85
STUDY AND WRITING SKILLS
10.4
WRITING SKILLS
A FOR-AND-AGAINST ESSAY
7
Discuss these questions in small groups.
1
Do you support any charities? Which one(s) and why?
2
Do you know of any celebrities involved in charity
work?
8
a
Read this student’s essay about using celebrities
for fund-raising. Does the writer mention any of the
things you discussed in Exercise 7?
8
b
Do you agree with the ideas in this essay?
9
a
Match these headings (a–d) with the paragraphs of
the essay. Which form the main body of the essay?
a
Advantages
c
Introduction
b
Conclusion
d
Disadvantages
Many charities enlist the help of a well-known
celebrity to endorse their campaigns. This essay will
consider whether using celebrities for fundraising is a
good or a bad thing.
Fundraising for a charity can be very challenging. On
the one hand, with so many problems and issues in the
world, and the exposure they get nowadays through
social media as well as the news, it is very easy to
find a cause to support. On the other hand, however,
because there are so many different charities trying
to raise awareness and money for worthwhile causes,
we find ourselves put in the difficult position of having
to choose those we are able and willing to support.
Although charities work hard to get themselves
noticed by the public, many issues go unnoticed by
many people. One advantage of using a celebrity to
make people aware of an issue is that they are often
able to reach people who would not otherwise be
aware of that issue or that charity’s goals. Famous
musicians, artists and entertainers, therefore, can
all bring large numbers of new supporters to a cause.
However, smaller charities find it more difficult to gain
the support of a celebrity, unlike large international
charities.
One serious disadvantage of using celebrities for
high profile campaigns is that they may not always be
suitable role models for the public. Although they may
have all the credentials needed at the time they start
to work for a charity, they are under a lot of pressure
to maintain the public’s support. What will happen if
they ‘fall from grace’ and do something controversial
one day?
To sum up, is celebrity support a good or bad idea for a
charity? This is a difficult question to answer. Although
a celebrity can boost donations to a charity, they can
also have a negative effect on that charity, if their
personal lives don’t always run smoothly. Perhaps we
need more time to think about the issues of celebrities
in charity fundraising, but I personally think that the
advantages are greater than the disadvantages.
THE ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF USING
CELEBRITIES FOR FUNDRAISING
9
b
Where can you find these things in the essay?
Write
I
for introduction,
MB
for main body and
C
for
conclusion.
1
a statement of the writer’s opinion
2
a statement of the importance of the subject
3
development of important ideas
4
a statement of the writer’s aims
5
a summary of the main points
10
a
Underline the phrases that are used in the essay
to talk about advantages and disadvantages.
10
b
Use this table to make sentences about the
writer’s opinions.
The main
disadvantage of
One of the bad
points about
The main
advantage of
One of the good
points about
using
celebrities
in charity
campaigns
is that
they can bring an issue to the
attention of many people,
quite quickly.
they aren’t always good role
models.
they are under a lot of
pressure to maintain the
public’s support.
smaller charities can’t always
get the support of a celebrity,
while bigger international
charities find it easier.
11
a
Linkers
Study the use of the linkers
although
,
on the other hand
and
therefore
in the essay. Then
complete these sentences.
1
, however, because there are so many
different charities, we find ourselves having to
choose.
2
charities work hard, many issues go
unnoticed by many people.
3
Famous musicians, artists and entertainers,
,
can all bring large numbers of new supporters to a
cause.
4
they may have all the credentials needed,
they are under a lot of pressure to maintain the
public’s support.
5
a celebrity can boost donations to a charity,
they can also have a negative effect.
11
b
Which other sentences and phrases in the essay
can you use in a for-and-against essay on any topic?
12
a
Developing ideas
Work with a partner. Discuss
the advantages and disadvantages of these topics.
1
making all tax payers contribute to a charity of their
choice
2
making a certain amount of voluntary work
compulsory for everyone
3
banning all door-to-door collection or phone
cavassing by charities
12
b
Choose one of the topics above and write four
sentences like those in Exercise 10b.
12
c
Write a for-and-against essay on the topic you
chose above. Use your ideas from above and linkers
from Exercise 11a.
