Writing: propose a change and weigh objections

Give the reader grounds to decide

• A proposal is more than an opinion with a polite ending. It helps a reader choose an action by connecting problem → evidence → option → tradeoff → recommendation.

• Starting check: explain the difference between some students reported noise and noise reduced everyone's results. The second requires evidence the first does not provide.

Watch a proportionate recommendation

• Notice how the writer names the sample limitation, preserves another group's needs and uses a reversible trial. The survey figures belong to this invented practice scenario, not to a published study.

Acknowledge the strongest objection

• Compare: Everyone wants silence. Quiet tables will solve the problem completely.

• Repair: The responses suggest demand for a quiet area, although collaborative users still need discussion space. Another valid approach is to trial quiet hours rather than reserve tables; explain its different costs.

Build the argument before polishing

• Make a five-line plan: the decision, the best evidence, a feasible option, the main downside and a way to evaluate it.

• Use although to concede a limitation and therefore only when the conclusion follows. A number does not become strong evidence merely because it is precise. Ask who was counted, how and for what purpose.

Independent proposal

• Fresh scenario: In an invented seminar group of 18, eight students said they rarely speak because two confident speakers often answer first. The teacher has suggested a one-minute pair discussion before whole-group answers. Write a short proposal weighing participation, time cost and how to evaluate a two-week trial.

• Do not claim that a pair discussion improves learning unless you have evidence for that outcome. The observed concern is participation.

Revise the weakest link

• Mark each claim as observation, interpretation or recommendation. Find the link that is least supported.

• If your draft promises better grades, narrow it to an opportunity to contribute. If it ignores lesson time, acknowledge that cost. Revise one consequential point and compare versions; a more cautious claim can be a stronger argument.

Transfer to an unfamiliar decision

• New scenario: A neighbourhood group is considering evening bicycle parking near a hall. In an invented one-evening count, 12 bicycles were attached to a railing and three people reported difficulty passing. Residents worry that a rack would narrow the path.

• Propose an investigation or limited trial. Explain what the count can and cannot establish, address path access, and name evidence needed before a permanent installation.

Revisit evidence after a delay

• Tomorrow, write the proposal's five-line plan without using this page. Test it on a new question, such as changing a club's meeting time, with different evidence.

• Next, present the strongest objection and your response aloud in B2 speaking. For evaluating a writer's evidence, revisit B2 reading.