Task 2

E-mail has had a huge impact on professional and social communication, but this impact has been negative as well as positive.

Do the disadvantages of using e-mail outweigh the advantages?

275 words, 31 minutes (after self corrections)

Under the last 15 years, the use of e-mail has rose greatly, both in working association and social communication; it tool has change the way to contact people and build some relationships. Any new element in people’s lives brings some drawback and obvious benefit. It is essential to make a deep analysis of this.

Some people claim that e-mails have become relationships weaker and superficial, because anybody feels commitments with a virtual touch. Moreover, they argue now people do not express their feelings because they just send a computer presentation, written for an unknown person to say hello or I love you. From this opinion, some clear negative effects of e-mail are people became less romantic, they forget how to write without a keyboard, business are less serious, etc.

On the other hand, there are lots of arguments in favor of e-mail use. From my point of view, e-mail is an answer of fast communication people needs. The world has changed as well as our requirements; consequently we needed to develop new instruments to keep in touch or work. A good point of e-mail is it solves those situations.

Furthermore it is not an e-mail fault either some people do not want to be close to their family or friends and they decide never write a personal letter, or entrepreneurs are unreliable. Those issues have always existed and will always exist with e-mail or without it.

 In conclusion, new tools bring new worries, but it is fundamental to think about their advantages and disadvantages before giving an opinion. For instance, e-mail cans look as bad thing; however it has more positive aspects than downside.

Task 2

University education should be restricted to the very best academic students, rather than being available to a large proportion of young people.

To what extend do you agree or disagree?

272 words, 30 minutes.

Nowadays, university education is open to any student who meets the requirements of university, such as academic level and university exam. Some people believe that only the best academic students should have a chance to go to the university. I do not agree and I am going to explain some reasons.

Generally, the best students are not necessarily the smartest ones, because having good marks is a consequence to study a lot, and sometimes smart children do not feel commitment with school matters, so they fail their test; but it is predictably they will be successful as professional people when they feel motivation toward their careers and works.

Furthermore, it is essential that all citizens have equal opportunities and whoever has an option to study at the university if he/she wants to. Additionally, a person could have bad academic score for many reasons, and it would be discrimination to think that only good students deserve to have a chance to study after high school.

One more reason to support this idea is when people finish school they are too young and it is a very hard and unfair responsibility put over their shoulders so big consequence. If only good students can go to the universities, we will have more stressed and suffered children and adolescents; it could bring lots of ills and troubles to them.

In conclusion, it must be a right for all to have a chance to study at the university; from my point of view, the only element to accept or not to accept someone in a college should be university requirements, whoever has them should has a chance.

Task 1

21 minutes, 168 words.

The diagram below illustrates the difference of state in the Pacific between normal conditions and with El Niño surroundings.

During normal conditions it is possible to find in West Pacific weak winds, storm clouds and rain, warm water streams. Countries in that side of world experiment important rains. While at the same time in East Pacific are strong winds, cool water with rich nutrients; consequently, there are a sunny time with lots of fishes.

On the other hand, El Niño bring many differences, in West Pacific the wind become strong, warm water change its direction to east, and in countries close to there weather is sunny; whereas East Pacific receive weak winds, level of cool water is lower and water has poor nutrients; in this conditions, countries such as Peru has lot of raining and less fishes. Moreover, strong clouds and rain move on to the middle of the ocean.

El Niño is a phenomenon which makes important changes over Pacific Ocean in a wide range of elements.

Task 2

Some believe elderly people should live in nursing homes, others think they should live with the youngest family members. Discuss both view and give your opinion.

        Old ages bring new worries and situation which are difficult to face for senior citizens and their families. Sometime the solutions of those issues are that elderly people go to live to nursing homes; however, it is a hard point of view with controversial opinions. It is necessary to think deep down this situation before an opinion.

People who are in their 70s or more tend to need special kind of attention, because they have some health problems, as well as they become weaker. That is why they need a special attention of someone who be trained to help them and offer all important consideration that they require. Form this position, the best place for them is a nursing home.

