HOW TO ANSWER PART 1

1. Go Sraight To The Point

Previously, many teachers, even I am guilty of this.
We ask students to start with greetings.
“Hi, how are you? I hope you are fine. I am fine here.”
That is considered BAD in the new format. Why? Because it’s NOT
NATURAL. Think about this,
A:   “What are you going to do this weekends?”
B:   “Hey, how are you? Im good. By the way, I am planning to go to the library
this Saturday.”
or
A:   “What are you going to do this weekends?”
B:   “I am thinking to go to the library this Saturday.”
Which is more natural in your daily life? There you go. Remember, natural
language wins. 
So in the new format we want to take away all the not so natural greetings and
go straight to the point.

 "Hi, how have you been Alex. I hope you are doing fine. I have read your message and
I want to give you some advice. I think you should choose cooking. ..."

That’s how we all should respond to part 1.

2. Explain All the Good Things and Some of the

Bad Things
One way to help students elaborate is to get them to think about the good
things about their choice and the bad things about what they have rejected.
For example, from the question, lets choose cooking.
"I think you should choose cooking. If you know how to cook, you can always make
yourself some food. It is also cheaper to cook at home. You do not have to go out and
eat at the cafe and restaurants all the time. Plus, when you have time, you can cook
for your family. Oh, and you can cook for me!" [62 words]

You already have  62 words – only by listing down all the good things about
your choice of hobby.
What if the students don’t have so many ideas?
Then, write some negative things about the others

"I think you should choose cooking. If you know how to cook, you can always make
yourself some food. It is also cheaper to cook at home. You do not have to go out and
eat at the cafe and restaurants all the time. I think cycling is expensive, because
you need to buy a bicycle. And if you start painting, you also need to buy brushes
and paint. " [69 words]

3. A Short and Sweet Ending 

Again, write as natural as you can.

"I think you should choose cooking. If you know how to cook, you can always make
yourself some food. It is also cheaper to cook at home. You do not have to go out and
eat at the cafe and restaurants all the time. I think cycling is expensive, because
you need to buy a bicycle. And if you start painting, you also need to buy brushes
and paint. So I think cooking is the best for you. Hope this helps.  " [82 words]