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2019. 01.17 (revised)

1. Some people think that the amount of noise people make has to be
controlled strictly, while others say that people are free to make as
much noise as they wish, discuss both views and your opinion.
2019.01.20 (revised)
2. Some people think it is important to protect all wild animals. Others
think that it is only important to protect some of them, not all of them.
Discuss both views and give your opinions.
2019. 01. 21 (revised)
3. Some people think developing countries should invite foreign
companies to open branches, offices and factories to promote their
economies. Others say that they should keep the foreign companies out
and depend more on their own local companies. Describe both views
and give your opinion. （oversea, outside, foreign, international,
external, abroad) (263 words)
2019. 01. 22 (revised)
4. Nowadays people are encouraged to buy more and more consumer
products. Some people think this is a positive trend while others believe
it is bad for society as a whole. Discuss both views and give your own
opinion. (289 words)
2019. 01. 23(revised)
5.Some people think that it is better to educate boys and girls in
separate schools. Others, however, believe that boys and girls benefit
more from attending mixed schools. Discuss both views and give your
suggestions
2019.01.28 (revised)
6.Some people say that children should start school as young as
possible, while others believe that children should begin school when
they are least seven years old. Discuss both views and give your own
opinion.
2019.02.03 (revised)
7. Older people have their own ideas of how to think, behave and live. It
is suitable for young people to follow their lead in preparing their
modern life. However, others claim that it is not suitable to follow
traditions. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
2019.02.06 (revised)
8. Nowadays, many people like wearing western style clothes. What are
the reasons for this trend? Is it a good or bad thing?

1
2019.02.07 (revised)
9. Some say the purpose of education is to prepare individuals to be
useful to society. Others say the purpose of education is to achieve
personal ambitions. Discuss both views and give your own opinion
2019.02.08(revised)
10. Some people claim that many things that children are taught at
school are a waste of time. Other people argue that everything they
study at school is useful at some time. Discuss both views and give your
own opinion.
2019.02.09 (revised）
11. Some believe that more academic subjects such as chemistry,
physics and history should be taught in schools, while others believe
that students will derive more benefit from studying practical subjects,
such as motor mechanics and cooking. Discuss both views and provide
your own opinion with relevant examples.
2019.02.10 (revised)
12. Some people think young people should be free to choose his or her
job，but other people think they should be realistic and think more
about their future. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
2019.02.16 IELTS test (revised)
13 Task 2 work at home/ advantages and disadvantages
2019.02.17 (revised)
14. Some people think that local councils should require people to build
houses same style as the other houses in the same area. However,
others think that councils should give people the freedom to build
houses in they way they like. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
15. The traditional customs are being lost. What you think why this
happens? What schools and parents need to do to keep the traditional
customs alive?
16. Some people argue that spending a lot of money on birthday
parties, wedding parties and some other celebrations is a waste of
money. Other think it is good for individuals and society. Discuss both
of views and give your own opinion.
2019. 02. 22
Some people think that fresh water should be freely available, while
others believe governments should tightly control the use of fresh water
as it is limited resource. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
It has been observed that in many countries there are not enough
students choosing to study science subjects at university. What do you
think are the causes of the problem? Are there any effects on society?
People have different views on how to reduce traffic congestion. Some
think that governments should build more train and subway lines, while
others think that building more and wider roads will reduce traffic
congestion. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
2/27
2019. 02. 26
Task 2 - formal (complain)
Task 2 - semi-formal
Task 2 - semi-formal
Task 2 - informal

3/27
2019. 01.17 (revised)
1. Some people think that the amount of noise people make has to be
controlled strictly, while others say that people are free to make as
much noise as they wish, discuss both views and your opinion.

Nowadays , it is very common to hear lots of noise around us in various

places. Some neighbours feel free to listen loud rock music even in the
late evening, and there are a lot of people who talk loudly in offices.
Some people suggest that this phenomenon should be changed by
controlling the noise strictly since noise could influence people’s health.
The noise in daytime, especially in the workplace, may distract people’s
attention from their work, decreasing their work efficiency. If they
cannot finish their work on time, they will feel huge psychological stress,
which might impact their mental health negatively. Moreover, noise in
the evening is likely to disrupt people’s sleep, leading to insomnia and
increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Some people suggest that this 副 词 位 置 错 了 正确

phenomenon should be changed
by strictly controlling the noise (不知道？)
levels strictly since it noise could
influence people’s health.

However, those who advocate that people can make noise freely can
also justify their opinion. It is impractical to limit the noise strictly since
the government should invest a huge amount of money to detect the
volume of voice and hire lots of employees to judge whether the voice
can be considered as a noise or not ， which will put extra financial
burden on the government. On the other hand, some types of noise,
such as construction noise and noise comes from music festivals or
bars, are inevitable. If these kinds of noise were completely disallowed,
the development of these industries would be impeded and the
economy may suffer.

