10 Pros & Cons of Owning a Pet
If you’re having long ideal hours in life, you probably must have thought of keeping a pet at some point in time. Having one can be a bliss, a truly beautiful experience with a worthy companion.
Pets basically are domesticated animals that in most cases, are kept for companionship or pleasure. Emotional perks of having one are truly immeasurable but, getting a pet is not an easy decision. A number of responsibilities like feeding or maintaining its hygiene and health add up which sometimes even result in certain expenses.
However, having a pet can be worth the hassle or just a complicated way of living? We’ll go through some pros and cons of having a pet and eventually help you decide whether you should get a companion or not, but before that, here’s a little backstory on how keeping a pet started as a trend.
A Brief History of Owning a Pet
The archaeological records suggest that dogs are supposed to be the first domestic pets with dates back to at least 12,000 years ago. Ancient Greeks and Romans would include dogs in various forms of art and also grieve for their loss by commemorating tombstones with inscriptions.
In the 18th century, aristocrats started keeping dogs and pet keeping was the sign of elitism in Britain. Pets later prospered in the 19th century as pet care developed into a big business and people were even stealing other pets for ransom or selling it to another person. Gradually, pets were defined as the property of their owners.
Hunters trained their dogs to fetch the prey and royal guards had dogs protecting the palace with them. People then started breeding different dogs and many countries even declared dogs as their national animal.
Cats, however, were not as popular as they are now particularly because of their proud nature. When dogs were all over the place, people started having other pets like rabbits, fish, hamsters, and parrots to stand out from others and this list goes on till frogs, snakes, and alligators!
Currently, there are more than a billion animals domesticated among which dogs are the most popular. There are more than 470 million pet canines which are about 100 million more than cats. In the US alone, more than 85 million families own a pet.
Despite this enormous number of people owning a pet, you should look at these pros and cons before you decide to get one.
Pros of Owning a Pet
Having a pet can be a life-changing experience for most people. With that in mind, here are some of the pros of having a pet.
1. Unconditional Love
Pets have their ways of calming us down and no matter which pet you get , you’ll feel increased love and happiness. You never know seeing a fish swim would make you happy until you have one!
Pets like hamsters are so adorable that your mood lifts up just by seeing them. Cuddles or a little welcome dance from a dog or cat could turn your gloomy days to a good one. And especially if you’re living alone, you can have someone who looks up to you no matter what
2.Increased Safety
In the case of a dog, which is the most popular pet, you’re bringing yourself an extra layer of safety. Big barking dogs scare away invaders and even risk their lives to protect you. Small dogs, even if they cannot scare people away, they can alert their owners.
There are many cases where pets like dogs and cats have saved their family’s life and if you’re thinking of getting one, remember your new family member can someday prove to be a crucial element in keeping you safe.
3. A Way of Stress Relief
All pets have proved to improve the mental health of so many different people. Many dog breeds are trained as therapy dogs to help people deal with stress, post-trauma, and even depression.
People with pets are normally believed to develop better social skills. Pets could be your personal sidekick who lifts up your spirit and makes you feel better after a stressful day at college or office. Pet owners are also proved to be less lonely and fearful than non-owners
4. Health Benefits
Along with mental stress relief, owning a pet also has a positive impact on our physical condition. Studies show that people who have pets are more involved in physical activities than those without animal companions. Children who are exposed to pets have a stronger immune system and increase their overall enthusiasm.
5. Family and Shelter for the New Member
If you decide to have a pet and adopt one, not only you’re bringing a new family member but also, you’re giving someone a place to call home.
Many homeless, stray animals have had a difficult time and when they get home, they pay it with their undying loyalty. Imagine someone who was starving to death now has a roof over them and good food to eat, how amazing does that sound.
Cons of Having a Pet
Although there are a lot of good reasons to own a pet, you should really look into these cons before you decide on getting a pet.
1. Increased Responsibility
The day you decide on getting a pet, you’ve got yourself a raise in your daily, weekly or even yearly responsibilities. Pets rely on you for almost everything.
You will have to get them trained, give them vaccines every now and then without missing a date and clean up the mess they make. Everything your pet does should be under your radar and you are solely responsible to keep their health and safety in check.
