Academic Skills Assignment: Essays and Analysis
Question 1: Essay writing (40 Marks)
Question 1.1
Write an argumentative essay of 800 to 1 000 words in which you critically examine the impact of TikTok on South African youth. While TikTok offers creative and educational opportunities, it has also raised concerns about addiction, misinformation, poor self-image, and mental health. Your essay should present a clear argument and explore both the positive and negative effects of the platform. Support your discussion with evidence from four to six legitimate academic sources, such as peer-reviewed journal articles or credible research. Use South African examples where possible. Your essay will be assessed on the strength of your argument, use of academic sources, and clarity of thought. You should conclude with a well-reasoned position on whether TikTok’s influence is mostly helpful or harmful
OR
Question 1.2
According to Statistics South Africa, by 2024, 4.8 million young people were unemployed — a crisis with wide-reaching social and economic consequences for the country. In a recent Youth Day speech, John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), addressed the challenges facing young South Africans, including unemployment, poor education outcomes, and limited economic opportunities.
Link to speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqVROFWImw
Using his speech as a point of departure, write a persuasive essay of 800 to 1 000 words in which you argue how South Africa can best address the youth unemployment crisis. You should develop a clear thesis, support your argument with relevant facts and examples (including from Steenhuisen’s speech and at least three additional credible sources) and consider possible counterarguments. Your goal is to persuade the reader of a particular solution or set of actions that you believe will meaningfully improve the lives of young South Africans.
Question 2: Reading skills (10 Marks)
Carefully read through the following academic article titled Natural and Supernatural: Intersections Between the Spiritual and Natural Worlds in African Witchcraft and Healing with Reference to Southern Africa (Petrus & Bogopa, 2017). Link: Natural and Supernatural: Intersections Between the Spiritual and Natural Worlds in African Witchcraft and Healing with Reference to Southern Africa: Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology: Vol 7, No 1
After reading, respond to the following questions:
- Do you agree with the authors’ arguments? Why or why not? Provide a well-developed paragraph that critically engages with their main ideas. Use additional scholarly sources if necessary to support your opinion. (5)
- Why do you consider Petrus and Bogopa legitimate sources and experts in their field? Refer to their academic background, qualifications, and relevant publications to justify your answer. Cite credible sources to support your response. (5)
Question 3: Listening skills (10 Marks)
Listening carefully to the following podcast and answer the questions that follow: Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6xrZaVhR09E3XSur7c7Mzl
- How does Stacey challenge the common perception that independent schools in South Africa only serve wealthy families, and what strategies does SPARK Schools use to provide high-quality education at an affordable fee? (5)
- In what ways has technology and innovative approaches to scheduling, real estate, and teacher development contributed to the success and growth of SPARK Schools, according to Stacey’s experience? (5)
Question 4: Referencing and paraphrasing (10 Marks)
Review the provided information from academic sources and generate a correctly formatted reference list for the text. In some cases, there are factual errors. Please read carefully and correct them. In some cases, the authors are incorrectly indicated, correct it.
- 2019. Anderson, William. Academic Literacies for the 21st century. EDGE Learning Media. Cape Town (2)
- Amanullah De Sondy. 2025. Murder of gay South African imam Muhsin Hendricks reignites queer Muslim debate. Available: https://theconversation.com/murder-of-gay-south-african- imam-muhsin-hendricks-reignites-queer-muslim-debate-250087 (2)
- National Health Service, 2024. . Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes [Accessed 120 November 2024]. Understanding Diabetes: Symptoms and Treatments (2)
- Paraphrase the following paragraph using the correct in-text citations. (4)
Studies show that South Africa is one of only three countries in the world where religious participation has increased in recent years. The other two countries are Italy and the US. The 2022 Census data show that South Africa’s Christian adherence has once again increased. However, the kinds of Christianity that are growing, and those that are declining, tell us some interesting things about the religious, cultural, social and political sentiments of South Africans (Forster, 2024).
Question 5: Language and editing (10 marks)
You are required to rewrite the following informal text into a formal academic essay that explores the influence of social media on individuals or society. Your essay must present a clear academic introduction that includes a focused thesis statement. You should demonstrate critical thinking, clear organisation, and an understanding of academic style and conventions.
Your response must draw on at least two credible and traceable sources, such as academic journal articles, scholarly books, or reputable news outlets. The essay should be logically structured with an introduction, body paragraphs that develop your argument, and a conclusion that reflects on the topic. Use formal language, avoid slang, personal anecdotes, rhetorical questions, and contractions. Below is the informal source text you must transform into a formal academic essay. Your task is to identify the core themes within the text and reframe them with academic rigour and evidence.
Informal Text to Rewrite:
Social media Is wild honestly
Okay so like I don’t even know anymore with social media. One minute you’re watching a video of a cat dancing to Beyoncé and next thing you know you’re crying over a stranger’s breakup in the comments. It’s exhausting and addictive and kind of like a bag of Nik Naks — once you start you just keep scrolling. People be like “take a break” but how when memes literally heal trauma?? Also, I swear I only opened TikTok for 5 minutes and then boom it’s 2:43 a.m. and I’m googling whether I have adult ADHD. Social media is chaos but also connection but also… mind rot?? Anyway, sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it ruins your brain, and sometimes you accidentally like your ex’s cousin’s photo from 2017 and then just delete your whole life. But we keep going back. Why? No clue. Algorithms. Or black magic. Or just boredom. Probably all three.
English Assignment Assistance: Experts Answer on Above Questions on Academic Skills
Impact of Tik Tok on South African youth
An analysis of the impact of Tik Tok on South African youth indicates that it has both the positive as well as negative effects. On the positive side, it accounts for developing a creative mindset, encourages self expression and provides access to educational content. However on the negative side, South African youth has become highly addictive and accounts for wastage of time, spreading misinformation and also increases the chances of mental health risk.
Reading skills
In terms of my agreement with Petrus and Bogopa (2017) expression that there is a positive coordination between the natural and supernatural worlds within African healing practices, I completely agree with it. They say that spirituality is not merely a superstition which is also positively supported by Ngubane (2020) stating that indigenous healing systems are essential for holistic healthcare in South Africa.
Listening skills
The common perception that the independent schools in South Africa only serve wealthy families is challenged by Stacey by claiming that these schools make use of innovative models such as lower real estate costs, shared resources and blended learning in order to provide high quality education.
Impact of technology in SPARK Schools
The role of technology is significant as SPARK schools make use of blended learning models, digital platforms and teacher development programmes which are aimed at lowering the cost while maintaining strong academic outcomes and accessibility.
| Disclaimer: This answer is a model for study and reference purposes only. Please do not submit it as your own work. |
