Discursive Essay: Who Pays for Lifelong Learning?

Writing Task

Technology is changing jobs faster than ever, and most professionals will need to learn significant new skills several times during their careers. Some people believe that keeping skills up to date is each worker's personal responsibility; others argue that employers, who profit from those skills, must provide the time and money for retraining. Discuss both views and give your own opinion, supporting your argument with examples.

Writing Tips

• •Plan your paragraph structure before writing — a discursive essay lives or dies by its organization
• •Give each viewpoint its own paragraph, and present the strongest version of the side you disagree with
• •Concede at least one good point to the opposing view — 'Admittedly...' makes your own position more credible
• •Use contrast and sequence linkers precisely: 'by contrast', 'moreover', 'on balance', 'admittedly'
• •Hedge rather than absolutize: 'tends to', 'in many cases', 'rarely' are more persuasive than 'always' and 'never'
• •Support each argument with one concrete, specific example rather than several vague ones
• •State your own position clearly in the conclusion — a discursive essay still needs a verdict

Useful Vocabulary

Suggested Structure