3.6.- How to write an essay

🎯 Mini Debate: “Travelling Near Home or Abroad?”

 

Level: B2 (Upper-Intermediate)

 

⏱️Time: 10 minutes total

 

Group Division:

Two large groups:

• 🏡 Team A – Taking holidays near home is better.
• 🌍 Team B – Travelling abroad is better.

 

Objective

Students will use persuasive language and interactional strategies to express, defend, and challenge opinions on the advantages of local vs. international travel.

 

Stages:

🧩 1. Preparation (3 minutes)

Each team works together to:

1. Brainstorm 2–3 strong arguments supporting their side.
2. Prepare 1 counter-argument against the opposing side.
3. Choose 2–3 speakers to represent them (others support with ideas).

💬 Useful expressions:

• In my opinion… / I strongly believe that…
• It could be argued that…
• That’s not entirely true because…
• One clear example is…
• To sum up, we think that…

💡 Encourage use of vocabulary like broaden your horizons, sustainable tourism, cultural exchange, local economy, comfort zone.

 

🗣️ 2. Debate Round (5 minutes)

Format:

• 1 minute – Opening statement by Team A
• 1 minute – Opening statement by Team B
• 1 minute – Rebuttal by Team A
• 1 minute – Rebuttal by Team B
• 2 minutes – Open discussion (students respond spontaneously, add examples, or challenge points)

 

Teacher’s role: moderate time, encourage equal participation, and ensure respectful interaction.

 

💬 3. Quick Reflection (2 minutes)

Ask the class:

• Which team gave the most convincing arguments?
• Did anyone change their opinion? Why?
• Which expressions sounded natural or persuasive?

Collaborative Reading of the Essay Sample on Page 30

 

Exercises 3 and 4 on page 30

 

Exercise 1 on page 30 on Wordwall

https://wordwall.net/es/resource/61977387

Essay Structure

📝 B2 Essay Useful Expressions

 

🟩 1. Introduction

Purpose: Introduce the topic and present your opinion clearly.

Useful phrases:

• It is often said that…
• Nowadays, many people believe that…
• There is no doubt that…
• One of the most discussed issues today is…
• In recent years, there has been a growing interest in…
• The aim of this essay is to discuss whether…
• This essay will examine both sides of the argument and give my own opinion.
• Personally, I believe that…
• From my point of view…
• As far as I’m concerned…

 

🟨 2. Body Paragraphs

Purpose: Present and support arguments with reasons and examples.

💡 Introducing arguments:

• Firstly / To begin with / In the first place…
• One important advantage is that…
• Another point worth mentioning is that…
• Furthermore / Moreover / In addition…
• It is also true that…

💬 Giving examples and explanations:

• For example / For instance…
• Such as / including…
• This can be illustrated by…
• A good example of this is…
• This means that… / This shows that…

⚖️ Contrasting or balancing ideas:

• However / On the other hand / Nevertheless…
• While it is true that…, it can also be argued that…
• In contrast to… / Whereas…
• Although / Even though…
• Some people claim that…, but I believe that…

💭 Expressing cause and effect:

• Because / Since / As a result…
• Therefore / Consequently / For this reason…
• This leads to… / This results in…

 

🟥 3. Conclusion

Purpose: Summarize main ideas and restate your opinion clearly.

Useful phrases:

• To sum up / In conclusion / To conclude…
• In short / All in all…
• Taking everything into account…
• On balance, I would say that…
• Overall, it seems clear that…
• For these reasons, I strongly believe that…
• In my opinion, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

 

Source: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/Images/581163-b2-first-for-schools-preparing-for-exam-success-self-study-writing-activities-part-1.pdf

Individual Exam Task on Page 30