Sample Compositions

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1 It’s personal! (page 10)

Dear Jane,
Thanks for all your news. It sounds as if you’re really busy at the moment, so I’m pleased you asked me to help
you with your class project.
I’m going to tell you about my aunt Kerry. She’s my mum’s younger sister and she’s great. She’s blonde, plump
and always very smiley. As soon as anyone arrives at her home, she gives them a big hug. I love spending time
with her because she’s always cheerful and fun to be with. Another reason is that she’s a fantastic cook and I
look forward to seeing what wonderful dishes she’s made when we go for lunch.
Unfortunately, she moved to Italy a few years ago, so I don’t see her as often as I would like to. She likes it there,
though. She says the Italian food is better than the English food! I hope that I’ll be able to visit her soon because
I really miss her.
I hope this has helped. Let me know how your project goes.
Love,
Chloe

2 Life’s Great Mysteries (page 16)

When Amy opened the door of the haunted house, she was astonished by what she saw. It was getting dark
outside, so she couldn’t be sure, but it looked like a ghost!
Amy had been hearing stories about the haunted house for as long as she could remember. She had never had
the courage to come here, though, until today. Looking into the hall, Amy saw a young girl dressed in white. She
looked at Amy, then turned and started walking slowly up the stairs. On the fourth stair, she stopped and looked
at Amy again. ‘She wants me to follow her,’ she thought.
Amy walked nervously upstairs and saw the girl go into one of the rooms. Amy followed her, but ... where was
she? The young girl had disappeared! Just then, Amy heard a noise. She used the light from her mobile phone
and saw that there was a tiny white kitten in the corner of the room. ‘How did you get in here?’ she asked.
Amy took the kitten home with her and realised that she would never have found it if she hadn’t followed the
ghost upstairs.

3 The World of Sport (page 25)

Participating in sport should be an important part of everyone’s life and, for a lot of people, it doesn’t matter if
you win or lose. I agree with them because there are many benefits to taking part.
In the first place, sport often involves some sort of competition. Competing against other people helps you to try
harder and become better at your chosen sport. It also makes things interesting; it’s exciting to see who will win
in the end. However, this doesn’t mean that the person or team that loses doesn’t benefit from taking part.
Furthermore, sport is important because it helps you keep fit and stay healthy. It’s a good form of exercise, so
even if you don’t win, your health benefits.
On the other hand, some people are professional sportsmen and women. Winning is obviously very important
for them; more important than just taking part. They wouldn’t last long in their chosen sport if they didn’t win or
help their teams to win.
In conclusion, there are numerous benefits to participating in sport and, for most people, winning is not the
most important thing.

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 Sample Compositions

4 Shopping Therapy (page 32)

The kind of shopping that teenagers love

Have you ever spent a wonderful day walking around the shops with your friends looking at what’s available? It
seems that it’s a common thing for teenagers to do at the weekend.
On Saturdays, shopping centres are full of teenagers looking at clothes, footwear and technology. Some of us
love finding out what’s new in the world of mobile phones and computers. Others want to see which styles in the
fashion shops or shoe shops are going to be popular. Very often we don’t actually spend any money at all.
Why is window shopping so important to us? I think the main reason is that it gives us a feeling of independence.
We are usually with our parents when we buy something because they are the ones who pay for our purchases.
However, window shopping allows us to spend time with our friends and get their opinion on what suits us. It
doesn’t really matter that we often go home without buying anything.
All in all, window shopping is one kind of shopping that teenagers love.

5 The Environment (page 40)

Cyclists are becoming more and more common in cities these days. In general, I think this is a good thing.
First of all, there are environmental benefits. If more people use bicycles instead of cars, there will be less air
pollution. There will also be less traffic on the roads and, as a consequence, fewer traffic jams. This is beneficial
for those who live and work in cities.
Secondly, cycling is a good form of exercise, so the cyclist’s health will benefit. For short journeys, it is better for
someone to cycle than to drive a car or ride on a bus.
However, some people argue that riding a bicycle in a city is unsafe. They say that there is too much traffic and,
as a result, cyclists might have an accident. There is some truth in this, but if cyclists use cycle paths where
possible, wear a helmet and take care when cycling, they should be safe.
In conclusion, I think that riding bicycles in the city is generally a good thing and that councils should encourage
people to do it by making sure cyclists stay safe.

6 Crime (page 48)

Some people argue that the parents of children under 16 who break the law should be punished instead of the
children. I don’t think this is right.
First of all, children can tell the difference between right and wrong even when they are under 16. If they commit
a crime, there should be consequences for them, otherwise they may break the law again.
In addition, some people say that parents should be taught to control their children’s behaviour. However, as
children grow up, their parents will not always be with them to control it. The child must learn to control their
own behaviour.
It is important for parents to teach their children the difference between right and wrong from an early age.
Children should realise that if they do something wrong or commit a crime, they will be punished for it.
Although parents have a responsibility to teach their children that breaking the law is wrong, punishing them
if their children commit a crime is not the answer. Each individual must take responsibility for their actions and
face the consequences if necessary.

