#1

The line chart illustrates the number of inquiries sent to the Tourist Information Office in a particular city
via three means of communication, between January and June in 2011.

Overall,t is clear that visitors to the city made more inquires in person and via telephone, while written
letters and emails became the least common choices. Additionally, the number of enquiries in person
experienced the most dramatic change among the different options.

In January, the Tourist Information Office received 900 telephone enquiries, while just under 800 letters
and emails were received. Not many tourists chose to ask for information in person, with just over 400
queries. Over the next three months, the telephone still remained the most popular method of enquiry,
at approximately 1000 queries.

Meanwhile, the number of enquires made in person saw considerable growth to 800, surpassing the
figures for emails and postal enquires. From March to June, enquires in person were the most common
method of inquiry. By June, the number of in person enquires soared by more than 1,000 to peak at
1,900. During this period, there was also a significant rise in the figure for telephone enquiries, from
1000 to 1600. By contrast, fewer people sent emails or letters to make enquires, with slightly less than
400 enquires in May and June.

Writing task 1

#2

Some people argue that playing team sports provides people with more benefits as opposed to
participating in individual sports. Personally, I believe that both types of sports can provide a range of
benefits to people, and it depends on what benefits each individual wishes to achieve as to which sport
they should choose to play.

On the one hand, team sports, such as football and basketball, provide a number of benefits to those
who play. For example, team sports give players the opportunity to develop interpersonal skills,
like teamwork and communication skills, which will not only help people in their day-to-day social
interactions but also benefit them in their workplace. In addition, team sports also offer players the
chance to develop a sense of unity, friendship, and sportsmanship between teammates, which can
really add value to people’s lives by making them feel a part of something.

On the other hand, individual sports, like tennis and swimming, also have their merits. When someone
plays an individual sport, it usually gives them more opportunities to enhance their personal skills, such
as being able to manage emotions, cope with stress, and build confidence and self-esteem. When
people are playing an individual sport, they usually have no one else to rely on for support during the
game or match, and therefore, individuals will need to develop a strong mindset to be able to deal with
and overcome any setbacks they may face. Individual sports also provide better opportunities
for people to challenge themselves by setting goals and achieving personal bests.

Overall, I feel that all sports offer great benefits for people’s mental and physical health, and that people
should choose whatever sport they are most interested in playing.

Writing task 2
#3

The table compares the proportions of people who rode a bike, by age and gender, in 2011.

In general, children under nine years old used bicycles the most, while middle-aged people were the
least likely to ride a bicycle. Also, men tended to cycle more than women during the period shown.

Among males, children under 9 years old made up the largest proportion of cyclists, at 52%. However,
with the older groups, the rates were only 42% for teenagers aged from 10 to 17, and 17% for people
aged between 18 and 39. The proportion of 40 to 50 year old male cyclists was the lowest, at just 12%,
while only nearly a fifth of men aged over enjoyed this activity.

The percentage of girls younger than 9 years old who cycled was slightly higher than boys of the
same age, at 52%. However, the figure for girls aged 10 to 17 was just under a quarter, much lower than
that of their counterparts. Similar to men in the same age groups, cycling was not very popular amongst
women aged 40 to 59, and 60 or over, accounting for only 8% and 14% of females respectively.

#4

Scientific research plays an important role in the development of humanity. Some people think that the
responsibility for conducting and managing it should be taken by governments, and not by private
companies. Personally, I believe that both governments and private businesses should have the right
and duty to carry out research.

I believe that governments should play the leading role in performing research due to a number of
reasons. Firstly, scientific research is the key to finding solutions to the pressing concerns of society.
Thorough medical research, for example, needs to be conducted by governments to develop vaccines
against potential epidemics. Research into renewable energies is also crucial to deal with global
warming. These kinds of research require a great deal of spending, which can only be afforded by the
government. In addition, scientific studies controlled by governments will ensure that reliable and
ethical methods are used, and minimize the risk of these studies being used for criminal activity. For
instance, studies related to nuclear power or weapons must be carried out or supervised by
governmental organizations to protect a country from terrorism or other warfare.

However, private companies can do research which is not carried out by governments. In fact, many
useful scientific discoveries have been made by private institutions. To illustrate, the invention of the
iPhone by Apple, a corporation in the US began the era of smartphones and facilitated modern forms of
interaction between people all over the world. Furthermore, encouraging profit-driven companies to
conduct scientific investigations will help them develop their own products and create competition in
the marketplace. Society will therefore benefit from new inventions and better products.