In my opinion, the noise should be controlled, but depending on various

conditions: those who produce large amount of noise should add
sound proof devices in their workplaces; certain amount of noise can
be accepted in the daytime, but no noise should be allowed after
midnight.
4/27
(277 words)
没有问题 我会给 7 分的 没有他说的 那么低 ，但是 你的句子准确性 用词和句子结构，多读几
次 他给你批改的 慢慢的 你的错误就会少了

2019.01.20 (revised)
2. Some people think it is important to protect all wild animals. Others
think that it is only important to protect some of them, not all of them.
Discuss both views and give your opinions.

Many people suggest that all animals should be protected we should

protect all animals because animals play an essential role in the
ecosystem and without animals, the ecosystem can hardly reach
balance. However, the extinction of some animals is a natural
phenomenon in the development progress of species. During this
process, animals who cannot adapt to new pressure in the ecosystem
may naturally disappear, having negligible impact on the ecosystem.
On the contrary, any policy that intervene this process, such as
protecting animals supposed to extinct, may destroy this balance and
have unexpected impact on the ecosystem, making the earth
environment difficult for people and other species to survive. So it is not
appropriate to protect all animals.

Those who advocate that governments should focus only on protecting

some important species can also justify their opinion. It is impractical to
protect all animals because governments have to invest a huge amount
of money in order to establish nature reserves and conduct scientific
research, increasing the financial burden on the state. Besides, the
extinction of some species may not influence people’s daily live and the
stability of the ecosystem devastatingly soon. For example, the
disappearance of one fish species living in the deep sea is unlikely to
impact people’s live and destroy the environment of the sea
immediately.
In my opinion, only a few should be protected because this can avoid
negative impacts on natural selection but at the same time allowing the
government to allocate funding to addressing crucial problems/ issues.

(280 words)

2019. 01. 21 (revised)

3. Some people think developing countries should invite foreign
companies to open branches, offices and factories to promote their
economies. Others say that they should keep the foreign companies out
and depend more on their own local companies. Describe both views
and give your opinion. （ oversea, outside, foreign, international,
external, abroad) (263 words)

5/27
Some developing countries encourage abroad enterprises to conduct
businesses in their country, but some others refuse foreign industries
and relies on their domestic companies. This difference has raised a
debate about which is better for those developing countries.

People who suggest keep foreign companies out may argue that
international corporations can produce goods in high quality but lower
price, which may attract customers of local brands easily and put huge
pressure on domestic companies and economy. However, the fierce
competition may motivate domestic companies to improve themselves
in terms of productivities, manufacture process, and management. At
the same time, leveraging from the strength of their intelligent rivals
and combine their own advantages, such as knowledge of local culture
and habit, local enterprises may create better products with
reasonable price. This could benefit to all consumers and the society.

Those who advocate to allow abroad enterprises to invest factories in

their country believe that this policy would improve the economy
development. Foreign companies could provide plenty of job
opportunities to local people, decreasing the unemployment rate. With
jobs and salaries, people are more likely to consume. This would lead to
an increase in the demand for products and services, thus boosting the
economy. Besides, the increased demand for commodities may also
create more jobs so that those unemployed may find jobs, allowing
them to earn more money.

In my opinion, inviting foreign corporations could improve the economy

of developing countries because this would incentive domestic
companies and offer more job positions to local people, which could
promote the economic development of the whole county.
2019. 01. 22 (revised)
4. Nowadays people are encouraged to buy more and more consumer
products. Some people think this is a positive trend while others believe
it is bad for society as a whole. Discuss both views and give your own
opinion. (289 words)

Nowadays, people consume goods and services in ever-increasing

amounts than before. They spend more and more money to shopping
for their daily life, such as the latest high-tech devices, food, clothes
and so on.

Some people consider this as a negative trend may worry about its
adverse impact on environment. The increasing demand for consumer
products would motive factories to produce big quantities of physical
goods, which process often relies on the burning of fuels, thus emitting
significant amount of air pollution. Besides, the expansion of
manufacturing companies is likely to occupy enormous land to build
plants and put a huge pressure on resources, such as wood,
devastating deforestation and global warming. Therefore, consumerism

6/27
has being making the earth difficult for human beings and other
species to survive.

However, those who advocate that consumerism could benefit the

society can also justify their opinion. The increased demand of
commodities and services can directly contribute to the economic
growth because the economy of a country is judged by the production
and sale of goods. Besides, the thriving domestic market would create
more job opportunities so that more people can get a job and increase
their incomes, motivating them to consume more products, which could
enhance the positive impact of consumerism to the economy and
benefit individuals and the society as a whole.

