Push, Pull, Block, Support
One object, four forces. Only two of them have an opinion.
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Same object, four forces. Only two of them have an opinion.
Neutral verbs like affect versus verbs that push one way, like undermine, so affect stops being your only choice.
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Four of these verbs simply describe. Four pass judgement — and using one too early costs you marks.
A Band 6 essay uses affect for every relationship between two things. It is never wrong, and it never says anything.
These eight verbs split into two groups, and confusing the groups is not a vocabulary error — it is a coherence error.
weak ──────────────────────────────▶ strong
affect → influence → shape → determine
All four are safe before you have argued anything.
One object, four forces. Only two of them have an opinion.
Same object, four forces. Only two of them have an opinion.
Each verb with its direction, the grammar it demands, and a Task 2 sentence you can borrow.
affect + object · noun form is effect
Rising fees affect enrolment across all age groups.
influence + object · also a noun: an influence on
Advertising influences the choices younger consumers make.
shape + object · implies gradual formation
Early schooling shapes attitudes that persist into adulthood.
determine + object · claims the outcome was settled
Household income largely determines access to higher education.
reinforce + object · the thing must already exist
Such portrayals reinforce stereotypes that are already widespread.
facilitate + NOUN · never facilitate to do
Online platforms facilitate collaboration between distant teams.
hinder + object · no preposition
Poor transport links hinder economic development in rural areas.
undermine + object · weakens from beneath, gradually
Repeated misinformation undermines public trust in institutions.
Orange cards carry a judgement. Use them only after your paragraph has argued for it.
Sort twelve verbs by whether they carry a judgement.
Sort each item into the correct category
Three decisions that turn on whether your paragraph has earned the judgement yet.
Chain 1
The situation: this is the paragraph's opening sentence. Nothing has been argued yet.
Candidates: affected / undermined
The expert chooses:
Because:
Chain 2
The situation: the paragraph has already shown that the training scheme made a difficult process easier for participants.
Candidates: facilitated / determined
The expert chooses:
Because:
Chain 3
The situation: the writer wants to say that a belief people already held became stronger — not that a new one appeared.
Candidates: shaped / reinforced
The expert chooses:
Because:
Six sentences leaning on affect and change. Two of them are already correct.
Poor public transport economic growth in rural regions, because workers cannot reach the jobs that exist.
Advertising aimed at children eating habits that are already unhealthy, rather than creating new ones.
Remote-working software collaboration between teams in different time zones.
Rising sea levels will coastal communities in ways that are not yet fully understood.
Years of unreliable reporting have public confidence in the national media.
Climate patterns agricultural output, though the direction of the effect varies by region.
Write one Task 2 sentence and find out whether your verb claimed more than your sentence proved.
Prompt: the effect of social media on the way young people form opinions.
Then answer the second question honestly. If you used a loaded verb — reinforce, facilitate, hinder, undermine — your sentence must contain the reason it is deserved, or the verb is doing work your argument has not paid for.
One sentence. One influence verb.
If you used a neutral verb, write 'neutral'.