Writing task 2s Flashcards
Some experts believethat it isbetter for children to begin learning a foreign
language at primary school rather than secondary school.
Dot h e advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own
knowledge or experience.
Write at least 2 5 0words.
Traditionally, children have begun studying foreign languages at secondary school, but introducing them earlier is recommended by some educationalists. This policy has been adopted by some educational authorities or individual schools, with both positive and negative outcomes.
The obvious argument in its favour is that young children pick up languages much more easily than teenagers. Their brains are still programmed to acquire their mother tongue, which facilitates learning another language, and unlike adolescents, they are not inhibited by self-consciousness.
The greater flexibility of the primary timetable allows for more frequent, shorter sessions and for a play-centred approach, thus maintaining learners’ enthusiasm and progress. Their command of the language in later life will benefit from this early exposure, while learning other languages subsequently will be easier for them.
They may also gain a better understanding of other cultures.
There are, however, some disadvantages. Primary school teachers are generalists, and may not have the necessary language skills themselves. If specialists have to be brought in to deliver these sessions, the flexibility referred to above is diminished. If primary language teaching is not standardised, secondary schools could be faced with a great variety of levels in different languages within their intake, resulting in a classroom experience which undoes the earlier gains. There is no advantage if enthusiastic primary pupils become demotivated as soon as they change schools. However, these issues can be addressed strategically within the policy adopted.
Anything which encourages language learning benefits society culturally and economically, and early exposure to language learning contributes to this. Young children’s innate abilities should be harnessed to make these benefits more achievable.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programmes (for example working for a charity, improving the neighbourhood or teaching sports to younger children).
To what extent do vou agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
It has been suggested that high school students should be involved in unpaid community services as a compulsory part of high school programmes. Most of the colleges are already providing opportunities to gain work experience, however these are not compulsory. In my opinion, sending students to work in community services is a good idea as it can provide them with many lots of valuable skills.
Life skills are very important and by doing voluntary work, students can learn how to communicate with others and work in a team but also how to manage their time and improve their organisational skills. Nowadays, unfortunately, teenagers do not have many after-school activities. After-school clubs are no longer that popular and students mostly go home and sit in front of the TV, browse internet or play video games.
By giving them compulsory work activities with charitable or community organisations, they will be encouraged to do something more creative. Skills gained through compulsory work will not only be an asset on their CV but also increase their employability. Students will also gain more respect towards work and money as they will realise that it is not that easy to earn them and hopefully will learn to spend them in a more practical way.
Healthy life balance and exercise are strongly promoted by the NHS, and therefore any kind of spare time charity work will prevent from sitting and doing nothing. It could also possibly reduce the crime level in the high school age group. If students have activities to do, they will not be bored and come up with silly ideas which can be dangerous for them or their surroundings.
In conclusion, I think this is a very good idea, and I hope this programme will be put into action for high schools/colleges shortly.
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 8 score. Here is the examiner’s comment:
The answer addresses all parts of the prompt sufficiently, focusing on the benefits for students rather than society. A number of relevant, extended and supported ideas are used to produce a well-developed response to the question. However, some ideas, for example the reference to the crime level, are not fully extended. The ideas are logically ordered and cohesion is consistently well managed. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and progression between paragraphs is managed with some sophistication. A wide range of vocabulary is used to articulate meanings precisely, with skilful use of uncommon lexis, and very few inappropriacies. The range of grammatical structures used is also wide, with only occasional minor errors.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people say that the best way to improve public health is by increasing the number of sports facilities. Others, however, say that this would have little effect on public health and that other measures are required.
Discuss both these views 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.
A problem of modern societies is the declining level of health in the general population, with conflicting views on how to tackle this worrying trend. One possible solution is to provide more sports facilities to encourage a more active lifestyle
Advocates of this believe that today’s sedentary lifestyle and stressful working conditions mean that physical activity is no longer part of either our work or our leisure time. If there were easy-to-reach local sports centres, we would be more likely to make exercise a regular part of our lives, rather than just collapsing in front of a screen every evening. The variety of sports that could be offered would cater for all ages, levels of fitness and interests: those with painful memories of PE at school might be happier in the swimming pool than on the football pitch
However, there may be better ways of tackling this problem. Interest in sport is not universal, and additional facilities might simply attract the already fit, not those who most need them. Physical activity could be encouraged relatively cheaply, for example by installing exercise equipment in parks, as my local council has done.
