1
Your First Ideas
Before reading any further, jot down three ideas to support a position on this question.
Exam Question
Extreme sports such as sky diving and skiing are very dangerous and should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view? Write an essay giving your opinion.
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2
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2
Turning Ideas into Topic Sentences
Each sentence below could open one of the three body paragraphs. Match each one to the B2/C1 structure it uses.
"Although extreme sports undeniably provide a thrilling sense of achievement, the risk to participants' lives is simply too great to ignore."
"The continuous exposure of participants to high-risk conditions inevitably increases the likelihood of serious injury."
"If proper safety regulations had been enforced from the start, many of these accidents would never have happened."
"Dangerous stunts are often glamorised by the media, sending a harmful message to impressionable young viewers."
Nominalisation: "The relentless pursuit of adrenaline by thrill-seekers places an unnecessary burden on emergency services."
Passive voice: "Spectators are frequently encouraged to take up similarly dangerous pursuits after watching extreme sports events."
Conditional sentence: "If organisers were not driven by profit, they would not expose participants to such unnecessary danger."
Concession: "While it is true that extreme sports attract sponsorship and tourism, no financial gain can justify the loss of human life."
3
Your Turn
Now go back to your own three ideas from Section 1 — whichever side of the argument you chose. Write a topic sentence for each one, trying to use a different structure from Section 2 each time.
1Your Idea 1
(write your idea in Section 1 above)
2Your Idea 2
(write your idea in Section 1 above)
3Your Idea 3
(write your idea in Section 1 above)