Can-Do Task: Write a Short Critical Essay

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

Write your full essay in the Writing Practice Hub.

Try Writing Practice Hub →

CEFR: C2

Azizul Hakim
Latest posts by Azizul Hakim (see all)

Printable worksheet (PDF) Pro

PreviousNext