Letter Writing

A friend has written to you asking for advice about a problem at work. You have had a similar problem
in the past. Write a reply to your friend. In your letter:

 Tell your friend you understand the problem

 Explain what happened to you in the past
 Suggest possible solutions to the problem

Dear Emily,
I’m sorry to hear that you’re having issues at your office. I can relate to what you are currently going
through because I have gone through a similar situation in the past and I’d like to give you some advice
on how to handle this problem.
When I newly started my present job, I found it very difficult to work with my colleagues because they
saw me as an outsider. They went as far as failing to inform me of change in meeting times, excluding
me from after work hangouts and I would often have to carry out projects with no support from my
colleagues. I didn’t enjoy my job during this period and I felt so frustrated. I expect that you currently
feel the same but I assure you all hope is not lost.
Surprisingly, I was able to get through to them after a few months. I did this by proving myself an asset
to the team and assisting my colleagues with their own tasks as they eventually found out that I’m great
at getting the job done. I also started to ask my colleagues for one-on-one coffee chats which helped
them get to know me better and see that I’m not so bad. I suggest that you try this out and most
importantly keep doing your best at your job, they’ll end up coming to you for help like my colleagues
did.
I hope to hear that my tips were helpful and that the situation has greatly improved in your next letter.
Your friend,
Eniola

Time: 21 mins

Solution Essay
With the development of social media, more and more youngsters are being allowed unsupervised
access to the internet in order to meet and chat with friends which can lead to potentially dangerous
situations. What solutions can you suggest to deal with this problem?
There is an increasing number of young children who are given access to the internet due to the
expansion of social media platforms like Facebook where they meet and have conversations with
friends. This may result in hazardous circumstances such as exposure to explicit content, child
abduction and many more. This problem can be tackled through strict supervision of children’s internet
use and educating children on how to properly manage social media interactions.
The most effective method of preventing children’s exposure to harmful situations presented by the
internet is by closely monitoring their online activity. This can be done by ensuring that they only have
access to gadgets which connect them to the internet such as smartphones or tablets when an adult is
present. As a result, the children will not be able to view explicit or adult content without being stopped
by the person charged with the responsibility of supervising them.
Another way that children can be protected from the negative side of the internet and social media is by
teaching them about possible red flags they should look out for in conversations. For example, child
predators may decide to ask details such as their home address or tell the child to meet them at a specific
location. If the child’s guardian has already warned the child not to give such information out or not to
visit a friend they met online without permission, the catastrophic results of such situations can be
avoided.
In conclusion, there is a high risk attached to giving young children access to the internet. This risk can
only be curtailed by making the children aware of how to handle potential threats and keeping a close
watch on their social media usage.

Time: 30:11

Direct question essay

News plays an important part of most people’s lives. Why is news so important to people? Why is so
much news dedicated to bad news? Should the news focus on good news instead?
Information on recent happenings is a major component of the lives of almost everyone in the society.
This essay will first discuss why such information is of great importance to individuals, secondly it will
discuss why a lot of the news we hear today is related to negative occurrences and finally suggest
whether or not news should report primarily on positive topics while deflecting on negative news.
Firstly, disseminating news has long been a great part of the human existence from the use of town
criers in the old days to newspapers, television and more recently news articles on the internet. It keeps
people updated on current issues in their countries and around the world. For this reason, people are
constantly seeking news through various means so changes in circumstances whether good or bad to
not elude them. A good example which portrays why news is important to people was shown in a survey
carried out by New York times in 2018, participants were asked if they had to give up one channel from
their television which one would they pick between the news, sports and cooking channel. 78% of
respondents said they will give up cooking, 20% said sports can go and only 2% said they would give
up the news channel.
Secondly, news that is broadcasted today seems to focus predominantly on negative situations. This is
as a result of a constant rise in the rate of societal issues such as crime, wars, corruption and poverty.
There is also an increase in the occurrence of natural disasters such as floods and tornados. With all
these negative issues rising it is inevitable for a large portion of the news being reported on to be bad.
Lastly, with regards the argument on what type of news should be focused on whether good or bad, I
am of the opinion that this is will only have negative effects. People will not be aware of issues in other
countries around the world and this may result in them walking blindly into hazardous situations. For
example, if only good news is reported people will not be aware when a war breaks out in another
country and may end up going to such a country for work or vacation and end up being hurt or even
killed.
In conclusion, news is and will always remain a vital part of every community. There is a rise in bad
occurrences around the world but this should not lead to the avoidance of such news rather they should
still be reported for the safety of people.
Time: 45mins 