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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất

Contents
Lesson 1: Describe a school or college you know ........................................................................................... 3
Lesson 2: Describe somebody who has influenced your life in a positive way ................................................ 18
Lesson 3: Describe a typical food from your country ........................................................................................33
Lesson 4: Describe a project or piece of work you have done with somebody else ......................................... 48
Lesson 5: Describe a TV programme that you have seen recently .................................................................. 57
Lesson 6: Describe an important invention ....................................................................................................... 65
Lesson 7: Describe a film you have seen recently ............................................................................................ 74
Lesson 8: Describe a piece of music that you like ............................................................................................ 83
Lesson 9: Describe a museum or exhibition which you enjoyed ....................................................................... 91
Lesson 10: Describe your favourite animal ..................................................................................................... 100
Lesson 11: Describe an example of serious pollution ..................................................................................... 109
Lesson 12 : Describe a sport you enjoy playing or watching .......................................................................... 118
Lesson 13: Describe an important rule or law in your country ........................................................................ 128
Lesson 14: Describe the kind of book you would like to write ..........................................................................138
Lesson 15: Describe the most successful person you know ........................................................................... 147
Lesson 16: Describe a company where a friend or relative works .................................................................. 157
Lesson 17: Describe an item of clothing or jewellery you wore for a special occasion ....................................167
Lesson 18: Describe a useful website you have visited .................................................................................. 176
Lesson 19: Describe a building that you know ................................................................................................ 186

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Lesson1:Describeaschoolorcollegeyouknow

When did you first see it?

Whatisitlike?
How does it make you feel?

Student: The place I would like to talk about is York

College. The college has been running for over fifty originally
years I think and originally was on a site in the city
centre. It then moved to a site on the outskirts of outskirts
York near Tesco. A few years ago, the old college
was demolished and a brand new building was demolished
built. brand new

The first time I saw the new building was when it

was already one-year-old, however I was still very impressed
impressed with it. It is a huge building with four
wings around a central atrium which is a large area atrium
in the entrance. As you walk in through reception on
the right hand side there is a beauty salon. To the a beauty salon
back of the building there is a restaurant which is
where they train chefs. To the left there is an eating chefs
area and a shop. In the middle there is an enormous
staircase which goes up to the fourth floor. It is staircase
possible to stand on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors
and look down into the atrium which is really
impressive.

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
When I first came into the building I felt very nervous
because the building is so huge that it is intimidating
intimidating however now I have got used to it I got used to
enjoy being here. As an organisation I feel that it is
a warm and friendly place and there is always lost
somebody around to ask if you are lost and need supportive
help. The teachers are incredibly supportive and
always happy to help students. Although it is a institution
massive institution in terms of its size and the community
number of people who are there I feel part of a bump into
community and I regularly bump into people I
know.

I believe that the college teaches a wide range of

courses, both full and part time. There are evening
courses for mature students who work and they politics
offer a huge range of subjects from politics to hair
and beauty. I imagine that just about any course that
you want is taught here. The facilities are excellent
– there is a well-equipped library and on every floor
there are computers, which are free for students
to use, and there are various places to eat.

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Part 3:
CONSIDER whether teachers should have the right to hit
children who behave badly
Student: I absolutely disagree with children being hit
by teachers even if they behave badly. Corporal Corporal
punishment was outlawed in state schools in the UK outlawed
in 1987, although I think it had already stopped in
many schools prior to that. When I was at school I do prior to
not remember it being used. I do not think it acts as acts as a deterrent
a deterrent, I think it teaches children that hitting
people is acceptable if they have done something that
has annoyed or upset you. It may be argued that
discipline problems have increased in schools since it
was made illegal, however I do not agree that this is illegal
the case, I think that there are other reasons for this
such as teachers being powerless to kick students powerless
out of classes when they are misbehaving. misbehaving

EXPLAIN why some parents prefer to educate their

children at home rather than sending them to school
Student: Home teaching has become increasingly aspects
popular in my country. I think generally in all aspects
of life we are much more demanding than we used demanding
to be so if we are not happy with something we
immediately look for an alternative and I personally
think this is why there are many more children being
educated at home than in the past. Some parents feel
that they can teach their children much more by letting
them actually experience real life such as doing the
shopping, going to a farm rather than being stuck in a
classroom. I fear that it may result in highly educated
students, but with poor social skills, as they have not
learnt to interact with people properly. Schools are properly
vital for acquiring social skills. vital
acquiring
COMPARE education now and in the past. How has it
changed?
Student: There have been a number of significant
changes in the style of teaching, the curriculum and curriculum
how children are treated. Firstly, in the past teachers
used to be much more authoritarian than they are authoritarian
nowadays. The teacher was a figure of authority.
Lessons were conducted with the teacher standing a figure of authority
at the front and with very little talking. Things have
changed somewhat in that there is much greater conducted
emphasis on communication and students are
expected to speak more than the teacher. In terms of emphasis
the curriculum in the past subjects such as Latin were
studied whereas nowadays this is taught in very few
schools. Additionally, there was a greater focus on

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 reading, writing and maths whereas today there is
less emphasis on things such as spelling and a shame
handwriting. I think this is a shame. Finally, there has
been a shift in how children are treated. I think that shift
they have more rights now and the teachers have
fewer rights. Corporal punishment has ceased to ceased
exist and schools are far less disciplined than they disciplined
used to be.

SPECULATE on what the school of 2050 will look like

Student: That’s a question I’ve never thought about
before… I suppose there will be much greater
emphasis on computers and interactive learning interactive learning
rather than children just sitting at desks and looking
at a whiteboard. I think they will have much better
facilities than they do today with much greater choice
of places to eat and study. I would hope that we don’t
get to the stage where there are no desks and
students are sitting at a computer all day because I
don’t think that is necessarily a good idea. Students
need to interact with a teacher and other students. It
is likely that libraries in schools will get smaller, as a
lot of reference material can now be found on the reference material
internet. I am saddened by this thought because I saddened
much prefer reading a book to sitting at a computer
looking at a document.

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the following:

1 There has been a change

2 Something which stops you doing something
3 In all parts/areas of
4 Made illegal
5 A big organisation
6 A bigger emphasis on
7 I am disappointed
8 Strict
9 Books/documents with lots of information
10 Behaving badly

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Describe a school or college you know
When did you first see it?
What is it like?
How does it make you feel?

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Some people think it is better to educate boys and girls in separate schools.
Others, however, believe that boys and girls benefit from attending mixed
schools.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

While there is an opinion that school children benefit more if they enroll in single-sex
schools, other people think differently, saying that co-educational ones are better for
them. Personally, I am of the latter opinion for several reasons.

Admittedly, there are reasons to believe that boys and girls should be educated
separately. Chief of these is that since the presence of the opposite sex is
minimized in such an educational setting, both boys and girls are less likely to develop
relationships at too early an age. This allows them to focus more on their studies
and achieve better academic results. Added to this is the fact that the learning
environment in all-boys or all-girls schools tends to be more relaxed because all
children study the same subjects and takes part in the same activities. This will enable
boys to try subjects that are traditionally dominated by girls and vice versa, giving
them a chance to explore themselves without being judged.

However, there are stronger reasons to say that educating boys and girls together
would be better. The key reason is that in order to function well in the workplace, we
need to have the ability to work well with others and learn to treat others with respect,
regardless of their gender. The learning environment in a coeducational institution
facilitates the development of these qualities better than that in a single sex one.
Furthermore, early interaction with children of the opposite sex may remove potential
misunderstandings and negative stereotypes between genders, creating stronger social
bonds. This can ensure a healthy and safer society for everyone.

In conclusion, co-educational schools are better than single-sex ones because growing
up with an understanding of the opposite sex is more important than acquiring good
academic results.

(291 words)

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Bài tập 1: liệt kê các từ, cấu trúc mới hoặc chưa chắc nghĩa.

Bài tập 2: Xác định từ đồng nghĩa trong bài

 Chủ đề của bài viết là gì? Danh từ quan trọng cần paraphrase là gì?

(không phải khi nào cũng tồn tại tất các cách paraphrase này, hoặc bài viết sẽ có đủ các
cách này, hãy tự viết thêm cách paraphrase theo ý của bạn nếu có thể.

1/ sử dụng synonyms/ antonyms: students = pupils/ impossible = not possible

2/ generalization: khái quát hóa, ví dụ như: soccer  this sport

3/ specification: chi tiết hóa, ví dụ: students  senior students, primary students…

4/ dùng dạng từ khác: ví dụ: able to  the ability to…

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
5/ giải nghĩa từ vựng: soccer players = people who play soccer = people who engage in
soccer; combo cả các cách trên sẽ có : by engaging in this type of sport, children can
build teamwork skills…

Có 4 cách support cho 1 main idea chính là: Reason, Example, Further results, và
Comment.

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 1 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 2 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

Bài tập 4: Viết lại dàn ý cho bài và nói lại 3 lần (lần 1+2 nói theo dàn ý của bài, lần 3 nói
theo ý hiểu của bản thân và thử sử dụng các từ mới học)

Thân bài 1 Thân bài 2

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Some people think that schools should reward students with the best academic
results, while others believe it is more important to reward students who show
improvements.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.

While there is an opinion that in order to incentivize their students to study harder, school
should only reward students who excel in their studies, other people think differently,
saying that those who make progress should be rewarded. Personally, I believe that both
approaches should be used simultaneously.

Admittedly, there are justifiable reasons to believe that elite students should be
rewarded exclusively. Chief of these is that since they have diligently applied
themselves to their studies, they deserve the praises and privileges. This may
encourage these students and others to study harder to win the rewards, propelling
overall academic gains. Added to this is the fact that this kind of competition is seen
in almost every aspect of life where only the best individuals are rewarded. If students are
used to this reality and thrive in the face of fierce competition, this will enable them to
achieve success in later life.

However, there are more compelling reasons to say that schools should also reward
students who show improvements. The key reason is that because only a few smart
students can come first and receive the rewards, other students may think that they
can never surpass those outstanding individuals. As a result, they are prone to feeling
overwhelmed and disheartened and gradually lose the incentive to study.
Furthermore, emphasizing improvement not only encourages all students to be
diligent in their studies, but also helps them understand that they need to constantly
improve themselves, irrespective of how well are performing. The constant desire to
outdo themselves surely benefits them more than the competitive determination to win
against all others.
In conclusion, even though it makes sense to reward top students exclusively, schools
should do this in tandem with rewarding those who show signs of improvement. This
way, every student, those with best performance included, is motivated to exert
themselves harder.
(308 words)

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Bài tập 1: liệt kê các từ, cấu trúc mới hoặc chưa chắc nghĩa.

Bài tập 2: Xác định từ đồng nghĩa trong bài

 Chủ đề của bài viết là gì? Danh từ quan trọng cần paraphrase là gì?

(không phải khi nào cũng tồn tại tất các cách paraphrase này, hoặc bài viết sẽ có đủ các
cách này, hãy tự viết thêm cách paraphrase theo ý của bạn nếu có thể.

1/ sử dụng synonyms/ antonyms: students = pupils/ impossible = not possible

2/ generalization: khái quát hóa, ví dụ như: soccer  this sport

3/ specification: chi tiết hóa, ví dụ: students  senior students, primary students…

4/ dùng dạng từ khác: ví dụ: able to  the ability to…

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
5/ giải nghĩa từ vựng: soccer players = people who play soccer = people who engage in
soccer; combo cả các cách trên sẽ có : by engaging in this type of sport, children can
build teamwork skills…

Có 4 cách support cho 1 main idea chính là: Reason, Example, Further results, và
Comment.

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 1 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 2 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

Bài tập 4: Viết lại dàn ý cho bài và nói lại 3 lần (lần 1+2 nói theo dàn ý của bài, lần 3 nói
theo ý hiểu của bản thân và thử sử dụng các từ mới học)

Thân bài 1 Thân bài 2

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Some people think that the main function of schools is to turn children into good
citizens and workers, rather than to benefit them as individuals.
Do you agree or disagree?

There is an opinion that the key role of schools is to produce productive members of
society and fruitful workers for industries. Personally, I disagree with this opinion for
several reasons.

Admittedly, there are justifiable reasons to believe that schooling is simply a

vehicle for the government to foster effective citizens and the nation’s workforce.
Chief of these is that since children are provided with necessary skills and knowledge,
they are likely to become productive workers. The result of the provision of education
would be a more productive workforce, which can lead to economic growth. Added to
this is the fact that equipping children with sufficient understanding of what is
expected of them in society can assist in creating a law-abiding society. With
society becoming safer and more prosperous, everyone can enjoy an improved quality
of life.

However, there are more compelling reasons to say that schools ought to benefit
children as individuals. The key reason is that by focusing on helping children grow
and nurturing their talent, the well-educated workforce, and the low rates of crime,
mentioned above, can also be achieved. At the same time, children are encouraged to
develop into individual thinkers who can criticize and challenge the values and
traditions of society, and contemplate innovative ideas that can change our lives
for the better. Furthermore, if children are taught only certain sets of beliefs and
areas of knowledge, a form of indoctrination will ensue. This would lead to the loss of
critical thinking, which in turn would have stultifying effects on the progress of our
society.

In conclusion, the main function of schools should be to educate young people as

individuals, rather than to turn them into fruitful citizens and workers.

(285 words)

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Bài tập 1: liệt kê các từ, cấu trúc mới hoặc chưa chắc nghĩa.

Bài tập 2: Xác định từ đồng nghĩa trong bài

 Chủ đề của bài viết là gì? Danh từ quan trọng cần paraphrase là gì?

(không phải khi nào cũng tồn tại tất các cách paraphrase này, hoặc bài viết sẽ có đủ các
cách này, hãy tự viết thêm cách paraphrase theo ý của bạn nếu có thể.

1/ sử dụng synonyms/ antonyms: students = pupils/ impossible = not possible

2/ generalization: khái quát hóa, ví dụ như: soccer  this sport

3/ specification: chi tiết hóa, ví dụ: students  senior students, primary students…

4/ dùng dạng từ khác: ví dụ: able to  the ability to…

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
5/ giải nghĩa từ vựng: soccer players = people who play soccer = people who engage in
soccer; combo cả các cách trên sẽ có : by engaging in this type of sport, children can
build teamwork skills…

Có 4 cách support cho 1 main idea chính là: Reason, Example, Further results, và
Comment.

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 1 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 2 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

Bài tập 4: Viết lại dàn ý cho bài và nói lại 3 lần (lần 1+2 nói theo dàn ý của bài, lần 3 nói
theo ý hiểu của bản thân và thử sử dụng các từ mới học)

Thân bài 1 Thân bài 2

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Lesson 2: Describe somebody who has influenced
your life in a positive way

Who are they?

Howdid you cometo meetthem?
Why do you admire them?
Student:
That’s a tricky question because there are so
many people in my life who have influenced
me such as my parents and my grandparents,
however the person who had a major impact
on me was a teacher whilst I was studying at
the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. Up
until that point I was not really sure what I
wanted to do with my life, but Dr Pritchard was
so passionate about English language and her rubbed off
passion rubbed off on me.
fierce
She was quite fierce and scary at times,
however when I had got used to her I grew to grew to really like sb
really like her. She would be strict in the
classroom, but extremely warm as well so it strict
made me feel that I could go and speak to her
about anything. I admire her in particular for
her love of teaching which she passed on to passed on to
her students. Although she was strict, she
always made the lessons fun. That inspired inspired
me to try and make my classes as fun as
possible.

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
At Christmas and the end of the year, she
organised a party at her house and I remember
going for the first time and I was extremely
nervous, but she was so welcoming and an
excellent host that I really looked forward to
these social occasions. She was in many ways
a larger-than-life character, what I mean by
that is she had a big personality and when a larger-than-life character
she was in a room she tended to dominate it. had a big personality
dominate
As I have said, at first this came across as
intimidating but after a while I realised that
she was actually a lovely person and she made a big impression on
made a big impression on me. I kept in
touch with her for a while after I completed my kept in touch with
course, but I have lost touch recently.
lost touch

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Part 3:
EXPLAIN why so many people are influenced by
celebrities
Student: Nowadays we come into contact with come into contact
celebrities much more than I think we did in the
past. I do not mean actually physically meeting
them but we know more about their lives. Famous
people are in the newspapers daily and there are
hundreds of women’s magazines such as Hello
and OK where you can see what they are wearing
and their houses. Then there is the internet which
has exposed them to us even more. Facebook, exposed them to
My Space and now the increasingly popular
Twitter means that we can find out what celebrities increasingly
are doing on a minute by minute basis. If we
compare this with the past and stars such as Cary on a minute by minute basis
Grant and Grace Kelly for example, we were not
exposed to them in the same way. We would see
them in films and maybe occasionally in
newspapers when they had done something
significant such as make a film whereas today we
see pictures of them if they have got a new
boyfriend or pair of shoes.

CONSIDER whether celebrities have an obligation to

act as a role model to younger people
Student: I think it really depends on what the
celebrity is famous for. If they are a footballer or
something like that then yes, I do think that it is
important that they set an example. A couple of
years ago a few of the England players got players got involved in
involved in a fight in a pub before an England
game and I think it was irresponsible of them. pub
They should be setting an example to young
people – they are athletes and I was extremely was irresponsible of them
disappointed to see them behaving like that in a
pub. There was also the case of a children’s TV disappointed
presenter a few years ago who was caught on
camera using drugs. I think this is a very bad
example to set for young people. If the celebrity is
a rock star or an actor I do not think that it is as
important to act as a role model.

DESCRIBE how advertising tries to influence people

to buy things
Student: Advertising executives are very clever so
they do things such as placing their adverts for their
products in places where they get exposure to the
group they are targeting. For example, if you watch
children’s television programmes you will see that
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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 between the programmes there are adverts for the
latest toys, gadgets, trainers etc. The parents are are then put under pressure from
then put under pressure from their offspring to offspring
buy these things. Additionally, advertisers use
something called product placement, for example
in films you might see the main character drinking
coca cola and this makes people buy more of this
product. Another thing that advertisers do to
influence people is celebrity endorsement so for celebrity endorsement
example if David Beckham advertises a particular
product and says how wonderful it is then loads of loads of
people will want to buy it.

SUGGEST how parents can best influence their

children
Student:The best way to influence your children in
my opinion is to be a positive role model to them. a positive role model to
I have heard many parents criticising and criticising
admonishing their children for swearing and then admonishing
in the next breath they are swearing themselves. swearing
Another thing to do is to not smoke or drink or drink
in moderation. However, I do not agree with in moderation
saying to children ‘you can’t do this or you can’t do
that’, as that will make them rebel against it and rebel against
they will want to do it more. I think the best thing to
do is to have good communication with your getting into a worse situation
children to ensure that if there is a problem they will
come and speak to you about it rather than getting
into a worse situation.

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the following:

1 Telling off
2 Frightening
3 Children
4 Motivated me to
5 To do things a little/sensibly
6 A person who encourages good behaviour
7 Very confident/flamboyant
8 Careless/foolish
9 I am no longer in contact with
10 Frightening and scary

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Describe somebody who has influenced your life in a positive way

Who are they?

Howdid you cometo meetthem?
Why do you admire them?

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
In many countries, schools have severe problems with student behaviour.
What do you think are the causes of this? What solutions can you suggest?

It is true that the behavior of school pupils in many parts of the world has been
worsened in recent years. This state of affairs can be attributed to several factors, and
this essay will suggest several viable solutions to remedy the situation.

There are two main contributors to the way young people behave at school nowadays.
Chief of these is that with modern parents becoming increasingly too busy or
permissive, children often find it difficult to accept the demands of teachers or the
limits imposed on them by school rules. For example, children who are used to
negligence or indulgence are likely to show disruptive behavior in class. Added to this
is the fact that children are all too often influenced by the behavior of celebrities. This
can be seen in the way many teenagers think that success can be achieved without
finishing school or try to act, talk or wear the way their idols do.

The problem of students misbehaving at school can be addressed in a number of ways.

An immediate remedy is for parents to use reasonable punishments to demonstrate
that actions have consequences when their children break the rules. These
disciplinary techniques could range from depriving them of things that they treasure,
such as their favorite toys or TV shows, to stopping them from seeing their friends.
In addition, famous people, such as musicians and football players, need to understand
the responsibility that they have to act as good role models to children. This could be
done by their managers, who need to make it abundantly clear to celebrities about how
much influence they have on their fans.

In conclusion, the causes of schools increasingly facing discipline problems are

parents’ leniency and famous people’s behavior, and the solutions would lie in
changing parents’ ways of disciplining their children and the participation of high-profile
public figures.
(310 words)

24
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Bài tập 1: liệt kê các từ, cấu trúc mới hoặc chưa chắc nghĩa.

Bài tập 2: Xác định từ đồng nghĩa trong bài

 Chủ đề của bài viết là gì? Danh từ quan trọng cần paraphrase là gì?

(không phải khi nào cũng tồn tại tất các cách paraphrase này, hoặc bài viết sẽ có đủ các
cách này, hãy tự viết thêm cách paraphrase theo ý của bạn nếu có thể.

1/ sử dụng synonyms/ antonyms: students = pupils/ impossible = not possible

2/ generalization: khái quát hóa, ví dụ như: soccer  this sport

3/ specification: chi tiết hóa, ví dụ: students  senior students, primary students…

4/ dùng dạng từ khác: ví dụ: able to  the ability to…

25
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
5/ giải nghĩa từ vựng: soccer players = people who play soccer = people who engage in
soccer; combo cả các cách trên sẽ có : by engaging in this type of sport, children can
build teamwork skills…

Có 4 cách support cho 1 main idea chính là: Reason, Example, Further results, và
Comment.

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 1 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 2 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

Bài tập 4: Viết lại dàn ý cho bài và nói lại 3 lần (lần 1+2 nói theo dàn ý của bài, lần 3 nói
theo ý hiểu của bản thân và thử sử dụng các từ mới học)

Thân bài 1 Thân bài 2

26
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Students learn far more with their teachers than other sources (internet or
television). To what extent do you agree or disagree?

There is an opinion that schoolchildren learn more by studying with their teachers than
other media of knowledge. Personally, I agree with this idea for several reasons.

Admittedly, there are reasons to argue that children learn more by watching TV or
watching and reading on the internet. Chief of these is that given the almost infinite
amount of knowledge available online, students can learn things that are not covered in
their textbooks. It is almost impossible for any teacher to reach the same capacity.
Furthermore, children with an internet connection can study anytime and anywhere
they like, while teachers can only pass on their knowledge to their students within school
hours. This benefit is self-evidently good if young people have an independent learning
habit.

However, there are stronger reasons to say that children learn more if they study with
their teachers. The key reason is that in order to understand a lesson thoroughly,
children sometimes have to ask questions and expect answers from their teachers.
They can do this right away when they learn with their teachers, but this very important
aspect of learning is woefully lost when they read an article online or watch a
lesson on TV. Added to this is the fact that when they study online, it is almost
impossible for them to verify the source of information. As a result, they may be
misled or learn the wrong things.

In conclusion, the interactive and trustworthy nature of lessons given by teachers

renders teachers superior to other sources of knowledge.
(256 words)

27
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Bài tập 1: liệt kê các từ, cấu trúc mới hoặc chưa chắc nghĩa.

Bài tập 2: Xác định từ đồng nghĩa trong bài

 Chủ đề của bài viết là gì? Danh từ quan trọng cần paraphrase là gì?

(không phải khi nào cũng tồn tại tất các cách paraphrase này, hoặc bài viết sẽ có đủ các
cách này, hãy tự viết thêm cách paraphrase theo ý của bạn nếu có thể.

1/ sử dụng synonyms/ antonyms: students = pupils/ impossible = not possible

2/ generalization: khái quát hóa, ví dụ như: soccer  this sport

3/ specification: chi tiết hóa, ví dụ: students  senior students, primary students…

4/ dùng dạng từ khác: ví dụ: able to  the ability to…

28
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
5/ giải nghĩa từ vựng: soccer players = people who play soccer = people who engage in
soccer; combo cả các cách trên sẽ có : by engaging in this type of sport, children can
build teamwork skills…

Có 4 cách support cho 1 main idea chính là: Reason, Example, Further results, và
Comment.

