Writing an opinion essay
• Allow Ss time to complete their essays. Remind
Ss to use their answers to Ex. 8 and to refer
back to the model essay in Ex. 3 as they write.
• Draw Ss' attention to the checklist. Remind Ss to
edit their work before completing their final draft.
• Ss swap essays with a partner and check each
other's work using the checklist.
Suggested Answer Key
A Teenagers lead busy lives. They have
school, homework, night classes and sports
to fill their days. Is it really necessary for
teens to help with the household chores as
well? In my opinion, no.
To begin with, it’s not fair to make
teenagers help out at home because they
are usually under a lot of pressure at
school. If they have cleaning to do when
they get home, when will they find the
time or energy to do their homework?
In addition, some parents can rely too
much on their children to do all the jobs
they hate, like weeding the garden. Quite
often, children are turned into slaves that
work for the benefit of the parents and for
little financial reward.
On the other hand, it makes sense to share
the household chores. Many parents also
lead busy lives and don’t have enough time
to do all the jobs that keep a home neat
and tidy.
Childhood is a time of learning and every day
has something new. If children were forced
to work all hours of the day, they would have
no time for personal development. After all,
as the saying goes, ‘All work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy. ’
Suggested Answer Key
B What is the one thing that all children of
all ages dream of? The answer is, of course,
a pet. To my mind, it is a great idea for a
child to look after a pet from a young age.
To start with, the child learns responsibility.
Every day there are things to do: a dog to be
walked, a rabbit’s cage to be cleaned and a
cat to be fed. All these little jobs show a
child what is necessary to be a responsible
individual.
Moreover, having a pet is good company. A
child is more likely to spend time rolling
around with a dog than glued to a TV
screen and in this way, has fun and gets
some exercise.
On the other hand, there are some people
who say that a child is too young to handle
the needs of a pet. They say a child will
soon lose interest or forget one of the
essential daily chores.
There are advantages and disadvantages to
everything, but I firmly believe that young
children benefit from the responsibility
that comes from having a pet.
