SUMMIT 2

INTERMEDIATE 9
1ST WRITING TASK
PAGE 12

WRITING: A BIOGRAPHY OF A LIVING PERSON YOU ADMIRE

(150-200 words)

Keanu Reeves is a Canadian actor, producer, director and musician who is

well-known for movies such as Speed, The Matrix and Constantine. He
was born on September 2, 1964.

DO include
Coordinating
conjunctions.

DO include
Subordinating
conjunctions.

Keanu was not a great student at school, so he dropped out of school before
graduating. He was a great ice hockey player during his youth, but a terrible
injury made him change his mind and consider his other passion, acting, as
his future way of living. Unfortunately, his life has not been a bed of roses
since he has had to face several difficult experiences. Keanus father
abandoned his family when he was a three-year-old child, after this
appalling event, he had different stepfathers and moved around the world.
In 1999, he was expecting a baby with his girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, who
gave birth to a stillborn daughter, and to top it all, Syme died in a tragic car
accident in 2000.
Even though he is a wealthy man, he does not own mansions or luxury
automobiles. Instead, he has preferred to live in rental houses and hotels.
He is a regular commuter; therefore, it is not unusual to observe him having
a talk with his fans on buses.

First paragraph
should
introduce the
person you
admire in a
general way.

DO include
relevant
information

DO organize it
in a clear and
logical way.

Despite the different challenges he has tackled during his life, he has been
able to stand out in the extremely stiff world of acting and show business
due to his outstanding work as an actor performing great roles, specially, as
Neo, in the acclaimed science-fiction trilogy The Matrix.
Additionally, he is a munificent person; he donates and supports several
charities, and has set up a cancer charity as well.
Keanu Reeves is a modest, hard-working and valiant man whom everybody
should look up to.

DO end with a
final
concluding
idea.

SUMMIT 2
INTERMEDIATE 9
2ND WRITING TASK
PAGE 24

WRITING: AN EXPERIENCE THAT TAUGHT YOU A LESSON

(150-200 words)

DO include
adjective
clauses

DO organize it
in a clear and
logical way.

DO include
relevant
information

I was an outstanding student at university; unfortunately there was a course

about which people were really worried. It was statistics.
After failing exams, I was desperate since I needed sixteen to pass; luckily,
all was not lost, the professor, who was compassionate, gave students a last
chance, which was the presentation of a project. So, I asked Marco, who
was my best friend, for help. He had decided to present the project,
because he desired to obtain extra points and increase his grade.
It was Sunday and helped me out with my project, but he could not go to
university the following day, so he asked me to do him a favor, which was
to hand in his project. When I was going to my class I was checking his
project, which was much better than mine, and I totally understood I was
not going to get a grade as good as his. Because of this, I decided to erase
his name from his project and present it as it was mine. I did it, also
because the professor said that he was not going to return us the projects.
However, the professor decided to give back the projects, and when my
friend noticed that his work was mine, he immediately told the professor
about it, and I had to take the blame.
After this, I learned that I shouldnt cheat to obtain a benefit, even though
I am in a difficult position.

DO introduce
the topic in a
general way in
the first
paragraph.

DO include
vocabulary
learnt in this
UNIT

DO end with a
final
concluding
idea.

SUMMIT 2
INTERMEDIATE 10
1ST WRITING TASK
PAGE 36

WRITING: A FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE

(150-200 words)

DO include an
introduction
sentence

It was during my senior year at high school when I was about to die.
It was my school kermesse where I was having the time of my life with
my friends, playing some fair games and mocking around at each
other.
I cannot say that the food was the best representative of our Peruvian
cuisine and we did not particularly enjoy the food taste. After this
unpleasant experience, we made up our minds about eating in a
restaurant we usually went.
At 3:00 p.m. approximately, we decided to return because there was
going to be a concert at 5. We had to cross Brazil Avenue in order to
get to school. Unfortunately, while crossing I had not paid attention to
the traffic lights, which were in red. While I was crossing my friends
screamed, Victor! and I turned my head to the left and before I
could react, out of the blue a van appeared and hit me. Due to the
impact, I was launched some meters in the air. Miraculously, I was not
hurt, only one little part of my jeans were torn.
I stood up and wanted to head school, but before leaving, a police
officer approached me about accompanying him to the police station,
but I was not willing to do it and opted to run away.

Be concise and clear

I never mentioned this frightening experience to my parents, but now

I am more cautious when crossing avenues and streets.

