Letter/emai l to a fri end

(For work on i nf ormal l et t ers and emai l s, see pages

16 and 164. )
Task
You have recei ved a l etter from your pen fri end
i nvi t i ng you f or a vi si t i n Jul y. Wri t e a l et t er t o your
pen f ri end, accept i ng t he i nvi t at i on, suggest rng
somet hi ng you woul d l i ke t o do and aski ng what
you shoul d bri ng wi t h you.
Wri te your l etter. Do not wri te any postal addresses.
(You
shoul d wnte between 120-180 words.)
Model answer
\\i i ti ng refel encc (l )aper 2)
Useful l anguage
Beginning the letter or email
.
Many thanks for your letter (- it was really nice to hear from you again).
.
I thought I'd better write (and give you some more details about ...)
.
It's been such a long time since we wrote to each other.
o
How are you and your family?
.
How are things with youT
o
How was (your holiday)?
Introducing the topic
.
I know you're longing to hear all about (my holday).
c
You remember I told you in my last letter (that I was going to ..,)
Ending the letter or email
c
Once again, (thanks very much for all your help).
.
Give my love/regards to (your family).
.
Please write/drop me a line soon,
.
I look forward to (meeting up again soon).
Thanks foc clooc lefre(
-
it ,r.: gcat to hear from
3ou.
Im 5orrj I havent Driffn fof ages, bul I've
been reatl3 bu.=j preparing fr mj exams lt's reall3
god ^e3
-fhat
jorl
ve pa=sed
3ur
driving fest.
Congratcrlations!
ThanL
ju
5o much for
jor
invitatin to staj toith
3oo
for a eeL in ful3
-
I'd love lo cme. I LnoL
tha-i
3ot-r
have a tponderful beach near
jour
house, and
I'd reallg njo3 spending some time there . \ expect
that the WealneC rill
l-ra t rn-F -^ r v,^ng
.e Can g
st,imming.
You
gaid
that I don t need to bcing much Difh m.
ldhat 5ort of clolYtes =hotlld I pacL? Casoal or formal?
f,Oould
3or-t
lik rne to bring an3thing for ujors? I Lorld
llv-e
-l
bring smefhing 5pecial for
goo
and
3ur
famit3
from mj coor,+/3.
I d btter stop nD and get on tith m3 stud3ng. I
hope
jou
re no3ing driving
3ur
ar, and I'm looking
foroard +o 3eei.rg
3oo
in futSl
Than[.= again fr the invitafion.
Alt the be=t,
Tcene
DO ment i on a l et t er or
emai l you have recei ved
f rom t he person you
are wri t i ng t o, or ref er
t o a shared experi ence.
D0 i nvent a name
Don' t wri t e
Dear Pen friend.
DO say what you' ve
been dorng recent l y.
t hi nk of some
f i c det ai i s t o
aph
-
t hr s wi l l
your et t er or
more i nt erest i ng
use an appropri at e
or emaLl , e. g.
All the best, Best
D0N' T f i ni sh
l et t er or emai l wi t h
(' 169 words)
\ \ - r t i nq r ul i . r cl t ec { l ' : r pt ' r ' } t
Report
( For
wor k on r epor t s, see pages 78 and 1' 14. )
Task
The school where you st udy Engl i sh has deci ded
t o spend some money on ei t her buyi ng more
comput ers or i mprovi ng t he l i brary. You have
been asked t o wri t e a report f or t he school
di rect or descri bi ng t he benef i t s t o t he school of
bot h t hese t hi ngs, and sayi ng whi ch one you
t hi nk shoul d be chosen and why
Wri t e your report . (You
shoul d wri t e bet ween
120-180 words. )
Model answer
DON' T begi n and end your
report with Dear Str/Madam
rKe a l et t er.
DO use headi ngs because
t hi s makes i t esi er f or t he
r eader t o f nd t he mat n
nt or mat t on.
DO ncl ude t wo or
r nr ee po nt s unoer eacn
headi ng
DO us e numbenng or
bul l et poi nt s t o
hi gh i qht mai n poi nt s
DO use f or mal anguage
Usef ul l anguage
lntroduction
.
The aim of this report is to ...
.
This report is intended to ...
Report ng resul t s
.
Most people seern to feel that ...
.
Several people said/told me/suggested/thought that ...
Presenting a list
.
They gave/suggested the following reasons.-
.
They made the following points:
1 . . .
2 . .
Maki ng recommendat i ons
.