Another drawback of owning a pet is, of course, the cost associated with it. Big pets like dogs and cats can sometimes cost you a boatload of money just on maintenance. Fancy bred pets have their own costs (Adopt don’t shop). Furthermore, outdoor pets are more prone to infections and allergies and might require veterinary care. It will cost you a good amount of money throughout your pet’s life to keep them healthy and happy. If you gave some money set aside, you should be careful on where you invest it.
3. Allergies
Almost every animal can cause you allergic reactions. Chemicals from their hair, saliva or dander can act as allergens and cause allergies in some people.
If your family is prone to allergies, then having a furry friend is not the way to go and you should think of getting fish or turtle. Before you decide what pet you’re going to get, discuss the possible allergic reactions with your doctor.
4. Difficulties While Traveling
Travelling with your pet is one of the most difficult things you can ask for. If you decide to leave them home you have to have someone to take care of them And if you decide to take them with you, you never know how your pet is going to react to that new experience.
They might go crazy as soon as they get in the car or when they reach a new place. You’ll have to stop multiple times as if you were on a road trip with a diabetes patient. You might say pets like fish and turtles can be relatively easier in this case but they have to be fed and polluted water can sometimes even get them ill.
5. Disturbed Schedule (Maybe)
Dogs have this weird tendency to bark on subtle sudden movements. At night time, they are bound to disturb your sleep. Cats are naturally nocturnal and you’ll probably feel them moving a lot when you sleep.
Even in the daytime, your pet might sometimes eat something that they shouldn’t have and you might need to take them to the vet during your office hours. So you should be prepared for the worst and do the most sensible thing at that point in time.
No matter if you’re a dog person or a cat person or a fish person or an elephant person, having a pet really is an amazing experience. But it’s not a walk in the park as there are so many problems that come with owning a pet.
However, these complications have trained people to become responsible and capable of caring for someone else. Even couples might take a decision to get a pet to ready themselves before their first baby. Owning a pet is a big commitment and is incredibly rewarding as well.
If you feel like you can invest your time and get a big pet then absolutely go for it. But if you feel like starting a little slow then maybe you can go for a fish or a turtle and see how things work out for you. Rushing things when it comes to owning a pet is something you should not do at all.
References:
- www.wikipedia.com
- www.themessycorner.com
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36 Key Pros & Cons Of Owning A Pet
“ I hate a word like ‘pets’: it sounds so much Like something with no living of its own.”
Elizabeth Jennings, Poet
Advantages & Disadvantages of Owning a Pet
Many people in our nowadays society own a pet.
In fact, pets are quite important for millions of people around the world and they are often considered to be a valid family member.
Apart from the many advantages of getting a pet, there are still some problems related to it.
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In this article, the pros and cons of owning a pet are examined in detail.
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Advantages of owning a pet, pets can reduce your stress level, owning a pet can make you more responsible, pets can help you to overcome difficult periods of your life, can improve your overall quality of life, pets can help to cure mental issues, pets are companions for a lifetime, owning a pet can help you to teach your children responsibility, can help to reduce loneliness, many people feel a deep connection with their pets, pets are much more loyal than humans, you can save animals from a shelter, you may learn patience, especially important for older people, owning a pet gives you the incentive to get in touch with other pet owners, people who have pets are often more empathic, pets can protect you in case of emergency, pets can assist disabled persons, can give you the incentive to exercise.
One major advantage of owning a pet is that pets can help to reduce our overall stress level .
In our current state of the world, many people work in quite demanding jobs and have to take care of their kids at the same time.
Moreover, since we are often flooded with excessive amounts of information on a regular basis through our smartphones, many people simply cannot deal with all this information in a proper manner and suffer from excessive stress levels, which can turn into serious mental problems.
If you currently suffer from those issues, getting a pet can greatly help you in this regard.
In fact, many studies have proven that owning a pet can help to lower our stress levels quite a lot.
Having a pet also implies that you have to take care of another living organism.
You have to feed it on a regular basis and you also have to make sure that your pet feels comfortable.
All this can make you much more responsible since your pet relies on you in order to survive.
Hence, especially if you are a rather irresponsible person and want to mature, pets can be a great way to make you more responsible and to shape your character.
Pets can also help you to deal with your emotions, especially in difficult times in your life when you feel lost and nobody seems to care about you.
In those dark times, owning a pet can really help you to stay on track and to overcome those periods since they will give you a purpose to get up in the morning and really seem to enjoy your company.
Proponents of owning a pet also often claim that pets can really improve our overall quality of life.
They are there for you in difficult situations and give you plenty of emotional support in case you need it.
