This information is from a person within a company that must be read to write a response for the essay.

" Ten years ago our company had two new office buildings constructed as regional headquarters for two regions. The buildings were erected by different construction companies - Ellis Don and PCL Although the two buildings had identical floor plans, the buildings constructed by PCL cost 30 percent more to build. However, that building's expenses for maintenance last year were only half of those of Ellis Don. In addition, the energy consumption of PCL building has been lower then that of the Ellis Don building every year since its construction.  Given these data, plus the fact that PCL has a stable workforce with little employee turnover, we recommend using PCL rather than Ellis Don for our new building project, even tough Ellis Don bid promises lower construction costs."

Write a response in which you discuss what question would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.

Make sure you respond according to the specific instructions and support your position on the issue with reasons and examples drawn from such areas as your reading, experience, observations, and/or academic studies.

The essay will be evaluated on your response and the overall quality based on how well:

• The response to the specific task for instructions
• Consider the complexities of the issue
• Organize, develop, and express your ideas
• Support your ideas with relevant reasons and/or examples
• Control the elements of standard written English.

Analyze an Issue Essay

The "Analyze an Issue" task assesses your ability to think critically about a topic of general interest and to clearly express your thoughts about it in writing. Each Issue topic makes a claim that can be discussed from various perspectives and applied to many different situations or conditions. Your task is to present a compelling case for your own position on the issue. Before beginning your written response, be sure to read the issue and the instructions that follow the Issue statement. Think about the issue from several points of view, considering the complexity of ideas associated with those views. Then, make notes about the position you want to develop and list the main reasons and examples you could use to support that position.

It is important that you address the central issue according to the specific instructions. Each task is accompanied by one of the following sets of instructions:

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.

Write a response in which you discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should address both of the views presented.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based.

Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position.