DO include
Adverbial
Clauses and
Phrases

DO include
relevant
information

SUMMIT 2
INTERMEDIATE 10
2ND WRITING TASK
PAGE 48

WRITING: A FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE

(150-200 words)

DO include
vocabulary
learnt in this
UNIT

Something a lot of people have a great difficulty, which is bad

temper. Usually, they lose their temper out of the blue or what is
worse, they take it out on someone, but we need to remember that
there are many ways to tackle this problem, two of them are to let
off steam and hold it back.

DO include
transitional
topic
sentences

However, it is complicated for a lot of people to get rid of anger

easily; nevertheless, they can find a way to do it by practicing sports,
such as martial arts, ball games, running or working out. This will
permit a bad-tempered person eradicate or at least diminish the bad
attitude they have that cause them explode with rage, creating an
uncomfortable environment at home, at college or at work.

DO organize it
in a clear and
logical way.

In addition to the ideas presented above, another action badtempered people might do is to take a deep breath and relax, this
will permit them to process the information, analyze it and reach a
conclusion about what to do about it. Therefore, they will not
manifest their typically bad reaction or even overreact to things.

DO include
relevant
information

In conclusion, there are physical and mental ways to deal with badtemper. We only need to give them a try and be confident that we
can make it.

DO introduce
the topic in a
general way in
the first
paragraph.

DO include
vocabulary
learnt in this
UNIT
DO end with a
final
concluding
idea.

SUMMIT 2
ADVANCED 1
1ST WRITING TASK
PAGE 72
WRITING: COMPARE AND CONTRAST TWO CITIES
(220-260 words)
1stpart:
Do introduce
the topic to
the reader.

2nd part:
Do
emphasize
the
similarities

3rd part:
Do
emphasize
the
differences

4th part:
Do develop
your
conclusion

Both Washington DC and London are capital cities of English-speaking countries, and yet
they offer vastly different experiences to their visitors. Comparing and contrasting the
two cities based on their history, their culture and their residents, show how similar and
different the two are.
Like Washington DC, London offers a varied selection of museums that harbor many of
the worlds most valued treasures. While Washington DC has the National Gallery of Art
and several other Smithsonian galleries, Londons art scene and galleries have a definite
edge in this category. From the Tate Modern to the British National Gallery, Londons art
ranks among the worlds best.
With regard to places for entertainment like restaurants, pubs, and bars, both cities
have a wide selection of expensive and elegant restaurants, as well as a similar amount
of global and national chains. However, while London may be better known for its pubs
and taste in beer, DC offers a different bar-going experience with clubs and pubs that
tend to stay open, later than their British counterparts.
Economically and culturally speaking, not only Washington DC but also London, continue
to hold significant influence in both global spheres.
On the other hand, there are many differences between the two. To begin with, both
cities developed on very different time lines. First, while London has a history that dates
back over two thousand years, Washington DC, on the contrary, has only formally
existed since the late eighteenth century. Hence, when comparing Britains historical
depth to that of the United States, London has a much richer past as opposed to
Washington DC. Second, even though both cities share a very expensive cost of living
both in terms of housing and shopping, a downtown one-bedroom apartment in DC can
easily cost $1,800 per month, while a similar flat in London may double that amount.
After comparing and contrasting both cities, we can conclude that even though
Washington DC and London are major capital cities of English-speaking countries in the
Western world, I would choose to live in Washington DC based on the fact that the cost
of living is not as expensive as in London and it offers a more up-to-date lifestyle.

Adapted from: http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/2403?e=fresh-ch15_s08

DO
organize it
in a clear
and logical
way.

Do use
connectors
to link your
ideas.

Do provide
clear
examples

SUMMIT 2
ADVANCED 1
2ND WRITING TASK
PAGE 84

WRITING: DESCRIBE YOUR WEAKNESSES

(200-260 words)
st

1 paragraph:
Do state the
weakness and
summarize its
effects on your
life.
nd

2 paragraph:
D explain the
weakness and
its effects with
examples.

3rd paragraph:
Do describe a
way you
might
overcome the
weakness.

My greatest weakness is expressing my ideas clearly when I speak.

