Test 2
WRITING (1 hour 30 minutes)
Part 1
Read the two texts below.
Write an essay summarising and evaluating the key points from both texts. Use your own words
throughout as far as possible, and include your own ideas in your answers.
Write your answor in 240-280 words.
Being at home
For some people, itis only at home that they can truly relax. Itis the place they goto
to recover from both the excitements and the stress of their everyday life: the noisy
hubbub of the city, the pressures of study and work, and the busy commute through
rush-hour traffic. They approciate the opportunity to reflect on all thal has happened
that day. They can contemplate the day's significant events either in the peace and
| quiet of their own room or through participating in a discussion over a meal. |
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Home and away
For many of us. life at home can be rather restrictive, or simply dull, so we eccape to
| Yet home is still a place where people can express their personalities. ‘the choice of
furniture, the colour scheme, and the paintings or posters displayed on the walls,
will all say a great deal about the person who lives there. Visiting a friend’s home
for the first time may well reveal aspects of their personality which were previously
unknown to us.
i
| public places where we can socialise and be ourselves, such as cafés aud coffer bars.
Write your essay.
40Writing
Part 2
Write an answer to one of the questions 2-5 in this part. Write your answer in 280-320 words in
an appropriate style
2 You have recently worked as a volunteer, coaching teenagers at a sports camp designed to
encourage young pcople to take up new sports. The organisers have asked you to write a
report for the website. You should bricfly describe your responsibilities as a coach for two
different sports. You should also evaluate how valuable the sports camp was for the teenagers
overall and recommend how it could be improved in future.
Write your report.
3 You have recently read some letters in a magazine discussing the question ‘What are good
manners?’. The magazine has invited readers to join the debate. You decide to write a letter
in which you briefly describe one or two examples of what you consider to be good manners,
explaining why behaving politely in those particular situations is necessary. You should also
evaluate just how important good manners are nowadays.
Write your letter.
4 A film magazine has invited readers to submit reviews of films which are set in the future,
but deal with themes relevant to today’s world, such as our relationship with technology or
environmental problems. You decide to submit a review briefly describing such a film and
explaining why its themes are relevant today. You should also consider how important it is tor
films set in the future to say something about contemporary society.
Write your review.
o
Write an answer to one of the following two questions based on one of the titles below. Write
5{a) or 5(b) at the beginning of your anawer.
(a) Tracy Chevalier: Girl with a Pearl Earring
‘The earring would complete the painting. It would also put me on the street,”
Your class tutor has asked you to write an essay assessing the significance of the pearl
earrings in Griet’s story, and explaining the way in which the earrings contribute to her
losing her position in the Vermeer household.
Write your essay.
(b) Tobias Hill: The Cryptographer
‘An English language magazine is running a series of articles dealing with the theme of
money, and has asked its readers to send in articles for the series. You decide to write an
article considering the importance of money in the relationship between John Law and
Anna Moore in The Cryptographer. You stuld also explain why you think an article about
this novel would be worth including In the series.
Write your article.
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