Can-Do Task: write a short critical essay (150–200 words) applying skills from across the course.

Notice

  • Task: write a short critical essay on “Is it still necessary to learn a foreign language in the age of AI translation?”
  • Include: a clear thesis, at least one claim-evidence-warrant paragraph, one concession-then-counter passage, and varied sentence structure.

Rule

Self-check: does your essay read as a connected argument, not a list of disconnected points? Could a reader summarise your position in one sentence after reading it?

Practice

  1. Model thesis statement:
    Answer: Example: “While AI translation has narrowed the practical need for language learning, it has not eliminated its deeper cognitive and cultural value.”
  2. Model concession-then-counter passage:
    Answer: Example: “Granted, AI tools can now translate everyday conversation with impressive accuracy. That said, they cannot replicate the cultural insight and cognitive flexibility that come from learning a language directly.”
  3. Model closing sentence with a broader implication:
    Answer: Example: “In an increasingly automated world, language learning may matter less for communication and more for what it teaches us about thinking itself.”

Connect

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CEFR: C2

Azizul Hakim
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