WRITING TASK 2

Modern technology has promoted easy and fast access to information. Do you think the
advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own
knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

We live in a society where one can have access in real-time to what is happening in
another continent without leaving their own country, or even knowing someone that is
physically in that place. Sociology tends to call it the "information society", as
contemporary technology allows individuals to produce and spread information
regardless of geographical limitations. However, this simplified access to news has also
some drawbacks, as some people might publish and share content with suspicious
intentions. I tend to believe the benefits are greater than the dowsizes.
The Internet may be considered one of the most important inventions of modern
society, as it increases productivity in several industries by helping workers to get their
job done faster and in a more efficient way. Scientists, for example, are able to share
their knowledge and access scientific literature from global databases, which means
that they have more content to analyze and, consequently, they are able to get better
results for their researcher. Furthermore, thanks to modern technology, journalists also
have access to more sources to the same story, so they can weigh up different points of
views and write deeper and more complex pieces of news.
Another positive aspect of the way humanity creates and shares information in modern
times, is the fact that if an epidemic or war starts in the opposite side of the globe,
countries that are located miles away can take action faster, as the news tend to travel
almost instantly. Take Covid-19 as an example, western countries were able to inform
their populations about what could happen in case of infection weeks before the virus
reached their territory.
There are, however, some disadvantages. For example, as anyone can create videos
and written content, even malicious people, some news are not real. Unfortunately,
there are individuals specialized in creating fake news. They usually have extensive
knowledge of technology and navigate through the deep web in order to hide from
persecussion and investigation. It is known that misinformation is highly prejudicial for
society, especially in democratic countries, because this type of news tends to have a
significant impact on elections, as many people are not digitally educated, which means
they might not be able to discern between what is true or not. In addition, imaginative
news usually caught more attention than serious and real ones. Most people are used
to only scam through headlines, without properly reading the text, as a consequence
some creators and journalists are overly creative with their titles and works. They use
this technique to sell more.
To sum up, the positive aspects of contemporary ways of communication surpass its
disadvantages, as they are critically beneficial for scientific and humanitarian progress.
People should be better instructed on how to properly use and interpret the messages
and content they receive, this way there would check information prior to sharing it,
avoiding misinformation.

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You have recently moved to a new home. Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your
letter:
● explain why you have moved
● describe the new house
● invite your friend to come and visit.

Write at least 150 words.

Dear Annie,
How are you doing?
It's been such a long time since we last talked. I miss you so much and I'm really
anxious to see you again. Sorry for not replying to your last letter sooner. The last two
weeks were extremely hectic for me, but I’ve finally managed to unpack all the boxes
and place all the furniture in my new place.
As you know, I was planning to move from my apartment in downtown to somewhere
near my work and, preferably, in a quieter and cheaper neighborhood. Now I'm living in
midtown, and I still can't believe that, thanks to the realtor that your cousin
recommended to me, I was able to make such a great deal for this place.
My new apartment is located in an old building, but it's much bigger than my previous
one. I'm thrilled that I have more cabinets in the kitchen, I'm definetely considering that I
should buy that charming set of plates and cups that we saw in the beginning of the
year. In addition, all the windows are facing south, which means more natural light
throughout the entire year! Another exciting feature of my new house is that now I have
a small balcony, so I'm buying plants to create a cozy little space.
Now that I have most of my belongings organized, I'd like to invite you to come over to
see my place. I was thinking that we could have a pizza and vine night next Friday.
Would that work for you? If you want, you can even sleep here since I have space. This
way we could chat and watch our favorite series together as we used to do when we
were teenagers. It would be amazing!
Please let me know what you think of it, or if you would prefer another date.
I'm looking forward to your reply!
Take care,
Débora.

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Global warming is one of the biggest threats to our environment. What causes
global warming? What solutions are there to this problem?

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

Write at least 250 words.

Contemporary society is facing the consequences of climate change, such as a

considerable increase in flooding, as well as devastating wildfires. On top of that,
experts have been alerting us that human activities are driving up the Earth’s
temperature and, if nothing will be done to overcome this situation soon, we will reach a
point of no return, which means that humanity will have to deal with even worse natural
disasters. Given that, it is crucial to understand what the causes for this problem are,
and the solutions which should be implemented to deal with it.
Firstly, one of the main causes of this problem is intensive farming. Some countries
have their economy based on this activity. However, cattle and sheep produce large
amounts of methane, which is one of the greenhouse gases that contributes for the
increase of the global temperature. As far as I am concerned, local governements
should invest their money in other sectors, while incentivizing a diet with less meat and
more vegetables and fruits, in order to promote a decrease in livestock.
Secondly, the massive burning of coal and oil produces carbon dioxide, which is
another toxic gas that contributes to global warming. Fossil fuels are the main source of
energy in most countries. As a consequence, this is one of the industries that pollutes
the most the environment. I firmly believe that these nations should focus more on
renewable energies, such as wind and solar power, as it would reduce the emission of
CO2 significantly.
Another cause to that problem is overconsumption. Everyday we are bombarded by ads
about new products and fashion items. But in order to manufacture these goods,
industries tend to overexploit natural resources. From my point of view, there should be
more restricted regulations for advertising, as well as national campaigns to promote
responsible consumption and recycling. Instead of buying new clothes and objects
every new month, people should be more conscious and upcycle them. This would be
beneficial to the environment, and also adds character to conventional pieces.
To sum up, humanity is responsible for the unprecedented increase in the temperate of
the planet, which can lead to disastrous catastrophes. Nonetheless, we can reverse this
problem by making small changes in our house, promoting them in our communities,
and pushing our local governments to take action before it is too late.