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Year 6

Writing the second half of an essay

I can write the second half of an essay about the effects of climate change on the polar regions, using a range of linguistic features and a formal tone.

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New
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Year 6

Writing the second half of an essay

I can write the second half of an essay about the effects of climate change on the polar regions, using a range of linguistic features and a formal tone.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Link copied to clipboard

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Our essay gives a logical argument that builds towards a conclusion.
  2. Throughout the essay, we connect ideas using a range of linguistic features and we support ideas with evidence.
  3. We use a formal tone in an essay because we want to sound authoritative.
  4. Our conclusion should directly address the essay question, making the end-point of our logical argument clear.
  5. It is useful to orally rehearse our ideas before writing to reduce our cognitive load.

Keywords

  • Logical argument - an argument that follows a series of steps that lead clearly towards a conclusion

  • Linguistic features - language structures that are used within a text in order to connect ideas together

  • Formal tone - the effect created by choosing serious, factual language

  • Evidence - information or facts to show something is true

  • Conclusion - the outcome of a series of ideas or the end-point of a piece of reasoning

Common misconception

Pupils may only include the information in their research notes and not draw ideas together into a conclusion.

While shared writing this section, constantly refer back to the essay question to ensure the conclusion addresses it head-on.


To help you plan your year 6 english lesson on: Writing the second half of an essay, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

A slide has been left intentionally lined in the second part of this lesson for you to complete shared writing with your class; you may wish to provide more or less support depending on your context.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these features will we likely not use in an essay?
serious, factual language
Correct answer: contractions
Correct answer: casual, everyday language
Correct answer: addressing the reader directly
subject-specific language
Q2.
Which sentence uses an appropriately formal tone for our essay?
Correct answer: Antarctica's interior is a desert: it receives almost no rainfall.
The middle of Antarctica is a desert: it's super dry!
There's basically no rain in the middle of Antarctica so it's sort of a desert.
Q3.
Which paragraphs of our essay are likely to include evidence to support our arguments?
the introduction
Correct answer: the first main paragraph
Correct answer: the second main paragraph
Correct answer: the conclusion
Q4.
Which types of evidence are used in the following sentence? 'NASA say that 268 billion tons of Arctic sea ice have melted since 2022.'
explanation
Correct answer: statistic
Correct answer: expert opinion
Q5.
What linguistic features are included here? 'Furthermore, huge quantities of carbon are stored in the permafrost (frozen ground); as a result, it does not contribute to the greenhouse effect.'
Correct answer: formal fronted adverbial
compound sentence
Correct answer: fronted adverbial of cause
Correct answer: parenthesis in brackets
adverbial complex sentence
Q6.
Which word could fill in the gap in the following sentence to create the most formal tone? 'Antarctica __________ six months of near-darkness each year.'
enjoys
has
Correct answer: experiences
suffers from

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the below are claims that we have made in our essay?
Correct answer: Climate change is taking place.
Climate change is caused by oil drilling.
Correct answer: Climate change is causing polar ice to melt.
Correct answer: Polar ice melting is a bad thing for the planet.
Q2.
Match each claim to the evidence that supports it.
Correct Answer:Climate change is taking place.,polar temperatures have increased by three degrees

polar temperatures have increased by three degrees

Correct Answer:It is causing polar ice to melt.,Arctic ice has decreased in thickness by 40%

Arctic ice has decreased in thickness by 40%

Correct Answer:Polar ice melting is a bad thing.,less heat is reflected back out to space, causing temperatures to rise

less heat is reflected back out to space, causing temperatures to rise

Q3.
What linguistic features have been used here? 'As a consequence of this, the ice at the poles is melting: the Arctic Ocean, which would normally be frozen all year, could be ice-free relatively soon.'
Correct answer: fronted adverbial of cause
formal fronted adverbial
Correct answer: relative complex sentence
adverbial complex sentence
Correct answer: colon to introduce an explanation
Q4.
Match each linguistic feature to its purpose.
Correct Answer:In addition to this, ,'adding on'

'adding on'

Correct Answer:Despite this, ,showing contrast

showing contrast

Correct Answer:Because of this,,showing cause & effect

showing cause & effect

Q5.
Match each linguistic feature to its purpose.
Correct Answer:and,'adding on'

'adding on'

Correct Answer:although,showing contrast

showing contrast

Correct Answer:because,showing cause & effect

showing cause & effect

Q6.
Which word could complete the following sentence? 'The Paris Agreement (signed in 2015) commits governments to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions; __________, more needs to be done.'
although
Correct answer: however
consequently
in addition