16 ENGL A101 University English Writing Skills
Assignment 3
Due date:
8 December 2023
Course value: 20% of the total marks for this course
This assignment will be marked out of 100 marks. Answer all questions.
Introduction
For this third and final assignment (the course essay), you are asked to
write an essay plan (i.e. Question 1) and an essay in 500–600 words (i.e.
Question 2) based on the plan. The plan carries 20 marks and the essay
80 marks.
Question 1 (20%) – Essay plan
Read the question below, and write an essay plan in five paragraphs.
Paragraph one is the introduction and the last paragraph is the
conclusion. You should provide a thesis statement in your introduction.
For each body paragraph, write out the topic sentence in full. Then,
underneath, list the relevant points or examples that you are going to
include in that paragraph. Use the ‘Template — Essay Outline’ shown
at the end of this question.
‘Students benefit from the use of technology when learning.’ — How
far do you agree with this statement?
Template — Essay outline
Topic:
Thesis statement: (ONE sentence only)
It is believed that using technology will benefit the society in terms of
students.
Body paragraph 1 — Topic sentence:
Technology has benefits for student learning.
Specific supporting details — Three specific supporting details (complete
sentences):
1 Student can be flexible in learning anytime when they don’t have time to
attend their face-to-face class.
Students can choose any topics they are interested in and find the
material to begin their learning.
2
Students can choose some methods in which activities, games, or video
to help their studies.
3
Body paragraph 2 — Topic sentence:
Using technology will also be a problem when students are learning
Assignment File 17
Specific supporting details — Three specific supporting details (complete
sentences):
1 Students are distracted during learning with technology and use technology for things
unrelated to learning
2 When students only use technology for their studies, there will be a lack of real-life
interaction
3 When students only use technology to learn, they will only rely on technology to search
for information and will not think something flexibly
Body paragraph 3 — Topic sentence:
There are several possible reasons why it is a good way for students to use technology for
learning.
Specific supporting details — Three specific supporting details (complete
sentences):
There are quite a lot of resources and knowledge in the network, and students can check
anything through the internet
1
2
When students use technology for their studies, it can connect to the real classroom environment
3 Technology is connected all over the world. Students can use technology to learn about different
cultures
Conclusion:
There are some benefits and drawbacks to the students use of technology for learning, but
the benefits are more than the drawbacks. Students are suitable for using technology for their
learning.
Question 2 (80%) — The essay
For this question, you are asked to write an essay in about 500–600
words based on your essay plan in Question 1 above. You should use
secondary sources to support your opinions rather than relying merely on
your own opinion and experience.
Essay: To a large extent, I agree with “Students benefit from the use
of technology when learning” this statement.
Students learning by using technology is very pandemic nowadays. With the development of
technology, most schools have now converted to electronic teaching methods, and students
can use technology for their learning, It is believed that using technology will benefit society
in terms of students.
First of all, there are quite a lot of benefits that are associated with the concept that students
benefit from the use of technology when learning. Students can be flexible in learning when they don’t
have time to attend their face-to-face classes, and through video conferencing tools, online
collaboration platforms and virtual classrooms, students can participate in real-time classes, interact
with teachers and classmates, and submit assignments online. Students can choose any topics they are
interested in and find the material to begin their learning. Students can choose some methods in which
activities, games, or videos help their studies. Increase learning motivation, In addition to promoting
interaction, e-learning can also increase learning motivation by giving students control over their
learning. In an education system where teachers are the core of learning, many students will have the
mentality of "if the teacher doesn't teach, I don't need to learn." E-learning gives students access to a
wide range of resources and channels on the Internet to discover new knowledge. With the help of
online resources and search engines, students can conduct research and gain a deeper understanding of
topics that interest them. Through this learning method, students are not only rewarded by scores on
the score sheet, but they can also satisfy their curiosity and cultivate a continuous learning mentality.
Otherwise, there are also some drawbacks to students using technology. Students are
distracted while learning with technology and use technology for things unrelated to learning. On the
other hand, when students only use technology for their studies, there will be a lack of real-life
interaction. Besides that, when students only use technology to learn, they will only rely on it to search
for information and not think something flexibly.
There are several possible reasons why it is a good way for students to use technology for
learning. There are quite a lot of resources and knowledge in the network, and students can
check anything through the internet. When students use technology for their studies, it can
connect to the real classroom environment, Technology is connected worldwide. Students
can use technology to learn about different cultures. Although there are quite a lot of
benefits for students learning from the use of technology, the example of drawbacks just
mentioned that if students use e-learning formats, some students will only focus on the
technology during the study period instead of using it for learning. For example, play games,
and use some social media apps, causing them to become addicted
In conclusion, There are some benefits and drawbacks to the students use of technology for learning,
but the benefits are more than the drawbacks. Students are suitable for using technology for their
learning.
(509 words)
Sources: Falmouth University (2023) Advantages of technology in education:
https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/news/advantages-technology-education
Points to Note
•
Sources of information
In this essay, you are asked to cite from at least three sources of
information (you may cite from those article extracts shown on
your previous Assignments 1 and 2). The references can also be
drawn from books, newspapers, journals, etc. Proper documentation
includes: a) in-text citations and b) text-end references. Use APA
citation style to document sources in the essay.
•
Plagiarism
You must write your OWN work with proper referencing format.
‘Zero mark’ will be given if you are found plagiarising other
writers’ words.
18
ENGL A101 University English Writing Skills
Points to check on your essay writing
Criteria
Points to check
Content
• Relevance
• Is the content relevant to the question, and is the essay
complete i.e. includes all the main points?
• Comprehensiveness
• Does the essay include a thesis statement?
• Reference
• Does the essay contain the required references to
source material and are they incorporated
appropriately and written correctly?
• Length
Organisation
• Does the essay have three clear sections?
• Structure (introduction, body,
conclusion)
• Sequencing of paragraphs
• Individual paragraph construction
• Are the paragraphs in the right order, and does each
paragraph deal with a single main point expressed as a
topic sentence?
• Links within and between sentences • Are sentences and clauses linked logically by
transitional sentences, conjunctions, pronouns,
repeated words, etc.?
Language and format
• Correctness of grammar
• Is there a variety of grammatical structures in the
writing and are the structures accurately formed?
• Choice of vocabulary
• Is vocabulary chosen appropriately?
• Correctness of spelling
• Are spelling and punctuation correct?
• Range of grammatical structures
• Accuracy of punctuation
~ End of Assignment 3 ~