1.

Topic: Some people think that the family is the most important influence on
young adults. Other people think that friends are the most important influence on
young adults. Which view do you agree with? Use examples to support your
position.

Adolescence is an important time in people’s lives because it is when most people

decide their majors and establish their values. There are many factors that
influence these decisions and values. In my opinion, family is the most important
influence on young adults because they can encourage strong values through
providing good advice and guiding them towards a suitable future path.

First, families can help young adults to establish correct values. Our values hugely
influence the way we look at and interact with the world, so this is a crucial part of
our development. To illustrate, my mother has always told me that we must help
each other, and moreover she has long been a volunteer who helps the disabled.
She not only tells me the correct way to behave with her words, but also
demonstrates how it is possible to live your life in a way that helps others. I think
my mother’s behavior and beliefs have greatly influenced me, so now I am a
young adult, I make efforts to be like my mother in this way.

Second, families can support young people in choosing the right major.
Determining your major is the first – and maybe most important – step in selecting
your future career. However, not all young adults are capable of making the right
decision for themselves, and being swayed by the opinion of friends could lead to
them choosing a major based on unimportant factors such as the nightlife at the
university or other friends who are taking that course. If their family members
who have wider experience and broader knowledge than the young adults advises
them, they could make a better informed decision. For example, when I chose my
major, (electronics), I didn’t know what I would do after graduation or if the
subject would suit me. At that time, my brother was an engineer and he gave me
lots of helpful information. Additionally, since my brother knows me well, he was
able to consider my personality and strengths when helping me choose my course,
and as a result I am very satisfied with the major that I chose.

In conclusion, I think that family has the biggest role to play in influencing young
adults because of how they help to establish correct values and determine their
major in university. If families guides young adults towards the right path, they will
grow up as a valuable member of society.
(404 words)
As social beings, we are always surrounded by friends and families. We are born
and grow up among these people, so they are very close to us. Some people
believe that friends are the most important influence on young people. However, I
believe that family members are the ones who play the most significant role in
young people’s lives. I feel this way because parents and relatives teach us the
rules of society, they inspire us to succeed in our goals, and love us
unconditionally.
To begin with, our family always has a great impact on shaping our future lives.
Our parents always give us information about the rules and behaviors that are
accepted in our community. This is how we learn to behave in certain ways, and
know the difference between what is right and wrong. Furthermore, relatives and
parents teach us about the customs of our community. For example, in Asian
culture, we are taught to worship our elders as a God from our childhood. Thus,
parents help us to know about the traditions and cultures that are necessary for
life in the society that we inhabit.
In addition, parents are a role model for many children. Children always want to
follow in their footsteps. For example, my father is a doctor, so I always wanted to
be like him. I studied hard to be in his profession, and finally I can be a doctor.
Moreover, when we are chasing our goals, our parents play an important role by
gently pushing us. They encourage and guide us to be successful. In this way,
parents play an instrumental role in children’s lives.
Last but not least, children can always trust their parents. Our parents, brothers
and sisters love us without any condition, and their love is not judgmental. Parents
always love their children even though they are not very brilliant in study. They
always care about their kids, no matter what they are like or what they have done.
On the other hand, our friends might be our friends conditionally, they might want
to be with us because of our new car or money. They may not always be around.
To sum up what I’ve said, I totally agree with the opinion that family has the
greatest influence on young adults because family members help us to mold our
lives for the better, inspire us to succeed in our goals, and they will be with us
forever.
(408 words)
Everything in the world has an influence on us whether it is big or small, including
friends and family. From my point of view, I think that friends can be the greatest
influence on young adults because they are from the same generation, and can be
more sympathetic towards you whenever you have a problem.

Young adults who come from the same generation can share the same thoughts
and feelings about life, and have many interests and hobbies in common. Even
when they live together, for example on campus or in a dormitory, they can
imitate the others’ lifestyle and pick up new habits, fashions or opinions from each
other. In contrast, their parents come from another generation. They are old and
mature so they have different thoughts about life, especially about current issues
or things like technology. It is obvious that all young adults find the Internet and
applications belonging to the new technology exciting and attractive, while their
parents may think they are time-consuming and inconvenient because sometimes
they have problems in operating these things.

