📚 English Writing: Common Essay Difficulties and How to Improve Your Score | 英语写作：Essay常见难点解析与提分方法
For many students, the essay is the most intimidating part of an English exam. It is also the part with the greatest potential to raise or destroy a final grade. This guide examines the most frequent essay-writing mistakes and gives practical, step-by-step methods to avoid them and push your mark from average to excellent.
对许多考生来说，Essay是英语考试中最令人恐惧的部分，也是最能拉分或掉分的环节。本指南将剖析最常见的Essay写作错误，并提供一步一步可操作的解决策略，帮助你把分数从平庸推向卓越。
1. Misreading the Question | 审题不清：答非所问
The most common reason students lose marks is not weak English but weak reading of the question. A great structure and rich vocabulary will not help if the essay answers a different question from the one on the page. Instruction verbs such as ‘evaluate’, ‘discuss’ and ‘to what extent’ each create a completely different writing task.
最常见的失分原因不是英语能力弱，而是审题不细。如果文章回应的是另一个问题，哪怕结构漂亮、词汇华丽也无济于事。像 ‘evaluate’、’discuss’、’to what extent’ 这样的指令动词，决定了完全不同的写作任务。
| Instruction word | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Discuss | Present different views and reach a balanced conclusion. |
| Evaluate | Judge the value or quality using clear criteria. |
| Analyse | Break the topic into parts and explain how they connect. |
| Compare and contrast | Identify similarities and differences between two things. |
| To what extent | State your degree of agreement and justify it. |
| Justify | Give strong reasons to support a particular position. |
In short, ‘evaluate’ demands a supported value judgment, ‘discuss’ demands a two-sided exploration that ends in a conclusion, and ‘analyse’ demands that you break a topic into parts and explain the relationship between them.
简而言之，’evaluate’ 要求你做出有依据的价值判断；’discuss’ 要求你正反讨论后作出结论；’analyse’ 要求你把对象拆开并解释各部分之间的关系。
To decode any question quickly, follow these four steps before writing.
动笔前，请按以下四步快速解码任何题目。
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Underline every instruction verb, such as ‘discuss’ or ‘justify’.
把每个指令动词都画出来，例如 ‘discuss’ 或 ‘justify’。
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Circle content keywords that define the subject, time, place or group.
圈出决定主题、时间、地点或人群的内容关键词。
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Write a one-sentence response plan before you start the introduction.
在写引言之前，用一句话写下你的回应思路。
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Return to the question every ten minutes to check that you are still on track.
每十分钟回看一次题目，确保自己没有跑偏。
2. Weak Thesis Statement | 论点句模糊或缺失
The thesis statement is the central argument of the whole essay, normally placed at the end of the introduction. Without a strong thesis, the essay reads as a collection of disconnected ideas. Three weaknesses appear again and again: the thesis is too vague, it simply restates the question, or it gives no sense of direction.
论点句是整篇文章的核心观点，通常放在引言段末尾。没有清晰的论点，文章就会像一盘散沙。最常见的三种毛病是：论点过于空泛、只是把题目换一种说法、或者完全没有给出行文方向。
| Common problem | Example | Why it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Too vague | ‘Pollution is a serious problem today.’ | It has no debatable claim and no focus. |
| Restating the question | ‘This essay will discuss the causes of obesity.’ | It announces a topic instead of arguing a position. |
| No roadmap | ‘Technology changes education.’ | The reader cannot predict how the essay will develop. |
A strong thesis should be specific, debatable and preview the main reasons. Compare the weak sentence with the improved version below.
一个有力的论点句应当具体、可辩论，并且预示全篇的主要理由。请比较以下弱句与修改后的句子。
Weak: ‘This essay will discuss the causes of childhood obesity.’
Improved: ‘Childhood obesity is driven mainly by sedentary lifestyles and the aggressive marketing of processed food; therefore, schools and governments, not families alone, must lead the intervention.’
Notice how the improved thesis states an opinion, names two causes, and signals the essay’s direction at the same time.
请注意，修改后的论点句既表明了立场，又点名了两个原因，还同时预告了文章的方向。
3. Poor Structure and Paragraphing | 结构混乱：要点被淹没
Examiners mark like busy readers: they look for a clear introduction, a well-developed body and a decisive conclusion. If every point is buried inside one giant block of text, even good ideas will go unnoticed. Each body paragraph should develop exactly one main idea.