In my opinion, encouraging people to purchase more goods is

beneficial to the society. I admit that consumerism may affect the
environment to some extent, but this problem could be solved by
investing in factories using renewable energy and produce eco-friendly
products. Moreover, consumerism could boost the economy growth,
which allow more tax revenue to not only deal with environment issues
but also improve citizens’ well beings, thus benefiting the whole society.

7/27
2019. 01. 23(revised)
5.Some people think that it is better to educate boys and girls in
separate schools. Others, however, believe that boys and girls benefit
more from attending mixed schools. Discuss both views and give your
suggestions

Traditionally, students in different genders study in the one school, but

recently, an increasing number of parents are likely to send their
children to single-sex schools. This difference has raised a debate
about which school is better for children.

People who suggest separate schools to students may argue that

single gender schools can design classes that cater for different
genders’ preferences and advantages, which could contribute to more
satisfying learning outcomes than mix school. However, the difference
of talent and interests between genders is not that huge as modern
research indicated, so it is unlikely to find a subject that only boys or
girls like. Instead, mix-gender school which provide wider courses could
satisfy most children’s requirements for subjects.

Those who think that mixed school should be promoted may put
forth the following reasonings. The real society is consisted by
different genders, so it is very important to let students practice
their social skills, which plays an essential role in their future
development when they grow up: if children could have chance to
talk to other genders face-to-face in the school, they would have
more confidence to communicate with others in the future ； also,
students could be aware that people may behave differently due to
their gender and can accept these differences, during their study
in the mix-gender schools, which may improve their social skills
and benefit them in the future.

In my opinion, mix-gender schools could benefit students more because

it can promote children’s social skill and let students develop their
talent freely.

(272 words)

8/27
2019.01.28 (revised)
6.Some people say that children should start school as young as possible, while
others believe that children should begin school when they are least seven years old.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Traditionally, parents send their children to school when they are
around seven years old, but recently, an increasing number of people
prefer to let children go to school earlier, such as five or even four years
old. This difference has raised a debate about what is the best age for
students to start their study.

Those who advocate that children should go to school earlier may

argue that it can help them start their career earlier to earn more
money. However, younger children, who normally have lower cognitive
ability than older ones, may find it difficult to understand courses
thoroughly, such as complicated grammar or mathematical rules, which
might have devastating impact on their learning outcomes. So if they
could not equipped with competitive knowledge and skills, it would be
unlikely for them to find decent jobs and receive a high income.
Therefore, students who attend to school earlier may no be benefited a
lot for their future career.

Some people who insist on sending children to school at seven believe

that it is better for their social ability. Researches showed that minor
distinction of age in childhood, even one or two years, could lead to
distinguished difference on strength, memory and comprehension. So it
is easier for children to study, play games and make friends with peers
at the same age, thus enhancing their willing of sharing and
cooperation and improving their skills on communication.

In my perspective, beginning school at seven could do good for the

performance of people’s study and career, also help children have a
good relationship with others. Thus, parents should send their children
after seven years old.

(270 words)

Task 6 Coherence 6 Vocabulary 5.5 Grammar 5.5

2019.02.03 (revised)
7. Older people have their own ideas of how to think, behave and live. It is suitable
for young people to follow their lead in preparing their modern life. However, others
claim that it is not suitable to follow traditions. Discuss both views and give your
opinion.

Some young people value experience from elders greatly and like
following their suggestions, but nowadays, an increasing number of
youngsters prefer to live in their own way. This difference has raised a
debate about which is better for young generation.

9/27
People advocate that youngsters should follow older people’s
guidelines because of their rich experience in life. Elder people have
experienced ups and downs, so they have insight of contributing
factors to success and failure, which might help young people avoid
making wrong decision. Meanwhile, some problem elders met before
may still bother young people nowadays. If they follow suggestions from
past generations, it is not necessary for them to spend time testing
what works and what does not, thus solving those issues more
efficiently.

However, people who suggest that not all experiences are useful in
people’s modern life can also justify their opinion. As a result of the
change of people’s worldview, some traditional views are not accepted
by contemporary society. For example, in the past, women are not
allowed to get a job or receive education in some countries, but
nowadays, it is quite normally that females achieve success in all walks
of life, such as academic, business, or art. Besides, with the
advancements of technology, various high-tech devices are applied in
people’s work or daily life, so we could conduct tasks more efficiently
and in totally different way compare to the past. Therefore, elders’
advices may not practical in all cases nowadays.

In my opinion, young generation can follow elder’s suggestions, but

depends on various conditions: if they face similar issues, experience
from older people may help, but when they meet some new situations, it
is wise to solve problems in their own way. (285 words)

10/27
2019.02.06 (revised)
8. Nowadays, many people like wearing western style clothes. What are
the reasons for this trend? Is it a good or bad thing?

