Writing an Opinion Essay
Your school is considering whether its cafeteria should introduce one plant-based lunch day each week. You have been asked to write an essay recommending a one-term trial. Your position is that a trial could reduce food-related waste if students are consulted and the menu is adjusted in response to feedback. You must consider a concern about the proposal rather than simply ignore it. Read the comments and the pilot data, then complete your outline.
Comment from Sara, student representative
A regular plant-based day could encourage the cafeteria to offer dishes that students have not tried before. However, a fixed menu may not suit everyone. Students have different allergies, religious requirements, and preferences. Before deciding, the school should ask students what they could eat and make sure that a suitable alternative is available. A trial would be more convincing if the cafeteria reported what it learned instead of assuming that every new dish is popular.
Comment from Mr. Lee, cafeteria manager
Changing a menu affects ordering and preparation. If fewer meals are sold than expected, even a dish with low environmental impact can leave ingredients unused. We should first test a small number of dishes and record both the number prepared and the number actually sold. These figures will not tell us why a dish was unpopular. A short optional survey could provide reasons, although students who respond may differ from those who do not.
Pilot lunch data
| Dish | Meals prepared | Meals sold |
|---|---|---|
| Bean curry | 100 | 92 |
| Vegetable noodles | 100 | 75 |
| Mushroom rice | 80 | 72 |
The dishes were offered on different days. The data record meals, not the weight of food waste, and do not establish why students chose a dish.
Message from the school nurse
A list of ingredients should be available before students select a meal. The cafeteria already identifies common allergens, but recipes can change. Staff should check the ingredient list whenever a supplier substitutes a product. Students who cannot eat a dish for health reasons should be able to ask about an alternative without having to disclose private medical information to classmates.
Student notes
A survey last year showed that many students wanted a greater choice of vegetables. It asked about preferences, not whether the respondents would buy a particular lunch. At the open forum, several students suggested displaying sample menus a week in advance. Another student asked the school to compare the price of ingredients before and after any trial. Neither suggestion would by itself establish that the project had reduced waste. The group also considered collecting comments from cafeteria staff about preparation time. Staff may notice practical difficulties that students do not see from the dining area. If the trial goes ahead, the council will publish a short report summarizing both the figures and the feedback without identifying individual students.
Essay Outline
Introduction: Recommend a one-term trial of a weekly plant-based lunch day.
Reason 1: Offer new dishes while taking students' needs into account.
Evidence and limitation: [__1__]
Concern and response: [__2__]
Conclusion: Run the trial, collect feedback, and adjust the menu before making a longer-term decision.
Which statement best completes the outline’s evidence and limitation blank [__1__]?
Which proposal addresses Sara’s concern while supporting a trial?
How many portions of bean curry were prepared but not sold?
Which concern and response best completes [__2__]?
What does the nurse recommend when a supplier substitutes a product?
Writing an Opinion Essay
Your school is considering whether its cafeteria should introduce one plant-based lunch day each week. You have been asked to write an essay recommending a one-term trial. Your position is that a trial could reduce food-related waste if students are consulted and the menu is adjusted in response to feedback. You must consider a concern about the proposal rather than simply ignore it. Read the comments and the pilot data, then complete your outline.
Comment from Sara, student representative
A regular plant-based day could encourage the cafeteria to offer dishes that students have not tried before. However, a fixed menu may not suit everyone. Students have different allergies, religious requirements, and preferences. Before deciding, the school should ask students what they could eat and make sure that a suitable alternative is available. A trial would be more convincing if the cafeteria reported what it learned instead of assuming that every new dish is popular.
Comment from Mr. Lee, cafeteria manager
Changing a menu affects ordering and preparation. If fewer meals are sold than expected, even a dish with low environmental impact can leave ingredients unused. We should first test a small number of dishes and record both the number prepared and the number actually sold. These figures will not tell us why a dish was unpopular. A short optional survey could provide reasons, although students who respond may differ from those who do not.
Pilot lunch data
| Dish | Meals prepared | Meals sold |
|---|---|---|
| Bean curry | 100 | 92 |
| Vegetable noodles | 100 | 75 |
| Mushroom rice | 80 | 72 |
The dishes were offered on different days. The data record meals, not the weight of food waste, and do not establish why students chose a dish.
Message from the school nurse
A list of ingredients should be available before students select a meal. The cafeteria already identifies common allergens, but recipes can change. Staff should check the ingredient list whenever a supplier substitutes a product. Students who cannot eat a dish for health reasons should be able to ask about an alternative without having to disclose private medical information to classmates.
Student notes
A survey last year showed that many students wanted a greater choice of vegetables. It asked about preferences, not whether the respondents would buy a particular lunch. At the open forum, several students suggested displaying sample menus a week in advance. Another student asked the school to compare the price of ingredients before and after any trial. Neither suggestion would by itself establish that the project had reduced waste. The group also considered collecting comments from cafeteria staff about preparation time. Staff may notice practical difficulties that students do not see from the dining area. If the trial goes ahead, the council will publish a short report summarizing both the figures and the feedback without identifying individual students.
Essay Outline
Introduction: Recommend a one-term trial of a weekly plant-based lunch day.
Reason 1: Offer new dishes while taking students' needs into account.
Evidence and limitation: [__1__]
Concern and response: [__2__]
Conclusion: Run the trial, collect feedback, and adjust the menu before making a longer-term decision.
Which statement best completes the outline’s evidence and limitation blank [__1__]?
Which proposal addresses Sara’s concern while supporting a trial?
How many portions of bean curry were prepared but not sold?
Which concern and response best completes [__2__]?
What does the nurse recommend when a supplier substitutes a product?