ECPE PRACTICE TEST 1 WRITING You will have

ECPE PRACTICE TEST 1 – WRITING You will have 30 minutes to write the topic below. You may make an outline if you wish, but your outline will not count towards your score. Write about one-and-a-half to two pages. Your essay will be marked down if it is extremely short. Your essay will be judged on clarity and overall effectiveness, as well as on topic development, organization, and the range, accuracy and appropriateness of your grammar and vocabulary. Topic: ‘Environmental activists have long stressed the importance of recycling glass, paper, aluminum and other materials. They say it helps preserve natural resources and reduces the amount of garbage going into landfills. However, many people do not recycle. Should governments introduce laws that would force all households to recycle? Discuss your opinion, giving specific examples to support your point of view. ’

STEP 1: ESSAY PLAN (7 minutes maximum): Planning & development of the essay’s outline Type of essay: Opinion essay INTRODUCTION (1 st paragraph) Statement of the importance of recycling and statement of the complication of the question mentioned in the topic e. g. Nowadays, the subject of recycling is constantly mentioned in the media. […] There is no doubt that everybody should recycle since the benefits of this action are plentiful, such as the preservation of natural resources and reduction in the need for (more) landfills, […]. Nevertheless, the question of whether or not recycling ought to be mandatory is a complicated one.

MAIN BODY (2 nd & 3 rd paragraph) Reasons for not recycling (2 nd paragraph) e. g. First of all, recycling can be inconvenient, as there are few bins near households in order to make it a feasible solution. […] Secondly, many people are ignorant of what exactly can or cannot be recycled. […] Finally, another group in society is ‘anti-green’. This means that they refuse to recycle on principle […] no personal gain from this process […]. Mandatory recycling- specific examples (i. e. measures) of how it can be implemented (3 rd paragraph) e. g. Furthermore, were recycling to become obligatory, significant funds would have to be made available to support the project. […] For example, supplying sufficient bins […] In addition, informing the public […] Moreover, acquisition of more trucks […] Particularly, establishing recycling plants […] Last but not least, employing officials to enforce this law […].

CONCLUSION (4 th paragraph) Summarize suggestions and/or restate the positive effect that the suggestions will have on the issue by mentioning your personal opinion e. g. In conclusion, according to my opinion, the foundations mentioned above should be laid and additional funds be spent on educating the public to recycle voluntarily and willingly, or even with the inducement of some type of reward. After all, more flies are caught with honey than vinegar. STEP 2: ACTUAL WRITING (20 minutes minimum): Written representation according to the essay plan (Formal register required!) STEP 3: CHECK WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN (3 minutes maximum): Checking if every aspect of the topic was covered and for any spelling mistakes