In the past, people use to dress up in their traditional clothes, but

recently, an increasing number of people are likely to follow western
fashion. I think it is worth discussing the contributing factors of the
interesting trend and why I think it is a positive change.

The primary reason is that the western style clothes have become more
accessible than before. As a result of economic globalization, western
clothes brands, such as H&M and Zara, can sell their clothes all over
the world in physical or online stores. These products, which normally
have better quality and more reasonable price compared to local
brands, attract hundreds of thousands of consumers quickly, and
leading to the popularity of western style clothes.

Another reason is the prevalence of western celebrities, especially well-

known film stars and singers from the US and UK. Their dressing style
are constantly reported in media as a sign of fashion. So their fans,
particularly those who in eastern countries, are willing to dress up in
similar way to feel close to their idols. Besides, this trend may also
influence other people in the country, thus improving the popularity of
western style clothes.

I think this is a positive change because it can benefit both individuals

and society. Western styles clothes represente a kind of foreign culture
for some eastern countries. Having more exposure to different cultures
could encourage people to think outside the box and cultivate their
creative thinking. Meanwhile, the increased demand of new style of
clothes can directly contribute to the thriving of local clothes industry
and economic growth, which could create more job opportunities. So
that more individuals can get a job and feel secure in consuming more
products, enhancing the entire consumer and economic cycle as a
whole.

In conclusion, the accessibility and celebrity effect are main reasons for
the popularity of western style clothes, and I think it is a good change
because it can benefit not only individuals but also society.

(330 words)

11/27
2019.02.07 (revised)
9. Some say the purpose of education is to prepare individuals to be
useful to society. Others say the purpose of education is to achieve
personal ambitions. Discuss both views and give your own opinion

There is no doubt that education plays an important role in the well-

being of individuals as well as the society as a whole. However, people
have different views about the aim of education.

Some people advocate that education should benefit society may have
following reason. In most countries, education is mainly invested by
governments using public money, therefore what students learned at
school should first benefit majority citizens and the country as a whole,
such as establishing a stable society and improving economy growth.
To realize this, schools can teach how to distinguish right and wrong to
help reduce crime rate, and improve the stability of society. Besides,
equipped with academic or practical knowledge learned at school,
people could be more intelligent and contribute to the development of
the society.

Nevertheless, people who claim that education should help individuals

obtain success can also justify their opinion. If education cannot
contribute to fulfill personal ambition, students may lost their interest in
learning and unlikely to make efforts in their work in the future, which
would slow down the pace of society progress. By contrast, if education
can provide an array of resources ranging from knowledge to alumni
connections to facilitate their career development, their passion and
potential talent would be inspired. In this way, education can achieve its
maximum impact.

In my opinion, this two purpose are compatible: people can achieve

personal success and at the same time benefit to society; meanwhile,
for some people, be a useful person to society is their ambition.
Therefore, education can help individuals to fulfill their dreams and
prepare them to be a useful person to society.

(267 words)

12/27
2019.02.08(revised)
10. Some people claim that many things that children are taught at
school are a waste of time. Other people argue that everything they
study at school is useful at some time. Discuss both views and give your
own opinion.
There is no doubt that what students learned at schools are important
for their further development after graduation. However, recently, some
parents claim that not all courses are necessary. This difference has
raised a debate about whether some subjects waste children’s time.
People who advocate that many courses taught at school are useless
may think that those knowledge will not facilitate future studies of
students who will not specialise in such fields after graduation. For
example, mathematics may not contribute a lot to a child who choose
to study art after entering university or college. However, teenagers in
primary or secondary school change their mind frequently, so subjects
which seems not related to their interests now may play an important
role at some time in the future in their study. Therefore study more
subjects at school could allow them to have more possibility in the
future.
There are also some people who suggest that all courses provided at
school is beneficial to students at some point in their lives because
exposure to various knowledge could cultivate students’ creative
thinking. If children could learn different subjects, they are more likely
to consider things from different angles and think outside the box,
which could cultivate their creative thinking. When they faced with a
problem, they can approach it in new ways, resulting in efficient
problem solving skills, which can be used in various areas of life:
studying, working or dealing with practical problems in daily life, such
as fixing a car.
In my opinion, subjects taught at school are useful to students because
those knowledge could help students prepare for their future better
and cultivate their creative thinking that benefit to all aspects of life.
(283 words)

13/27
2019.02.09 (revised）
11. Some believe that more academic subjects such as chemistry,
physics and history should be taught in schools, while others believe
that students will derive more benefit from studying practical subjects,
such as motor mechanics and cooking. Discuss both views and provide
your own opinion with relevant examples.