I would therefore recommend (that we expand the
library/installing a new coffee machine)
.
lt would seem that (banning mobile phones) is the best idea.
Use of money f or school i mprovement s
I nt roduct i on
The ai m of t hi s report i s t o compare t he advant ages of
addi t i onal comput ers and of i mprovi ng t he l i brary, and
t o suggest whi ch of t hese woul d be best I i nt ervi ewed
a number of st udent s t o f i nd out t hei r vi ews.
.--
Buyi ng more computers
Some of t he st udent s t hought t hat t hrs was a good
i dea, sayi ng comput ers were usef ul f or:
"
r
pr act i si ng wr i t i ng
r
ust ng t he I nt er net
.
pl ayi ng games.
However, ot her st udent s sai d t hat t hey pref erred t o use
t hei r own comput ers at home.
l mprovi ng t he l i brary
Most of t he st udent s pref erred t hi s suggest i on, gi vng
t he f ol l owi ng reasons.
' 1
Many st udent s do not have a qui et pl ace t o st udy at
home. The l i brary woul d be a good pl ace f or pri vat e
st udy, but at present t here are not enough t abl es and
chai r s t her e.
2 They f eel t hat up-t o-dat e di ct i onari es and ref erence
books are needed.
3 They want t o be abl e t o read modern books wri t t en
f or young peopl e.
Recommendat i ons
Bot h i deas hve benef i t s, but t he maj ori t y of st udent s
f el t t hat i mprovi ng t he l i brary woul d be more usef ul .
I woul d t heref ore recommend t hi s.
DO use a range of
speci f i c vocabul ary or
set phrases e. g. 5ome
thought thts was a
good i dea. . . / ot her
studens sard they
preferred ..., bu|
DON' T use ot s of
adl ect i ves and dramat i c
anguage as you do r n
a st ory. A report gt ves
t act ual nf or mat i on.
DON' T i ncl ude i r r el evant
det ai l s or descr i pt i on.
DO say how you
col l ect ed t he
i nf or mat on.
DO expr ess opi ni ons
i mpersona l y. DON' T
express recorn rnendat t ons
or opr n ons unt i l t he
co n cl u si on.
(' 179 words)
I 0
Hgyl
magazine
is tooking
for articles
about
celebrations
around
the world'
Write us an article
about a celebration
that is imPortant
in your
@unry,
explaining
*t'V tnt ttfti[on
it itpotttnt
and describing
whar
peopre do. rr
vour
?-'iil-*::?:,:1,ini:lfl*'*'
vou
wirr
Article
(For work on art i cl es, see pages 52, 102 and 126")
Task
You see t hi s advert i sement i n a l ocal Enql i sh
ran9uage newspaper.
"in
J *..k.nO
in a city of your choice'
Wri te your arti cl e. (You
shoul d wri te between
120-180 words. )
Model answer
llriting rcference (Paper 2)
Useful l anguage
Involving the reader
.
Are you thinking of (getting
married in the near future)?
.
l'm sure you'll agree (it was a great idea).
Developing your points
.
Let's start with (why it is so important to take plenty of
exerase).
.
Another advantage (of using a computer s that ...)

On top of that, ...
Gi vi ng your own opi ni on
.
I think tha/nn my opinion (tradtional
celebrations are very
important).

lt seems to me that (people are much more aware of the
importance of a good diet nowadays).
Ol i nda' s carni val
-
somethi ng for everyone
When most peopl e t hi nk of Carni val , t hey t hi nk of
Ri o de. l anei ro. But Ri o i sn' t t he onl y ci t y i n Brazi l t hat
knows how t o have part i es. I l i ve i n Ol i nda, a l ovel y
ci t y i n t he nort h-east of Brazi l . What can we sav
about t he carni val at Ol i nda? Just t hat i t ' s t he best i n
t he worl d I
Carni val has i t s ori gi ns i n anci ent Egypt i an and
Roman f est i val s. l t was i nt roduced t o Brazi l by t he
Port uguese, and was i nf l uenced by Af ri can rhyt hms
and I ndi an cost umes. Now i t ' s a bi q nat i onal
cel ebrat i on.
Once Carni val st art s, t he whol e t own goes crazy!
Everyone' s si ngi ng and danci ng. Parades of peopl e
weari ng costumes typi cal of our north-eastern
f ol kl ore dance t hrough t he st reet s. I l ove t he gi ant
st reet dol l s, bot h t he t radi t i onal ones such as
' t he
man of mi dni ght ' and t he new ones t hat appear
eacn year.
