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Home-Working: Benefits and Drawbacks

This document discusses argument and discussion structures for essays. It provides vocabulary for discussing advantages and disadvantages of topics. It presents two structures for organizing arguments - vertical for shorter essays with a simpler pattern, and horizontal for more complex approaches in longer essays. An example outline uses structure (a) to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of home-working. It introduces counter-arguments and discussing providing evidence to support arguments.

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george69
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251 views3 pages

Home-Working: Benefits and Drawbacks

This document discusses argument and discussion structures for essays. It provides vocabulary for discussing advantages and disadvantages of topics. It presents two structures for organizing arguments - vertical for shorter essays with a simpler pattern, and horizontal for more complex approaches in longer essays. An example outline uses structure (a) to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of home-working. It introduces counter-arguments and discussing providing evidence to support arguments.

Uploaded by

george69
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Practice A
  • Argument and Discussion
  • Counter-arguments
  • Practice B
  • Providing Evidence

2.

1 Argument and discussion


1 Discussion vocabulary
(a) benefits/ advantages

(b) drawbacks/ disadvantages

(c) negative

(d) advantages/ benefits

(e) disadvantages/ drawbacks

(f) benefit/ advantage

2 Organisation
Vertical: a simpler pattern suitable for short essays

Horizontal: this allows a more complex approach in longer essays

3 Practice A
Possible ideas include:
+ -

No time spent commuting to work Employees may feel isolated

Gives employees more flexibility May not suit all employees

Saves expensive office space Home may contain distractions

Requires different management style

Example outline with structure (a):

(a) Introduction: reasons for growth of home-working: development in


communication

technology, demand for more flexible work patterns.


(b) Drawbacks: Employees may feel isolated, be distracted by activities at home.

May not suit all employees, some prefer more direct


management.

(c) Benefits: Companies need to provide less office space, less time spent on

commuting = more work time, employees have more flexibility.

(d) Discussion: Of benefit to certain employees in some roles, but necessary to


have regular contact with colleagues and managers.

5 Counter-arguments
The writer’s position is essentially critical of the way prisons work

(Example answers)
Counter-argument Your position

It has been claimed that employees may waste time at but in practice there seems little evidence for this.
home,

Although home-working may save companies money employees need to have a well-equipped workspace in
by reducing the need for office space, their home.

6 Providing evidence

1 Claims for `digital natives’

2. Arguments against

3. Writer’s viewpoint

7 Practice B
(Example answer)

There has been considerable debate about the value of space exploration, in view of
the high costs involved. Supporters such as Donnet-Kammel (2005) claim that this is
a vital method of collecting data about the structure of the universe, and additionally
point out that there have been many practical benefits arising from the space
programme, such as satellite communication. The example of the space station is
also given as an instance of the value of the research programme in encouraging
international co-operation.

In contrast, critics (e.g. Soroka, 2000) point to the huge costs involved in launching
space probes, claiming that these resources would be better devoted to solving the
serious earthly problems of hunger and disease. Furthermore, they argue that much
of the space programme is effectively a testing ground for new weapons, such as
missiles, and brings little benefit to ordinary people. In the context of the current
economic crisis, a more critical approach is clearly needed in deciding which of those
projects have real value.

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