This has the added benefit that parents and children often use them together just for fun, which develops a positive attitude to exercise at an early age.
As well as physical activity, high tax penalties could be imposed on high-fat food products, tobacco and alcohol, as excessive consumption of any of these contributes to poor health. Even improving public transport would help: it takes longer to walk to the bus stop than to the car.
In my opinion, focusing on sports facilities is too narrow an approach and would not have the desired results. People should be encouraged not only
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
The most important aim of science should be to improve people’s lives.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
This model has been prepared by an examiner as an example of a very good answer.
Scientific developments are occurring at a great rate but some of them do not seem to be of help to people. In fact, sometimes scientific innovations are regretted by those who invented them. This essay will arque that science should never harm people but scientists should aim to further their understanding as much as to improve people’s lives.
On one hand, there is a strong argument that the public good should be the top priority for scientists. They are the ones who have the potential to make discoveries and invent things that can change the world. Electricity, modern medicine, telecommunications and the internet are just some of the scientific innovations that have changed lives for the better.
On the other hand, sometimes scientists do research just in the hope of adding to their knowledge.
While they should make absolutely sure that their experiments do no harm, they may not know until they have finished how their findings will be used and whether they will improve people’s lives. The scientist Nobel invented dynamite to help with mining, not knowing that it would one day be used in weapons, and the scientist who discovered the life-saving drug penicillin did so quite by chance.
Overall, it seems that science should improve the lives of people and that ought to be one of its aims. However, knowledge and discovery are aims in themselves and are just as important for scientists. Sometimes scientists do not know how their scientific breakthroughs will be used until their work is done.
Here are comments from another examiner:
This response presents a well-developed response to the question and concludes that the aim of scientific discoveries should be to improve people’s lives, but that the process often results in unexpected outcomes.
The candidate agrees with but adds to the statement. This is acceptable in a ‘to what extent’ question, as the candidate is explaining that the extent cannot always be predicted.
The candidate presents the argument that the true aim of science is gaining new knowledge and discoveries. They agree that this should be to improve people’s lives but that the results can’t be predicted.
The second paragraph gives examples of discoveries that have changed people’s lives for the better [Electricity, modern medicine, telecommunications and the internet].
To improve the response, this paragraph could be expanded so that the list of discoveries is fully aligned with the question.
The third paragraph presents the other side, that scientists do not often know what they will find. Examples of two innovations are given [dynamite | penicillin] to support this point.
Ideas are logically organised and paragraphs have clear central topics. Cohesive devices are used appropriately with some appropriate referencing [them | their it], although linkers often appear at the start of the sentence, which can seem a little mechanical [On one hand I On the other hand I While | Overall I However I Sometimes].
In order to improve the overall rating, the second paragraph could be further extended and the use of cohesive devices could be less mechanical and not always at the start of each sentence.
However, this is a strong, higher-level response to the task.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some university students want to learn about other subjects in addition to their main subjects. Others believe it is more important to give all their time and attention to studying for a qualification.
Discuss both these views 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.
This model has been prepared by an examiner as an example of a very good answer.
Students attend university to improve their prospects and find suitable employment after graduation. For this reason, some feel that they should focus all their energy on their main subjects to gain a relevant qualification. Others want a more well-rounded education, so they try to learn about additional subjects.
It is perfectly reasonable for students to enter university with a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to learn as much as possible. Unfortunately, we tend to put subjects into artificial boxes, suggesting that business, art and science are not connected. If students become too focused on a single area, it may stifle their initial curiosity, limiting their potential. They could also graduate with a very narrow skill set that doesn’t translate well to the current job market, which often favours those who have taken a multidisciplinary approach to their studies.
Despite this, caution is certainly needed. The more we learn about a subject, the more complex it becomes. Gaining an in-depth, specialist knowledge of a subject requires a certain level of focus and dedication over a long period. If we try to learn about too many things at once, our knowledge may lack the depth required to obtain a qualification. If they are not careful, young people could begin to lose interest in their main subjects, which would be detrimental to their studies.
While learning about other subjects is not necessarily a bad thing, I believe university students should ensure that their main subjects remain the priority so that they do not lose sight of their objective: gaining a qualification. Then they can calculate how much time, energy and headspace they have left for learning about other topics.
