TASK 1

The bar chart demonstrates the

outcomes of a survey questioning
people’s habits of consuming
coffee and tea in five Australian
cities, namely Sydney, Melbourne,
Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart.

Overall, what stands out from the

illustration is that the percentages
for residents who went to a café in
the last four weeks in all five cities
were higher than the other two
options.

Regarding those who bought fresh

coffee in the last 4 weeks, Sydney
topped the list with nearly 44% of
its residents, which is almost the
same as the figure for Melbourne.
While Hobart record a 37%,
Brisbane and Adelaide share the
same proportion of approximately
one-third.

In terms of the consumption of

instant coffee in last 4 weeks,
Hobart register the highest
percentage of nearly 55%, while
Brisbane just fall shortly behind around 53%. This is followed by Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, recording
respectively 50%, 48% and 45%.

The percentages of city dwellers who went to a coffee shop in the last four weeks in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart
are relatively high at more than 60%. Meanwhile, only 55% of residents in Brisbane did so, and the equivalent figure
for Adelaide is only a half of its population.

TASK 2

In some countries, owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people.

Why might this be the case?

Do you think this is a positive or negative situation?

In some part of the world, it is considered a prerequisite for people to have their own accommodation rather than
renting one. From a personal perspective, this development brings about both benefits and drawbacks. More
insights into the motivations behind this trend as well as my opinion are presented in this essay.

To begin with, there are some underlying reasons why people opt for a private house. First and foremost, this might
start from the belief in some cultures that owning a house is an indicator of a high social status. In Vietnam, for
instance, a person is considered successful in his life if only could he be able to achieve the goal of possessing his
own house, which goes to show how tradition and cultures affect people’s lifestyle choices. What is more, renting
costs could also be a contributing factor. In the wake of the unexpected rise in rental costs, renting a house would be
a heavy financial burden that those with a meager income can hardly afford. Therefore, owning their own home
might be a more feasible solution.

However, it seems to me that this trend is neither positive nor negative. On the one hand, a private residence would
enable people to enjoy their own liberty. It gives them more freedom to, for example, fix things in their house
without having to seek the permission of the host, which is definitely more convenient in comparison to renting an
accommodation. On the other hand, home ownership would be very costly. Nowadays people are currently having
to deal with a lot of bills and taxes, which leave them almost no savings to purchase their own house . As a result,
they still have to rely on renting a house in order to have a place of living.

In conclusion, the decision of have/acquire a private accommodation could be attributed to cultural beliefs and the
unaffordable price of renting one. Although this trend gives the owner the opportunity to lead an independent life,
the exorbitant cost of a house would be such a major burden.