Aspect	Maximum points
The solution to the communicative problem (content)
Text organization (structure)
Grammar
Spelling and punctuation

The maximum number of points you can get for an essay is 14 points.

Before thinking about the correct fulfillment of each criterion, first let's do our essay on english language   suitable for verification. The most important thing here is volume.

Formally, your essay on the English language should meet 200-250 words. This should not be taken literally and panic if you have written 198 words. However, keep in mind that the essay will not be checked if the number of words in it is less than 180. If you get more than 275 words, the examiner will count 250 words from the beginning of the essay, draw the rest and check everything to hell. That is, in the first scenario, you lose all the essays; in the second, most likely, you will lose the conclusion, which is also important.

First of all, your essay on the English language should highlight ALL aspects outlined in the assignment, and should also be written in the appropriate style (neutral). It should be logically divided into paragraphs and correspond to the plan proposed in the task.

In order not to get confused in the process of writing your essay, you need to spend 5-7 minutes thinking about the plan and preparing all the arguments. Traditionally, we will divide the essay into five paragraphs.

Paragraph 1. Introduction

There should be a statement of the problem. Since the problem statement is already outlined in the task, your task is to correctly retell it. It is REPEAT, not rephrase.

Tip: Do not re-read the task 10 times until the wording is rummaged in your head. Then writing an introduction in your own words will be very, very difficult. Read the situation given in the task once or twice, make sure that you understand it correctly. Close the prepared situation and try to retell it in English exactly as you understood it, as if you were talking about it to a friend who did not understand what was being discussed there. ATTENTION: after you have done this, be sure to open the situation and make sure that your retelling essentially coincides with the situation given to you. Now you can go further.

Instead of banal “ Some people think, ... Others think, ..." can be used:

Some people claim that ..., while others argue that ...

After you have described the essence of the problem, you can directly ask a question that you will answer in your essay. For instance: “What is better: ... or ...?”, “What should we do: ... or ...?” it. d.

With the last sentence of the opening paragraph, you should set the goal of your essay. This can be done, for example, as follows:

In this essay I will try to look upon this issue.
In this essay I will try to express my opinion on this issue.
In this essay I would like to express my point of view on this issue.
In this essay I will try to answer this question. (This is the easiest option, if the previous two will be difficult for you to remember, remember it)

Paragraph 2. Your opinion

It is most logical to start this paragraph with the statement of your position regarding this issue. Useful phrases (be sure to follow this punctuation!):

In my opinion, ...
From my point of view, ...
To my mind, ...
Personally, I think that ...
I’m certain that ...
As far as I am concerned, ...

Next, you need to give 2-3 arguments confirming your point of view. Arguments can be any, if you correctly interpret them. That is, such that it was difficult to argue with them (within reasonable limits, of course).

Tip: It is better to give 2 arguments and justify them in detail and give examples in their support than 3 short and incompletely disclosed ones. Remember that the number of words in an essay is limited.

Here we must not forget about the means of logical connection of sentences. The first argument is to start with:

Firstly, ...
To start with, ...
To begin with, ...
First of all, ...

After you have formulated the first argument, you need to confirm it and / or give an example in confirmation. Here are the simplest models on how to do this:

, because ...
argument. That is why ...
argument. For example, ...

If you started with a word “Firstly, ...”, then the second argument should begin with Secondly, ...

If the first argument came with the phrases “To start with, ...”, “To begin with, ...”, then the second one can start with the following words:

Moreover, ...
Furthermore, ...
Besides, ...
In addition, ...

The second argument must also be supported by an example or proof.

Paragraph 3. Opposite Opinion

You will begin the paragraph with the statement of the opposite opinion on the proposed topic or issue. Make this possible:

Others believe that ...
Some people argue that ...
However, some people think that ...

This is followed by 1-2 arguments confirming the opposite opinion. I advise you to think about two initially. And how much to write in the end: 1 or 2 - decide in the process, based on the resulting size of your essay.

Tip: You then have to challenge the opposing arguments, so when you come up with them initially, think about how you will challenge them. If you have nothing to object to the argument you have made, it is better to immediately replace it with another, so as not to do this while writing an essay. It is also limited!

