C2 Writing · The Academic Essay — Review

Exercise 1

Identify the function of each paragraph extract

4 points

“Prior studies have established a consistent relationship between socioeconomic status and academic attainment (Jones, 2019; Smith, 2021), though the mechanisms underlying this pattern remain contested.”

“Participants were recruited via stratified random sampling from four universities. Data were collected using a validated 24-item Likert scale instrument administered online between March and June 2023.”

“The correlation between parental income and academic performance proved statistically significant (r = .48, p < .01), lending support to the hypothesis that economic resources mediate educational outcomes.”

“Taken together, the findings suggest that early-childhood interventions may be more effective than later remediation. Future research should examine whether these effects persist into secondary education.”

Exercise 2

Choose the correct academic expression

6 points

______ the study’s acknowledged limitations, its findings constitute a significant contribution to the field.

The researchers sought to ______ the extent to which these findings could be generalised to other populations.

The authors ______ that the current data are insufficient to support their strongest claims.

The experimental results, ______ preliminary, are consistent with the theoretical prediction.

The ______ of long-term follow-up data is a significant limitation of this study.

Taken ______, the evidence supports a multifactorial explanation rather than a single cause.