Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You have seen a notice asking for volunteers to help with the collecting for charity.
Write a letter to the charity. In your letter:
- say where you saw the advertisement
- offer to help
- tell them when you are available to help
You do NOT need to write any addresses.
Begin your letter as follows:
Dear…
Write at least 150 words.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing with regards the advertisement printed in this week’s copy of the local newspaper, The Western Leader. I have actually seen your advertisement a number of times, both in print and in shop windows, but have not yet had the time to respond.
I am keen to volunteer my services for the charity collections in whatever capacity you feel I may be of most value. I am happy to collect donations door to door, or perhaps work on the administration side. I have some experience with book keeping so
this may be something that can be of use.
I am available three days a week, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am free all day on those days, and I have a few extra hours on other days but that is less reliable as I still work part time and am not sure of my hours week to week.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
June Smith
(163 words)
Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Fewer people are reading books these days.
Therefore we should close all libraries and use the funds for something more urgent like healthcare.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
There is an argument to be made that diverting essential resources to areas considered to be more important would be a better use of taxpayers money. However, there would be significant losses if this were to mean the closure of public libraries, as will now be explained.
Primarily, the availability of accessing free resources is of great value to many, especially to people in lower income brackets who may otherwise not be able to afford books. Closure of such facilities would further reduce the number of people who read, and this in turn would have a significant effect on the level of academic ability within a country.
In addition, libraries offer essential research tools to people studying in further education. It is common that in a library, academics can access research journals and other relevant paperwork to pursue their studies, perhaps in areas where their conclusions will be of great benefit to the community.
However, it could be argued that with hospital waiting lists becoming ever longer, that diverting resources to these areas would help. Whilst that is possibly true, libraries offer to many a place of peace and quiet, within which they can relax. Most libraries not only offer books, but also music, internet access and many group and club activities, thus to a large degree allowing them to maintain better health – or at very least, better mental health.
To conclude, it would be inadvisable to close libraries or even to charge for their use. It would perhaps be better to reduce spending in other areas if money is desperately needed for other public services.
(266 words)