BBC Learning English - The Language of Study and Work.pdf - Angielski do wydruku- PDF - Babl_MD

english

THE LANGUAGE OF

STUDY AND WORK

IMPROVE YOUR ESSAY-WRITING SKILLS,

GIVE EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS,

COMPILE WINNING CVS AND GET THAT JOB – AND MORE.

LEARNING

Welcome

W elcome to the Language of Study and Work .This booklet is designed to introduce you to

some of the language and language skills which are important if you are planning to study or work

using English.

The booklet is divided into two parts.

The first part looks at some of the language skills which are necessary if you need to use English

for academic study at college or university.The topics covered in this section include …

● improving your reading skills for academic study

● developing your writing skills for academic work

● the language of essay questions

● developing effective listening skills

The second part of the booklet focuses on some of the language and skills you might need if you

would like to have a job which involves using English.The topics in this section include …

● writing a CV to apply for a job

● writing letters of application

● developing your interview skills

The final topic in the booklet is designed to be useful for both students and for people whose

work involves using English.

● developing effective presentation skills

How to use this booklet

Each page looks at a different language skill or topic related to the theme of study or work. On

each page you will find …

● a short introduction to the topic which explains why this language area is important

● an extract or extracts from a range of BBC World Service programmes related to the topic

● a reading and a language task to

accompany the extract(s)

● key tips to help you improve

your language and skills

● a task to help you practise

what has been explained

At the end of this booklet, you will find an ‘Answer key’

and a ‘Glossary’ of useful words and phrases for each topic.

The words which are underlined in the following pages are

included in the ‘Glossary’.

Effective reading skills

Why are effective reading skills important?

If you are doing academic study, you will need to read a large number of books and journals. If these texts are in

English, you may need some help in reading them quickly and effectively. Here are two suggestions for techniques you

can use to help you read effectively, taken from the BBC World Service programme, Academic Listening. Do you use

these techniques when reading in your own language?

a) Readers can employ a useful technique called skimming to help them decide which books and sections of books to

read. Often, a quick glance at the title and subtitles, at the chapter headings and any information about the

author’s special interests will soon tell you whether a book is likely to be useful for your purpose.

b) Like skimming, scanning is a rapid reading technique that can save you a lot of time.With scanning, however, you

are looking for specific words and ideas rather than general information about the book.You have a specific

question in your mind, and you are looking for the answer to that question – it could be a name, a date or it could

be a sentence – but you know what you are looking for.

Question 1: In one sentence, describe the difference between skimming and scanning.

Question 2: Scan passage a) above to find five words which relate to the subject ‘books’.

The keys to effective reading

If you have to read for study or work, remember the following four points to help make your reading easier.

1) Be selective. Choose which books or articles you really need to read by scanning the titles or chapters

for key words – that is, words which are relevant to your subject.

2) Skim the relevant article, chapter or page to check that it is really relevant. Skimming will give you the

general idea – or gist – of the text.Then you can decide if it is really important enough for you to

3) Before you begin to read in depth, ask yourself some questions about the text: ‘What do I want to find

out?’, or ‘How does this author’s opinion differ from the others I have read?’. By setting questions before

you read, you can help yourself to pick out information more effectively.

4) Don’t worry if you don’t understand every word.Try to focus on what you do understand, then decide

which new words are important in helping you understand more.

Reading task

Here is academic Tony Lynch describing a reading technique named SQ3R. First, scan the passage to find out what the

letters S – Q – R – R & R signify.Then read the passage and note down the main features of SQ3R.

Students often tell me the main problem is the amount of reading they are expected to do.When sitting down with a text, it’s

easy to get overwhelmed so it’s important to read effectively. Some well-established reading-skills books promote the idea of

SQ3R – that is, survey, question, read, recall, review.The idea is to survey the text – or look at it briefly – then set questions to

yourself, such as ‘What do I expect to learn from this text?’.The next step is to read, then recall the information. Make notes to

summarise what you have read.Then finally review what you have read and understood. How relevant is this to what you

want? The most important thing to keep in mind is your purpose for readin g.

Effective writing skills 1: interpreting essay questions

Interpreting questions – that is, working out what kind of information and ideas an essay question asks for – is an

important first step in producing a successful essay. In this extract, academics Shelagh Rixon and Tony Lynch talk

about the problems which many students face in working out what a question is really asking. As you read, compare

what they say with your own experience.What kind of questions have you had to answer for essays and in

examinations?

Different cultures might have different ideas about what knowledge is. So, for example, many exam questions in

countries I’m aware of deal mostly with facts – factual recall. But in many other cultures, you might get questions

which use facts to make a point or to support a more general argument. It’s important to know what the question

wants from you.You often get questions which begin ‘Discuss …’, ‘Compare and contrast …’ or ‘Evaluate …’.

