Joy English · Level C1 · Discursive essaysjoy-english.com
A discursive essay on automation and work
Name:Date:
Weigh competing views in a balanced discursive essay, using hedging, concession and a clear line of argument.
Automation and the meaning of work
It is often assumed that the spread of automation will leave people with more leisure and, consequently, greater well-being. Whether this is so depends largely on what we expect work to provide.
Admittedly, the case for automation is strong. Machines already perform repetitive and hazardous tasks more safely and more consistently than people, and few would argue that anyone is worse off for no longer sorting parcels by hand. Were such tasks to disappear altogether, workers could, in principle, devote their time to activities that demand judgement, imagination and care.
Nevertheless, this optimistic view overlooks the fact that employment offers far more than income. For many people it supplies structure, a sense of competence and a network of colleagues, none of which is easily replaced by leisure. Indeed, research into long-term unemployment suggests that losing these benefits can be as damaging as losing the wages themselves. Not only does automation threaten particular jobs, but it may also erode the routines that give daily life its shape, and it is by no means clear that people will fill the gap with activities of equal value.
A more balanced position is therefore called for. Rather than resisting technology, societies might invest in retraining and in shorter working weeks, so that the gains are shared rather than concentrated in a few hands. It is also worth noting that the occupations most resistant to automation, such as teaching and nursing, tend to be those in which human relationships matter most, which hints at where future effort could usefully be directed.
In conclusion, automation is neither a threat nor a cure in itself. Its effect on well-being will depend on whether we are prepared to redefine work, and not merely to reduce it.
Choose the best option
Choose the option that is most appropriate in a formal discursive essay.
- Which sentence is most suitably hedged for an academic essay?
- ___ such tasks to disappear, workers could focus on more creative activities.
- ___ the benefits are considerable, they are unevenly shared.
- Which sentence best opens a paragraph that challenges the previous one?
- Not only ___ threaten particular jobs, but it also changes daily routines.
- Which phrase best introduces a final paragraph that weighs the arguments?
- Which sentence avoids an unsupported generalisation?
Complete the essay language
Type one word to complete each sentence.
- It is widely ___ (assume) that automation will give people more free time.
- ___ from income, work gives many people a sense of competence.
- This view overlooks ___ fact that work gives life structure.
- Societies might invest in retraining, ___ that the gains are shared more widely.
- Automation is neither a threat ___ a cure in itself.
- Jobs that rely on empathy are, on the ___, harder to automate.
- Whether wages will rise remains ___ be seen.
Writing task
Some people argue that working from home will make city centres less important to society. Write a discursive essay discussing both sides of this view and give your own conclusion.
220–280 words
Check your writing
- I stated the issue and my line of argument in the introduction.
- Each body paragraph develops one main idea.
- I conceded at least one point from the opposing view.
- I hedged claims (may, tends to, it seems likely).
- I used linkers to show contrast, addition and consequence.
- My conclusion weighs the arguments instead of repeating them.
Answer key
Choose the best option
- c) Automation may well reduce demand for certain kinds of routine work.May well reduce is a measured, cautious claim. The other sentences overgeneralise.
- b) WereWere ... to disappear is an inverted conditional (If such tasks were to disappear) for a hypothetical situation. Should would need the bare infinitive (Should such tasks disappear), and Did cannot be inverted with to here.
- c) AlthoughAlthough introduces a clause. Despite needs a noun or -ing form, and Nevertheless starts a separate sentence.
- a) Nevertheless, this optimistic view overlooks the importance of routine.Nevertheless signals contrast, and overlooks is a measured way of criticising an idea.
- c) does automationAfter Not only at the start of a clause we invert subject and auxiliary: does automation threaten.
- b) On balance,On balance signals a judgement after weighing both sides. The others add or illustrate points.
- c) Some commentators argue that automation may widen inequality.Some commentators argue attributes the claim and may widen hedges it; the other sentences are absolute.
Complete the essay language
- assumedIt is widely assumed (or believed, thought, expected) that ... is a typical impersonal opening that presents an idea without owning it. The passive needs the past participle: assumed.
- Aside / ApartAside from and Apart from both mean "in addition to".
- theWe say the fact that ... when the fact is a specific, identified one.
- soSo that introduces a purpose clause.
- norNeither is paired with nor, not or.
- wholeOn the whole is a hedging phrase meaning "in general".
- toIt remains to be seen is a fixed phrase meaning that the outcome is not yet known.
Model answer
It is frequently suggested that the growth of remote work will diminish the role of city centres. Whether this proves true depends on what we think centres are for.
Admittedly, the evidence is suggestive. Offices that emptied when remote work became widespread have not always refilled, and shops that relied on commuters have struggled. Rents in some business districts have already fallen, which encourages owners to look for alternative uses. Were this pattern to continue, some districts might well become redundant.
However, this argument assumes that centres exist chiefly to house workplaces. In reality they also provide theatres, markets, libraries and meeting places, none of which is easily replicated at a kitchen table. Moreover, many employees report that working alone for long periods leaves them isolated, which suggests that the appeal of shared urban space may actually increase.
It is also worth remembering that cities have adapted before. When factories moved out, former industrial districts were converted into homes and studios, and the centres that survived were those that offered something people could not find elsewhere.
On balance, remote work is likely to change the character of city centres rather than end their importance. The challenge for planners will be to encourage a richer mix of uses, so that centres attract people for reasons other than their jobs. If that succeeds, the city centre of the future may be busier at weekends than on weekdays, and none the worse for it.