Australian

School of
Business

Writing for success in Microeconomics

1101

Contact details
GINETTE FARCELL
SENIOR TEACHING and LEARNING ADVISOR
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNIT
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Australian
School of
Business

CONTACT DETAILS

ROOM GO7 ASB

edu@unsw.edu.au
93857577
g.farcell@unsw.edu.au
SKYPE ginnyg83
www.facebook.com/educationdevelopmentunit

Australian
School of
Business

WRITING and GRAMMAR WORKSHOP

What is meant by improving your writing?

Looking at the quality of your
communication
is my message clearly received?
Looking at the accuracy of your grammar
is my message meeting the expectations
of the reader?
optimise your results
knowing you can express what you need
to write

Australian
School of
Business

Writing for success in Microeconomics

Deconstructing the question
Organising the answer
Short explanation essay
Using the right language

Discipline specific language

Writing about diagrams and models
Content language versus structure language
The most common grammar errors

Australian
School of
Business

The most common grammatical errors

What we practise today will help you to

avoid the most common grammatical
errors
The structures we work on today will help
you develop sentences and paragraphs
that express what you need to say even if
there are errors

Australian
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Business

DECONSTRUCTING THE QUESTION

TOPIC

FOCUS

INSTRUCTIONS

Overall topic of
the whole essay
Key topics the
question asks you
to focus on
The topics the
essay is limited to
What kind of
essay are you
asked to write?

Australian
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DECONSTRUCTING THE QUESTION

Assume a many person economy. Draw

the production possibilities curve model
and state the assumptions of the model.
Use the diagram to explain the Law of
Increasing Opportunity Cost. If the curve
was a negatively sloped straight line what
would be the reason?
(the word assume here means Start
with an economy made up of many
people)

Australian
School of
Business

DECONSTRUCTING THE QUESTION

TOPIC

Production
possibilities curve
model

FOCUS

INSTRUCTIONS

A many person
economy
Law of increasing
opportunity cost
A negatively sloped
curve

Australian
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Business

Organising the information into the Essay

Short explanation
essay
Explain the economy
and its assumptions

Start with an
economy made up of
many people
That there are only
two goods being
produced in the
economy
That there are many
workers who are not
identical
The workers are fully
employed
Technology is fixed

Australian
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Organising the information into the Essay

Define the production

possibility curve
model
NB
A model Is an
abstraction from reality
based on certain
assumptions. The
assumptions here the
simplifications of reality on
which the model is based

E.g.

A production
possibility curve
shows the maximum
amount of one good
which can be
produced for any
quantity of the other
good produced.

Draw the diagram which must be bowed or concave because of the

Australian
assumptions.
of
The curve is negatively sloped and its slope increases as you move School
from left
to
Business
right.

Australian
School of
Business

Organising the information into the Essay

Define opportunity
cost

Opportunity cost is
defined as the amount
of one good which you
must give up in order
to get more of the
other.
Because the workers
are not identical they
have different
opportunity costs in
producing the two
goods.

Australian
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Business

Organising the information into the Essay

Talking about
diagrams and
models
Remember
A model is an
abstraction from
reality

There should be some

explanation of how
the opportunity cost is
increasing as you
move from left to right
relating this back to
the graph,

Australian
The language of integrating information
School of
Business
about diagrams and models

1. A few words that locate the visual,

The diagram below shows
In figure 1 below
The diagram represents.
As seen in the diagram

2. A statement that draws attention to the

important features of the visual,
The bow in diagram 1 is curved or bowed
because
3. Some sort of comment on or discussion of
the visual
The curve is negatively sloped and its slope increases as you
move from left to right.. This is because.. As a
result.

Australian
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Business

3. Some sort of comment on or

discussion of the model/diagram
The curve is
negatively sloped and
its slope increases as
you move from left to
right.. This is
because..
As a
result.

If the .