They will also make your life more exciting since you never know what the plan of your pet will be and once a while, you will be quite surprised when you wake up in the morning.
Another advantage of owning a pet is that pets can also help to cure serious mental issues.
In fact, studies have shown that pets can really make the lives of mentally sick people much better and many of those people can even be cured of their diseases.
Hence, owning a pet can also greatly benefit you on an emotional level, especially if you currently struggle with your mental state and search for some sort of relief.
However, if you suffer from serious mental issues , getting a pet will often not be enough and you should definitely also approach a psychologist in order to overcome your issues.
Pets are also companions for a lifetime.
Once you get up in the morning, your pet will already wait for you.
When you go to bed at night, your pet will be quite sad.
Hence, your pet will always be there for you and will be a reliable companion every single day.
Thus, if you search for a partner whom you really can trust, pets may be a better choice compared to humans 😉.
Owning a pet can not only make you more responsible, it can also teach your children how to behave in a responsible manner.
For instance, if you have a pet, you can delegate some tasks to your kids so that they learn this sort of responsibility.
For example, it may be your kid’s task to feed your pet.
In turn, your kid will learn that your pet will rely on him or her and your kid will likely learn a higher level of responsibility compared to a kid which didn’t have this experience.
Pets can also be quite helpful for people who don’t have a partner.
If people live on their own, they often don’t have too many social contacts and therefore, owning a pet can greatly help those people to feel less lonely.
In turn, a feeling of companionship can greatly improve the overall quality of life of those people since they will no longer feel alone anymore.
Some people even claim that they have a deep connection with their pets.
In fact, if you look in the eyes of pets, it often seems like they can understand what you feel right now and that they really understand what bothers you.
In general, your pet will also be much more loyal compared to your friends or even your spouse.
Humans are not loyal at all and if something better appears, chances are that your spouse or your friends will be gone quite soon.
In contrast, your pet will never leave you behind and therefore, if you search for loyalty, chances are that you will find it by owning a pet instead of putting your trust in people.
If you really want to do good, you can also rescue an animal from the shelter .
Many animal shelters are quite crowded and you can do an animal a real favor if you rescue it from those shelters.
Hence, if you consider getting a pet, you may also want to consider getting a shelter animal instead of buying one from a conventional breeder.
From time to time, your pets will also stress your nerves.
However, in the long run, chances are that this will also lead you to develop a higher level of patience and that you will take the world and yourself not that seriously anymore.
Owning a pet can be especially beneficial for older people.
If people get old, they have often lost many friends and don’t have too many social contacts anymore.
In turn, those people often feel lonely. In such a case, pets can be a great way to light up the world for those older people and to give them a new purpose in life.
If you own a pet, chances are that you will also meet many new people on a regular basis.
For instance, if you own a dog, you will have to go outside on a regular basis.
Chances are that you will also meet many other dog owners over time and you will also be able to make some really good friendships.
Moreover, from time to time, you will also have to bring your pet to the veterinarian and also in this location, you will get in touch with many other people.
Hence, owning an animal can also be a great way to socialize.
Another upside of owning a pet is that you can also learn a greater level of empathy.
Over time, you will build a deep connection with your pet and in case your pet suffers from a disease, chances are that you will suffer with it as well.
Empathy is quite important, not only in the context of owning a pet but also to connect to other people and through owning a pet, you can greatly improve this important skill.
Pets can not only be your best friend, they can also protect you in case of emergency.
For instance, if you sleep and a fire starts at your house, your pet can warn you and save your life.
Moreover, if a thief wants to attack you, your dog will do everything to defend you.
Hence, pets can also be great to improve your overall safety level.
Pets can also be a great help to assist handicapped persons.
For instance, if people lose their vision due to accidents or other causes, they will have a hard time going outside and to navigate through traffic in a safe manner.
In such a case, dogs that had been trained for this purpose can greatly help those people in their daily life.
If you own a dog, you also have to go for a walk with your dog on a regular basis.
Even in winter when it is cold outside, you will have to get out, even though you might not want to do so at all.
However, this need to go out will keep you fit and you will also have a bigger incentive to exercise on a regular basis.
Hence, owning a pet can also help you to improve your overall fitness and health level in the long run.
