Question 1:
According to the thesis statement, how many body paragraphs, the paragraphs that come after the introduction and before the conclusion and develop the main argument, is this essay supposed to consist of?
A: OneIncorrect: The thesis statement outlines the three main points: low price, speed of delivery and availability. Each body paragraphs needs to focus on one main point; therefore, this essay should have not one but three body paragraphs.
B: TwoIncorrect: The thesis statement outlines the three main points: low price, speed of delivery and availability. Each body paragraphs should focus on one main point; therefore, this essay should have not two but three body paragraphs.
C: ThreeCorrect: The thesis statement outlines the three main points: low price, speed of delivery and availability. Each body paragraphs needs to focus on one main point; therefore, this essay needs to have three body paragraphs.
Question 2:
What is the common error in the use of in-text citations in this essay?
A: On several occasions, the author’s first name instead of the last name has been used in text, e.g., James (2010), Adam (2013) and Karen (2016)Correct: Only the last name of the author and the year of publication need to appear in text; no first name should be used.
B: On several occasions, quotation marks are missing in the citationIncorrect: The writer might have paraphrased or summarised the information from the original source; therefore, they did not include quotation marks. The use of quotation marks is needed only when the exact words from the original source are used.
C: On several occasions, statistics have been used by the writerIncorrect: There is nothing wrong with including statistics to make claims stronger.
Question 3:
What is the main strength of the third paragraph over the second paragraph of the essay?
A: The third paragraph uses more up-to-date sources than the second paragraphIncorrect: Both paragraphs use up-to-date sources, i.e., published within the last five years.
B: The third body paragraph is longer than the second oneIncorrect: Longer does not necessarily mean better structured and clearer; therefore, it should not be considered one of the weaknesses of the paragraph. There are some other more critical issues to be aware of, e.g., clarity of the topic sentence, use of evidence, etc.
C: The third paragraph has a clear topic sentence while it is not entirely what the topic sentence is in the second paragraphCorrect: There is no clear topic sentence at the beginning of the second paragraph. However, in the topic sentence of paragraph 3, the writer clearly states one of the arguments in favour of fast food: Another reason to make a choice in a favour of fast food is their low price.
Question 4:
What did the writer do well in terms of the Reference list?
A: The writer has included in the Reference list all sources cited in the essayIncorrect: Only two sources cited in the essay appear in the Reference list. In academic writing, it is important to have a complete Reference list, which would include all sources cited in the essay.
B: The writer arranged the references in alphabetical orderCorrect: All references in the Reference list must appear in alphabetical order by the last name of the author or name of the organisation.
C: The writer has included some journal articles in the reference listIncorrect: No journal articles are included in the Reference list. However, in academic essays, it is important to cite some papers from academic peer-reviewed journals and include them in the Reference list because these are the reliable sources of information.