Here are comments from another examiner:
This response addresses both parts of the task and presents a clear opinion at the end. The second paragraph explains how the current university system is set up to lout subjects into artificial boxes and how this narrow focus can disadvantage students. The third paragraph presents the benefits of [Gaining an in-depth, specialist knowledge] and the dangers of trying to include too much. Both sides of the question are addressed in well-developed paragraphs.
To improve the response, it would be helpful to set out the opinion at the start, for added continuity of the position.
Vocabulary is natural and sophisticated [stifle their initial curiosity | Gaining an in-depth, specialist knowledge I detrimental to their studies] without errors.
Grammatical structures are wide-ranging, with a range of tenses and conditional [if] and modal [may I could I would I can] structures embedded in complex, flexible sentences.
This is a high-level response which fully addresses the task.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
In many countries around the world, rural people are moving to cities, so the population in the countryside is decreasing.
Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
This model has been prepared by an examiner as an example of a very good answer.
Statistics show that the world’s population is increasing rapidly. It is expected that most of us will be living in cities within the next few decades. The question of whether urbanisation is a positive or negative development remains controversial.
A rapid influx of people moving from rural to urban areas is bound to cause problems. Firstly, pressure on resources such as housing and transportation intensifies. It is becoming difficult for many people to afford adequate housing in cities. A by-product of this is the creation of slums causing low-income families to group together in neglected parts of the city. These people often become trapped in a cycle of poverty that is difficult to escape.
As mentioned above, the growth of urban areas can also lead to severe traffic congestion because more and more vehicles travel into the city from the suburbs. This has many knock-on effects. such as problems with air quality. It also leads many city dwellers to experience mental health issues because travelling across large cities is tiring and stressful.
All of this being said, I don’t believe that urbanisation is a wholly negative development. There are advantages to living in large cities that are well managed. For example, there are more schools which means more education opportunities. Access to higher- quality health care is often better in cities. Some cities have also introduced ride-sharing, e-bikes and park and ride services that reduce environmental problems.
My opinion is that many of the problems associated with urbanisation are avoidable but dealing with increasing populations in cities is a formidable challenge. How governments, businesses and society respond to this challenge will dramatically affect the future of our world.
Here are comments from another examiner:
This response addresses both sides of the question and presents a position, that the movement to cities is not a [wholly negative development]. The second and third paragraphs lay out the problems that can be caused by a [rapid influx of people to urban areas [housing | transportation | traffic congestion] and the fourth paragraph presents some of the advantages [education opportunities | higher-quality health care | environmental transport initiatives].
However, the part of the question about the population in the countryside … decreasing’ is not covered. The candidate would need to include it to provide a full answer to this question.
Information and ideas are logically organised and there is a clear progression, starting with the challenges and ending with a range of advantages.
Vocabulary is used with a natural and sophisticated control [bound to I trapped in a cycle of poverty | severe traffic congestion | knock-on effects], although rare errors remain [education opportunities / educational opportunities]. Grammar is flexible and accurate, with a wide range of structures included. There are some shorter sentences which could be extended and more multi-clause examples could be included to add complexity.
To improve this response, consideration should be given to the impact of the shrinking population in the countryside.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
In many countries, people are now living longer than ever before. Some people say an ageing population creates problems for governments. Other people think there are benefits if society has more elderly people.
To what extent do the advantages of having an ageing population outweigh the disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
This model has been prepared by an examiner as an example of a very good answer.
The population in most parts of the world is ageing; people are living longer and there are fewer younger people in many places as birth rates fall. This phenomenon has pros and cons, but this essay will contend that, on balance, the advantages of having an older population outweigh the negatives.
The first issue that occurs to many people when considering the aging population is the expense. If people live longer, they may have more than 30 ears of retirement and may need to be supported financially by the government or their families. If they experience age-related illness, this impacts the health system and takes up resources needed by other people in society. What’s more, when older people are financially independent, it might be hard for younger people if they have to compete to get a foot in the door of the housing market or gain employment.
That being said, older people have a lot to contribute in terms of wisdom, experience and skills.
Many people are active and productive for longer than their counterparts were 50 years ago and are an asset to the economy and society well into their old age. They are able to work for longer and after retirement they contribute in many ways too, such as by doing charitable work, spending money as consumers and supporting their families. Grandparents offen care for their young grandchildren, making it easier for both parents to work.
While it is true that an aging population poses challenges for governments, it is clear that these are outweighed by the significant benefits that elderly people bring to society.
