Embark on an arduous journey; loneliness will keep you company

[Glizdka]

This comes from the Martura exam 2015 writing task on page 11. It's meant to meet the standards of an essay, and level B2/C1 is expected. I liked the topic, so I decided to write it. Could you please check it?

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We often hear about brave people who embarked on an arduous journey, such as climbing Mount Everest, and decided not to bring anyone but themselves. In this essay, I am going to present the advantages and disadvantages of going alone on such a trip to decide if it really is better to do this all by yourself.

The first thing I would like to talk about is the crippling loneliness of being left on your own against all the challenges you have submitted yourself to. Having a companion you could talk to could help keep the morale high. On the other hand, people can become abusive and start blaming each other, especially when exposed to the stress caused by a daunting task. This may well doom the expedition altogether.

Apart from psychological effects, bringing another person with yourself also affects how well you will actually perform. You could combine your strengths and talents to achieve better results, making use of the effect of synergy. However, going easy on yourself is not what you have come here for in the first place. Ultimately, it is all about proving that you are capable of achieving something meant to be difficult.

Overall, although I believe that the benefits of companionship and teamwork are very real, I think they are nothing compared with how much more rewarding and fulfilling it feels to manage to succeed without anyone’s help, which is why I come to the conclusion that going alone really is better.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

This comes from the Martura exam 2015 writing task on page 11. It's meant to meet the standards of an essay, and level B2/C1 is expected. I liked the topic, so I decided to write it. Could you please check it?

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We often hear about brave people who embarked on [STRIKE]an[/STRIKE] arduous journeys, such as climbing Mount Everest, and decided not to bring anyone but themselves.

Has anyone ever climbed Everest solo?

In this essay, I am going to present the advantages and disadvantages of going alone on such a trip, to decide if it really is better to do this all by yourself.

The first thing [STRIKE]I would like[/STRIKE] to talk about is the crippling loneliness of being left on your own against all the challenges you have subjected yourself to. Having a companion you could talk to could help keep your morale high. On the other hand, people can become abusive and start blaming each other, especially when exposed to the stress caused by a daunting task. This may well doom the expedition altogether.

Apart from psychological effects, bringing another person with yourself also affects how well you will actually perform. You could combine your strengths and talents to achieve better results, making use of the effect of synergy. However, going easy on yourself is not what you have come here for in the first place. Ultimately, it is all about proving that you are capable of achieving something [STRIKE]meant to be[/STRIKE] difficult.

Congratulations! You used effects, affects, and effect correctly! Most English speakers can't.

Overall, although I believe that the benefits of companionship and teamwork are very real, I think they are nothing compared with how much more rewarding and fulfilling it feels to manage to succeed without anyone’s help, which is why I come to the conclusion that going alone really is better.

It's goodl

One thought about succeeding without help: Remember that we're all standing on someone's shoulders.

I have a friend whose daughter sailed across the Atlantic solo in a small boat. She went alone, but she was raised in a sailing household, which made her a good sailor, and she grew up with enough money to cultivate an expensive hobby. She also had a boat that was seaworthy thanks to the countless people who have designed, built, and improved boats (and the materials and equipment that go into them) across the centuries.

So she went alone, but she had lots of of help. (And to her credit, she knows it.)

 

[Glizdka]

We all stand on the shoulders of giants. :-D

 

[Tdol]

decided not to bring anyone but themselves

Decided to go it alone?

 

[jutfrank]

If I were your examiner, I'd fail you for missing the screamingly obvious point that if you take a friend up Mount Everest and he freezes to death, you have someone to cannibalize.

 

[Tarheel]

We all stand on the shoulders of giants. :-D

Yes, but we are not all of us Isaac Newton