Some schools provide courses for academic knowledge, but some

others prefer to teach more practical skills. This difference has raised a
debate about which can benefit students more.
People who encourage students to learn academic subjects at school
believe that these knowledge would help to develop children’s logic
thinking. It is generally accepted that learning academic subjects need
to know how to observe certain phenomena, analyze (relationships
between facts) connections between factors and results and try to
figure out its pattern. In this process, children could acquire the skill of
reasoning to work out a conclusion, thus improving their logic thinking.
This ability would help students to learn other subjects easily and solve
various problems in study or work more efficiently.

However, some people suggest that schools should provide more

practical courses could also justify their opinion. They may argue that
not all students would like to be researcher in the future, so academic
knowledge may useless for majority students, who are not planning to
specialize in related areas in university or college. For example, history
knowledge may not contribute much to the success of students who
want to be a driver in the future. By contrast, if they could practice more
about how to deal with motor at school, instead of spending time on
academic subjects which are not connected with their future career, it
would be more easy for them to land a job after graduation.

In my opinion, school should include both academic and practical

subjects in their curricula: academic courses would cultivate students’
logic thinking which would benefit them in their future study or career
no matter what major they choose, and practical courses could prepare
students to be more competitive when they want to find a job in related
area.

(293 words)

14/27
2019.02.10 (revised)
12. Some people think young people should be free to choose his or
her job，but other people think they should be realistic and think
more about their future. Discuss both views and give your own
opinion.

There is no doubt that a proper job position matter to people's well-

being: the task of the job may influence our physical and mental health,
and the salary could directly impact people's living standards. However,
people have different views on how to choose a job.
Some people advocate that young generation should have the freedom
to decide their career may put forth the following reasons. With this
freedom, youngsters could start career in their favorite area or
company with great interest, which could motivate them to keep
passion on their work, thus putting more efforts into approaching tasks.
Besides, doing ideal work could help them keep a good mood even
facing very tough issues or busy schedules.

However, people who suggest that youngsters should first think about
their future can also justify their opinion. People’s living standards are
mainly decided by their incomes, so it is necessary for them to consider
whether the salary of a job can cover their basic living cost. If young
people choose a job they prefer but without enough payment, they
would suffer from financial crises and experience huge stress related to
that, thus impairing their life quality and even theri health.

In my opinion, young people should firstly consider their reality and

ensure that the job could fulfill their cost of living. Although choose a
job based on their interest may have benefits to the organization they
sever or their personal feeling, it is necessary to sacrifice something in
short-term in order to guarantee the basic needs of life and achieve
long term vision in the future. Therefore, young generation have to be
realistic when choose a job.

(272 words)
(generation Z, youngsters, the current generation, next generation)

15/27
2019.02.16 IELTS test (revised)

13 Task 2 work at home/ advantages and disadvantages

As a result of technology innovation, employees can use various high-

tech devices and softwares for their work, such as computers and
remote office applications, so that an increasing number of people
choose to work at home. While some people are worrying about this
change, I believe this new trend has more advantages than
disadvantages.

People who decide to work remotely can arrange their time based on
their own pace, which may increase work efficiency. Normally, staffs
work in a fixed time in the offices located in their companies, which
means that they should finish daily work in that period. Nevertheless, if
they could not appear in the office at work time due to some emergency
issues, such as illness, they would postponed the work to next day. By
contrast, people who work at home can arrange their time according to
the actual situation, thus using the most advantage of their time and
improve efficiency.

People who decide to work remotely can manage their time at their own
pace, which can increase work efficiency. If staff work on fixed schedule
in offices, such as 9.00 to 17.00, they are expected to finish all daily work
in that 8-hour period. This inflexible time schedule may bring some
inconvenience, if people cannot appear in the office due to personal
issues. By contrast, with remote work, employees can adjust their work
time according to their situation, thus taking advantage of their time
and improving efficiency.

Moreover, working at home could save the commuting time of

employees, which could be used to do whatever they wish. Nowadays,
transport issues impact majority citizens, including most of people who
work in traditional office, they are wasting a plenty of time on their ways.
However, for people who work at home, such time could be used as they
wish: do sports or join leisure activities, thus improving their health
condition physically and psychologically.

To be fair, however, there are also some disadvantages of remote office.

For example, people will have less opportunities to communicate with
their colleagues, who sometimes could provide useful suggestions for
their work. However, this should not be a reason for us to refuse the new
work trend because the face-to-face communication can be realized by
arranging regular meeting or video conference.

In conclusion, I agree that there are more advantages than

disadvantages of remote office because that it has flexible work time,
which may improve work efficiency, and it can save people’s time to
improve their health.