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 1 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 2 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

Bài tập 4: Viết lại dàn ý cho bài và nói lại 3 lần (lần 1+2 nói theo dàn ý của bài, lần 3 nói
theo ý hiểu của bản thân và thử sử dụng các từ mới học)

Thân bài 1 Thân bài 2

29
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Many sports players advertise sports-related products. What are the advantages
and disadvantages of this?

It is true that there has been a sharp increase in the number of commercials in which
famous footballers, tennis-players and swimmers endorse equipment or energy drinks
which they promise will improve our performance. While there are several advantages
to this, we should also consider the disadvantages involved.

The benefits of sports stars promoting sports-related items are indeed in plain sight.
Chief of these is that if the items being promoted by world-famous sportsmen and
sportswomen are genuinely effective, the fans who buy them will perform better
when they use them. This may lead to greater self-confidence and higher levels of
fitness. In addition, many youngsters derive great pleasure from copying their
idols. Wearing the same trainers and headband, using the same racket or goggles,
and even putting on an identical muscle-relaxing cream to their idol’s gives
teenagers in particular enjoyment, confidence and a sense of identity.

However, the negative aspects of this practice are also evident. The key problem is
that since companies are willing to pay a huge sum of money for a celebrity to
endorse their products, this entices many stars to promote products which they would
never dream of using. This is a form of manipulation and exploitation. Furthermore,
purchasing items in order to be similar to a sporting superstar is not necessarily
healthy. Consumers need to know that success is achieved through dedication,
commitment and effort rather than by buying a pair of Nike shorts.

In conclusion, this practice obviously can have both positive and negative
consequences as it helps buyers feel good about themselves but this type of
endorsement sometimes can be ethically wrong and promote negative ideologies.
(274 words)

30
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Bài tập 1: liệt kê các từ, cấu trúc mới hoặc chưa chắc nghĩa.

Bài tập 2: Xác định từ đồng nghĩa trong bài

 Chủ đề của bài viết là gì? Danh từ quan trọng cần paraphrase là gì?

(không phải khi nào cũng tồn tại tất các cách paraphrase này, hoặc bài viết sẽ có đủ các
cách này, hãy tự viết thêm cách paraphrase theo ý của bạn nếu có thể.

1/ sử dụng synonyms/ antonyms: students = pupils/ impossible = not possible

2/ generalization: khái quát hóa, ví dụ như: soccer  this sport

3/ specification: chi tiết hóa, ví dụ: students  senior students, primary students…

4/ dùng dạng từ khác: ví dụ: able to  the ability to…

31
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
5/ giải nghĩa từ vựng: soccer players = people who play soccer = people who engage in
soccer; combo cả các cách trên sẽ có : by engaging in this type of sport, children can
build teamwork skills…

Có 4 cách support cho 1 main idea chính là: Reason, Example, Further results, và
Comment.

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 1 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 2 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

Bài tập 4: Viết lại dàn ý cho bài và nói lại 3 lần (lần 1+2 nói theo dàn ý của bài, lần 3 nói
theo ý hiểu của bản thân và thử sử dụng các từ mới học)

Thân bài 1 Thân bài 2

32
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Lesson3:Describeatypicalfoodfromyourcountry

What is it and how is it made?

When is iteaten?
Why is it typical or special?

Student: This is quite a nice topic for me because I

really love cooking and eating, and I am particularly
interested in local foods from my country. Probably
the most famous dish from my part of the world is a stew
chicken stew or casserole, which we traditionally eat
at New Year.

It’s actually quite easy to make. The basic

ingredients are chicken, obviously, (actually you ingredients
can use a whole chicken or just legs, wings and thighs
thighs) a few root vegetables like carrots and parsnips
parsnips, some finely chopped onion and garlic chopped onion
and a few herbs like parsley, fennel and thyme. garlic
The method is pretty simple. You gently fry the herbs
onions and garlic in butter with a few small pieces of parsley
ham. At the same time, you chop the chicken into fennel
pieces and cover it in flour. You fry it straightaway, thyme
adding a little water and salt. Then, you basically put ham
all the ingredients together in a huge casserole dish flour
and cook them gently for about three hours. It’s straightaway
absolutely delicious eaten with rice. gently

The reason why I like it so much is that the whole

family sits down together at the end of the year and recollections
everyone shares their recollections of the period
just gone and their hopes and aspirations for the aspirations
next twelve months. It is a time to reflect and reflect
understand. It’s actually one of the few times in the
year when everything stands still and you can take stands still

33
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
time to think and talk. We all have a glass of wine toast
and a toast for the New Year.
more or less
The fact that we are eating more or less what our
great-grandparents and their great-grandparents great-grandparents
ate at New Year is a lovely feeling. It connects you to
the past and reminds you where you came from. In regularly
those days, this casserole was really a luxury. These
days, when most people who want to can eat meat exotic
regularly, it might seem a bit less exotic, but it
reminds us of our past, which I think is incredibly reminds us of
important.

34
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
EXPLAIN why some people become vegetarian
Student: That’s a very interesting question.
Actually, I read somewhere recently that the vegetarians
number of vegetarians in my country has trebled
trebled this year. I’m not very well qualified to qualified
answer this question because I am a real carnivore
carnivore, I love eating meat, but I guess there opposed to
are two main reasons. The first would be that involves
some people are morally or ethically opposed murdering
to eating meat as producing meat involves
murdering animals. I suppose I have some sympathy
sympathy with this view though not enough to
actually stop eating meat. The second main poultry
reason is to do with taste. Some people actually
don’t like the taste of meat and poultry, though substitute
actually I can’t understand why. Probably in the
future, as meat substitute products improve, scarcity
and the price of meat rises due to scarcity,
vegetarianism might become even more vegetarianism
popular. I wouldn’t be surprised.

COMPARE the different places you can buy food

Student: Well, where I live there are basically
two options. There are a number of huge
supermarkets which sell just about everything
you could possibly want to buy, and there are
local markets where you can buy a limited
range of fresh food, mainly meat and fish, fruit
and vegetables and some herbs and spices I spices
think. The main reason why the supermarkets
are so popular is to do with the range of convenience
products available and convenience. You can
park your car outside, get a shopping trolley a shopping trolley
and whiz round in no time at all. Usually they
will have just about everything you need so you whiz
only have to go once a week. You can even do
your shopping online and they will deliver it to
your door for a price of course. The other
alternative is the local market. There you can fresh produce
get very fresh produce at reasonable prices.
Most of the things you can get there are reasonable prices
supplied by local farmers and you can
definitely taste the difference. It’s relatively supplied
inexpensive too. Another reason people often
prefer to shop there is because the people who inexpensive
serve you tend to be a lot friendlier and if you’re
a regular at a particular shop, they get to know a regular
you and might give you a discount from time
to time. give you a discount

35
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
ASSESS whether people in your country have a
healthy diet
Student: Sadly, I would have to say that people disgusting
from my country, especially the younger
generation have an absolutely disgusting diet. junk food
They tend to eat junk food, which is full of salt
and fat and sugar. As a result, levels of obesity obesity
are up, and heart- disease and illnesses
related to blood pressure and cholesterol are heart- disease
higher. A lot of younger people get diabetes
and liver problems as well. Older people usually illnesses
eat quite healthily. They were brought up to
know the importance of a nutritious and blood pressure
balanced diet but the problem is that diabetes
youngsters just have no idea and don’t know nutritious
about anything except burgers, fries and coke. balanced diet

CONSIDER whether the food we eat now is

healthier than the food our grandparents ate
Student: Well that’s one area in which we
definitely haven’t made any progress. My made any progress
grandparents ate fresh fruit and vegetables,
occasionally fresh meat or fish, and hardly any
chocolate or sugary foods. They worked hard
all day so they burned off the calories and they burned off
didn’t usually eat large amounts of food. Well,
that’s mainly because they couldn’t afford it. As
I’ve already mentioned, people today basically eat rubbish
eat rubbish, food with almost no nutritional nutritional value
value and none of the vitamins and minerals vitamins
they need. I’m not surprised so many people minerals
are unhealthy and it seems amazing to me that life expectancy
life expectancy is actually rising.

36
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the following:

1 Immediately
2 To go around really fast
3 It’s quite cheap
4 The things you need to cook something
5 Ease of use
6 A small choice
7 Young people
8 I don’t know a lot about this
9 A customer who uses a shop a lot
10 A reduction in the price

37
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Describe a typical food from your country
What is it and how is it made?
When is it eaten?
Why is it typical or special?

38
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
More and more people today are drinking sugar-based drinks.
What are the reasons for this?
What are the solutions?

There has been a surge in the consumption of sugary drinks worldwide. This state of
affairs can be attributed to several factors and some viable solutions that can be
adopted to alleviate the situation will be outlined in this essay.

There are two main contributors to the over-consumption of sugary drinks. Chief of
these is that since artificial additives are often added to these drinks to make them
tastier, this causes consumers to develop dependency on this kind of drinks, driving
up consumption. This can be seen in the overwhelming number of additives listed on a
can of Coca Cola. Added to this is the fact that unregulated ad campaigns from Pepsi
and Coca Cola have led to a pandemic of sugary drinks in most countries in the world,
especially in the developing world. We see this in how many adverts for Coca Cola pop
up on a YouTube video or a TV program and how many celebrities endorse this
product.

The problem of excessive consumption of sugary beverages can be addressed in a

number of ways. An immediate remedy is to bring it to the fore, which can take the form
of adverts in print or social media. Celebrities who are trusted by the public can also
help spread the message about the dangers and repercussions of consuming sugar-
based drinks excessively. Furthermore, a long-term solution is to educate
schoolchildren about what health risks are associated with sugar-heavy drinks, for
example in the form of cancer, diabetes, and obesity and what alternatives are
available to them. This can be done by inviting healthcare experts to talk to these
young people, as seen in many schools in the US and Sweden.

In conclusion, the causes of the overconsumption of sugar-based drinks are the

addition of artificial substances and flavors to these drinks and the solutions would
lie in awareness-raising campaigns, the participation of high-profile public figures
and education.
(317 words)

39
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Bài tập 1: liệt kê các từ, cấu trúc mới hoặc chưa chắc nghĩa.

Bài tập 2: Xác định từ đồng nghĩa trong bài

 Chủ đề của bài viết là gì? Danh từ quan trọng cần paraphrase là gì?

(không phải khi nào cũng tồn tại tất các cách paraphrase này, hoặc bài viết sẽ có đủ các
cách này, hãy tự viết thêm cách paraphrase theo ý của bạn nếu có thể.

1/ sử dụng synonyms/ antonyms: students = pupils/ impossible = not possible

2/ generalization: khái quát hóa, ví dụ như: soccer  this sport

3/ specification: chi tiết hóa, ví dụ: students  senior students, primary students…

4/ dùng dạng từ khác: ví dụ: able to  the ability to…

40
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
5/ giải nghĩa từ vựng: soccer players = people who play soccer = people who engage in
soccer; combo cả các cách trên sẽ có : by engaging in this type of sport, children can
build teamwork skills…

Có 4 cách support cho 1 main idea chính là: Reason, Example, Further results, và
Comment.

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 1 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 2 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

Bài tập 4: Viết lại dàn ý cho bài và nói lại 3 lần (lần 1+2 nói theo dàn ý của bài, lần 3 nói
theo ý hiểu của bản thân và thử sử dụng các từ mới học)

Thân bài 1 Thân bài 2

41
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Scientists generally agree that the consumption of junk food is detrimental to
health. Some people believe that the answer to this problem is education. Others
disagree, saying that it will not work.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.

While there is an opinion that educating the public about the harm of junk food can
address this problem, while other people think differently, saying that such a measure
would not yield results. Personally, I agree with the latter assertion for several reason.

Granted, one might argue that education is efficacious in curbing the consumption of
junk food. This is predicated on the assumption that fast food eaters are simply not
aware of the health risks associated with their dietary choices. According to this theory, if
they are better informed about how susceptible they are to diet-related problems such as
obesity and cardiovascular diseases, they may avoid eating fast food altogether.
However, this line of reasoning is not sound as many simply do not have a choice but to
eat fast food due to their financial hardship. Even if they are well aware of the dangers
involved in their food choices, they cannot afford more salubrious foods, which generally
cost significantly more than a meal at Mc Donalds or KFC.

Other reasons to question the efficacy of education are related to people’s fast-paced
lifestyles and the bombardment of advertisements for unhealthy food. Most working
people, even those in the field of healthcare themselves, find it increasingly difficult to
spare some time to cook a meal for themselves and their families due to their hectic
schedule. As a result, they have to resort to readily-made meals or processed food,
while their children are left to eat at will. These youngsters’ obvious choice is fast food
because of its tastiness and convenience. Furthermore, the impact of awareness-raising
campaigns to persuade people to change their eating habits would pale in comparison
with that of the overwhelming number of adverts for junk food. Were education to be
efficacious, an unimaginable sum of money would be required to offset the impact of
advertising for this kind of food.

In conclusion, placing education at the core of measures to deal with the high
consumption of junk food is an unwise course of action due to financial and lifestyle-
related factors and the ubiquity of advertising for such food.
(351 words)

42
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Bài tập 1: liệt kê các từ, cấu trúc mới hoặc chưa chắc nghĩa.

Bài tập 2: Xác định từ đồng nghĩa trong bài

 Chủ đề của bài viết là gì? Danh từ quan trọng cần paraphrase là gì?

(không phải khi nào cũng tồn tại tất các cách paraphrase này, hoặc bài viết sẽ có đủ các
cách này, hãy tự viết thêm cách paraphrase theo ý của bạn nếu có thể.

1/ sử dụng synonyms/ antonyms: students = pupils/ impossible = not possible

2/ generalization: khái quát hóa, ví dụ như: soccer  this sport

3/ specification: chi tiết hóa, ví dụ: students  senior students, primary students…

4/ dùng dạng từ khác: ví dụ: able to  the ability to…

43
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
5/ giải nghĩa từ vựng: soccer players = people who play soccer = people who engage in
soccer; combo cả các cách trên sẽ có : by engaging in this type of sport, children can
build teamwork skills…

Có 4 cách support cho 1 main idea chính là: Reason, Example, Further results, và
Comment.

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 1 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 2 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

Bài tập 4: Viết lại dàn ý cho bài và nói lại 3 lần (lần 1+2 nói theo dàn ý của bài, lần 3 nói
theo ý hiểu của bản thân và thử sử dụng các từ mới học)

Thân bài 1 Thân bài 2

44
IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
People can eat a wide variety of food that can be grown in other areas. As a result,
people eat more food produced in other regions than local food.
Do you think the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

The possibility of eating food produced from other agrarian regions has led to a
decrease in local food consumption. Although the short-term benefits of this trend are
clear, they are outweighed by its long-term disadvantages.
Admittedly, the benefits of the shift in consumers’ preferences towards food produced in
other areas are indeed in plain sight. Chief of these is that since even fresh produce can
be kept edible for weeks thanks to modern refrigeration technologies, consumers now
enjoy a much wider range of food options than before. This may lead to an increase in
the overall quality of life. Added to this is the fact that food companies are finding it much
easier to expand their businesses to potential markets where their products are in
demand. This can be seen in the way global food brands are now accessible to
customers even in developing countries like Vietnam.
However, the long-term ramifications for the environment of people eating more food
from other regions than locally-produced food are more significant. The key problem is
that in order to deliver and refrigerate food, a large number of natural resources, such as
petrol, gas and coal is required. This is invariably accelerating the depletion of natural
resources, which is often accompanied by the disappearance of natural habitats due to
the exploration and extraction of those energy sources. Related to this is the fact that
long-haul flights also emit a significant amount of carbon dioxide, which is the primary
cause of global warming. This means that if this trend continues, it will exacerbate the
problem of global warming, posing existential threats to all lives on Earth.
In conclusion, while I acknowledge the benefits for consumers and businesses of the
trend towards consuming more food produced in other regions, I believe that the
repercussions for the environment of this development are very undesirable and
therefore could negate any possible benefits. (314 words)

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Bài tập 1: liệt kê các từ, cấu trúc mới hoặc chưa chắc nghĩa.

Bài tập 2: Xác định từ đồng nghĩa trong bài

 Chủ đề của bài viết là gì? Danh từ quan trọng cần paraphrase là gì?

(không phải khi nào cũng tồn tại tất các cách paraphrase này, hoặc bài viết sẽ có đủ các
cách này, hãy tự viết thêm cách paraphrase theo ý của bạn nếu có thể.

1/ sử dụng synonyms/ antonyms: students = pupils/ impossible = not possible

2/ generalization: khái quát hóa, ví dụ như: soccer  this sport

3/ specification: chi tiết hóa, ví dụ: students  senior students, primary students…

4/ dùng dạng từ khác: ví dụ: able to  the ability to…

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
5/ giải nghĩa từ vựng: soccer players = people who play soccer = people who engage in
soccer; combo cả các cách trên sẽ có : by engaging in this type of sport, children can
build teamwork skills…

Có 4 cách support cho 1 main idea chính là: Reason, Example, Further results, và
Comment.

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 1 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

 Cách support cho main points trong thân bài 2 là gì? Các từ dùng để nối câu, ý, và
refer lại ý trước là gì (this, these, such, in addition,…)

Bài tập 4: Viết lại dàn ý cho bài và nói lại 3 lần (lần 1+2 nói theo dàn ý của bài, lần 3 nói
theo ý hiểu của bản thân và thử sử dụng các từ mới học)

Thân bài 1 Thân bài 2

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Lesson 4: Describe a project or piece of work
you have done with somebody else
What was it?
Who did you do it with?
How successful was the teamwork?
Why did you do the work with somebody else?

Student: Actually I have to admit that generally I’m

not particularly keen on working with other people.
I prefer to work on my own, independently. But a
couple of months ago as part of our psychology
classes, the tutor asked us to do a project in
groups. I had to work with three other students.

Well, I wasn’t too keen at first, especially when

they all started arguing about what topic we should
choose and what methods we should try. After a
while we sort of came to a compromise and
everybody more or less agreed about their roles
and deadlines for finishing different tasks. Nobody
wanted to be the one sitting inside doing all the
boring statistical analysis so in the end I
volunteered for that. The project was about the
relationship between introversion and friendliness.
The students I was working with carried out some
questionnaires and did some background reading
and eventually we wrote a report together. All the
way through I was getting annoyed about how
much time we were wasting just chatting about
irrelevant things. It kept crossing my mind that if
I’d been working on my own I would have finished
it much earlier. Well, we got a reasonable grade
for it, though we lost some marks because one of
our so-called team didn’t do what he had
promised. I resented it because, working alone I
would have got a higher grade. I was incredibly
relieved when the tutor announced that the next
project would be based on individual work.

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Part 3:

DESCRIBE the benefits of working with other

people
Student: As I’ve already mentioned, I’m not too
sure there are that many advantages of what you
might call collaborative learning. Some people say
you have more fun working with others and you can
get great ideas from each other. Perhaps some
people need encouragement and support and they
might get self-confidence if their team-mates tell
them what a good job they’re doing. Obviously, you
can share the work so as long as everyone does
what they are supposed to do, it might not take you
as long and you can get more done. Also, I
suppose that within a group everyone is likely to
have different strengths so they should be able to
concentrate on doing what they are actually good
at.

DESCRIBE the advantages of working alone

Student: I personally prefer working alone,
especially because you don’t have to rely on other
people and you know that whatever you do, it’s
your work, your responsibility. You can plan exactly
what you want and you don’t have to justify your
decisions and try to convince other colleagues that
you’re right. You can work when you want, when it
suits you, at your own pace. Some people say they
would get lonely and there’s nobody to tell you
when you are wrong and nobody you can bounce
your ideas off. But it can be a real pain having to
consider other people’sviews all the time.

CONSIDER the importance of co-operation in your

culture
Student: I would actually say that co-operation is
incredibly important in my country. In particular, I’m
talking about families working together. In our
culture, there is a kind of unwritten rule that if
anyone in your family - I don’t just mean close
relatives but also extended family - if they need
help you are under a sort of obligation to do what
you can. It might be financial support or physical
help or just about anything. I think our culture
values collaboration more than people do here.

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 People generally are more willing to take time and
help people. Probably they realise that one day
they might need help themselves and somebody
will be there to give them support. But I’m sorry to
say that in our country we are getting more and
more like in the west. People are becoming more
selfish and self-centred. I’m not hugely optimistic
about the future.

EXPLAIN how children can learn to co-operate

together
Student: The best way for young children to learn
to work together is probably through observation. If
they see family members collaborating, helping
each other, sharing jobs and that kind of thing,and
generally respecting each other, they will realise
that’s how you are supposed to behave and then
they’ll copy it. Of course, children can also observe
society in general and things they see in the media,
on TV and the internet. Also through playing
children can learn a lot. When they play in groups
every child has a role and they start to understand
that the only way they can play successfully is if
everyone plays their part.

EXPLAIN how businesses and schools could co-

operate better for the benefit of both pupils and the
economy
Student: This is something I feel quite strongly
about. I can never really understand why schools
teach stuff like geography and history when nobody
actually needs experts in those areas. Schools and
the government should get business leaders in and
ask them what skills they need from workers in the
future. You know, really consult them. I’m sure
employers are really looking for people with
initiative, good inter- personal skills, the strength to
work on their own, independently, the ability to use
IT well and probably numeracy and literacy skills. I
mean, we probably do need a handful of geography
and history graduates to teach geography and
history in the future, but I really think schools have
got it wrong. Another thing is that companies and
businesses should be inviting school-children into
their organisations from a young age, say early
teenagers, so they can start to experience work

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 and see what it’s really like. That would be a lot
more useful than sitting in a classroom all day.
They could get some real hands-on experience. It
might really start to get them thinking about their
futures.

CONSIDER how wealthy countries can help less

developed countries
Student: I think there is a real danger that rich
countries often just give charity hand- outs to
poorer nations and expect them to stop
complaining. Actually, if western countries thought
about it more carefully, they would realise that it is
completely in their interest to really drag poorer
parts of the world out of poverty. That’s because
poverty leads to wars, terrorism and all kinds of
things that make the world more dangerous. Rich
countries could start by wiping out Third World debt
so that poorer countries don’t have to pay back
loans and the interest on them. Then, developed
countries could start paying the proper price for all
the natural resources they take from developing
countries. This is just exploitation and it should
stop. Well, I know I’ve gone a bit off the point of the
question, but I feel really strongly about this and I
really think it’s time that richer countries started
taking their responsibilities seriously.

SPECULATEon whether the world will be more or

less co-operative in the future.
Student: I’m sorry to say that I’m not particularly
optimistic. When I compare how things are now
and how they used to be, it seems to me that
there is a general trend towards selfishness. This
is evident in individuals and societies as a whole.
I think that as natural resources begin to
disappear, everyone will be thinking even more
about how they can get their hands on limited
resources. I expect that this will just lead to more
conflict, more wars and disturbances and a
greater degree of unhappiness in the world as a
whole.

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the following:

1 I’m not really positive about

2 Things that aren’t important
3 I found it hard to accept
4 Arguments/fighting
Knowledge obtained from actually doing
5
something
6 Mistreatment
7 Grandparents, aunts, uncles etc
8 I was very thankful/pleased
9 Pull/haul
10 Work as fast as you want to

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Describe a project or piece of work you have done with somebody else What was it?
Who did you do it with?
How successful was the teamwork?
Why did you do the work with somebody else?

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Career path
Many people decide on a career path early in their lives and keep to it.
This, they argue, leads to a more satisfying working life.
To what extent do you agree with this view?
What other things can people do in order to have a satisfying working life?

There is an opinion that those who have a clear picture of what they wish to do early on
and keep doing it often have a more fulfilling career than those who often hop from
one job to another. Personally, I agree with this school of thought for several reasons.

There are good reasons to say that choosing a career path early on and doing it for a
long time can lead to a fulfilling working life. Chief of these is that staying in a job for a
long time allows people to gain in-depth knowledge and position in their field. This can
help them gain high levels of respect, influence and possibly wealth. Furthermore,
job-hoppers are presented with lots of difficulties, such as working in a completely
different work environment, receiving low pay rates, and having to learn new a new
skill set for a new job. Thus, a career life that is full of uncertainty, challenges and
financial hardships can hardly be considered desirable.

