremely high expenditure. (Essay 12) |
For Body 2, I recommend the approach in Essay 12: opening with I strongly disagree with the opinion that… means that even an examiner who skims will not misread your position.
Eight sentence patterns
In my notes I collected a set of patterns that are common in Agree/Disagree essays, then added the three I used most in my own essays to make eight. Each comes with a sentence from one of my essays:
| Pattern | Function | My original sentence |
|---|---|---|
| When / If …, S + V. | Set up a situation, then reason from it | If we are talking with others face to face, we need to carry out appropriate responses in a matter of seconds. (Essay 35) |
| By Ving …, S + V. | Explain “by what means” | For instance, by attending bank account management classes, some students may find that finance is a fascinating subject, furthermore inspiring entrepreneurship. (Essay 10) |
| When Ving …, S + V. | Participle clause, subject omitted | To put it another way, when learning practical skills, students get chances to get in touch with skills and knowledge from different realms, which can definitely broaden their horizons and help them to decide their career paths. (Essay 10) |
| …, further Ving / leading to … | Add a consequence | We can pay attention to the background and information of all ingredients, further keeping away from artificial or unhealthy food. (Essay 20) |
| Hence, it is readily apparent that the importance of … should not be ignored when … | Mini-conclusion to a paragraph | Hence, it is readily apparent that the importance of practical skills should not be ignored when deciding courses in schools. (Essay 10) |
| N, which …, is a good example of this matter. | Introduce an example | The ability to give a public speech, which needs communication and organization skills, is a good example of this matter. (Essay 10) |
| There is no denying that … | Emphasise a fact | … there is no denying that I can realize all of the things I eat … (Essay 20) |
| not only … but also … | Combine two reasons in the conclusion | The courses of those skills not only keep student from focusing on their academic subjects but also threaten school’s financial condition. (Essay 12; keep student should be keep students) |
Conclusion sentences
In conclusion, I want to reiterate my agreement / disagreement that ….
In conclusion, I reiterate my complete disagreement with the view that ….
In conclusion, even though …, I still firmly believe that ….
This is because + [reason 1] + and + [reason 2].
The conclusion of Essay 32 is a textbook two-sentence conclusion:
In conclusion, I want to reiterate my agreement of the implementation of longer weekend in the workplace. This is because shorter working week increases the productivity and enhances mental well-being of workers.
The structure is exactly right, but there are two small problems: agreement of should be agreement with, and longer weekend and shorter working week are each missing the article a. Errors like these do not stop the reader from understanding, but they keep GRA at 7.
6. My seven essays: what worked
| Essay | Question (my paraphrase) | Position | TR / CC / LR / GRA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 7 | Should sugary products be made more expensive? (Cambridge 16, Test 2) | Disagree | 8 / 6 / 7 / 7 | 7 |
| Essay 10 | Should schools teach practical skills? | Agree | 8 / 7 / 7 / 7 | 7 |
| Essay 12 | Same as above | Disagree | 8 / 7 / 7 / 7 | 7 |
| Essay 20 | Is cooking at home better than eating out? | Agree | 7 / 8 / 7 / 7 | 7 |
| Essay 32 | Should the working week be shorter? (Cambridge 19, Test 2) | Agree | 7–8 / 8 / 7 / 7 | 7 |
| Essay 34 | Should everyone save money for the future? (Cambridge 19, Test 3) | Agree | 7 / 8 / 7 / 7 | 7 |
| Essay 35 | Do phones and computers make people lose the ability to communicate face to face? | Agree | 7–8 / 8 / 7 / 7 | 7 |
1. Make examples specific enough to picture
My stronger essays all had one very specific example. Essay 35 used LINE (the messaging app most people use in Taiwan) to show why digital communication does not train you to respond on the spot:
For instance, when we use the LINE application to talk with others, we can send a wide range of short phrases instead of coherent sentences. In addition, users can remove those inappropriate ones as long as the message remains unread.
The detail that you can unsend a message before it has been read makes it instantly clear why online chat does not require you to “think before you speak”. It is far more convincing than people can edit their messages. Essay 32 used my own situation: to travel to the south of Taiwan I need at least three days off, so a longer weekend makes long-distance trips possible. Essay 20 compared the cost of a meal out in Taiwan, about NT$150–200 (New Taiwan dollars), with about NT$100 for cooking myself. What these examples have in common is that they are small, real and directly linked to the argument.
Three sources of examples
| Source | Suits questions about | My example |
|---|---|---|
| Personal experience | Daily life, work, study | Essay 32: I need at least three days off to travel to the south of Taiwan |
| The situation in your country | Education, policy, society | Essay 12: the weight given to maths and science in Taiwan’s university entrance exams |
| Reasonable figures | Money, health, the economy | Essay 20: NT$150–200 for a meal out vs about NT$100 to cook at home |
Figures do not need to be precise to the decimal point, but they must be reasonable and directly relevant to the argument. Numbers forced in just to “look researched” tend to give you away.
2. Separate the part you accept from the part you reject in the introduction
Essay 7 opens with It is true that eating too many sugary products leads to health problems, admitting the problem exists, before stating that what I opposed was solving it with higher prices. This makes the position very precise: the examiner will not think you are denying that sugar is unhealthy. That may be one reason this essay received TR 8.
3. One idea per paragraph
The two body paragraphs of Essay 10 are “practical skills offer more career options” and “they help students find their interests”, each with one example (public speaking skills, a bank account management class). The topics are clear and do not overlap, which is the foundation of a stable CC score.
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✦ Target Your Future
Some days you practise for hours and the score still does not move. I hope these notes remind you that the setbacks are part of the road: every recording you replayed, every essay you rewrote and every sentence you finally dared to say is progress you have already made.
I wrote this down so the next person can take fewer detours. You do not have to follow my method exactly. Find a rhythm that works for you, rest when you need to, and come back for the next small step.
I hope what you take away is more than a number on a score report: a little more confidence in yourself, and the courage to step a bit closer to the world.
— Ting
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