Therefore, when I interact with my partners, they dont know how to
respond appropriately. Moreover, my teacher feels concerned about my
oral production which at the end, affects my final grade.
When I start speaking, I cant think of any ideas or they may come all at
once. On the other hand, even if I have interesting ideas, I dont know how
to express what I have in mind. For example, I lose track of where I am at, I
become anxious or even start stuttering. As a consequence, I need to start
all over. Because of this problem, I get frustrated as I feel I am unable to
communicate.
I have been struggling to overcome this weakness so I have spoken with
some friends about it. One suggested that I work on my self-confidence in
order to speak more smoothly so that both me and those to whom I am
speaking, tuned in and focused. Another suggested that I take some time
to organize my thoughts which will allow those listening to me to remain
on the same level since people enjoy order and clarity. In this way, my
listeners can understand exactly what I say and what I mean. Another
important suggestion was to narrow the subject to key points without
overloading my listener with unnecessary information. I will take these
suggestions into account and put them into practice for my next discussion
which to be held next month.

Do use
transitions to
connect ideas
between
sentences or
paragraphs.

Do use
subordinating
conjunctions to
connect ideas
within a
sentence.

SUMMIT 2
ADVANCED 2
1ST WRITING TASK
PAGE 96

WRITING: WRITE A FUNNY STORY THAT INCLUDES A DIALOGUE

(220-260 words)

Do put the
speaker
before or
after the
reporting
verb when it
comes after a
quotation.

It all started when an elderly gentleman had had bad hearing problems for a
number of years hearing voices as mumbled or slurred. Therefore, one day he
decided to go to the doctor.

Do use
reporting
verbs such as:
say, reply,
add, claim,
announce,
answer,
assert,
express, etc.

The doctor said, Dont worry, the solution is easy. Ill have you fitted for a set of
hearing aids that will allow you to hear 100%. A tinnitus, which is designed to
deliver relief from ringing in the ears and a Receiver-in-Canal, which is small,
discreet and quick to fit. Its the most common hearing aid and perfect for firsttime wearers.

When writing
indirect
speech, dont
use a comma
after
the
reporting
verb.

My problem is serious and I cant go on like this. Certain sounds seem too loud, I
have difficulty following conversations when two or more people are talking, I
have difficulty hearing in noisy areas and problems hearing when there is
background noise. Sometimes I feel off-balance and dizzy, I feel pressure in the ear
or a buzzing sound in the ears. Can you help me?, said the man.

Thank you doctor, the old gentleman replied, Ill be glad to try them,
After a month the elderly man went back to the doctor and the doctor said, "Your
hearing is perfect now. Your family must be really pleased you can hear again."
To which the gentleman said, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around
and listen in on their conversations. He claimed that so far he has changed his will
three times!!
After reflecting on this, the doctor wondered if at the end, anything good came
out of it.

Adapted from: http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/3441539/an-elderly-gentleman-hadserious-hearing-problems-for-a-number-of-years-

Do put a comma
after the
reporting verb
when it comes
before a
quotation.

When the
reporting verb
comes within a
quotation, do
put quotation
marks around
each part of the
quotation

SUMMIT 2
ADVANCED 2
1ST WRITING TASK
PAGE 96

WRITING: TECHNOLOGY IN THE FUTURE

(220-260 words)
First controlling
idea.

1stpart:
Do introduce
the topic to the
reader.

Scientists and futurists have been trying for decades to predict the future of our
society. They argue that in the near future technological advances that relate to
nano-scale devices will be implemented throughout the world. On the other
hand, many believe that the possibility of artificial intelligence has been brought
to light in such a way as to excite many into believing that it will be phenomenal.

2nd paragraph:
Do develop the
first controlling
idea

Nano-bots are being considered for their ability to carry out tasks that have been
pre-programmed in an automated fashion with no awareness on the hosts
behalf. Nano-devices could be used as controllable extensions of the human body
which would give health professionals the ability to monitor and treat people in a
better way. These plans will of course need a few more years of development and
testing assuming that this technology is indeed possible and that it can be
controlled to produce desired results. If this is the case, then humanity seems to
be facing a very bright future.

3rd paragraph:
Do develop the
second
controlling idea

rd

3 paragraph:
Do write the
conclusion.

In the other side, the possibility of artificial intelligence makes us look toward the
future with much excitement. Artificial intelligence could help scientists to
develop new and exciting breakthroughs. Of course neuroscientists will need the
ability to unlock all the mysteries and secrets of the human brain and make it
capable of receiving manipulated abilities.
Technology, probably unpredictable for scientists and futurists, is seen often as a
consequence of science and engineering. It is the fastest growing and advancing
thing in our economy today and how this may affect the future of our society
remains to be seen.

Adapted from: https://vulcanis.wordpress.com/tag/singluarity/

Do include a
thesis statement
so the reader
know what to
expect with two
controlling ideas.

Second
controlling
idea.

Do provide
examples and
facts to support
your ideas.

Do restate what
you have said
previously.
Do not include
extra details.