On the other hand, they also need their families and lot of loving; moreover, they have built a life with decedents, so they deserve to be take care by them. Despise, sometimes younger people have many activities and they cannot give to their parents or grandparents all attendance that they need. It is possible that younger families love their elderly people, but they cannot take care of them.

Nowadays, there are new types of nursing homes which offer funny, care and healthy lifestyle to people in their old ages. Furthermore, there family can visit them and share a great time together. It sounds as the best solution of this circumstance.

In conclusion, nursing homes are the best place for senior citizens who need special cares, but it is essential that their families pay attention to them offering love and attendance.

Task 2

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Most experiences in our lives that seemed difficult at the time become valuable lessons for the future. Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.

30 minutes, 258 words.

Throughout life people face different kind of experiences, and they can change their perception of these in different moments of their life. It is the case of difficult events or moments which are very hard, but they could leave important learning to people who lived it.

Frequently people would like to have a easy life, without big troubles or complications; however, from my point of view, the only way to achieve it is making themselves strong and firm, because it helps people to be clear about their goals and ready to look for them; so difficult experiences are opportunities to learn lots of important things which will strength and become people clearer.

On the other hand, it is essential to make a difference between difficult experiences and traumatic experiences; sometimes people think that traumatic events are indispensables to become in a strong person; I do not agree with this idea, because even if traumatic events are inevitable, they left hard scares in people which are unnecessary.

To illustrate this idea I would like to remember a Freud phrase like “I have been a lucky man, because nothing has been easy to me”. It is a good example how difficult things help people’s life. It is quite different to say “I am a lucky man because I have been suffered”. Generally, it is hard to learn when people are suffering.

In conclusion, hard events are great chances to learn important things for future but it is fundamental not to confuse it with shocking experiences which are painful and avoidable.

Task 2

Many people believe that high levels of violence in films today are causing serious social problems.

What are these problems and how could they be reduced?

33 minutes, 273 words.

Presently movies have become more and more violent; consequently both people and society are changing; so it is causing lost of social troubles which are affecting all of us. It is necessary to discuss about them, and look for some solution to these situations.

From my point of view, the biggest problem caused by violence films is that people are moving their borders respect to violence behavior; it is becoming people less respectful with other, and step by step society accepts those changes as a natural way to link. To illustrate this idea, it is easy to remember short time ago when television used to show often fight between siblings, and children became more violence with their brothers and sisters; that was why they felt that kind of relationship was normal and acceptable.

Furthermore, movies are in general a reflection of society but not in a single way, it is a dialectic relationship; as well as society is more violence, movies show that, but when people who are watching TV receive aggressive films, they become more aggressive.

It is a hard problem to face because anybody can neither have to control which kind of program people watch at TV, However, it is possible to protect people of violence with education. Government should encourage people to be well educated and they will start to choose better films, improving society and decreasing these kind of social problems.

In conclusion, violence movies affect people but it is a reflect of them; then it is essential that leaders promote that people study and improve their education because it is the best way to solvent those social troubles.

Task 1

The couple of graphs bellow talks about crime’s information for 2002in the UK. The first one is related to the link between age and crime; the second one is a bake chart and shows the percentage of each kind of crime.

In the UK the youngest criminal was 12 years old, and this age is linked with crime around 3%; on the other hand, the rage of ages with the highest percentage of relationship crime-age were 16, 20, 24; there was possible to find 70%, 80% and 60% respectively. People among 28 year old and 40 had linked with this situation around 20%; while older people showed not more than 10% of relationship with crime.

The type of crime in the UK for that year were 4, violent crime with the highest level (46%), followed by property crime with a percentage at 23, and drug crime (22%); the lowest level was public order crime at 9%.

Summarizing, the rage of age most related to crime were 16-24. Meanwhile the most popular kind of crime was the violent one.