Here are comments from another examiner:
This is a good response to the task. Both sides of the argument are presented, with the ideas extended for both. The candidate makes their position clear from the beginning, that there are more advantages than disadvantages.
The second paragraph addresses the expense of looking after the elderly, the health system and the cost for governments. It also captures the challenge that older people take up houses and jobs so younger people cannot progress.
The third paragraph presents the advantages of the [wisdom, experience and skills] older people can bring: that they are more active and remain productive for longer, not only working, but also [doing charitable work, spending money as consumers, supporting their families and even grandchildren for the working parents].
This means that the conclusion is relevant and justified.
Ideas are organised and cohesion has good progression.
Vocabulary is skilfully used, with some high-level terms [phenomenon I age-related illness | impacts the health system] and some sophisticated examples [get a foot in the door | counterparts].
There are a range of complex grammatical structures, including several conditional structures [if]. The conditionals are used to emphasise the challenges presented and are without errors.
This is a high-level, fully developed response with ideas that are well supported, extended and engaging.
Write about the following topic:
Many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar, which causes many health problems. Sugary products should be made more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar.
Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7.0 score.
Today high levels of sugar are contained in many sources of food, especially in manufactured food.
And, of course, eating so much sugar is not good for our health: it can cause just a simple cavy, for example, but also worse problems, like the increasing level of sugar in blood. Some people suggest that sugary products should be more expensive, so people would buy less of them.
According to me, I think that this solution is not the best one as sugary products include some types of food that we eat everyday, such as bread or pasta. This foods, particularly the first one, are really important in our diet, so make them more expensive will influence not only our lifestyle, but also some people wouldn’t be able anymore to buy the most important food for them. Just think for example to poor people, who can maybe afford a few loads of bread per day: what would they eat if we increased bread price?
I think that the best solution for this problem would be informing people about what they eat, because sometimes we don’t even know that. They have already done something to inform people about the characteristics of food, of course, and lebels are one of the most important thing, as they tell you all the ingredients of a particular food. Yet, not many people spend some of their time reading lebels, or, if they do it, they probably don’t know the biggest part of the substances named in the list, as well not everybody knows that there is a specific order of the ingredients in the list. So something we could do is organizing some “talks” to inform people not only about the function of lebels, but especially about the big amount of sugar we eat everyday. I think as well that this talks should be organised also in schools, because also children must be aware of what they eat; besides, children can tell what they have learned by these “conferences” at their parents, so the whole family would eat better.
To sum it up, I think that it is not necessary to increase the prices of sugary food and that all we need is information, that will lead people to eat less sugary food and, as a consequence, live better with less problems.
Here is the examiner’s comment:
This is a good response to the question. It does not agree with the statement and presents a different solution to the problem.
There are four paragraphs, made up of an introduction, a conclusion and two further paragraphs explaining why the candidate disagrees with the statement and then giving an alternative solution. Ideas are logically organised, with a range of linking devices to make the response easier to read [Yet | as well | I think as well that | as a consequence], but there are some errors [This / these | also].
There are 386 words in this response, well over the expected 250 words. In this case, the increased wordcount results in a good range of vocabulary with some flexibility and collocation [informing people about what they eat | aware of what they eat despite some remaining errors [cavy / cavity | lebels / labels].
The response uses a variety of structures [what would they eat if we increased bread price?] despite some errors [by these “conferences” / at these “conferences” | less problems / fewer problems].
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7.0 score. Here is the examiner’s comment:
The answer is complex since there are a lot of choices in our life and all of them are different kinds. In some cases I would say that it is a good thing to have the ability to choose from a wide variety. Take for example gastronomy. Every single person has different meals on their list of favourites. Actually if you have a bigger family it is almost impossible to cook something that everyone would like. Therefore I would say that it is great that you can go to a shopping center and choose from a dozen different food types. I can always find something that looks delicious.
Naturally, there are some people who say that it is against evolution. They claim to say that back in the old days we had a perfect life when technically everybody was farming. I personally disagree with that. I am happy that I could choose a job that fits best to my abilities. I mean no one is the same, why would we want to do the same? Different kinds of universities give us the opportunity to beome who we are meant to be. We have the right to choose.
However there is one topic where, according to my opinion, we have too many choices. This specific area is television. There are hundreds of channels, therefore you can always find something that is worth watching. Literally you could sit in your sofa the whole day and watch films. I think that people doing less outdoor activities are the results of the many available channels. From this point of view I would agree that we have too many choices.
