Academic Module – Practice Test 1
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WRITING
TEST 1
Writing Task 1 - Sample
The graph displays how much money was spent on
player transactions by four football clubs in
England between 1995 and 2015.
Overall, spending by both teams from Manchester
and Liverpool increased significantly over the entire
period. The exception to this was Arsenal whose
spending remained relatively stable.
Manchester United spent the most on player
transfers in 1995 with nearly 40 million pounds and
this increased year on year to just over 90 million in
2010, before rocketing up to 160 million in 2015.
Liverpool spent around 30 million on transfers in
1995 and this increased slightly to just over 30
million in 2000 and subsequently, their spending
increased dramatically each year to reach nearly
140 million in 2015.
Man City spent a negligible amount of cash on new
players between 1995 and 2005, but their transfer
spending exploded to reach 100 million in 2010 and
peaked at around 130 million in 2015. Arsenal buys
totalled just over 20 million pounds and then fell
slightly to just under 10 million in 2005, and
finished in 2015 with a payment of just over 20
million pounds.
(184 words)
Writing Task 2 - Sample
It is argued that our lives were more fulfilling when
technology was less complex. I completely
disagree with this statement because I believe life
is much better now with modern technology, and I
will explain my opinion in the following essay.
New phones, such as the iPhone, have made our
daily lives much less laborious and have given us
more free time. Jobs that used to require a lot of
energy and time can now be done at the touch of a
button. For example, if people wanted to
communicate with one another in the past, they
had to write a letter, take it to the post office, and
then wait for it to be delivered, whereas these days
screen and send a message to whomever they
want to communicate with within seconds.
The internet has also enriched education. In the
past, students had to rely on a teacher and
physical books for their education, and these were
often either unavailable or in a format that most
people did not want, but now the internet provides
us with more information than we could ever
dream of, and this has made us more independent
and effective learners. For example, there are now
thousands of free online courses available on
YouTube that anyone can watch and learn from
anywhere in the world.
In conclusion, this essay argues that life has been
greatly improved by technological advancements,
particularly labour-saving phones and the learning
opportunities provided by the internet.
(255 words)
Writing Section – Further Practice
Writing Task 1 - Sample
The line chart presents the average wage per
month of a Japanese person and how much black
and white and color TVs cost between 1953 and
1983.
Overall, it is clear that while the prices of both
types of television dropped significantly, the
average salary increased gradually over the
recorded period.
A deep analysis of the chart reveals that an
average Japanese earned just over 20,000 yen per
month in 1970. This remained relatively stable for
ten years, climbed slowly to around 28,000 yen in
1990 before soaring to just under 70,000 yen in
2000.
By contrast, a black and white TV in 1970 cost
approximately 110,000 yen. This number
experienced a dramatic fall in 1980 before finishing
the period at 20,000 yen. Color TVs’ price shared a
similar pattern. When they first appeared in 1980,
one of those cost 100,000 yen, but then this price
declined sharply and reached its bottom level in
2000, at just under 50,000 yen.
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Academic Module – Practice Test 1
(160 words)
Writing Task 2 - Sample
It is believed that social networks can be harmful to
both individuals and society. I strongly agree with
this statement, and I will explain my opinion in the
following essay.
To begin with, social media can cause
communication breakdown between people. This is
because a lot of people nowadays use social
networks excessively and fail to communicate with
people around them, like their friends or family
members. This can lead to frustration and
argument because we can easily become annoyed
when the person sitting next to us do not converse
with us. For example, many Vietnamese teenagers
these days often use TikTok and Facebook on their
phones during meals instead of interacting with
their family members, and this often causes their
relationships to worsen.
Another reason why social networks can cause
concerns to society is that they can encourage
people to engage in harmful activities. That is to
say, a lot of people on social networks often create
nonsensical or dangerous content to attract
viewers’ attention, and social networking
companies are still unable to deal effectively with
this situation. This means that when people,
especially young children, access this kind of
content, it can motivate them to commit self-harm
acts or even engage in criminal activities. For
example, a famous YouTuber in Vietnam called
NTN posted a video of himself dropping a bunch of
knives from the second floor of his house,
regardless of the fact that his channel was mostly
followed by children and teenagers.
In conclusion, I am of the opinion that social
networks have a negative influence on people
because they can worsen our relationships and
inspire youngsters to copy harmful behavior.
(275 words)
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