There are several strategies that enable people to lead a more satisfying working life.
Firstly, they should try to find a working environment that provide them with
opportunities to widen their social circle, work with inspiring colleagues and
accumulate knowledge and experience. These factors contribute to their satisfaction
at work. Secondly, people need to learn to achieve a healthy balance between their
professional and personal life so that they can avoid letting their personal matters
interfere with their work. In fact, rarely do we see anyone who are too occupied with
family problems feel truly fulfilled at work.

In conclusion, one should think long and hard before deciding to change his job as
staying in a job that is chosen early in life is very fruitful and indeed more
satisfying. People should also choose a suitable working environment and maintain a
good work/life balance to achieve a satisfying working life.
(316 words)

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Job satisfaction
As people spend a major part of adult life at the place of work, job satisfaction is
an important part of individual well-being. What are the factors that contribute to
job satisfaction? Are all the expectations for job satisfaction realistic?

It is true that people now spend a large chunk of their life working, and therefore job
satisfaction is becoming more important for each and every individual than ever. I
believe that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to job satisfaction and argue
that most jobs often fail to meet the expectations of job holders.

From my vantage point, most of the factors that influence one’s levels of job satisfaction
are extrinsic. The most important is perhaps material needs, such as income, housing,
paid holiday or bonus, to name but a few. These are the main elements that an
employee will normally look into when evaluating whether a job is desirable or not. In
addition, people often crave for a positive self-image and to have their contribution
valued and appreciated.

Also, some other important factors are intrinsic. For example, employees who are
optimistic and have a positive outlook on life are more likely to achieve higher job
satisfaction irrespective of the job or the workplace they are in. This is because
optimism allows individuals to function well under pressure, while pessimism leads
people to worry about unreasonable things and feelings, causing them to waste time and
derive much less satisfaction from their work.

One may argue that rewards can address the extrinsic factors mentioned above;
however, not everyone can receive such privileges since only those with the best
performance are rewarded. This excludes a large part of workers from getting the said
external motivation. As well as this, people are intrinsically different, and therefore, it
is impractical to expect everyone to be optimistic to obtain more satisfaction at work.

In concluding, most jobs cannot live up to workers’ expectations due to several inner
and external factors that contribute largly to their levels of job satisfaction.
(295 words)

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Social life at the workplace?
Some people think that a job provides not only an income but also a social life.
Other people think that it is better to develop a social life with people you do not
work with. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. Give reasons for
your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience.

While some think that everyone should socialize with colleagues, some disapprove of
this. I personally believe that there are benefits of spending time together outside of
working hours.

There are good reasons to argue against mixing one’s work and social life. Chief of
these is that the relationship between managers and staff might become difficult to
manage. For example, I had a good rapport with a former manager and we frequently
met up after work; however, when there was an issue at work, he found it difficult to
deal with because of our close friendship. In addition, when one gets together with his
colleagues, the conversations usually revolve around work, and seem to be extended
work-related meetings rather than casual ones between friends. This might not be
good for one’s mental health as he needs to switch off from work and enjoy life
outside of the office.

However, there are stronger reasons to argue that spending time with fellow employees
can be advantageous. The first benefit is that teamwork can improve, as there is good
communication between staff members and we tend to co-operate better with people
we get on well with. This is precisely the reason why many companies organize small
parties at work or short trips for their employees to spend time together. Furthermore, in
contemporary society, it is particularly difficult to make friends and remain in touch with
them, as everyone is leading such busy lives. Therefore, making friends with co-
workers could prevent loneliness and enable them to have a more satisfying social
life.

In conclusion, there are certainly risks involved with socializing with fellow workers;
however, I feel that if everyone acts professionally whilst in the workplace, and has
enjoyable interactions outside of it, there should not be an issue.
(294 words)

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Lesson 5: Describe a TV programme that you
have seen recently

What was it about?

When did you see it?
Why you did like it and what influence did it have on you?

Student:
The TV programme that I have watched recently
which I would like to talk about is called
Mistresses. This was shown on the BBC on
Tuesday evenings.

It was a series of six episodes and the series, series

which has just finished was the second series. It
is best described as a drama and is particularly episodes
aimed at women, however I think quite a lot of
men watched it because it is full of extremely a drama
attractive women.
aimed at
Basically, there are four women who are close
friends and the programme focuses on the
relationships they have. Their relationships can
be dangerous for example, Siobhan was a married
married woman who had an affair with a work had an affair with
colleague and got pregnant. Her husband got pregnant
agreed to bring up the baby as his own but
Siobhan then embarked on a series of other
affairs. She had a job as a lawyer, but when she lawyer
started an affair with one of her clients, things got clients
very messy. Her husband subsequently found subsequently
out and said he wanted a divorce. divorce

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Personally, I feel that the programme is slightly
unrealistic, as for people to be having so many
relationships and for so many beautiful people to pure
be in one place is not normal. For me it was pure
escapism. It is not a life I want, but it’s nice to escapism
escape into it for an hour every week. At the end
of the last series there was a bit of a cliff-hanger cliff-hanger
so I can’t wait for another series to find out what
happens. I don’t think it influenced me in any way wind down
other than being one hour’s worth of
entertainment. The good thing as well is that it
was on at 9 o’clock so it gave me chance to wind stressful
down after a stressful day.

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Part 3:
EXPLAIN how TV can influence people in both a
good and a bad way
Student: Many crimes have been committed as crimes
a direct result of people watching violent TV
programmes or films. This is a particularly committed
worrying way in which TV can have a negative
influence on people. There are however worrying
educational programmes which can have a
positive influence on people such as programmes educational programmes
about our health and well-being.
well-being
ASSESS whether parents should stop their children
from watching some programmes
Student: In the UK there is a watershed of 9pm. watershed
This means that before 9pm programmes should
not contain to many swear words or too much swear words
violence. If parents allow children to stay up after
the watershed, then they need to monitor the violence
programmes the children are watching to see if monitor
they are suitable. I think that parents have a
responsibility to censor the programmes that their
children watch. This is good parenting. parenting

CONSIDER whether it is a good thing that we can see

such violent news on our TV every day
Student: I watched the news today and it was full
of stories of murders and violence. I was murders
horrified and consider it a bad thing that we are horrified
exposed to such things day in day out. I am also exposed to
of the opinion that violence breeds violence. day in day out
People copy what they have seen on television breeds
so I would be happy if our news was censored.

SPECULATE on the future of TV.

Student: With satellite television and the satellite television
internet, we are now able to get TV 24 hours a
day and from all the continents. Because of this, continents
however, I personally feel that the quality of TV
programmes has diminished. In the past, the diminished
BBC was respected for the quality of its
programmes and they were sold all over the
world. Nowadays because of 24-hour TV more
programmes need to be made and they are not
as good as they used to be. I think this reduction reduction
in quality TV programmes is a trend that will
continue.

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the following:

A time after which programmes with violence

1
can be shown
2 Reduced
3 Shocked/disgusted
4 It is designed for
5 Consequently/after that
6 To relax
When a programme ends at a critical point
7 and
you don’t know what’s going to happen next
Something you watch or do to escape from
8 the
real world
9 An individual programme out of a series
10 Bad words

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Describe a TV programme that you have seen recently

What was it about?

When did you see it?
Why you did like it and what influence did it have on you?

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Today children spend a lot of time playing computer games and less time on
sports. Why is this? Is it a positive or a negative development?

The recreational activities which youngsters are engaged in these days bear little
resemblance to those which previous generations loved. This state of affairs can be
attributed to several factors, and it is indeed a negative development.

There are two main contributors to the move away from physical activity and towards
electronic gaming. Chief of these is that technological advances have undoubtedly
made computer games more realistic and fun. Users, or gamers, are transported into
virtual worlds in which they are allowed to do things that are unthinkable in real life,
for example in the form of shooting, killing or car-racing. These bring them not
only a sense of novelty, but also the adrenaline rush that only few real-life
pastimes and sports can. Furthermore, in many cases, parents prefer their offspring
to be secure at home rather than being outdoors. This often involves some indoor
activities like gaming.

However, gaming can be highly addictive because users are constantly given scores,
new targets and frequent rewards to make them feel like they are achieving something.
This can be seen in the way many children now spend hours each day trying to progress
through the levels of a game in the blind pursuit of achievement or to get a higher
score than their friends out of the sense of competition. This type of addiction can
have negative effects on users, ranging from lack of sleep to problems at school
and both mental and physical health issues in the form of obesity, depression,
and schizophrenia.

In conclusion, electronic gaming has become increasingly widespread and has

probably outstripped traditional sporting pastimes in terms of popularity. This can be
ascribed to advancements in gaming technology and parents and given the
addictive nature of video games, this is definitely an unwelcome trend.
(296 words)

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
Some people say that we do not need printed newspaper anymore. To what extent
do you agree or disagree?

Online news is certainly gaining in popularity rapidly. Although this has led some to
believe that printed newspapers are no longer needed in our contemporary society, I
will outline some factors that perpetuate the role of the traditional press.

Admittedly, there are reasons to say that traditional newspapers are obsolete. Chief
of these is that anyone with a mobile phone or a laptop with an access to the internet
can easily keep abreast of what is happening in the world, eliminating the need for
traditional means of news. This can be seen in the way most people who used to
read news on newspapers are gravitating towards online means of news. In addition,
online news offers variety that the traditional press cannot compete. For example,
instead of dealing with the hassle of buying and carrying a stack of newspapers from
different media outlets to get updates on different topics, readers of news now can
change from one topic to another in the matter of seconds.

However, there are stronger reasons to argue that newspapers are here to stay. The
key reason is that a large proportion of people simply cannot afford to pay hundreds of
dollars for a phone or a tablet to get access to online news and have to rely on
traditional newspapers. This means that to say newspapers are no longer needed is to
ignore the unaffordability of gadgets involved in reading online news. Furthermore,
many people still prefer reading a newspaper in the morning rather than scrolling news
on their phones or computers. To illustrate, many seek for the familiar odor that the
paper gives off when they flip from page to page or the texture of the paper they are
holding; these sensory aspects are non-existent when they read online news.

In conclusion, despite the many benefits of online news, newspapers are by no means
not needed even in the internet age because a large section of human population
either does not have access to online news or prefer to read newspapers instead.

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
People said that international news is more important than local news.
Others claim that local news is more important.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.

While there is an opinion that readers of news should pay more attention to news about
foreign affairs rather than local ones, other people think differently, saying that domestic
news plays a more essential role. Personally, I agree with the latter viewpoint for several
reasons.

Granted, one might argue that news about global events is more important that local
news. This is predicated on the assumption that with our world becoming increasingly
more globalized, what happens in a country may reverberates through to others.
Knowing about what is going on outside of one’s country may serve as a buffer against
negative changes and engender opportunities. For example, those who read about how
contagious COVID-19 is could capitalize on it by producing face masks or at least
rigorously obeying the stay-at-home order issued in their residence. Without reading
about international happenings, one might underestimate certain dangers posing from
overseas and miss certain opportunities.

However, this line of reasoning is not sound because domestic affairs are much more
likely to have direct impacts on people’s lives. Due to cultural and political differences,
an arguably catastrophic event in a country may baffle a person in another and serve as
nothing short of entertainment. To illustrate, while many Americans reject wearing face
masks and risk their lives and lives of others in amidst of the Corona Virus pandemic on
the basis of their constitutional rights, inhabitants in many Asian countries have been
using this item for protective and fashionable reasons for decades. As such, knowing
how counterintuitively people in a foreign country are acting is not as important as
knowing what to do to avoid being infected and spreading the virus in their own area.

In conclusion, reading news about what is going on in the global community is certainly
helpful, but reading news about problems and events taking place in local communities
is more beneficial. (312 words)

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IELTS – Thầy Kiên iFIGHT – nhanh nhất, dễ dàng nhất
 Lesson 6: Describeanimportantinvention

What was it?

When was it made?
Why do you think it was important?

Student: Well, I’m not generally particularly

interested in science and technology and that that sort of thing
sort of thing so this is quite a tricky topic for
me. Anyway, one invention I can definitely talk
about is television.

I believe it was invented at the beginning of invented

the twentieth century, so about a hundred
years ago, but I’m not exactly sure who
invented it. If I remember rightly, they started they started off
off by just being able to show still images and
obviously the quality of picture was extremely
poor. After a while, they could transmit moving transmit
images and include sound and by about 1930,
TV looked something like it does now, except
it was in black and white. black and white

I don’t think television had a huge impact until had a huge impact
after the Second World War. Then, particularly
in America, ordinary people started buying TV ordinary
sets. Obviously, these days, it has a massive
influence on just about all aspects of our life. If massive
it wasn’t for television, we wouldn’t know what
was happening in the world, we wouldn’t be If it wasn’t for
able to watch sport or much entertainment and
a million and one other things. Television has turn the world into
helped turn the world into a much smaller
place. For example, if there is an earthquake

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in India, a terrorist attack in South America or
a financial crisis in Europe we will know about a financial crisis
it almost immediately through the medium of
television. In the past, say a century ago, it the medium of television
might have taken weeks for news to arrive.
Also, we have an understanding of what life is famine
like in other parts of the world. When there is
famine or drought somewhere, TV pictures drought
bring it into our living-rooms and, hopefully,
persuade us to try to do something about it. persuade

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Part 3:
EXPLAIN the qualities which a good inventor
needs
Student: Actually, I’ve never invented anything
or even wanted to so I’m probably not the best have a good scientific or technical
person to answer this question. But I suppose background
inventors need to have a good scientific or
technical background. They need to combined
understand how things work and how they can
be combined. As well as that, I suppose good
inventors need to be able to see a clear overall
picture and not to get bogged down in specific bogged down
details. There’s no doubt at all that they must dedicated
be very dedicated and patient people, with patient
the ability to concentrate for long periods of concentrate
time. Most of them probably also have a desire desire
to improve things. I suppose the reason they
invent new things is because they see a
situation which needs improving. Not many of
us have that skill. Not many people can
understand a problem and see a potential
solution.

DESCRIBE a piece of modern technology which

you dislike
Student: Personally speaking, I absolutely
detest mobile phones. I’ve actually got one, detest
and I do sometimes use it, and it is convenient
at times, but, having said all that, I loathe loathe
them, especially when you are in the cinema or
sitting quietly on a train or bus, and one of them frustrating
rings. It is so frustrating to have to listen to the
silly noise they make and then overhear half overhear
of the conversation. I have to say that I find it
incredibly annoying and every time I hear one my heart sinks
ringing, my heart sinks. They are absolutely
infuriating. infuriating

ASSESS how much modern technology affects

your life
Student: It’s almost impossible to work out
how much my life and the lives of everyone I
know are influenced by the technological
advances which have taken place over the taken place
last few decades. Just about everything these
days is controlled by computer or at least by
micro-chips. Computers play a major role in play a major role in
medicine, education, transport, leisure
activities and just about everything else I can leisure activities
think of. The way people communicate

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 nowadays is completely controlled by
technology. You’ve got texting and the internet
and mobile phones. I would say that one of the
most interesting questions is how much
technological change affects our attitudes
towards each other. I think people interact in interact
different ways and develop new skills. At the
same time, they tend to lose the ability to communicate face-to-face
communicate face-to-face.

DISCUSS whether people would have a better

quality of life without modern inventions
Student: It’s quite easy to say that if we didn’t
have all these things, time-saving devices and time-saving
labour-saving machines, life would be so labour-saving
much simpler and more enjoyable. But in
actual fact I think most of us would be lost
without the ability to communicate easily, travel
around quickly and get medical treatment get medical treatment
which actually saves lives. I know it’s nice to
get away from it all sometimes, just leave
technology behind and get out into the country
and breathe fresh air, but after a while you are are bound to
bound to want to call somebody, find out what
is happening around the world or just travel
somewhere quickly, and to do that, you will
need technology.

SPECULATE on whether technology will

completely take over our lives in the future.

Student: I’m a bit afraid that it might. I’ve

recently read some really interesting articles in
magazines about this, and what they seem to
be saying is that as time goes by, it will as time goes by
become possible to transplant computer chips
into the human brain and develop robots which
will have forms of intelligence similar to intelligence
human intelligence. The result of all this will
probably be that it will be difficult to know what in that sense
is human and what is machine. So in that
sense, I am worried that technology might take take over
over in the end.

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 Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the following:

1 Annoying
2 I don’t really like
3 Work together/co-operate
4 Tolerant
5 Things that save you time and work
6 I really hate
7 Possible/probable
8 A big effect on
9 Committed/enthusiastic
10 A difficult subject

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Describe an important invention
What was it?
When was it made?
Why do you think it was important?

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 Nowadays the way many people interact with each other has changed because of
technology. In what ways has technology affected the types of relationships that
people make? Has this been a positive or negative development?

It is true that new technologies have had an influence how people interact with one
another. Technology has affected relationships in various ways, and in my opinion, there
are both positive and negative effects in equal measures.

Technology has had an impact on relationships in business, education and social life.
Firstly, telephones and the Internet allow business people in different countries to
conduct business meetings and trade without the need to meet each other in person.
Added to this is online learning, and this can be seen in the way countless students opt
for online university degree courses, which allow them to interact with their teachers
from the comfort of their own home, instead of attending a conventional class.
Finally, many people use social networks, like Facebook, to make new friends and find
people who share common interests, and they interact through their computers
rather than face to face.

Given the fact that interactions by email, phone or video are almost as good as face-to-
face meetings, these modern communication tools streamline business
transactions, underpinning economic growth. Similar benefits can be seen at a
social level as we are able to be in touch with friends and family, for example by using
instant messaging or video calling irrespective of geographical constraints. On the
other hand, the availability of new communication technologies can also have the
result of isolating people and discouraging real interaction. For example, many
young people choose to make friends online rather than mixing with their peers in the
real world, and these ‘virtual’ relationships are a poor substitute for real friendships.

In conclusion, technology has certainly revolutionized communication between

people, but not all of the outcomes of this revolution have been positive.
(285 words)

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There are many inventions through human history, some people think the
invention of the internet is the most important. Agree or disagree?

Some people think that the advent of the internet is the most important invention of
mankind. In this essay, however, I will challenge this school of thought.

One might argue that the internet has profound effects on almost every aspect of our
lives and should be considered the most important invention of all. This is predicated on
the assumption that people now are able to connect and trade with one another without
any geographical constraints, precluding the need of face-to-face meetings,
eliminating the lengthy communication process and enhancing productivity. Also,
people’s quality of life has been enhanced significantly since we can now have a
much wider range of entertainment choices on the internet than ever before.
However, this line of reasoning is not sound because the internet depends entirely on
electricity and, therefore, this renders the invention of the internet less important than
that of electricity.

What is more, the discovery of fire since early humans had revolutionized the way in
which the human race ate and helped shape who we are today. We could never have
developed traits, such as compassion and empathy, which separate us from other
animals, had we still eaten raw animals’ flesh. More importantly, fire also helped keep
our ancestors alive during cold winters as well as turn land occupied by grass into
irrigated land. In this respect, the impact of the internet on the survival of humans
certainly pales in comparison with that of fire since our forefathers could live perfectly
fine without the internet several decades ago.

In concluding, for the reasons outlined above, it stands to reason that the invention of
the internet is perhaps of less intrinsic and survival importance than that of electricity
and fire.
(285 words)

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The internet has transformed the way information is shared and consumed, but it
has also created problems that did not exist before.
What are the most serious problems associated with the internet and what are the
possible solutions?

The way in which information is circulated has been completely transformed by the
internet but this has also created issues we never had before. However, several
solutions that we can adopt to remedy the situation will be outlined in this essay.

The proliferation of the internet brings in its wake problems in the form of
cyberbullying and manipulation. With regard to the former, social media can be used
to spread lies and rumors to thousands of people in an instant, and the invasive
nature of this type of bullying means that there is simply no way for the victim to
escape it. In addition, there is hardly any regulation on what type of information can be
put on the internet, which means that malicious people can use it to their advantage.
This can be seen in the way the Trump administration won the US presidential
election, in large part, by running ads on social media like Facebook.

To address these problems, they should be, first and foremost, brought to the fore. This
can be done by mounting awareness campaigns about the problems associated with
using the internet, especially cyberbullying. Celebrities who are trusted by the public can
also help spread the message on their platform, for example by talking about what
psychological distress a bullied person may have to endure. The problem of
manipulation seems difficult to tackle because introducing legislation to check the
content of, say, social media posts and adverts is in itself a form of manipulation as
deciding what is illegal is almost entirely subjective and tantamount to taking away the
freedom of speech.

In conclusion, the fact that we now consume and share information almost exclusively
on the internet has led to an increase in the number of incidents of cyberbullying
and manipulation, and a viable measure would lie in awareness-raising campaigns.
However, it is decidedly difficult to address these conundrums holistically.
(301 words)

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Lesson7:Describeafilmyouhaveseenrecently

You should say:

What was it about?
When did you see it?
Why did you like it and how did it influence you?

When I was living in my home country, I used to go

to the cinema all the time. I would go with my friends latest
at least twice a month and see all the latest
releases. Since coming to England however, I releases
haven’t been to the cinema much. It’s hard to
understand films when they are in a foreign foreign
language, therefore I prefer to wait until they are
released on DVD and watch them and then I can subtitles
use subtitles.

The last film I watched was called ‘Minions’, which I

watched at the weekend with some friends. This is instalment
an American movie, which is the third instalment in
the series. It is actually a prequel (it is set before the prequel
previous two movies), but it came out after the other
two movies. It is a cartoon animation and is aimed aimed at
at kids, but is enjoyable for adults too.
enjoyable
The plot is quite simple – the Minions need an evil evil
villain to work for and they set off on a journey to villain
England to find one. The main characters in the film set off on a journey
are funny and made me laugh a lot. The film has a characters
happy ending, but I won’t tell you what it is and spoil has a happy ending
it for you. I don’t really think it is a low budget film, spoil
the previous two films ‘Despicable Me’ and a low budget film
‘Despicable Me 2’ experienced phenomenal experienced phenomenal success
success so this film is what could be called a

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Hollywood blockbuster. The film has had global
success. blockbuster

The soundtrack to the movie has also been merchandise

successful. A lot of merchandise has been
produced because of the film’s success and the become a brand
Minions have become a brand. I would thoroughly
recommend it. thoroughly

recommend

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COMPARE cinema now and in the past. Is it
getting better? Black and white films

Student: Personally, I prefer the cinema of atmospheric

the past. Black and white films are
atmospheric and the plot was the most plot
important part of the film. Nowadays some
films are just full of special effects with very special effects
little storyline. Because of the cost of storyline
producing films, very few films are made
now and the ones that are made and get producing films
cinema release are often the Hollywood
blockbusters, which do not appeal to me at appeal to
all.

CONSIDER whether films should be more

strictly censored

Student: That’s a difficult question. On the free speech

one hand, I believe in free speech and that
people should be allowed to say whatever through the medium of
they want through the medium of film, but
on the other hand, that could be dangerous manipulate
and people could use film to manipulate
people and films could be used as propaganda
propaganda. I think they are censored to
the right extent at the moment. censored

CONSIDER whether parents should prevent

their children from seeing certain films

Student: Ultimately, the responsibility of bringing up

bringing up children lies with parents so I
wholeheartedly agree that parents should lies with
prevent their children from seeing certain wholeheartedly
films. There have been violent crimes, prevent
which have been committed as a direct violent crimes
result of children seeing films that they committed
should not have seen. Furthermore, children
could suffer nightmares as a result of suffer
watching horror films; therefore, parents
should monitor their children’s film nightmares
viewing. horror films
monitor
SPECULATEon the future of cinema. Will
people go to the cinema in the future? children’s film viewing

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Student: I am of the opinion that because of the
credit crunch at the moment people will be the credit crunch
going to the cinema less and less. Nowadays
DVDs are released so soon after the cinematic cinematic
release that you don’t have long to wait before
you can watch the film. It is more cost-effective cost-effective
to buy the DVD and get a group of friends round
and watch the film together. Cinemas will need
to introduce incentives to get people to come to incentives
the cinema. I heard of a cinema in London,
which introduced meals during the film to try and
increase the number of customers.