Disadvantages of Owning a Pet
Owning a pet can be time-consuming, some pets can be quite expensive, significant costs for food, you have to bring them to the veterinarian in case of sickness, your pet may get involved in an accident, hard to say goodbye, owning pets can be dangerous if you have small kids, animals are unpredictable, some people are allergic to certain animals, you are responsible for damages to third parties, pets may disturb your sleep, you have to clean your home more often, some pets are not house-trained, you have to find a pet sitter for vacations, you have to play with your pets on a regular basis, pets may damage your furniture, many pet owners don’t have sufficient knowledge, owning a pet can lead to social isolation.
Even though having a pet can have many important benefits, there are also some problems with owning a pet.
One important disadvantage of owning a pet is that it can be quite time-consuming.
Every day, you have to feed your pet and have to make sure that it has everything it needs.
Moreover, you also have to deal with diseases and other issues.
All this takes time and especially if you work long hours in a demanding job every day, chances are that you will not have this time or also that you will not be willing to invest those amounts of time for your pet right now.
Also the purchase price for pets can be quite expensive.
If you want to have a pedigreed dog, chances are that you will have to pay several hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a puppy.
Hence, also make sure that you have enough money to buy the sort of animal you want to keep as a pet.
Apart from the purchase price of your pet, you will also have to buy food for it on a regular basis.
Depending on the size of your pet, this can add up to plenty of money over the course of the year.
Therefore, in order to reduce food costs related to your pet, you may want to go for smaller animals since they often need less food than bigger ones.
In case your animal gets sick, you will also have to take it to a veterinarian.
This will not only cost you plenty of time, treatment costs will not be cheap at all and you should factor this in when it comes to the decision whether you want to get a pet or not.
If your pet has access to the outside world, it may also get involved in accidents.
For instance, if your cat crosses a street, it might get hit by a car and may get seriously injured.
In many cases, it will even die and you should be prepared that your cat may not come back at one point.
In general, if you own a pet, it is also time to say goodbye at one point in your life.
Since you will take care of your animal on a daily basis and your pet will be around all the time, chances are that it will be quite hard to let your pet go.
Pets can become real family members and many people really love their pets.
Hence, it can be quite hard to say goodbye when the time has come and especially if you are quite attached to your pet, you may need a long time to get back to normality after your pet died.
Owning a pet may also not be a good idea in case you have small kids.
For example, if you have a big dog and small kids, your dog can seriously hurt your kids, even if this was never the intention of him.
Thus, in such a case, make sure that you never leave your kids alone with those big animals in order to avoid any incidents.
In general, animals are unpredictable and even though they might seem to be trained and peaceful, they still have instincts deep inside.
Therefore, even though you might think that your pet will never harm you, be prepared for unpleasant surprises and don’t treat your pet like a senseful human.
It is actually not and being a little bit careful can protect you against possible attacks.
Also in case you are allergic, owning an animal may not be for you at all.
In fact, some people develop serious symptoms when they get in touch with certain pets and if you know that you have a dog allergy, you should simply never get a dog.
Hence, you should make sure that you don’t suffer from allergies before getting a pet in order to avoid that you have to give it away to a shelter soon after you got it.
Another problem of owning an animal is that you will be liable for any damage your animal will do to third parties.
For instance, if your pet bites other people, chances are that you will be responsible to cover the expenses for medical treatment.
Therefore, if you want to get a pet, make sure that you get covered by proper insurance in order to avoid unpleasant financial consequences in the long run.
Your pets will also be awake far sooner than you are on a regular basis and in case you haven’t closed your door properly, chances are that your pet will enter the room and will wake you up in the middle of the night.
This can greatly harm your overall quality of sleep.
Consequently, if you get a pet, make sure to take measures to avoid that your pet wakes you at undesirable times.
If you own a pet, you will also have to clean your home more often.
Pets often lose hair and in order to keep your home tidy, you have to clean it quite often.
Hence, if you currently don’t have the time or the motivation to tidy up your home almost every day, chances are that you should not get a pet right now.
Especially when they are young, pets are often also not house-trained yet and chances are that you also have to clean your home more often in this regard.
Therefore, make sure that you are willing to clean up pee or other unpleasant things before getting a puppy pet.
Another disadvantage of getting a pet is that you also need a pet sitter for vacations.
Quite often, you will not be able to take your pet with you and someone has to take care of it.
This not only requires some time to find a sitter, it can also be quite costly.
Thus, make sure that you also factor this in if you currently consider buying a pet.
Owning a pet also implies that you will play with it on a regular basis.
