WRITING TASKS – NOTES (ACADEMIC MODULE)
 
Writing Task 1:

The diagrams show data for a flu epidemic which hit a large country town in 1996. Figure 1 gives the number of persons who died; Figure 2 shows the percentage breakdown of females who received a new flu vaccine; and Figure 3 gives the number of cases of flu before and during the epidemic.

In Figure 1 it can be seen that the flu was responsible for the deaths of 2 females but no males in the period from March to May. However, from June to August, there were 4 female deaths and 1 male death.

According to the pie chart in Figure 2, only those females most at risk were given the new flu vaccine; 28% did not take part in the trial. Of those females who took part, 35% were aged (over 65 years old); 24% were babies or children; and 13% were either hospitalised or receiving other medical attention.

From Figure 3 it is clear that the new vaccine had a positive effect on the number of new cases of flu reported in females. There were just over 1000 cases reported in March, climbing rapidly to a peak of 3500 in June. Thereafter, the number of cases dropped slowly to about 2800 in August, before levelling off at 2500 for the rest of the year. For males, the figures were lower but showed a similar trend throughout the epidemic. 
KEY TO REPORT FEATURES
Green Topic sentence of paragraph
Grey Further explanation; supporting arguments for the statement(s) made in the topic sentence
Dark Red Phrases which introduce special parts of the essay (the writer's point of view, the first paragraph, and the conclusion etc.)
Blue Words and phrases used to interpret data given in graphs
Black Linking words
 
Note: This analysis is of the model answer above. Other acceptable reports might have different features.

         It is also a long answer. You are not penalised for writing too much, but you ARE penalised for
         writing too little (less than 150 words). The problem with writing a long answer is that you might run
         out of time for the two tasks.

 
Writing Task 2:

A much debated issue these days is whether citizens should take out private health insurance or not. The cost of providing free medical care for both the wealthy and the poor is far too great for any government, and most people agree that if you can pay for insurance, you should. In this essay, I will argue that all who can afford it should be insured, but free medical care must be made available for those too poor to do so.

The most important reason for encouraging people to take out private health insurance is the cost to the government of health care. Free health cover for people who are able to pay for it is a waste of public money. Of course, people will only pay health insurance premiums if they know that they are getting good value for their money. If they get sick, they should pay very little or nothing at all. In addition, the privately insured are entitled to special benefits such as having the choice of their own doctors, and being able to avoid long waiting lists for hospital beds.

On the other hand, those who really cannot afford to pay private insurance premiums, which are often very high, are still entitled as citizens to the best medical care available; they cannot be expected to pay their own medical bills. However, if they are working, they should still pay a percentage of their wage (say 1 to 2%) as a tax which pays towards the cost of providing "free" medical services.

In conclusion, most people should privately insure their health, but it is unreasonable to suppose that all citizens can afford it. Therefore, a safety net in the form of a basic free health care system must exist for the very poor and the unemployed.
 
KEY TO ESSAY FEATURES
Green Topic sentence of paragraph
Orange Further explanation; supporting arguments for the statement(s) made in the topic sentence
Light Blue Examples
Dark Red Phrases which introduce special parts of the essay (the writer's point of view, the first paragraph, and the conclusion etc.)
Blue Writer's proposition(s) (stated once in the introduction and restated in the conclusion)
Black Linking words and phrases
Purple Conditional clause beginnings
Bolded and italicised Modal verbs used for persuasion
 
Note: This analysis is of the model answer above. Other acceptable essays might have different features.