Simon Croft
Debate on Genetically Modified Food
For millions of years, the world has evolved and developed, by selective breeding to adapt into the society, which it is today. Natural adaptations and changes have occurred in various species of plants and animals, which even modern scientists cannot explain. Our world has survived for…well forever, without genetically enhanced produce, so why should it invade humanity now, just because ‘we can’?
Many scientists, who are in favour of GM foods, claim that it is simply the next step on from selective breeding; however they seem to have overlooked one difference. Genetic modification of anything requires the introduction of ‘alien’ genes into a species, to modify it and this is certainly not a natural process.
For example, GM Soya has been modified using genes that will make it resistant to certain herbicides, such as ‘roundup’. Although this may seem like a good thing on the surface, what happens when the pollen from these GM foods is passed on to native species? Aspects like this seem to have been overlooked.
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Peer Reviews
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Quality of writing
Good grammar, spelling and punctuation. The format is good with clear paragraphs, but rather one sided in more of an english style essay.
Level of analysis
The candidate uses a very emotive beginning that can be likened to an english rather than a scientific essay, but in this instance the conversational tone works. The essay, whilst mainly being biased towards the bad side of GM foods, does contain a bit of balance, by making one good point and counteracting it with a bad one which is a good technique to show well rounded thought. The depth of information posed is done well, and the conclusion is adequate based on the information discussed, but as before the discussion is quite one sided
Response to question
The response to the question posed is done very well but it is slightly biased. The candidate provides a good range of well thought out topics which are grouped into an adequate conclusion for the information discussed.