Essay Types and Structure

An essay is an academic text about your educated opinion · Upper Intermediate B2

Task A — Matching
Read both essays, then match each to its question.
First, read the two essays below. Then decide which exam question each essay is answering.
Essay A

In my opinion, keeping animals in zoos is not as cruel as people say – sometimes it is even useful – for three main reasons.

First of all, they take care of the animals, giving them the best food. The animals are cleaned every day and they live in good conditions. There is a large number of scientists that care for the animals, for instance if they catch a disease.

Secondly, there are some animals that are disappearing because they have been hunted without any control. At the zoo they are away from these hunters, so they are safe and it is possible to prevent them disappearing.

Finally, there is also an educational reason. Children can see different animals from all over the world alive and from my point of view this is the best way of learning. They also learn to take care of them and the most important thing, to love them.

In conclusion, I believe keeping animals in a zoo is no more cruel than keeping them at home. The only important thing is to care for them.

Essay B

Keeping animals in zoos is an important issue today because there are many people in favour of animal rights. In this essay I intend to examine the arguments for and against keeping animals in zoos.

One of the strongest arguments in favour is the fact that children can see animals from other countries. Consequently, visiting zoos can help them learn about nature. Furthermore, zoos can help protect some kinds of animals, which might be in danger of extinction.

On the other hand, there are several arguments against it. To begin with, it is known that animals in zoos suffer from loneliness since they are not living in their natural environment. Secondly, they do not behave as they would do if they were free, because they have to get used to a new way of living, even if they have been born in the zoo. Lastly, people can use them to carry out experiments.

On balance, I am not in favour of keeping animals in captivity because, as I have shown, that is like prison, which is very sad.

Click a question, then click the essay it matches.

Question 1: Do you think animals should be kept in zoos? Give reasons for your opinion.
Question 2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of keeping animals in zoos?
Essay A
Essay B
Task B — Sorting
Opinion or Argument essay?
Exam questions are often phrased in different ways. Sort these questions into the correct column: does the question ask for a single opinion, or for both sides of an argument?
Do you think zoos should be banned?
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of zoos.
In your view, is it wrong to keep animals in captivity?
What are the arguments for and against keeping animals in zoos?
To what extent do you agree that zoos benefit society?
Consider both sides of the debate about animals in captivity.
💭 Opinion Essay
⚖️ Argument Essay
Task C — Structure
Match the structure to each essay.
The two essay types have different structures. Read the descriptions and decide which essay (A or B) follows each plan.
Structure 1 — for Essay ___
Intro:state your opinion + outline your reasons Body:reasons to support your opinion (one per paragraph) Conclusion:restate your opinion
Structure 2 — for Essay ___
Intro:explain why the issue is important + outline your plan Body P1:arguments in favour Body P2:arguments against Conclusion:give your personal opinion

Click a structure, then click which essay it belongs to:

Essay A
Essay B
Task D — Topic sentences
Understanding topic sentences
A topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph. It tells the reader the main idea. Look at this sentence from Essay A:
"First of all, they take care of the animals, giving them the best food."

This is the topic sentence of paragraph 2. But it doesn't tell us everything — the rest of the paragraph gives more detail. Match each question to the answer the paragraph provides.

Questions

How do they take care of them?
Who takes care of them?
Which animals?

Answers from the paragraph

A large number of scientists
Cleaning, feeding, and caring for them
Most of them, even if they have caught a disease
✨ The "perfect summary" — intro sentence + topic sentences

These sentences alone give a complete outline of Essay A. This is what a well-structured essay looks like at a glance.

INTRO "In my opinion, keeping animals in zoos is not as cruel as people say – sometimes it is even useful – for three main reasons."
BODY 1 "First of all, they take care of the animals, giving them the best food."
BODY 2 "Secondly, there are some animals that are disappearing because they have been hunted without any control."
BODY 3 "Finally, there is also an educational reason."
CONCLUSION "In conclusion, I believe keeping animals in a zoo is no more cruel than keeping them at home."
Task E — Vocabulary
Avoiding repetition: the word animals
Good writers avoid repeating the same word over and over. In Essay A, the word animals appears eight times. Read the rewritten version below and choose the best option to fill each gap.
💡
Four strategies to avoid repetition: 🔤 Synonyms 🔁 Reference words (this / that / such) 🔗 Pronouns (they / them) 📌 Determiners (these / those / all)

In my opinion, keeping animals in zoos is not as cruel as people say – sometimes it is even useful – for three main reasons.

First of all, take care of the , giving them the best food. species are cleaned every day and live in good conditions. There is a large number of scientists that care for , for instance if catch a disease.

Secondly, there are some that are disappearing because have been hunted without any control. In the zoo are away from hunters, so it is possible to prevent from disappearing.

Finally, there is also an educational reason. Children can see different from all over the world alive, and this is the best way of learning. experiences also teach children to love and respect .

In conclusion, I believe keeping creatures in a zoo is no more cruel than keeping at home. The only important thing is to care for living beings properly.

Task F — Grammar
Identify the grammar structures
These sentences come from the two essays. Each one contains a key grammatical structure. Match each sentence to the correct description.
"The animals are cleaned every day and they live in good conditions."
Essay A
"…giving them the best food."
Essay A
"…there are some animals that are disappearing because they have been hunted without any control."
Essay A
"…it is possible to prevent them disappearing."
Essay A
"…zoos can help protect some kinds of animals, which might be in danger of extinction."
Essay B
"…keeping animals in a zoo is no more cruel than keeping them at home."
Essay A
"…they do not behave as they would do if they were free…"
Essay B
Task G — Organisation
From list to logic: two ways to organise your ideas
Essay A uses a classic list of linkers. But there's another approach — organising your paragraphs around perspectives rather than a numbered sequence.
📋 List organisation (Essay A style)
First of all, Secondly, Finally,

Each paragraph is another item on a list. Easy to write, but can feel mechanical at higher levels.

🧠 Organic organisation
From the animals' perspective, For the children who visit, For the scientists who work there,

Each paragraph is a different angle on the topic. More sophisticated — shows you've thought deeply.

Read: Essay A rewritten with organic organisation

Introduction In my opinion, keeping animals in zoos is not as cruel as people say — and it can even bring real benefits. I will argue this from three perspectives: the animals themselves, the children who visit, and the scientists who care for them.

Body paragraph 1 — the animals From the perspective of the animals, zoo life is not necessarily harmful. Zoos provide excellent nutrition and daily care, and animals are protected from hunters — especially those species that have been hunted without any control in the wild. This means it is possible to prevent some species from disappearing entirely.

Body paragraph 2 — the visitors For the children who visit, zoos offer a unique educational experience. Seeing animals from different parts of the world alive and up close is arguably the most powerful way to learn to respect and love them — something a screen cannot replicate.

Body paragraph 3 — the scientists For the scientists and vets who work in zoos, these institutions are environments where genuine conservation work takes place. Medical care, research, and breeding programmes are all possible precisely because the animals are in one place and in good condition.

Conclusion In conclusion, I believe that when zoos operate with care and responsibility, they benefit animals, visitors, and researchers alike. The key is not whether animals are in a zoo, but whether they are well looked after.

💬 Reflect: Now that you've read both versions, what do you notice?