IELTS essay: Causes and solutions

6 июня 2016

ielts causes solutions

В этом уроке:

- разбираем пример IELTS эссе на тему Traffic

(In many major cities around the globe the amount of traffic is growing. What do you think are the causes of this? Can you suggest some possible solutions?)

- подробно изучаем тип эссе Causes / Solutions – одно из распространенных заданий в IELTS Writing Task 2

- учимся использовать клише для сочинений IELTS - и желательно использовать к месту!

IELTS Writing Task 2

Темы и задания

Напомню, что круг тем в IELTS Writing практически не ограничен – от исследования космоса до моды и стиля, от альтернативных источников энергии до совместного обучения мальчиков и девочек.

При этом количество заданий сводятся к нескольким типам эссе. Чаще всего встречаются такие формулировки:

(Some people think… while others believe…) Discuss both points of view and give your opinion.
(A statement/an opinion) Do you agree or disagree?
(A problem) Discuss causes and suggest measures.
(A phenomenon) Discuss problems and suggest solutions
(A phenomenon) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages.

Подробнее о типах заданий с примерами здесь. А теперь ближе к делу!

Тип IELTS эссе Causes / Solutions

Задание может звучать по-разному, например:

What do you think are the causes of this?
What do you think are the reasons?
What is it caused by?

Can you suggest some possible solutions?
What can be done to solve the problem?
What measures can be taken to improve the situation?

,..и так далее. Вариантов формулировок много, но по сути - все они об одном и том же, хоть и разными словами.

Мы уже разбирали один пример эссе для IELTS Writing Task 2 - эссе на тему Health and Fitnes, который тоже относится к Causes / Solutions.

Вот давайте подробнее и остановимся на этом формате – Causes / Solutions, ну или Reasons / Measures, кому как больше нравится. Разберем еще один пример IELTS essay, на этот раз на тему Traffic; и посмотрим на универсальные клише, которые можно использовать практически в любых сочинениях.

Вот задание:

In many major cities around the globe the amount of traffic is increasing.

What do you think are the causes of this?

Can you suggest some possible solutions?

Пример эссе IELTS

Traffic: causes and solutions

The amount of traffic worldwide is growing , while at the same time cities are becoming more and more congested. This is a worrying trend, since it results in environmental pollution and severe health problems.

The increase in traffic we are witnessing today could be caused by a number of reasons. First of all, cities are expanding due to growing population, which leads to greater distances that people have to travel to work, shopping malls or recreational facilities. And because public transport is not always available or convenient, people prefer to use private cars. The result is that growing population buy more vehicles, which creates heavy congestion on city roads.

Another important factor that contributes to traffic congestion is the inefficiency of the public transport systems mentioned above. In many cases, there aren’t enough buses, trains or routes. And what makes things worse is that those that do exist are often old and uncomfortable for passengers. So, people have to rely on private means of transportation.

What is needed to improve the situation is definite action. Public transport networks need to be improved and updated through government investment. Other measures could include buying more buses and trains, developing new routes and making public transport cheaper, safer and more efficient.

Another obvious solution is to encourage car-owners to cooperate and share one vehicle with other people. This could be done through mass-media campaigns explaining the environmental and financial benefits of car-pooling.

To summarize, I believe that the effects of heavy reliance on cars together with traffic congestion are too serious to ignore. Some measures have to be taken soon, otherwise the environment and people’s health will be at great risk. (295)

Структура эссе

Видите, как структурировано эссе, да?

Что касается количества параграфов, в этом конкретном IELTS essay 4 параграфа. Но это не единственный вариант. Вместо 4 абзацев в основной части эссе вполне можно было бы сделать 2 абзаца: один абзац для причин / causes, другой для решений / solutions.

Вот так схематично может выглядеть эссе Causes / Solutions:

Вариант 1		Вариант 2

Вступление Описываем проблему: в чем она выражается, в чем ее актуальность		Вступление Описываем проблему: в чем она выражается, в чем ее актуальность

Причины / Causes		Причина 1

		Причина 2

Решения / Solutions		Решение 1

		Решение 2

Заключение Вывод из всего сказанного выше		Заключение Вывод из всего сказанного выше

Итого 4 абзаца		Итого 6 абзацев

Не стоит, наверное, говорить о том, что эссе должно соответствовать теме (то есть не надо растекаться мыслию по древу или внезапно менять предмет обсуждения), а меры в идеале должны хоть как-то соответствовать выявленным вами причинам, да?

