Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper
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If an essay question asks about ‘you’ or ‘your’ country/ region/world, it is acceptable to use ‘I’ or ‘me’ in the introduction and/or conclusion. However, it is not necessary to use ‘I’ in the body of your essay because your evidence should take precedence over your opinion. Phrases such as ‘I think’ or ‘I feel’ should also be avoided. Although these are grammatically correct, they can affect the strength (force) and credibility of your message.
Look back at the practice thesis you wrote for Activity 5. Do you now want to make any changes? Remember, however, that there is no single ‘right answer’ to this task, though you should make sure your thesis ideas are: •
clear
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connected
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easy for the audience to follow.
How might you define some of the other words in the question, such as what is meant by today’s society? Does today’s society refer to your immediate environment / geographic location (e.g. the US state of Florida, Malaysian society, in the East or West), or does it invite a broader interpretation (e.g. 21st-century, global society)?
It is important that you define any key words in your introduction to stop your readers from making assumptions of their own. This can avoid the potential for confusion. The next step is to set limits to your essay. If you were in an exam situation, for example, you would be allowed only 1 hour 15 minutes to write your essay. If you were responding to a question asking you about the extent to which modern communication brings us together, you would hardly be able to address every form of modern communication we use today! And even if you did, it would not be possible to do so in much depth. Instead, you would need to narrow the range of coverage to address a few selected sub-categories within ‘modern communication’:
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Writing your thesis statement first can make it easier to develop the rest of the introduction around it. In other words, now that you know what your main point is, you might be in a better position to explain the context and define terms. The thesis statement is a feature specific to the introduction. However, the other features of the introduction are not a sequence of individual steps, as with the thesis. Nor are they a checklist to follow in any particular order. Instead, these elements often merge or overlap with each other. For example, you could introduce your topic to the audience and explain why it matters at the same time.
Introducing the topic Introducing the topic is the easiest step in writing an introduction because you can use the key words from the essay question to help you start. Do not feel that you are being lazy or unimaginative by using these words – they can be helpful by reminding you to focus on the task. For example, the essay question that we have been considering is:
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Defining terms and setting limits As you introduce the topic for your reader in the introduction, you should define key words from the question and indicate what limits you will place upon them (see Chapter 2.2 Section E Deconstructing questions for more information on setting limits to your essay). For example, the concept of accurate grammar might need clearer definition.
Modern communication can encompass a range of mediums, from emails to text messaging, and even social media posts. This essay will address video conferencing exclusively, and the extent of its ability to bring us together.
Taking time to make decisions like this may help you to find just the balance you need to address the topic in a lively and engaging way, within a time limit.
So you might find it helpful to use some variation of the following key words in your introduction:
Giving a sense of ‘why this topic matters’ In other writing, you may have been instructed to provide a ‘hook’ in the introduction to your essay, to grab the reader’s attention and encourage them to read on. There are several common ‘attention-grabbing strategies’. For example, you could try starting with:
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accuracy
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a well-known quotation
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grammar
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some persuasive data
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still matters / doesn’t matter
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a familiar reference
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today’s society.
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a hypothetical scenario.
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In today’s society, to what extent does the use of accurate grammar still matter?
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2018