* WRITING TASK 2

COUNTER-ARGUMENT AND REFUTATION

- Phản biện: Thừa nhận quan điểm trái ngược của phe đối lập (khả năng
hiểu/ tôn trọng nhiều mặt của 1 lập luận)  trình bày lập luận cá nhân
- Cấu trúc:
1. Counter-argument (thừa nhận quan điểm khác với lập luận bản thân)
o On the one hand, it is understandable why some people propose/
believe that S + V
o It is often believed that S + V
o Proponents/Opponents of N might argue that S + V
o Granted, one might argue that S + V
2. Concede (Chấp nhận lập trường phe đối)
o Admittedly, S + V + O
o This point has some merits on its surface…. (explain the reasons
for the opposing arguments)
o There may be some truth in their/this argument, (as…) (explain the
reasons for the opposing arguments)
3. Refute (Bác bỏ lập trường phe đối)
o However, this thinking is unsound, as S + V
o However, this perspective/argument fails to factor in / overlooks N
o Nevertheless, this view does not take into account + N
o Nonetheless, such thinking is only valid to a certain extent, since
……
4. Giải thích quan điểm cá nhân
o This is because S + V
o This is evidenced by N
Example:
Step 1: Granted, some people argue that public transport should be free to
encourage environmental protection.
Step 2: There may be some truth in this argument, as free access could
reduce the number of private vehicles on the road.
Step 3: However, this perspective fails to factor in the immense cost
burden on the government.
Step 4: This is because maintaining and expanding public transport
systems requires consistent funding, which would need to come from
taxes.

HEDGING LANGUAGE

Types of hedging language

Modal Verbs Verbs Quantifiers Adverbs
can, may, could, claim, suggest, assert, some, a fraction of, possibly, relatively,
might, would, maintain, argue, a minority/majority, potentially,
should… appear to, seem to, a proportion of, somewhat, likely,
has a tendency to… most, almost, to sometimes, rarely
some extent…
 OPINION ESSAY

There are three main and easy approaches to the question:

o 100% Agree => I completely agree…
o 100% Disagree => I completely disagree…
o 40-60% agree/disagree => While acknowledging the reasons for this
thinking, I would argue that = I diagree with this thinking, despite
acknowledging the reasons for it.

Introduction General Statement:

 One school of thought holds that ….
Thesis Statement: clearly state your position (100% – 40/60%) +
summarize the main points (if possible)
Body 1 Main Point 1
* If you follow the 40/60 approach, write the “40”-side paragraph
here

Admittedly, proponents of young people preserving long-

standing social customs argue that this approach has certain
advantages
Body 2 Main Point 2
* If you follow the 40/60 approach, write the “60”-side paragraph
here
Conclusion Reiterate your position + main points (summarized)

ANSWERING AN OPINION ESSAY WITH COMPARISON

Superlative
Comparative
Types (the best, the worst, the
(more … than, -er than…)
only…)
Agree A is the best A>B
A is better than B, C, D, E… in
Development A > B in a respective aspect
a respective aspect
A=B
Disagree A is not the best
A < B (the same as A > B)
There exist B, C that are better In a respective aspect, A and B
Development
than A in a respective aspect are of equal importance
 DISCUSSION ESSAY

Introduction General Statement:

While one school of thought holds that …, others are of the
opinion that ….

Thesis Statement: This essay will first closely examine both

viewpoints before concluding that I agree with the latter/former.
Body 1 Explain why some people advocate for view 1
* You can choose either the PEEL or Counterargument and
Refutation framework here.
Body 2 Explain why you side with those who advocate for view 2
Conclusion Reiterate your position + main points (summarized):
In conclusion, while there are justifications for advocating/
supporting … (view 1) …, I would contend that … (view 2) ….
 TWO-PART QUESTION ESSAY

