All Writing Prompts
C2 — Masteryessay
Discursive Essay: Who Owns English?
Writing Task
Non-native speakers of English now outnumber native speakers by roughly three to one, and most English conversations in the world today take place without a single native speaker present. Some argue that insisting on native-speaker norms — idioms, accents, 'standard' grammar — is an outdated form of gatekeeping; others maintain that shared standards are precisely what keep a global language intelligible. Write a discursive essay examining both positions and defending your own, with attention to at least one concrete domain: business, academia, immigration, or education.
Target:320-380 words
Writing Tips
- •Engage the strongest version of each position — a C2 essay that attacks a weak opponent convinces no one
- •Draw a precise conceptual distinction early (for example, intelligibility versus prestige) and let it organize the essay
- •Use concession-and-pivot structures: 'Granted, ..., yet...', 'It is true that..., but the conclusion does not follow'
- •Hedge with precision — 'almost never', 'in most documented cases' — rather than retreating into vagueness
- •Anchor every abstraction in your chosen concrete domain within a sentence or two
- •Interrogate your own position at least once: name the best objection to it and answer it
- •The conclusion should synthesize the tension, not merely restate your side
Useful Vocabulary
lingua francagatekeepingintelligibilityprestige varietylinguistic capitalprescriptivistmutual accommodationcodifydeferenceasymmetry
Suggested Structure
Introduction: reframe the question precisely and state the distinction your argument will turn on
Body 1: the gatekeeping critique, in its strongest form
Body 2: the case for shared standards, in its strongest form
Body 3: your synthesis — where each side is right, and the principle that separates them
Conclusion: implications for your chosen domain