Simulation level 3

Test 9.1
Student: Jose Cristhian Zamora Vargas

Writing task 1
The maps illustrate an island, before and after the construction of a few tourist facilities.

Overall, a comparison of the two maps reveals a complete transformation from an island with
trees and a beach to an island with some modern constructions.

If you see the first map, we can notice that the island was a plane piece of land with a few trees,
especially on the east side. Also, there is a beach to the west of the side. There were not any other
natural and manmade features on the island.

Then looking at the second map, we can appreciate accommodation facilities for tourists. There is
a group of housing in the west and another cluster of housing in the center of the island.
Moreover, there is a restaurant and reception area between these housing centers. The houses on
the west are connected by a footpath which also extends to the beach. There is a vehicle track
around the reception area. It extends to the restaurant on the north and the pier on the south.

Writing task 2
Some experts think that starting to learn another language at the primary level is better than at
the secondary level. In my opinion, the pros of this outweigh the cons since the kids could have a
lot of stress as a result.

On the one hand, young children are better language learners than older people. In primary
schools, the kids are at the early stage of learning and hence tend to be very open to new ideas. In
other words, they are less likely to find the different pronunciation and grammar of a foreign
language strange and difficult to learn than their counterparts in secondary school. Meanwhile, I
don’t believe that this has an advantage since many people can learn the language faster than
other children.

On the other hand, studying a new language at the primary level can increase stress in young
children. One more language to learn means more classes to take and more homework to do. For
instance, in Peru, where English is mandatory at all primary schools. Peruvian children often spend
about half an hour every week just on their English homework and other children have more
English classes in an institute to learn fast. I think this puts the kids at a great disadvantage
because, at their age, they should spend more time enjoying leisure activities such as playing video
games rather than learning everyday academic tasks such as more English classes.

In conclusion, although primary school children tend to be good at acquiring a foreign language, I
believe this advantage is far outweighed by the disadvantage of the heavy workloads that come
with it.