Most pets love company and need a certain level of attention to stay healthy.
Hence, make sure that you have enough time to take care of your pets so that they will not get neglected over time.
Some pets are also known to damage the furniture in a home.
For example, cats often scratch on various different things and if you have precious belongings, chances are that you want to hide them properly so that they can’t get damaged by your pets.
There is also the problem that many pet owners only have insufficient knowledge regarding how they should treat their pets in an optimal manner.
Quite often, people are eager to get a pet fast and don’t inform themselves in a sufficient manner.
In turn, animals are often kept under quite poor conditions.
Consequently, before you get a pet, make sure that you have proper knowledge to keep it as best as possible.
Many people who own a pet also take the love for their pet way to far.
In extreme cases, those people just lose all their contacts to the outside world and spend almost all their time at home with their animals.
In such a case, many people will suffer from a serious level of social isolation , which can turn into severe mental issues in the long run.
Top 10 Owning A Pet Pros & Cons – Summary List
Should you get a pet.
We can conclude from the previous analysis that there are many important advantages and disadvantages of owning a pet.
Whether you should get a pet or not depends on your individual preferences and also on your overall circumstances and goals in life.
Also make sure to check out all the pros and cons of owning a pet mentioned above in order to be able to make a profound decision.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-health-benefits-and-risks-of-pet-ownership
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/pet-central/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/11/pets-animals-john-bradshaw/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet
About the author
My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues.
As I went to university and got my Master’s degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics.
After finishing university, I traveled around the world. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet.
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Faculty & Research | 4.11.2023
The Health Benefits of Owning a Pet
Animal companions help their owners live longer, happier lives..
Today is National Pet Day , and pet owners have another reason to celebrate: their pets are helping them live healthier, longer lives. “Pet owners are less likely to die,” said Harvard Medical School clinical assistant professor Beth Frates, citing the American Heart Association’s finding that owning a furry (or scaly, or hairy) companion reduces a person’s mortality rate by 24 percent.
In a talk yesterday at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Frates and Megan Mueller, associate professor of human-animal interaction at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, discussed the health benefits of being around companion animals—whether one owns a pet or not.
From lowering blood pressure to assisting in clinical mental health settings, there are many ways pets make people healthier, according to Frates and Mueller:
Exercise: Research has found that those who own dogs are more likely to achieve 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week—the medically recommended guideline. “If you do reach those exercise guidelines, you will have lower blood pressure, you can lower your cholesterol, you can lower your triglycerides,” Frates explained. She added that studies show when a pet owner tries to get her obese dog get to a healthy weight, the owner reaps health benefits, too: “Owners will go on more walks for the health of the dog—more so than they will for themselves. Of course, the exercise helps both the animal and the human.” Most research focuses on dogs, because they are a popular pet and require frequent walks, but these benefits aren’t restricted to dog owners. For instance, Frates noted that riding a horse is a full-body workout.
Social connection: “Anyone who owns a dog, and walks that dog, knows it is an invitation for conversation,” Frates says. “It can reduce loneliness and create social connections.” Harvard tutors who own dogs often have the most highly attended study breaks (a chance for students to step away from schoolwork and mingle), she continued, referencing a 2015 University video on dogs in the Houses. Animals, in effect, brought more people together, and social connection is critical to a healthy life. According to data from the Harvard Study of Adult Development—which followed a cohort of Harvard graduates for 80 years—having close relationships is one of the top predictors of maintaining good health, even in old age.
Stress resiliency: Petting, playing with, or even just maintaining eye contact with pets, releases oxytocin in the brain, which in turn lowers stress levels in the body. Interestingly, research with dogs has shown that they also get an oxytocin boost from these interactions. Pets boost their owners’ stress resiliency by regularly getting them out of the house, into dog parks, and meeting new people. Frates said, “When we are connected, we actually feel less stress, because we can talk to our family, friends, and other connections about how we’re feeling.”
Sleep: The regular exercise of walking a dog, riding a horse, or playing with pets improves quality of sleep, Frates said. But there’s a caveat: “If people choose to sleep with their pets, that means their sleep is often interrupted. We do want people to get seven to nine uninterrupted hours of sleep, so that is something to consider.”