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 Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the following:

1. Films which are currently on at the cinema

2. Films which did not cost a lot of money to make
3. Successful all over the world
4. The storyline of the film
5. Is designed for/is made for
6. I completely agree
7. To have bad dreams
8. An American film which is a best seller
9. I would strongly suggest that people see it
10. Economically worthwhile

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Describe a film you have seen recently
What was it about?
When did you see it?
Why did you like it and how did it influence you?

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Nowadays because of digital technology it is possible for not only studios but also
individuals to produce their own films.

Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

It is true that technological advances in the film industry have enabled individuals to
make their own films. I believe that this trend is a very positive one.

Firstly, we need to factor in the viewing options that the brought forth development
offers viewers. When making films was a reserve for only film companies, film-
lovers were restricted to several films on TV and had to go to the cinema to indulge in
their hobby. Nowadays, the proliferation of sitcoms, short films and parodies made
by amateur film producers on social media sites like Facebook and Youtube allows
internet users to watch as much as they wish. In addition, the increasing popularity of
these works can certainly be monetized in the form of advertising for certain products.
This possibility encourages people of all ages to dabble in acting and movie-directing
and reduces monetary concerns, which are notoriously associated with these
careers.

To add further credence to my assertion, I note the fact that being allowed to make their
own films, film creators can now express their creativity and ideas beyond
conventional limits and without being artistically judged by so-called professionals.
As arts are purely subjective, this will be a step forward in the film making industry.
For example, with only an ipad and a simple movie editing software, 1977 Vlog, a group
of young creative producers, made parodies of famous Vietnamese pieces of literature
to voice their opinion about problems in their community. Despite being ridiculed
based on the standards contemporarily applied in the film industry, their works have
quickly gained popularity, challenged the status quo and revolutionalized the way
films are generally perceived and made.

In conclusion, the fact that individuals can now produce their own films is a welcome
development because it benefits movie-lovers, movie creators and the movie industry as
a whole.
(304 words)

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Many people prefer to watch foreign films rather than locally produced films. Why
could this be?
Should governments give more financial support to local film industries?

It is true that foreign films are more popular in many countries than domestically
produced films. There could be several reasons why this is the case, and I believe that
governments should promote local film-making by subsidising the industry.
There are various reasons why many people find foreign films more enjoyable than the
films produced in their own countries. Firstly, the established film industries in certain
countries have huge budgets for action, special effects and to shoot scenes in
spectacular locations. Hollywood blockbusters like ‘Avatar’ or the James Bond films are
examples of such productions, and their global appeal is undeniable. Another reason
why these big-budget films are so successful is that they often star the most famous
actors and actresses, and they are made by the most accomplished producers and
directors. The poor quality, low-budget filmmaking in many countries suffers in
comparison.
In my view, governments should support local film industries financially. In every
country, there may be talented amateur film-makers who just need to be given the
opportunity to prove themselves. To compete with big-budget productions from
overseas, these people need money to pay for film crews, actors and a host of other
costs related to producing high-quality films. If governments did help with these costs,
they would see an increase in employment in the film industry, income from film sales,
and perhaps even a rise in tourist numbers. New Zealand, for example, has seen an
increase in tourism related to the 'Lord of the Rings' films, which were partly funded by
government subsidies.
In conclusion, I believe that increased financial support could help to raise the quality of
locally made films and allow them to compete with the foreign productions that currently
dominate the market.

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Many people believe that film is a less important art than other forms such as
literature and painting.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Film is often looked down on as a less important art form in comparison with more
elevated mediums like painting and literature. In my opinion, though the blatant
commercialisation of film often undermines its claim to be art at all, it is a clearly more
important art form for the 21st century.

Those who would minimise the importance of film, can point out its primary purpose is to
make money. This has become increasingly true in the last several decades as studios
have assumed greater power. It used to be common for auteurs like Martin Scorsese,
Francis Ford Coppola, and Robert Altman to make modestly budgeted films that earned
decent returns. The advent of blockbuster films generally and superhero movies in
particular makes it much harder for studios catering to their shareholders to justify
anything other than tentpole franchises. The artistic merits of these big movies tend to
be low as they are often made by committee and strive only for escapism and fan
service.

However, film has clearly overtaken other forms of art in the popular imagination.
Hundreds of years ago, composers, playwrights, novelists, and painters were held in
higher esteem and their works were the centre of popular culture. Music and film have
now displaced them. Someone who would have become a great writer in the 19th
century, would now opt to make films as they can reach the greatest number of people
and the medium is newer and more open to possibility. A good example of this would be
a young filmmaker like P.T. Anderson who creates thoughtful, explorative works that
also have a degree of mass appeal.

In conclusion, film as an art form is ascendant today. It is, however, still important for
audiences to tune in to a wide breadth of genres in order to encourage the film industry
to remain vibrant and innovative.

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Lesson8:Describeapieceofmusicthatyoulike

What type of music is it?

Whenand wheredid you firsthear it?
Whydoyoulike it?

Student: It’s very hard to choose a piece of music

that I like because there are so many genres of genres
music that I like such as pop, rock, dance, R&B
and classical. However, one of my absolute
favourite pieces of music is Wonderwall by pieces of music
Oasis.

This song was written quite a few years ago now

and I remember that I first heard it when I was
living in Italy. So that must mean it was released
in 1995 because that is when I was working there. a slow song
It’s quite a slow song, I suppose you could call it
a ballad. I saw Oasis on tour in Italy and they
sang an acoustic version of this song and it was acoustic
absolutely incredible. I had goose pimples when goose pimples
I was listening to it. The song is about Noel
Gallagher’s wife at the time and it describes her divorced
as his ‘Wonderwall’. They divorced a few years
later though.

I guess the thing I like most about the song is the

lyrics. It’s a love song, but the lyrics aren’t all lyrics
soppy. I can’t believe that the song is now soppy
fourteen years old because when I listen to it, it contemporary
still sounds very contemporary. It’s quite difficult categorise
to categorise the genre for this song. Oasis have term
often been described as Britpop, which was a emerged

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term to describe lots of British bands who
emerged in the nineties. They are also described
as rock, alternative and indie.

The song was phenomenally successful and is phenomenally successful

still heard regularly on the radio today. Every time
I hear it I am reminded of how much I love this
song. They have released a lot of songs since this
one, but I don’t think anything comes close to comes close to this standard
this standard.

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 Part 3:
CONSIDER whether famous pop stars influence
young people too much
Student: It’s true to say that pop stars influence
young people, but it’s hard to say whether it is too
much. And is being influenced by a pop star
necessarily a bad thing? I suppose it depends on necessarily
the pop star. Someone like Amy Winehouse who addicted to
is addicted to drugs is certainly not a positive a positive role model
role model, but I don’t think the world’s drugs’ be attributed to
problems can be attributed to her. Certainly skinny pop stars
young girls may be influenced by skinny pop eating disorders
stars and want to emulate them and get eating
disorders as a result.

CONSIDER whether famous singers are paid too

much
Student: Again that depends on the pop star. If
you are just a singer and don’t write your own
lyrics or music, then the amount you get paid is
probably not excessive. Singers who are also excessive
songwriters, however, make money from songwriters
royalties and I think they deserve this money so royalties
no I do not agree that singer are paid too much. deserve

CONSIDER whether it is fair that people can now often

download music from the internet for free, without
paying the writer or performer anything
Student: I totally disagree with people being able
to download music from the internet and the writer
or performer gets nothing. To me it is stealing. You
cannot just walk into a supermarket and take
something without paying for it so why should you
be allowed to have music for nothing. Record Record companies
companies should work with the internet to make
it impossible to download music without paying for
it. This would then solve this problem.

CONSIDER whether it is a good thing that “western”

music seems to be popular all over the world
Student: For language students I think western
music is a useful tool for learning a language. A
large proportion of western music is sung in
English, therefore for learners of English listening
to songs in English can contribute to their contribute to
language acquisition. However, if the popularity language acquisition
of western music means that indigenous music is indigenous
lost then the dominance of western music is a dominance
bad thing.

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 Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the following:

1 Local/native
2 Song words
3 Amazingly/unbelievably/extremely
4 Very thin
5 A slow song
6 Weak/pathetic
I had a feeling of excitement that resulted in
7
the hairs of my arms standing up
8 Too much
9 Current/up-to-date
10 Type

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Describe a piece of music that you like
What type of music is it?
When and where did you first hear it?
Why do you like it?

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Music is played in every society and culture in the world today.
Some people think that music brings only benefits to individuals and societies.
Others, however, think that music can have a negative influence on both.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Generally, music is considered to be one of the most popular and ancient modes of
human expression. While some people believe that music can only be seen as
beneficial to both individuals and societies, others believe that it can negatively affect
both. I personally think that music can have both positive and negative impacts on
people and society.

On the one hand, music features largely in all histories and all cultures and indeed has
been one of the main ways of passing on cultural traditions to new generations.
Because of this, many people view music as a positive influence for societies. They
also believe that the influence on individuals is wholly beneficial as it is a long-
established way of communicating and helping us to understand the whole range of
human emotion and experience in a more spiritual language than words can
represent.

However, there are different kinds of music and the qualities of classical music
traditions are not necessarily part of the music many people experience today. In
modern world there is a huge music industry that sells piped music to supermarkets
and advertisers. We see this in the way many song writers now compose songs that
carry no meanings in their lyrics but appeal to the public taste. We are also
constantly exposed to loud, modern music from people’s phones and car radios.
Thus, the view of music today as a kind of noise pollution produced by selfish people,
is also a common and negative one.

In conclusion, music can impact people and society on both positive and negative ways,
but it is difficult to think of a world without music. Certainly, there is bad music that
may have negative influences, particularly on the young, but people’s taste in music
tends to change as they get older, and it would be difficult to find someone who had no
positive musical associations at all.
(314 words)

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There are many different types of music in the world today. Why do we need
music? Is the traditional music of a country more important than the international
music that is heard everywhere nowadays?

It is true that a rich variety of musical styles can be found around the world, and that
music can be regarded as a universal language. Music is a vital part of all human
cultures for a range of reasons, and I would argue that traditional music is more
important than modern, international music.

Music is something that accompanies all of us throughout our lives and helps us connect,
entertain and express our feelings. As children, we are taught songs by our parents and
teachers as a means of learning language, or simply as a form of enjoyment. The
latter can be seen in the way children delight in singing with others. Added to this is
the fact that the act of singing in a group creates a connection between participants,
regardless of their age. Later in life, we tend to listen to songs whose lyrics resonate
with our feelings and life stories. Music both expresses and arouses emotions in a
way that words alone cannot.

In my opinion, traditional music should be valued over the international music that has
become so popular. International pop music is often catchy and fun, but it is
essentially a commercial product that is marketed and sold by business people.
Traditional music, by contrast, expresses the culture, customs and history of a
country. Traditional styles, such as Cai Luong, connect us to the past and form part
of our cultural identity. It would be a real pity if pop music became so predominant
that these national styles became unheard or disappeared.

In conclusion, music is a necessary part of human existence because it allows us to

have fun, build connections and communicate our feelings and thoughts, and I believe
that traditional music should be given more importance than international music.
(296 words)

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Modern technology has made it easier for individuals to download copyrighted
music and books from the internet for no charge.
To what extent is this a positive or negative development?

It is true that technologies developed in recent years have had a significant impact on the way
books and music are shared. The Internet enables very cheap, or even completely free,
access to words and sounds. I personally think that this is a positive development, as I will
explain now.

On the one hand, there are good reasons to believe that this is a negative development. Firstly,
downloading words and music without paying is morally wrong because it is, after all,
a form of stealing, just as much as if someone had shop-lifted a CD. Secondly, if nobody
actually buys music or books then the people who produce them, for example,
novelists, journalists, musicians, will no longer be able to make a living from such work.
Eventually the only way for these artists to make money from writing and music will be
though things like celebrity endorsements, and mediocrity will flourish.

I believe, however, that free access to books and music on the Internet is a liberating
development,allowing more people to enjoy what was once the preserve of the few. Itis
particularly good that young people can freely experience a wide range of music and
writing. As for artists, they can still perform live and sell their work to their audience on
platforms such as Soundcloud and iTune. If their work is shared widely, they also benefit
from the increase in theirpopularity.Finally,preventingaccessingbooksandmusic, which
canbedoneby stricter monitoring and harsher penalties, would be extremely damaging,
because it would mean there would be increased surveillance and control.

In conclusion, I believe writers and musicians will find a way of benefiting from the new
situation and good artists will be able to earn a living as they always have done.

(298 words)

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Lesson 9: Describe a museum or exhibition which
you enjoyed

Where was it?

Who did you go with?
Why did you enjoy it?

Student: Actually, this is a rather difficult topic

for me because I hardly ever go to museums or
to see exhibitions. In fact, the only museum I exhibitions
can ever remember visiting is The National
Railway Museum in York. I’ve actually been
there twice, once on an organised trip from the
language school where I used to study, and
once a couple of months ago with a bunch of a bunch of
friends.

To be perfectly honest, the only reason we

bothered going was because it was free. We
were planning to have a picnic by the river but by the river
it started drizzling so we changed our plans drizzling
and went to the museum instead. Although I’m
usually pretty negative about that sort of thing, that sort of thing
I have to admit that it was actually pretty good.
I suppose what most impressed me was the fact
that it isn’t just a dusty old museum where you dusty
walk past exhibits in glass cases. You can

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actually climb aboard some of the trains and climb aboard
get underneath others so you can watch how underneath
they work. There are videos and computerised computerised sections
sections as well so it’s really interactive. You interactive
can even see how a real train station works by
going into a simulated control room and I would simulated
say the coolest thing is that you can have a go
in a train simulator and pretend to be a driver.
They’ve got some really historic trains there, historic
like a bullet train from Japan and the fastest
ever steam locomotive. They’ve also got steam locomotive
Royal trains, which are absolutely fascinating. fascinating
You can see what luxury members of the Royal
Family lived in, how they had running water,
plush dining rooms and bedrooms in their plush
trains long before most people had them in their
houses.

We were there for a couple of hours and the

time flew past. It wasn’t at all boring. I don’t think
I yawned once which, for me in a museum is yawned
quite remarkable. I would definitely recommend
it, particularly as there is no entrance charge, entrance charge
but also because it is educational and
entertaining. You will come out feeling you have
really learnt something. That’s what I feel
anyway.

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 Part 3:
EXPLAIN why some people find museums and
exhibitions quite boring
Student: You’re talking to one of those people.
I think we had to go round a few museums or galleries
art galleries when I was at school and all I can
remember is a teacher droning on and on droning on and on about
about some historical figure or event or painter,
which had absolutely no relevance to my life relevance
whatsoever. It was incredibly tedious and I
couldn’t wait to get out. The problem is that in tedious
most museums you’re just supposed to traipse traipse
round from one room to another, looking at
things which you have no interest in at all. They round
are seldom if ever interactive and they don’t seldom
appeal to all the senses; there’s nothing to senses
touch, taste, smell or listen to. They are usually
so out- dated. Everything is written on smelly out- dated
old pieces of paper, in dingy rooms. It’s a dingy
miracle if they have anything on computer. Well,
you can see, I’m not generally a big fan. But
that’s the problem museums and galleries face.
Most people don’t go because they find them
boring and irrelevant. irrelevant

CONSIDER how museums can be made more

interesting for children
Student: As everyone knows, children have a
very short attention span. They get bored
extremely easily. But they also tend to be very attention span
curious, so if you can show them things which curious
awaken their interest, they are likely to keep
asking questions and wanting to know more. So
museums need to have exhibits which answer
the sorts of questions which children have
about how the world works. They probably
won’t be successful or capture children’s
imagination if all they show is exhibits about imagination
ancient historical figures like kings and exhibits
queens. Presentation is important too. historical figures
Children need a lot of physical stimulation so Presentation
weird noises, flashing lights, bright colours, physical stimulation
interesting smells, objects they are allowed to
pick up, all of these will get children involved
and interested.

CONSIDER whether museums should be free to all

or whether people should pay to go in
Student: I think the idea behind museums is to
educate people, make them more aware and

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 interested in things. This is obviously a good
thing for society in general so it seems to make
sense to me that the government should fund fund
museums and enable everyone to go in free. enable
After all, if you charge admission fees to go in, charge admission fees
then you will most likely get wealthier people wealthier
going in and those on lower incomes won’t
bother because they have more important
things to spend their money on, like heating and
food. It’s probably precisely people from lower from lower
income groups who you want to attract. I know income groups
you can’t generalise but many of those without generalise
much money just haven’t had access to a good
education and being able to go to educational
and entertaining museums or exhibition halls is
really advantageous.

SPECULATE on whether museums will still be

important in fifty years’ time
Student: I’m not sure if my answer is optimistic
or pessimistic because I believe that by the pessimistic
time I’m old, there probably won’t be any
museums or exhibitions in what you might call
the real world. I believe that technological technological advances
advances will have been so swift that by that swift
time, you will be able to do everything from the
comfort of your own arm- chair. Computers comfort of your own arm- chair
will be fitted with software that enables you to
have a complete sensory perception, so you’ll sensory perception
be able to touch The Pyramids of even climb up
them, examine a Monet painting in examine
microscopic detail, even smell the paint. In
some ways it will be marvellous. Everybody microscopic
will have access to just about everything, even
things which are locked away in private marvellous
collections now, but something will be lost as
well. Even hi-tech software might not be able private collections
to give you the exact same experience you get
from standing in front of a masterpiece. I guess hi-tech software
we’ll have to wait and see.
masterpiece

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 Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the following:

1 To wander around
2 A work of art
3 Raining lightly
4 Old fashioned
5 Things on show in a museum
6 Interested
7 Boring
8 Strange sounds
9 Rarely
10 You don’t have to pay to go in

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Describe a museum or exhibition which you enjoyed
Where was it?
Who did you go with? Why did you enjoy it?

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Some people think that museums should be enjoyable places to entertain people,
while others believe that the purpose of museums is to educate.
Discuss both views and give you own opinion.

Some people believe that the role of museums is to entertain, while others think that it
is the educational aspect that these institutions should place more importance on. In
my opinion, museums can and should be both entertaining and educational.

On the one hand, museums do need to cater for visitors’ recreational needs. In my
view, people do not always pay a visit to these institutions because they are interested
in history but do so out of curiosity. Therefore, it is important that museums exhibit a
collection of interesting objects that many people will want to see or have interactive
activities or even games as part of its exhibitions. If those museum goers have to
read or listen to too much educational content, they may become bored. We see this in
the way visitors are often excited taking pictures with historical figures’ statues and
actively engage in games during their tours rather than read interpretive text panels.

On the other hand, a lack of focus on education would also be wrong. The aim of any
exhibition should be to teach visitors something that they did not previously know.
Usually this means that the history behind the museum’s exhibits needs to be
explained, and this can be done in various ways. Some museums employ professional
guides to talk to their visitors, while other museums offer headsets so that visitors can
listen to detailed commentary about the exhibition. In this way, museums can play an
important role in teaching people about history, culture, science and many other aspects
of life.

In conclusion, a good museum should be able to offer an interesting, enjoyable and

educational experience so that people can have fun and learn something at the same
time.
(287 words)

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Many museums and historical sites are mainly visited by tourists but not local
people. Why is this the case? What can be done to attract local people to visit
these places?

It is true that museums and historical attractions have largely been ignored by locals.
This can be attributed to a host of reasons, and some viable solutions that can be
adopted to remedy the situation will be outlined in this essay.

Two main factors are to blame for people not wanting to visit museums in their local
areas. Firstly, more often than not we grew up with folk lores and stories told by our
parents about historical events that took place in our villages. As a result, we might
think we already know about things in our local museums, and therefore have much
less of a need to visit these places. Secondly, history is generally considered tedious,
and thus things associated with history like museums often fail to attract people’
attention, save for tourists who are curious about an alien culture.

To address the problem of people having preconceived ideas about their history and
local attractions, the key solution is to revamp history education. For example,
graphics, games and prizes should be incorporated into history lessons to make
them more vivid and competitve, which could arouse students’ interest in this
subject. As well as this, teachers should organize field trips to local museums and
attractions, and students should be asked to write a report or give a speech about a
certain piece of artefact or history of their local area.

In conclusion, the low rate of local visitors to museums and historical attractions can be
ascribed to a false sense of familiarity with local historical events and the
relatedness to the boring nature of history education, and the solutions would lie in
making history lessons more interesting and competitive.
(279 words)

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Some museums charge for admission while others are free.
Do you think the advantages of charging people for admission to museums
outweigh the disadvantages?

‘A country’s museums should always be free for people to visit, whatever the
visitor’s age, income or nationality.’
To what level do you agree with this idea? Should museums always be free for all
visitors?

Some people believe that museums should be made universally free, regardless of the
visitor’s age, income or nationality. In this essay, however, I will challenge this school of
thought because such a pricing scheme is unnecessary, and even counter-
productive.

Firstly, we need to factor in how little an admission to a certain museum actually costs.
In my view, most tourists have already paid large sums to travel, and therefore a
modest entry charge would not be an inconvenience. Furthermore, applying a small
fee would enable museums to collect revenue which could be used to conserve the
exhibits, extend the collections and put on further displays and so on. This would in
turn make the institution more attractive, so that more visitors arrive.

To add further credence to my assertion, I note that getting rid of entrance fees to
museums could potentially do more harm than good. Abolishing such fees would be
vastly expensive because all institutions would rely on state subsidies to keep them
going, and this would surely have little impact on visitor numbers, while adding
unnecessary pressure on state budget. Granted, one might argue that universally free
museums help showcase national heritage and therefore would be a worthwhile
effort. However, the use of affordable entry fees, certainly with exemptions for
children, the unemployed, students and others, would be equally effective but would
not pose the above-mentioned financial challenge.

In conclusion, it is a mistake to assume that governments should provide free access

to museums for everyone. I take this view on account of the fact that it is unnecessary
to do so and modest charges are justifiable, and useful.

(271 words)

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 Lesson10:Describeyourfavouriteanimal

What is it?
When did you first see it?
Why is it special for you?

Student: I’ve always been really keen on polar keen on

bears. I’ve really loved them ever since I was little
though I can’t fully explain why. I suppose it has
something to do with the fact that they seem so cute
and cuddly, though actually, if you tried to cuddle cuddly
one you would probably get your head bitten off. I’ve
never actually seen a polar bear in the wild but I did cuddle
see one when I was about eight years old, at a zoo. in the wild

Actually, even at that age, I found it quite an unpleasant

unpleasant experience to see such a handsome a handsome animal
animal in a cage. It was walking from side to side of prowling around
the cage, prowling around and obviously not happy natural habitat
to be out of its natural habitat. One of the things I
find most intriguing about polar bears is the intriguing
cunning way they hunt for seals. Apparently, they cunning
sometimes spend days waiting outside a seal’s
breathing hole and they have been known to swim
towards seals with their bottom in the air, hoping the
seals will mistake them for a piece of ice. According
to a TV programme I once watched that hunting
strategy sometimes works.

Another thing I absolutely admire about these

animals is their ability to be so solitary and self- solitary

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dependent. They often go for months without self-dependent
meeting other bears and, apart from during the apart from
mating season, they seem to prefer to be alone
rather than in a pack. Of course the really sad thing
about polar bears is that they will probably be extinct extinct
within half a century. They depend on ice and, as ice
forms later in the year now, because of global
warming, the bears are getting hungrier and,
consequently, more of them are not able to make it consequently
through the long winter. It would be such a shame if
polar bears died out completely. They are one of the died out
most beautiful animals in the world and we should do
everything we can to preserve them. preserve

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 Part 3:
EXPLAIN which animals make the best pets
Student:Where I live, in the countryside, just about
everybody has a dog. They are pets but they also double as guard dogs
double as guard dogs. If anyone comes near the comes near
house in the night especially, they start barking and barking
growling and wake everybody up. As far as I know, growling
dogs are popular all around the world and in just
about every culture. I know some people like to have
a cat, but they are much less domesticated than domesticated
dogs. Dogs actually love being with people whereas get fed
cats seem to tolerate people as long as they get defend
fed, but I don’t think a cat would ever defend its
owner like a dog would. Actually, I’ve heard about
all sorts of animals being kept as pets. Someone
once told me that they had a snake at home, and
lots of people keep fish in a tank. My auntie used to
have a tortoise but I think it is illegal now. And when tortoise
I was at school some children kept white mice at
home.

