Students may have to produce various types of written work as part of their courses. Organisation of texts. a Explain the following terms in italic:

Academic qualifications are of little practical benefit in the real world – Discuss. Introduction variety of different qualifications different methods of assessment Benefits international standards for professions, e.g. doctors students have chance to study latest theories qualifications lead to better salaries and promotion Drawbacks many successful people don’t have qualifications many qualified people don’t have jobs Conclusion qualifications are useful but not guarantees of success

4. Write a plan for one of the titles in 1.

title introduction main body conclusion

5. Teachers often complain that students write essays that do not answer the question set.

Consider the following titles and decide which sections should be included in each essay. a Describe the growth of the European Union since 1975 and suggest its likely form by 2010. A short account of European history 1900–2000 An analysis of candidates for membership before 2010 A discussion of the current economic situation in Europe An outline of the enlargement of the EU between 1975 and now b Summarise the arguments in favour of privatisation and evaluate its record in Britain. A case study of electricity privatisation An analysis of less successful privatisations A study of major privatisations in the UK A discussion of the benefits achieved by privatisation c To what extent is tuberculosis TB a disease of poverty? A definition of TB A report on the spread of TB worldwide A case study showing how TB relates to social class A discussion of new methods of treating the disease d Nursery education is better for children than staying at home with mother – Discuss. A study of the growth of nurseries since 1995 A report on the development of children who remain at home until five A discussion comparing speaking ability in the two groups of children An outline of the increase of women in the labour market since 1960 e Compare studying in a library with using the internet. Will the former become redundant? The benefits of using books The drawbacks of internet sources Predicted IT developments in the next 15 years An outline of developments in library services since 1945

6. Underline the key terms in the following titles and decide what you are being asked to do.

Example: Relate the development of railways to the rise of nineteenth-century European nationalism. Relate means to link one thing to another. The title is asking for links to be made between the growth of railways in Europe in the nineteenth century and the political philosophy of nationalism. The writer must decide if there was a connection or not. a Identify the main causes of rural poverty in China. b Calculate the likely change in coffee consumption that would result from a 10 fall in the price of coffee beans. c Classify the desert regions of Asia and suggest possible approaches to halting their spread.