1.

Some people think that in order to prevent illness and disease, governments should make efforts in reducing environmental pollutions and

housing problems. To what extent do you agree to disagree with this statement?

Band 8.0 Sample Essay

In recent years, the outbreak of rare and new diseases has been preying on the minds of millions of people in the world. Some
suggest that the only way to win the battle against illness and disease is to improve the environmental conditions and solve housing
problems. As far as I am concerned, I am on the same wavelength with them on this matter.

It is no exaggeration to say that today the environmental pollution has reached its peak and its effects on human, animals and
vegetation alike can be grave and irreparable. With each passing minute, hundreds of lives are claimed in the world and their
reasons of death are from people’s daily activities – those related to the degradation of the environment. For instance, farmers
today are no stranger to the practice of overdosing the farmlands with pesticides and insecticides. Besides, countless factories are
poisoning the water with toxic refuse and environmentally unfriendly chemicals. Apparently, if efforts are made in stopping these
activities, many people would be saved from unnecessary diseases.

In addition to this, I feel that in order to combat disease, housing problems should be properly addressed; especially in
metropolitan areas where accommodation is scarce and people are plentiful. Homeless people who are forced to live in the gutter or
in small sewage-ridden, iron sheds on the streets are carrying diseases that are highly infectious. For this reason, they should be
provided with sanitary places where they can live so as not to affect the lives of other people.

To conclude, it is my belief that most modern plagues can be prevented if the governments are willing to take the bull by the horns,
to introduce and enforce appropriate measures in handling this situation. I hope that future generation enjoy lives with no disease.

Useful expressions:

 The outbreak of diseases: The time when diseases begin to spread

 I am on the same wavelength with something: I agree with it
 Reach the peak: become severe
 Vegetation (n.) plants in general
 Toxic refuse: toxic chemicals
 Infectious diseases: contagious diseases
 To overdose: To abuse
 Plague (n.) any serious disease.
 To take the bull by the horn: face with problems.
 Enforce (v.) make it happen

2. The consumption of the world’s resources (oil, and water etc.) is increasing at a dangerous rate. What are causes and solutions?

Recently, the rapid consumption of the world’s resources such as oil, fresh water or mineral deposits has inflicted detrimental
effects on both human kind and other species. In this essay, some causes and solutions to this issue will be cited.

There are a variety of forces that drive this issue. First of all, the populations in many countries, especially the developing ones have
risen tremendously, which speeds up industrialisation to meet the growing demands of the rising number of people. This is clearly
reflected in China where hundreds of factories are established and put into operation on a daily basis to accommodate more than
1.3 billion residents. Second of all, the combination of low awareness of the citizens and lax regulations from the government has
contributed to the exhaustion of natural resources in many areas. For example, in the middle highland of Vietnam which used to
lush with countless species of trees, the forest has now been bare due to these two reasons.

Although this is a thorny issue, it can be dealt with by some methods. The first one is imposing population control. It is my opinion
that this should be considered temporary as in the long run, it can create aging population and poor quality labour force. The
second solution is raising the awareness of citizens about the importance of preserving and protecting the world’s resources. This
can be done by organizing educational programs or school activities. The third is seeking alternative sources of energy. Although
this can be risky and incur high costs, it can bring many promising results. In addition, the government can pass and enforce
stricter laws, along with impose higher taxes on businesses which operate on the use of resources, however, it can stagnate the
economy.

All things considered, the excessive use of resources is caused by many factors and it can be bridled by the aforementioned
methods.

Useful expressions:
There are a variety of forces that drive this issue: There are many reasons for this.

Speed up (v.) make something happen faster.

Lax regulations: regulations that not many people follow because they are not strict.

The exhaustion of natural resources: The fact that natural resources become rarer.

Bare (adj.) not covered by anything

To put something into operation: to run it.

To lush with countless species of trees: to be full of trees.

A thorny issue: a complicated issue.

To incur high costs: to be expensive.

To stagnate the economy: make the economy worse

3. Too much emphasis is placed on going university for academic education. People should be encouraged to do vocational training, because

there is a lack of qualified trades people such as electricians or plumbers. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

By most people, vocational training is considered a dishonourable escape route for those who are not smart enough to attend
colleges. Now that the scarcity of qualified craftsmen, such as construction workers, electricians or locksmiths is getting more acute,
some have suggested that more people should be encouraged to undergo vocational training. From my point of view, I cast no doubt
on the veracity of this statement.

There are multiple benefits that can be derived from attending trade schools, instead of universities. In the first place, programs of
vocational schools are often shorter. More specifically, while college students have to commit to at least 3 years of full-time study, it
takes only 1 or 2 years for students to receive certain specialised certifications. In addition, the principal focus of vocational
programs is on providing hands-on experience to students and there is no need for them to study subjects that are not relevant to
their choice of subject. The prime example for this is Vietnamese college students, regardless of what majors they pursue, are
obliged to study concepts of the communist party while students of trade schools do not have to. For this reason, their employability
is significantly enhanced.

Despite such advantages, many are still skeptical about taking vocational training as it does not offer much flexibility. I
acknowledge that the career choices are much more limited for vocational students and that there is little chance for them to change
their career if they desire to. However, if students receive proper career orientation program before embarking on their learning,
few wrong decisions will be made.

All things considered, I am inclined to restate that vocational training should no longer be kept on the periphery of the educational
system and that it should be encouraged among students of all levels of education.

Useful words and expressions:

I cast no doubt on…: I firmly believe in…

Derive benefit from: take the benefit from

Vocational school: school that provides you with skill necessary for a job.

Prime example: classical example

Employability is enhanced: The chance of getting employed is increased

Keep something on the periphery: consider it to be unimportant.