The best t hi ng about our carni val i s t hat no one nas
to pay and there are no bi g stars. Everyone takes
part , ri ch and poor. ol d and young, resi dent s and
t ouri st s. l f you come, I promi se you' l l never f orget i t !
DO t hi nk of an
i nt erest i ng t i t l e.
DON' T st art and f i ni sh
your art i cl e i n t he
same way as a letter.
DO t ry t o i nvol ve
your reaoers, e. g.
by usi ng a quest i on.
DO use i nf ormal
l anguage t o l nvol ve t he
reader.
DON' T f orget t o
express your
opi ni on.
DO f i ni sh your art i cl e by
SUmma Sr ng your mat n
poi nt and gi vi ng your
opi ni on or expressi ng
your f eel i ngs
( 179 wor ds)
re
\ \ f i t i r r g r cf cr cncc ( l , apcr 2)
Letter of appl i cati on
( For wor k on wr i t i ng appl i cat i ons, see page 140. )
Task
You see t hi s advert i sement i n a l ocal Enql i sh
l anguage newspaper.
We are looking
for students
of English
to
,f"r,O,*o
*oi"ittgt
a week helping
in the
^
local tourist
office'
Cotttl tut'
ttntl c'tncliiuts.for
the right ttpplic'uttts'
Wr i t c t o us. gi r i ng i nt br mat i on
t bt r ul
) our
l evel ol ' Engl i sh'
and expl i r i ni r r r
r vhy
ou
rvoul d be sui tabl e
for the
j ob'
Wr i t e your appl i cat i on Do not wr i t e any post af
addr esses. ( You
shoul d wr i t e bet ween 120_l g0 wor ds. )
DO beg n and end your
l et t er as you woul d ot her
f ormal l et t ers.
Usef ul l anguage
o
I have always been interested in (using
Engtish in my
worK).
c
One of the main reasons I am apptying for this job is
that (l
want to work in Engtand).
.
I have a lot of experience of (dealing
with the public).
.
I am available to start work (at
any time/from the end of
the month).
.
Thank you for considering my apptication.
o
I would be grateful if you would (send
me further details
of the job).
.
I can be contacted (on 0849 58 48 43) at any time.
.
I can be contacted (at the above address).
.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Dear Si r/ Madam,
I am wrrtrng to apply for one of the positions helping in the
local tourist office which were advertised in' Kent weklyr
on August 23rd.
I am 19 years old and come from Switzerland. German is
my mother tongue and I have been learning Engiish and
French for flve years at a comprehensive
school. At the
moment I' m a student at Engltsh International,
studying for
the FCE
I have always been interested in working with people.
As i
have aiready spent three months in England, I know the
local tourist attractions quite well. i wouid also say that I
have a good knowledge
of history and o1d places, because
I have read a lot about the subject recenth In the near
future, I would like to continue studying English, and so the
job
in your tourist office would be a great opportunlty for
me to improve my speaking.
I am available for interview at any trme. I can be contacted
on 0795 51 32 4I after 6 p.m. every evening.
Thank you for considering my applicatron. I look forward
t o heari ng f rom you.
Yours faithfuliy,
6arre. \ \ a Danre. \ s
Gabrieila Daniels
DO say whi ch j ob
you are appl yi ng f or
and wher e and
when you saw i t
advert i sed. You can
i nvent a newspaper
and dat e i f you
need t o.
DO or gani se your
appl r cat i on so t hat you
ment ron each of t he areas
i n t he adver t i sement .
DON' T make mi st akes wi t h
t rme expresst ons and t enses
DON' T f orget t o
ment ron why you
t hi nk you ar e
su i t a b l e.
DO say when and
how you can be
co nl act ed.
( 183
wor ds)
9.e] -Er
Essay
(For
work on essays, see pages
90 and 176. )
Task
You have been doi ng a cl ass proj ect
on technol ogy.
Your teacher has asked you to wri te an essay gi vi ng
your opi ni on on t he f ol l owi ng st at ement :
People in the modern world depend too much on
compurcrs.
Wri te your essay. (you
shoul d wri te between
120-180 words.)
Wri ti np reference (Paper
2)
Useful l anguage
.
Some people
claim that (your
teenage years are the best
years of your life).
.
lt is often said that (ly
is a bad inftuence on young people).
.
However, in my view/opinion, .. .
.
Firstly, it is clear that (money
cannot buy happiness).
.
While it is true that (computer games are stimutating, they
may not be good for you in the long term).