(Shelagh Rixon)

‘If I give you an example from an exam question, the first word could be ‘Discuss’.The problem is that ‘discuss’ often

means ‘show both sides of a question and then give your conclusion’, but it’s also used in some areas to mean

‘describe or present information’. So the first thing a student needs to do is to make sure they have interpreted the

question correctly, if possible by asking the person who set the question.’

(Tony Lynch)

Question 1: In one sentence, explain the difference between the two types of questions which Shelagh Rixon

describes.Which type of question is the most usual in your culture?

Question 2: To ny Lynch describes two interpretations of the instruction ‘discuss’.Which is the most common

meaning in exam and essay questions?

The keys to understanding essay questions

If you need to write an essay, the five points below can help you to interpret the question more easily.

1) Identify what kind of essay you are being asked to write.To do this, underline the key instruction words or

phrases (e.g. discuss , evaluate ,etc.)

2) Decide if your essay needs to be descriptive or full of detail.The key words here might be describe or

illustrate . e.g. Describe how BBC World Service has contributed to your language learning. Illustrate your answer

with examples.

3) Your essay might need to look at an idea or an issue from different viewpoints. In essays like this, key

words might be analyse or discuss . e.g. Discuss the importance of radio in language learning in your country.

4) After talking about an issue from different points of view, you might be required to give your own opinion

based on your analysis. A key word here might be evaluate .e.g. Evaluate the success of English-language radio

in promoting language learning.

5) You might be asked to describe the value of, or advantages and disadvantages of, two ideas or issues in

relation to each other. Often, essays like this ask you to compare and contrast . e.g. Compare and contrast the

value of radio and television in language learning in your country.

Question task

Tr y this short brainstorming task. Read the question below and underline the key words.Then give yourself two

minutes to write down all the ideas you can think of which are relevant to the topic.

Learning a language is like learning to drive a car.The student language learner and the student driver both need to practise

a skill. Discuss.

Effective writing skills 2: preparing to write an essay

Why are effective writing skills important?

If you are studying at college or university, you will probably have to write essays or assignments.This type of formal

writing is important because you need to plan very carefully what to say and how to say it in order to make your points

clearly and achieve a good mark. However, starting your essay can be difficult. Here, a teacher talks about essay writing in

the BBC World Service radio programme, Academic Listening . Compare her description of the writing process with

how you usually write essays in your own language.

It’s helpful to think of the writing process as a series of stages.The first consists of drawing up a preliminary outline after

reading the question carefully. Next comes a period of research.You need to read then brainstorm all of the ideas which

are relevant to the topic and plan how you are going to organise them before you write the first draft.Then you need to

revise your draft to improve it and write a final version. But, before you give it to your tutor, remember to proofread to

check that your facts and references, as well as your spelling and grammar, are correct.

Question 1: Match the words from the text with their meaning.

i) to brainstorm

a) to make improvements to something

ii) to proofread

b) to write the first version of something

iii) to revise

c) to check an essay for errors

iv) to draft

d) to note down all your ideas on a topic very quickly

Question 2: Look at the steps described below and put them in order after you have read the text.

a) proofread b) plan an outline of the assignment c) write a first draft d) read the question e) read about the topic f) write

a more detailed plan g) revise your draft h) write a final version i) gather together all the ideas which are relevant to the

essay j) hand the essay to your tutor

The keys to effective essay writing

If you have to write an essay or assignment in English, remember that producing correct grammar and spelling is only

part of the writing process. Here are five keys to help make sure your essay-writing skills are effective.

1) Read the question carefully. Underline the key words and phrases which show you what is needed. Remember

that the first step on the road to success is to select the type of information which the question asks for.

2) Take time to plan your essay , both before and after you have done your research.Thinking about the type of

information you need to put into the essay at an early stage will help you select the texts you need to read.

3) Brainstorm your ideas before you start writing.Take a piece of paper and spend three minutes writing down all

the related ideas you can think of, then try to organise them into ‘important’ and ‘not useful for this essay’.

4) Draft and redraft your essay. Make your first draft a more general answer to the question, then go back to add

or change information later.

5) Always proofread your essay carefully so you can correct any small errors you find. Don’t do this immediately

after finishing writing – leave it for a few hours so that you can take a fresh look at what you have written.

Writing skills task

Look at the notes you made for the brainstorming task on

the previous page.Try to organise your ideas into groups,

each of which could form a paragraph of the finished essay.

You might like to make a mind map of your ideas.

Start with the key elements in circles, like the

example opposite.

BBC Learning English - The Language of Study and Work.pdf

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