4. It is impossible to help all people in the world, so governments should only focus on people in their own
countries. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
A. The role of one government to support citizens of other countries has been a major topic of concern in today’s society. From my
perspective, this practice is feasible and there are compelling reasons why governments should help people in the global
community rather than only focusing on the citizens of their own countries.

In this context of globalisation and international integration, the provision of assistance for peoples of all countries in the
world is not an impossible task anymore. One explanation for this is that modern means of transport have transformed the
way that international assistance could be given, and now assistance could reach even the most remote places on Earth. For
example, thousands of victims of a deadly earthquake in a mountainous city in Nepal were rescued by US and German military
helicopters in 2014. One further explanation is that thanks to international banking, the international community could offer a
helping hand to any country where the financial system is on the verge of collapse. An excellent example of this is that the
saving money of millions of taxpayers and pensioners in Greece was saved by a timely act of the European Commission of
injecting a huge amount of bailout money into Greek banks in 2009.

I strongly believe any government must assume the responsibility of helping citizens in other countries. This is mainly because
assisting inhabitants in other countries, to some extent, is synonymous to assisting people in the home country. In 2014, hundreds
of US and UK doctors and nurses were sent to African countries to cope with the outbreak of Ebola, a dreadful plague, which had
killed many thousands by that time. This action prevented the plague from further spreading to other nations, including the US and
the UK themselves, considering that there was a free movement of people between countries and there were millions of African
migrant workers in the US and the UK at that time. In addition, the act of supporting people all around the world may promote
a sense of humanity, which is essential to the sustainable development of the world, because humanity is the foundation of
peace and stability.

To conclude, governments must provide assistance for citizens of other countries for a clear reason that this feasible act could
simultaneously enhance a global sense of humanity and assure their own nationals of a proper living environment.

B. Some people believe that we should not help people in other countries as long as there are problems in our own society. I
disagree with this view because I believe that we should try to help as many people as possible.

On the one hand, I accept that it is important to help our neighbours and fellow citizens. In most communities there are people who
are impoverished or disadvantaged in some way. It is possible to find homeless people, for example, in even the wealthiest of cities,
and for those who are concerned about this problem, there are usually opportunities to volunteer time or give money to support
these people. In the UK, people can help in a variety of ways, from donating clothing to serving free food in a soup kitchen. As the
problems are on our doorstep, and there are obvious ways to help, I can understand why some people feel that we should prioritise
local charity.

At the same time, I believe that we have an obligation to help those who live beyond our national borders. In some countries the
problems that people face are much more serious than those in our own communities, and it is often even easier to help. For
example, when children are dying from curable diseases in African countries, governments and individuals in richer countries can
save lives simply by paying for vaccines that already exist. A small donation to an international charity might have a much greater
impact than helping in our local area.

In conclusion, it is true that we cannot help everyone, but in my opinion national boundaries should not stop us from helping those
who are in need.

(280 words, band 9 written by Simon)

5. Nowadays the differences between countries are becoming less evident because we see the same TV
shows, advertisements, fashion and follow the same brands. To what extent the advantages of this trend
outweigh its disadvantages?

A. We are now living in a global village where geographical barriers have become insignificant. All over the world, people wear the
same kind of clothes, eat the same foods and watch the same films. In my opinion, this trend has made life easier for us all.

There are several benefits to following global fashion trends. It makes traveling easier. For example, now Indians and Americans or
Europeans have more or less the same tastes in fashion, food and music. As a result, young Indian professionals can travel to the US
or Europe and still feel at home there. The biggest advantage of following a global lifestyle is that it eliminates culture shock when
you travel to other countries. It also protects you from discrimination. When you wear the same kind of clothes or eat the same kind
of foods as everyone else, you will not stand out. This will actually protect you from various forms of discrimination that you might
experience when you are in a foreign country. An Indian woman living in the US will be at a disadvantage if she insists on wearing
only traditional Indian clothes and eating only vegetarian foods. This will limit the choices she has, but if she is willing to follow the
culture of the country she lives in, life will be easier for her.

The only disadvantage of this trend is the loss of ethnicity. Every nation has its traditional styles of fashion and clothing. When
everyone wears the same kind of clothes, this cultural legacy gets lost.

To conclude, the benefits of following global trends in lifestyle and fashion are many. It makes life easier for the globetrotting
youngsters. There are, nonetheless, a few disadvantages, but there is an easy way to get around them. People who are proud of their
ethnic fashion and lifestyle can follow it when they are in their own country.
B. Globalisation has allowed people to adopt a homogeneous culture in terms of entertainment, fashion and other areas as such.
However there are some people who believe such uniformity isn’t very beneficial. This essay shall discuss further both the sides of
this phenomenon.

Having the same kind of preferences helps people get around the world very easily. If we watch TV shows or adverts of a certain
country we get familiar with a summary of its culture, thereby making it easier for us to blend in there. The more we get to know
about each other, the more can the differences between countries be eliminated making the world a huge harmonious community.
We are no longer restricted to brands of our own country but are exposed to international products and services. Following a global
fashion trend shall make you feel and act more naturally with the people anywhere in the world without being too obvious.

The people who do not support such a development are the ones who feel a country’s own ethnicity will be lost if the people try to
adopt the prevailing global culture a little more than required. Watching TV shows or movies from a foreign country may influence
and alter the mannerisms of the people of the home country. Some cultures are very rigid when it comes to clothing and the
acceptance of universal fashion trends therefore will not be received well. Although, I feel these are minor issues in comparison to
the host of advantages that we have regarding this. One’s own ethnicity can be followed regardless of the TV shows we watch or the
clothes we wear.

To conclude, I agree that the advantages of the phenomenon of having a uniform culture worldwide outweigh the disadvantages.
Every subject has pros and cons, and the cons here can be ignored easily, especially when such an acceptance makes life easier.