HOW TO WRITE A DRAFT

 Why plan your writing? How to plan and draft your writing   Read this (from the BBC)

    There's a video explanation as well.

Writing a First Draft

A first draft is a preliminary attempt to get ideas down on paper. It’s okay if your ideas aren’t completely formed yet. Writing can shape your thoughts and guide you to your conclusion.

Strategies For Writing a First Draft

Try these tips for writing a first draft. They will help you stay focused on your topic and provide a rough sketch of what your paper will look like.

1. Write your research question or thesis and post it above your work space so you can see it.
2. Print out your outline and refer to it as you write.
3. Start wherever you want. Write the part that comes most easily. Many people recommend leaving the introduction until the end.
4. Some people recommend writing as much as you can in one sitting. In the time you’ve given yourself to write, you should be producing sentences and paragraphs, even bad ones.
5. Get your main points down, but leave out quotations and specific evidence if you don’t have them yet.
6. Leave gaps in the writing where you know you want to add more, and write yourself a quick note about what you should eventually include there.
7. Let go of perfection! Try to write complete sentences but don’t worry too much about grammar, word choice, or punctuation. These elements can be fine-tuned in revision.

SOURCE: https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/writing-first-draft

VOCABULARY: THE SENSES

 

SOFT, FLUFFY SOCKS

SCRATCHY LABELS

LUMPY FOOD

BITTER CHOCOLATE

SALTED CARAMEL

A STUNNING VIEW

MOUTH-WATERING FOOD

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Example: I caught a short glimpse of the sea through the window.

Glimpse suggests seeing something very briefly, often only partially.

SCENTED CANDLES

I SNIFF A PERFUME AND REMEMBER GRANDMA'S HOUSE

DISGUSTING SMELL

MEMORIES CONJURE UP VIVID MEMORIES IN MY MIND'S EYE

YOUTUBE PLAYLIST FO SONGS WITH CATCHY RHYTHMS THAT GET STUCK IN YOUR BRAIN FOR HOURS:

CLICK HERE

SOME OPINION-ESSAY STATEMENTS

 

Relationships, dating and social media

1. Checking your partner's phone is acceptable if you suspect they are cheating.

2. Watching pornography has a negative influence on young people's relationships.

3. Dating apps have made it harder to find genuine love.

4. Posting provocative pictures on social media is a form of empowerment.

5. AI girlfriends and boyfriends could replace real relationships in the future.

Money, work and independence

6. Young people in Spain are better off emigrating than trying to build a future here.

7. It is more important to earn a high salary than to enjoy your job.

8. Adult children who live with their parents should pay rent, even if they are studying.

9. People who inherit several properties should pay much higher taxes.

10. University degrees are becoming less valuable than practical skills.

Gender, identity and equality

11. Traditional gender roles are making a comeback among young people.

12. Beauty standards promoted on social media are more harmful to boys than to girls.

13. Positive discrimination is necessary to achieve real equality.

14. Men and women face equally strong social pressures, but in different ways.

15. Parents should be allowed to monitor their teenage children's private messages.

Politics, society and controversial issues in Spain

16. Squatting in empty properties can be justified when people cannot afford housing.

17. The Spanish government should spend less money on pensions and more on young people.

18. Bullfighting should be completely banned in Spain.

19. Freedom of speech should include the right to express offensive opinions.

20. Spain should introduce compulsory military or community service for 18-year-olds.

School, freedom and teenage life

21. Students should be allowed to evaluate their teachers publicly.

22. Parents should stop financially supporting their children once they turn 18.

23. Cancel culture does more harm than good.

24. People should be allowed to change their physical appearance using cosmetic surgery from the age of 16.

25. Schools should stop teaching subjects that students will never use in real life.

ALSO:

University education should be free.

Friendship is about quality, not quantity.

Teenagers spend too much time online.

Exams are the best way to assess students.

Money can buy happiness.

Living in a big city is better than living in the countryside.

AI will improve education.

Students should have less homework.

USUALLY versus USED TO

 

Usually (Present Habits)

Meaning: It describes what normally or regularly happens in the present. [1, 2]
Structure: Subject + usually + present simple verb (or usually comes before the main verb / at the start of a sentence). [1, 2, 3, 4]
Examples:
• "I usually get up at 8:00 AM."
• "She usually takes the bus to work." [1, 2]

Used To (Past Habits)

Meaning: It describes a past habit, action, or state that was true for a period in the past but no longer happens now. [1, 2, 3]
Structure: Subject + used to + base infinitive verb.
• Negative: didn't use to + verb (notice the "d" drops)
• Question: Did + subject + use to + verb? [1, 2, 3]
Examples:
• "I used to smoke, but I quit."
• "He used to live in the countryside."
• "Did you use to play soccer?" [1, 2, 3]

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Quick Comparison

Feature	Usually	Used To
Time	Present (now)	Past (finished/changed)
Verb Form	Present simple	Base infinitive (to + verb)
Example	"I usually drink tea."	"I used to drink coffee."

