Arbeitsblatt Sample essay

Gaming – pros and cons

New technological inventions have always had a great influence on people’s behaviour and therefore been a topic for discussion and criticism. This has been especially true for the IT technologies and, particularly, for games on the PC or the internet.
Without doubt, teenagers spend too much time playing video games these days. Of course, these games are fun and attractive and young people often feel that playing games is a great thing to fill their spare time. However, one shouldn’t spend too much time on gaming because it’s unhealthy, you don’t spend your time on studying, and you don’t socialize enough.
The main reason to reduce gaming time is that young people who spend quite some time on games consoles and computers are often getting overweight because they don’t get enough physical exercise. Since especially younger people are getting fatter these days, it’s very important for them to spend as much time as possible doing exercises and care about what they eat and drink. Studies show that people who are overweight as adults have had weight problems as children and adolescents too. This is remarkably different from those people having a healthy weight when they’re young. Don’t forget that there is just as much pleasure in going out and being active with friends or classmates. This doesn’t necessarily mean jogging or hiking for hours if that’s not your thing; you can also be active in team sports. Yoga, dance or bowling might also be a good option.
Secondly, getting a good education is one of the things that you can do to get a good future. If every teenager reduced gaming time by thirty minutes per day and, instead, used this time to study for school or university, better marks would be scored and kids would have the success that they want for a good career. If you invest in education you will probably get the best out for yourself. So if you want to go on studying, it might be a good idea to put some extra study in your schedule and reduce gaming considerably. Too much gaming, however, reduces your learning success and hinders your advancement.
Furthermore, playing video games too often is no good for your social relations. Of course, you may argue that socializing by playing games online with friends is a modern way of meeting others. However, you can’t beat encountering each other personally to prepare for a life with ‘real’ people. In job interviews and interpersonal relationships in later life, you need to have experienced such communication skills before.
In conclusion, gaming per se isn’t bad at all. It’s a question of volume and length. Yet,
there can be no doubt that it’s not good for for anyone to spend much time on gaming. So start thinking about your behaviour and react. It’s your future that is at risk!

Task 1: Read the text and mark the three different paragraphs.

Task 2: Mark the helpful phrases in each paragraph that are used to introduce arguments and structural features.

Task 3: Mark phrases and stylistic devices to express points of view in a different colour.

Task 4: Find key works (phrases) in each paragraph and sequence that express the main idea of the argument.

Task 5: Now it’s your turn!
Think about the following topic and find arguments, structures and phrases. Then write your essay!
Europe without borders – what do we lose, what do we get?

Solution

Introduction

Gaming – pros and cons

Middle

Without doubt , [teenagers spend too much time playing video games these days]. Of course , these games are fun and attractive and young people often feel like playing games is a great thing to do in their spare time. However , one shouldn’t spend too much time on gaming because [it’s unhealthy, you don’t spend your time on studying, and you don’t socialize enough].
The main reason to reduce gaming time is that [young people] who spend quite some time on games consoles and computers [are often not getting overweight because they don’t get enough physical exercise]. Since especially younger people are getting fatter these days, it’s very important for them to spend as much time as possible doing exercises and care about what they eat and drink. Studies show that people who are overweight as adults have had weight problems as children and adolescents too. This is remarkably different from those people having a healthy weight when they are young. Don’t forget that there is just as much pleasure in going out and being active with friends or classmates. This doesn’t necessarily mean jogging or hiking for hours if that’s not your thing; you can also be active in team sports. Yoga, dance or bowling might also be a good option.
Secondly, [getting a good education] is one of the things that you can do [to get a good future]. If every teenager reduced gaming time by thirty minutes per day and, instead, used this time to study for school or university, better marks would be scored and kids would have the success that they want for a good career. If you invest in education you will probably get the best out for yourself. So if you want to go on studying, it might be a good idea to put some extra study in your schedule and reduce gaming considerably. Too much [gaming, however, reduces your learning success and hinders your advancement].
Furthermore , playing video games too often is no good for [your social relations]. Of course , you may argue that socializing by playing games online with friends is a modern way of meeting others. However, you can’t beat encountering each other personally to prepare for a life with ‘real’ people. In job interviews and interpersonal relationships in later life, you need to have experienced such communication skills before.

Conclusion

In conclusion , gaming per se isn’t bad at all. It’s a question of volume and length. Yet, there can be no doubt that it’s not good for anyone to spend too much time on gaming. So start thinking about your behaviour and react. It’s your future that is at risk!

Task 1: Read the text and mark the three different paragraphs.

Task 2: Mark the helpful phrases in each paragraph that are used to introduce arguments and structural features. (Anmerkung: Hier unterstrichen)

Task 3: Mark phrases and stylistic devices to express points of view in a different colour. (Anmerkung: Hier kursiv dargestellt)

Task 4: Find key works (phrases) in each paragraph and sequence that express the main idea of the argument. (Anmerkung: Hier durch Klammern markiert [ ] )

Task 5: Now it’s your turn! Think about the following topic and find arguments, structures and phrases. Then write your essay!
Europe without borders – what do we lose, what do we get?

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