EXPLAIN why some people don’t like pets

Student: There are probably quite a few reasons
why some people don’t like having animals in the
house. One of the most important reasons is that
pets are actually really difficult to look after. If I can
give the example of a dog, you have to take it for a
walk and make sure it gets enough exercise, you
have to feed it regularly and brush its coat. Apart brush
from that there is the question of cost. Sometimes coat
you have to take pets to the vet and this can be
really expensive. And some people say animals
smell and make the place untidy, and it’s true, you untidy
do get dog-hairs everywhere and, especially if the dog-hairs
animal isn’t well trained, there can be the occasional
unpleasant accident in the house, if you see what I
mean. On the whole though, I think a pet is a On the whole
wonderful companion. I would love to have one companion
though unfortunately in the house where I’m living
now you’re not allowed to keep them

DESCRIBE ways in which animals help people

Student: Throughout history, animals have helped
people in many ways. Dogs have probably helped
humans more than any other species. They have species
been used to guard things, and as guides, by blind blind
people for example. They are sometimes used to
pull heavy loads and equipment, especially in the
arctic circle. Obviously, other animals like arctic
elephants and donkeys and camels are regularly

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 used to carry heavy loads and even people.
Probably one of the most extraordinary ways in
which animals have helped humans is carrier carrier pigeons
pigeons. During wars, for example, they have been
used to send messages even from one country to
another. The pigeon is trained to go to a particular
location and a message is tied to its leg.

ASSESS whether animals play an important role in

your culture
Student: Yes, in some senses they do. As I’ve just
mentioned, animals play a vital role in helping
people, and it is no different in my culture. Many
people have pets, particularly dogs, and they
provide company, especially for older people and provide company
people on their own. In more rural parts of the rural
country, animals play a huge part in the economy.
It’s a very agricultural area and horses and mules
are used a lot. There are lots of sheep and cattle as
well. Animals also play a symbolic role in the symbolic
country. Our national emblem is the eagle. It
appears on our flag and lots of other national
symbols. When people see the eagle, they feel a
sense of pride in the country and its achievements. pride

DISCUSS why and how we should protect endangered

species.
Student: I think it is beyond doubt that we should
protect endangered species like polar bears, endangered species
tigers, black rhinos and pumas. The difficulty is rhinos
how to do it. Everyone says that they want to save pumas
the whale or the Siberian tiger but at the same time
everyone wants to get a job, have a car and
basically use up natural resources and cause use up natural resources
pollution. It is precisely these things which threaten precisely
the existence of so many important animals. I
strongly believe that we really have to make a
choice between economic and environmental aims
and at the moment we are choosing to develop
economically at the expense of nature. I am at the expense of
genuinely concerned that this cannot continue and
that very soon we will have reached a point where natural world
we have destroyed so much of our natural world
that it will be impossible to recover. recover

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 Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the following:

1 Animals in danger of dying out

2 I am worried that
3 The place where animals live in the wild
4 Tame/not wild
5 In the countryside
6 Farming
7 Dead/no longer exist
8 Have an important job
9 Friend
10 Farm animals

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Describe your favourite animal

What is it?
When did you first see it?
Why is it special for you?

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It is a natural process for animal species to become extinct. There is no reason
why people should try to prevent this from happening. Do you agree or disagree?

Many people point to natural selection where the extinction of certain animals is
unavoidable as the reason why trying to prevent this from happening is largely
pointless. In this essay, however, I will challenge this school of thought.

Firstly, allowing animals to go extinct is tantamount to paving the way for our own
extinction. This is because the interconnected nature of the ecosystem, which governs
and affects all lives on earth, could easily be disrupted by the disappearance of certain
keystone animals. Take, for example, Australian bees, which pollinate a wide variety
of flora in this country. Recently, these insects have disappeared in the North of
Australia due to unregulated harmful farming activities, leading to a large number of
other plants and animals disappearing along with them. Farmers in these places can no
longer grow crops because of sudden climatic changes caused by this unfortunate
incident. Were we to turn a blind eye to such events, we would soon face the demise
of our own race.

To add further credence to my assertion, I note the cost-effectiveness of protecting

wildlife. In my view, If some keystones animals, such as bees, died out, causing mass
extinctions, and threatening our very own existence, the amount of money and
manpower needed to address the resulting changes to our own habitat would far
outweigh the amount spent on animal protection. To make matters worse, there is no
guarantee that we would be able to develop our technologies to cope with such
dramatic changes since no existing technologies are making any discernible
contributions to the battle against climate change, let alone the looming end of our
own kind.

In conclusion, it is a mistake to assume that there is no point in trying to save wild

animals from dying out. I take this view on account of the fact that preserving other
animals is a cost-effective measure that could give us a fighting chance to ensure
the very existence of mankind.
(326 words)

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Some people believe that zoos where animals are kept in a man-made environment
should no longer exist in the 21st century. Do you agree or disagree?

Many people argue that zoos where wildlife creatures are contained in artificial
enclosures should be banned. I personally think that zoos are useful only when they are
used for conservation, and that using it for entertainment is simply inhuman and should
be prohibited.

People opposed to zoos highlight the unnatural way in which animals live in such
places. For example, captive animals do not need to hunt or raise offspring, and this
means that they are not living as nature intended. Furthermore, the anti-zoo lobby
point out that animals probably suffer mentally when kept in captivity, even if their
surroundings are spacious and similar to the natural habitat. Symptoms of mental
issues range from repetitive behaviour to eating disorders, and these are often seen
in captive animals. Lastly, it is often said that zoos add little to animal conservation,
which is better served by preserving their habitat.

Conversely, those who support zoos say that in most cases they offer a secure and
peaceful setting for animals, for example in high quality wildlife parks or reserves.
They add that in many cases, the animals would suffer from loss of habitat or
poaching in the wild, and in captivity they are at least safe and able to breed
successfully. Finally, zoo enthusiasts feel that zoos and animal parks are part of an
integrated system of protecting animals, involving habitat protection, breeding
programs and disease control. This all helps to safeguard endangered species and
thus preserve the global ecosystem for the future benefit of all life forms.

In conclusion, while I accept the use of animal parks for the conserving of endangered
species, keeping animals in captivity for entertainment is wrong and should not be
allowed.

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The practice of illegally hunting wild animals continues to cause concern in many
countries, particularly developing countries.
What are the causes of such hunting? What are the effects on the animals, and on
the wider human society in these countries and beyond?

It is true that poaching is a rampant phenomenon, pushing endangered animals

further to the verge of extinction. Several reasons can be adduced to explain why this
practice is still prevalent, especially in developing countries, and it is to the detriment
of both animals and the community.

What seems to be at the core of poaching is related to profit, and hunger. With regard to
the former, the high prices attached to illegal ivory, furs and hides, which are highly
sought after by a small but wealthy group of unscrupulous global collectors who either
seek the rarity value or believe in imaginary medicinal propertities of these items,
appear to be the primary motive. Added to this is the more basic pressure of hunting for
food, which forces some local people to kill animals purely for meat. The roots of this
tend to be in localized famine or drought, or in political instability which disrupts the
food supply, as we see in central Africa currently.

Poaching brings in its wake various effects, the most serious of which is the threat of
extinction posed to species which are already rare or endangered because of habitat
loss or other environmental factors. The resulting consequences of extinction may
include damage to the food chain and the ecosphere, in addition to the loss of a
precious form of life. A further effect is the further erosion of a country’s natural
heritage, which comprises its animals, landscape and natural resources, all of which
may be under pressure already.

In conclusion, the factors behind poaching tend to be commercial or connected to

regional instability. The effects may include final extinction, with the damage to
ecosystems and loss of heritage that this involves.

(284 words)

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 Lesson 11: Describe an example of serious pollution

Where is it?
Why did you notice it?
What could be done about it?

This is one of the most topical issues at the topical

moment. I keep seeing newspaper articles and
TV news reports about it saying how serious and catastrophic
potentially catastrophic this could be. In my
country, awareness of the importance of this has raised
been raised recently and just about everybody
knows that unless something is done to tackle tackle
pollution and contamination, the future will be
very bleak. contamination
bleak
For me, living in a huge metropolitan area, the metropolitan
pollution I most notice is the quality of the air. can’t help noticing
Actually, you can’t help noticing it if you live as soon as
where I do because as soon as you open your
mouth, you feel contaminated air hitting the back cough
of your throat. You want to cough and you are
half- choking all the time. If you run, say across half- choking
a busy road, you are completely breathless breathless
when you reach the other side. Nobody bothers bothers
wearing white because, by the end of the day, mucky
greyish

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your clean shirt or blouse has turned a mucky
greyish colour. It’s absolutely disgusting.
stay indoors
There are times when the government closes
local schools and advises the elderly to stay health implications
indoors all day. They are so worried about the
health implications of the contaminated air. The take a glance at
reasons why our air is so dirty are obvious for
everyone to see. Just take a glance at the horizon
horizon in my city and you will see thousands of belching out
factories belching out poisonous smoke and poisonous
fumes. fumes

Though the cause is not really in dispute, the

solution is a good deal more complex. Various
things could be tried. Factories could be re- less densely-populated
located to less densely-populated regions. critics
Some critics of the government have even polluting factories
suggested closing down the worst polluting
factories altogether. Unfortunately, though, it
isn’t quite that simple. Firstly, if you move the re-locate
factories, you will also have to re-locate workers unpopular
and that will be extremely unpopular. If factories
are closed, workers will lose their jobs and that
will have serious implications for the whole
economy. So, as you can see, it is a complex resolved
issue and not likely to be resolved any time any time soon
soon. That’s a tremendous shame because our spectacularly
country is spectacularly beautiful but, if you visit smog
major cities, all you will see is smog, dust and grime
grime.

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 Part 3:
DESCRIBE causes of pollution
Student: Obviously, there are various types of various
pollution. Some of the major ones are air, water
and noise. It’s probably simplest to say that
these forms of contamination are caused by the
early twenty-first century, modern life, the
human species, whatever you want to call it.
There are specific causes like the increased use
of cars and other forms of transport, heavy heavy industry
industry and manufacturing. But it probably manufacturing
isn’t fair to blame the producers. Levels of blame
consumption are at the heart of the problem. at the heart of the problem
Our modern way of living requires automobiles mass-produced
and air travel, huge quantities of mass- consumer durables
produced consumer durables, vast amounts
of electricity and gas. It’s hardly surprising that
we are causing more and more pollution. The
problem is that nobody seems to have thought
of a solution yet and the situation is becoming
intolerable. intolerable

EXPLAIN why some people take the problem of

pollution so seriously
Student: Well, as I’ve already suggested, those
who worry about it are probably right. Most
scientists agree that our planet has never faced
such a massive increase in carbon dioxide
levels, for example, and this is having serious
consequences for all of us. Even worse, the
potential consequences, what scientists are
predicting over the next half century or so, predicting
sound disastrous and although some people
might say I’m being alarmist, it isn’t too unlikely alarmist
that human civilisation will come to an end
soon unless we really address the problems. So human civilisation
many things are already going wrong. Rivers are come to an end
so polluted that fish die out; the oceans are die out
becoming increasingly acidic and that threatens acidic
marine life; life for humans and animals, marine life
particularly in large metropolitan cities and
conurbations, is increasingly difficult. If nothing metropolitan cities
is done immediately the situation is likely to get
beyond our control. It’s something I’m genuinely conurbations
scared about. I don’t feel at all optimistic about
the future. genuinely

EXPLAIN what can or should be done to reduce optimistic

pollution

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Student: That’s an extremely difficult question.
Of course there are solutions but nobody wants
to take the difficult decisions. Probably the
easiest thing to do would be to ban all non-
essential travel, make people use public non-essential travel
transport, ration the amount of energy they can ration
use and increase prices of things like consumer
durables so much that most people just wouldn’t
be able to afford them. Although that would afford
work, it would leave millions without a job and
have long-term implications for all of us. In any
case, it is completely impractical and I doubt impractical
whether even one government would be willing willing
to do it. Certainly the major governments
wouldn’t. A watered-down version might be A watered-down version
effective. You could try to cut the use of cars and
try not to use so much energy, but it is probably
already too late for a few minor alterations. The minor alterations
real problem is that most of us have got used to
a high standard of living and we’re not willing to
give up all those modern conveniences and modern conveniences
gadgets. gadgets

SPECULATE on whether the planet will be a

cleaner or dirtier place in fifty years’ time
Student:
I don’t know about in fifty years’ time, but in a
hundred and fifty years’ time it might be
considerably cleaner because humans might
have been wiped out altogether. I’m not very wiped out
confident in our ability as a species to deal with altogether
this issue and I’m afraid we will just keep acting
irresponsibly until it is too late. I know some deal with
people believe that we are clever enough to find
technological solutions which will enable us to acting irresponsibly
keep burning fossil fuels and destroying non-
renewable resources but I seriously doubt it. I non-renewable resources
think the most likely outcome is that we will
destroy ourselves. outcome

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 Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the following:

1 Things that cannot be remade

2 Large urban areas
Longlastinghouseholditemse.g.washing
3
machine
4 To limit
5 Lots of
6 Possibly very serious
7 Areas with lots of people living there
8 Journeys that are not important
9 Terrible/catastrophic
10 Positive

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Describe an example of serious pollution
Where isit?
Why did you notice it?
What could be done about it?

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There is not enough recycling of waste materials (e.g. paper, glass, cans).
What are the reasons for this problem and what are some possible solutions?

There is a lack of reusing and repurposing materials, such as paper, glass bottles and
tin cans. This state of affairs can be attributed to several factors, and some measures can
be taken to remedy the situation.

There are two main contributors to the low rates of recycling. Chief of these is that many
people are too busy with their lives and simply unaware of the detrimental impact of
waste they produce. This can be seen in how little an average person knows about the
fact that their waste contributes to air pollution when it is incinerated and ground
contamination when it is buried in landfill sites. In addition, many people also do not
know how to sort or where they can send their old materials to be repurposed. We see
this in the way the majority of people do not know which colored bin to put their glass,
paper and plastic in.

The problem of waste piling up can be address in a number of ways. An immediate

remedy is to bring it to the fore, which could take the form of advertisements in print and
social media telling people about the dangers of waste. Celebrities who are trusted by the
public can help spread the message. Furthermore, schools can invite environmentalists
or ecologists to talk to schoolchildren about how their waste is destroying the habitats
of other animals and how it can be reduced, reused and recycled. As these young
people will grow up to be more environmentally conscious and act as good role
models to their children, the impact of this initiative would reverberate through
generations to come.

In conclusion, the primary causes of people wasting valuable resources are their
ignorance about how to recycle and what harm it is doing to the planet. The possible
solutions would lie in awareness-raising campaigns and education.
(313 words)

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Explain some of the ways in which humans are damaging the environment.
What can governments do to address these problems? What can individual
people do?

It is true that humans are contributing to the deterioration of the environment in

many ways. However, a few viable solutions that can remedy the situation will be
outlined in this essay.

Humans are harming nature in numerous ways. First, the proliferation of industrial parks
and manufacturing plants have driven air pollution to alarming levels. This is worsened
by a drastic increase in private vehicle ownership, as we see, for example in Beijing and
Hanoi. In addition to air pollution, human activities, such as manufacturing, are
contaminating ground and water sources as a large amount of waste either buried in
landfill sites or is being discharged into rivers and oceans every day. Finally, more and
more animals are on the verge of extinction as deforestation deprives them of their
natural habitat, and this matter is made worse by poaching.

Governments and individuals could certainly make more effort to reduce air pollution.
With regard to the former, they could introduce laws to limit emissions from factories or
to force companies to use renewable energy from solar, wind or water power and
change how their waste is treated. As for individuals, they can walk, cycle or take public
transport rather than driving, choose products with less packaging, and reuse plastic
bags and recycle as much as possible. They could also try to become more energy-
efficient, for example by simply turning off the lights or TV after use.

In conclusion, both national governments and individuals must play their part in looking
after the environment.
(251 words)

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Some people say that international car-free days are an effective way of reducing
air pollution. Others people say that there are more effective ways of doing this.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Cars are a fundamental source of urban air pollution and, therefore, it is frequently
suggested that global car-free days should be introduced. However, there are other
major polluters of the atmosphere that could be targeted, which I feel might be more
practical in tackling air pollution.

Granted, car-free days may help to deal with this pressing problem to some extent;
however, many road users would switch to public transport to commute to work. As
a result, the public transport network would need to be increased to cope with demand,
and unless it was powered by green energy, this issue is not resolved by this proposal.
Furthermore, getting all governments around the world to commit to this idea would not
be an easy task.

Rather than prohibiting vehicles on certain days, alternative measures could be taken.
For example, the burning of fossil fuels in industry is a major factor in rising air
pollution levels, and therefore, governments could force manufacturing companies to
switch to alternative forms of energy such as solar energy or risk heavy fines if they
fail to comply with this. In addition, there needs to be a focus on limiting the amount we
consume by re-using and recycling in order to reduce household waste, which
subsequently goes to landfill sites or is burnt and thus contributes to air pollution.

In conclusion, as noble as a car-free day may sound, regulating the amount of

pollutants that are released into the air by factories and reducing the amount of waste
we produce would be a much more effective way to deal with this.
(263 words)

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“Must-know” topics and vocabulary

Lesson 12 : Describe a sport you

enjoy playing or watching

What is it?
How is it played?
What clothes and equipment are needed?
Why do you like it?

I’m going to describe football, because I’ve always

been incredibly keen on it and I’ve been playing
football ever since I was tiny. I think just about
everybody knows how to play. You have two teams
and the object of the game is to get the ball into the
other team’s goal. You are allowed to kick it or head
it but you can’t touch the ball with your hands unless
you are the goalkeeper. At the end of the game, the
team with the most goals is the winner. I think football
is so popular because you don’t need a lot of
equipment. Obviously, professional footballers wear
a proper football kit and have boots with studs in, and
shin-guards. But if you want to have a kick-around
with your friends in the park, you only need an open
space and a ball.

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Football is a really physical sport where you are likely
to get fouled and finish the match with a few cuts and
bruises. It’s a fast game and you need to be able to
sprint and turn quickly, and have some skill so that
when you kick the ball, it goes in the direction you
want. It’s also useful to be tall, so that you can head
the ball, though some of the greatest ever players
were actually quite short. What I most like about
football is that it is a kind of universal language. You
can play or watch a game with other football fans and
it doesn’t matter if you don’t speak the same
language. You all know the rules and you will have all
seen the same matches in the past. Also, it’s a really
simple game. There are not too many rules and if
you’re playing with friends you don’t need a referee.

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 “Must-know” topics and vocabulary
Part 3:
EXPLAIN which sports are important in your
country and why
Student: Football, basketball and baseball are
probably the best-loved sports where I live. They
are all played by thousands, probably millions, of
people. The reason why they are so popular is to do
with how easy it is to play them. You don’t need
much equipment at all, which is especially important
because in my country people tend not to have a
huge amount of disposable income to spend on
things like that. Another reason why basketball in
particular is popular is that our national team is one
of the most successful in the world. We won a silver
medal at the last Olympics in both male and female
categories and we have beaten just about every
other team in the world. Our top players are
international stars and probably the best-known
sportsmen and women in the country. If they walk
down the street, they are recognised by just about
everyone. They get asked for autographs and
sometimes mobbed.

CONSIDER whether more or fewer people play

sport now than in the past
Student: I would definitely say that numbers are
falling. My mum says that when she was young, the
streets were full of youngsters with a football, or just
running around playing games like hide and seek.
Nowadays, many parents are scared to let their
children play outside and so they spend most of
their free time either sat in front of a TV or a
computer screen. Of course, there are serious
consequences of this. Children are generally getting
fatter and obesity levels are rising, and lots of
children haven’t really developed the social skills
which you need in life and which you partly get
through playing sport, especially team games. It’s a
tremendous pity and I think something should be
done about it, but I’m not sure what exactly.

EXPLAIN why some people don’t enjoy playing any

sport at all

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Student: I suppose some people are not physically
strong or well co-ordinated or maybe they just don’t
enjoy participating in a team. As well as that, there
are some people who have had negative
experiences playing sport and it really turns them off
the idea. For example, if you get hurt by a baseball
hitting you on the head, you are probably not going
to be too keen to play again in the future. Or if you
make a huge mistake, like scoring an own goal,
playing football, and your team-mates laugh at you
or make jokes about you, you’ll feel pretty small and
not very willing to put yourself in that same situation
again. It’s a pity when this happens though,
because sport can have such positive benefits for
everyone, no matter what level you play at.

EXPLAIN why so many young people would like to

play sport professionally
Student: I suppose it is mostly connected with the
chance to be rich and famous, well- known and
loved or admired throughout the world or at least in
your own country. I think young people look at
famous sportsmen and think that they’ve got
everything, wealth, success, physical
attractiveness. And young people naturally would
like to be in the same position. What they probably
don’t always realise is that a vast amount of self-
sacrifice, dieting and training has gone into that
success.

CONSIDER whether major sports stars are good

role models for children
Student: I think that some are and some aren’t. You
do get sports stars who are clean- living, intelligent,
respectful to others, who never appear in
newspapers, who value education and who play
their sport fairly and train hard. If youngsters try to
copy this model, then it is bound to have a positive
influence on their life. But, at the same time, you do
get sports stars who either drink or take drugs - I
mean either recreational drugs or performance-
enhancing steroids - and are always involved in
scandalous stories or who get in trouble with the
police. These people, who generally show a

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complete lack of respect for themselves and for
others, are really bad role models. The pity is that
this kind of person often seems more attractive to
younger people who want to rebel against authority,
so they follow their example.

CONSIDER whether good luck or hard work is more

important in sporting success
Student: I would have to say that there is a bit of
both. Of course, if you train hard and prepare well
and use the right tactics and strategies, it is more
likely that you will win. They sometimes say that
you make your own luck in sport. But occasionally
things happen which are just outside the control of
the individual sportsman or team. Sometimes they
just have such bad luck that no amount of skill or
expertise can overcome it. I suppose in those
cases the best sportsmen just concentrate on the
factors they can control and ignore the bad luck
which they can’t really do anything about.

ASSESSwhether advertising in international sports

events should be discouraged Student:
There are two sides to this question and I find it
very difficult to come up with a definitive answer.
Advertising definitely brings in a lot of revenue and
enables sports events to offer bigger prizes, which
in turn enables elite athletes to train better and
achieve the highest level they can. On the other
hand, a lot of the companies which advertise are
alcohol manufacturers or cigarette and tobacco
producers. This seems quite strange and doesn’t
really send out appropriate messages to
spectators, particularly younger and more
impressionable viewers. They receive the powerful
idea that drinking and smoking are in some way
connected with success at sport. This obviously is
untrue but the reason why advertisers invest huge
amounts of money in sport is because they want to
persuade people, to influence them and change
their minds, to make them believe, for example,
that smoking isn’t harmful or detrimental to health.
So on the whole I suppose I would prefer

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advertisers like these to be banned from
involvement in sporting events.

DESCRIBE the advantages which accrue to

cities/countries which hold major sporting events
like The Olympics
Student: There is absolutely no doubt that holding
The Olympics or football World Cup has major
benefits for the country concerned. Firstly, it
receives very positive publicity. The whole
competition is like a massive advertisement. I
suppose that must lead to increased tourism and
greater international investment as a result of the
heightened profile. Then there is the national
infrastructure. New roads and transport links are
built and a great many sporting facilities are created.
This means that even after the event itself, there
should be benefits to the local people. Finally, there
might be considerable health benefits because
people living in a host country are encouraged to
use sports facilities and become fitter. This is clearly
advantageous for everyone concerned.

