OPINION ESSAY Introduction/Opening- states the topic and gives your opinion clearly B) A main body- supports your opinion with reasons, facts and examples. Includes a new idea in each paragraph C) conclusion- restates your opinion using different words You normally use present tenses in this type of writing, and phrases such as I believe, IN my opinion, I think, It seems to me that, I strongly disagree with,… etc to express your opinion

Write about 100 to 150 words in the following topic: Do you think parents should control the number of hours their children watch TV? I believe that parents are mainly responsible for the development and education of their children, so I think that it is absolutely necessary for parents to control the number of hours their children watch TV. In the same way that parents make sure that their children´s diet is balanced, so they should also control the quality and quantity of the television programmes that they watch. If this choice was left to children, I am sure that they would watch television in excess, even to the point of leaving aside friends, homework and other activities which are essential for their own personal development. To conclude, we know that children spend more hours in front of the television set now than they used to do, and so we should ask ourselves if we are doing them a favour by letting them decide how much television they want to watch. Planificación Empieza por responder a la pregunta: "¿Crees que los padres deberían controlar el número de horas que sus hijos ven la televisión?" Proporciona argumentos a favor de tu opinión. Introduce tu opinión con expresiones como: I think, I believe, I agree with the fact that... Escribe una conclusión final con un resumen de tus argumentos o una predicción sobre lo que pasará en un futuro.

Write about 100 to 150 words in the following topic: Are you for or against "the big bottle"? Why? The ?big bottle? is a phenomenon which has quickly spread throughout Spanish cities. It has caused many problems in the areas where it takes place and therefore I am absolutely against it. In the first place, neighbours living in the city centres complain because they cannot sleep due to the noise created and because they find their area full of rubbish the morning after. The second problem I see is that under aged teenagers have access to alcohol because there is not anyone in the streets controlling what they drink. Another big problem is that the streets are packed with drunk teenagers and this can bring about fights and acts of vandalism, which can, again, affect neighbours. So on the whole, I think that the ?big bottle? is a social problem and we should all contribute to eradicate it.

“ ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES ” ESSAY an introduction - present the topic making a general remark ( IMPORTANT, NOT STATE THE OPINION) a main body - present the points for and the points against, in separate paragraphs, supporting your arguments with justifications/example. One paragraph> arguments for Another paragraph> arguments against a conclusion- Sum up the topic. Includes your opinion Not to include opinion words ( I believe, I think…etc) in the introduction or the main body. Opinion words can only be used in the final paragraph, where you may state your opinion on the topic. “For and against”essays are normally written in a formal style;therefore you should avoid using strong language ( I know, I am sure…etc), short sentences, colloquial expressions or idioms. USE OF PRESENT TENSES

Write about 100 to 150 words in the following topic: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages you find in homeworking. When considering the option of working from home I can find both advantages and disadvantages. Not having to commute to your workplace each morning is a definite advantage because you can save money on transport and avoid the stress of the rush hour. The other advantage is being able to eat at home, which is both cheaper and healthier. However, I would say there are more drawbacks than advantages because having to organize your own time means that you need to have two essential qualities that not everybody has: self-discipline and good organization. On the other hand if you work at home, there is the possibility of having more contact with the family, even though this could also mean more distractions and taking more breaks than necessary. Working from home also involves working alone. So I think that I would prefer to suffer the stress of the rush hour but have the support and companionship of colleagues.

Planificación Tormenta de ideas: anota todas las ideas que te vienen a la mente. Haz una introducción al tema con una o dos frases, utilizando conectores: "in the first place", "to begin", "firstly". Desarrollo del tema expresando los argumentos a favor o en contra: but, on the other hand, however, in my opinion, on the other hand. Extrae las conclusiones de los argumentos expresados anteriormente: to sum up, to conclude, in conclusion. Se pueden añadir expresiones como: VENTAJAS: The main advantage is... There are other disadvantages in connection with... I would say there are more advantages that drawbacks... DESVENTAJAS: The main disadvantage is... There are other problems in connection with... I would say there are more drawbacks than advantages. En este apartado tienes que tratar de utilizar expresiones y vocabulario variado.

PROVIDING SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS ESSAYS an introduction - state the problem and/or what has caused it a main body – consists of two or more paragraphs presenting suggestions and their results/consequences. You should start a new paragraph for each suggestion and its results/ consequences a conclusion - you summarise your opinion These essays are normally written in a formal style.Use of conditional tense and sentences.

Write about 100 to 150 words in the following topic: What could we do to reduce pollution in large cities? Air pollution in cities is a serious matter since it can cause health problems. Therefore, both councils and individuals should find measures to reduce it. The main cause of city pollution is the millions of cars, buses, vans and motorcycles that use the roads every day. Sharing a ride would be an easy way to reduce the number of vehicles in the cities. Improving the transport network would also make people use public transport more often and leave their cars at home, thus reducing fuel emissions in the air. Another way of reducing pollution can be by using environmentally friendly vehicles to carry out city work, such as street cleaning or garbage collection. To sum up, there are many things we can easily do to reduce pollution in our cities, something which is unfortunately not being taken too seriously by city councils.

Planificación Tormenta de ideas: piensa en vocabulario relacionado con este tema:public transport, environmentally-friendly products... Organiza las ideas: medidas para reducir la contaminación en las ciudades. Comienza presentando el tema del que vas a escribir y por qué es importante reducir la contaminación Conclusión: incluye una predicción acerca del futuro o tu opinión personal sobre el tema. Divide las ideas en párrafos. Utiliza expresiones para organizar, relacionar o añadir ideas: therefore, to sum up...

LINKING WORDS Para introducir opinión I agree that … (estoy de acuerdo en que…) I disagree that … (no estoy de acuerdo en que…) I believe that … (creo que …) I think that… (pienso que…) In my opinion, … (en mi opinión) In my view, … (bajo mi punto de vista) it seems to me that … (me parece que) Para introducir una serie de puntos First of all / Firstly / In the first place, … (en primer lugar) Secondly, … (en Segundo lugar) Thirdly, … (en tercer lugar) Then, … (entonces) Later, … (luego) After that, … (después de eso) Finally, … (finalmente)

Para expresar contraste Although … (aunque) However, … (sin embargo) In contrast, … (al contrario) Nevertheless, … (sin embargo) On the one hand, … (por una parte) On the other hand, … (por otra parte) This ignores the fact that … (esto ignora el hecho de que) On the contrary, … (por el contrario) Despite … (a pesar de ) Para añadir información Also, … (también, además) Besides, … (además) Furthermore, …( además) In addition (to this), … (además de esto) What’s more, … (lo que es más) It must also be said that… (tambien hay que decir que)

Para introducir la conclusión In conclusion, … (para finalizar/concluir) In short, … To sum up, … To conclude, … Selectividad According to the text, … (de acuerdo con el texto) As the autor points out, … (como menciona el autor)