Pathways Education and Training

31/07/2014

Writing Task 2 - Sample 12: Globalization

Cultures around the world are more similar today than they used to be. What are the reasons for this?

Is it a positive or a negative trend?

There is a fact that cultures around the world are increasingly sharing the same features that worries so many people about the assimilation of cultures and its negative consequences. This essay will explore some main causes of this matter before deciding if it is a positive or negative development.

Obviously, the assimilation and exchange of cultures have occurred for several centuries, but currently has been stronger than ever before because of influence of globalization, advanced technology and changes in people’s mind-set. The globalization, that brings all people from all continents together, is the most important factor. In addition to the opportunities for trading and exchanging ideas, people now naturally influence each other by their cultural value when doing business and making friends. All economies are opened to join into a global market which pushes cultural exchange a faster pace. This process is also effectively supported by the development of advanced technology which allows information to be widely shared via the Internet, international TV channels and telephone calls. All insight about music, fashion, literature, tradition and customs of one culture are made assessable globally. Also, it is worth mentioning the ease of travelling inter-continentally that make people closer and open people’s minds to absorb new things. As a result, it is easy to see similarities in not only neighbouring cultures, but among all cultures around the world.

The positive effects of this process are clear. Firstly, the flow of investment quickly moving around because people now understand each other every well and that is easier for them to work together. At the same time, they become more tolerant of fundamental differences in belief, customs and even the national traits which encourage the international cooperation. On a global scale, the outdated customers are gradually becoming erased while people now are closer in entertainment choices, science and environmental protection.

However, the negative consequences of this trend deserve a closer look/ examination. The assimilation of cultures results in the extinction of several languages as well as other cultural values such as literature and traditional art performance. People now speak the same language, wear the same style of clothes or even listen to the same type of music. In long term, it is the huge loss of culture; national characteristics and human’s historical knowledge. Only when the adverse effect can be mitigated, this process then is welcome by entire global citizens.

From discussion above, one can conclude that globalization and advanced technologies are the roof cause of culture assimilation. And as long as we can protect the minor cultures with all of their values. This would be the favourable trend of development.

(437 words) - This is a 7.5 essay written by a 1-1 student at Pathways

TRUNG TÂM GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO PATHWAYS
Số 74 Kim Mã Thượng, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
ĐT: 043.7621242 * Fax: 043.7621242
Website: http://pathways.com.vn
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Email: enquiries@pathways.com.vn

Writing Task 2 - Sample 11: Space in living area

Topic: Some people think that towns and cities should have large open spaces like squares and parks. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this idea?

To many people, parks and squares are deemed of immense importance, as they provide opportunities for outdoor activities that they would not have otherwise at home. While these places are decidedly exorbitant to construct and often argued to be useless and wasteful, I believe the benefits would far outweigh any drawbacks if these are built.

Firstly, public places have long contributed to the improvement of our general health. Nowadays, the amount of physical work has diminished to a non-existent amount, due to the invention of many new and convenient innovations. Consequently, it leads to an unhealthy lifestyle with the potential of developing various illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and the inevitable loss of lifespan. Therefore, having open spaces in cities or towns is indeed encouraging of a more active life, where people can exercise freely if they are not able to pay for the expense of fitness facilities.

Secondly, public places are often associated with the special characteristics of the given town or city. Places such as squares, parks and other open spaces are considered highly sophisticated and culturally advanced, which are frequented by visitors of varying ages, and they serve much more of a purpose than just a place for mundane exercising. These are the places where people gather socially and as a whole these places help in creating a more united and socially cohesive society.

In conclusion, it is not at all unjustified to affirm that squares and parks are of many uses and should be built for the sake of people’s lives, along with the progress of entertainment industries.

(262 words) - This is a 7.5 essay written by a 1-1 student at Pathways.

Writing Task 2 - Sample 10: Education or Work (Band 7.0)

Topic: Some people believe that studying at university or college is the best route to a successful career, while others believe that it is better to get a job straight after school. Discussion both views.

Graduating from high school, the young often wonder whether they ought to keep on studying further or not. Many people suppose that continuing to study at university or college can be the best way to guarantee their successful career, whereas others believe working right after school is much better.

Working straight after graduation is beneficial in some ways. Firstly, young people are able to earn money as soon as possible. If they finish high school, they will be mature enough to live independently on their own income. It is common sense that having a job can prove one’s maturity. Secondly, a person who chooses to get a job instead of studying higher is likely to progress rapidly in their career. This may bring about a good chance to obtain a lot of real experience and skills for their chosen profession.

On the other hand, there are a variety of reasons why people have a tendency of choosing to continue education after high school. First, a college education will provide young people with more qualifications, which is what most employers expect these days. University graduates will probably get a much higher salary than those without university education. Furthermore, the job market is becoming more and more competitive. In fact, people would be well-advised to get a degree, as hundreds of applicants often chase the top jobs. It is an obvious advantage for university graduates. For example, graduate engineers in Vietnam are highly paid and find it easy to get a top job.

In conclusion, it seems evident that both working right after school and choosing to continue higher study are advantageous in their own ways.

(274 words) - Sưu tầm

PATHWAYS EDUCATION AND TRAINING
74 Kim Ma Thuong, Ba Dinh - Hanoi
Tel: 043.7621242 * Fax: 043.7621242
Website: http://pathways.com.vn
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01/07/2014

Writing Task 2 - Sample 9: Education Cost (Band 8.5)

Topic: Educating children is expensive and in some countries the government pays some or all of the costs. Do the advantages of the government paying for children's education outweigh the disadvantages?

Investing in education is investing in human intellectual capital, which in turn is vital to the creation of high-skilled workforce and the long-run development of a nation, however the question arises as to who should pay for this. To be more specific, should the government subsidise some or all of the costs or should we leave the cost to be funded privately?