Tip: When contesting the arguments, you should not repeat anything written in the second paragraph. Therefore, if you are unable to come up with a counterargument without repeating yourself, try to come up with something else. Alternatively, you can come up with other pros for the essay before it is written. In any case, it’s better to think it over initially while you are writing an essay plan rather than writing it!

Paragraph 4. Your counterarguments

The essence of this paragraph is to explain why you do not agree with the opposite opinion. You can start an example, for example, with the following sentences:

I can’t agree with this opinion because ...
I’m afraid I can’t agree with this idea because ...

ATTENTION: if you gave two arguments in the previous paragraph, then you must refute both of them. Delineate with the following phrases:

As for ...,
Speaking about ...,
As far as ... is concerned,

Tip: When refuting opposing arguments, it is best to propose ways to solve them, rather than prove their incapacity. For example, if someone believes that pets are dangerous, then it is not necessary to say that they are, in fact, harmless. It is better to turn this drawback into dignity, saying that they are excellent guards in country houses.

Paragraph 5. Conclusion

The most common mistake of many students: in conclusion, they simply express their opinion. This is not enough. After all, the conclusion applies to the whole essay, and not just to the second paragraph.

Thus, in conclusion, we must summarize everything that was mentioned in the essay and express our point of view. You can also give your recommendations on the existing problem. Most importantly: there should not be any new information in the conclusion.

In conclusion, ...
To sum up, ...
To conclude, ...

Further, we let the reader understand that there are two points of view on this problem, and despite the opposite point of view, we still adhere to our own. For example, you can do this according to the following scheme:

Despite the fact that ..., I’m convinced that ...
Taking into consideration different opinions on this issue, I believe that ...

Essay language design

After you have written an exam in English, be sure to review it again for possible errors. From my experience of the most common mistakes, I advise you to pay attention to the following things:

Run separately for all nouns. If a noun is countable and stands in the singular, it must always have the article in front of it! Most likely, you should have it indefinite (but see for yourselves the context).

Go over all the introductory words and phrases and make sure that there are commas after them. Before the word ‘that’, on the contrary, there should not be a comma: “I think that ...”, “Others believe that ...”.

If the subject is expressed by 3 singular persons ( he / she / it), do not forget to add the ending –s to the verb!

There is a separate conversation about “smart” words. There is a separate point in the evaluation criteria: Vocabulary. Believe me, it’s better not to use a smart word than to use it incorrectly and get minus points for it.

Tip: If you don’t know a lot of “smart” vocabulary, push it to the maximum in pre-learned phrases. For example, instead of the banal “for example”, you can use “for instance”; use “I believe / suppose / presume” instead of “I think”. That is, in fact, you need to come up with vocabulary that you can definitely use in your essay in English, no matter what topic you come across.

In this article I will try to give some advice to those who want to successfully complete task 40 of the section Letter to the exam in the English language.

Some teachers believe that it is not necessary to specially prepare for the exam in the English language, but rather just conscientiously perform all the tasks offered in school textbooks. Personally, I fundamentally disagree with this formulation of the question. Of course, those students who will pass the exam in English must be very good at mastering the material of the school curriculum. But individual lessons with a teacher, which thoroughly understands the principle of completing KIMs, provide valuable advice, explain difficult moments (for an individual student), form a psychological attitude and clearly monitor homework, and at times increase your level of readiness for the exam.

Skills and skills necessary for writing statements with elements reasoning (Opinionessay):

— You must be good spelling skills, that is, be able to write english words no mistakes. This, believe me, is not an easy task even for native speakers themselves. It is not surprising that in all English educational institutions (both schools and universities), the spelling hour is mandatory on the schedule. Can you imagine a highly qualified lawyer or doctor who writes with errors? Therefore, try to allocate daily time to study and spelling 10 -15 new words.

- you must have sufficient vocabulary, to perform a communicative task on the topics proposed in the essay. Therefore, knowledge of history, literature, economics, geography, and even technical sciences (and this despite the fact that the English exam is part of the humanities!) Will become an integral part of your success.

- You certainly should be familiar with essay structure: be able to formulate the problem using periphrase, state your point of view on a given topic, reinforcing it with arguments, competently build a system of counterarguments, and draw a conclusion.

- You must be able to correctly express your thoughts using necessary grammatical constructions.

