Academic Writing

Economic
High costs of keeping prisoners secure. Compare with other forms of punishment.
Ethical
Do prisons reform criminals? What rights should prisoners have? Cases of wrongful
imprisonment.
86
Part 2:
Elements of Writing

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Social
Effect on families of prisoners, especially female prisoners with children. But also necessary
to consider the victims of crime, especially violent crime, and provide punishment for
wrongdoing.
Discussion
Numbers of prisoners are rising in many countries, which suggests that the system is failing.
Evidence that short sentences are of little value, while cost of prison system is rising. But
prisons will always be necessary for some violent criminals, and as deterrent.
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What are the advantages of each format (i.e. vertical and horizontal)?
3 Practice A
You have to write an essay titled:
‘Working from home can be positive for many companies and their employees – discuss.’
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Brainstorm the positive and negative aspects in the box below, and then write an
outline using one of the structures (vertical or horizontal) on pp. 86–87.
2.1: Argument and Discussion
87
+
–
No time wasted commuting to work
‘Working from home can be positive for many companies and their employees –
discuss.’

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4 The language of discussion
In discussion, avoid personal phrases such as in my opinion or personally, I think . . .
Use impersonal phrases instead, such as:
It is generally accepted that
working from home saves commuting time
It is widely agreed that
email and the Internet reduce reliance on an office
Most people
appear to need face-to-face contact with colleagues
It is probable that
more companies will encourage working from home
The evidence suggests that
certain people are better at self-management
These phrases suggest a minority viewpoint:
It can be argued that
home-working encourages time-wasting
One view is that
home-workers become isolated
When you are supporting your opinions with sources, use phrases such as:
According to Emerson (2003)
few companies have developed clear policies
Poledna (2007) claims that
most employees benefit from flexible arrangements