(324 words)

16/27
Task 1 letter to a friend / book ticket in theatre, cannot go/ apologize /
reason/ how to deal with the ticket
Dear Putri,
How are you? I hope everything goes well with you. We had a wonderful
time to watch a play in Plaza theatre last month and booked tickets for
the next play there on March 20, next Friday. However, I am so sorry that
I could not go to watch it with you.
Yesterday, I was informed to attend a conference in Beijing on March
20. In the meeting I will give a presentation and join the after party in
the evening. And, there is no flight from Beijing to our city on Friday, so I
can only return on Saturday, which means I can’t watch the play with
you.
About the my ticket, I think you may give it to Rita and invite her to
watch the play. She is a big fan of drama, and she mentioned the play
to me several days before. She supposed to book a ticket, but unlucky,
they were sold out so quickly. The ticket is on my desk in the office, just
under the computer keyboard. You can find it easily.
Again, my apologies for missing our appointment. Wish you have a
good time with Rita next Friday, and enjoy the play!
Best regards,
Dan (206 words)

17/27
2019.02.17 (revised)

14. Some people think that local councils should require people to build
houses same style as the other houses in the same area. However,
others think that councils should give people the freedom to build
houses in they way they like. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
In some cities, residents can build houses in their own preference, but in
some others, governments decide the style of houses for citizens. This
difference has raised a debate about whether people can construct
their houses freely.

Some people advocate that housed should be designed by local

councils in uniform style because governments can work more
efficiently in that way. If houses are designed in different styles, they are
more likely to have different inner structures, such as kitchen or
bathroom in various positions, thus requiring diverse municipal
accessory facilities, including gas lines and water systems, which are
normally designed and provided by government. By contrast, if houses
are in one style, local government can only design one set of plan and
construct such facilities in the same way for each houses, thus
decreasing their workload and increasing work efficiency.

However, people who suggest that dwellers should have right to

construct their houses as they wish can also justify their opinion. People
have different requirements of houses, such as size or functions, due to
their jobs, characteristics and financial conditions, so it is unfair for
them to live in houses in one style as the council required. People who
are not satisfied with their living places or cannot afford such houses
may protest against the policy and government, which would make
society unstable.

In my opinion, people should be allowed to design their houses in their

own way. Living in a place the like, they may feel more happy and
belonging to the community, which could benefit to individuals and
society as a whole.

(264 words, 30min)

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15. The traditional customs are being lost. What you think why this
happens? What schools and parents need to do to keep the traditional
customs alive?
A problem that concerns most citizens and countries in the modern
society is the disappear of their traditional cultures, such as habits,
clothes and values. I think it is worth discussing this worrying issue and
providing solutions.

The primary reason is that governments pay few attention to preserve

traditional cultures. Nowadays, states allocate more resources in
boosting economy instead of saving and promoting customs. Besides,
less traditional festivals are set as public holidays by governments, so
people do not have chances to celebrated them in traditional ways.
Therefore, traditions are being forgotten day by day.

Individuals are also play a role in the losing of customs. Nowadays, an

increasing number of people are becoming indulge in material goods
and modern techniques in their daily life, thus considering customs as
useless for them. Besides, some people could not realise the
devastating results of losing their customs: they may feel less belonging
to their communities, and (a less cohesive society) the stability of society
may be impeded, demotivating public to preserve them.

In order to change this trend, both schools and parents should

contribute their efforts. Schools could provide a set of courses to teach
students traditional cultures, which can help them understand the
meaning of traditions deeply and feel proud of them. On the other
hand, parents can celebrate festivals in traditional ways together with
children, so that they can feel the charming of customs personally and
become interested in them. If children understand the critical role
customs play in their lives, they would be more likely to preserve it.

In conclusion, governments and individuals should response for the

disappearing of customs: invest too few and no longer value it. To keep
customs alive, schools should teach more courses related, and parents
can provide more opportunities for children to experience traditional
cultures. (302, 35)

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16. Some people argue that spending a lot of money on birthday
parties, wedding parties and some other celebrations is a waste of
money. Other think it is good for individuals and society. Discuss both
of views and give your own opinion.
Traditionally important celebrations and parties cost a great amount of
money, but recently, an increasing number of people argue that we
should save money from these activities. This difference has raised a
debate about whether we should spend a lot on celebrations.

People who advocate that it is not necessary to spend on celebrations

may argue that money should be invested in more valuable areas. If
people spend more on such celebrations, they would have to allocate
less in other activities, such as education and health care. However,
without a quality education or health condition, it is very difficult for
people to land a decent job, which would impede quality of their life.
Thus, spending a great deal of money on parties is a kind of waste.

Opponents, however, can also justify their opinion by following

reasons. For some people, parties are ideal social events to keep
bonding with old friends and extend social networks, which, from their
perspective, play crucial role in their lives and careers, thus deserving a
high budget. Moreover, the increased demand of extravagant parties
could promote industries related, such as hotels, caterings and
restaurants, which would provide more job opportunities and improve
economic growth. Thus, throwing money in such activities is beneficial
to both individuals and society.