- You must know unions, introductory words and cliché phrasesto help you build your storyline logically.

- You should know that a statement with elements of reasoning ( Opinionessay) need to write using neutral style.

- You should know that maximum score, which can be obtained for this task - 14 points. Read about evaluation criteria in detail

- You should know that the proposed lead timejob 40 is 60 minutestherefore, during training at home, develop a sense of time using a timer. This will allow you to avoid stressful situations during the exam and correctly allocate time for execution. assignments from the "Letter" section.

- You should know that after completing task 40 on a draft, you need to transfer your answer to answer Form No. 2. Remember! Draft entries are not subject to verification!

It goes without saying that the decision to pass the exam in the English language should not be spontaneous; you need to prepare very seriously and for a long time.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAKING A STATEMENT WITH ELEMENTS OF DISCUSSION

1) Formally, your work begins by counting the number of words. The volume of the essay should be 200 - 250 words. Your task is to learn to follow the proposed scope of the task. In order toto visually determine how much space an essay of the right size takes up, print the examination forms and write your essay in answer form No. 2. Count the number of words in each paragraph and write in brackets at the end. For example, if you put 6 - 7 words in one line, then you should write (200: 7 or 250: 7) 30 - 40 lines in an essay. Thus, you will visually learn how to determine the desired volume of the composition, taking into account your style.

In the KIM Examination Specification for foreign languages   The following instructions are given:

“The permissible deviation from the set volume is 10%. If in the completed task 40 less than 180 words... then the task is not subject to verification and is evaluated in 0 points. If the volume is exceeded by more than 10%, i.e. if in the completed task more 275 words, then only that part of the work that corresponds to the required volume is subject to verification. Thus, when checking task 40, 250 words are counted from the beginning of the work and only this part of the work is evaluated.

When assessing task 40, particular attention is paid to the ability of the test subject to produce a detailed written statement. If over 30%   response is unproductive (i.e., textually matches the published source), then 0 points   according to the criterion "Solution of the communicative problem", and, accordingly, the whole task is rated at 0 points. "

The rules for counting characters can be found in the article.

2) Use a neutral writing style,namely:

• try not to use abbreviated forms such as don ’tor can ’t (betterdonot andcannot - is written together!);
• do not use brackets and exclamation marks - this is characteristic of the informal style of writing;
• don't start sentences with words and,but,also.   You can use them in spoken language, but avoid this in your essay;
• do not use introductory words characteristic of an informal style ( wellyouknowGuesswhat!);
• avoid too simple sentences; combine simple sentences into complex ones using logical means of communication (that is why - therefore, so - so, whereas / while - while, thus - thus, because - because, although - despite the fact that, as long as - because, provided that - provided that, etc.)

3)   Divide the text of the essay by semantic paragraphsso that they correspond to the plan proposed in the task:

• In the first paragraph, state the problem (statetheproblem)which you will discuss, however, do not repeat the topic of the essay word for word - try to rephrase it using synonyms, impersonal and vague personal sentences. Rhetorical questions would be relevant here: Who knows? Who is right Should schools have dress code? Will life in the future be better, worse or the same as now? or quotes from famous people: “If you are tired of London, you are tired of life” (Samuel Johnson). In the introduction it is also necessary to show that there is another point of view on this problem. Use the following expressions to represent different points of view:

• Nowadays many people believe that ...
• Researchers believe that ... / Many people believe that ...
• It is impossible to imagine that ...
• It is generally believed that ... / It is a common belief that ...
• It is a well known fact that ...
• It is universally known that ...
• Some people think that ...
• Some people consider that ...
• Some people tend to believe ...
• Some people argue that ... / Others argue that ...
• Some people maintain the idea that ...
• People used to think that ...
• Other people are of the opinion that ...
• Others have a negative attitude to ...
• However, there are some people who oppose the idea.

Important!In this paragraph Not necessary   express your opinion on one of the problems.

1 paragraph - 40 - 50 words.

• In the second paragraph   essays you must submit own point of view on the problem presented in the introduction.It is necessary to find compelling arguments in support of your point of view and the form of their presentation. To do this, use the following expressions:

- To my mind ...

- In my opinion ...

- I think that ...

