Your final writing task: a full critical essay, drawing on everything this course has covered.

Notice

  • Prompt: “Is it still worth learning a foreign language in the age of AI translation?” Write a structured critical essay of 250–350 words.
  • Required elements: a clear thesis in your introduction; at least one fully developed claim-evidence-warrant paragraph; at least one concession-then-counter passage; varied sentence structure (periodic and loose); and precise, connotation-aware word choice throughout.
  • Aim to sound like the model reading passage in the previous lesson — confident, nuanced, and willing to acknowledge complexity rather than oversimplifying.

Rule

Self-check against this rubric: Does your introduction state a clear position? Does at least one paragraph fully argue a point with evidence and reasoning? Have you acknowledged at least one opposing view fairly before countering it? Does your conclusion synthesise rather than simply repeat your introduction?

Practice

  1. Model thesis statement for this prompt:
    Answer: Example: “While AI translation has made cross-language communication remarkably convenient, it cannot replace the deeper cognitive and cultural understanding that comes from learning a language directly.”
  2. Model claim-evidence-warrant paragraph opening:
    Answer: Example: “Learning a language reshapes how the brain processes ambiguity and perspective-taking [claim]. Research in cognitive linguistics has repeatedly linked bilingualism to improved executive function [evidence]. If a skill measurably changes how the mind works, its value clearly extends well beyond simple communication [warrant].”
  3. Model concession-then-counter passage:
    Answer: Example: “Granted, for a tourist ordering a meal abroad, a translation app is entirely sufficient. That said, sufficiency for a single transaction says little about the broader value of genuine fluency.”

Connect

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CEFR: C2

Azizul Hakim
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