Mental health: According to Frates, lifestyle medicine guidelines recommend that people spend 120 minutes in nature each week to lower blood pressure and stress levels—which can often be achieved while playing with, tending to, or walking a pet. Pet fish bring the benefits of nature indoors, too. Studies have found that watching fish lowers a person’s blood pressure, and some research has shown that having fish at home helps the owners maintain their own life routines. Research with elderly widows and widowers found that pet ownership instilled necessary routine and responsibility into their days. “Pets provide a powerful sense of purpose—a routine and a responsibility to care for another living creature,” Mueller said. “That can provide a driving force for getting someone out of bed in the morning.”
Nutrition: “When you feed your pet, it’s usually on a schedule. It turns out, it’s good for us to be on an [eating] schedule, too, because it helps us plan what we want to eat helps us make healthier choices,” Frates said. Research into the relationship between pet and owner nutrition is still evolving, but she said anecdotally, “More and more people are making food for their pets that is delicious and nutritious, and hopefully that’s carrying over to quality of food they make for themselves.”
Avoiding risky substances: In a video presented during the panel, veterinarian Kwane Stewart, founder of Project Street Vet that provides care to homeless pets, said that caring for a pet sometimes deters homeless pet owners from substance abuse. “I can’t say that my pet is my reason for living,” Stewart said, “but for a lot of these people on the streets, that is the case.” Frates added that pet ownership can incentivize some people to quit smoking, just as parents concerned about secondhand smoke might nix their cigarette habit.
Therapeutic benefits: Beyond the well-known therapy animals like dogs and cats, mental health clinicians also employ rabbits, birds, llamas, and even guinea pigs in their therapeutic practices. Niki Vettel, a mental health clinician specializing in addiction disorders, shared that structured therapeutic time with guinea pigs has helped her patients practice mindfulness and trust. A video from clinicians at Lovelane Therapeutics—an equine therapy group for children with special needs, in Lincoln, Massachusetts—highlighted how horses can help people physically and mentally. A mother of a child with Down Syndrome noted that when her son first started riding at age three, he could not walk. She believed, however, that the muscular strength and confidence he built while riding was key to him later taking his first steps.
“It’s powerful to hear the stories, it’s powerful to read the research. But I think the most powerful thing is the experience of actually being with animals,” Frates said. Fittingly, the organizers treated audience members to a “pet play date” after the talk, featuring therapy animals Sophie the Golden Retriever and Hermie the guinea pig.
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12. The advantages and disadvantages of having a pet
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TEAL Writing Task 12 – unmarked criteria sheet [PDF]
TEAL Writing Task 12 – unmarked criteria sheet [Word]
An explanation of the purpose, nature and use of criteria sheets is available at 4. Using the assessment criteria.
Home language: Vietnamese
Biographical information:
English language centre (secondary)
The purpose and nature of the task
The expressing of opinions and use of argument with supporting reasons or evidence is a prominent text type in public discourse in Australia, as well as in academic study in English and humanities subjects. This task involves formal argumentative discourse and linking of opinions to evidence in relation to a topic students may have experience of or know something about, owning a domestic pet such as a cat or a dog. The task provides teachers with assessment information about their EAL students' skills in expressing opinions and presenting support for a point of view in a piece of formal writing.
The task requires students pay some attention to presenting arguments to both support and contradict a point of view. It also expects students to express an opinion on the topic. There is scope for the students to do this within an essay that either strongly supports a particular opinion and therefore has a partisan quality in relation to the topic, or which has a more detached tone and is more descriptive of the arguments presented on the issue, and less on supporting particular opinions. There is a complex interrelationship between the ways arguments are presented and the ways they are used to support an opinion and downplay alternative opinions. The intention of this task is more to look at EAL students' skills in presenting points of view and supporting arguments, rather than the more sophisticated skills involved in a powerful texts intended to contribute to argument and change opinions.
The range of samples illustrate different levels of skill in presenting reasons to support arguments. They do this within different levels of argument, some present argument within a strong expression of a particular point of view, while others are more detached, providing description of arguments that may be used to support different opinions.
The sample shows an understanding of the task and an ability to write a simple argument on the disadvantages and advantages of having a pet dog.
The text shows that the student is able to express simple opinions with supporting reasons and is able to organise them within a given text structure framework. The student uses simple, compound, complex sentences employing clauses of reason.
The student uses timeless present tense to express general statements.
The student is able to use full stops to mark sentences correctly but has variable use of appropriate upper and lower case.
The student is reliant on extensive use of text model/framework to accomplish the task.
The marked criteria sheet shows that the student meets most criteria at level 1 of performance and some at level 2.
The student’s language use in this task is consistent with the descriptions of students at Level C2, Victorian Curriculum F-10 EAL.
Using this assessment for further learning
(Select the points you think are currently of most importance to the student.)
The sample draws attention to the student’s need to develop persuasive language for comparing, contrasting and conceding opposing arguments to a thesis. It also highlights the student’s sensitivity to and ability to learn from modelled texts.
This language can be modelled and developed by having the student complete an elaborated cloze text based on the student’s own sample which targets contrastive argumentation words or phrases such as ‘although’, ‘however’, ‘on the other hand’. This process could then be repeated with reduced degrees of modelled support.
The sample shows an understanding of the task and an ability to write a two-sided argument on the disadvantages and advantages of having a pet dog.
The text shows that the student is able to state and justify a simple thesis and is able to organise arguments within a given text structure framework. The student uses compound and complex sentences employing clauses of reason and condition.
The student is able to use standard spelling and punctuation.
The student employs the stimulus text to accomplish the task.
The sample shows a text that best fits the criteria in .
The marked criteria sheet shows that the student meets most criteria at level 2 of performance and some at level 3.
The sample shows the student’s ability to write a simple cohesive two-sided argument text but highlights their need to develop a wider repertoire of argumentation language and rhetorical/persuasive devices.
This language can be modelled and developed by getting the student to complete an elaborated cloze text based on the student’s own sample which targets a range of persuasive language functions and devices such as addition (‘moreover’), exemplification (‘for instance’), contrast (‘however’, on the other hand’), and concession (‘although’). This process could then be repeated with reduced degrees of modelled support until students have mastered the language.
Biographical information
The sample shows an understanding of the task and an ability to write a quite elaborate argument and to and justify a single point of view relating to the topic. However it is framed in terms of keeping wild animals as pets, rather than disadvantages and advantages of having a pet dog.
The text shows that the student can sustain a line of argument using a range of persuasive language functions and devices. While there are features of persuasive writing present in the text, the text itself is a single paragraph, which has an introductory sentence that is not completely satisfactory as a topic sentence.
The student uses compound and complex sentences and timeless present tense to express opinions. However, there are also some problems of sentence construction, and errors of subject-verb agreement.
The student uses standard spelling and variable punctuation.
The marked criteria sheet shows that the student meets some criteria at level 3 of performance, while some are also at level 2 and even level 1.
The sample shows the student’s ability to elaborate and justify a single point of view, employing a wide repertoire of argumentation language and rhetorical/persuasive devices. The sample also highlights their need to develop skills in organising the text into coherent paragraph units and an ability to consider two sides of an argument.
These skills can be developed by having the student complete text deconstruction and reconstruction exercises around persuasive texts which involve identifying paragraph units within a single run-on text, and sequencing and labelling paragraph texts to make a single coherent text. At the same time, these texts could also model two-sided argumentation.
While the sample shows an understanding of the communicative purpose of the task and of persuasive texts, and an ability to sustain and support a balanced two-sided discussion of an issue, the text has problems of cohesion and structure. The first paragraph, is not labelled, seems to be a set of arguments for keeping domestic animals, but the second paragraph headed 'DISADVANTAGES' presents opposing arguments.
The text shows that the student can sustain arguments using a repertoire of persuasive language functions and devices at sentence level. However, the organisation of the text is not so strong and it lacks cohesion as a sustained presentation of a point of view, despite effective use of a range of sentence-level ways of expressing ideas and giving supporting reasons.
The student uses compound and complex sentences and timeless present tense to communicate arguments.
The student uses standard spelling and punctuation.
The marked criteria sheet shows that the student meets many criteria at level 3 of performance, and some at level 4.
The student’s language use in this task is consistent with the descriptions of students at Level C3, Victorian Curriculum F-10 EAL.
The sample shows the student’s ability to write a balanced two-sided discussion of an issue in response to a stimulus text. The competence and sophistication of the student’s writing at sentence levels suggest that the student’s needs lie in the area of consolidating and extending skills in structuring a persuasive texts.
These skills could be developed by asking the student to clearly identify the argument they want to present and re-write it using the following structure:
Home / Essay Samples / Life / House / Pros And Cons Of Owning A Household Pet
Pros And Cons Of Owning A Household Pet
- Category: Life
- Topic: House , Pets
Pages: 3 (1492 words)
Views: 5675
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