Module 3 · Word Power · Lesson 12
Writing Part 1 The Essay
Argument, balance and cohesion
Warm-up · Section 1
4 minGet talking
Read aloud: (a) 'Many people use ride-share apps every day.' (b) 'Ride-share apps have, on balance, undermined more skills than they have replaced.' Which is an essay sentence? Why?
A CPE essay must DISCUSS two views but take ONE stance. How do you signal that you've considered View 2 without abandoning your own?
Find every linker in: 'Although this view is popular, it overlooks a crucial point. In fact, the evidence suggests the opposite. Moreover…' What does each linker DO?
Grammar focus · Section 2
8 minCohesion: reference, substitution, conjunction
Quick rule
C2 writing is COHESIVE — sentences link backwards. Use REFERENCE (this, that, these), SUBSTITUTION (do so, one, ones) and CONJUNCTION (however, in fact, moreover) deliberately.
Examples
Reference: 'The policy was withdrawn. THIS surprised no one familiar with the data.'
Substitution: 'Some claim apps liberate us. Others DO SO with less confidence.'
Conjunction (contrast): 'The case is compelling. HOWEVER, it rests on a single study.'
Conjunction (concession + counter): 'WHILE the apps undeniably save time, they ALSO erode the competence they replace.'
Quick check
Question 1.Which is a SUBSTITUTION device?
Question 2.'The minister denied wrongdoing. THIS surprised no one.' What does 'this' refer to?
Question 3.Which linker signals CONCESSION followed by counter-argument?
Question 4.Which sentence shows the BEST C1 cohesion?
Question 5.Replace the second 'argue' with a substitution: 'Critics argue the apps harm us. Defenders ____ the opposite.'
Vocabulary · Section 3
6 minWords & phrases to own
on balance
after weighing both sides; overall
e.g. On balance, the benefits outweigh the costs.
Use it now
Complete: 'On balance, I think ______.' (any current debate)
↻ Recycled in essay opening · speaking
while it is true that…
phrase to concede the other side before countering
e.g. While it is true that apps save time, they also erode skills.
Use it now
Make a concession sentence about your own field using this phrase.
↻ Recycled in essay body · model
to give weight to (a view)
to make a view seem more credible
e.g. Recent evidence gives weight to the sceptics' position.
Use it now
What recent event has GIVEN WEIGHT TO a position you hold?
↻ Recycled in writing · speaking
to qualify (a claim)
to add a condition that limits a claim
e.g. I'd qualify that — it works for small teams, not all teams.
Use it now
Take one bold claim and qualify it in one sentence.
↻ Recycled in essay body · speaking
compelling case (recycled L11)
an argument that's hard to ignore
e.g. Hughes makes a compelling case for keeping daily friction.
Use it now
Whose compelling case did you read or hear this week?
↻ Recycled in essay opening · speaking
vested interest (recycled L11)
a personal stake in the outcome
e.g. Big tech has a vested interest in our continued dependence.
Use it now
Identify one vested interest you can name in today's news.
↻ Recycled in essay body · homework
Pair / group discussion
- Which of today's phrases will you USE in this lesson's essay opening?
- Where, in your last piece of writing, could you have ADDED a 'while it is true that…' to strengthen it?
Complete each stem about yourself
- On balance, I'd argue that ______.…
- While it is true that ______, the stronger evidence suggests ______.…
- I'd qualify that claim by adding ______.…
Quick write (60 seconds)
Write ONE sentence that combines 'on balance' with 'compelling case'.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3 minLinking and weak forms in fluent reading aloud
When read aloud, linkers and small grammar words REDUCE. 'However' = /haʊˈɛvə/, but 'on balance' = /ɒn ˈbæləns/ (weak 'on'). Drill aloud so your essay PHRASING sounds natural when you defend it in speaking.
- ON balance · in FACT · how-EVer · more-OVer · while it is TRUE that
- It IS, on balance, a COMpelling case.