In conclusion, although governments should control and carry out major scientific studies, private
companies should not be deprived of the right to do research.
#5

The pie charts compare the opinions of full-time and part-time students about their university
services, including IT support and opening hours.

Overall, it is clear that there was more positive feedback with regard to the opening hours than the IT
support. Also, full-time students tended to be more satisfied with the two services than their part-time
counterparts.

Regarding IT support, over half of the surveyed full-time students said that they were very happy with
this service, while only a fifth of part-time students reported that they were very happy. In contrast, just
15% of the students studying full-time were not satisfied with IT support, in comparison with 45% of
part-time students. The proportion of both types of students being quite happy with this service
was relatively the same, at about one third.

The majority of full-time and part-time students felt very happy with the current opening hours, at 87%
and 72% respectively. Only 1% of the examined full-time students were not satisfied with the opening
hours whereas the figure for part-time students was a little higher, at 5%. The remaining 12% of the
surveyed full-time students felt quite happy with this service, as opposed to nearly a quarter of part-
time students.

#6

Nowadays, it seems that families tend to eat together less frequently. This essay will put forward some
explanations for this trend and an analysis of the potential impacts.

The fact that family members choose not to eat with each other can be attributable to two reasons.
Firstly, since people these days tend to have heavier workloads and more hectic schedules than in the
past, sitting down to share a meal with their family members might not be a convenient choice. Instead,
these individuals usually eat out with their friends, colleagues or business partners near their workplace
which can be more suitable for their timetable. Secondly, the fast food culture of modern
life can change people’s eating habits because fast food can be found everywhere and is usually an
inexpensive food choice. For instance, young people in Vietnam often grab a quick meal after a busy day
at work or school, which leads them to skipping meals with their family when they go home.

The trend has both positive and negative impacts on people. In terms of the benefits, people are able to
be much more flexible with their time. They will not have to show up at a fixed hour to have meals with
their family and can eat whatever and whenever they want. However, in terms of the negative effects,
this can lead to a weaker family bond. If a family continuously eats separately, family members may not
be able to share their thoughts, feelings with each other, and therefore may feel isolated from each
other. This will result in a lack of deep family connection.

In conclusion, the tendency of family members eating separately is mainly caused by the difference in
their schedules or the preference to eat fast food, which can have both positive and negative impacts.

#7

The chart illustrates how many passengers used three different means of public transport in
Somewhere town, between 2012 and 2015.
Overall, the number of passengers using Tram saw the biggest growth. Additionally, the figures for
train passengers decreased over the period, while the number of bus passengers fluctuated slightly.

In 2012, the number of commuters using trains was the highest, at over 75,000 passengers, compared
to around 55,000 bus passengers, and approximately 15,000 passengers using trams. However, in 2015,
while the number of passengers on buses remained the same, trams had become the most used form of
transport, at around 95,000 passengers, with figures for train passengers dropping to around 60,000
people.

Additionally, the trends of passengers in 2013 and 2014 were similar, although there was an increase in
the total numbers of passengers for each form of transport over the two years. Buses were the
most popular form of public transport during these years, followed by trains, and finally trams

#8

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of shopping malls being built, leading to the
disappearance of small stores. In my opinion, this change brings about both positive and negative
impacts, though the impacts are more negative in the long term.

On the one hand, the boom in the number of shopping malls has offered customers a wide range of
benefits. First of all, people can now save time shopping thanks to the availability of many types of
stores located in the one complex. Shopping malls offer groceries, clothing, and books, along-side food
courts and entertainment facilities, all under the one roof. This provides a lot of convenience to people
who choose to shop there instead of in separate smaller stores.

Moreover, shopping malls usually offer more discounts and promotions that customers can benefit
from, when compared to small stores. Furthermore, smaller stores cannot usually provide customers
with the added advantage of large, convenient and safe parking facilities that most shopping malls offer.
As a result, more and more people are choosing to shop at large shopping malls, leading to a decrease in
the number of people purchasing goods from small shops.

There are, however, a number of benefits to people and communities that shopping in smaller stores
can bring. For example, locally-owned, family-run businesses are more likely to provide friendlier and
better customer service than larger shopping malls and chain stores. In addition, more locally owned
small businesses is better for local economies and communities in the long term, by providing more
employment, profits and income to local people.

In conclusion, the proliferation of shopping malls could have positive effects on customers but it is likely
to drive small local businesses out of business, and have a negative impact on local economies, with
most profits being taken by non-local businesses.