WORDWALL EXERCISES

O.U.P MULTIPLE CHOICE EXERCISE

ARRIVE IN versus ARRIVE AT

 

SHORT VIDEO: https://youtube.com/shorts/UhCGVa797Y4?si=Xemjz3XjYqMn4i3u

Arrive in

Se usa para: Países, ciudades y áreas geográficas grandes. [1]
Ejemplos:
• We arrived in Spain last week. (Llegamos a España la semana pasada).
• She will arrive in London tomorrow. (Ella llegará a Londres mañana). [1]

Arrive at

Se usa para: Lugares específicos, edificios, direcciones exactas o puntos concretos (como una estación, una oficina o el aeropuerto). [1]
Ejemplos:
• I will arrive at the airport in two hours. (Llegaré al aeropuerto en dos horas).
• She arrived at the office early. (Llegó temprano a la oficina). [1]

Reglas clave a recordar:

Nunca uses arrive to (es incorrecto decir arrive to London o arrive to the airport).
Excepción con home: No se usa preposición; se dice simplemente arrive home (llegar a casa). [1, 2, 3]

WORDWALL EXERCISES HERE

INTERACTIVE WORKSHEET

Communicative activities to practise the opinion essay

Four Corners — Strongly Agree → Strongly Disagree ⭐

Put four signs around the classroom: Strongly agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly disagree.

Give them an opinion-essay statement, for example:

Social media does more harm than good.

Students move to the corner that represents their opinion. In their group, they have 2–3 minutes to prepare two arguments and examples. Then each group explains its position. Students are allowed to change corners if another group convinces them.

At the end, ask them to formulate what could become their thesis:

In my opinion, social media does more harm than good because…

This is excellent preparation for an essay because they generate arguments orally first.

Some opinion-essay statements:

1. Spain should ban social media for under-16s.

2. The Spanish government should limit rental prices to help young people become independent.

3. Students should be allowed to use ChatGPT to complete their homework.

4. The PAU exams should be abolished because they put too much pressure on students.

5. Being an influencer is just as respectable as having a traditional job.

6. Tourist apartments should be banned in cities like Barcelona.

7. Social media influencers are doing more harm than good to gender equality.

8. The voting age in Spain should be lowered to 16.

9. Young people should be prepared to give up cheap flights to protect the environment.

10. Schools should give students mental health days off, just like sick days.

MORE OPINION-ESSAY STATEMENTS HERE.

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Opinion Speed Dating ⭐⭐⭐

Arrange students in pairs facing each other. Give them a statement:

School uniforms should be compulsory.

They have:

• 30 seconds to decide their opinion.
• 1 minute: Student A gives their opinion + reason + example.
• 1 minute: Student B responds.
• 30 seconds: they try to reach a conclusion.

Then one row moves and you give them a new topic.

Possible statements:

• University education should be free.
• Friendship is about quality, not quantity.
• Teenagers spend too much time online.
• Exams are the best way to assess students.
• Money can buy happiness.
• Living in a big city is better than living in the countryside.
• AI will improve education.
• Students should have less homework.

After 4–5 rounds, students choose one topic and write the essay. They already have arguments from several classmates.

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Argument Ping-Pong

Pairs choose FOR / AGAINST.

Topic:

Students should be allowed to use smartphones in class.

They alternate arguments:

A: Smartphones can help students find information quickly.
B: However, they can easily distract students.
A: That may be true, but teachers can establish rules.
B: Nevertheless, it is difficult to control thirty students…

The first student who cannot think of another argument loses the round.

Add a rule: they cannot repeat an argument.

This is especially useful for practising connectors naturally: however, moreover, although, nevertheless, on the other hand, in addition, therefore…

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Convince Me!

Put students in groups of 3–4. Give each student a controversial statement that they must defend even if they don't agree with it.

For example:

Homework should be abolished.

They have 3 minutes to prepare:

Opinion → Reason 1 → Example → Reason 2 → Example

Then they have 60–90 seconds to convince the group.

The other students decide: Were you convincing? Why/why not?

This teaches an important essay skill: a good argument needs development, not just a statement.

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Devil's Advocate

Students give their real opinion:

Online learning is better than face-to-face learning.

Their partner must disagree, regardless of their actual opinion.

A: I think face-to-face learning is better because students interact more.

B: I see your point, but online learning gives students more flexibility.

A: That's true, although…

This is excellent for teaching acknowledging the opposing argument, which can push their essays towards a stronger B2+/C1 style.

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Vocabulary: Jobs

 

AN ARTIST

A COMPUTER PROGRAMMER

A CONSTRUCTION WORKER

A DOCTOR

AN ENGINEER

A FARMER

A GUIDE

A HISTORIAN

A MUSICIAN

A PILOT

A POLITICIAN

A SCIENTIST

A SPORTSPERSON

A VET

Reported questions

 

EXPLANATION (in Spanish)

EXPLANATION + EXERCISES (in English, The British Council)

EXERCISE: multiple choice

EXERCISE: write the question in reported speech.

EXERCISE: write the question in reported speech.