Task 2

Some people believe that children should learn science in school, others think that it is not necessary to include science in general education. Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

There are an important discussion whether children have to study science or not at school. From the point of view of some people it is not necessary, while others think it is essential for young students’ education, both for their future as part of society and their present to discover fundamental things about life and world.

It is pivotal to remember that school’s aim is prepare children and adolescents for future in order to help them to become a well educated people, and showing them as much element as it is possible to support students in their way to understand what they want to do during their adulthood ages. In this way, science is an important subject.

Furthermore, science is a way to understand some reason of common events in a wide range of life. For example, it is throughout science that we know how a baby is conceived, the world’s beginning or why sky is blue. It is often children ask about these matters; I cannot imagine a reason to close the door of the science’s knowledge to anybody less to a child.

Nevertheless, when a debate is open that is why it is important for someone and the best way to build a strong idea is doing an effort to understand reasons of people who think in a different way. So I can only find a religion reason for this discussion; religion have a high importance on people’s life; however school education is another subject.

In conclusion, science is an essential topic to be taught at school. Moreover, presently it is accepted that school and church are different part of people formation, and each one must keep its space without interfering on the place of the other. 

Task 2

Modern lifestyles are completely different from the way people lived in the past. Some people think the changes have been very positive, while others believe they have been negative.

Discuss both these points of view and give your own opinion.

255  words. 30 minutes.

Nowadays people’s lifestyle is quite different from it used to be. There are many opinions about this situation, many people think that now life is better, but others do not agree.

In the past, life was quieter, saver and relaxer. People had a wide chance to enjoy the family and friends without rush; o relationships were easier to maintain. Moreover, there were less pollution, and environment was in good fit.

On the other hand, we have lots of benefits, such as running water, electricity, as well as chance to travel around the world, and visit places that it would be impossible in the past. Additionally, living in rush has some good things, for example, we should learn to use good our time, and improve the ways to spend leisure moment, and family meetings.

 Nevertheless, I have only lived in the present, and I do not have the opportunity to compare ages. I would like to know a less stressed time; however, I cannot imagine life without Internet, running water, cars, iPads, hot water, electricity, airplanes, etc. That is why, in my point of view, those changes have been positives to us.

In conclusion, each age has its specifics advantages and disadvantages; but we only can know our time; we are   product of it, and we must enjoy it as much as we can. Past time was our history and root, but anymore. It is a waste of time to feel nostalgic for something that we never knew and we will never be able to live.

Task 2

It is generally accepted that families are not as close as they used to be.

Give some reasons why this change has happened and suggest how families could be brought closer together.

Include any relevant examples from your experience.

Nowadays family’s relationships are different from the past, when it was closer than now. People’s lifestyle is changing as well as their families’ links; consequently, parents and children spend less time together.

In the past, people used to working less time, and it was often that only men work, while women were at home bringing children. Moreover, men spent less time at work than now. People had more time to be together, and it made stronger and closer families.

On the other hand, presently people are looking for new ways to take advantage of their little free time. Related to this situation, parents need to spend as much as possible quality time with their kids. In my point of view, it is the only way to solvent the actual problem. For example, it is quite different a parent who watch television with his/her son to a parent who spend a couple of hours talking with him.

Furthermore, it is essential that mother and father are very interesting in their children ideas, wishes, worries, etc. That is why the most important thing to keep a modern family close is encouraging communication between them. A mother who talks daily with her children have more chance to know and be close with them.

In conclusion, it is wide known that actual lifestyle is different from the past one; it has impacted the family’s relationships, and it is absolutely necessary to find new ways to share time together, but the most important thing to be successful it is strengthen communication.

Task 2

We are becoming increasingly dependent on computers. They are used in business, hospitals, crime detection and even fly planes. What things will they be used in the future? Is this dependence on computers a good thing or should we be more suspicious of their benefits?

The last 50 year, the use of computers and electronic devices is rising in each part of our life. Computers are involved on all kind of daily activity such as buy a ticket, identify a criminal,  digital medical registers, etc. It is important to think about if be dependent on computer is a good or bad idea.

