Read The Essay Question Below and Decide What The Writer Will Have To Do (A - C)

DISCURSIVE ESSAY 2
I. Different perspective technique

Read the essay question below and decide what the writer will have to do (a -c)
Global travel has become cheaper in recent years and more countries are welcoming tourists. Do the
advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?
1: Discursive + opinion
a) The writer needs to decide whether it's a good thing that international travel is cheaper.
b) The writer needs to decide whether both cheap internationaltravel and greater access to a variety of countries
have more benefits than drawbacks.
c) The writer needs to decide whether cheap international travel and access to more countries is beneficial.
Exercise 1: Read the paragraphs from a sample essay below. Put them into a logical order.
A. ____4__ Culturally speaking, encouraging tourists to visit countries that have been off the tourist trail is a
positive thing. A tourist is more likely to understand the cultures of a country if they experience them and is
therefore likely to have a greater tolerance of difference.
B. __6____ Finally, the encouragement of a greater variety of visitors is not without its health and safety risks.
Tourists can inadvertently import and export diseases from a country. Unfortunately, they can also smuggle
illegal objects and substances.
C. __2____ From an individual traveller's point of view, reduced air travel costs can only be a good thing,
economically speaking. It enables them to travel inexpensively. A greater volume of travellers is also
financially beneficial to frequently flying budget airlines.
D. __3____ However, frequent flights are not without environmental drawbacks; aeroplanes release more
carbon dioxide per passenger than any other form of transport.
E. ___7___ In conclusion, I am not convinced that there are more benefits than drawbacks of cheaper travel and
greater access to different countries. Although there are undoubtedly financial and cultural advantages, the
environmental, cultural and health risks seem correspondingly high.
F. _1_____ International tourism is a growth industry, due both to the falling cost of air fares and to the
increasing variety of countries thatare opening their doors to visitors. There are many benefits to these
developments, but there are also drawbacks. This essay will examine both from a number of perspectives.
G. __5____ On the other hand, high volumes of tourists also have a potentially negative impact on a country's
culture; historical sites can be damaged. What is more, tourists tend to have their own traditions which can be at
odds with local customs.
II. Balanced approach to discursive essays
1
Read the following sample essay question and the outline that the writer has made.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some people believe the benefits of tourism outweigh the problems it creates in a particular place. Others
think otherwise, claiming that the development of tourism is a negative trend. Discuss both views and give
your own opinion.
Write at least 250 words.
Introduction:
- Growth of tourism seen as benefit (resorts bring in money and other advantages). But some people
complain about negative effect (environmental damage/increasing prices).
- Will look at the different aspects of tourism; argue that it can be both beneficial and cause problems.
Benefit: brings in money/local economy improves - more jobs for local people
Disadvantage: also increases costs, e.g. house prices go up and prices aimed at tourists so
Idea 1 local people suffer, jobs only seasonal
Benefit: tourism improves infrastructure - more facilities for tourists/transportation better,

etc. - helps local population, too
Idea 2 Disadvantages: damages the environment/not good long term, e.g. beautiful area gets
overdeveloped
Benefit: brings in new people/new types of attractions and cafes, etc

Disadvantages: history and culture sometimes damaged - becomes very commercialized
Idea 3
Conclusion: - Benefit: brings in new people/new types of attractions and cafes, etc.
- Disadvantages: history and culture sometimes damaged - becomes very commercialized
Exercise 2: Read the model paragraph for 'Idea one'. Underline the sentence that introduces a benefit and
the sentence that introduces a contrasting disadvantage.
At first glance, tourism seems to be a huge advantage for the local area. Certainly, it can bring in a lot of money
and the growth in hotels and the service industty ensures that the local economy improves rapidly. In addition to
this, job creation means that more of the people living in the area can find work. Nevertheless, the assumption
that tourism is always a benefit is increasingly under fire. Incoming money pushes up prices so, although the
2
local economy improves, house prices and costs for local people increase as well. The improvement in
employment levels can help but even this is not all positive: much ofthe work created is seasonal, meaning
people are still unemployed for part ofthe year.
Exercise 3: Study another example of a discursive essay in which the write takes a different approach.
Identify the difference and state in which situation this is feasible.
Write about the following topic.
Some people avoid eating meat for health reasons. Others do it as a protest against the poor treatment to
animals. A third viewpoint maintains that mass vegetarianism could ensure that there is enough food to feed the
whole world.
Discuss these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge and experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer
Vegetarianism is a subject that attracts some extreme views. Some feel that it is perfectly natural for us to eat
meat, while others see it as unnecessary, even barbaric and immoral. Although I am a meat-eater, I can see very
good reasons why this should be limited.
Firstly, from a health point of view, there is no doubt that a diet rich in meat has several adverse effects. Links
between certain cancers and regular consumption of certain types of meat have been proven beyond doubt. For
this reason alone, we should consider reducing the amount of meat we eat. Avoiding meat completely is a good
idea, so long as the vegetarian diet followed is balanced and nutritious.
From the perspective of animal welfare, we can no longer pretend that conditions in which animals are kept are
conducive to a happy, humane existence. Some animals barely see nature, are bred purely for the table, and
suffer treatment which can, in some cases, be described as brutal. If we are to continue eating mat, we must do
something to end this unnecessarily cruel treatment of animals.
Another compelling argument in favour of vegetarianism is that, we all stopped eating meat, there would easily
be enough food to go round and it would mean the end of hunger and famine. This is a very logical argument,
especially when we think that the amount of grain needed to breed cattle for beef products could feed people
directly, resulting in many more people being able to eat.
While I don’t see that forcing people to stop eating meat is a viable solution, people should be encouraged to eat
less of it. Perhaps the answer lies in a compromise whereby we aim to have meat-free days, or perhaps
only eat meat at weekends or on special occasions.
3
PRACTICE: Write about the following topic. You should write at least 300 words.
1. Some people believe that automation can help positively transform the economy, while others think it
may imply serious economic consequences. Discuss both views, and give your opinion.
2. Some people think that technology is making us less human, while others believe that technology is in
fact enhancing our humanities at unprecedented speed. Discuss both views, and give your opinion.
3. Some people believe that AI can help positively transform the economy, while others think it may imply
serious economic consequences. Discuss both views, and give your opinion.
4. Teachers used to convey information, but now with wide resources of information. Some people think
that there is no role for teachers to play in modern education, others disagree. Discuss both views and
give your opinion?

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DISCURSIVE ESSAY 2

I. Different perspective technique

Benefit: tourism improves infrastructure - more facilities for tourists/transportation better,

Benefit: brings in new people/new types of attractions and cafes, etc

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