Monday 18th April 2011 SPI and GPIV Lesson 8

Monday 18th April 2011
2pm
SP1 Group 7 Module C1.2

Class
SP 1 ACADEMIC ESSAYS FEEDBACK

RESEARCH
• Get into the habit of recording names, titles, website addresses and retrieval dates while you are researching – saves time later.
• Wikipedia can be a useful starting point but try not to use it as a main source. Beware of using it if there is no author cited. For citing from wikis see below:
Please note that the APA Style Guide to Electronic References warns writers that wikis (like Wikipedia, for example) are collaborative projects which cannot guarantee the verifiability or expertise of their entries.
OLPC Peru/Arahuay. (n.d.). Retrieved from the OLPC Wiki: http://wiki.laptop. org/go/OLPC_Peru/Arahuay
• Make sure your quotations aren’t too long and that they actually support your argument.
• Remember to include retrieval dates
CONTENT
• ANSWER THE QUESTION!
• Essays that offered a biographical account scored badly while essays that addressed the question did well.
ORGANISATION
• Good answers thought about the question and their organization reflected this.
• Remember your paragraph structure (still some one sentence paragraphs)
• Good introductions need to grab the reader’s attention and give an overview of the topic
• Good conclusions summarise the main points and leave the reader with something to think about.
STYLE
• Don’t let your sentences get too long
• Keep punctuation simple
• Consistently formal – neutral register
TIMING
• Remember the 20 – 60 -20 split for all your timed writing – especially in exams. In IELTS Part 2 you have 40 minutes to write a 250 word essay so spend 5 minutes planning, 30 minutes writing and 5 minutes checking and editing.
• Time limits and word limits are designed to create a level playing field and to ensure you are all judged on the same criteria.
• Don’t write 2 copies – you’ll end up rushing and just repeating the same mistakes – spend that time checking instead.
ACCURACY
• There were fewer mistakes than in homework tasks
• However there are still problems with: articles and plural forms, verb and preposition collocations, linkers and discourse markers and verb structure. You needed to show a range of narrative past tenses when talking about historical figures – especially those who are dead.

PRESENTATIONS
LANGUAGE
http://www.uefap.com/speaking/spkfram.htm
NOTETAKING FOR PRESENTATIONS
http://www.uefap.com/speaking/spkfram.htm

HOME
Prepare for Presentations
2nd May: King, JFK, Gore, Churchill, Pankhurst, Renzi, Lula, Berlusconi
9th May: Gandhi, Milk, Obama, Mandela, FDR, Gorbachev

Remember you should speak for 6 - 7 minutes and allow another 2 minutes for questions. Presenters on 9th May - make sure your presentation covers different aspects to your colleagues who are speaking about the same leader.

5pm
GPIV Legal English Group 6 Criminal Law

CLASS
Feedback on Essays

Presentations
Language
http://www.uefap.com/speaking/spkfram.htm
Notetaking for Presentations exercise
http://www.uefap.com/speaking/spkfram.htm

HOME
Prepare a presentation on the same topic as your essay. Come ready to speak for 6 - 7 minutes and allow another 2 minutes for questions. Presentations will be given on 2nd May (and 9th May if necessary) and count for 30% of your final grade.