OUTLINE
Introduction General Statement: Paraphrase the given question
Thesis Statement: This essay will first analyze/outline the … of this
phenomenon before proposing/outlining/showing the … of it.
Body 1 Answer question #1
Body 2 Answer question #2
Conclusion Reiterate your position + main points (summarized)

CAUSES AND EFFECTS ESSAYS

- Nguyên nhân nào -> Ảnh hưởng đấy
- Ảnh hưởng có thể là tiêu cực/tích cực tùy theo đề bài. Nếu như bài nói chung
thì thường nên viết tiêu cực
OUTLINE
Introduction General Statement: Paraphrase the given question
Thesis Statement: This essay will first analyze/outline the … of this
phenomenon before proposing/outlining/showing the … of it.
Body 1 Answer question #1
Body 2 Answer question #2
Conclusion Reiterate your position + main points (summarized)

Functional Language
Causes Effects
 A cause of / A reason for  As a result / Leads to the problem
 Because / Since / As  Consequently, / Therefore, /
 One of the causes / reasons Hence, / For this reason
is that  Risk of / Leading to / Result in
 To be caused by / produced  Consequences / Implications
by / result from  Have an impact on / Have a
 As a result of / As a consequence of
consequence of  Be responsible for
 Lead to / Give rise to / Bring
about
 Be attributable to
 Stem from

POSITIVE/NEGATIVE DEVELOPMENT
The approach for this type of essay is similar to the "Advantages Outweigh
Disadvantages" essay, with the difference being that we need to emphasize either
the positive impacts more than the negative ones, or vice versa.
Introduction General Statement: Paraphrase the given question
Thesis Statement: While this trend/phenomenon admittedly has
certain benefits, I would argue that it is more of a concerning /
negative / detrimental trend.
Body 1 State the positive impacts of the trend
* Counter-argument: However, this trend may be beneficial for
ABC, yet it is detrimental to DEF…..
Body 2 State the negative impacts of the trend
Conclusion Reiterate your position + main points (summarized)

Advantages Disadvantages
- advantage = benefit = merit = upside - disadvantageous = downside =
= plus point = positive aspect = an demerit = an argument against = a
argument for frequent criticism of
- A is highly advantageous/ beneficial - a grave disadvantageous of … is
to sb in doing sth - A may pose certain threats to sb in
- X may greatly benefit from A in that NP/Ving / put sb/sth at risk/in
S+V danger/jeopardy
- Thanks to A, X may have a golden - Due to A, sb might face/run the risk
opportunity to V of Ving
- A allows/enables/makes it possible - It is easy for sb to suffer (from) sth =
for sb to V sb may find it easy to suffer from/fall
- By Ving, sb be encourage to V victim to

- Verbs: - Verbs:
+ access/approach + O + prevent/hinder sb from Ving
+ get access to O + make it difficult for sb to V = create
+ accumulate/gather/collect certain challenges/obstacles to sb in
(knowledge/experience/wealthy) NP
+ achieve/gain/obtain + ruin/damage sth/sb
+ sharpen/hone skills + cause sb/sth to collapse
+ broaden/widen/enlarge/enrich
knowledge
 STRUCTURE

1. OPINION ESSAY
 Introduction:
One school of thought holds that
 Body ½:
Apart from the practical benefits/ disadvantages expressed above, I
believe that
 Conclusion:
In conclusion, for the reasons I have mentioned above, I strongly believe
that

2. DISCUSSION ESSAY
 Introduction:
While one school of thought holds that …, others are of the opinion that
…. This essay will first closely examine both viewpoints before
concluding that I agree with the latter/former. ./showing my final thoughts
that…
 Body
B1: On the one hand, it is understandable why many ppl argue that….
B2: On the other hand, there are a variety reasons why …

There are several reasons for this thought, one of which is that …
A clear example of
Thanks to these activities,

This may be because

 Conclusion:
In conclusion, it seems evident that both - and … have their own unique
advantages…
In conclusion, although both views certainly have some validity, it seems
to me that it is better to