In my opinion, the budgets of parties or celebrations depends on

individuals’ financial condition and needs: people who consider
celebrations are important for them and could afford that could spend
more money on that activities, while for those who have limited incomes,
it seems wise to invest in education and health first.

(264 words, 35min)

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2019. 02. 22
Some people think that fresh water should be freely available, while
others believe governments should tightly control the use of fresh water
as it is limited resource. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
There is no doubt that water plays an essential role in people's daily
lives, health and the environment we live. However, people have
contrasting views regarding whether water should be provided freely.
Some advocate that water should be freely available to citizens
because this can benefit people’s health. Water, as our basic needs in
everyday lives, helps us to maintain organ functions, balance
metabolism and control body temperature, keeping people in good
physical healthy. In addition, it can also be used to clean people’s living
environments, such as houses or public areas, decreasing risks of some
infectious illnesses, such as malaria. Therefore, if people could use
water without limit, their health conditions would be improved, which
also benefit society as a whole.

Opponents, however, can also justify their opinions. It is impractical to

provide water to citizens totally free because governments would have
to invest significant amounts of funding in order to build
infrastructures for water delivery and cover all costs of water,
increasing the financial burden on state, especially those developing
countries. Furthermore, if water were free to all citizens, they would take
it for granted, thus using it inefficiently and wasting vast water
resource. This will accelerate the shortage of water, impeding well-being
of future generations.

In my opinion, water should be provided based on the specific

situations of countries: economically developed countries who can
afford the cost could provide it to public freely, but simultaneously
educate them the importance of water to avoid wasting. However,
countries who are still in developing should limit this resource, and
allocate public money to more essential areas, such as education and
health care service.

(276 words)

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It has been observed that in many countries there are not enough
students choosing to study science subjects at university. What do you
think are the causes of the problem? Are there any effects on society?
A problem that concerns many countries is that an increasing number
of youngsters are not willing to study science in the tertiary education. I
think it worth discussing the contributing factors to this worrying trend
and its potential implications.
The primary reason is, from individual’s perspective, that most students
may have little interest in science. Academic courses, such as
mathematics or physics, normally include a great deal of abstract
theories. If they were not taught in an proper way, teenagers would feel
that it is boring and hard to learn such courses, thus losing interest. In
addition, their learning outcomes of these subjects are strictly judged
by test scores. If they failed several times in exams, they would lose
confidence and not willing to study further.
Another reason is the prevalence of entertainment celebrities in
modern society. As a results of constant media attention, their huge
incomes and luxury lifestyles are frequently reported to the public,
attracting hundreds of thousands of teenagers to pursue such
extravagant lives. They may consider that to be a pop star could earn
more money than that of top researchers and satisfy their material
lives, thus preventing them from choosing scientific majors.
I think this phenomenon has negative effects on society. The scientific
progress will slow down due to the lack of professional people who can
conduct researches. Therefore a series of existing issues of society,
including global warming, shortage of resources and health problems,
will not be solved in a short term, and people will still suffer from that.
Meanwhile, if there were not enough people to develop advance
technologies to promote productivity of society, the economic growth
would be impeded.
In conclusion, more exposure to celebrities and declining interest in
academic courses are the main factors contributing to the trend that
less students are likely to study science. This trend will curb the
development of society in terms of living conditions and economy.
(316 words)

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People have different views on how to reduce traffic congestion. Some
think that governments should build more train and subway lines, while
others think that building more and wider roads will reduce traffic
congestion. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
In order to improve traffic systems and decrease traffic jams, some
state invest significant amount of money in constructing public
transport, but some others spend money on improving roads. This
difference has raised a debate about which method is more efficient to
solve traffic problems.
Some advocate that more public transports could help because the
number of vehicles on roads can be decreased. Well-designed rail
transits, such as trains or metros, can connect every district of the city
effectively and have some unique advantages: they are faster than
private cars, saving people’s traffic time; there is no expenditure on
petrol, parking and car maintenance, which can save money. These
benefits may attract significant amount of citizens to use public
transport instead of private cars, thus reducing vehicles on roads and
relieve traffic congestion.
Opponents, however, can also justify their opinion. If there were more
roads for cars, especially in crowded places such as airport or train
station, drivers would opt different ways to their destinies, thus
reducing density of traffic per road and avoiding traffic bottlenecks. In
addition, a wider road can allow more cars to pass simultaneously, thus
making it less likely for cars to be stuck on the road. Therefore,
increasing the number and width of roads can improve the traffic
efficiency.
In my opinion, the method used to alleviate traffic congestion depends
on various situations of cities: in big cities, there may be not enough
spaces to construct more or wider roads, so developing public
transport is a better way. In some small cities, which are still
constructing infrastructures, it is wiser for them to design and build
superior roads.
(273 words)

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2019. 02. 26

Task 2 - formal (complain)