- I consider that ...

- I am convinced that ...

- I strongly believe that ...

- I am strongly opposed to the idea that ...

- I agree with the point of view that ...

- According to my point of view, ...

- It seems to me that ...

- I am sure that ...

• Use the means of logical communication,to help the reader follow the logic of your reasoning. Remember that opening words are separated by commas:

- Firstly, ... / First of all, ... / To start with, ... / To begin with, ...

- Secondly, ... / Furthermore, ... / Moreover, ... / What is more, ...

- In addition, ...

- Finally, ... / Last but not least, ...

2 paragraph - 50 - 60 words.

HOW TO FIND ARGUMENTS?

The basic rule is that arguments should not contradict generally accepted truths and common sense. It must be borne in mind that arguments cannot be picked up if you do not have an understanding of the problem formulated in the stimulus text. Therefore, in the task you need to highlight the keywords and formulate a thesis, that is, the opinion that you will defend. So, the thesis will present some kind of problem, and the argument is a way to solve this problem. Remember the diagram that will help you choose the right arguments:

THESIS → BECAUSE → ARGUMENT

ARGUMENT → THEREFORE → THESIS

When choosing the arguments "FOR" do not refer to the opinion of the opponent.

Consider the following stimulus text: “Some people prefer to eat out. However, many people still like to cook meals at home. What is your opinion? ”

Arguments: 1. Home-made meal is always fresh and wholesome.

1. Cooking at home, you spend less money.
2. Cooking at home, you can avoid genetically modified ingredients.
3. Cooking at home, you can obtain useful practical skills which you need for life.
4. Cooking at home, you can create your own exclusive recipes.

HOW TO FIND A CONSIDERATION?

Arguments are examples that reinforce your argument. The causal relationship between argument and argument is the same as between argument and thesis:

ARGUMENT → BECAUSE → THE CASE

Argument → THEREFORE → ARGUMENT

Argument: Home-made meal is always fresh and wholesome.

Reason: For example, while cooking, you can use a steamer which preserves vitamins well.

Argument: Cooking at home, you can avoid genetically modified ingredients.

Reason: You can use fresh vegetables which you grow yourself.

Argument: Cooking at home, you can obtain useful practical skills.

Reason: For instance, your mum or granny can teach you how to make salads or pelmeni.

Argument: Cooking at home, you can create your own recipe.

Reason: For example, if you are keen on baking, you can mix different ingredients to get an unusual flavor.

• In the third paragraph, you must present the opposite point of view   (that is, the point of view of an imaginary opponent) with 1 to 2 arguments. To do this, use the following phrases:

- However, some people consider that ...

- However, some people do not agree with this opinion.

- There is another side to the issue / question of ...

- There are people who have got the opposite opinion.

- Nevertheless, some people disagree that ...

- Nevertheless, other people suppose that ...

- At the same time, we can find the opposite opinion.

It is important to observe the required amount of written work: 3 paragraph - 50 - 60 words.

• The fourth paragraph must explain why you do not agree with the opposite point of view(that is, give counterarguments). For this you need to use denial tactics, which will be directed not against the opinion of the conditional opponent, but against his arguments. Thus, you need to prove that the opponent’s arguments are inconclusive. In other words, one should object to the opposite opinion on the merits, and not just add additional thoughts in support of one’s point of view. The following phrases will help you express your position:

• However, I cannot agree with this point of view because ...
• Personally, I believe that ...
• I do not believe that ...
• It is hard to accept that ...
• Nevertheless, I feel that ...
• In spite of the fact that ... / despite the fact that ...
• Regardless of the fact that ...
• Though (although) ...

Observe the required amount of written work:   4 paragraph - 40 - 50 words.

• In the fifth (final) paragraph, draw a general conclusion. Re-read the introduction and your point of view. It is important that the introduction and conclusion are based on your personal point of view on the problem presented in the assignment! To summarize, you can use various strategies. For instance,

- You can express firm confidence in your own opinion;

- You can express an opinion on the need to take into account different points of view, while substantial attention is drawn to your point of view.

The following expressions will help you write the output:

- All in all, ...

- To conclude, I would like to stress that ...

- In conclusion, I would like to state that ...

- To sum up, ... / Summing up, it is worth stating that ...

