WRITING Flashcards
A friend has agreed to look after your house and pet while you are on holiday. Write a letter to your friend.
In your letter
give contact details for when you are away
give instructions about how to care for your pet
describe other household duties
Dear Carolyn,
Thank you for agreeing to house-sit for me. If you need to contact me during my holiday,
I’ll be staying at the Imperial Hotel in Bundaberg. If it’s urgent, however, please ring my
mobile phone, which I’ll keep with me at all times. I’ve written the numbers on a sticky
note which I’ve left on the fridge.
My cat needs to be fed twice daily so each morning and evening put a handful of cat
biscuits in his dish. You will find these in the kitchen pantry. Also, please check
throughout the day to make sure he has fresh water. You can give him a small bowl of
milk in the evening.
I would like you to water my plants, too. The indoor ones in the lounge only need water
once every few days but the plants on the balcony need to be watered daily unless there
has been heavy rain. Finally, for security, please clear my mail box every day and keep
the outside lights on at night.
I look forward to seeing you on my return.
Yours,
Katie
Some people believe that teaching children at home is best for a child’s development while others think that it is important for children to go to school.
Discuss the advantages of both methods and give your own opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
The argument over whether learning at home or at school is better for children has not
been settled yet. Whereas home education offers better protection with individual
learning and opportunities for families to bond, schools have a superior range of material
and human resources. Ultimately, I think the school experience is best for children.
There are several advantages for children who learn at home. Firstly, they can spend
more time with their parents and siblings. Many social problems are associated with
families not spending enough quality time together. Teaching children at home also
provides them with an individualised learning environment. Instruction is customdesigned and moves at the child’s own pace and in accordance with his or her individual
learning style. Finally, home schooling protects children from bullies and others who
might be a bad influence.
On the other hand, the school environment also offers advantages for children. Schools
encourage children to socialise with their peers and learn how to cope with gossip,
bullying and peer pressure. In addition, children will receive better tuition across a range
of disciplines, as schools have teachers who are trained in special subjects. What is
more, schools provide better access to physical resources such as sports equipment,
musical instruments and library books.
I believe that children are better off in a school environment. Although family time and
individual learning are important, the range of expertise and resources that schools offer
cannot be matched in the home. School environments may present difficult social
situations, but so too does the real world and children must learn to navigate these on
their own.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
The bar charts show data about computer ownership, with a further classification by
level of education, from 2002 to 2010.
A steady but significant rise can be seen in the percentage of the population that owned
a computer over the period. Just over half the population owned computers in 2002,
whereas by 2010 three out of four people had a home computer.
An analysis of the data by level of education shows that higher levels of education
correspond to higher levels of computer ownership in both of those years. In 2002, only
around 15% of those who did not finish high school had a computer but this figure had
trebled by 2010. There were also considerable increases, of approximately 30
percentage points, for those with a high school diploma or an unfinished college
education (reaching 65% and 85% respectively in 2010). However, graduates and
postgraduates proved to have the greatest level of ownership in 2010, at 90% and 95%
respectively, 20 percentage points higher than in 2002.
The last decade has seen a substantial growth in computer ownership in general, and
across all educational levels.
A person’s worth nowadays seems to be judged according to social status and material possessions. Old-fashioned values, such as honour, kindness and trust, no longer seem important.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Given the power and influence of the super rich, it might seem as if social status and
material possessions are the new symbols of personal worth, but in everyday life I do not
think this is true.
It is apparent that most celebrities today are admired or envied solely for their material
wealth or position in various social hierarchies. Many of these people are known to turn
their backs on friends, cheat on their spouses or spend their evenings over-indulging in
alcohol and/or drugs. Things like owning a mansion, driving an expensive car and
getting into A-list parties are exalted above old-fashioned values. Ultimately, though, it is
the many readers of gossip magazines and celebrity blogs who reinforce these ideas.
Nevertheless, I do believe that in their day-to-day lives most people still believe in values
such as honour, kindness and trust. In some way most of us want to form loving families,
raise our children to be good citizens, stand up for the downtrodden and protect our
communities from harm. We still form friendships, romances and business partnerships
based on old-fashioned criteria. When our trust is abused or we are unfairly treated, we
see that as a major violation of our relationship and we judge the wrongdoer accordingly.