EXERCISE: write the questions in reported speech

EXERCISE: PDF, with the answers at the end.

Communicative activities for reported speech

 

1. Class Gossip 🗣️
   Students work in groups of 3–4. One student says something about themselves:

   “I went to a concert last weekend.”

   Another student later reports it to someone from another group:

            “Laura said that she had gone to a concert the previous weekend.”

Encourage questions, statements and commands so they practise different reporting structures.

2. Chinese Whispers – Reported Speech
   Whisper a sentence to Student A:

   “I’m going to break up with my boyfriend tomorrow.”

            A tells B using reported speech:

“She said she was going to break up with her boyfriend the next day.”

B reports what A told them to C, and so on. At the end, compare the final version with the original. Usually hilarious!

3. Celebrity Interview 🎤
   Pairs: one student is a celebrity, the other a journalist. The journalist interviews them:

   “What are you working on at the moment?”
   “Have you ever lied in an interview?”
   “What will you do next year?”

Then students change partners and report the interview:

“She told me that she was working on a new album.”
“She admitted that she had lied in an interview.”

Great for said/told + reporting verbs.

We could use real interviews:

To Carlos Alcaraz   To Rosalía  To Javier Bardem    To the Javis about Bola Negra

4. You Won’t Believe What He Said! 😲
   Student A invents something surprising that somebody said:

   “My neighbour told me, ‘I saw a UFO last night.’”

            Student B reacts and asks questions. Then B tells another student:

“Nati’s neighbour told her that he had seen a UFO the night before.”

            The more ridiculous the statements, the better this works.

5. Find Someone Who… → Then Report It
   Students circulate asking questions:

   “Have you ever cheated in an exam?”
   “What did you do last Saturday?”
   “What are you doing next weekend?”

            Afterwards, they sit down and report three interesting things they discovered:

“Marc admitted that he had cheated in an exam.”
“Sara told me she was going to Girona the following weekend.”

6. The Rumour Game 🤫
   Start with a rumour:

   “Someone in this class is going to get married next month.”

            Students circulate, passing on rumours but must use reported speech:

“She told me that someone in the class was going to get married the following month.”

Y        You can deliberately introduce several rumours and see how much they change.

7. Police Interrogation 👮
   Groups of three: suspect + two police officers. The officers question the suspect about what they did last night. Then the officers compare notes:

   “He said he had been at home at 10.”
   “No! He told me he had gone to a restaurant!”

        Their goal is to find contradictions in the suspect's story. This is especially good for stronger             students.

8. He Said / She Said – Memory Challenge
   Put students in groups. Each person makes one statement:

   “I hate getting up early.”
   “I’ve never been to London.”
   “I’m going out tonight.”

            After everyone has spoken, no one is allowed to repeat their original sentence. Randomly                     ask:

“What did Júlia say?”

            Others have to remember:

“She said that she hated getting up early.”

For 2nd Batx, you can use Police Interrogation, Celebrity Interview, and Class Gossip,to practise reporting verbs (admit, deny, promise, warn, suggest, apologise, accuse, advise, insist...) rather than only said/told.

FUN COMMUNICATIVES GAMES WITH NO PREPARATION

1. 🔥 The Gossip Chain
   Students sit/stand in groups. Student A whispers something dramatic to B:

   “I kissed someone at a party last Saturday.”

            B tells C using reported speech:

“She said that she had kissed someone at a party the previous Saturday.”

        C passes it on. The last student says the message aloud. Compare it with the original — it usually         changes completely!

2. 🕵️ Alibi – Catch the Criminal
   Choose two students as suspects. They leave the room for 2 minutes and invent an alibi together. Then they are separated and the class interrogates them.

“Where were you at 9?”
“What were you wearing?”
“What did you eat?”
“Who paid?”

            Afterwards, students compare their answers:

“Marta said they had arrived at 8:30, but Pau told us they had arrived at 9!”

        Every contradiction = suspicious! This is probably my favourite for this age.

3. ☎️ Broken Telephone: Crazy Edition
   Give the first student a ridiculous message:

   “My grandmother told me she was going to become a TikTok influencer.”

        They whisper it to the next person using reported speech. Continue around the class. The final             student announces what they heard.

        For extra difficulty, include time/place expressions:

“I met your ex here yesterday.”
→ She said that she had met my ex there the day before.

4. 🤥 Two Truths and a Lie – Reported Version
   Each student tells a partner three things about themselves. Two are true and one is false.

           Then students change partners and report:

“Alex said that he had met a famous footballer.”
“He also told me that he'd never been on a plane.”

        The new partner guesses the lie.

5. 🎭 Famous Person Press Conference

        One student becomes a celebrity: Taylor Swift, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rosalía, MrBeast, etc. The                 class fires questions at them.

“Are you in love?”
“How much money do you earn?”
“Why did you cancel your concert?”

        The celebrity can invent completely ridiculous answers. Afterwards, teams have 60 seconds to                 remember and report as many answers as possible:

“She said that she wasn't in love.”
“She explained that she'd cancelled the concert because she was exhausted.”

        One point for every grammatically correct report.