In conclusion I would say that we can’t generally talk about choices since they could be different. In some cases it is good to have many of them while in other areas they could have a negative effect.
The candidate explains why s/he both agrees and disagrees with the statement, meeting the requirements of ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?’ S/he singles out two areas of disagreement (food and jobs) and provides clear examples to support these opinions, then goes on to identify an area of agreement (TV channels), again providing support and then some development of the example. Organisation is logical and there is clear progression throughout the writing. There is a range of cohesive devices, used appropriately [Take for example | Actually | Therefore | Naturally | However | This specific area | From this point of view | In conclusion]. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to show some flexibility and precision, as well as less common items and an awareness of style and collocation [Complex | list of favourites | fits … my abilities | specific area | many available channels]. There is only one spelling error [beome], probably a slip of the pen. Control over grammar and punctuation is generally good and there is a variety of complex structures with frequent error-free sentences.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations.
Discuss both these views 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.
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7.0 score:
Some people believe that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations.
Based on my knowledge, some people choose to accept the fate that they have to undergo the bad situation as they believe that good things might come out of it. Their solution is simply to just go with the flow because they think that they will learn something new along the journey. For example, a student received a grade B for his Physics examination. However, he only needs one more mark to get an A. If a student requires to receive a mark percentage of 70% to get an A, this student got a 69% on his paper. As the teacher looked through the questions with the whole class, he notices that the teacher accidentally marked his correct answer to wrong. So, realistically, he should get an
A. However, he chooses to leave his grade as a B because he believes that his current grade will be a motivation for him to improve and work harder to get a better grade in the next examination.
Hence, this explains why some people chooses to accept the bad situation.
Besides that, it is also mentioned that others argue that is better to try and improve such situations. I believe the reason they act that way is because they feel a bit paranoid that the situation will become worse if they do not do so. For instance, a person had to undergo a shortage of money. Logically, they will feel a little paranoid that at one point, they might have to experience an empty pocket and had to live in the streets. Regarding that matter, they figured out a solution to improvise such situations by getting an extra or part-time job. This solution will help them to gain extra money to pay their daily expenses such as water and electricity bills. This means that their problems are solved and they are now worry-free.
In my honest opinion, I strongly suggest that one can choose to act in both situations according to situations. When facing a problem, think of the best solution to solve it. If the situation requires you to simply ignore it, then just do so. There is a no need in figuring out a way to improve those situations as it will take up your time and cause stress. However, if the situation requires you to take action quickly, by all means do so as you might not know what are the consequences if you ignore the problem.
In a conclusion, the main important thing when facing bad situations is to analyze the problem, then only you can react to them. Not all bad situations needs to be ignored and not all needs to be improved. Think wisely to get the best solution for all of your problems.
Here is the examiner’s comment:
The candidate has addressed all parts of the task and shows a clear position throughout the response. Ideas are presented, extended and supported. The response is logically organised and there is a clear progression throughout, with a range of cohesive devices [Based on | For example | However | Hence |
Besides that | Regarding that matter | This solution | This means that | In my honest opinion], with only occasional awkwardness or error [act in both situations according to situations | In a conclusion]. Each paragraph contains a clear, central topic. The range of vocabulary includes some less common items (fate I paranoid and shows examples of style and collocation [go with the flow | figured out a solution | problems are solved | my honest opinion]. Occasional errors do not prevent the message from coming through. There is a range of grammatical structures and these are usually accurate, although there are a few errors [some people chooses | might not know what are the consequences | Not all bad situations needs to be ignored]. The meaning is still clear, however.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Nowadays many people choose to be self-employed, rather than to work for a company or organisation.
Why might this be the case?
What could be the disadvantages of being self-employed?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7.5 score:
Most contemporary economies allow such a model of employment as being self-employed, which appears very tempting for many. However, still the vast majority of people opt for being employed in a company and not to set up their own business. This essay will attempt to look into the key factors as to why people may prefer entrepreneurship and major drawbacks to it.
To start with, in many modern societies, including Russian, entrepreneurship is greatly encouraged with lots of business seminars and workshops advertised. These may range from slightly fraudulent to genuinely educational and supportive, and generally any information on setting up a company is easily accessible for those who are willing. And willing they are, as being a business person, the image itself has a certain feel of luxury, respectability and success. People are being told that they have no limits and can easily become as wealthy as a Steve Jobs is they wish it.
