Writing 54 Essay on a Topic

Writing · Hard

Aiming for Level 3? Focus only on length and form — four parts: intro–advantage–problem–opinion.

Item 54 asks you to write your own thoughts on a social topic in 600–700 characters. It's worth 50 points, the largest in the writing section, but it needs advanced grammar and logical development, so of the four writing items its return on study time is the lowest. If your goal is Level 3, you can reliably secure partial credit just by keeping the four-part structure 'intro → advantage → problem → opinion,' the required length, and written-style formality — the freshness of the content matters less. If you don't fill the length, you lose a lot of points no matter how good the content is, so once the four-part structure is second nature, filling in the sentences gets much easier. Instead of actually writing a long essay, this site practices with four-option multiple choice that tests whether you recognize the structure. The first type asks you to arrange scrambled outline pieces in the order intro-advantage-problem-opinion. Conjunctions are the key clue: a piece starting with '그러나' ('however') is usually the problem stage, one starting with '따라서' ('therefore') is usually the opinion (conclusion) stage, and one starting with '예를 들어' ('for example') is usually an example backing up the advantage. The second type asks you to pick out a spoken-style or casual sentence that doesn't fit an essay, and the third type asks you to choose the sentence that fits the intro spot. In particular, spoken-style adverbs like '근데·진짜·되게' ('anyway/really/pretty') and casual endings like '-어/지' are sure point-losers in an essay. The core of this item type is being conscious that the way you normally speak differs from the way you write. Copying the question's sentence verbatim also loses points, so you also need practice rephrasing it in your own words. Get the structure and formality right, and item 54 becomes a question you don't lose out on.

Essay on a Topic

• 도입 — 화제 제시 — Opens the piece by introducing a social phenomenon. '요즘/최근' ('these days/recently') pairs with '관심·이용이 늘고 있다' ('interest/use is growing').
• 도입 — 화제가 되다 — An intro expression announcing that something has become a topic of discussion or debate. Often used for topics where opinions are divided.
• 전개 — 열거(첫째·둘째) — Used to list advantages or reasons in order. When listing three or more, continue on through '셋째' ('third').
• 전개 — 예시 — Used to back up a claim made earlier with a concrete case.
• 반론(우려) 도입 — Used to raise an opposing view or a downside after the advantages. '그러나' ('however') is the most common signal word.
• 반론 — 지적 — '물론 ~지만' ('of course... but') partly concedes the other side's point while setting up a rebuttal.
• 이유 제시 — Used to state the grounds for a claim or a problem. A connecting expression that starts a new sentence.
• 결론 — 의견 — A closing expression stating the writer's final opinion. '따라서' ('therefore') draws a conclusion from the discussion so far.
• 결론 — 대안 제시 — Used in the conclusion to propose a concrete way to solve the problem.
• 결론 — 전망 — Used to close the piece by adding a future direction or expectation.

• The intro sentence's opening expression, '요즘·최근 ~에 대한 관심/이용이 늘고 있다' ('interest in / use of ~ has been growing lately')
• Conjunctions that signal a stage transition ('그러나' for the problem, '따라서' for the opinion)
• Spoken-style markers ('근데·진짜·되게') and casual final endings

• Classify each outline piece as belonging to intro, advantage, problem, or opinion
• Use the conjunctions (그러나·따라서·예를 들어) as clues to fix the order
• Read the sentence aloud to check whether spoken style or casual endings have crept in
• Do a final check that everything is consistently in the formal style (-다)

• Arranging the advantage and the problem in reverse order
• Letting spoken-style expressions like '근데·진짜' pass because they feel natural from being so familiar

If your goal is Level 3, training to keep the structure and formality of item 54 comes before the content itself. Get the four-part structure down, and you can build the skeleton no matter what topic comes up.