ASSESS whether sports stars are paid too much in

your country
Student: Well, some of the top athletes, basketball
players, footballers and baseball stars earn
astronomical amounts of money, not just for being
successful in their sport but for advertising
contracts, endorsing products like sportswear and
soft drinks. They have million-dollar contracts with
international companies. You can’t actually blame
them for taking this money. I probably would if I was
in their shoes, but it seems so unfair that there are
people living on the streets, starving, not able to get
basic health care or medicines, living below the
poverty line. I hope that if I had as much money as
some of those stars, I would at least put something
back into my own country or community, and it
seems that not many of them do that.

CONSIDER whether sportsmen and women who

take drugs should be banned for life

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Student: Absolutely. If you cheat in sport and get caught
taking anabolic steroids or other performance-
enhancing drugs you should be kicked out
immediately and never allowed to return. The
penalty has got to be severe because if you just ban
somebody for a couple of years, they will probably
feel that it is worth the risk of getting caught
because the benefits of improving your
performance are so great. Even a couple of years
outside the sport might be worth it if before you got
caught youearned millions and were world-famous.
I think that’s how lots of athletes view it and so I feel
the only useful response is to say to them that there
is no tolerance of drug-cheats whatsoever.

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Today many children spend a lot of time playing computer games and little
time on sports. Why is it? Is it a positive or negative development?

It is true that many young children spend a significant amount of time playing
video games instead of playing sports. This state of affairs can be attributed
to several factors and I believe that it is an unwelcome development.

There are two main contributors to children immersing themselves in video

games rather than engaging in physical activities. Chief of these is that it
often takes a child weeks to understand the basics of a certain sport and
months or even years of practice to really master the skills needed to play
the sport well. Video games, on the other hand, are easier to play and children
playing these games can derive the same levels of enjoyment and pleasure
that those playing actual sports would. Added to this is the fact that not every
child meets the level of physical fitness that most sports require, as seen in
the way not every child is sporty, possesses a high level of stamina or is tall
enough to play basketball well. This renders digital games much more
accessible to everyone.

There are good reasons to say that this trend is an unwelcome one. The key
reason is that most of their conversations only revolve around the context of
the game, but the reality requires them much more to be able to navigate
effectively in social and workplace situations. This can be seen in the way
most professional gamers act socially awkward when they are being
interviewed. Furthermore, the sedentary lifestyles they lead also make them
susceptible to many health problems, such as obesity, depression and
cardiovascular diseases, to name but a few. In the long run, these unhealthy
individuals could become a financial burden for both their families and society.

In conclusion, the fact that children in many countries are playing computer
games much more than ever can be ascribed to computer games being easier
to play and less physically demanding, and I believe that this is a negative
phenomenon.

(327 words)

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Extreme sports such as sky diving and skiing are very dangerous and
should be banned. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view?
In recent years, extreme sports have become increasingly popular, and some
people argue that governments should prohibit them given the dangers involved.
In this essay, however, I will challenge this school of thought.
Admittedly, there are good reasons to say that there should be a ban on
extreme sports. The main argument here is that these sports put people in life-
threatening situations like free-falling from a plane or hanging on a thin rope while
rock-climbing. Any errors would certainly be fatal and result in the death of the
players. In addition, since it is the duty of a society to ensure the safety and well-
being of every citizen, a ban would help the government fulfill this responsibility.
Given the inherent dangers posed to participants, this argument is reinforced
by the prohibition of many harmful products such as cigarettes, drugs and alcohol
in many cases.
However, there are stronger reasons to believe that such an outright ban on
so-called extreme sports is not a sensible course of action. The key reason is
that all sports involve some element of risk, and there should always be clear
regulations, for example in the form of legal age, and health status and safety
procedures to reduce the likelihood of accidents. For instance, anyone who
wants to try skydiving will need to sign up for lessons with a registered club, and
beginners are only allowed to accompany an experienced professional.
Furthermore, it is almost impossible to enforce a ban on so-called life-
threatening sports. No officers would be willing to risk their lives stopping people
parachuting off a mountain face or surfing on an isolated beach.
In conclusion, the dangers embedded in seemingly dangerous sports like deep
ocean diving are exaggerated and therefore, extreme sports enthusiasts should
be allowed to enjoy their hobbies as long as they understand the risks and take
appropriate precautions.
(308 words)

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Some people think that international competitive sports such as football
bring conflict between people of different nationalities. Others think sport
helps people and nations to understand each other. Discuss both views
and give your opinion.

When two countries meet on the football pitch, basketball court or hockey field,
feelings of passion and pride are ignited. Whether such events unite or divide us
is a fascinating question, which is worthy of discussion and debate.

There is certainly evidence that sport causes problems. Fans can easily develop
a sense of animosity towards opposing teams. The competitive element
encourages them to consider their own nation in positive terms and to vilify the
‘enemy’. Emotions similar to those experienced during wars are often
encouraged by the media. Friendly rivalry can turn into nationalism and even
jingoism, and violence may erupt. There have been many cases where
hooligans waving flags, carrying national symbols and chanting obscenely
racist slogans have attacked supporters from other countries.

Yet the capacity of sport to bring individuals and nations together should not be
overlooked. Those who follow their national teams regularly travel to matches
abroad where they can experience and enjoy local customs, traditions and
hospitality. This sometimes leads to the development of life-long friendships.
It has also been argued by sociologists that international sport makes war less
likely. They point out that the number of armed conflicts has diminished in the
era of global sporting competitions and suggest that such events can release
nationalistic pressure.

In conclusion, there is no doubt that tournaments such as The FIFA World Cup
have had both a positive and a negative effect on relationships between
countries. It is probably the case that such competitions magnify and exaggerate
the emotions we already feel: they make angry racists angrier and more racist,
and confirm the beliefs of more liberal-minded individuals that we should love
our neighbors.
(276 words)

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 “Must-know” topics and vocabulary

Lesson 13: Describe an important rule

or law in your country

What is it?
Who is it designed to protect? What do peoplethink of it?
And why is it important?

Student: I would like to describe the punishment of the

death penalty which is used in my country for serious
offences such as murder, rape, armed robbery, treason
and other crimes like that. I think it was introduced by the
government after the Second World War and the
intention is obviously to protect law-abiding citizens,
peaceful people who want to be defended against
criminals. Most citizens are fully in support of capital
punishment. They believe it has actually brought down
the crime rate and made potential criminals think far
more seriously before committing a crime. They know
that if they are caught, there is a very strong probability
that they will be sentenced to death and publicly
executed.

I agree with what most people say. I feel a lot safer

knowing that the authorities will probably hang or shoot

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serious criminals. Of course there are people who
disagree. They say that it is dehumanising and that
courts sometimes convict innocent people. This is
possibly true but, on balance, I think it is of great benefit.
Actually, most of those who protest against it are
foreigners who really don’t understand the situation in
our country. They demonstrate against the government
and send appeals to our embassies abroad, but the
government is absolutely clear that the death penalty
actually saves lives. If you walk down the streets of a
country without capital punishment, say one of the so-
called western democracies, you will see lots of
lawlessness, lots of serious crime. In the newspapers
there you can read about murders just about every day.
In my country, murders are practically unheard of and
crimes like terrorism and armed robbery just don’t take
place. In my view, and the opinion of most people I know,
that’s mostly down to the fact that we have the death
penalty.

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Part 3:

EXPLAIN why societies need to have laws

Student: It’s quite obvious that if you don’t have any
rules governing people, they will just do what they
want. You would have anarchy. People are unable
to control themselves without some external
authority, in my opinion. If you don’t have laws and
somebody to enforce them, stronger people will just
take what they want and the weaker ones won’t
survive. This would be like the law of the jungle,
completely unfair and unsustainable. I know there
are some people who think humans are self-
regulating, that we don’t need to be told what to do.
I think these people have got it seriously wrong
though.

CONSIDER whether prison is always the best form

of punishment
Student: Not necessarily. For a start, you have to
consider the seriousness of the crime. Obviously if
a youth steals food because he or she is hungry,
then there’s not much point putting them in prison.
You will only institutionalise them and they will
probably come out a hardened criminal. They say
that prison is like the University of Crime. So you
need to consider the motive behind the crime,
maybe the past record of the offender as well.
Clearly though, if you are a murderer or have
committed a serious violent crime, you need to be
locked away from the rest of society to prevent you
from repeating what you’ve done. In this case,
prison is definitely the best solution.

EXPLAIN what sort of rules families often have

Student: A lot of the rules in families are to do with
respecting each other and keeping everybody safe.
For example, children are not usually allowed to
stay out late on their own. They have to call home
and let parents know where they are. In some
families you are all expected to eat together at the
table. Sometimes, there are rules about keeping
things tidy, not borrowing each other’s stuff without
asking, not going into each other’s rooms without

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permission, that sort of thing. Often, families have
implicit, unspoken rules about the roles of
individuals. It is often the case that women are
expected to act in a particular way.

DISCUSS how important it is for family members to

obey these rules
Student: It’s really important that everyone in the
family can trust each other. You need to know that
your brother or sister won’t just borrow something
without letting you know first, or won’t play their
music incredibly loud if you have to prepare for an
exam or something. If you are going to have a
harmonious family life, there needs to be respect
and co-operation. However, some rules within the
family can be unjust or unjustifiable and in these
cases people have a right, even an obligation, not
to simply obey like sheep.

CONSIDER the best ways to ensure that school

rules are obeyed
Student: I think schools can go down one of two
different routes: they can either enforce rules with
discipline so that students know that if they break a
rule they will get a detention or a smack or a loss of
some privileges, or schools can try and involve their
pupils in the rule-making process so that they feel
the rules are theirs and they hopefully don’t want to
break them because they are sort of offending
themselves. Obviously this second approach is the
more enlightened and can sometimes work, but I
suppose a mixture of the two approaches is likely to
be the most effective.

DISCUSS whether the focus of school rules should

be discipline or fairness.
Student: Part of the purpose of school rules should
be to teach young people how to become adults. So
it’s really important they have a sense of justice,
fairness and equality. Of course you do need
discipline as well. It’s no good having a school
where everybody flouts the rules. Nothing would get
taught and there would be no point even going

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there. But there definitely needs to be an element of
fairness in the way schools are controlled.

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Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the
following:

1 To put laws into effect

Somebody who commits even more
2
serious crimes
3 Find guilty
4 Crimes
5 Liberal/open-minded
6 The purpose/theaim
7 Happy/pleasant
8 Self-governing
9 Chaos/disorder/rebellion
10 Criminal

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Describe an important rule or law in your country
What is it?
Who is it designed to protect?
What do peoplethink of it?
And why is it important?

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Some people think that sending criminals to prison is not effective.
Education and job training should be used instead.

Do you agree or disagree?

Some people believe that imprisoning offenders is not effective and such a
measure should be replaced with education and occupational training. However,
in this essay I will challenge this school of thought.

One might argue that the high rate of recidivism is a mirror of the ineffectiveness
of prisons and that the underlying reason is related to ex-offenders' inability to get
a job. This is predicated on the assumption that education and job training can
improve one’s employability, and, in theory, can reduce crime. However, this line
of reasoning is not sound because the elements that induce a person to act
unlawfully are not confined to his or her knowledge or ability to find employment.
In fact, countless heinous crimes, such as robbery, kidnapping, sexual assaults,
or even murders were carried out by well-educated people, who are well aware
of their actions and the consequences that follow.

To add further credence to my assertion, I note that prison sentences can deter
would-be criminals by showing them that their actions have consequences and
serve as the embodiment of justice and fairness in society. Also, perhaps a more
convincing reason to reject the idea that jails are no longer effective would be
that the main function of these confinements is to keep dangerous criminals
away from innocent people. If there were no prisons, normal members of society
would constantly live under grave dangers posed by robbers, rapists and
murderers, to name but a few.

In conclusion, for the reasons outlined above, it stands to reason that by no

means should education and job training substitute for prison sentences.
(268 words)

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Research suggests that the majority of criminals who are sent to prison
would commit crimes when set free? What are the reasons? What can be
done to solve the problem?

It is true that many criminals reoffend as soon as they are released. This can be
attributed to the environment in prison and their financial hardships due to their
criminal past, and the answers might involve improving the level of education
about this problem.

What seems to be at the core of the high rate of recidivism in many parts of the
world is the negative influence of other convicts and difficulties in finding
employment. With regard to the former, prisoners often exchange details of
how they committed crimes and why they got caught. This, more often than not,
does not lead them to feel remorse and reflect on their mistakes but to come
up with more devious unlawful acts. Added to this is the fact that most ex-
prisoners find it extremely difficult to find employment because of their criminal
history. As a result of not being able to provide for themselves, they are forced
to once again take what they do not have.

To address the problem of recidivism, the most effective measure is for the
government to educate the general population, especially employers, to be more
accommodating of ex-offenders. Despite their disreputable past, ex-
criminals are ultimately still human underneath; as such, they are worthy of
forgiveness and they deserve a second chance as everyone else does. In fact,
it is not uncommon to see people turn their lives around after serving a prison
sentence, try their best to make up for their mistakes and make positive
contributions to society.

In conclusion, criminals reoffending after serving a prison term can be ascribed to

the milieu in which they are incarcerated, and the solution would lie in stronger
education about the situation.
(282 words)

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Many people today are worried about ‘cybercrime’ such as hacking and
identity theft. What problems does ‘cybercrime’ cause, and what solutions
can you suggest for ordinary people and businesses to take?

Cybercrime is a cause of widespread concern today, as so many people use

technology to store and transmit sensitive data. There are a number of
problems stemming from these crimes, and the solutions should involve
coordinated action by individuals, celebrities and schools.

Identity theft causes financial impact, stress for the victim and their bank. With
regard to the former, if someone has his or her bank account emptied, or has
false credit lines created under their name, they are potentially liable for large
sums of money. Even if they can avoid the consequences, their bank or finance
company has to cover the losses, which can damage their performance. Added
to this is the problem of anxiety and stress caused to the innocent victims of
these crimes. The initial shock is often followed by months or years or legal
wrangling, paperwork and a sense of insecurity.

To address the problem of cybercrime, first and foremost, it should be brought to

the fore and then it can be address by education. This can be done by mounting
awareness campaigns about the dangers of being hacked or having their identity
stolen among the elderly or the very young, two groups who are often specifically
targeted, and celebrities who are trusted by the public can also help spread the
message. As for education, schools should invite security advisers of large
governmental institutions or corporations to talk to schoolchildren about how to
improve personal security, ranging from passwords to the shredding of
documents. This would yield long-term benefits since the likelihood of these
young people falling victim to cybercrime would be slimmer.

In conclusion, the problems caused by cybercrime are both financial and social,
and the solutions would lie in awareness-raising campaigns, the participation of
high-profile figures and educating children about these dangers.
(298 words)

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Lesson 14: Describe the kind of book

you would like to write

What kind of book would you write?

What would it be about?
Who do you think would read it?
How would you write it?

Student: Well, this is not something I really expected to

have to talk about, and actually I’ve never even thought
about writing a book. I honestly don’t know what kind of
book I would write. I don’t think I would be much good at
writing a novel or a collection of poetry. I don’t have
enough creativity or imagination for that kind of thing. I
suppose I might be able to write a factual book like a
biography, rather than something fictional.

I could write about a famous person, maybe a sports star

or actor or that kind of thing. I imagine the first thing to do
would be to compile information and do some research to
find out as much as possible about the person concerned.

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I suppose one of the most difficult things to do would be
to actually edit the information down. You know, you
would probably end up with a lot of stuff and publishers
wouldn’t be interested in printing a huge great volume so
you’d have to get rid of some information and just
basically concentrate on the most exciting things, the
things which would guarantee you a wide readership.

Having said that though I doubt whether my biography

would be read by millions. I don’t think I would have that
way with words which you need to be a wonderful writer.
I guess a few people might read it, those who were
already interested in the subject, but generally I don’t
think I could write a masterpiece.

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Part 3:

DESCRIBE the main qualities of a successful

writer
Well, this is a difficult question for me to answer
because, as I’ve already mentioned, I don’t think I
could ever be a good writer. I suppose what they
really need is dedication, because when you are
working on your own it is incredibly easy just to give
up or take it easy unless you are really committed
to your work. Another thing is literary flair or talent,
the ability to bring something to life through words,
to make something come alive and seem real, to
paint a picture. You would really need the ability to
organise well. Writers have to do a great deal of
research and this needs to be included in their
work. It’s no good being messy. You need to be
talented but I suppose you also have to be
methodical and logical at times.

EXPLAIN why people choose to write for a living

Student:That’s another question I really find it hard
to answer. I suppose they must have something
inside them that has to come out. I don’t think they
usually do it for the money. It’s not exactly a
lucrative career. They spend ages sitting on their
own writing things that might never see the light of
day and it seems incredibly unrewarding, so I
suppose it’s something that I really don’t
understand at all. Maybe it’s a bit like being a
doctor, you just have a vocation for it. But I imagine
it being a very lonely occupation. I would rather do
something where I get to interact with people a bit
more.

DESCRIBE the difficulties writers face

Student: In a way, I’ve talked about this already,
well, the financial aspect anyway. They hardly ever
get well paid. I mean, if you write something really
popular which catches the public mood like Harry
Potter then you might become fabulously rich but
otherwise you’ll spend a lifetime working almost in
solitary confinement, with nobody to share or
understand your work, with editors telling you to cut

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things out and change things, a readership who
don’t much care and probably no praise or
gratitude. There must be a tremendous feeling of
isolation and you have to be hugely motivated and
self-assured and I think it must help if you’re rich
enough not to have to depend on the money you
make.

ASSESS the importance of libraries

Student: I have to say that I’m a real fan of libraries.
We don’t really have any in my country and when I
came here it was one of the things that impressed
me most. Obviously, reading has lots of benefits
and libraries give people access to a wide range of
reading materials. I think that people who read tend
to be more sensitive, more thoughtful and reflective
than those who don’t and so reading has real
tangible benefits for society. I’ve heard that some
libraries in this country are closing down, and I think
it’s a real shame. Just the idea of having a place
where you can go and sit down and read is
absolutely fantastic as far as I’m concerned.

CONSIDER how libraries might encourage people

to read more
Student: Well, that’s something which has been
considered by probably thousands of very
intelligent people, and I don’t think they’ve really
come up with an answer yet. One thing that could
be tried is getting celebrities to endorse libraries.
Sometimes you see leaflets or adverts showing a
famous footballer reading. That might work with
youngsters though actually I bet most of them just
look at the pictures and think to themselves: “Hang
on! When was the last time that celebrity actually
went into a real library?” Of course technology
plays a huge role in people’s lives these days and
most teenagers and young adults spend their life
on social media. Probably we need to try to
persuade youngsters to read in the real world. The
problem is that that isn’t very trendy. It simply
doesn’t look cool to be sat reading a book.

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ASSESS whether governments should pay for
public libraries
Student: Yes, I’m a strong believer in public
libraries and I actually think it’s to the government’s
advantage to support them financially. Everybody
should have access to good literature and
information and this is precisely what libraries offer.
As well as that they really help to educate and
entertain people and I’m sure this has an effect on
things like the crime rate. Book readers tend not to
be hooligans, burglars and murderers so I think
libraries can play a valuable role in the
development of a country socially and
educationally, and maybe even emotionally too.

DESCRIBE the range of reading material available

on the internet
Student: These days you can read pretty much
everything online from newspapers to blogs and
biographies to technical material. It’s mind-
boggling! You have to mention that a lot of stuff
online is of extremely dubious quality and quite
unreliable. Having said that, the internet is
obviously better in some respects as it is
convenient and the sheer range of material
available is enormous. Probably one of the most
fascinating aspect of online material is that just
about everybody has the ability to publish their own
thoughts, ideas or opinions. This might mean a
reduction in quality but you certainly can’t complain
about the quantity of information available.

ASSESS the advantages and disadvantages of

using the internet for reading
Student: There’s no doubt that if you want to do
research or find out factual information, the
internet is the quickest and easiest way. I don’t
know anybody these days who trudges off to the
library when they want to look something up. Of
course, some online sources are a bit dodgy but
that’s a risk most people are willing to take. The
big issue is whether people are willing to read
novels and newspapers online. Up until a few
years ago I would have said “no” but more and

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more people subscribe to online newspapers and
even read whole books. These days it’s only older
people or technophobes who read paper books.
Just about everyone else has converted to online
so I guess it must be better.

CONSIDER whether printed books will eventually

be replaced by the internet
Student: A few years ago I would have said that I
seriously doubted whether the internet would
replace printed material. However, there have
been innovations in the internet and computers
have been developed which do not place a strain
on the eye, and they’re even talking about
computers inside your spectacles. I suppose this
will come about one day, and I imagine it might be
some time very soon. You can easily imagine
people just lying on the beach or in their garden,
wearing their internet glasses and scrolling
through documents, reading books, even novels. I
think it will come to fruition because technological
advances are taking place so rapidly these days. I
mean, if somebody had told us thirty years ago
about the internet, we would never have believed
them, or at least I wouldn’t.

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Maintaining public libraries is a waste of money since computer technology
can replace their functions. Do you agree or disagree?

Although public libraries are still widely used to store books and provide the
public with a place where they can read, some people believe that it is a waste of
money to maintain those physical libraries given the easy accessibility of
online books. However, in this essay I will challenge this school of thought.

Firstly, we need to factor in the unique vibe that public libraries give off. Take, for
example, a Saturday morning in a public library packed with avid readers who,
while immersing themselves in their books of choice, also seek for the smell
and the texture of paper when they flip the pages. Undoubtedly, it would be
impossible to convince these people to stay at home on such a day and read on
their phones or tablets. In other words, most people come to libraries to read not
only because of the books available there but rather because of the special
experience they receive. In this respect, it is a mistake to assume that
technologies could replace libraries’ functions.

To add further credence to my assertion, I note the unaffordability of modern

gadgets such as computers, tablets or mobile phones to a large section of
people. In fact, since a sizable number of families around the world are still living
on two or even one meal a day, it is simply impossible for them to spend several
hundreds of dollars purchasing a piece of technology in order to read books.
Besides this, they also need to pay a certain amount for the books that they wish
to read in online libraries. It is clear that if public libraries were not funded and
disappeared as a result, countless people who rely primarily on those places to
enrich their mind would be woefully excluded from the pursuit of knowledge.

In conclusion, for the reasons outlined above, it stands to reason that paying for
the maintenance of physical libraries is far from wasteful.
(323 words)

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Some people believe that reading stories from a book is better than
watching TV or playing computer games for children. To what extent do
you agree or disagree?

There are now a wide range of entertainment choices available to children, such
as reading, watching TV and gaming. This has raised the question of which
option is superior to others, with some arguing that reading books is more
beneficial than the other two choices. I believe that each means of relaxation,
mentioned above, has its own benefits, so one is not necessarily better than the
others.

On the one hand, books are great for children in terms of the development of
vocabulary and imagination. With regard to the former, reading has been
scientifically proven to be the optimal way to enrich one’s vocabulary, which
confers further benefits for children at school and in later life. For example, those
with a wide range of lexical resources tend to do well at school as they have
superior reading and writing skills and they are generally more persuasive, which
is a crucial skill to be successful in life. As for imagination, children have to
conjure up images of what they read, which is a good exercise to enhance their
creative thinking skills. Many creative people, in fact, have attributed their
superior creativity to the amount of reading they did when they were younger.

Since most TV programs are both fun and educational, watching TV can teach
children a wide range of knowledge, while playing computer games can help
children learn decision making skills. Regarding watching TV, not all children are
interested in books, but the captivating nature of TV channels almost never fails
to attract and also teach them something new. For example, by watching a
program dedicated to the wildlife and nature, young people learn about the
ecosystem that intricately governs all lives on Earth and the dangers posed to
humankind when some keystone animals died out. Also, in order to win against
an opponent, a player has to think of strategies and decisively come up with a
course of action. Thus, children can learn to make decisions and think critically
based on the information at hand, both of which are important skills for adult life.