.
From my point of view, (ob satisfaction s more imponant
than a large salary).
.
Finally, it is important to remember that ...
c
On balance then, t feel that ...
o
To sum up/ln conclusion, it seems to me that ...
DON' T st art by sayi ng /
agree with this
-
your
essay shoul d present your
own argument .
Model answer
In today's world, nearly every aspect of life is affected
by computer technology.
Computers are used for
business, public services, education and entertainment.
Some people are concerned by this development.
They
fear that vital skills are being lost as computer
technology replaces traditional ways of working in a
wide variety of areas, from art and design to banking
and commerce. They point out the chaos that can occur
when computer systems fail, leading to the breakdown
of essential services such as transport, law and order.
However, people could not continue to enjoy their
present standard of living without computer
technology.
There are now far more people in the
world than there were a generation
ago. The fact that
there ls enough food for them, that they can travel
safely from one place to another, and that they can be
provided
with medical care, is largely due to computer
technology.
In my opinion, therefore, we have to accept our
dependence
on computers, but at the same time we
should work to find wayS of making this dependence
less dangerous.
D0 st at e t he t opi c i n
your f i rst sent ence, but
use your own words.
DO i ncl ude support i ng
det ai l f or t he poi nt s i n
each paragraph.
DO use l i nki ng
expresst ons t o
I nt roduce poi nt s.
DON' T f orget t o
express your opl non
i n t he concl usi on.
( 178
wor ds)
\Vri ti n$ referencc (l ' aper 2)
Revi ew
(For work on revews, see pges 15 and 64. )
Task
You recent l y saw t hi s announcement i n an Engl i sh l anguage
magazine called Film Scene.
Usef ul l anguage
lntroducton
.
The
(film)
I would like to revew s ...
c
The l ast f i l m l saw / book l read was. . .
Summari si ng t he st ory
.
l t ' s set n . . .
.
The story rs based on (a
book) ...
.
l t ' s about . . .
.
There are many memorable characters
including .. .
.
The main theme of the film is ...
.
What the film is saying is ...
Recommendi ng t he f i l m
.
I would recomend this film to anyone.
.
Although I enjoyed it, I would not
recommend it for ...
.
lt's one of the best (shows) l've eyer seen.
o
Although I am not normally keen on
(mudcals),
I'm glad that I decded to go.
.
The (filn) lifts you out of your everyday ltfe
We need a young person's
perspective
on films today
Write us a review of the last film you saw' Include
information
on the story, characters
and any special
features of the film, and say whether
you would
recommend
the film to other
people' The best review will
be published in next month's
eclition of the magazine'
Wri te your revi ew. (You
shoul d wri te between 120-180
wor0s. )
Model answer
The l ast fi l m I saw was not new: i n fact i t was The Lord
of tl te Ri ngs.
It i s based on the wel l -known book, and tel l s the story of
a creature cal l ed a hobbi t who takes a dangerous magi c
ring back to the place where it was made in order to
destroy it. There are many memorable characters apart
from the hobbi t and hi s fri ends. i ncl udi ns awi zard cal l ed
Gandal f and a suspi ci ous creature cal l ed Gol l um.
Thi s i s a fi l m about fi i endshi p and l oyal ty. However, i r i s
the speci al effects that make i t trul y magi cal . There are
vi vi d battl e scenes wi th fantasti c ani mal s and bi rds. and
sets that are so i magi nati ve that you want to bel i eve they
are real . But as wel l as thi s. the actual l ocati ons are
beauti ful . too.
I r.voul d recommend thi s fi l m to anyone, even those who
do not usual l y enj oy fantasy fi l ms. What I woul d say to
them i s
-
go and try i t! Li ke me, you mi ght fi nd that the
fi l m l i fts yor out of your everyday l i fe i nto a worl d you
rvi l l not want t o l eave.
DO say what i t i s
h ^ r r t h r r t ^ ^ t , + ^ ^
much det ai .
DO remember t o ment i on
i mport ant or memorabl e
charact ers, but don' t
spend t oo much t r me
l ust
descr i br ng t hem.
DO t ry t o use a range of
i nt erest i ng vocabul ary,
t o br i ng t he f i l m t o i f e
f or t he reader.
DO r emember t o l i nk
i deas cl earl y, and t o nk
paragraphs t oget her.
DO remember t o g ve
your opi ni on cl earl y, as
t hi < < t h nr . nn<o nf
revi ew, but not unt t he
end.
( 180 wor ds)