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 Sample Compositions

7 The Media (page 55)

The online student magazine

Introduction
The aim of this report is to explain why an online version of the weekly student magazine should be created and
to put forward some suggestions for new features to include.
Online version
Technology is developing fast and more students are using their mobile phones or tablets to stay up to date with
what is going on. The print version of the student magazine is not doing as well as it used to, and it is time to
create an online version. Not only would this be popular with students, but it would also be cheaper to produce.
New features
An online version would allow us to include some new features. Video interviews, for example, would be an
interesting feature to add. Another new feature would be interaction. Students could ‘like’ articles or post
comments about them. This feedback would help us to decide what to include in future issues of the magazine to
ensure it remains popular.
Recommendation
I recommend that we create an online version as soon as possible to ensure that the student magazine does not
die out.

8 A Hard Day’s Work (page 62)

Dear Mr Tait,
I am writing to apply for the position of winter holiday assistant at the post office that I saw advertised
yesterday.
I am an 18-year old school leaver and I am currently taking a gap year before starting university next September.
My mother owns a teashop and I have been working there at the weekends and in the summer holidays for the last
two years. Although it is only small, it gets very busy, and so I am used to working under pressure.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading and walking. Early every morning and again in the evening, I help my neighbour
by taking her dog, Bonzo, out for a walk.
I would enjoy the challenge of working at the post office in December, when it must get very busy. As I am going
abroad in January, I will be available to work for the whole of December.
I looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Susan Lamb

9 Getting Away (page 71)

Sensational summer!
Would you like to travel, meet new people and improve your English all at the same time? If so, then Cicero is
the summer school for you!
Located in the south of England, you can spend ten days living with an English family while you attend a
language school. It’s perfect because you speak and listen to English all the time, so you improve quickly. You
also get to eat homemade food. I didn’t like all the dishes, but it was interesting to see what English people eat.
Cicero is a great school because you do much more than just sit in a classroom. It combines traditional lessons
in the morning with sightseeing trips to local places in the afternoon. You also meet people from lots of different
countries. I made some good friends and we keep in touch by email.
The only thing I didn’t like was the weather! I’m used to high temperatures in the summer and so I found
England quite cold. If you are prepared for it, though, it doesn’t really matter.
I recommend Cicero summer school for anyone who wants to improve their English while experiencing England.

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 Sample Compositions

10 Where on earth? (page 78)

Some people who go to live in a foreign country never learn the local language no matter how long they stay
there. I think this is wrong and that people moving to another country should make an effort to learn the
language that is spoken there.
First of all, learning the language will help them to communicate with the local people. It will be easier for
them to make friends and fit in if they can speak the language. It will also show that they are interested in and
committed to staying in the country.
Secondly, they will be at a disadvantage if they don’t learn the language. They will not be able to follow a
conversation and may feel lonely if they can’t understand what other people around them are saying.
To sum up, although some people say that they are too old to learn another language or that they don’t really
need to be able to speak the other language, I think they will be happier and more settled if they do.

11 High-Tech World (page 86)

High-tech workouts
Would you rather jog around the park to keep fit or would you like to belong to a gym with all the latest fitness
machines? I enjoy keeping fit in a well-equipped gym and I’m lucky that there’s one just around the corner from
my home.
First of all, I love exercising in a gym because there is always lots of company. It’s an ideal place to meet people
who have the same interest in keeping fit. If you go at the same time of the day, you will usually see the same
people and that makes it easy to say hi and start a conversation. If you exercise at home, or run around the
park, you are unlikely to meet anyone new.
Apart from that, using the latest equipment get results more quickly. In addition, the trainers who work at the
gym are very happy to show you how to use the machines and suggest exercises to achieve the results you want.
All in all, my favourite way to keep fit is to work out in the gym near my house.

12 Happy to help! (page 93)

Dear Mayor,
I have just read an article in the local paper about the problem of stray dogs in our city. They are a danger to
pedestrians and they have recently caused a number of car accidents. It is a worrying situation and I would like
to suggest the following measures.
Firstly, money could be raised to help the local charity that looks after stray dogs. If the organisation had
more money, they would be able to take the dogs off the streets and the city would become a safer place.
Furthermore, if the stray dogs are not on the street, then there won’t be any more puppies born, which will help
the problem in the long term.
Secondly, people could be encouraged to adopt a stray dog. The health care expenses of having the dog could
be covered for the first year, for example. If people gave a stray dog a home, then this would help the situation.
I hope that you will take some action to improve the situation and make our city streets a safer place to be.
Yours faithfully,
Dennis Mann

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