阅卷老师就像忙碌的读者：他们期待清晰的引言、充分展开的主体段和明确的结论。如果所有要点都埋在一大段文字里，再好的想法也会被忽略。每一个主体段应该只展开一个中心思想。
A useful paragraph formula is PEEAL, which gives every body paragraph a logical shape.
一个实用的段落公式是 PEEAL，它能让每个主体段获得清晰的逻辑形状。
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P (Point) – open the paragraph with one clear topic sentence.
观点 (Point)：用一句清晰的中心句开启整段。
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E (Evidence) – support the point with a concrete example, quotation or statistic.
证据 (Evidence)：用具体例子、引用或数据支撑中心句。
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E (Explanation) – explain how the evidence supports your point.
解释 (Explanation)：说明证据是如何支持你的观点的。
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A (Analysis) – go deeper and discuss the implication or wider meaning.
分析 (Analysis)：继续深入，讨论其影响或更广泛的意义。
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L (Link) – link the paragraph back to the thesis or forward to the next idea.
过渡 (Link)：将本段拉回全文论点，或引出下一个观点。
The introduction should move from a general hook to a specific thesis, and the conclusion should restate the thesis in fresh words and end with a thoughtful final comment, not simply repeat what was already said.
引言段应从宽泛的”钩子”逐步收窄到具体的论点句；结论段则应用新的措辞重述论点，并以一句有深度的收尾作结，而不是简单重复前文。
4. Empty Evidence and Unsupported Claims | 论据空洞：只有观点没有支撑
Many students make sweeping claims and expect the examiner to accept them. Phrases such as ‘many people believe’, ‘some research shows’ and ‘everyone knows’ carry no information at all. Examiners reward evidence that is precise, relevant and fully explained.
许多学生只会作出笼统论断，并指望阅卷老师照单全收。像 ‘many people believe’、’some research shows’、’everyone knows’ 这类说法其实不含任何信息。阅卷官愿意给分的是精确、相关且充分解释的证据。
Compare the two sentences below. The first is too vague to be persuasive; the second is concrete and therefore credible.
请比较以下两个句子。第一个句子空洞无力；第二个句子内容具体，因此更有说服力。
Vague: ‘Many rich people have started charities to help others.’
Specific: ‘Through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates has committed billions of dollars to fighting malaria and improving global health since 2000.’
Four rules keep your evidence strong. First, choose named people, dates, texts or numbers instead of ‘something somewhere’. Second, make sure every piece of evidence directly serves the thesis. Third, embed quotations naturally in your own sentence. Fourth, always add one sentence explaining why the evidence matters.
以下四条规则能让论据保持强力。第一，使用具体的人名、时间、文本或数字，而不是”某处某事”。第二，确保每一条证据都直接服务于论点。第三，把引文自然嵌入自己的句子中，而不是整句照搬。第四，始终追加一句解释，说明这条证据为什么重要。
5. Vocabulary Problems: Plain or Pretentious | 词汇失分：要么太简单，要么乱用大词
Some students write in very short, simple sentences because they fear making mistakes; others stuff their essays with difficult words they have only half-learned. Both extremes hurt the grade. Academic English values precise vocabulary and natural collocations, not decorative dictionary words.
有些学生因害怕出错而只写又短又简单的句子；另一些学生则把只学到一半的难词硬塞进文章。两个极端都会伤害分数。学术英语看重的是精确用词与自然搭配，而不是装饰性的生僻词。
The word ‘good’, for example, can often be upgraded to ‘effective’, ‘beneficial’ or ‘valuable’, but only if the context is correct. A ‘good’ knife, however, is never ‘beneficial’; it is ‘sharp’. Precision always beats pretension.
以 ‘good’ 为例，它通常可以升级为 ‘effective’、’beneficial’ 或 ‘valuable’，但这必须符合具体语境。比如一把 “好刀” 绝不是 ‘beneficial’（有益的），而应说 ‘sharp’（锋利的）。精确永远胜过炫耀。
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Build a topic word bank for each theme: cause and effect, comparison, contrast and hedging language.
为每个话题建立词汇库：包括因果关系、比较、对比以及模糊限定语。
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Learn collocations as complete units, such as ‘pose a threat’, ‘raise concerns’ and ‘play a crucial role’.
把搭配当作整体来记，例如 ‘pose a threat’，’raise concerns’，’play a crucial role’。
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Use reporting verbs with variety: ‘argue’, ‘claim’, ‘maintain’, ‘suggest’ and ‘contend’.
让转述动词富有变化：’argue’、’claim’、’maintain’、’suggest’、’contend’
Published by TutorHao | English Revision Series | aleveler.com
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