Topic 1: Nowadays young people are leaving their homes from rural areas to study or work in the cities.

Why does this happen? Do advantages of this development outweigh its disadvantages?

Outline

1. Body 1: Reasons
 Main idea 1: Better educational opportunities
- Diverse public schools, universities, colleges with well-qualified teachers and professors
- Wide range of educational facilities: libraries, museums, projectors and computers
 Main idea 2: Better job prospects
- Great demand for workers, employees in various positions
- Competitive salaries, perks (holiday, retirement scheme)
2. Body 2: Disadvantages outweigh advantages
 Main idea 1: Disparity in the number of workers
- Unemployment in big cities/ Insufficiency of human resources in the countryside
- Deteriorate national economy
 Main idea 2: Environment degradation
- Household and factories’ waste -> Land/water pollution
- Traffic jams -> Air pollution

Topic 2: It is reported there will be a larger proportion of old people than that of young people in the
future in some countries. Do you think it is a positive or negative development?

Outline (Negative impact of aging population)

1. Body 1: Economic problems

 Main idea 1: Insufficiency workforce
- Decline in productivity
- Increase in labor cost
 Main idea 2: Burden on national economy
- Healthcare cost
- Perks: retirement scheme, life insurance
2. Body 2: Social impact
 Main idea 1: Decrease in individual happiness
- Increase in retirement age/ Work long hours
- Shattered relationships
 Main idea 2: Environment degradation
- Few technical breakthroughs (demanding inventive minds) on alternative energy, waste
treatment plans
- Animal extinctions

Topic 3: Some people think that money spent on developing technology of space exploration is not
justifiable. They believe there are more beneficial ways of spending the money. To what extent do you
agree or disagree?

Outline (Totally agree)

1. Body 1: Disadvantages of the scheme

 Main idea 1: Enormous cost
 - Expensive facilities (laboratories, equipment)
- Human resources (highly qualified workforce, experts in various fields)
 Main idea 2: Time problems
- Detection of suitable planets
- Relocation of people
2. Body 2: Better ways
 Main idea 1: Solving current problems
- Environmental issues: Global warming
- Social issues: poverty, illiteracy, wars
 Main idea 2: Sustainable technical development
- Artificial intelligence
- Public healthcare facilities

Topic 4: Some people think that it is effective for students to study in a group at school, while others
think it is better to study alone. Discuss both views and give your opinion

Outline (Study in groups > Study alone)

1. Body 1: Benefits of group learning

 Main idea 1: Motivation
- Friends’ encouragement/influence
- Competition with peers
 Main idea 2: Transferable skills acquisition
- Teamwork
- Problem-solving
2. Body 2: Benefits of self-study
 Main idea 1: Little distraction
- Total concentration
- Better productivity
 Main idea 2: Flexibility
- Balance between studying and family commitments
- Suitable learning pace

Topic 5: Some people think that robots are very important for humans’ future development. Others,
however, think that robots are a dangerous invention that could have negative effects on society.
Discuss both views and give your opinion

Outline (Advantages of robots > Disadvantages)

1. Body 1: Advantages
 Main idea 1: Technical ability
- Suitable for repetitive and trivial tasks at factories -> Efficiency and accuracy
- Performing dangerous tasks (space, chemicals) -> Further advancement
- Working long hours -> Productivity
 Main idea 2: Cost
- No perks (Compared to human resources)
- No recruitment cost
 2. Body 2: Disadvantages (on society)
 Main idea 1: Potential job losses
- Some vulnerable positions (factories workers, waiters, tour guides)
- Burden on national economy (subsisting the unemployed)
 Main idea 2: Initial investment
- Expensive equipment
- Hiring skilled staff and experts

Topic 6: Nowadays children spend more time playing computer games and less time playing sports. Why
is this the case? Is it a positive and negative development?

Outline

1. Body 1: Causes
 Main idea 1: Personal problems
- Sedentary lifestyle (lazy, dislike social interaction)
- Lack of parental supervision
 Main idea 2: Social problems
- Insufficiency of public playgrounds
- Development in video game industry (visually stunning graphic, epic scenes, gripping plot)
2. Body 2: Negative development
 Main idea 1: Health issues
- Mental health (anxiety, depression)
- Physical health (obesity, chronic diseases)
 Main idea 2: Social issues
- Unskilled workforce (lack of soft skills)
- Increase in crime rates (unemployment, antisocial behaviors induced by violent games)