This first reason is linked to the second, which is relevant for Russia and some other counties.
Bank loans are accessible too, and they are largely eagerly granted. If a future business person truly knows their business, it poses no threat. Nevertheless, easy access to setting up a company for someone inexperienced or insensible may cause a range of problems.
Apparently, the first issue that may perplex an unskilled entrepreneur is the necessity to be a jack of all trades (if the company is very small). Having taken the responsibilities of an accountant, PR or HR manager at the same time can be a burden and make the person wish they had never done it at all. If they hire other people to perform these tasks, they must pay more tax and provide their employees with decent working conditions. At the same time, business is usually a risky matter and in our competitive reality many of them go bankrupt. And last, but not least - self-employed people are the only people responsible for their own vacations, sick or maternity leaves or any job perks.
So, in a nutshell, being your own master has many downsides, that is why many people decide to play it safe.
Here is the examiner’s comment:
The candidate has produced a well-developed response to the task. Further ideas could be included, e.g. wanting to develop own ideas, wanting to work more flexibly than employment allows for. There is a clear progression throughout the response, with information and ideas organised logically. There is a range of cohesive devices [To start with | These | The first … the second | Apparently | last but not least] and each paragraph has a clear central topic. There is a wide range of vocabulary, including less common items and showing evidence of style and collocation [contemporary | tempting I vast majority | opt for | entrepreneurship | fraudulent I image | luxury | perplex | jack of all trades], with only rare examples of inaccuracy [insensible]. There is a variety of complex structures, used flexibly and accurately.
Grammar and punctuation are well controlled and there are frequent error-free sentences. A few errors persist [still the vast majority of people opt for (word order) | (the) major drawbacks] but the message is still clear.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task
Write about the following topic:
In some countries, owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people.
Why might this be the case?
Do you think this is a positive or negative situation?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7.0 score.
In some countries the ownership of peoples’ home is an important matter. In these countries it is very important to own your own home rather than renting it. It might be indifferent for some, but for these people it matter.
Why is that the case? you might wonder. I think it is because your home is supposed to be exactly what it sounds like, your home. As a human I think we long after having stuff to call our own, doesn’t matter what it is, but humans will always want to claim ownership. This is nothing new and it has been like this through human history, like colonies for example, which later once again became the same country as before lead by its own inhabitants. People will always want to be the one to decide what happens to them and when you rent your home you can’t even paint it without the owners permission.
If you as a person are renting an apartment there might be a lot of stressors in your life. A scratched wall can cause you a major headache, because the wall was not yours. The bedroom you are currently sleeping in might not be available as long as you hope, things happen in life and maybe the next landlord won’t want to have you as a tenant.
In other perspective, not owning your home could be a relief when it comes to your finance. As a renter you won’t have to pay mortgage, take loans or spend an awful lot of money on buying the property. You wouldn’t have to worry about the house market crashing or a natural disaster destroying your expensive home.
Bottom line, as a human I feel like we need to have a home and calling it your own can make that more special. I personally would rather own my house, because then whatever happens it is on me and no one else.
Here is the examiner’s comment:
The candidate clearly explains why home ownership may be of importance to some people. She or he also explores the positive and negative sides of owning your own home before putting forward his or her own opinion. The task is well addressed and ideas are explored in some depth. Organisation is clear, with good use of cohesive devices and paragraphing and the message is easy to follow. The range of vocabulary is appropriate, with examples of less common items [long after I for house / housing market] and good use of collocations [claim ownership | a major headache | pay mortgage | natural disaster | The bottom line]. There is a variety of complex sentence structures, with a high level of accuracy and only a minor error in punctuation [owners / owner’s].
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people say that advertising is extremely successful at persuading us to buy things. Other people think that advertising is so common that we no longer pay attention to it.
Discuss both these views 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.
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7.0 score.
Advertisement has always been a crucial part in the world of marketing. Throughout the decade, we have seen a significant increase in the amount of advertisements, whether it is on the media like television or widespread through social network platforms. The goal of advertisements is to get consumers to buy a targeted product, and while this method has been proven considerably successful generally, some people view it as too prevalent to catch the consumers attention any more.