In conclusion, reading books, and watching TV as well as playing computer

games benefit children differently, so it is unreasonable to reach a conclusion
with regard to which medium is more advantageous for children.

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It is not necessary to travel to other places to learn about other cultures.
We can learn from books, films and the Internet. To what extent do you
agree or disagree?

There are now a wide range of approaches for people to learn about a foreign
culture. This has led some to argue that people no longer need to travel to other
areas to learn about the people and the culture there because they can easily
learn from books, films and the internet. I believe that experiencing the culture
first-hand is still a superior option.

Admittedly, there are good reasons to say that it is unnecessary to travel to other
places to learn about the traditions, customs and ways of life there. Other means
of knowledge, such as books, films and websites dedicated to travel can teach
people a great deal of knowledge about a certain place. For example, by reading
on Viettravel.com, I learned about different etiquettes in different countries and
what to do to avoid potential conflicts when traveling to other places. Moreover,
many travel writers have depicted their trips with incredible details and let
readers live through their experiences. A good example is that of “how I travel to
40 countries with no money”, in which the writer vividly describes what it is like to
ask for help in different countries and what obstacles he has overcome. After
reading it, it is possible to understand more about the cultures of the countries
contained in the book without actually having to travel to those places.

However, the fundamental reason why people travel is to gain first-hand

experiences and judge for themselves. Many travel writers only give a subjective
description of the culture of a certain place and this can potentially be faulty and
misleading. In fact, a famous food reviewer has come to Vietnam and when he
came back, he said that the way people eat “Pho” in the US is wrong. He wrote
on his site that ketchup, pepper and lemon should not be added when people eat
this dish because it would spoil the taste of the broth. It turned out that he was
told by a Vietnamese local who has his own idiosyncratic eating habit rather than
what appeals to the general people’s taste buds. We all interpret the world
differently, so relying on what other people experience is not a good way to learn
about a culture.

In conclusion, although books and films about different cultures in the world can
be a good source of knowledge, it is always necessary to gain first-hand
experiences.

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Lesson 15: Describe the most

successful person you know

What does she/he do?

How do you know her/him?
Why do you think she/he is so successful?

Student: This is quite a difficult topic to talk about

because, first of all, you have to define success and
say what you think being successful actually means.
I know lots of people who have become successful in
material terms. They have large houses, large bank
accounts, expensive and flashy cars. But I think that
in reality success means finding happiness, and for
that reason I’d like to talk about my friend Peter.

I’ve known him ever since I was in my mid-twenties.

We were working together for a small company
making paper products and we got on well
straightaway. He is completely calm and unflappable
and nothing bothers him. It’s impossible to annoy him
or make him angry. I don’t think I’ve actually ever
seen him in a bad mood. He just has this marvellous
approach to life and always finds such a positive way
of viewing things. He is not at all materialistic and I
don’t think it would worry him even slightly if his house

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was destroyed or if someone stole all his money. He
would just carry on seeing the silver lining to every
cloud. One of the reasons why he is probably so
successful is because of his partner Paula. They have
an incredibly strong relationship and have been
together for as long as anyone can remember. Well,
actually, according to Peter they met at secondary
school. They make each other tremendously happy.

As I said, I regard Peter as successful because he

has found how to be happy. And it is worth pointing
out that because he’s generally contented, he
makes those around him happy and he leads a far
more fulfilling life, always involved in something,
living life to the full, making the most of every
situation. I think that is the sign of real success.

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Part 3:

EXPLAIN why people want to be successful

Student: As I‘ve already said, it is incredibly difficult
to define success. Everybody has an idea of what
success means and that is their sort of dream. They
try to pursue that dream and become successful.
For some people it means being happily married
and for others being wealthy or respected or maybe
even feared. Lots of people sort of judge
themselves and ask themselves if they have
achieved what they set out to achieve. If they think
they have got to where they want to be, they
consider themselves successful. So what I’m really
trying to say is that being a success and being
happy or contented are more or less the same thing.

CONSIDER whether you can balance success at

work with a happy home life
Student: That can be a really tricky thing to do. If
you want to be successful at work and get
promotion and probably a better salary, then that’s
going to take time. I really don’t see how you can
sacrifice so much time and manage to build a
contented family life at the same time. So the only
solutions are either to concentrate on one aspect
of your life and sort of abandon the other, or to
judge your own success at work in terms of making
good friends there, or maybe getting job
satisfaction or a job without too much pressure.
This way you don’t have to spend your whole life
trying to get ahead in the world of work.

CONSIDER whether being successful means more

than being rich
Student: I guess I have already answered this
question a bit. For me being wealthy and successful
are completely different things. I saw a survey a
while ago which said that actually people with lots of
money generally didn’t consider themselves
successful because they were usually quite greedy
and acquisitive and just wanted to make more and

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more money. So it looks like wealth and success
don’t naturally go together. I know some people
don’t agree. They say that you can’t be successful
without a healthy bank account, but I’m not
convinced.

EXPLAIN why the public are interested in famous

people
Student: Well it’s certainly true that these days we
live in what they call a celebrity culture. Whenever
you open a website or magazine or newspaper or
even turn on the TV news you can see stories about
which footballer has got drunk and started a fight or
which celebrity model is getting divorced or taking
somebody to court or having an affair. Personally I
really don’t care about this kind of thing and I try to
avoid all these stories in the press, though it isn’t
easy. I’m sorry to say this but I think the reason so
many people are keen to know all the details about
famous people is because they don’t lead very
interesting lives themselves and they want a bit of
spice, some magic, a chance to fantasise. I could
be wrong. I know that sounds a bit harsh, but it’s a
phenomenon I just don’t understand.

ASSESS how much privacy famous people should

have
Student: That’s another very interesting question
and actually quite a topical one because there are
often stories in the newspapers about film stars and
sportsmen and women trying to stop media outlets
from printing pictures of them naked or stories about
them having affairs or taking drugs. I think if you are
a famous person and you don’t try to get in the
papers all the time, then they should respect you
and leave you alone. But if you are one of these
famous people who wants to be on the front page
every week, you deserve everything you get and if
the media finds out something negative about you,
even if it’s only scandalous gossip, they should have
the right to publish it.

DESCRIBE what impact becoming famous

overnight would have on a person’s life

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Student: I know most people think it would be
wonderful to suddenly become well known but I
actually think it would be a nightmare, a disaster.
Imagine going down the street and loads of people
recognising you and knowing your name and
maybe wanting a photo or an autograph. You
would never get anything done and you would
always feel that you were in the public eye. You
would never get any privacy at all and I think after
a while most people would be sick of it. I think it
would be absolutely dreadful. It would be my worst
nightmare and the celebrity status and wealth
certainly wouldn’t make up for the lack of privacy.

CONSIDER the importance for young people of

role models
Student: Lots of youngsters, teenagers and even
children are very impressionable. It’s quite easy for
someone to change young people’s mind about
things and they follow examples very easily. So I
think having a role model can be a brilliant thing.
The only problem is if the role model is positive.
What you tend to see on TV and in magazines is
stories of famous people, celebrities and actors and
models, getting drunk, arguing, being involved in
sensational news stories. All right, it probably isn’t
always their fault but what sort of an example does
that set. The sort of role model which young people
need is someone with strong moral values, but that
kind of person is perceived as unattractive and
uninteresting and doesn’t usually feature in the
media.

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Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the
following:

1 Money orientated
2 Happy with life
3 Pleasure from your job
4 Shocking stories about people
5 Easily influenced/vulnerable
6 Regarded as
7 Give up something
8 Materialistic
9 Calm
10 Immediately

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Describethemostsuccessful person you know
What does she/hedo?
How do you know her/him?
Why do you think she/he is so successful?

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Some people suggest that companies should give promotions to people
who have been working for them for a long time. Do you think this is a
good idea?

Some people think that higher-ranking jobs should be offered to those who
have served the organization for longest. In this essay, however, I will challenge
this school of thought.

Granted, one might argue that senior positions to workers who have spent
years or even decades in the firm because they understand the business, its
ethos, its approach and the markets it operates in. Added to this is the fact
that they may have built up useful social networks both within the company and
in the wider business world. They are likely to require far less training than an
outsider or less experienced colleague. Finally, promoting loyal members of
staff should incentivize colleagues, who receive the powerful message that
commitment will be rewarded.

However, this line of reasoning is not sound since long-standing employees

are unlikely to innovate and take the fresh approach which may be needed.
Such workers are generally older and may not grasp the importance of
technology and evolution. Another counter-argument is that not having had
recent relevant experience in other organizations, they could potentially lack
essential skills. Finally, in order to cut the training costs for senior positions, it is
wiser to recruit workers who have a proven track record elsewhere. This can
be seen in the way most profit-making multinationals choose to ‘poach’ high-
flying managers, strategists, engineers or even accountants from their rivals.

In conclusion, promoting employees solely on the basis of their seniority is

wrong. I take this view on account of the fact that innovations, which
perpetuate the success of any company, tend not to come from people who work
for the company for the longest. All employees should, therefore, be given an
equal opportunity to be promoted to more senior roles as long as they can bring
about innovative ideas.
(297 words)

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Many people today find it difficult to balance the demands of their work and
personal life. What are the causes of this situation, and what can
individuals and employers do to reduce the problem?

Finding a compromise between one’s job and one’s private life is probably
harder than ever these days, especially if one has a family. There are several
reasons for this, but also a number of measures we can take.

Achieving a healthy balance between personal and professional life is

difficult because of the increased workload that many people have to deal with
and the increasingly competitive nature of today’s world of work. With
regard to the former, the predominance of the service sector means that most
people work in office-related jobs, and they find that employers expect them to
stay longer or be available outside traditional office hours. Furthermore, the
economic recession has made the labor market increasingly competitive, and
so workers are under pressure to cooperate in this process, fearing loss of
promotion or even redundancy if they resist.

However, there are various steps that can be taken to lessen the problem.
Firstly, individuals should clarify with their employer the times when they expect
to be free of work and out of contact, thus ensuring private time. Another
positive development would be for employers to allow more flexible working
hours, so that staff can take time off for important family events during the
working day. Lastly, employers could offer advice and coaching to staff in
areas such as time management, stress control and relaxation techniques.
This would help to reduce the anxiety that stems from heavy workloads and
long hours.

In conclusion, the fact that most people fail to balance their work-life and
home-life can be ascribed to the heavy workload and the competitiveness of
today’s work, but also that employees and companies together can reduce the
impact.

(278 words)

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Many people today find they have insufficient time to spend with
their families, because of pressures of work. What problems does this
create for individuals and their families? What solutions can you propose?

Excessive time spent at work can ultimately take a serious toll on workers
and their families in various ways. The most serious problems arising from this
are burnout and family breakdown, and also two ways in which the situation can
be improved.

Arguably the gravest problem caused by overwork is the stress that the workers
themselves suffer from. When a person is working long hours, and thinking about
work even outside that time, the ability to relax is severely curtailed. This can
rapidly lead to physical exhaustion and mental anxiety, which eventually
undermine the victim’s overall wellbeing. A further serious impact is the
disruption to family relationships, especially with a spouse and children.
Family members may soon become accustomed to the absence of a father or
mother, damaging the natural bonds which bind a family together and
potentially eroding the security of the family unit itself. The long-term consequent
problems of family breakdown may include depression, poor self-esteem and
academic underperformance.

To address these problems, perhaps the most effective and most immediate
solution would be for employers to incorporate a fixed amount of free time
into their workers’ schedules. For example, companies might commit to a ‘no
work, phone calls or emails after five pm’ policy, as is being suggested in
Germany at present. This would lessen the anxiety of high workloads and
preserve family time. Another remedy may be to promote the use of
relaxation techniques among workers, so that they make the most of the free
time that they have. Activities ranging from sport to yoga or family events can be
used to maximize any opportunities for de-stressing that already exist.

In conclusion, the main problems caused by working excessively seem to be stress

and the breakdown of the family unit. The key solution would lie in giving working
people leisure time, and helping them make better use of it.

(312 words)

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Lesson 16: Describe a company where

a friend or relative works

Where is the company? What does it do?

What job does your friend do?
Is it a good company to work for?

Student: I would like to describe the company where

my brother-in-law works in my own country. The
company manufactures containers for foods and
other plastic products. To be honest, I’ve always
been a bit unclear about what they actually make.
Anyway, my brother-in-law works on a sort of
production line in a factory. His work isn’t actually
manual, it’s all controlled by computers now, so what
he has to do is monitor a conveyor belt, make sure
the temperature gauge is correct and liaise with
colleagues at different points of the process.

I don’t think it a particularly skilful or stressful job and

he’s always complaining that they don’t get a very
high salary. In fact, I think he mentioned that they had
actually got a pay cut last year because productivity

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was down or there was less demand or something
like that. As far as I can tell, it is not a particularly
good company to work for, I mean it doesn’t have a
good reputation for employees. Lots of workers have
left their jobs there and gone to look for employment
elsewhere. I think my brother-in-law would do the
same but as he doesn’t have particularly good
qualifications and his only experience is working in a
factory, the outlook for him isn’t that great. It might
be because the economic situation in my country
isn’t great at the moment, or maybe it’s to do with
poor organisation or inefficient management, but
whatever the cause, things always seem to go wrong
for that company. They never manage to increase
sales. They are always in dispute with contractors or
suppliers. The trade union is always negotiating,
usually unsuccessfully, for a better wage deal, and
that leads to almost constant strikes. The workers
seem to be on the picket line almost as often as they
are actually at work.

I seriously wouldn’t recommend working there and I

would imagine that there is a pretty good chance the
company will go bankrupt or go into receivership
sometime soon. My brother-in-law always says that
every time he arrives at work, he fully expects to see
a big notice nailed to the factory door, saying “Sorry,
workers are not required anymore”. As far as I know
they don’t even have a redundancy package or any
kind of insurance so all the employees would be in a
really tricky position if itclosed.

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Part 3:
EXPLAIN what is important for people in a job
Student: I think that definitely depends on the
person and, to a degree, on their position in a
company and personal circumstances. If you are
twenty-something, not married, unattached, in a
low-skilled job, you probably don’t care much about
job security or promotion prospects. You are more
likely to want work-mates who you can have a laugh
with, as short working hours as possible, and a big
enough pay-cheque for the rent, food and having a
good time. On the other hand, more mature
workers, let’s say in senior management, are
probably keener on a good pension scheme, perks
like a company car and bonus schemes so that if
the company is successful, they receive an extra
salary. I personally think job satisfaction is key. If
you enjoy what you do at work, then even if your
wage isn’t particularly high, you might not mind too
much.

EXPLAIN why it is good to have good colleagues at

work
Student: You need to be able to depend on the
people you work with, your work- mates or other
members of staff. You might need them to do you a
favour sometime, like covering for you if you have to
leave early. And you often have to collaborate, so
it’s important that you can trust each other and rely
on one another. The atmosphere you work in is
really important too. When you go to work you want
to feel liked and respected and that there are no
nasty feelings or animosities in the work-place. Your
work-colleagues spend a lot of time with you and
can provide emotional support. I remember a couple
of years ago going through a really difficult time and
being able to actually let off steam at work and tell
my work-mates how angry and upset I was. I
wouldn’t have been able to do this so easily with
members of my family.

CONSIDER any recent changes in working

conditions in your culture

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Student: I would say that workers now enjoy greater
rights. They have the right to have longer paid
holidays, maternity or paternity leave if they become
parents, more flexible working hours. But at the
same time, the job security which people used to
have has gone. It is quite common now for
employees to be made redundant or sacked just like
that. If a company wants to dismiss you, they have
to offer you several months’ pay, but whereas in the
past you were virtually guaranteed a job for life in an
office, company, factory or as a government
employee, now all that security has vanished.
Employees are getting fired all the time.

CONSIDER whether it is possible to achieve a good

balance between work and leisure
Student: Actually I don’t have an awful lot of
experience in the world of work, but I imagine it must
be rather difficult to get the balance right. There is a
lot more pressure these days on employees to do
extra work, maybe take over-time, spend long hours
in the work-place, that sort of thing. Many people
agree to do this, not because the thought of being
at work fills them with delight, but because they are
scared of getting fired. That means that people
sacrifice their home life, their social activities,
because they know how difficult life would be if they
lost their job, or more specifically, their salary. So
unless you have a pretty menial job, with few
responsibilities, not much prestige attached to it,
and a small salary, the chances are you will spend
more time at work and less time on your social life
than you would ideally like.

EXPLAIN how employers can help working parents

Student: I think it is absolutely vital for employers to
help their staff who have children, and that
obviously means a high percentage of those
working for them. The best thing might be to offer
childcare facilities at work, like a crèche, though I
know that’s only feasible for larger companies.
Employers definitely need to be flexible so parents
can maybe take time off when they need to collect
their children or accompany them to the dentist or

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whatever it happens to be, and then catch up the
work they have missed the following day. I suppose
if bosses are understanding it can work well. After
all, parents are quite likely to be highly-motivated
employees, to want to keep their job so they can
support the children, so it is in the company’s
interest to employ them and find a way to let them
balance their work-life and family responsibilities.

ASSESS the effects on society of people working

very long hours
Student: Of course if you are working every hour
God sends then you will be stressed out, probably
nervous, hardly able to make a positive contribution
to society in general, and probably you won’t even
have time for a proper social life, to form long-
lasting relationships. The sort of person produced
by this type of working is hardly an ideal citizen.
People who work less are likely to be better
balanced, calmer and more able to deal with difficult
situations. This kind of person is likely to make a far
more positive contribution to society, to be friendlier,
more caring and just generally nicer.

CONSIDER the benefits and drawbacks for

employees of staying with the same company all
your life
Student: Well, the opportunity to stick with one
single employer is not open to too many workers
these days. In the past you could probably leave
school, join a firm, slowly work your way up the
ladder and retire at sixty-five. These days the labour
market is much more flexible and most people move
from job to job. Working for the same company
obviously gives you stability and security. You get to
know how the organisation works. However, it
sounds really repetitive and boring and a bit dull. I
don’t think it is especially good for the company
either. There is a lot to be said for bringing in new
blood, getting some fresh perspectives from new
employees.

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“Must-know” topics and vocabulary
Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the
following:

1 Makes/produces
2 Ineffective leadership
3 Unskilled work
4 In a difficult situation
5 Possibilities of getting a better job
6 Losing your job
7 Adaptable
8 Very enthusiastic staff
9 New ideas/viewpoints
10 Nursery

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“Must-know” topics and vocabulary
Describe a company where a friend or relative works
Where is the company?
What does it do?
What job does your friend do?
Is it a good company to work for?

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Some people think that changing jobs periodically is good. What is your
opinion?
Some people believe that it is beneficial for people to change their jobs from time
to time. I personally think that there is little to disagree with in this school of
thought, as I will explain now.

One might argue that people will face many challenges when changing their
employers. This is predicated on the assumption that new employers tend to
question job-hoppers’ loyalty and resilience, and therefore, these jobseekers
may face higher risks of getting rejected. However, this line of reasoning is not
sound as employers nowadays value one’s ability to deliver results and
complete tasks rather than one’s willingness to stay on the same job, and their
resilience is by no means reflected by the number of years on the former job.

To add further credence to my assertion, I note that a new job means new
opportunities, new challenges, and new working styles. Most people who have
worked in a profession for a long time feel that they can no longer improve their
skills or gain new experience. Also, some find that their current job cannot
make the best use of their abilities. For these people, perhaps a career
change can open windows to better opportunities and drive them to
increase skills. These skills will make them much more employable and less
dependent on the health of a certain industry. This is very desirable given that
the erratic nature of the job market means that no job is stable.

In concluding, making a career change from time to time is beneficial because it

opens up new opportunities for workers and enables them to improve their
chance of continued employment.
(272 words)

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Nowadays many people choose to be self-employed, rather than to work
for a company or organization. Why might this be the case? What could be
the disadvantages of being self-employed?

There is a growing number of people opting to start their own companies

instead of working for a company. The increased support for young
entrepreneurs and technological factors are the driving factors behind this trend.
In my opinion, the main disadvantages of not having an employer are lack of
finance and expertise.

The increase in the number of young entrepreneurs is widespread angel

investment across a variety of industries and the internet. The former factor can
be seen, for example, in ‘Shark Tank,’ where some angel investors and
executives hear product pitches and decide whether to invest in the product.
This show has launched a number of successful products, encouraging
viewers in general to be more ambitious. Added to this is the arrival of online
auction sites such as Ebay, where people can sell clothes, second hand toys,
and household appliances online.

Owners of self-run businesses are presented with lack of finance and

experience. With regard to the former, the majority of self-employed individuals
had to save up for years or take out a loan from a bank or a financial
institution. This means that if their business does not go as planned, all of
their savings will be drained and they have to try to find a work to pay their
debts. This risk is avoided if they choose to work for someone else. As for
experience, being self-employed means that they have to be in charge of
everything, ranging from making business plans, running adverts, and
accounting. Most entrepreneurs find themselves lacking experience here and
there and making mistakes because of it. This increases the risk of bankruptcy.

In conclusion, the availability of capital and technological changes have led to the
rising number of self-run businesses. The drawbacks of being self-employed is
the financial risks and the lack of experience.
(302 words)

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Some people think that men and women have different qualities. Therefore,
some certain jobs are suitable for men and some jobs are suitable for
women. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some people believe that certain jobs should be done exclusively by men, and
others are only suitable for their female counterparts, due to physical and
genetic differences between genders. However, I personally disagree with this
school of thought since individual differences are greater than gender ones.

One might argue that women tend to be more caring than men, and therefore
“caring professions” such as nursing or teaching or social work suit them more.
This argument is reinforced by the fact that women have traditionally worked in
the home in most cultures and dominated these jobs. Similarly, men, who are
thought to be stronger and more intelligent, have always worked outside the
home and been in charge of bringing home the bacon.

However, this line of reasoning is not sound as with sufficient training,

countless men are successfully taking the role of a household husband,
teaching in classrooms or taking care of patients in hospital rooms. By the very
same token, with high levels of education, even the highest positions in the
world of science, politics or law are successfully held by women. Thus, the
stereotypical view towards what jobs should be done by either gender should
not be supported.

In conclusion, it is my genuine belief that both men and women can be trained to
develop similar abilities and do similar jobs. I take this view on account of the
fact that the differences in aptitude and talent between genders are more
significant at the individual level than gender one.
(250 words)

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Lesson 17: Describe an item of clothing
or jewellery you wore for a special
occasion

What was it?

What did it look like?
On what occasion did you wear it? How did you feel about wearing it?

Student: Probably the most important thing I ever

wore… Actually, one of the most beautiful and
wonderful things I’ve ever had was a gold watch
given to me by my great-grandfather just before he
died. As you can imagine he was incredibly old
when I was born and I only just remember him.
Anyway, he gave me a really valuable watch.

Of course it had huge sentimental value and still

does. It has a thick gold strap which is so heavy
your wrist aches when you’ve had it on for a while.
The actual face of the watch is white with large
black hands and stylish numbers. I always keep it
in the soft leather case it came in and I’ve only ever
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had it on once. That was the day of my graduation
from university. When I finished my Degree, there
was a massive ceremony at the local cathedral
with loads of students, family members and
university staff. I decided it would be really
appropriate to put on my watch to kind of honour
my great-granddad and his memory.

After all, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have even

been born. I suppose what I really wanted to do
was to respect him and show I hadn’t forgotten
about him even though he’s been dead for years
now. I hope he was somewhere up there looking
down on me and feeling proud.

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Part 3:

DESCRIBE traditional or national dress in your

country
Student: Actually, although people used to wear
national dress whenever there was a celebration,
the custom has really faded out in most parts of the
country and now you only get to see national dress
in remote villages and tourist resorts. The most
well- known form of national dress for women
consists of a long flowing red skirt with some
patterns on it, flowers I suppose. Women canwear
a sort of white blouse, again with some decorations
on it, and a sort of flowery scarf thing. Men wear
baggy red trousers and a white shirt with a red tie.
The tie has the national symbol, an eagle, on it. I
think they wear hats but actually I can’t remember
clearly because it’s ages since I’ve seen it.

