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Spanish - ESSAY HELP - AS level

Hi all,

Hopefully you can help me.

I am an A-level student, currently with the WJEC exam board, and would appreciate your help and advice in regards to the essay section of the exam.

Firstly, I would like to put a rhetorical question into my introduction of the essay, but I don't exactly know how to word it. Maybe something generic - along the lines of: 'Is this really the case? - let's find out!' - it doesn't have to be that, of course, but I would really appreciate some ideas.

Also, if you have any phrases which would ideally boost my grade - they'd be great, too!

And finally... anything generic that would be really good to put in an introduction and conclusion?

Thank you in advance for your help!
¿Es este el caso? = Is this the case?

Idioms are always a great help. Things like:
Echar leña al fuego = Adding fuel to the fire
Sea lo que sea = Be as it may
Dorar la píldora = To sugarcoat sth.
Andarse con rodeos = To beat about the bush

In an introduction, try to introduce the topic - say what you know about it. So if your topic is, say, "tourism is bad for the environment - do you agree?" you can respond as an introduction saying something like:

Tourism has been around for a very long time and it is a very effective way of broadening one's horizons and becoming more culturally aware. There are many types of tourism, such as immersing yourself in a language to seeing the sites, to exploring the natural beauty of the area. It is important to realise the effects that tourism has on the country in which you travel, and to see both the advantages and the disadvantages and to weigh them up. Let's take a look at some of the issues that tourism causes in the environment.

Even that little bit there is almost 100 words - that's one third of your essay or thereabouts! It's easy - just lengthen it and say sentences that may seem redundant - but make them as expressive and grammatically complex as you can! If you can use the subjunctive, go for it! Use complex sentences and you will gain high marks. Don't use structures you're not sure about, though - it's better to gain marks for all grammar correct than to make mistakes and be penalised.

Conclusions are similarly very easy - just say overall, I believe that [bla bla bla] and we should [bla bla bla]

Hope I helped!
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Cal1999
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Original post by bonney12
¿Es este el caso? = Is this the case?

Idioms are always a great help. Things like:
Echar leña al fuego = Adding fuel to the fire
Sea lo que sea = Be as it may
Dorar la píldora = To sugarcoat sth.
Andarse con rodeos = To beat about the bush

In an introduction, try to introduce the topic - say what you know about it. So if your topic is, say, "tourism is bad for the environment - do you agree?" you can respond as an introduction saying something like:

Tourism has been around for a very long time and it is a very effective way of broadening one's horizons and becoming more culturally aware. There are many types of tourism, such as immersing yourself in a language to seeing the sites, to exploring the natural beauty of the area. It is important to realise the effects that tourism has on the country in which you travel, and to see both the advantages and the disadvantages and to weigh them up. Let's take a look at some of the issues that tourism causes in the environment.

Even that little bit there is almost 100 words - that's one third of your essay or thereabouts! It's easy - just lengthen it and say sentences that may seem redundant - but make them as expressive and grammatically complex as you can! If you can use the subjunctive, go for it! Use complex sentences and you will gain high marks. Don't use structures you're not sure about, though - it's better to gain marks for all grammar correct than to make mistakes and be penalised.

Conclusions are similarly very easy - just say overall, I believe that [bla bla bla] and we should [bla bla bla]

Hope I helped!




Your advice is fantastic - thank you!

I especially like the idioms and rhetorical that you added. Do you have any more subjunctive or very good phrases I could use?

If not, don't worry!
Original post by Cal1999
Your advice is fantastic - thank you!

I especially like the idioms and rhetorical that you added. Do you have any more subjunctive or very good phrases I could use?

If not, don't worry!


My pleasure!

Hmm, subjunctive phrases...
Que yo sepa, ... = As far as I know, ...
No creo que sea justo. = I don't think it's fair.
Dudo que = I doubt that (dudo que se pueda reponer el medio ambiente = I doubt that the environment can be fixed)
Conviene que... = It is advisable that ...
Ojalá que ... = If only (literally, god-willing! there is a song, ojalá que llueva café, if only it rained coffee)
Antes de que ... = Before (an action)
For example, "antes de que yo vaya, ..." = Before I go

General phrases:
Es importante recordar que ... = It is important to remember that...
Se dice que ... = It is said that...
Importa señalar que ... = It is important to note that ...
En cualquier caso, ... = In any case
Se piensa que ... = It is thought that ...

Then general words like:
Además = Moreover
Por lo tanto = As such, therefore
Por otra parte = On the other hand


I wouldn't worry about the subjunctive too much - it's used in certain set phrases like antes de que, and in phrases which introduce some nuance of doubt or wish normally (hence using it with "dude que")

Hope this helps you, ¡que tengas mucha suerte!

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