There should be some

explanation of how the
opportunity cost is
increasing as you move
from left to right
relating this back to the
graph,

Australian
School of
Business

Drawing your essay to a conclusion by

providing a complete answer

If the production possibility curve was a

straight line this would be because the
resources had the same abilities which
means that their opportunity costs of
producing each good was the same for
each person. This means that they are
perfect substitutes for each other and the
Law of increasing Opportunity Costs does
not apply. The resources have no
comparative advantage.

Sentence structure
The beginning of the
sentence TOPIC
orients the reader by
connecting to what went
before or what follows

Middle VERB
Anchors sentence,
shows relation to
beginning and end

Australian
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End NEW
INFORMATION
-emphasises the point,
limits the point

e.g. The term elasticity of refers to

demand

The responsiveness of
demand for a good or
service to changes in
another variable

In simplest terms, it

the percentage change

in price of the good itself
in which case it is called
price elasticity if demand

is

Elasticity of demand for a may be

product

In response to a change
in price of the good itself
in which case it is called
Cross-Price elasticity

MOST COMMON GRAMMARV ERRORS

Australian
School of
Business

OLD INFORMATION - NEW INFORMATION

Australian
School of
Business

The key is to build sentences that are complex in

terms of meaning yet accurately structured
The old information new information pattern gives
a simple yet grammatically accurate structure to
build from
It helps you avoid the common errors of starting
sentences with unnecessary prepositions, time
words and transition signals

Australian
School of
Business

Making language dynamic transition signals

OLD
INFORMATION

STRUCTURE
LANGUAGE
CREATES THE
MEANING

TRANSITION
SIGNAL

NEW
INFORMATION

You know I love

you

and

ADDING
INFORMATION

Ive made a
decision

You know I love

you

but

CONTRAST OR
CONCESSION

Ive made a
decision

The Aussie dollar

continues to climb

and

ADDING
INFORMATION

importers are
feeling the pinch

The Aussie dollar

continues to climb

meanwhile

TWO ACTIONS
HAPPENING AT
THE SAME TIME

Economic growth
remains sluggish

Economic growth
remains sluggish

because

REASONING

Interest rates.......

Making language dynamic - referents

Australian
School of
Business

OLD INFORMATION STRUCTURE

(subject and verb)
LANGUAGE
CREATES THE
MEANING

TRANSITION
SIGNAL AND/OR
REFERENT

NEW
INFORMATION

The Aussie dollar

continues to climb

meanwhile

TWO ACTIONS
HAPPENING AT
THE SAME TIME

economic growth
remains sluggish

It started to climb in
the third financial
quarter of 2010
..(ref)

despite

CONTRASTING
INFORMATION

Other economic
factors indicating a
fall in value.
According to (ref..)

Economic growth
remains sluggish

because

Reasoning

it is ..

This is

because

Reasoning

economic growth is
impacted by.........

Australian
School of
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USING TRANSITION SIGNALS FOR

COHESIVE WRITING
To indicate sequence or order
first, second, third next,
last, finally first of all next,
before, after
meanwhile
followed by
at this point
previously, subsequently
simultaneously
concurrently
and then
at this time

To introduce an example

for example, for instance,

in this case, on this
occasion
take the case of
to demonstrate
to illustrate

TRANSITION SIGNALS
To indicate time
Immediately
thereafter
formerly
previously
finally, then, later
Soon, during
after a few hours, at that
time prior to, at this point
before, after

Australian
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To compare
Similarly
likewise
whereas
similar to
like, just like, conversely
by comparison
while
balanced against

TRANSITION SIGNALS
To contrast
in contrast
on the contrary
however
on the other hand
a different view
is differing from
unlike
balanced against

Australian
School of
Business

To introduce an
additional idea
in addition, besides, also, It
could also be said
Another, furthermore,
moreover, further
Nor, and, then, finally,
additionally

Australian
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Talking about nothing/personal

Empty words at the
references/phrasal verbs
beginning of paragraphs
Our world of today is one
in which new technology is
constantly being
introduced and shaping the
world people live in. The
rapid technological
advancements in our era
mean that markets are
required to update and
adapt to ever changing
consumer demands. The
car market is no stranger
to change and with new
models being introduced
yearly it is an industry
which is continually on its
toes.

lose focus
Do not use personal
references our
If people are referred to
classify them
Do not use time words
unless the time frame
changes or is an essential
part of the idea being
communicated
The text should start here
with key topic at topic
beginning
Do not use phrasal verbs.
They lack precision
The car market is one of

Deconstructing the question

Question.
Use a supply and demand
model to predict what will
happen to the equilibrium price
and quantity in the market for
cucumbers if both the following
events occur.
i.