EXPLAIN why some people sometimes wear

national dress
Student: That’s an extremely good question and,
to tell you the truth, I have very little idea and have
never really understood why people bother. I
suppose it gives them a sense of belonging, a
sense of community and a chance to feel part of
something, a connection with the past. Personally
speaking I would never put on such a silly thing.
But, I was in Asia the year before last and managed
to arrive in Thailand around the time of their
national day. There were parades in the street and
traditional dances and most of the participants were
wearing stunning national or regional costumes. It
looked amazing and I felt a pang of regret that I
don’t have that connection with my culture.

DISCUSS the influence of fashion on young

people
Student: Fashion clearly has a huge influence on
young people. Most teenagers and young adults
you see try to dress fashionably and wear trendy
clothes. This might be partly because they don’t
want to be the odd one out or attract criticism or

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ridicule. I just think in general people want to feel
part of a crowd. They want to belong to something.

COMPARE men’s and women’s attitude to fashion

Student:I would say that usually women are more
interested in fashion than men though that situation
is beginning to change a bit. I’ve noticed quite a lot
of my friends, I mean male friends, now wearing
ear-rings and getting fancy bags and even using
make-up. The first time I saw it I really couldn’t
believe it. Anyway, usually it’s women who buy
glossy magazines and go shopping for shoes and
that kind of thing. It might change in the future I
suppose.

DISCUSS what we can learn about people from the

clothes they wear
Student: Well, if you see a man wearing a suit and
tie, or a woman smartly dressed, you can probably
work out they are trying to make a good impression
in some kind of formal setting like an office. If you
see scruffy people like people with holes in their
clothes or dirty shoes or clothes that just don’t
match, they probably don’t care much about their
appearance and it’s probably safe to assume they
don’t care about themselves.

COMMENT on whether uniforms are a good thing

or a bad thing
Student: Obviously when you’re talking about the
army then a uniform is necessary. The same with
the police. It’s really important to know who is a
policeman or woman and who isn’t. One interesting
area which people often disagree on is about
school uniforms. I personally strongly believe that
kids should wear a uniform. It shows that they are
all being treated equally and it makes it easy for
school staff and other people to identify them. At
the same time, it stops rich kids from showing off
by buying better clothes than anybody else.

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Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the
following:

1 Fashionable
2 Worth a lot of money
3 Boasting/bragging
4 People laughing at you
5 Elegant/tasteful
6 A feeling of being a part of something
7 Loose
Value because of its emotional
8
associations
9 Elegantly/neatly/tidily
The non-conformist or the person who
10
looks different

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Describe an item of clothing or jewellery you wore for a special occasion
What was it?
What did it look like?
On what occasion did you wear it?

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More and more people want to buy clothes, cars and other items with
famous brands. What are the reasons? Do you think it is a positive or
negative development?

The fact that people increasingly want to own expensive cars and designer
clothes has ratcheted up public interest in why this is happening. This state
of affairs can be attributed to several factors and I believe that it is a negative
phenomenon.

There are two main contributors to people aspiring to buy high-end

products.Chief of these is that since these items are often made with limited
numbers, purchasing them can be considered as a form of collecting. This
can be seen in the way many people derive a great deal of satisfaction and
enjoyment from buying a limited-edition model of a car or bag. Added to this
is the fact that owning extravagant items is often associated with the
projection of one’s wealth and social status. For example, affluent people
tend to drive a luxury car like Rolls Royce or Bentley or give their loved ones
a Gucci handbag as a gift.

From my vantage point, the trend towards buying prohibitively expensive

brand-name products is an unwelcome development for several reasons. The
first reason is that this trend is certain to promote social and materialistic
competitions, causing people to equate owning more extravagant things
with increased happiness and success. This is bad for the moral and
spiritual life of any society. Another point to consider is that it is simply
selfish of affluent people to buy expensive things instead of helping their fellow
human beings who are in need. If they had chosen to support financially
disadvantaged people, perhaps countless lives would have been saved.

In conclusion, people increasingly wanting to purchase extravagant items can

be ascribed to the scarcity of the products, and people’s needs to showcase
their riches. Given the unhealthy rivalry and the sense of selfishness this trend
promotes, it can only be seen as undesirable.

(311 words)

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A person worth nowadays seem to be judged according to social status and
material possessions. Old fashioned values such as honour, kindness, and
trust no longer seem important.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is argued that people are judged these days by how much money they have
rather than their morals and character. I personally think that there is little to
disagree with in this school of thought, as I will explain now.

Firstly, people seem to hold someone in high regard if they have designer
clothes, a luxury car or the latest smart phone and rarely look inside that
person. This superficial attitude is common in all walks of life, whether it be as
simple as how a store attendant treats his customers in a shop. A personally
example would be that when I wear a business suit, people treat me with respect
and courtesy, but when I wear shorts and flip-flops at the weekend, they are very
surprised that I am a decent person.

To add further credence to my assertion, I note how celebrities are revered.

Many singers, models and actors have neither talent nor moral fibre, but they are
still idolized by countless people, especially the young generation, because they
have a high position in society and seem to have a glamourous lifestyle. To
provide a supporting example, one need look no further than Miley Cyrus, who
does not write her own songs and openly confesses to taking drugs and having
casual sex, yet she is still adored by people all over the world.

In conclusion, being a good person is not as important as wealth, fame and

where you are on the social ladder these days and this can easily be seen by how
we treat those with no money and how we look up to vacuous stars.
(271 words)

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More and more people today are spending large amounts of money on their
appearance in order to look younger. Why do people want to look younger?
Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Of all the problems that are still baffling scientists, perhaps one of the most
challenging is how to combat the effects of the ageing process. Although
there are sensible reasons why many people choose to have plastic surgery
such as a face-lift or brow-lift or buy beauty products to make themselves look
younger, I feel that this development is largely negative.

Two main factors are to blame for people wanting to look younger. Chief of
these is that it is certainly true that most people look worse as they age. For
instance, hardly ever do we find a person who feels good about his or her
wrinkles, or gray hair. Added to this is the fact that advertisers can now easily
target and prey on people who feel insecure about their aging appearance,
portraying the idea that only by having a youthful look can one be confident.
Users of social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, for example, are
bombarded with adverts showing how unhappy those with aging look feel and
how easy it is to turn the clock back ten or even twenty years.

This trend can bring in its wake many problems. The key problem is that many
so-called elixirs of life that claim that skin will be rejuvenated after use or that
wrinkles will disappear do not actually work. This can be seen in the way
countless appearance-conscious people are lured into buying these products
because of such bold claims, only to be disappointed time and time again since
their wrinkles still persist. Furthermore, many cosmetic procedures result in
the person looking worse than before. The victims of these botched operations
are then forced into having further prohibitively expensive procedures.

In conclusion, the beauty industry is thriving and this is largely because it is

playing on people’s insecurities about growing older. Given the disappointing
results of cosmetic products and plastic surgery procedures, the trend
towards spending sizable amounts of money in the hope that their youthful
appearance can be restored is unwelcome.
(335 words)

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Lesson 18: Describe a useful website

you have visited

What was the website?

How did you find the address for this website?
What did the website contain?
And explain why it was useful for you

Student: I spend a great deal of time on the internet

and have loads of favourite sites. Probably the one
where I spend most of my time is the BBC website.

I first went on the site about twelve years ago. I think it

was actually one of the first times I had ever been
online and I didn’t really know how to search for things.
One of my tutors at college had been telling us about
the advantages of using the BBC so I just typed it in
and up came a really complex website with thousands
of links to all sorts of things. I think I started by reading
news stories.

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One of the most useful things about news articles on
that website, from the perspective of a language-
learner, is that you can read each article in a short
space of time. You don’t have to plough through pages
and pages. It gives you the news in a nutshell. Apart
from that, I regularly go on the sport section. I am an
avid fan of English football and there are lots of
statistics, information about teams, analysis of
matches, that sort of thing. It’s a really educational site.
If you have a query about almost anything, from nature
and science to technology or history or geography you
will find the answer there. There are fascinating
articles about famous people, aspects of British
culture, food and recipes, just about everything. And
the latest thing is that you can watch and listen to BBC
programmes through iPlayer. That’s absolutely
fantastic because it enables me, as a student, to do
really useful listening practice.

I would thoroughly recommend this site to anyone,

particularly those with an interest in developing their
understanding of English language or British culture. It
has been absolutely invaluable for me and for many
other people I know. I really can’t imagine what I would
have done without it.

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Part 3:

EXPLAIN what effect the internet has had on how

people communicate with each other
Student: There has obviously been an absolutely
staggering change in how people communicate
and interact with one another. Only a couple of
decades ago they would have used the telephone
or written a letter, probably by hand. Then mobile
phones came along and when the internet started,
people began to communicate in different ways. I
think the amount of communication has probably
shot up. I recently read somewhere that British
people send about a million emails an hour. But I
would say that a lot less thought and organisation
goes into emails than used to go into letters.
People just tend to write whatever comes into their
head and don’t stop to think whether the recipient
will really understand what they want. As a result,
many people now fail to communicate what they
really want to say. Another thing of course is that
nowadays people have lost the art of
conversation. They just exchange emails and
never get the chance to sit down face-to-face and
chat, express their opinions, really listen to each
other. What I’m trying to say is that communication
these days is shallower, less meaningful, colder
and less emotional than it used to be.

EXPLAIN why you think the internet is being used

more and more for communication
Student:
I think the answer is probably quite simple: it’s
convenient. If you are at work and you have
something you need to let others know about, you
just write a group email. That’s so much simpler
than phoning each person or arranging to hold a
meeting. Similarly, if you are a company or
organisation, why bother sending out information
to all your members or clients. By far the easiest
solution is to create a webpage and publish allthe
relevant details there. Even governments are
beginning to communicate through the internet
rather than by using more traditional ways.

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Presidents and Prime-Ministers now have regular
podcasts. These give them immediate access to
the public in a quite unprecedented and
revolutionary way.

EVALUATE how reliable information from the

internet is
Student:Well, this is of course the major criticism
of the internet. It is absolutely bursting with
information, you can find out things about every
conceivable subject, but the big question is
whether that information is accurate or valid.
There are certainly some websites you can trust
and rely on, but I would say the vast majority tend
to be rather dodgy, containing information which
isn’t attributed to anyone, which you can’t check or
verify. This is really annoying when you are trying
to do research for college projects. You open upa
website which apparently tells you everything you
need to know about something, only to find out
later that it was full of inaccurate information or
utter rubbish.

DISCUSS why some people like shopping on the

internet
Student: I am actually one of those people. Over
the past couple of years, I have started doing lots
of my shopping online. It’s so convenient,
especially for things like books, computer games,
music and groceries. It saves you masses of time
because you can just navigate around the shop’s
site, comparing prices and deciding what you
want. You have the added safeguard that if you
buy from reputable companies, you usually have
the right to return the product if you are not
completely satisfied with it. That gives you extra
confidence. A further reason why shopping online
is becoming more popular is to do with security.
More people are willing to pass their credit card
details to established companies, knowing that
they will probably be safe. That was one of the big
fears when internet shopping first got going. Many
consumers were just too scared to enter their
personal details.

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SPECULATE on whether online shopping will

become more popular
Student: I think it almost certainly will become
more popular. I can see a time coming when
shops in city centres will be almost empty because
people prefer to do their shopping from the comfort
of their own home. It has real advantages: you
don’t have to push your way through crowds of
other shoppers; you can shop any time of the day
or night; you can compare items in hundreds of
shops just by clicking a button instead of getting
aching feet, wandering from shop to shop.
Naturally, there are some things which we will
never buy online, but the vast majority of products
and services will be bought from our armchairs
before very long.

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Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the
following:

1 A question
2 Tired and painful
3 A massive transformation
4 Not very good/dubious
5 Well-known organisations
6 The person you are writing to
7 Highly regarded/trustworthy
8 Really important/helpful
9 Completely full of
10 More superficial/trivial

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 “Must-know” topics and vocabulary
Describe a useful website you have visited
What was thewebsite?
How did you find the address for this website?
What did the website contain?
And explain why it was useful for you

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‘The Internet will never replace traditional course books
in schools.’ How far do you agree with this prediction?

Some people believe that there will always be a place for course books in the
school curriculum, despite the many benefits of the Internet. I personally think
that there is little to disagree with in this school of thought, as I will explain now.

Firstly, we need to factor in the fact that course books have been developed and
tested by pedagogical experts. This means that they are proven to improve
students’ academic achievement, and teachers can measure this through
testing procedures such as formal examinations or continuous assessment.
Furthermore, the use of modern course books allows pupils to coordinate their
studies as part of group work, hopefully making their lessons less teacher-led
and more about autonomous learning. This in itself teaches study skills such
as independent research and synthesizing sources, rather than old-fashioned
rote-learning.
Granted, one might argue that students these days no longer need course books
because of the wide availability of knowledge online. Nevertheless, the use of the
Internet should only remain a guided learning process, and not an exercise in
data-gathering from Internet sources which may be unreliable or even
misleading. It is true that the Internet can be invaluable for adults (for example
in distance learning or self-study modules) who are able to discriminate
between sources and sift information to marshal their facts. This is, however,
a mature skill and we should not assume that school age children are ready to do
this.

In conclusion, it appears that course books, with their quality and depth of
material, are set to remain an integral part of the syllabus. The internet can be
judged a useful supplement to the learning process, but it can never replace
course books completely.
(282 words)

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The internet has transformed the way information is shared and consumed,
but it has
also created problems that did not exist before.
What are the most serious problems associated with the internet and what
are the
possible solutions?

The way which information is circulated has been completely transformed by

the internet but this has also created issues we never had before. However,
several solutions that we can adopt to remedy the situation will be outlined in this
essay.

The proliferation of the internet brings in its wake problems in the form of
cyberbullying and manipulation. With regard to the former, social media can
be used to spread lies and rumors to thousands of people in an instant, and
the invasive nature of this type of bullying means that there is simply no way
for the victim to escape it. In addition, there is hardly any regulation on what type
of information can be put on the internet, which means that malicious people
can use it to their advantage. This can be seen in the way the Trump
administration won the US presidential election.

To address these problems, they should be, first and foremost, brought to the
fore. This can be done by mounting awareness campaigns about the problems
associated with using the internet, especially cyberbullying. Celebrities who are
trusted by the public can also help spread the message, for example by talking
about what psychological distress a bullied person may have to endure. The
problem of manipulation seems difficult to tackle because introducing legislation
to check the content of, say social media posts and adverts is in itself a form
of manipulation as deciding what is illegal is almost entirely subjective and
tantamount to taking away the freedom of speech.

In conclusion, the fact that we now consume and share information almost
exclusively on the internet has led to an increase in the number of incidents of
cyberbullying and manipulation, and a viable measure would lie in awareness-
raising campaigns. However, it is decidedly difficult to address these conundrums
holistically.
(301 words)

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Some universities now offer their courses on the Internet so that people
can study online.
Is this a positive or negative development?
Technology has permeated many aspects of education, as seen in the way online
courses are becoming a common feature of university education. Although
there are inherent problems associated with Internet-based learning, it is a
fundamentally positive development.
Admittedly, the drawbacks of the trend towards offering and attending online
university courses are indeed evident. Chief of these is that there is invariably
less direct interaction between students and their professors. This, given the
complexity of knowledge in university courses, could have an adverse impact
on students’ understanding of the concepts learned and their performance at
school. Added to this is the fact that these learners may also lack the motivation
and element of competition that conventional lectures bring. This can be
seen in the way many students zealously raise their hand in the class to
showcase the depth of their intellect.
Despite the negatives mentioned above, I believe that online university courses
are a welcome development for various reasons. The key benefit is that they
allow learners to study in a flexible way, meaning that they can work whenever
and wherever is convenient, and they can cover the material at their own
pace. Working adults, for example, now can pursue their education from the
comfort of their own home by taking online classes, which would have been
impossible in the days before internet-based education. Furthermore, by
eliminating the costs of travel, accommodation and the use of university facilities,
online courses are made much more affordable. This renders university
education accessible to a larger section of the human population.
In conclusion, while some positive aspects of traditional university classes
such as face-to-face discussion, and the competitive nature of these classes
are unequivocally marginalized, I believe online learning to be a positive
development overall because it offers online learners flexibility and accessibility,
in both financial and geographical terms.
(304 words)

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Lesson 19: Describe a building that you know

What is it used for?

When did you first see it?
How does it make you feel?

Student: I’m pleased you’ve asked me this question

because I’m fascinated by architecture. I love old
buildings and think that in the past we used to create
much more interesting buildings than we do today. I feel
that architecture has actually taken a step backwards.
Profit is the most important thing nowadays so developers
build buildings as quickly and as cheaply as possible with
no care for durability or aesthetics.

One of the most iconic buildings in the world for many

years has been the Empire State Building in New York.
The soaring Art Deco skyscraper was for decades the
tallest structure on Earth and it has featured in countless
photographs, newsreels and feature films (including, of
course King Kong). It stood as the world's tallest building
for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until
construction of the Centre’s North Tower was completed
in 1972. Following the destruction of the World Trade
Centre in 2001, the Empire State Building once again

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became the tallest building in New York City and New
York State.

I first saw this building in films and vowed that one day I
would visit it. In 1999 I went on a trip to New York with my
mum and sister and one of the highlights of our trip was
going to the top of the Empire State Building at night. The
view over Manhattan was amazing and I felt like I was in
a Cary Grant film. The whole of the skyline was
illuminated. In 2004 I went to New York again, this time
with my husband, and we made a point of going to see
this building again. As far as I am aware the building is
used as offices. I am not entirely sure what businesses
actually work there.

Because it is such an iconic building and has been

used in so many photographs, films etc. it is an
extremely popular tourist attraction. I remember on
both occasions that I went to see this building there
were long queues. I have to say though that it was
well worth the wait.

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Part 3:

EXPLAIN how people adapt their houses to make

them more comfortable
Student: There are many ways in which people
adapt their houses. For example, rather than
moving house, many people extend their houses.
This involves building an extension or maybe a loft
conversion which means that the loft space in the
house is converted into an extra bedroom or office.
Some people spend excessive amounts of money
installing home entertainment systems such as flat
screen TVs and music systems that mean you can
have music playing while you are having a bath.

CONSIDER ways in which offices could be

designed to improve working conditions
Student: The problem with many offices is that
there is a lack of space. If space were no
problem, then offices could include rest and
relaxation areas for staff to use during breaks.
There could be a gym which staff could use
before and/or after work. My personal preference
would be a steam room and massage area so
that when you are stressed you can go and chill
out there. I am sure it would improve productivity.

ASSESS the importance of architecture: why

does it matter how a building looks
Student: In the past buildings used to be
designed and constructed so that they were
aesthetically pleasing. Take York Minster for
example, I imagine it took many years to
construct and was not rushed. Nowadays
however buildings are put up in a day and I feel
this has an extremely negative effect on how a
building looks. The skyline is incredibly important
and we should not fill it with badly designed and
badly constructed monstrosities.

SPECULATE on how the office of the future will

look

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Student: I actually think that there will be very few
offices in the future. There is an increasing
tendency for people to work at home. This saves
companies vast amounts of money on things such
as office space, electricity, heating etc and I think
there will be more such offices in the future. I
personally do not think this is a good thing at all,
as people become very isolated and I feel there
will be an increase in depression. I believe it is
good to go to work and be able to moan to your
colleagues and get lots of things out of your
system. Sitting at home with only a computer for
company is not a good idea at all.

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Find a word or phrase in the text, which has a similar meaning to the
following:

1 Tall (as in a building)

2 Eyesores
3 Beautiful to look at
4 Numerous
5 Lit up
6 A lot of money
7 I don’t know
8 Is changed/transformed into
9 Very famous
10 Lonely/alone

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“Must-know” topics and vocabulary
Describe a building that you know
What is it used for?
Whendidyoufirstsee it?
How does it make you feel?

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Some people argue that there is no point in preserving old buildings when
land is so valuable in our cities. Others believe that old buildings are an
important part of our heritage and should be preserved.
Discuss both these views and state your opinion.

Opinions are divided on whether old buildings should be preserved or

demolished to make room for more accommodation or commercial
developments. I believe that the decision depends on the special circumstances
of each one.

In areas where more housing is needed, many old structures are not worth
keeping because they either lack interest, or they may be dangerous. With regard
to their historic value, many of them are not interesting architecturally or
historically, and neither are they unique in any way. Another reason for
replacing them is that they may be dangerous, damp, or in other ways unsuitable
for modern cities, and for this reason local people would benefit from new,
purpose-built accommodation or other facilities. These new developments will
be superior to the old ones they replaced. An additional benefit of building new
accommodation is that in some cities, housing in the central areas is prohibitively
expensive, so new constructions will reduce the living costs to ordinary people.

However, even though many old buildings are of no value, as seen above, there
are others that are worth preserving for their historic or architectural interest.
A good example of this in Vietnam is the Royal Palace at Hue, which no one would
dream of destroying because as well as being of great historic importance, it is
also a magnet for tourists. Another important building is Ho Chi Minh’s house in
the center of Hanoi. This, although it may not be important for its architecture, is
of great value as a historic artefact for the local people. These structures should
be preserved and maintained for their cultural value, regardless of the financial
value of the land they lie on.

In conclusion, although there are many buildings that must be kept for their
cultural or historic value, others should be replaced by housing or other
developments.
(304 words)

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When designing a building, the most important factor is the intended use of
the building rather than its outward appearance.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some people believe that when designing a building, how it is supposed to be

used should be prioritized over how it looks. Personally, I disagree with this
school of thought because both the intended use and the appearance of a
building are equally important.

On the one hand, if a building is unable to perform its most basic functions,
then it is undoubtedly a failed project. For example, if an architect is building a
primary school then they must make sure that there are parking areas that can
cater for the need for parking of staff, teachers and parents. A beautiful car park
that can only accommodate a handful of cars is certainly a failure. Inside the
school, they also need classrooms that are large enough, hallways that do not
get easily too crowded, a good number and location of restrooms and many
other pragmatic concerns.

On the other hand, it would be wrong to overlook the outward look of a building
when designing it. In my view, the appearance of any building, in many ways,
connects with what it is used for. To look for a supporting example, one need
look no further than KFC, a well-known fast food brand whose dominant colors
are red, and white. These colors are so deeply ingrained into the brand itself
that it would be a disaster if the owner of a KFC restaurant decided to have
fancy black booths, and table and also choose black as the dominant color for
the exterior design of his venue.

In conclusion, how a building works is equally as important as how that same

building looks. If the architect is overly focused on how the school looks, then he
may sacrifice practicality for aesthetic values and vice versa.
(292 words)

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Some cities create housing areas by providing taller buildings. Others
create housing by building houses on a wider area of land. What solution is
better?

City planning has never been a straightforward issue for any local governments.
Many cities have decided to build high-rise apartments to accommodate the
ever-increasing urban population, while others have chosen to expand housing
areas horizontally rather than vertically, which in my view is a superior decision.

Granted, one might argue that providing houses on a wider stretch of land is a
better choice. This is predicated on the assumption that it is safer for people to
live in such a place if there is, say, an earthquake or a fire. This is reinforced by
the number of residents living in high-rise buildings losing their lives because of
such unfortunate events. However, as admirable as such a scheme may appear
to be, it would not be a long-term and sustainable one due to the scarcity of land
in urban areas. This, coupled with the fact that it takes more financial and human
resources to ensure safety of such a large area, raises the question of
affordability and ultimately practicality.

Cities should construct taller buildings for a variety of reasons. The most
important is that this approach allows thousands of city dwellers to live in an area
that could otherwise house only a fraction of that number. Of course, there is a
question of safety involved, as seen above. Nevertheless, there are now many
safety measures that even residents can take to protect themselves and their
loved-ones in such events. For example, they can buy protective equipment like
inflatable parachutes that allow them to safely escape from even the 50th floor.
Local governments can also ensure their citizens’ safety by having emergency
response teams of firefighters and paramedics in place at all time.

In conclusion, given how scarce land is in most cities, accommodating the

increase in city inhabitants by building houses skyward is better than doing so
horizontally, provided that safety procedures are taken seriously. (314 words)

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