Academic Writing Students,

To write the article use the video (documental) you are working on, in this case you know what is the topic and it is easy to you to write the article.

For the c.v use this site:

https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/es/documents/curriculum-vitae/templates-instructions

https://www.cambridge-bayern.de/pruefungsvorbereitung/pruefungsvorbereitung-cae.html.

LISTENING COMPREHENSION TEST. CAE

ACADEMIC WRITING

Write a Descriptive essay based on one of these paintings.

The Walk, Woman with a Parasol, Claude Monet 1875, oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. USA. This canvas is also known as Madame Monet and her Son.

Vincent van Gogh
Painting, Oil on Canvas
Saint-Rémy, France: June, 1889
The Museum of Modern Art
New York, New York, United States of America, North America

Probably Picasso's most famous work, Guernica is certainly the his most powerful political statement, painted as an immediate reaction to the Nazi's devastating casual bombing practice on the Basque town of Guernica during Spanish Civil War.

  Descritive Essay by Claudita Mosquera on Scribd

  Argumentative Essay by Claudita Mosquera on Scribd

Academic Discourse in English as a Foreign Language Students, here you have some of the most representative essays in academic writing, please read and work on them by groups. Don't forget to check the bibliography for this topic.

Guide to Different Kinds of Essay

An essay is a short piece of writing that discusses, describes or analyzes one topic. It can discuss a subject directly or indirectly, seriously or humorously. It can describe personal opinions, or just report information. An essay can be written from any perspective, but essays are most commonly written in the first person (I), or third person (subjects that can be substituted with the he, she, it, or they pronouns).

There are many different kinds of essays. The following are a some of the most common ones:

Descriptive	Cause/Effect	Argumentative
Definition	Narrative	Critical
Compare/Contrast	Process

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Descriptive:

Examples: A descriptive essay could describe . . .

* a tree in my backyard;

* a visit to the children's ward of a hospital;

* a hot fudge sundae;

* what an athlete did in order to make it to the Olympics.

The descriptive essay provides details about how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, makes one feel, or sounds. It can also describe what something is, or how something happened. These essays generally use a lot of sensory details. The essay could be a list-like description that provides point by point details. Or, it could function as a story, keeping the reader interested in the plot and theme of the event described.

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Definition:

Examples: A definition essay may try and define . . .

* the meaning of an abstract concept, like love;

* the true meaning and importance of honesty;

* how the meaning of family goes deeper than just your blood relatives.

A definition essay attempts to define a specific term. It could try to pin down the meaning of a specific word, or define an abstract concept. The analysis goes deeper than a simple dictionary definition; it should attempt to explain why the term is defined as such. It could define the term directly, giving no information other than the explanation of the term. Or, it could imply the definition of the term, telling a story that requires the reader to infer the meaning.

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Compare/Contrast:

Examples:Acompare/contrast essay may discuss . . .

* the likenesses and differences between two places, like New York City and Los Angeles;

* the similarities and differences between two religions, like Christianity and Judaism;

* two people, like my brother and myself.

The compare/contrast essay discusses the similarities and differences between two things, people, concepts, places, etc. The essay could be an unbiased discussion, or an attempt to convince the reader of the benefits of one thing, person, or concept. It could also be written simply to entertain the reader, or to arrive at an insight into human nature. The essay could discuss both similarities and differences, or it could just focus on one or the other. A comparison essay usually discusses the similarities between two things, while the contrast essay discusses the differences.

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Cause/Effect:

Examples:A cause/effect essay may explain . . .

* why a volcano erupts, and what happens afterwards;

* what happens after a loved one's death.

The cause/effect essay explains why or how some event happened, and what resulted from the event. This essay is a study of the relationship between two or more events or experiences. The essay could discuss both causesand effects, or it could simply address one or the other. A cause essay usually discusses the reasons why something happened. An effect essay discusses what happens after a specific event or circumstance.

The below example shows a cause essay, one that would explain how and why an event happened.

If this cause essay were about a volcanic eruption, it might go something like:
"Pressure and heat built up beneath the earth's surface; theeffect of this was an enormous volcanic eruption."

The next example shows an effect essay, one that would explain all the effects that happened after a specific event, like a volcanic eruption.

If this effect essay were about a volcanic eruption again, it might go something like:
"The eruption caused many terrible things to happen; it destroyed homes, forests, and polluted the atmosphere."

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Narrative:

Examples:A narrative essay could tell of . . .

* my brother's and my fishing trips;

* a boring trip to the grocery store;

* my near-death experience at the beach.

The narrative essay tells a story. It can also be called a "short story." Generally the narrative essay is conversational in style, and tells of a personal experience. It is most commonly written in the first person (uses I). This essay could tell of a single, life-shaping event, or simply a mundane daily experience.

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Process:

Examples: A process essay may explain . . .

* how to properly re-pot a plant;

* how an individual came to appreciate hard work.

A process essay describes how something is done. It generally explains actions that should be performed in a series. It can explain in detail how to accomplish a specific task, or it can show how an individual came to a certain personal awareness. The essay could be in the form of step-by-step instructions, or in story form, with the instructions/explanations subtly given along the way.

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Argumentative:

Examples: An argumentative essay may persuade a reader that . . .

* he or she should use public transportation instead of driving.

* cats are better than dogs.

An argumentative essay is one that attempts to persuade the reader to the writer's point of view. The writer can either be serious or funny, but always tries to convince the reader of the validity of his or her opinion. The essay may argue openly, or it may attempt to subtly persuade the reader by using irony or sarcasm.

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Critical:

Examples: A critical essaymay analyze . . .

