ESSAY

In regard of a recent discussion about the facilities, which are financially supported by local
authorities, I would like to write a few of my personal thoughts. Whether we are talking about
sports centres or public gardens, there is no doubt that they are both a good thing to have in the
city and should both be supported somehow. The only question then is which one of these is
more important, what are the pros and cons of each one?

Let me start with the sport centres as I think these are a bit more problematic. Obviously, in our
times where lots of people spend days sitting in their office staring at a computer, some sort of
physical training is very important. We have to balance that shift in our lifestyles. The problem I
see with supporting the sports centres is the number of activities that you can do at these days.
There is almost countless list of either individual or team sports that we can think of, and each
centre is usually designed for a specific type or at least a group of sports similar in its nature.
Therefore I think that it is too difficult to support them equally and we can’t say which activity is
better than the others either. Another reason for not financing sports as much as green parks is
their commercial use. What I mean by that is that we usually pay for everything the centre offers
us to do and therefore they are more able to last from their own money than gardens.

Regarding of the green spaces, the situation is much clearer I think. Every city needs gardens
where people can sit and relax, but nobody is going to pay a tax for just walking around.

These factors lead me to my conclusion, that the public gardens are definitely a facility which
should be financed from public money, whereas in the case of sports centres, the situation is
questionable.

C:5

CA : 4

O:4

L:4
LETTER

Hi, Chris!



Congratulations on getting a new job! And it is great you are finally getting a chance to visit our
town.

First of all, you absolutely need to visit our new waterpark ,,Aqua 3000”, it’s got all the awesome
waterslides, the most amazing shapes and heights. We have different kinds of saunas there as
well, if you fancy. As it is winter already, visiting the waterpark can be a nice opportunity to relax
and warm your bones a little.

Secondly, I would advise you to visit our new 5D cinema. I remember, you have told me once
you’d really love to visit one of those, well, here is your chance! It is an exciting and unforgettable
experience, you’ll be sitting in a moving chair, feel the wind or even water dripping down on your
head. I know you are a big fan of horror movies, and our cinema has a large choice of them.

On your free weekend you should visit our famous club ,,31/11”. At the time of your visit there will
be performing an awesome DJ Skream, you have probably heard of him. The club itself is a
superb place to hang out at and to dance. The bartender makes the most delicious cocktails in
the world, I swear.

I hope some of my suggestions will proof useful to you. May be on one of your free evenings you
will find time to stop by my house and we’ll have a nice chat about your new job.

Take care, Julia

C:5

CA : 4

O:4

L:4
REPORT

Report on the three-week study and work programme

Introduction



The purpose of this report is to evaluate the efficiency of the three week study and work
programme. It is based on my personal experience, which I received while taking part in the
aforementioned programme.

General Findings



The programme as a whole was very engaging and helpful. As it took place in the language
environment, many aspects of the English-language, which will not be taught in the class room,
could be learned through this programme.

Points worthy of praise



The programme has found many businesses, with which they cooperate, therefore I could choose
between many companies in which to complete the work part of the programme. While working
for a company I learned a substantial amount of phrases and other jargon specific to that field,
which makes the programme very useful, should you manage to be employed by a company,
which deals with a subject you are interested in.

Issues



No issues can be raised about the work part of the programme. However the English classes that
take place in the morning offer no substantial benefit over classes taken in my home country,
even if they are taught by a native speaker.

Suggestions



Firstly the organizer of the programme should increase the amount of time, that is spent working
during the programme and reduce the amount of classes taken. Moreover the organizer should
keep finding more companies with which to cooperate, to make the programme attractive to more
people with different interests.

C:5

CA : 4

O:4

L:3
REPORT

Attitudes to healthy living in my country

Introduction



The purposes of this report are to outline some of the country’s main health problems, to describe
how people have reacted to campaigns aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles, and to make
recommendations for ways of improving the situation.

Current health problems



The main health problems at the present time are smoking-related illnesses, lack of exercise and
poor diet. There have been many national campaigns in recent years to inform people about these
problems and to suggest small changes in behaviour that could lead to enormous health benefits.
The most recent campaign has been to ban smoking on public transport.

Attitudes to health awareness campaigns



Although most people are aware of these problems and understand what they need to do to be
healthier, many seem unwilling or unable to change their behaviour. Some people blame nicotine
addiction for their continuing to smoke, lack of time for taking little or no exercise, and say they
cannot afford to eat healthily. In addition, they object to being treated like children and insist that
they have the right to decide for themselves how to lead their lives.

Recommendations



Persuading people to lead new, healthier lifestyles will never be straightforward. However, my
main recommendation is that lessons on healthy living should be included in the school
curriculum, starting at primary school. I hope that this will not only have a positive effect on young
people themselves, but will also make parents more aware of the problems and lead to the
adoption of healthier lifestyles by all generations.

ESSAY

Nowadays, it is common to hear employers complain that young people are unprepared for
employment when they finish their education, a situation that is not beneficial for employers or
young people. In this essay, I will suggest two possible solutions to this problem.

The first solution might be for schools and universities to make their existing courses for students
more relevant to employers’ needs. To do this successfully would require rigorous planning,
during which educationalists and employers’ organisations devise appropriate courses to
introduce general skills needed in most working environments – skills such as language
competence and computer literacy. In addition to this, young people would need to be trained in
ways of relating to colleagues and to develop responsible attitudes to work.

