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UNIT 6: Developing strong paragraphs quickly, , 40 minutes is not much time to write a whole essay even though it is only a short essay. You, need to do the following things in your 40 minutes:, , Analyze the question, Brainstorm ideas, Organise your ideas, Write the essay, , wWAWND, , Check the grammar, , It’s common for students to either miss or just spend a few minutes on parts 1-3 as the, temptation is to start writing as soon as possible., , This is a big mistake and you should not do this. If you do, you are in danger of:, , e Not answering the question properly, e Having poor ideas that are badly supported or unsupported, e Producing a badly organized incoherent essay, , All of these will likely lead to a low band score. Remember:, Quality not Quantity, , A well-written, well-supported, well-organized, coherent essay that is 260 words is going to, get a better band score than one that is 300 words but weak in lots of other ways because it, has not been planned properly., , So how can you do these things in a short space of time?, , There are two ways that you can organize a paragraph (though in reality you may see a mix, of the two) and for explanation we’ll call these “one idea paragraphs” and “multiple idea, paragraphs” (the second can be referred to as a ‘listing paragraph’). We can call these OIPs, and MIPs!, , Elements of a strong paragraph, Before we look at these, it is important to remember the key elements of any good paragraph:, , © Unity: A paragraph should focus around one main idea, ¢ Development: This idea should be developed (explained) in the other sentences, e Coherence: The idea should be explained in a clear and logical way
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One Idea Paragraph, , In this type of paragraph, you present an idea, and the remainder of your paragraph focuses, on explaining this idea. Or for a longer paragraph you may have two ideas., , In this type of paragraph you use these to support your ideas:, Reasons, Examples, Results, , You can follow the pattern of idea, reason, example, result (or variations of these) to write, your paragraph., , This is a method that provides you with a structure that you can use to brainstorm your ideas,, that helps you to extend and support them, and that also provides you with a rough outline at, the same time. Overall, this speeds up the planning process., , To explain this, let’s look at a common problem. Many students write lots of general ideas,, but do not support them properly because they have not planned., , Imagine that you have this essay question:, , , , There have been major advances in technology over recent decades, and this has led to significant improvements in people’s lives., , To what extent do you agree or disagree?, , , , , , , , Look at this example of what a candidate has written in a body paragraph about the benefits, of advances in technology in support of the statement:, , , , , , Our lives are much more convenient. In addition, the speed of modern devices, means we have more time to do things in our free time. Our time is saved which, is beneficial to us. Technological devices are also easily available because they, can be found cheaply these days in most shops., , , , , , , , In this example, the candidate has given 4 or 5 ideas (convenience; speedy modern devices;, more time; availability of devices; cheapness of devices), but none of them have been, explained properly and there is repetition., , All it does is create more questions:, , © Howare our lives more convenient?, © What kinds of devices give us more free time and how?
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© Why is our time being saved beneficial?, © Which are easily available (many are not)?, , Ideas should be clear, not ambiguous., , Paragraphs like this are common to see from candidates who have not planned properly and, do not know how to extend their ideas. Each one of these ideas could be extended into a full, body paragraph., , Solution:, Give one idea, Give a reason WHY this idea is true, Give an example of it, Say what the implications / effects of this example are, , Conclude the paragraph, , , , People’s lives are much more convenient., , , , This is because we are able to do many things without having to stay at, the office or home, something which is extremely important given the, busy lifestyles of today., , , , Example For example, most people now have a mobile phone or laptop, and Wi-Fi, is available in virtually every place., , , , CATT Asa result, people are able to do their work, liaise with colleagues or, friends, and check their emails anywhere they choose such as in coffee, shops or while travelling on a train or bus., , , , (eeattsionm There is no doubt that this has improved people’s lives in many ways and, this would not have been possible without improved technology., , , , , , , , You can use this to ensure you are developing your ideas. Here is an example of how this has, then been turned into the first paragraph of an essay:, , , , The main benefit of modern technology is that people’s lives are much more, convenient. This is because we are able to do many things without having to stay at, the office or home, something which is extremely important given the busy lifestyles, of today. For example, most people now have a mobile phone or laptop computer, and, Wi-Fi is available in virtually every place. As a result, people are able to do their, work, liaise with colleagues or friends, and check their emails anywhere they choose, such as in coffee shops or while travelling on a train or bus. There is no doubt that, this has improved people’s lives in many ways and this would not have been possible, without improved technology. (119 words)
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As you can see, you now have a well-constructed and supported paragraph. There is only one, idea but it is developed and avoids repetition., , You certainly don’t have to follow this exact structure of idea, reason, example, effects and, conclusion. The examiner is not looking for this, but what they ARE looking for is wellsupported ideas within a well-organized paragraph. This structure will provide you with this., , The key point is that you MUST explain your ideas., , So how is this connected to writing a paragraph quickly? The advantage behind this method, is that you can use the framework to brainstorm and plan your ideas., , On a piece of paper, you can write out the framework, and brainstorm your ideas around it., Here is an example of a candidate’s brainstorming in the test:, , , , Brainstorming / Planning notes, How has technology benefitted people?, Idea: more convenience, , Why? can do things away from home —, important due to busy lifestyles, , Ex: Phones & laptops; Wi-Fi everywhere, , Result: can work, talk, email — coffee shops,, while travelling, , Conc: not possible without technology, , , , , , , , Multiple Idea Paragraphs (Listing Paragraphs), , In this type of paragraph, multiple supporting ideas are presented to support the main idea in, the topic sentence., , This is called a ‘listing paragraph’ because ideas are literally being presented in a list., , For a paragraph such as this, you will see transitions such as firstly, secondly, moreover,, furthermore (highlighted in red) to introduce each new supporting idea. Of course you should, try and work on making your transitions more sophisticated, such as “The first reason that...”.
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There is no doubt that modern technology has improved people’s lives in many ways., Firstly, people’s lives are much more convenient because we have devices such as, mobile phones, meaning that people can communicate when and where they like, not, just in the office or home. In addition, people are living much longer lives due to the, advances in medical technology, with doctors now able to carry out complicated heart, surgery and other operations that were not possible many years ago. People’s lives, have also improved around the home. Evidence of this can be seen with all the, machines that are now readily available to people that save time such as washing, machines and dish washers. None of this would have been possible without advances, , in technology., , , , (128 words), , , , , , In the paragraph, the topic sentence is broader (less specific) than in the first one idea, paragraph and there are several supporting ideas., , You still need to ensure that the ideas are understandable. NEVER leave anything up to the, reader to guess. Again, ‘why? questions’ help you to develop your ideas., , e Why are people's lives more convenient? Because of better communication., e Why are people living longer? Because of advances in medical technology., ¢ Why is home life better? Because of machines which can save time., , The outline of the paragraph would look something like this:, , , , Main Idea, Supporting Idea, Explanation, Supporting Idea, Explanation, Supporting Idea, Explanation, Conclusion (*optional), , , , , , , , *The concluding sentence has been placed as optional because you do not have to have a concluding sentence, and in a MIP paragraph you may find that, especially if you have three ideas, you are writing too much., , Here are the candidates brainstorming notes:
