Write your answer in 220–260 words in an appropriate style.

You have listened to

a discussion on how people in richer countries can be made more aware of
poverty in other parts of the world. You have made the notes below:
Ways of raising awareness of poverty as a global issue.
• education
• campaigns by charities
• increased media coverage
Write an essay for your tutor discussing two of the approaches in your notes. You
should explain which approach you think would be more effective, giving reasons
to support your opinion.
There exists today an ever-widening wealth gap between different parts of the
world, with an increasing number of people living in extreme poverty. Urgent
measures are needed, and the first step must surely be to raise awareness in
richer countries of just how desperate the situation is. To achieve this, there
would appear to be two possible approaches.
Firstly, the media could cover world poverty much more frequently and in far
greater depth. Currently, television rarely focuses on this human tragedy, despite
the awful conditions in which hundreds of millions of people spend their entire
lives. Regular in-depth reports, however, would surely bring it home to viewers
that this appalling situation never goes away, leading to greater pressure on
governments to take steps such as increasing overseas aid.
Schools could also have an important role to play. Although it is essential that
pupils are taught about the social problems of their own country, attention should
also be paid to the difficulties of those, especially children, in poorer nations.
Students need to learn why such terrible living conditions exist, both by studying
the history of those countries and by looking at the political, economic and social
factors that make poverty so difficult to eliminate.
Nevertheless, relying on the education system would take many years to bring
results, whereas change is needed right now. It should also involve the whole
population, not just young people. Only the media can have this immediate
impact, and nowadays it is only the media that almost everyone pays attention to.
Write your answer in 220–260 words in an appropriate style. Your class has been
watching a TV documentary about the impact of advertising on society.
Write an essay for your tutor discussing the effects on two of the areas in your
notes. You should explain which area you think is affected more and provide
reasons to support your opinion. You may, if you wish, make use of the opinions
expressed in the discussion, but you should use your own words as far as possible.
Advertising is the business of trying to persuade people to buy products or
services, and it has increasingly profound and wide-ranging effects on present-day
society. The effects on consumer preferences and on the economy in general are
particularly significant.
It is difficult to evaluate the influence of advertising campaigns on consumer
choice, but it must be substantial or companies would not spend so much on
them. Firstly, they inform people about new products, special offers and so forth.
In addition, they increase demand by showing brands being used by people like
you – or by people you want to be like. This may, however, indicate that
consumers are being sold unnecessary items. Secondly, some advertising works
subconsciously, so people don’t even know why they are choosing particular
brands.
Advertising is a major industry. Besides employing thousands of people itself, it
stimulates demand for products which in turn leads to higher production and
more jobs. What is more, the revenues it generates help support newspapers,
television channels and even top football clubs. Advertising, though, is expensive,
and ultimately the cost is passed on to the consumer. Also, the large salaries it
pays attract some of the country’s brightest and most creative young people, who
could otherwise be employed in more productive or socially useful sectors.
My own view is that the biggest effect of advertising is on the economy, as it
creates employment both directly and indirectly. Its influence on what people
choose, conversely, may have been exaggerated, especially as nowadays more
objective sources of information about products are available online.
Your company has a number of vacancies for students who wish to do two weeks’
work experience during the next summer term. You have been asked by your
manager to write a letter to a local college. Your letter should explain:
• what your company does
• what kind of work the students would do
• how they would benefit from working for the company.
Write your letter.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to inform you that this hotel will be able to offer work experience to
twelve students aged 16 to 18 during the summer term. Placements will last a
fortnight and no wages will be paid.
The hotel employs over 100 full-time staff, the majority of whom live in the local
community. In addition to providing luxury accommodation, we serve high quality
meals in our restaurant and café, and offer extensive leisure facilities including a
gymnasium, swimming pool and sauna.
Placements will involve working with reception staff, housekeepers, maintenance
workers and porters, kitchen staff and waiters, fitness instructors and lifeguards.
Young people will be expected to carry out the same tasks as permanent
employees, but suitable training will be given. They will receive health and safety
instruction when their placement commences, and will be supervised at all times.
They will also be assessed throughout and receive constructive advice from their
supervisors.
On successful completion of their placement, students will be awarded a Work
Experience Certificate and a detailed description of the work they have done,
both of which will be useful additions to their CV. Moreover, their placement will
introduce them to the world of work, possibly giving them ideas for careers and
enabling them to make contacts for future networking. What will benefit them
most, however, is the opportunity to develop their employability skills, regarded
by many employers as essential for those seeking their first job.
I would be most grateful if you could pass this information on to your students.
Yours faithfully,
Montserrat Oriol

Write your answer in 220–260 words in an appropriate style. You have watched a
discussion on factors that help determine an individual’s personality.
Influences that determine personality:
• genetics
• family life
• society in general
Write an essay for your tutor discussing two of the factors in your notes. You
should explain which factor you think is more important in determining
personality, giving reasons to support your opinion. You may, if you wish, make
use of the opinions expressed in the discussion, but you should use your own
words as far as possible
The so-called nature versus nurture debate is one of the most divisive in
Psychology. On the one hand, some maintain that our personality and
consequently our behaviour are the result of inherited characteristics, while
others believe we are entirely the product of society.
According to the latter, the human mind at birth is a complete blank which later
develops certain traits as a result of life’s experiences. Of particular importance is
the school environment, where the child’s way of interacting, their response to
rules and how they are treated by others all help shape their character. Society’s
values also play a significant part. For instance, certain cultures encourage
individuals to cooperate, whereas in others the emphasis is on competition.
In contrast, some scientists claim that our DNA not only determines attributes like
our height or life expectancy, it also affects traits such as how open, extrovert or
conscientious we are. They believe we are born destined to grow into a certain
kind of person with certain abilities, no matter what our environment. Others on
the ‘nature’ side of the argument include Freud, who believed humans to be
innately aggressive, and Chomsky, who stated we are born with a set of innate
rules for learning language.
My own view is that we may have inborn characteristics and abilities, but their
modification by our environment is an even more powerful force. Siblings,
however similar their DNA, often have completely different personalities. And
recent research indicates that having a good sense of humour is learned from
those around us, not determined genetically.

Six months ago, your company started to sponsor a local sports club and your
manager has asked you to write a progress report.
Your report should explain why your company chose to sponsor that sports club,
describe the form that the sponsorship takes, and suggest with reasons why it
should or should not continue.
Write your report

Report on sponsorship of youth football team

Introduction The purpose of this report is to assess the company’s sponsorship of
the local youth football team.
Reasons for sponsorship The company received negative publicity when a
chemical leakage from the factory polluted the river. It was therefore decided
that efforts should be made to improve the company’s image locally. The town’s
youth football team was chosen as it was struggling financially. It was felt that
helping the club would provide very positive publicity for the company.
Details of sponsorship The company offered to meet the football club’s expenses
in full, initially for two years. Sponsorship covers the cost of hiring the council-
owned football pitch that the club uses. Previously the club could only afford to
hire the pitch for three hours once a week; the company has doubled this to two
three hour sessions each week.
The company has also agreed to pay for a new football kit for club members,
which should be available before the start of the next football season.
Recommendation Some letters in local newspapers suggest that the company’s
motives for sponsoring the team were suspect. However, this is outweighed by a
considerable amount of positive publicity, as the youth football club is very
popular in the town and its financial struggles were a cause of concern. For this
reason, and because the sponsorship has raised the company’s profile and greatly
improved its image locally, I strongly recommend that we continue.

You are studying at a university in the UK and see this notice on the website of
the town council.
Write your proposal.
The town council is concerned that there are very few opportunities for foreign
university students in the town to meet local residents. It has allocated a sum of
money to be spent on improving contact.
The council invites anyone interested to send a proposal outlining problems with
the present situation and suggesting how it could be improved. The council will
consider all proposals before making a decision.

Improving contact between local residents and foreign students

Background
Since the foundation of the university five years ago, the number of foreign
students has been growing year on year. There are now in the region of 500.
Many live on campus, but a large number live in the town, mostly in rented
accommodation which they tend to share with other foreign students.
Present situation
Within the university, students from all countries seem to be fully integrated. In
the town, however, there is little social contact between foreign students and
local residents.
Recommendation
My proposal is to run a course of cookery lessons, one evening a week
throughout the academic year, with students from various countries, as well as
local people, giving instruction in how to prepare dishes from their country or
region.
Food is a shared interest of most people, and there is evidence that such classes
create a friendly, sociable atmosphere. I suggest that each week, a group of
people from a particular country are responsible for teaching and for helping the
participants. This would increase the opportunities for interaction, compared with
having only one trainer. The course should be held in a suitable venue that is
accessible for both local people and students living on campus, such as the
domestic science room in the secondary school.
Support for proposal
I have discussed my proposal with a number of foreign students, and most of
them are very enthusiastic about it as a way of broadening knowledge of their
own culture, and of meeting local people.

You see the announcement below in a local magazine called Eating out.
Improving the eating out experience
We have numerous restaurants in this area, so it can be hard for people to decide
where to eat. That’s why we want to publish reviews of restaurants. We’re
particularly interested in why you had certain expectations of a restaurant, and
whether your experience in the restaurant was better – or worse – than you had
expected.
Send us your review of a restaurant where you’ve eaten, explain what your
expectations were, and give your reasons for your opinions.
Review of ‘Lanterns’
‘Lanterns’ is the most expensive restaurant in this area and its advertising stresses
its upmarket characteristics, with photos of well-dressed guests, candles and linen
napkins on the tables, for instance. You can hardly blame me for expecting
everything to be first class: the venue itself, the food and of course the service.
I took my parents to ‘Lanterns’ to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary,
intending it to be not just a meal, but a special occasion that we would all look
back on with pleasure for years to come.
Unfortunately, our evening was nothing of the sort. Admittedly the atmosphere of
the restaurant seemed very welcoming when we arrived, as was the waiter who
greeted us, but we stood waiting for several minutes before being shown to our
table. And ‘waiting’ was the keynote of the evening: a long pause before we were
given menus, and a long enough wait for each course to make us think somebody
had been sent out to buy the ingredients.
The food itself was pleasant enough, but bland. I know not everyone wants salt in
their food, but some pepper, herbs or spices wouldn’t have gone amiss.
As I paid the extremely large bill, the waiter asked if we’d enjoyed the evening. I
said the service had been slow, expecting an apology. Instead he tried to justify it,
saying that most guests are not in a rush. Well, neither were we, but we still felt
we’d been forced to stay considerably longer than we wanted to. ‘Lanterns’
certainly won’t be seeing me again.