* how Shakespeare presents the character, Othello, in his play, Othello;

* the strengths and weaknesses of the movie,Children of a Lesser God;

* the use of color in Monet's painting, Sunflowers.

A critical essay analyzes the strengths, weaknesses and methods of someone else's work. Generally these essays begin with a brief overview of the main points of the text, movie, or piece of art, followed by an analysis of the work's meaning. It should then discuss how well the author/creator accomplishes his/her goals and makes his/her points. A critical essay can be written about another essay, story, book, poem, movie, or work of art.

  118016 FCE Sample Listening Paper by Claudita Mosquera on Scribd

PARAPHRASING

Paraphrasing involves changing a text so that it is quite different from the source, while retaining the meaning. This skill is important in several areas of academic work, but this unit focuses on using paraphrasing in note-making and summary writing. Effective paraphrasing is vital in academic writing to avoid the risk of plagiarism.

1.       Although paraphrasing techniques are used in summary writing, paraphrasing does not aim to shorten the length of a text, merely to restate it.

 For example:

Evidence of a lost civilisation has been found off the coast of China

 could be paraphrased:

Remains of an ancient society have been discovered in the sea near China.

2.       A good paraphrase is significantly different from the wording of the original, without altering the meaning at all.

Read the text below and then decide which is the better paraphrase, (a) or (b).

Ancient Egypt collapsed in about 2180 BC. Studies conducted of the mud from the River Nile showed that at this time the mountainous regions which feed the Nile suffered from a prolonged drought. This would have had a devastating effect on the ability of Egyptian society to feed itself.

a)      The sudden ending of Egyptian civilisation over 4,000 years ago was probably caused by changes in the weather in the region to the south. Without the regular river flooding there would not have been enough food.

b)       Research into deposits of the Egyptian Nile indicate that a long dry period in the mountains at the river’s source may have led to a lack of water for irrigation around 2180 BC, which was when the collapse of Egyptian society began.

3.        Techniques

a)      Changing vocabulary:

studies > research

society > civilisation

 mud > deposits

NB Not all words and phrases can be paraphrased. For example, economics, socialism or global warming have no effective synonyms.

b)       Changing word class:

Egypt (n.) > Egyptian (adj.)

 mountainous regions (adj. +n.) > in the mountains (n.)

c)        Changing word order:

Ancient Egypt collapsed > the collapse of Egyptian society began

          4.     Find synonyms for the words in italics.

a) The growth of the car industry parallels the development of modern capitalism. 

Example:

The rise of the automobile industry matches the progress of contemporary capitalism.

b) It began in France and Germany, but took off in the United States.

_______________________________________________________________

a)      There Henry Ford adapted the moving production line from the Chicago meat industry to motor manufacturing, thus inventing mass production.

____________________________________________________________________

5.        Change the word class of the words in italics, and then rewrite the sentences.

a)      In the 1920s Alfred Sloan’s management theories helped General Motors to become the world’s dominant car company. Example: In the 1920s, with help from the managerial theories of Alfred Sloan, General Motors dominated the world’s car companies.

Example:

In the 1920s, with help from the managerial theories of Alfred Sloan, General Motors dominated the world’s car companies.

b)      After the Second World War the industry developed ‘planned obsolescence’, whereby frequent model changes encouraged customers to buy new cars more often than they needed to.

c)       Later, from the 1970s, environmentalists began to criticise the industry for producing inefficient models which used too much fuel, contributing to global warming.

6.       Change the word order of the following sentences (other changes may be needed).

a.        At this time, trades unions became increasingly militant in defence of their members’ jobs.

Example:

At this time increasingly militant trades unions defended their members’ jobs.

b)      Today the industry owns some of the strongest brands in the world.

___________________________________________________________________

c)       However, many major car companies

_____________________________________________________________________

7.       Combine all these techniques to paraphrase the paragraph as fully as possible.

         FOUR WHEELS GOOD

The growth of the car industry parallels the development of modern capitalism. It began in France and Germany, but took off in the United States. There Henry Ford adapted the moving production line from the Chicago meat industry to motor manufacturing, thus inventing mass production. In the 1920s Alfred Sloan’s management theories helped General Motors to become the world’s dominant car company. After the Second World War the industry developed ‘planned obsolescence’, whereby frequent model changes encouraged customers to buy new cars more often than they needed to. Later, from the 1970s, environmentalists began to criticise the industry for producing inefficient models which used too much fuel, contributing to global warming. At this time, trades unions became increasingly militant in defence of their members’ jobs. Today the industry owns some of the strongest brands in the world. However, many major car companies struggle with stagnant markets and falling profits.

8.               USE THE SAME TECHNIQUES TO PARAPHRASE THE FOLLOWING TEXT.

 Before the last century no humans had visited Antarctica, and even today the vast continent has a winter population of fewer than 200 people. However, a recent report from a New Zealand government agency outlines the scale of the pollution problem in the ice and snow. Although untouched compared with other regions in the world, the bitter cold of Antarctica means that the normal process of decay is prevented. As a result some research stations are surrounded by the rubbish of nearly 60 years’ operations. Despite popular belief, the polar continent is really a desert, with less precipitation than the Sahara. In the past, snowfall slowly covered the waste left behind, like beer cans or dead ponies, but now, possibly due to global warming, the ice is thinning and these are being exposed. Over 10 years ago the countries using Antarctica agreed a treaty on waste disposal, under which everything is to be taken home, and this is slowly improving the situation. However, the scientists do not want everything removed. The remains of very early expeditions at the beginning of the twentieth century have acquired historical value and will be preserved.