If they plan to graduate abroad, international students have to write essays just like local students do. Writing an essay in English can be a huge challenge for them. Let’s look at the kind of challenge they face. 

Students in North America may be asked to write about an observation (Children don’t have enough free time), an opinion (The government should spend more for child care), a contrast (The education systems of Japan and Canada are very different) or something else entirely. 

Sometimes the teacher provides the essay topic. It may be concrete and easy to understand. Here’s a high-school example from Canada: Positive connections with older generations can enrich our lives. More often, the teacher gives a question, and the students must create their own topic. These questions can be very challenging. Here is an example from a grade 12 exam in Canada (paraphrased for simplicity): How does imagination affect an individual’s willingness to embrace or reject an uncertain future? 

Even more difficult, the teacher may call for a synthesis essay. Here, you combine two forms of art (two readings; a reading and a painting; etc.) In an exam for grade 12 Canadian English, for instance, students were given one reading about a dairy farmer and another about Andy Warhol, the famous modern artist. Then, the students were asked to write how the farmer “would likely respond” to Warhol’s art. 

At this point, if you haven’t imagined your future or developed an opinion of modern art, then you’re in trouble! 

So how do you do this? How do you get ideas for an essay? More on this in the next post.

If you are interested in learning how to write an essay in English, give me a shout!

(by Robert McMillan)