- While IT is TRUE that, in SOME respects, the cri-tics HAVE a point…
Reading · Section 5
8 minMini Part 7: paragraphs out of order
C1 practice · gapped-text mini-task
Mini Part 7: paragraphs out of order
Three of these paragraphs belong together. Reorder them by following the cohesion devices.
[PARA A] On balance, however, the case for keeping a daily portion of friction is compelling. The chore was never the point. The chore was the carrier of attention.
[PARA B] This is the move that the most thoughtful defenders of the apps now concede. Even those with a vested interest in continued frictionlessness will, in private, admit that an entirely automated morning is an unrehearsed morning.
[PARA C] While it is true that the apps that wake us, route us and feed us have liberated whole hours of our week, they have also quietly undermined the small competences those hours used to require. We rarely notice the trade — until the apps go dark, and we cannot remember which bus to catch.
Question 1.In which order do the paragraphs cohere?
Question 2.Which device tells you Para A follows Para C?
Question 3.What does 'This' at the start of Para B refer to?
Listening · Section 6
8 minExaminer debrief: what wins marks in Part 1 essays
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Scrub the bar or use ± 5 s to jump.
Show transcript
Helena Cole, Examiner (f, NZ):So when I'm marking a Part 1 essay, the first thing I'm looking for, honestly, is whether the candidate is ARGUING or just DESCRIBING. A candidate who lists pros and cons without taking a position will sit in band 3, no matter how good the vocabulary is. The candidate who concedes the other side and then takes a clear stance — that candidate jumps to band 4 immediately.
Tom Walker, Host (m, RP):And cohesion? How visible should the linkers be?
Helena Cole, Examiner (f, NZ):Visible, but not stuffed. Two or three explicit linkers per paragraph is plenty. What I want more than linkers is REFERENCE — the candidate uses 'this' or 'that' to point back to an idea they've just established. That tells me they're thinking in paragraphs, not in sentences.
Tom Walker, Host (m, RP):And length?
Helena Cole, Examiner (f, NZ):Two hundred and twenty to two hundred and sixty. Going long doesn't earn you anything; going short loses you content marks. Aim for two-forty and stop.
Tom Walker, Host (m, RP):Any single fix that bumps a band-3 candidate to band 4?
Helena Cole, Examiner (f, NZ):Concede the other view, then counter it. 'While it is true that X, the stronger evidence suggests Y.' That ONE move signals C1 thinking — and frankly, most candidates don't make it.
Question 1.What does Helena look for FIRST?
Question 2.What does she value MORE than explicit linkers?
Question 3.What word count does she recommend AIMING for?
Question 4.What ONE move does she say jumps a candidate from band 3 to band 4?
Visual stimulus · Section 7
3 minThe essay prompt (Cambridge format)
This is the format you will see on the day. Notice three things: the situation, the two views to discuss, and the prompt question. Plan to: take a stance, engage with BOTH views, and recycle the lexis you already know.
Discuss in pairs
Plan the essay in 5 minutes (stance, two views, conclusion). Then draft the opening sentence using one of today's stance phrases.
Exam skills · Section 8
3 minCPE Writing Part 1 — the 5-minute essay plan
Strategy
- 1.(1 min) STANCE: write a single sentence stating your position.
- 2.(1 min) PARA 1 (intro): paraphrase the situation + state stance.
- 3.(1 min) PARA 2 (Body 1): View A + your concession or partial agreement + evidence/example.
- 4.(1 min) PARA 3 (Body 2): View B + your stronger agreement or counter + evidence/example.
- 5.(1 min) PARA 4 (conclusion): re-state stance, one forward-looking sentence.
Example
Stance: 'Frictionless apps cost us more than they save.' → Intro paraphrases prompt + states stance. → Body 1: concede View 1 (time-saving). → Body 2: argue View 2 (skill erosion) more strongly. → Conclusion: restate stance + one consequence.
Practice · Section 9
7 minFill in the blank
Question 1.____ is true that apps save time, they also reduce small competences.
Question 2.The data is patchy. ____, it points consistently in one direction.
Question 3.Many writers claim the trend is harmless. Few ____ convincingly.