Some people claim that partial or completely subsidised primary and secondary school education, if it is entirely funded by the government, may diminish the incentive for students to strive harder. However this is not the case, as low cost or free education in fact offers significant opportunities for children from low-socio-economic groups or from rural areas, whom might not have access to academic schooling otherwise. There are numerous benefits stemming from this, namely bridging the gap between urban and rural areas, the rich and the poor, along with bringing more equal opportunities for people and creating a larger more highly qualified workforce for our society.

On the other hand, there are some that allege that government subsidised public schools tend to be of poorer quality, both in facilities and teaching staff compared to private schools, and that they may suffer to a greater extent in an economic downturn, when the government needs to cut spending. This argument becomes quite lacking in the face of evidence of a consistently good level of quality public education in many countries over long periods of time. Although private education may provide a better educational environment on the whole, people still have the freedom of choice, from both tiers of private and public schooling, based on their finances and the type of education they need for their children.

Taking all the views above into consideration, publicly funded education has overwhelming advantages as it makes learning available to the more disadvantaged groups in our society, hence contributing to equality of opportunities and utilisation of human resources in an economy. Therefore, it can be argued that the cost is justified in the light of present and future benefits.

(343 words) - This is a very good sample written by student Ha Ly at Pathways (with assistance from her 1-1 teacher).

TRUNG TÂM GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO PATHWAYS
Số 74 Kim Mã Thượng, Ba Đình - Hà Nội
ĐT: 043.7621242 * Fax: 043.7621242
Website: http://pathways.com.vn
Facebook: http://facebook.com/PathwaysET
Email: enquiries@pathways.com.vn

30/06/2014

Writing Task 2 - Sample 8: Age and Education

Topic: Some people believe that it is better for young people to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

Learning a foreign language such as English is increasingly becoming necessary and children are learning at younger ages than in the past, beginning in primary school. In my opinion, it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school.

It's is very easy for young children to learn a new language because they absorb new ideas quickly and learn new skills faster than older ones. If they start learning a foreign language at an early age, they can get used to it and have more time to practice. Also, they can pronounce words correctly because they do not have a first language interference like adults typically do. Although in common knowledge, people believe primary school students are too young to learn a foreign language as they may get bored in the lesson and find it unnecessary, it all depends on the way they are taught. We can try to make the lesson interesting to attract the children to pay attention more and enjoy it.

Some people claim that secondary school students can make better progress at learning foreign languages like English. Since they are older, they can focus more on their study and can get better results. But at school, they have more subjects to learn and work to do so they have difficulties in dividing their time to suit with their learning. As a result, although they are more mature, they still cannot learn foreign languages as easily as primary school students. People may also say students in secondary school can differentiate their mother tongue from the foreign language but there is no evidence for that statement. On the contrary, because they start learning at such a late time, they will mix up with their mother tongue and their pronunciation will be incorrect. It is also very hard for them to get used this new language.

In conclusion, learning a foreign language at primary school has more advantages than learning at secondary school.

(333 words) - This is a very good sample written by student Han Dinh (14 years old) at Pathways (with assistance from her 1-1 teacher)

24/06/2014

Writing Task 2 - Sample 7: Place and Health (Band 8.5)

Topic: Living in big cities is bad for people's health. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Even though cities have become epicentre of human development, there is a genuine concern that city lifestyles and the pressures of modern living are resulting in negative consequences both mentally and physically. These thoughts are not unfounded; nonetheless, it is important to look at the matter from both sides.

Numerous research studying the effect of urban lifestyle on the mental function and health have been conducted. It is argued that statistically there is a greater chance for a city dweller to suffer from some kind of mental disorder compared to people living in rural areas. There are some of factors that are suggested to be the cause of this, namely over-crowding and as a consequence, a greater amount of stress caused by traffic congestion and noise pollution on urban dwellers. Social disconnection and isolation are other issues for people living in city areas without a strong sense of community. As a result of these factors, people it can be seen can tend to become much more easily agitated, distressed and depressed, which may trigger more underlying problems related to behaviour and mood.

Physical health is another issue that needs to be discussed in this context. Pollution here is the main concern as well as a lack of sufficient physical exercise. People living in cities spend much more time indoors as well, which deprives the body of important vitamins received from sunlight such a vitamin E. Although health awareness is increasing among the city population, the environment and lifestyle is, on the whole, fairly discouraging to physical health.

All in all, there are both benefits and downsides to dwelling in the city. Although the impact may vary from person to person, from city to city and from one suburb to another, that being said, the conditions in the city can have an overwhelming negative impact on people’s wellbeing, and this needs to be recognised.

(313 words) - This is a very good sample written by student Ha Ly at Pathways (with assistance from her 1-1 teacher)

Email: enquiries@pathways.com.vn

20/06/2014

Writing Task 1 - Sample 5: Process (Band 7)

The diagram reveals a long process in which rainwater is contained, treated and reused for domestic purposes.

The process starts with rains brought by clouds which provide water for natural lakes, pools or artificial reservoirs likes dams. At the same time, rain water is collected into tanks from gutters, then is used directly by people without any treatment. Water in dams, however, must be filtered and made clean at water treatment plants to become drinking water before being delivered to people’s homes for daily usage.

The next step is treating waste water, the output of domestic consumption. This type of water is collected from people’s houses to waste water treatment plant, where it is turned to recycled water and flowed back to houses, while the excess treated water is released to river. Also, any storm water must be passed through the storm water treatment before running to its clean, natural state.

To conclude, the diagram may well reflect the steps by which rainwater is reused. With two steps of treatment applied, water is made clean before being provided to people’s usage and released to natural environment.

(186 words) - This is a 7.0 response written by a 1-1 student at Pathways.