Choose one of the following statements and discuss it. Say to what extent you agree with the statement and give reasons to support your opinions.
TEXT 1
Every week many of us throw away a huge amount of stuff, ranging from packaging for food and plastic bottles to old newspapers and junk mail. Fortunately some, though not all, of this can be recycled successfully and both governments and private citizens seem to be doing their best to ensure that this happens nowadays. We should be careful not to congratulate ourselves too soon, however, because whether enough is being done is highly debatable. For example, the vast numbers of plastic bags used, many of which are not biodegradable, damage the environment, most notably the oceans, where they endanger marine life.
TEXT 2
It seems that nowadays we keep electronic products such as mobile phones for only a short time, because we are bombarded with highly effective advertising that persuades us that we need to discard our present model in favour of the latest, improved device. Our willingness to discard such products may also be a consequence of the dizzying pace of technological change. We can hardly be expected to be content to remain behind the times, and we naturally wish to keep up with the latest exciting features and developments in communications technology.
Cambridge essay – By a student
Garbage is becoming a huge problem in our society. Whether it’s plastic, paper or electronic devices, all of that rubbish is immediately thrown in the garbage disposal. Although we try to recycle, the amount of waste we simply throw away severely outweighs the amount of recycled rubbish. Not to mention the amazing potential of resources than can be pulled from old electronic hardware.
But why is it the case, anyways, that there’s so much ‘cellular waste’? Some say it’s because of the ever-increasing speed of new developments in technology. Others say that it’s because advertising has become more and more effective over the last couple of years. Or perhaps it is because phones are simply becoming more and more fragile and are prone to having a broken screen, a battery that runs out too quickly or any other malfunction. Electronical hardware isn’t the only evil-doer, though. For example, any packaging made out of plastic cannot simply be melted into a moldable plastic; plastic doesn’t work that way. Plastic bags usually end up on the garbage piles because of that.
But the biggest concern right now is, surprisingly, paper. We, as a society, use paper for everyday tasks: Whether it’s writing down groceries, faxing the tax income from last month or even writing a CPE test. It is of no surprise that paper is the biggest environmental concern when one realises the sheer amount of paper that is used by humanity every day. The only reason it’s not as bad as plastic is that paper is biodegradable. Paper can be made into a pulp, only to be recast into the good old A4 format we all know and love.
Now we just have to actually do that, if we wish to save our environment.
Mark: 5
All content is relevant to the task and the target reader would be fully informed.
The candidate is successful not only in summarising and commenting on the content points, but also giving their own ideas (note the discussion in the second paragraph of another possible reason for people keeping electronic devices for only a short time).
Mark: 3
The text is a well-organised, coherent whole, using a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns with flexibility (Although, Not to mention, But why is it the case …, Some say it’s because …, For example, But………………, surprisingly,……… The only reason it’s …).
Mark: 3
Although the register and style are at times more appropriate to an article (… the good old A4 format we all know and love and the short, informal conclusion), the conventions of the communicative task are used with sufficient flexibility to communicate complex ideas in an effective way (note the discussion of paper in the third paragraph), holding the target
reader’s attention with ease, and fulfilling all communicative purposes.
Mark: 3
The candidate uses a range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, effectively and precisely (disposal, outweighs, prone to, sheer amount, pulp, recast).
The candidate also uses a wide range of simple and complex grammatical forms with full control, flexibility and sophistication.
Errors are present but are related to less common words and structures (severely outweighs, electronical hardware, evil-doer, it is of no surprise):
Essay C2 – From the internet
Nowadays, the climate is changing ferociously as a result of human actions. AÂ considerable number of people have become aware of the threat, however others continue to slowly push our planet even more into a detrminetal state as a result of neglect and indolence. The explanation is that saving the environment is cost-inefficient, time-consuming or the fact that there are always other people carrying out required actions for them, for better or worse. Evidently, the situation becomes exponentially worse, and various problems bloom violently.
For those neither shocked nor motivated by figures and statistics in the Artic, the indirect consequences of climate change affect us and our modern societies as much. Health risks through rising air contamination increase significantly, meanwhile rain levels decrease in areas already suffering from drought and desertification. Abnormal weather patterns worsen, bringing exisiting problems to an irreversible state and creating new ones simultaneously.
Fortunately, there are several approaches that we can opt for as a contribution to help save our environment. For instance, with basic actions such as turning off switches and unplugging unused appliances, the result will be a drastic decrease in energy waste – and electric bills for every individual as a reward. The government has also contributed by supervising industrial factories and plants while encouraging people to purchase vehicles and domestic electric items with lower emissions.
There is no need for anyone to go to extremes to fight climate change. Through actions in everyday life, everyone as a whole can do their part by helping sustain the world and make it an even better place for the future.
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