Клише для эссе IELTS

А теперь фокус-покус! Берем это самое эссе на тему Traffic и прошлое эссе на тему Health and Fitness и сравниваем:

Traffic congestion		Health and lifestyles
The amount of traffic worldwide is growing, while at the same time cities are becoming more and more congested. This is a worrying trend, since it results in environmental pollution and severe health problems.		People all over the world are becoming more and more overweight, while at the same time their lifestyles are getting more passive. This is a worrying trend, since it results in severe health problems and lower quality of life.
The increase in traffic we are witnessing today could be caused by a number of reasons. First of all, cities are expanding due to growing population, which leads to greater distances that people have to travel to work, shopping malls or recreational facilities. And because public transport is not always available or convenient, people prefer to use private cars. The result is that growing population buy more vehicles, which creates heavy congestion on city roads.		The lifestyle changes and the decline in fitness levels we are witnessing today could be caused by a number of reasons. First of all, people today are extremely busy, which means living on fast-food, ready-prepared meals and take-outs full of unhealthy ingredients. These convenience foods are cheaper and more available than fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, they are high in sugar and fat, which makes them an especially attractive ‘medicine’ against stress and depression. The result is that people’s diets are becoming less balanced, which leads to a global obesity epidemic.
Another important factor that contributes to traffic congestion is the inefficiency of the public transport systems mentioned above. In many cases, there aren’t enough buses, trains or routes. And what makes things worse is that those that do exist are often old and uncomfortable for passengers. So, people have to rely on private means of transportation.		Another important factor that contributes to obesity and low levels of activity is the spread of labor-saving technologies. People no longer have to work physically; various appliances are doing household chores for them. Entertainment, such as TV, computer and the Internet, is also available at home, so there is no need to go out and be active.
What is needed to improve the situation is definite action. Public transport networks need to be improved and updated through government investment. Other measures could include buying more buses and trains, developing new routes and making public transport cheaper, safer and more efficient.		What is needed to improve the situation is definite action. Balanced diets and physical activity should be encouraged and promoted by means of mass-media campaigns explaining the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Other measures could include creating affordable sports facilities in cities, for example, tennis courts, swimming pools or gyms.

Another obvious solution is to encourage car-owners to cooperate and share one vehicle with other people. This could be done through mass-media campaigns explaining the environmental and financial benefits of car-pooling.		Another obvious solution is to support farmers producing high-quality organic food. This could be done through subsidies, grants or other forms of financial aid.
To summarize, I believe that the effects of heavy reliance on cars together with traffic congestion are too serious to ignore. Some measures have to be taken soon, otherwise the environment and people’s health will be at great risk. (295)		To summarize, I believe that the effects of bad nutrition and lack of activity are too serious to ignore. Some measures have to be taken soon, otherwise people’s health and even life will be at great risk.(271)

Вы только посмотрите! Да они же по одному шаблону написаны, а клише составляют чуть ли не четверть объема сочинения!

*дьявольский смех*

Ловко мы их?)))

Клише для IELTS эссе

Causes / Solutions

Ну а теперь серьезно.

Я понимаю, насколько велик соблазн заучить клише для эссе и пользоваться ими направо и налево! И к месту, и не к месту. Они и в самом деле крайне пользительны.

Но должна вас предостеречь: лучше все же поосторожнее с разного рода шаблонами и клише. Просто потому, что если уровень английского так себе, подобные формулировки будут смотреться очень чужеродно.

Это как прийти на церемонию вручения Нобелевской премии в праздничном наряде, чинно и вежливо поприветствовать присутствующих дам и господ, а потом высморкаться в занавеску на глазах у изумленной публики)) Контраст велик!

Поэтому мой вам совет: знайте клише, но не надо их пихать куда ни попадя)) Be smart about them! И ~~не сморкайтесь в занавеску~~ повышайте свой уровень английского!

И, конечно, с этими фразами можно играть, заменять одни слова / фразы на другие. Например, такие клише для вступления / introduction: