台灣考生的 body 段最愛這樣開：

❌ There are many reasons why the government should ban smoking in public places.

下一句通常是：

❌ Firstly, ...

問題：第一句什麼都沒說。它只承諾「我等下會給理由」——但還沒給。Examiner 已經少看 1 句的論證內容。Task Response 自動扣。

為什麼這種開場傷分

Band 7 的 Task Response 要求 presents a clear position throughout the response——每一句都該推進論點。「There are many reasons why」不推進任何東西，它只是熱身。

英文寫作的理想：第一句就是第一個論點。

❌ Bad / ✅ Better 對照

| ❌ 廢話開場 | ✅ 直接切入 | |----------|-----------| | There are many reasons why people prefer cars. | Cars offer door-to-door convenience that no public transport network can match. | | There are several reasons why education is important. | Education is the single largest predictor of lifetime earnings. | | There are a number of reasons why this policy is controversial. | The policy splits opinion because it asks taxpayers to fund services many will never use. | | There are many factors that contribute to obesity. | Obesity rates rise where ultra-processed food is cheapest — and where city design discourages walking. |

「廢話開場」家族 ban list

| 廢話片語 | 為什麼別用 | |---------|----------| | There are many reasons why... | 承諾後才給 | | There are several factors... | 同上 | | There are a number of advantages... | 同上 | | There are pros and cons to... | 兩邊各 0 個說了 | | Many people have different views on... | 廢話 |

兩種替代結構

結構 A：直接給第一個理由

❌ There are many reasons why people leave their hometown. Firstly, jobs are concentrated in cities. ✅ Jobs are concentrated in cities, and that pull alone explains most rural-to-urban migration.

結構 B：先給結論再展開

❌ There are several reasons why exercise matters. ✅ Exercise matters because it touches three systems at once: cardiovascular, metabolic and mental.

「Three systems at once」這種具體承諾比「many reasons」有用——它告訴讀者接下來會看到三件事。

例外——什麼時候可以用

只有一種情況：你真的要列舉很多原因，且想預告數量：

There are three reasons private cars dominate Taiwanese commuting: distance, weather, and the cost of parking near transport hubs.

「Three」有具體數字 + 三個原因馬上列出 = 不是廢話，是綱要句。

Quick Rewrite Drill

把 6 句廢話開場改成直接切入：

  1. There are many reasons why young people use social media.
  2. There are several factors that explain rising house prices.
  3. There are a number of advantages of working from home.
  4. There are many causes of climate change.
  5. There are different reasons why students fail exams.
  6. There are pros and cons to learning a second language.

Answer Key

| # | ✅ 直接切入 | |---|------------| | 1 | Social media gives young people what their parents could not — instant feedback from a peer group of thousands. | | 2 | House prices have risen because supply has lagged demand for two decades, especially in cities where building rules are strictest. | | 3 | Working from home recovers the commute — typically the worst hour of the day — and gives it back as productive or recovery time. | | 4 | Carbon emissions, deforestation and methane from agriculture together drive most of the warming observed since 1950. | | 5 | Students fail exams less because of low intelligence and more because of unstable sleep, weak study routines and undiagnosed anxiety. | | 6 | Learning a second language demands real effort, but the cognitive and career returns make the investment worthwhile for most. |

一句總結

別承諾論點——直接給論點。

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