The second solution would be for employers to provide introductory programmes for new
employees. These might include general skills as well as skills specific to individual companies.
Such courses would be able to provide relevant, up-to-date training. However, employers might
not want to give young people on such programmes permanent jobs until they were sure that they
would become successful employees. This solution might not be popular with young people
themselves, if they felt their positions were not secure.

In conclusion, I would suggest that improved school and university programmes would be the
best solution because they would prepare young people for a variety of working environments.
This would, in my opinion, also be better for employers as they would not have the expense of
providing training programmes for young people who might not be suitable.

LETTER

Dear Sir / Madam

I have recently heard that our town council is considering banning private vehicles from the town
centre during working hours. My initial reaction was that this was an impractical proposal and
impossible to enforce. However, the more I think about it, the more sensible the idea seems.
These are my current thoughts.

There is no doubt that traffic congestion during working hours has been getting gradually worse
for some time and this has become a cause of irritation for motorists who may be trying to get to
work. The large number of private cars also prevents buses and taxis getting efficiently from A to
B. The council has already tried other measures, such as congestion charging and the
introduction of special bus lanes during rush-hour periods. Unfortunately, these measures have
not had the desired effect and the situation is continuing to deteriorate.

It is to be hoped that reserving the town centre for essential traffic and public transport will make
our town a much more pleasant environment for employees of shops and businesses, as well as
for tourists, shoppers and others who may want to visit the town centre during working hours.

In my view, the arguments in favour of banning private vehicles are indisputable for the reasons I
have given. However, for the ban to be successful, improved train and bus services must be
provided for those who will have to leave their cars at home when the ban comes into force. Such
services need to be regular efficient and affordable.

Yours faithfully,

REVIEW

The title I am going to review is a rare example when the movie manages to trump the book it is
based on. Today I am reviewing Fight Club by an infamous American novelist Charles Palahniuk
— his most widely-known, universally acclaimed work.

It is a daunting task to find a person unfamiliar with the movie. The plot engages you from the very
start — a young professional finds his apartment destroyed by an explosion of unknown origin.
Agitated, he phones his newfound acquaintance Tyler whom he had met on the plane. They see
each other at a bar and the story becomes increasingly complex, yet pleasantly effortless to
follow. Through its narrative a number of problems are tackled – self-identity, peer pressure,
middle-life crises and some other. The characters are likable and easy to relate to. Both acting
and directing are superb. But what makes it better than the book?

The only objective fault I could find in the book was the order of events. It goes back and forth,
which at times proves to be confusing. The movie manages the sequencing much better. Other
than that the book is brilliant — vigorous prose that manages to evoke strong images. The movie
however is so good that the book tends to slightly fade in all its glory. People tend to read the
book after seeing the adaptation, thus coming with high expectations that can be hard to meet.

To sum this up, I would recommend reading the book nonetheless. It may seem inferior in some
respects, but it does help to understand the main theme of “Fight Club” better.

REVIEW

Have you ever been so passionate about something that you would sacrifice your very best years
for it? Would you even put it ahead of your family and friends? In the film Mandela: Long Walk to
Freedom we get not only a glimpse of Nelson Mandela’s life, but rather dive deep into who he was
and how he changed a whole country.

While the whole film captivated me throughout, there was one aspect that truly stood out to me.
Nelson Mandela and his second wife Winnie had a one-of-a-kind relationship driving each other
to continue and grow the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa even after Mr Mandela was
captured and imprisoned. It is a testament to their dedication and partnership and something that
a lot of us can learn from.

Despite having a strong and driven partner in his wife, I still used to be astonished by the fact that
someone would simply sacrifice themselves and give up a big part of their life to help others, but
this biopic made me reconsider. Witnessing a segregated society and all the racial abuse the
black community had to endure during apartheid, there was no other option for Nelson Mandela
than to stand up and fight for equality.

All in all, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom gives some incredible insight into the life of one of the
world’s most famous and influential personalities of the 20th century. It would be a shame not to
watch it so I highly recommend that you check your favourite streaming service or buy the film as
soon as you can and I promise you won’t regret it.

PROPOSAL

Introduction

This proposal is intended to outline why the old brewery on ABC Street should not be demolished
and is worth protecting, how it could be turned into a valuable asset for the town and in what
ways it could be of use for the residents of the town.

The brewery as an opportunity

The old brewery building with its central location and unique architecture is still a focal point of the
town centre for many people. While it has not been in use for some years, everyone has fond
memories of the annual summer celebration. Therefore, it would be very sad to simply demolish
the building when there is an opportunity just waiting to be taken.

How to modernise it

It is apparent that the modernisation of a building this old can be a challenge as everything from
the ground up needs renovating. However, some of our local architects would be willing to work
together and develop a design that takes into account the financial constraints of the public
budget as well as environmental factors. I strongly recommend turning the brewery into a co-
working space so the rent will offset some of the costs and give our town a modern touch on a
historic site.

It benefits everyone in town

If the council decides to follow my suggestions, there will be great benefits for everybody
involved. The town would create another source of income, the space would attract creative
professionals and not only would it benefit them, but local residents would also be able to keep
their beloved brewery in the town centre.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the brewery should be modernised and turned into a co-working space, and I
strongly urge the council to consider this proposal.