- On the whole, I believe that ...

- According to the arguments presented above, ...

The use of English proverbs and sayings in the final part will only emphasize your good knowledge of the subject.

Section 4 "Letter"

The task 40

Comment on the following statement.

Some people prefer to eat out. However, many people still like to cook meals at home.

What is your opinion?

Write 200 - 250 words.

Use the following plan:

• Make the introduction (state the problem)
• Express your personal opinion and give 2 - 3 reasons for your opinion
• Express the opposing opinion and give 1 - 2 reasons for this opposing opinion
• Explain why you don’t agree with the opposing opinion
• Make a conclusion restating your position

  Nowadays a lot of people   enjoy eating out with their friends, colleagues and relatives at the restaurants and cafes especially in big cities.   At the same time, there are those who are good at cooking and like family dinners at home. So, what is better? (44)

To my mind,   to eat home-made meal is better.   First of all, dishes that you cook at home are always fresh and wholesome. For example,   you can use a steamer which preserves vitamins well. Secondly, when you help your mum or granny to make salads or some national food, you obtain useful practical skills. What is more, if you cook at home, you can create your own recipe mixing different ingredients to get an unusual flavor. (120)

  However, some people consider   that eating out is more convenient because it saves their time. They are too busy at work and have no time for cooking. More, strange as it may sound, they just do not know how to cook that is why they have to eat out at the restaurants. (171)

Regardless the fact that   more and more people lead a very tense life, I believe that   they should learn to cook healthy food using modern kitchen equipment.   For instance,   you need only half an hour to make tasty soup in a multicooker. Besides   there are a lot of TV-shows that give you good advice on cooking. (227)

In conclusion, I should say   that I prefer cooking at home because home-made meal is tastier and I can get useful skills which will help me in my future life. (259)

  The composition begins with an introduction, which consists of two parts. The first part can be omitted, it is not mandatory in the structure of the exam essay. However, in this case, the vocabulary of English and the content of the essay will be knowingly poorer.
   In the table, you can also get acquainted with template examples for essay writing on the topic:
Sport unites people. Do you agree or disagree?
   !!! Please note that, firstly, this topic was on the exam, 2017, and secondly, the topic is not the easiest. We advise you to start preparing with simpler essay questions.

1) Introductory 1-2 sentences, orTopic statement

General information on the issue to be discussed in the essay. WRONG! Pattern 1 Many people like doing sport in my country. I am very sporty too. RIGHT! Pattern 2 Doing (and watching) sport brings many strong feeling in people’s lives. A comment.   In the first introduction, the author writes about the love of sports, and the topic is essentially dedicated to the relationships of people who are fond of sports, and their feelings towards each other. Moreover, at the choice of the author, an essay can be written only about athletes, but also about athletes and spectators.

2) Rephrasing the topic of an essay, or Restating the essay question

In this fragment, two opposing opinions spelled out in the topic of the essay should be voiced. WRONG! Pattern 1 Many people think that sport unites people, but some people do not agree. RIGHT ! Pattern 2 Do these feelings and emotions unite people or divide them? A comment. In the first version, the word is used three timespeople , besides, it is less interesting in structure and vocabulary, compared with the second option.

Paragraph 2 - The main part

   The structure of the main part of the essay in the Unified State Examination consists of 3-4 obligatory parts, which should, however, be a single paragraph.

	The first sentence of this paragraph should answer the question that is contained in the topic of the essay. WRONG! Pattern 1 I think sport sometimes unites people but it sometimes divides people. RIGHT ! Pattern 2 I firmly believe that sport unites people. A comment. The format and structure of the essay in the English exam requires the student to support one of the opposing opinions. The first template does not have a clear and unambiguous answer to the question in the topic of the essay.
Argument 1	WRONG! Pattern 1 Firstly, there are different types of sport - individual and team sports. RIGHT ! Pattern 2 Firstly, athletes become close friends when they train and compete together in the same team. A comment . Arguments should answer the question "why do you think so?"; The first option does not answer this question.
Argument 2	WRONG! Pattern 1 Secondly, athletes should train much to achieve high results and to win a competition. RIGHT ! Pattern 2 Secondly, people of the same nationality unite when supporting a national team in international sports events.