Question 4.The findings give ____ to the sceptics' position.
Question 5.____, the benefits seem to outweigh the costs.
Question 6.I'd ____ that conclusion by noting the sample is small.
Q1.Write ONE substitution sentence using 'do so'.
Q2.Complete the concession: 'While it is true that ______, ______.'
Writing · Section 10
4 minPut it in writing
Cambridge C2 Proficiency Writing Part 1
Essay (compulsory) · 220–260 words
You attended a panel discussion on whether 'frictionless' technology is changing daily life for the better.
TWO views were expressed:
1. 'These apps save us time we used to waste.'
2. 'They quietly undermine skills we will only miss when they fail.'
Write an ESSAY for your tutor discussing TWO of the views, giving reasons for your opinion. Use your own words as far as possible.
Your notes
- ✎ Engage with BOTH views
- ✎ 220–260 words
- ✎ Stance must be explicit
Your task
In class: draft your essay OPENING (40–55 words) and BODY 1 (60–80 words) for the prompt in the stimulus. Use AT LEAST: one stance phrase, one cohesion device (reference OR substitution), one recycled vocab item from Lessons 09–11.
- • Opening = paraphrase the situation + state your stance.
- • Body 1 = engage View A: concede partially, then counter or qualify.
- • Use the cohesion device naturally — no padding.
- • Bold each recycled item on submission.
Before you submit
- ☐ Opening 40–55 words, ends with explicit stance.
- ☐ Body 1 60–80 words, engages View A specifically (not generically).
- ☐ 1 stance phrase, 1 cohesion device, 1 recycled item — all visible.
Show model answer
OPENING (47 words): The panel discussion raised a question that increasingly preoccupies anyone who looks honestly at their own daily routines: whether the apps that have removed friction from our mornings have, on balance, served us well. My own view, after listening to both speakers, is that they have not. BODY 1 (72 words): While it is true that these tools save hours each week, this saving comes at a cost that is rarely measured. The competences they replace — knowing the bus route, brewing the coffee, drafting the email — were never glamorous, but they kept attention alive. Defenders of frictionlessness dismiss the loss as nostalgia; I would qualify that. The chore was not the point; the attention it demanded was.
Speaking · Section 11
6 minMake it a real conversation
Stance defence. In pairs, you have 4 minutes. Student A reads their essay OPENING aloud. Student B asks ONE 'devil's advocate' question. Student A defends in 60 seconds, using at least one phrase from today.
Useful phrases
- On balance, my view is…
- I'd qualify that by adding…
- While it is true that…, the stronger case is…
- What gives weight to my position is…
- I'd concede that, but…
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Stretch. ~18 min total
Homework · Section 12
Take-homeTake it home
Finish your essay: write Body 2 (60–80 words) and the Conclusion (35–50 words). Total essay 220–260 words. Submit with all recycled items bolded.
prompts · Body 2 + Conclusion checklist
- Body 2 engages View B (the one closer to your stance) more strongly.
- Body 2 uses one cohesion device different from Body 1.
- Conclusion restates stance + ONE forward-looking implication.
- Total word count 220–260. Run a final count before submitting.
Choose 3 opinion paragraphs from any quality newspaper. Underline every reference device ('this', 'that', 'these', 'one', 'do so'). Count them. Compare to your own essay's count.
Build a 'recycle map': list every vocab item from Lessons 09–11 you actually used in this essay. Aim for 6+. If fewer, mark which 3 you'll force into the next piece of writing.
Record yourself reading your full essay aloud (under 2 minutes). Listen back. Mark every place the cohesion FELT wrong when spoken.
Recap · Section 13
Wrap-upWhat you've learned
- An essay ARGUES; a description LISTS. The single biggest mark-jumper is taking a stance and engaging both views.
- Cohesion = reference (this/that), substitution (do so) and conjunction (however) used PURPOSEFULLY.
- Plan in 5 minutes, then write. The planning is where the marks are won.
- Recycle lexis from Lessons 09–11 — your essay is the proof those words are now active.