This article will help you with FCE, CAE, IELTS and TOEFL.
When you write an essay, it is always a good idea to look at both side of the argument, especially in academic essays for the IELTS and the TOEFL. It shows that you can think of counterarguments or, in other words, criticisms that others might have of your own arguments. If you can consider counterarguments against your own opinion and, indeed, reject those counterarguments, you will get more points.
Let us consider our first paragraph for Part 2:
The question was:
“Should people use more public transport instead of private cars?”
Your answer started as follows:
“I believe that people should use public transport more often.
Firstly, public transport is better for the environment. If more of us take a train, the CO2 emissions per person will be lower than if each of us drives separately. IN ADDITION, congestion will be lower because of fewer cars on the road. FOR EXAMPLE, ambulances will be able to drive faster to take patients to hospitals in emergencies.”
Now, we want to expand our first paragraph to take into account a counterargument. We could add:
“HOWEVER, some places are poorly served by public transport, so cars are sometimes a necessity. Despite this problem, we should use trains and busses whenever these are available.”
The first paragraph is now complete and, with almost 90 words, we have written a good part of the essay.
As soon as we write “however”, it is clear to the examiner that you are about to consider a counterargument, which will earn you extra points. It is also a very easy way to introduce a possible criticism of your line of thinking.
What alternatives are there to introduce counterarguments?
However,
On the other hand,
Despite this,
By contrast,
On the contrary,
But be careful. You need to find the right context for some of these, so make sure you practise and experiment with your teacher to be ready for the exam!
