MT 31-DSE

ENG LANG
HONG KONG DIPLOMA OF SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMINATION
PAPER 4
MOCK TEST 31
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER 4

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
This paper consists of two parts: Part A, Group Interaction; and Part B, Individual Response. Part B will
immediately follow Part A. DO NOT write anything on this page.

PART A Group Interaction

You will be given 10 minutes to prepare. The time allowed for the group interaction is 8 minutes (or 6 minutes
for a group of 3 candidates). You may makes notes on the notecard provided and refer to your notes during the
discussion.
This Letter to the Editor appeared in a newspaper in Hong Kong:

Re: Hong Kong minibus hits two double-deckers on congested road

In early October, a minibus struck two double-decker buses, injuring twenty-six people—including children.
This tragedy comes right on the heels of a fatal crash in September that killed three people and injured a
further thirty-one people. Both of these accidents were tragic, of course. The larger tragedy is that both of
them may have been preventable.
Hong Kong bus drivers start at just HK$13,000 per month. A recent survey completed by real estate
company Century 21 Canada found that Hong Kong came in as the most expensive place to buy property in
the world. For renters, a small 350-square-foot apartment might go for HK$10,000; even a tiny subdivided
flat could cost between HK$3500 and HK$7000.
It’s no surprise that the bus companies are facing a labour shortage, nor it is a surprise that many drivers opt
to work overtime in order to supplement their meagre base wages. Many drivers work up to 14 hours a day
or 360 hours a month, the equivalent of almost two full-time jobs, just to make ends meet.
Tired drivers mean more accidents. This is a matter of labour fairness and of public safety.
Thankfully, there is a solution. Citizens of Hong Kong should lobby for maximum daily hours for bus
drivers—10 hours is what the district council is calling for—and drivers should be paid a much higher base
wage.
—Jamie Lam

You are members of a group that is going to give a presentation on whether Hong Kong bus drivers
should be paid more, and whether a law limiting daily bus driving hours should be passed. You may
want to talk about:
 public safety benefits of limiting the daily hours a bus driver can work
 advantages of raising bus driver wages
 disadvantages of raising bus driver wages and limiting the daily hours a bus driver can work
 anything else you think is important

PART B Individual Response

The examiner will ask you one or more questions based on Part A. You will have up to 1 minute to respond.

DO NOT TAKE AWAY

(S5) MT 31-DSE-ENG LANG 4–1 1 © Oxford University Press

Written by Andrea Bennett (5.1/2017-18)
This mock test may be adapted by teachers. OUP accepts no responsibility for changes made to original materials.