Section II, Part A2--Presentational Writing: Argumentative essay

For this part of the test your task is to:

• Interpret the information presented
• Use the information to support your argument

You will receive three sources:

1. An article
2. A chart
   • For these two you will receive 6 minutes to read both.
3. A listening source
   • After the 6 minutes, you will hear the audio twice with a pause of around 3 seconds in between.
   • Then you will have 40 minutes to write the essay.

The write a successful essay must include:

• A clear answer to the question presented.
• Support your argument with the three sources.
• Organization of thought.
• Appropriate language.

SCORING YOUR ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

The score is based on how well you can accomplish the task, here are some questions you can use as a guide:

• Did you answered the question clearly?
• Did you incorporate information from the three sources to support the argument?
• Does your argument drive the essay and is there frequent elaboration?
• Is the response fully comprehensible?
• Does the use of language show sophistication?
• Is the response well organized?

If you can answer yes to all of these questions, it’s likely your score will be high, but there are some things you should keep in mind:

• a response that does not clearly answer the question will earn a low score.
• a response where the essay starts by defending one viewpoint but ends up defending another will not score well.
• a response in which the language ability makes the reply mostly incomprehensible will also earn a low score.

Also, there are some key elements for example:

• Understand that your argument has to be the driving force of the essay.
• The information from the sources should only serve as support.
• You need to include at least 1 key piece of information from each source.
• Failing to include information can jeopardize your ability to earn a 5.
• Essays arguments that heavily rely on summarizing information generally score a 3.

STRATEGIES

Use the next table as a guideline on how to budget your time according to your own skills:

• Read the question of the essay

  • 30 seconds
  • Underline keywords this will help you have a clear what you need to answer.

• Read source 1

  • 4 minutes
  • Underline keywords and phrases that will help you remember key ideas.
  • Use context clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words.
  • Do not spend too much time trying to decipher complicated information.
  • After finishing write some keywords that summarize the point of view.

• Read source 2

  • 2 minutes
  • Analyze and come up with one or two ideas that can be defended with the information contained.
  • Don’t force a point of view.

• Listen to source 3

  • 5 to 7 minutes
  • Make a prediction of the point of view.
  • Visualize as you listen.
  • Write down keywords.

• Writing your essay

  • 35 minutes
  • Structure correctly.
  • Cite the sources as you use them.
  • Vary your vocabulary.
  • Make sure your ideas are clear and succinct.
  • Include a variety of tenses or moods if appropriate.
  • Don’t force the use of vocabulary.
  • If you make a mistake, draw a line and keep writing.

• After you finish writing

  • 5 minutes
  • Proofread your essay to make sure you:
  • Clearly answered the question.
  • Your argument is clear and supported.
  • Your ideas are clear to an unsympathetic reader.
  • You used correct orthography, punctuation, and paragraphing.

Writing your essay

When you are writing an essay you should write thinking the people who read it might not be familiar with the topic, therefore the essay has to be organized in a way it helps the reader follow your train of thought, here is a recommended outline for your essay:

• Introduction
  • 1 paragraph
  • Present the topic of the essay
  • Present the two points of view.
  • Clearly state your thesis
• Body
  • 2 paragraphs
  • First paragraph
    • Start by introducing the first idea that defends your thesis.
    • Use evidence from one or two sources to support the idea.
    • Finish by elaborating on why your idea is valid.
    • Cite sources as you use them.
  • Second paragraph
    • Start presenting the opposite point of view.
    • Use evidence from a source as evidence to support this opposite point of view.
    • Reject the point and reaffirm your own point.
    • Cite sources as you use them.
• Conclusion
  • 1 paragraph
  • Restate your thesis.
  • Summarize the evidence used.
  • Make a final remark to give a sense of closure.

Citing sources:

You can cite sources in two different ways:

• “Según fuente # . . .”
• “F#” in parenthesis after presenting the idea from the source

Useful Vocabulary

Here is a list of transitional phrases that you can use:

To introduce an idea

• “Como punto de partida“
• ”Para empezar”

To add to an idea

• “Además“
• ”En segundo lugar”

To explain an idea

• “Por ejemplo“
• ”Para ilustrar”

To contrast

• “Por otro lado“
• ”Sin embargo”
• “No obstante“

To compare

• “De la misma manera“

To show a result

• “Por consiguiente“
• ”Como resultado”
• “Debido a lo anterior“

To conclude or summarize

• “Por fin“
• ”En suma”
• “Para concluir“