An Opinion Essay
Linkers of addition                                        Linkers of result
        What’s more             Furthermore                     Consequently             As a result
        Moreover                In addition                     Therefore                Thus
        Plus            Also                                    Because of this          Due to this
        Not only that,                                          For this reason          Hence
                How to structure your essay:
                INTRODUCTION:          Describe the problem and express your opinion.
                CONTENT:               Give at least three reasons for your opinion
                CONCLUSION:            Restate your opinion and briefly summarise the reasons.
                  The Government should encourage people to save water. Do you agree?
  People in Spain don’t appreciate the importance of water. ______________millions of litres are
  wasted every year. In my opinion, Government campaigns would help to reduce unnecessary
  water consumption.
  Water is a very important resource for various reasons. ____________ , we need to drink clean
  water to survive. _____________we need it to keep clean. _____________ , without water we
  cannot grow crops or raise animals for food. The government should do more to make people
  realise this.
  The human population is growing and the climate is changing. ______________there may not be
  enough water or everyone in the future. We should encourage people to change wasteful habits
  now before it’s too late.
  ______________water treatment processes cost a lot and use a large amount of electricity.
  ____________, reduced water consumption would save energy and cut greenhouse gas
  emissions.
  _____________, I think that the government should encourage people to save water. It would
  help to conserve this important resource for the future. __________, it would reduce the money
  and energy that is spent on water treatment each year.
In conclusion     What’s more    Finally Therefore    Firstly     Moreover As a result Secondly Consequently
                       More Spanish forests should be protected. Do you agree?
 At the moment a few forests in Spain are protected but more could be done. I believe that it is
 important that we protect the remaining forests for the following reasons.
 Extensive deforestation has destroyed a number of habitats. _______________many species of
 animal that live in these forests are in danger of extinction. It would be sad to see these animals
 disappear completely. _____________, each animal has an important role to play in the
 ecosystem. For example, foxes keep rabbit populations in check.
 __________________through photosynthesis trees provide us with oxygen and help to filter gases
 like carbon dioxide which are harmful to humans. _____________, they help us to reduce
 pollution and combat global warming.
 _________________, deforestation destroys the natural beauty of area. __________, it may
 cause landslides.
 ___________, I think that there should be more protected forests in Spain. ______________, we
 should educate our children about the importance of conservation. , _______________future
 generations might be able to enjoy the same biodiversity that exists today.
               As a result       Plus    In conclusion    Moreover     In addition to this
                     Furthermore        Due to this      What’s more    Consequently
              Schools should educate students about the environment. Do you agree?
Young people don’t appreciate the importance of protecting the environment. _________they don’t
think about the harmful effects of their behaviour. I believe that education in schools may help
change attitudes and behaviours.
____________, education could encourage recycling. Compared to other countries we only recycle
a small percentage of our waste. Consequently, a lot of energy, resources and money are wasted
needlessly.
____________, schools can raise awareness of the importance of water as a resource. At the
moment water is seen as a cheap and unlimited resource. ___________, people waste water on
unnecessary things like golf courses and private swimming pools.
_____________, people could be made aware of the consequences of dropping litter. Many people
drop litter at the beach and in the countryside. ____________, our seas and fields are full of rubbish.
_______________, I believe that education can help young people realise how they harm the
environment and the consequences of this. ________________, their attitudes might change and
environmentally harmful activities may become less acceptable.
Due to this   Thus     Firstly      As a result   Secondly    Furthermore    In conclusion   Consequently
Suggested answers:
                      The Government should encourage people to save water. Do you agree?
People in Spain don’t appreciate the importance of water. Consequently millions of litres are wasted every year. In
my opinion, Government campaigns would help to reduce unnecessary water consumption.
Water is a very important resource for various reasons. Firstly, we need to drink clean water to survive. Secondly we
need it to keep clean. What is more, without water we cannot grow crops or raise animals for food. The
government should do more to make people realise this.
The human population is growing and the climate is changing. As a result there may not be enough water or
everyone in the future. We should encourage people to change wasteful habits now before it’s too late.
Finally water treatment processes cost a lot and use a large amount of electivity. Therefore reduced water
consumption would save energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
In conclusion, I think that the government should encourage people to save water. It would help to conserve this
important resource for the future. Moreover, it would reduce the money and energy that is spent on water
treatment each year.
                              More Spanish forests should be protected. Do you agree?
At the moment a few forests in Spain are protected but more could be done. I believe that it is important that we
protect the remaining forests for the following reasons.
Extensive deforestation has destroyed a number of habitats. Due to this, many species of animal that live in these
forests are in danger of extinction. It would be sad to see these animals disappear completely. What’s more, each
animal has an important role to play in the ecosystem. For example, foxes keep rabbit populations in check.
Moreover, through photosynthesis trees provide us with oxygen and help to filter gases like carbon dioxide which are
harmful to humans. Consequently, they help us to reduce pollution and combat global warming.
In addition to this, deforestation destroys the natural beauty of area. Plus it may cause landslides.
In conclusion , I think that there should be more protected forests in Spain. Furthermore, we should educate our
children about the importance of conservation. As a result, future generations might be able to enjoy the same
biodiversity that exists today.
                      Schools should educate students about the environment. Do you agree?
Young people don’t appreciate the importance of protecting the environment. As a result they don’t think about the
harmful effects of their behaviour. I believe that education in schools may help change attitudes and behaviours.
Firstly, education could encourage recycling. Compared to other countries we only recycle a small percentage of our
waste. Consequently, a lot of energy, resources and money are wasted needlessly.
Secondly schools can raise awareness of the importance of water as a resource. At the moment water is seen as a
cheap and unlimited resource. Thus, people waste water on unnecessary things like golf courses and private
swimming pools.
Furthermore, young people could be made aware of the consequences of dropping litter. Many people drop litter at
the beach and in the countryside. Due to this, our seas and fields are full of rubbish.
In conclusion, I believe that education can help young people realise how they harm the environment and the
consequences of this. Consequently, their attitudes might change and environmentally harmful activities may
become less acceptable.