Advertisements can act as a strong persuasion device to seemingly hypnotize people into buying goods and services. This is so because of the tactics placed in the messages, such as showing people having a good time together when using a particular product, using bandwagen, showing only the upsides of usage, and applying compare and contrast strategies to show the effects of using the product and make it stand out. Even if people do not know it, these messages are repeated several times and soon it may brainwash people to Finally go out and get the product. For instance, if a person is watching television and sees a certain advertisement of a snack many times, the repeated sight of the scrumptious food may result in that person feeling hungry and succumbing to the advertisement at last.
Nevertheless, there is another point of view in which the widespread of advertisements makes it a normal thing. After watching a dozen of advertisements people will see it as a mere every day routine and cease to pay attention to the message of the advertisement. Some people may even choose to turn off a television channel, for instance, only just to avoid seeing and hearing repetetive advertisements. After a certain frequency, they start to get bored and stop paying attention to ads. Hence, in the end, the main goal of advertisements is not complete since the people whom the messages are sent out to do not receive that message. A real life example can be seen from advertisements in a particular social media platform, Youtube. In the Youtube marketing mechanism, advertisements are place before and in between videos, hoping that the viewers would also be forced to watch the advertisements, too. However, this is not usually the case, since many people would just click “Skip Ad” and continue on.
In conclusion, advertisements can be successful in persuading people to purchase goods and services, or they can be unsuccessful in many ways. They are very commonly seen nowadays, but not all of them fulfill their purpose. Thus, advertisements must be designed and presented in the correct way to result in the highest effectiveness.
Here is the examiner’s comment:
This candidate has addressed all parts of the prompt and presents a clear position throughout the response. Main ideas are presented, extended and supported.
Ideas and information are presented logically and there is a clear progression throughout the answer. There is a range of cohesive devices [For instance | Nevertheless | Hence | A real life example | However | In conclusion | Thus], including reference and substitution [this method | this is so | these messages].
The range of vocabulary is wide enough to show some precise meanings and also shows less common items [prevalent | hypnotize | tactics | brainwash | succumbing] and collocations [significant increase | catch the consumers’ attention | having a good time together | compare and contrast strategies]. There are only occasional spelling errors [bandwagen / bandwagon | repetetive / repetitive]. There is a variety of complex structures and the writer shows good control over grammar and punctuation.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
In a number of countries, some people think it is necessary to spend large sums of money on constructing new railway lines for very fast trains between cities. Others believe the money should be spent on improving existing public transport.
Discuss both these views 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.
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 7.5 score. Here is the examiner’s comment:
For many people around the world, the preferred method of transportation is high-speed rail. Communters travelling to and from work rely on the safety and efficiency, whill tourists appreciate the convenience and novelty that trains provide. Others believe that highways, busses and regular trains should be improved before news, high-speed lines are
added.
Safety is cheif among concerns for those who traved to work or school on a regular basis. If one drives a car, they have to concentrate on the road not only to avoid accidents but also to prevent other drivers from causing a problem on the road. High-speed rail allows the communter to leave the driving to the professional controlling the train, allowing them to get some work done while getting to work safely.
In addition, people tend to move further and further away from city centres, where land and houses are more affordable. High-speed rail allows these commuters to travel greater distances in a shorter ammount of time. There is a flow-on effect here, because if we can reduce the number of cars on the road, we can also cut down on traffic jams and road delays.
On the other hand, high-speed trains are expensive, and some believe this money could be spend on repairing motorways which are used by cars, busses and motorcycles.
Another possibility would be to use this money to build more regular communter trains and busses to service the ever-expanding urban populations. Moreover, boats and ferries could benefit from a budget which focuses more on existing forms of transport.
In the end, public transport is an issue which affects us all. The taxes which we pay should be spent on the type of transport which will have the most benefit to all citizens. In addition, we need to take into account how much the environment is damaged by fossil fuels and pollution. therefore, I believe in order to move forward, we need to embrace the idea of high-speed rail so that future generations can continue to live safely and efficiently.
This is a good response which would achieve an even higher score if there was more focus on large sums of money and on between cities. The writing is well organised and there is a clear progression throughout, although the use of some cohesive devices could be more flexible. There is a wide range of vocabulary, used appropriately and naturally, [preferred method of transportation | leave the driving to the professional \ more affordable | ever-expanding urban populations embrace the idea of, but some spelling errors are noted [Communters whill | cheif ammount busses]. There is a wide range of structures and again, these are used flexibly, however there are occasional errors in punctuation.