Through history each single development has caused an important impact over our lifestyle, and new fears. Computers are not the exception; they offer a lot of benefits for us which we should accept and use as much as be possible. However, some people are worried about it. In my opinion, those worries are a sample of people’s difficulties to adapt to changes.

Sometimes people are worried about if computers are stealing our time, or changing human communication ways. So, it is not a whole true, because they can make a decision about how many time spend on computers; and our communication ways is changing, but it is a normal process; always people is becoming different.

On the other hand, in the future, it is possible that we will develop new better devices, and computers as we know now would pass to the shadow step by step. On my point of view, people will continue improving devices, and theses will become easier our life day after day.

In conclusion, computers are very important for people life at the moment, and it will be more and more important each day. But it is not necessarily wrong; it is just a part of the natural human development.  

Task 1

The graph below talks about amount of people who did not know to read either write in the year 2000, distributed by region and gender. 

It shows that in Developed Countries had little percentage of people who were illiteracy, and it is a little more women than men (around 1%).

In America/Caribbean had around 10% illiteracy man and 11% of women; while in East Asia/Oceania the difference between genders was bigger (9% men and 20% women).

This stat indicate that the places when were largest range of illiteracy people were Sub-Sahara Africa, Arabs States and South Asia. The first had a few more than 30% of men, and almost the half of women population as people who cannot read and write. The second shows around 30% of men and more than fifty percent of women. The last one had the highest range of illiteracy people (around 35% of men and almost 60% of women).

It is possible to appreciate that in these regions were more women illiteracy than men, and there are high differences between places.

Task 2

Nowadays people are forgetting national celebrations and enjoying themselves on other days that are important to them personally. Discuss and give your opinion.

35 minutes. 252 words.

Presently, people tend to forgetting national celebrations; or even if they remember those, it is usual they do not pay attention of it. Contemporary people used to being more interesting in their personal events than common ones.

In general, national parties are a chance to commemorate important events or people into our history that were the base of our present. Moreover, getting together with neighbors or acquaintance to celebrate and remember a special historical event, it is a chance to make stronger our national identify and links with people near of us.

On the other hand, the world is changing day after day; so, people are focus on their life, goals, and aims. Consequently, it is very important to people pay attention and celebrate their achievements, and special days which remember them some sweet moments such as birthday, anniversaries, etc. It is necessary mentioning that modern life is hard, and people need to pay special attention to each single success, remembering it as a result of effort.

Nevertheless, in my opinion, all those events are very important, both personals and nationals. Then it is essential that people find a moment o celebrate their personal important days, and a special time to remember and commemorate national celebrations. In this way, our present and past would take part of people´s life.

In conclusion, it is very important understanding age´s change, and how it modifies the way to celebrate both national and personal parties. However, all those are important, so the key is finding a moment for each one into our life.

Task 2

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic:

The idea of having a single career is becoming old fashioned one. The new fashion mil be to have a several careers or ways of earning money and further education will be something that continue throughout life.

In the past, people used to go to the University, study a career and spend their whole life doing the same activity; it was same for people who learned a qualified labor (such as plumbing), then they worked doing it all their life. It is changing, and now people study different careers, continue studying after their degrees, and learn diverse work activities to earn money.

Having a single career has a lot of benefits; for example, you can focus your attention on a specific topic; so you earn experience and learn each day about your work, becoming yourself an expert.

On the other hand, if you have different work skills, you have a chance to change your job if you are bored or tired doing the same activity; and it is a good way to learn different kind of things, keeping your mind always active. Additionally it is a way to find extra money.

But the mean point of this subject would be that in the present, economical situation is harder than in the past; so people need to have enough money for all their expenses, and it is usual that all of those are too much money. In additional, it is important to have a chance of finding a new job easy if you lose yours. Then people need to have a wide rank of option to find a job; and finally, lot of times, people need to have more than one job in the same moment.

 In conclusion, having different careers and work activities is very important and also necessary in our present. Even if it is essential that there are specialists professional, it is quite common that people learn more than one commercial activity.