In conclusion, I believe there is some truth to the notion that status and possessions
have superseded old-fashioned values as a measure of a person’s worth. Looking
beyond the tabloids, however, it is apparent that most ordinary people have still
preserved an old-fashioned conscience.
Write an email to Jan:
suggest a good way to celebrate with your old college friends
explain when would be the best time for the celebration
offer to help organise the celebration
Write your comments for the town website.
Hi Jan,
so nice to hear from you ? How are you doing ?
or- it’s such a pleasure to hear from you ? I can’t believe how time files… 5 years since the last time we partied together?
It would be great to meet and celebrate with our friends from college.
How about meeting in London sometimes next month? We could meet in a pub, have dinner and then go to a club like in the old days ?
I think that Saturday 20th would work best for everyone, I know that Ruth is on holiday next week-end, and i will be away the following one (on a business trip to Japan, i will tell you more about it when we meet?°. If i remember well, you are busy the weekend of the 27th, as you are attending your sister-in-law’s wedding, aren’t you? Talking all that into account, Saturday 20th looks like the best option.
We would have to ask Jean, Mary and Alex if they’re available though.
If you want, i could send an email to everyone, to check that we are all free on st 20th, and suggest that we meet in London.
I’ll tell them about my idea of going to a pub and then to a club, but maybe someone will come up with a better suggestion (Mary always has great ideas?). Then, we can talk about hotel booking, as most of us will have to stay the night, i guess?
I am really looking foward to it, thanks a lot for suggesting it?
see you soon
Write about:
- why you think the amount of traffic is increasing in your town
- what problems the increased traffic is causing in your town
- how the amount of traffic in your town could be reduced
180 WORDDS
i’m writing this comment to complain about the worrying increase in car and lorry traffic in our town lately.
As far as I am concerned, the main reason for this issue is than a 40-block building is being constructed in our neighborhood. Lorries need to function at full speed to carry necessary material for the construction. Moreover, the main road that leads to the center of the city is banned for decoration of the coming festival. People whose workplaces are located in the center have no choice but to drive through our town to their work everyday. Therefore, our town, which used to be quiet and peaceful, has become noisier. The citizens in the town not only endure the syren that is made by the vehicles, but also suffer from illnesses caused by air-polluted, especially the elderly. They cannot sleep well at night since the lorries works 24h per day. Everything is dusty because of carelessly covered containers of the lorries. We cannot let our children play at the playground of the town for the fear that they can put themselves in danger.
Futhermore, we are usually late for work and school because of traffic jams in crush hours.
As a citizen of the town, I think the authority should take action to reduce the amount of traffic that travels to our town every day. Lorries must be banned in crush hours. Moreover, the container of lorries should be covered carefully in order not to drop any material that they are carrying. Last but not least, people should be shown other ways that lead to the center so that they do not put pressure on our frastructure.
I hope that my complain can be taken into consideration so that our town can become an enjoyable place to live again.
Write about:
- why you think the amount of traffic is increasing in your town
- what problems the increased traffic is causing in your town
- how the amount of traffic in your town could be reduced
180 WORDDS
Hello.
Recently, I’m concering about the increase of car.
This explosive increase of cars is causing, aire pollution, noise, and traffic accidents. I think we have to put brake on this increase. To stop this increase, we have to know the reason why this increase is happening. There are three reasons. First is the inconvenience of metrO. We have to propose improvement of metro system to the metro company, such as ticket-buying systems, the number of trains, and etc. If these problems will be solved, I’m pretty sure that the amount of traffic will be decreased. Second reason is the width of road. Most of the road in this town are too narrow for cars to pass by. So, these narrow roads must be widend, in order to reduce amount of traffic. And the last reason is the fall in prices of gasoline.
These days, the price of gasoline is falling so rapidly. I think the price of gasoline should be fixed in order to reduce this lorry traffic. I hope metro companies and municipality will be checking my comment.
