BANKING UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH

Center for Foreign Languages and Applied Informatics

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VSTEP WRITING TEST 2
LEVELS 3-5

Writing Task 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have just received a letter from your English pen-friend Peter, accepting your
invitation to come and stay with you on New Year celebration. Read part of his letter
below.

Thanks very much for the invitation to stay with you and your family for a few days on
Christmas – of course I’d love to come!

I’ve already booked my flights, and I will be arriving at 2.30 p.m on the 22 th of
December. As you know, I’ve never been abroad during Christmas holidays so I have
no idea what to do. What’s the weather like there at that time of year? What kinds of
clothes should I bring then? Anyway, what kinds of gifts are good for the first time of
meeting with your family?

Write an email responding to Peter. You should write at least 120 words. You do not
need to include your name or address.

GROUP 1:

Dear Peter,
It’s really great to hear that you have accepted my invitation to come and stay with me during
the Christmas New Year celebration.
When you get off the plane at Tan Son Nhat, you can go to my house by taxi. It is not far from
the airport to my home. Don't worry about what to do when you come here, I will make a
plan for you. I will also take you to some places in Ho Chi Minh city to enjoy our traditional
food.
The weather here will be cool during the Christmas celebration. The temperature is about 22-
28 degrees , so it is very suitable for traveling. The weather is nice and not too cold, so you
should bring some kind of clothes such as thin sweaters, light clothes,...`
About the gifts, don't worry too much, you are a gift for me. My family is very happy to hear
that you agreed to come here. So if you want, you can bring a few small gi fts like specialties in
your hometown.
Hope to see you!
Yours,
…..
GROUP 2:
Hi Peter,
I am very excited because you will spend a few days coming and staying with me on
Christmas. I have already got plans for you when you arrive g to meet you. When you get to
Tan Son Nhat airport, I will pick you up in my own car. Please don't worry about what to do in
my country because I have a lot of suggestions for you. Now, I live in HCM city (I have lived in
HCM city for 5 years) so I will take you to some famous places such as Bui Vien street, the city
zooThao Cam Vien zoo, some beautiful museums,.. Besides, there are many restaurants and
coffee shops which are beautifully decorated and they are it is really suitable for Christmas. I
think you can experience them it all.
In my city, there are two seasons in a year:,/
that includes the dry season and the wet season. The temperature is just around swings to
27-30 degree Celsius so you should bring comfortable and cool clothes with you. Winter
clothes are not suitable the best choice for you on this trip.
As for the kinds of gifts, it is not important for the first meeting with my family but I think you
can bring some of your country’s specialities. I believe that my parents will like it. I hope we
will meet up together soon.
Best wishes,
.
WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic.

 Some young people tend to have a year of travelling before they start work or university
and see it as a chance to broaden their knowledge. Others think that this decision is
totally waste of time. Discuss your views.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience.

You should write at least 250 words. Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task
fulfillment, Organization, Vocabulary and Grammar.

This is the end of the writing test

Group 2

People have many personal opinions about spending a year to travel before they start work or
university and see it as an opportunity to enrich their knowledge. I totally agree with this
view. I personally think learning is not limited to lessons in schools and classes for the
following reasons.

Firstly, spending a year on a trip abroad will help you understand we are completely different
but still have the similarities, make you aware of your position in the world, and bring you a
new perspective about cultures, languages, and people. Students who have spent a year on
travelling abroad tourism would understand what it means to be a global citizen - and they
have the experience to prove it.

Secondly, being a gap - year traveller, you have to manage your budget for a year when
travelling around the world, you have no choice but become an expert in managing your
financesfinance . In other words, you would learn how to spend your money in a more
appropriate way, and budgeting properly for different purposesactivities properly.

Finally, there will be more chances for of cultural exchanges and learning soft skills such as
problem-solving skills and adaptive skills, which are is really useful for their livesfe.

In conclusion, I think young people should spend a year travelling before starting college or
work because it helps them become more mature in life with life lessons from the
surrounding world many other people.
Other ideas (????)

On the one hand, the benefits of travelling before starting work or university should not be
underestimated. The first benefit is that you can broaden your knowledge, you can know
more things in life, you can go somewhere you’ve never been to, you can meet people you’ve
never met. You will develop your skills that will help you be more mature and independent.
The second benefit is that travelling makes you happier, a travel experience makes you
happier by getting you away from your daily grinds. Travelling helps you relax and keep your
mind fresh again. One more benefit is that travelling makes you physically healthier, travel
decreases the risks of heart attack and makes your brain healthier. One study determined that
men who take an annual vacation are 30% less likely to die from heart diseases, among other
findings.

On the other hand, I support the view of those who believe that the disadvantages of
travelling before starting work or university. Firstly, it can cost you a lot of money when you
travel to luxuriousy places. YTravelling is often expensive especially when it’s a luxury place,
you will have to spend a lot of different fees to have the best experience. Secondly, it’s very
dangerous when you travel alone. You may meet bad people on your trip who are likely to
harm you. who want to plunder from you. Another drawback Thirdly is the language barrier. If
you speak English, you will be fine in many countries in the world. But if you decide to go to
some exotic destination or off the beaten path, you might have some language problems.

In conclusion, ...
Group 1:
Some people think it's a good idea to travel for a year before starting a job or going to
university, seeing it as an opportunity to broaden your knowledge. and I agree with
thisat point of view.
Everyone has different opinions but in my opinion travelling is also very useful in
studying and relaxing before committing to a in entering a job. or a long course.
Deferring a year for travelling Working during the defer years can increase your their
knowledge and communication skills. Furthermore, you can experienceing the customs
and cultures of other countries. This helps you gain appreciation and awareness of
global issues, which enables you to obtain essential skills for future put them in
leadership positions. Such knowledge is paramount to secure a dream job in the
future.
Sửa từ đây về cuối
However, if the gap year is used imprudently, it can cost an awful lot amount of
money and time. To add to the ordeal, one can get into debt. One in ten people faces
financial ordeals from budget mismanagement according to gap-year tour operators.
In my view, that number is negligible.
Finally, in my opinion, hefty expenses should be the least cause for deterring a gap
year. The return on investment is high, bringing positive drastic changes to the
personality of the youngster. Travelling to other countries solidifies young adults
with soft, and hard skills; moulding character and individuality. Facing and
circumventing adversity in an unfamiliar country sets a solid foundation for solving
problems in life. Such an experience is worth the expense.
In conclusion, there is definitely an edge some young people can attain contrasting
to those who consider gap-years an expensive waste of time. However, improper
planning can adversely affect personal finances, but accurate gap-year budgets and
plans eliminate the risk of debt and waste of time.
Some people think it's a good idea to travel for a year before starting a job or going
to university, seeing it as an opportunity to broaden your knowledge. I agree with
this point of view.

When we do not know which university is right for us and also have not found the
right job, it is necessary to take time to reflect on ourselves. We should go to many
places, experience many things to be able to know what our strengths and
weaknesses are, so it is very useful for us to discover ourselves and learn more
knowledge, experience from the outside world.

Besides that, when starting a new job, we will need to pay attention and spend a lot
of time on the new job, so we won't have much time to travel, so travel before
starting a new job. Starting a new job is a pretty good time.

However, if we spend our time traveling with the two purposes of relaxation and
learning, we should do them in the best way, not just prioritize relaxation and forget
about learning and gaining knowledge because if we can't improve ourselves, if we
don't learn a lot of useful knowledge, it's really a waste.

Overall, for me, traveling before starting a new job is quite an interesting idea and if
you have a specific plan and execute the plan, it will definitely help you a lot.