Furthermore, it is more likely that when a youngster has a problem, sad stories or
unpleasant things, they often turn to their friends for sympathy and advice. It
seems that everyone is more open with their friends, especially about sensitive
topics which young adults often have, like relationships and breakups because
they find reliability and similarity among their friends. Parents have a lot of
experience but life is always changing, so these values may be changing as well,
though just a little.

In addition, if what you tell your parents is something caused by your

wrongfulness and thoughtlessness and you need advice to fix it, you might not
want to confess to your parents. Some parents would just scold their son or
daughters vehemently, and even remind them of other stupid things they have
done to show their angriness. It is easily understandable that you would choose a
friend to go to in this situation.

In conclusion, I think that when young people live independently in society, their
friends are more likely to have more things in common to share and to learn.
Therefore, we are affected more by our friends.
 (368 words)
How important is family to your life now? Explain.
How important was family to your life when you were a young child? Explain.
How important are friends to your life now? Explain.
How important were friends to your life when you were a young child? Explain.
People often start to break away from their family and rebel when they enter
adolescence. Why do you think this is?
Did you or anyone you know act rebelliously as an adolescent? Give details.
What do your parents think of your friends and visa versa?
Do you have siblings?
If you have siblings, how much can you rely on them if you’re having trouble?
Are you pressured by your family to act in a certain way? How do you feel about
this? (what you study/who you hang out with/how you spend your free time)
What about your friends? Do you ever feel pressured by your friends? (peer
pressure)
What is the most important thing that you’ve learned from your family/friends?
How has your family influenced you? (Three things – explain the importance of
each item.)
How have your friends influenced you? (Three things – explain the importance of
each item.)
What did you learn from your family/friends about:
o this society?
o right and wrong?
o practical things or skills?
o current affairs?
o politics?
o values and beliefs?
How has knowing these things affected you (positively or negatively)?
How would your life have been different if you hadn’t learnt any of these things?
Independent Essay Template
Paragraph 1 (Introduction)
 Sentence one: A "hook." This is an interesting sentence that describes the topic of
the essay without stating your main point. Example: "Children have an incredible
number of interests, so there are many possible gifts to give them."
 Sentence two: Your main point. Example: "In my opinion, the very best gift to give
to a child is..."
 Sentence three: A transitional sentence. Example: "I feel this way for two reasons,
which I will explore in the following essay."
 Sentence Four: "First....." (quickly summarize your first reason, optional)
 Sentence Five: "Second...." (quickly summarize your second reason, optional)
Omit sentence four and five if you are running out of time. It is perfectly okay to write
just a three-sentence introduction!

Paragraph Two (Body)

 A topic sentence that introduces your reason. Example: "To begin with..."
 One or two sentences that give general information about this reason
 A transitional sentence that introduces your personal example: "My own experience
is a compelling example of this."
 Four or five sentences that talk about an example from your life.
Paragraph Three (Body)
 A topic sentence that introduces your second reason. Example: "Secondly..."
 One or two sentences that give general information about this reason
 A transition. Example: "My own personal history is proof of this"
 Four or five sentences that talk about this example
Paragraph Four (conclusion)
 In conclusion, I believe that... MAIN POINT."
 "This is because REASON ONE, and REASON TWO."
Paragraph 1 (Introduction)
 Sentence one: the ‘hook’
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
 Sentence two: Your main point.
In my
opinion, ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
 Sentence three: A transitional sentence.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
 Sentence Four:
First…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
 Sentence Five:
Second……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Paragraph Two (Body)

 A topic sentence that introduces your reason.
To begin with, …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
 One or two sentences that give general information about this reason
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
 A transitional sentence that introduces your personal example:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
 Four or five sentences that talk about an example from your life.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Paragraph Three (Body)

 A topic sentence that introduces your second reason.
Secondly…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
 One or two sentences that give general information about this reason
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
 A transition.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
 Four or five sentences that talk about this example
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Paragraph Four (conclusion)

 In conclusion, I believe
that…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
 "This is because ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
and ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….