Integrated Skills in English

ISE IV Portfolio tasks 2023

These are the only acceptable portfolio tasks for candidates taking the ISE IV
exam from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023.

Your ISE IV Portfolio must contain a total of three tasks. You must present
one task from each section:

One from Section 1 – Correspondence

One from Section 2 – Factual writing

One from Section 3 – Critical and analytical writing

Please write the task question number on each piece of work.

At the end of each task, write the number of words you have used to complete
the task. You must not exceed the stated maximum word length range.

ISE IV Portfolio tasks 2023

ISE IV Portfolio preparation rules

ISE IV candidates and teachers must follow these important rules when
preparing portfolio tasks:

1. The Portfolio must contain the candidate’s own work and no one else’s.
2. Nobody except the candidate personally should correct, add to or take
anything out of a task.
3. Teachers (or any other person) must not correct a candidate’s work.
4. Teachers are allowed to give one piece of feedback per portfolio task
only. The ISE IV student portfolio feedback form should be used for this
purpose. This must be the only form of feedback given.
5. No one except the candidate’s teacher is permitted to give the candidate
feedback on their work.
6. Candidates must not copy a piece of written text from any other source
and present it as their own work.

Please note that if any of the above rules are broken, a U (Ungraded)
grade will be awarded by the examiner, and the candidate will score zero
in his/her portfolio.

Candidate disqualification warning!

Trinity will not tolerate any cheating, unfair practice or breach of its rules
and regulations. Candidates found to have committed any such conduct will
be disqualified.

ISE IV Portfolio tasks 2023

ISE IV Portfolio tasks 2023

Section 1
ISE IV – Correspondence (word length range: 300-350 words)

1. Your local planning department is proposing to develop an area near

your town with a large cinema, retail park, restaurant plaza and
multi-storey car park. Some residents support the proposal, while
others fiercely oppose it.

Develop an online forum with local residents and independent business

owners where the value of the development is asserted, counter-arguments
are presented, and a future course of action is suggested.

2. Your city is hosting an international sports event next month. The

organisers say it will have a long-lasting legacy but there is some
debate among residents about the inconvenience it will cause.

Develop an online forum with two or more contributors debating the merits
and pitfalls of hosting the event and considering the value of the legacy it
would leave.

3. Your local council has announced that it is planning to close down

the community centre, which runs a lot of activities for young
people.

Write a formal letter to the council stating your opposition to the closure and
diplomatically proposing that they should reconsider their decision.

AND

Write an informal email to the manager of the centre affirming your support
for the campaign to keep the centre open.

4. You are working on an important project at work, but you realise that
it is not being well organised by the project manager.

Write a formal letter to the head of your department outlining the negative
effects of this lack of organisation and proposing a diplomatic course of
action.

AND

Write an informal email to your colleagues who have been affected by the
situation, reassuring them of the steps you have taken to address the
matter.

ISE IV Portfolio tasks 2023

5. The local education authority wants to widen the school curriculum
by introducing a new subject.

Write an online forum discussing different views on what this subject should
be, giving reasons for the choices proposed and expressing some
disagreement over the options.

Remember – you must choose your 2023 ISE IV correspondence task from
the above list.

NB the word length range given above for ISE IV correspondence tasks is
for the whole task, eg letter and email. Dividing the word length between
the individual pieces of correspondence is the responsibility of each
candidate. However, you must not exceed the stated maximum word length
range.

ISE IV Portfolio tasks 2023

ISE IV Portfolio tasks 2023

Section 2
ISE IV – Factual writing (word length range: 300-350 words)

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly capable and more

integrated into our daily lives.

Write a report for a technology firm evaluating the impact of AI on society,

asserting how its development can be shaped positively in the future, and
proposing what limits need to be put in place.

2. The work-life balance has been championed by employees and

companies for many years – but it is a fallacy or a reality?

Write an article for a sociology magazine assessing whether it is possible to

attain a balance between enjoying your personal life and being successful at
work, illustrating your viewpoint with relevant examples from your own
experience. Conclude by evaluating the extent to which businesses in your
culture foster a healthy work-life balance.

3. Reality shows are among the most popular programmes on TV these

days but also the most controversial.

Write a review of a reality television show for an entertainment magazine.

Summarise the public’s reactions to the show, assess to what extent these
reactions are valid and analyse the role of such programmes today.

4. More and more people are working longer before they retire. This
means there can be people of vastly different ages in the workplace.

Write a proposal for your managing director suggesting the introduction of a

buddying scheme so that younger and older employees can learn from each
other. Outline how the scheme should be structured and how the
participants will benefit. Conclude by evaluating the long-term effects the
project is likely to have on your workplace.

5. Advances in smartphone cameras mean it is now feasible for almost

anyone to create their own content and share their videos on social
media.

Write an article for a media magazine evaluating the impact of this new age
of visual content creation. Explore the challenges faced by small content
creators and draw your conclusions on the extent to which this trend will
benefit society in the long run.

Remember – you must choose your 2023 ISE IV factual writing task from
the above list.

ISE IV Portfolio tasks 2023

ISE IV Portfolio tasks 2023

Section 3
ISE IV – Critical and analytical writing (word length range: 300-350 words)

1. ‘How important it is for us to celebrate our heroes and she-roes!’

(Maya Angelou, poet and civil rights activist, 1928-2014)

Write an essay exploring what is meant by this statement. Examine how far
both male and female role models are celebrated nowadays, and assess the
importance of young people having positive role models in the media who
they can relate to.

2. ‘The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may
have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they
don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.’
(Babe Ruth, professional baseball player, 1895-1948)

Write an essay evaluating to what extent you believe it is the team rather
than the individual that leads to sporting success, supporting your views with
relevant examples. Assess the ways in which this ethos could be applicable
to other areas of life.

3. ‘Take someone who doesn't keep score, who's not looking to be

richer, or afraid of losing … they are free.’
(Rumi, Persian poet and scholar, 1207-1273)

Write an essay demonstrating what you understand by this statement and

assessing whether it is practical to be someone like this in contemporary
society. Provide relevant examples to support your contentions.

4. ‘Minds are like parachutes, they only function when they are open.’
(James Dewar, scientist, 1842-1923)

Write an essay explaining what you understand by this quote. Assess to

what extent education in your country succeeds in opening students’ minds
and suggest ways in which effective learning can best be achieved.

5. ‘I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how

they can recover when they fall.’
(Serena Williams, tennis player, born 1981)

Write an essay evaluating to what extent you agree with this statement,
discussing the role of storytelling in your culture, and exploring the value
derived from it.

Remember – you must choose your 2023 ISE IV critical and analytical
writing task from the above list.

ISE IV Portfolio tasks 2023