Household incomes increase

ii.

Stricter standards regulating

the supply of cucumbers are
introduced

Australian
School of
Business

What is the topic?

A supply and demand model
What is the focus?
Equilibrium price in the market for
cucumbers
Household incomes increase
stricter standards regulating
supply of cucumbers are
introduced
What is/are the instruction/s?
Use draw diagram/s showing the
changes if i. and ii. Occur.
Predict explain in detail what
happens if i. and ii. occur and
describe how the changes are
shown in your diagram/s.

Australian
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PREPARING TO WRITE 1. (make notes)

1.Draw the diagram/s
(What are the assumptions?)

Supply and demand model

Market in equilibrium

2.What are the key points

Household income changes

(ceteris paribus)
(cucumbers are a normal good)

3.What are the key points?

Stricter standards are set

Organising a short explanation essay

Organisational model 1
Introduction
Explain a supply and demand
model in equilibrium (para.)
Insert diagram 1
Refer to diagram 1 (para.)
Body
Explain key point 2 (para.)
Insert diagram 2
Refer to diagram 2 (para.)
Explain key point 3 (para.)
Refer to diagram 2 (para.)
Conclusion (optional)
An overall statement that explains
how market equilibrium can return

Australian
School of
Business

Useful language
Assume that Assuming that
The market is in equilibrium if..
Demand equals supply when.
and this means the market is..
The market is in equilibrium
when
Diagram 1 shows.
The diagram below reflects/shows/
indicates
In diagram 2/3 the change/ movement
in.. means/shows that..

Organising a short explanation essay

Organisational model 2
Introduction

Australian
School of
Business

Useful language

Equilibrium can be defined as.

The market is in equilibrium where..
Define equilibrium
Assume that the market is ..
Insert diagram 1
Assumption : the market is equilibrium. This
Explain the outcome if i. occurs
means that.
Explain the outcome if ii. occurs
Diagram 1 shows that/how/where
In diagram 1 the This shows that..
Body
Explain i. in more detail and refer to If household incomes increase the/then
If stricter regulatory standards are introduced
those details (changes and
the/then.
movements) as shown in diagram 2
In this situation, in this case, if this happens
Explain ii. in more detail and refer to
then..
those details (changes and
Starting from the equilibrium price,.
movements as shown in your
In the first/second case..
diagram
Diagram 2 shows/reflects these changes where
Conclusion (optional, see organisation
theand the..
model 1)
The diagram above/below ..

Grammar check

Sentence structure
Make sure you have complete
sentences that are logically
developed by using
Subject + verb + added
information
Use referents to connect ideas
together and make logical
connections
Make sure that your subject and
verb agree in number and
gender
Remember that instructions
predict and what will
happen ask you to write
about the future and you
need the future tense will
and if then sentences to

Australian
School of
Business

E.g. The diagram below shows

the situation where demand
equals supply
E.g. This occurs where the
price equals $70 per box and
quantity equals 500 boxes
per week.
E.g. Assume that cucumbers
are..
cucumbers (plural) verb
(are) must also be plural
E. g. The market for
cucumbers is in
equilibrium..
market for cucumbers
(singular subject) verb (is)
singular
E.g. If the price rises then the

Contact details
GINETTE FARCELL
SENIOR TEACHING and LEARNING ADVISOR
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNIT
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Australian
School of
Business

CONTACT DETAILS

ROOM GO7 ASB

edu@unsw.edu.au
93857577
g.farcell@unsw.edu.au
SKYPE ginnyg83
www.facebook.com/educationdevelopmentunit