You recently stayed in a hotel in a large city. The weather was very
unusual for the time of year and the heating / cooling system in the
hotel was quite inadequate.
Write a letter to the manager of the hotel. In your letter:
• give details of what went wrong
• explain what you had to do to overcome the problem at the time
• say what action you would like the manager to take

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing in connection with my recent terrible experience at your
hotel, Panda Hotel in Chengdu, China.
I spent three horrible nights in your hotel from March 1st to 4th, 2019.
Those three days were quite cold, and the temperature was closed to
zero. I understand that it is abnormal in Chengdu on March, but the
radiator in my room did not work absolutely.
When I noticed the problem of the heat, I complained this to the
reception. However, they claim that due to the average temperature of
each season in Chengdu, the radiators in the whole hotel were not
allowed to use during March to October, and they refused to turn it on
even in the unusual situation. Therefore, I had to sleep with my all my
thick clothes: coat, trousers and socks.
This terrible thing is avoidable, but it happened because of your
unreasonable regulation. I am totally shocked by this terrible service. To
compensate me for this tremendous inconvenience, I ask that you
refund my money right away. Otherwise, I am prepared to take my
complaint to a higher authority.
I look forward to hearing from you at the earliest.

Yours faithfully,
Dan
(194 words)

Task 2 - semi-formal (reference letter)

You are applying for a job and need a letter of reference from someone
who knew you when you were at school.
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Write a letter to one of your old teachers asking for a reference. In your
letter:
• say what job you have applied for
• explain why you want this job
• suggest what information the teacher should include

Dear Prof. Gerrit,

How are you? I hope everything is fine at the school and that you have
been well. I still remember the wonderful Biosynthesis course you taught
in my master project, which helps a lot in my following research.
I am writing in connection with a reference letter for my job application
recently. As I am due to graduate next month, I am applying a
Postdoctoral Fellow position in New York University, in the US
The research project of this position is related to biosynthesis of
natural medicine and protein engineering. I would like to apply this job
because I believe it is a very promising research area, and I have
became quite interested in this field since joining your class. You may
remember how I keen to be a scientist in biosynthesis. Now I have the
chance. I believe research experience in such outstanding university
would benefit my future development in academia.
In the reference letter, I would appreciate it if you could include
information related to my study ability, passion for this subject, and
research capacity. It would be great, if this letter could be prepared
before July 1st.
Thank you very much for your help in advance.

Your sincerely,
Dan
(199 words)

Task 2 - semi-formal (ask for help)

You are going on a short training course at a college in Sydney,
Australia. You need somewhere to live while you are there.
Write a letter to the accommodation officer at the college. In your letter:
· explain your situation
· describe the accommodation you require
· say when you will need it

Dear Ms Haan,

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I am writing in connection with my upcoming training course in your
college in Sydney Australia. I will be there to attend a short
Bioinformation program for a period of 1 month from June 1st to June
30th, 2019. I am hoping that you could help me to find an ideal
accommodation.
I notice that in the program schedule, there are several activities are
organized in the evening, such as case discussions, and I do not want to
back home very late, so a studio or apartment within walking distance
to the college would be ideal for me.
Since I stay in Sydney only 1 month, I would appreciate it if you could
recommend a place with furniture so that I do not need to buy new
ones. In addition, I think an internet connection is very important
because there are some online tasks in this program. My budget is
around 1000 dollars for 1 month.
As I will be arriving on June 1st, I would need the apartment to be
available from that night until the day of my departure, which is June
30th.
Please let me know if you are able to find such studio or apartment, or if
you have some other recommendation. Thank you very much for your
help.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Dan

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Task 2 - informal
Last month you had a holiday overseas where you stayed with some
friends. They have just sent you some photos of your holiday.
Write a letter to your friends. In your letter:
• thank them for the photos and for the holiday
• explain why you didn't write earlier
• invite them to come and stay with you

Dear Yvonne,
Thanks a lot for the beautiful photos of my perfect vacation in Florence
with all of you! Sorry for the delay in acknowledging your mail, because I
went to Tokyo for a conference last week when the letter arrived.
These pictures bring me back to the happy time we spend together last
month in Florence. Thank you for preparing delicious Italian food for
me, recommending me unforgettable culture events and accompanying
me to watch amazing performances. My holiday can’t be so perfect
without your friendship!
I remember that you’ve always wanted to visit Chengdu, my hometown,
so how about come and stay with me this summer holiday for one or
two weeks? We could firstly drive to Jiuzhai Lake, which is one of the
most beautiful place in Chengdu. Then, we could visit Panda Research
Center, which you mentioned several times in Florence. I will be so
happy if you could come!
Thanks again for the lovely photos and the great holiday! I am looking
forward to hearing from you!
Best regards,
Dan
(170 words)

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