Unit 1 - Ayvansaray · The report should outline how the writer’s classmates ... Most of the class are quite sporty. Football, basketball and swimming are particularly popular

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Unit 1 Models and Marking Criteria

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing in response to your advertisement for a drama course. I would like to enrol but, before I do so, I would appreciate it if you could provideme with some further details.

First of all, I would like to be informed about the specific dates of the terms, aswell as what holidays there are. Secondly, the advertisement suggests that thecourse is aimed only at students who want to work in theatre, but is this really thecase?

I would also like to know approximately how many students there will be on thecourse and whether accommodation is available. Finally, could you also let me knowexactly where the drama school is, and how much the course costs?

I would be grateful if you could answer my queries at your earliest convenience.Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation.

Yours faithfully,Lane Carter

MARKING THE LETTER

The following points should be takeninto consideration when marking theletter.

● content

The letter should include all the pointsfrom the notes. It should ask forinformation about the dates of thecourse, whether the techniques taughtare only suitable for the theatre, howmany students will be on the course,how much it costs, the address of theschool and whether accommodation isavailable.

● organisation

The letter should be organised inparagraphs, following the plan onp13.

● range of structures and vocabulary

The letter should include appropriateexpressions for requesting informationin a formal letter (possibly includingsome of those given in the table on p13).Appropriate vocabulary for discussingthe drama course should be used.

● register and format

The piece of writing should be in theform of a letter and the writer shoulduse formal register. The letter shouldbegin ‘Dear Sir / Madam’ and closewith ‘Yours faithfully’.

● target reader

The target reader should understandwhat information the writer wants andbe able to answer all of his/herquestions.

(145 words)

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Dear Worried Friend,

I read about Alan’s problem in the ‘Ask Annie’ column and, in my opinion,Alan is very lucky to have a caring friend like you.

I think that, because I’ve had some personal experience with the difficultiesAlan is facing, I can offer you some useful advice. To begin with, youshould tell Alan how much better he will feel and look if he decides to dealwith his depression and weight problem. Alan will need a lot of moralsupport to help him through this difficult time. You should encourage him totalk about his problems and offer a lot of sympathy and encouragement.

Another way to assist Alan would be to organise some fun, healthy activitiesto do with him. For example, you could plan a long bike trip or a weekendtrip to an interesting city where you could do a lot of walking. Theseexperiences would help him meet new people and get some exercise atthe same time.

I’m sure that, with your kind help, Alan will soon be feeling better!

Good luck,Amber McDougal

MARKING THE LETTER


● content

The letter should offer appropriateadvice for the problem. It should offerreassurance at the end, and express ahope that the problem will be resolved.

● organisation

The letter should be organised inparagraphs. The first paragraph shouldinclude suitable opening remarks. Themain body of the letter should includethe writer’s advice, and the finalparagraph should offer reassurance. Itcould follow the plan given in theteacher’s guide, p10.


The writer should use appropriateexpressions for giving advice. Thevocabulary should be appropriate tothe task and could include some of theexpressions from the table on p21.


The piece of writing should be in theform of a letter and the writer shoulduse neutral register.It should begin ‘Dear Worried Friend,’and use an appropriate closing form u l a .

● target reader

The target reader should understandwhat advice the writer is giving andwhy the writer thinks this advice willhelp.

(178 words)

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MARKING THE REPORT

The following points should be taken intoconsideration when marking the report.

● content

The report should outline how the writer’s classmatesspend their spare time. It should comment onthese activities and suggest other activities thatwould be suitable for members of this class.

● organisation

The report should be organised in paragraphs.The introduction should include the reason whythe report is being written. The paragraphs in themain body of the report should discuss the sparetime activities of the writer’s classmates. Aseparate paragraph should give recommendationsfor other activities. Finally the conclusion shouldsummarise the information and the writer’sopinions given in the main body of the report.


Appropriate expressions should be used to giveinformation and to make recommendations.Suitable expressions should be used to start theintroduction and the conclusion. These could betaken from the table on p29.


Informal or neutral register should be used.The report should have a heading. It should beorganised into paragraphs with an introductionand a conclusion. The paragraphs which makeup the main body of the report could each havea separate subheading.

● target reader

The target reader should have a clear idea of theactivities the writer’s classmates enjoy in theirspare time. It should be clear what activities thewriter is recommending.

(180 words)

A Report on Leisure ActivitiesThe purpose of this report is to outline how members of class 3C spend their sparetime and to recommend other activities which they may enjoy.

Going outAll the members of 3C enjoy going out with their friends and family. Eating out andgoing to the cinema are the most common activities.

SportsMost of the class are quite sporty. Football, basketball and swimming are particularlypopular.

At homeAt home, most of the class relax by watching TV or listening to music. Reading andplaying computer games are also popular with several class members.

RecommendationsI believe that some members of my class would greatly enjoy joining the after-school drama, music and technology clubs. There are also many other sports thatthey could try. They could play squash and badminton at the local sports centre, andthe school cricket team is looking for new members.

In conclusion, the members of 3C enjoy a wide range of leisure activities. However,I hope that the recommendations in this report will give them some new ideas.

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Topic 1: MARKING THE REVIEWThe following points should be taken into considerationwhen marking the review.

● contentThe review should discuss a book that the writer enjoyed.It should include the book’s title, the author’s name and abrief outline of the plot. However, it should not reveal theending. The writer should give his/her opinion of the bookand recommend it to people reading the review.

● organisationThe review should be organised in paragraphs. The firstparagraph should include the title of the book and thename of its author. The final paragraph should include thewriter’s recommendation.

● range of structures and vocabularyThe review should use suitable expressions to give inform a t i o nabout the book and make a recommendation. Appropriatev o c a b u l a ry should be used to describe the book including arange of adjectives to describe the main characters and the plot.

● register and formatThe piece of writing should be in the form of a review. Thewriter should use neutral register.

● target readerThe target reader should understand which book the writer isdiscussing and what type of book it is. It should be clear whythe writer enjoyed the book and why he/she is recommending it.

Topic 2: MARKING THE EMAIL The following points should be taken into considerationwhen marking the email.

● contentThe email should include all the points listed in the memo onp37. It should mention the advert that the writer is respondingto, say that the writer wants to take out a subscription to themagazine and how long the writer wants the subscriptionfor, and should quote the reference number. It should alsogive the writer’s name and address.

● organisationAlthough this is an email, it should still have a clear,paragraphed structure.

● range of structures and vocabularyThe email should use appropriate formal opening and closingf o rmulas and suitable polite expressions for giving inform a t i o n .

● register and formatThe email should use formal or neutral register. It shouldhave the same basic format as a formal letter.

● target readerThe target reader would understand that the writer wantsto take out a subscription to the magazine, who the writeris, and where the magazine should be sent.

(146 words)

(54 words)

Topic 1

Dead Loss is the latest whodunnit from the award-winning crime writer Jane Fletcher. It is set in a smalltown in Mississippi, and deals with the mysteriousdeath of a local woman, Maggie Lane.

At first, the police can find no reason why anyone wouldwant to kill the sweet and popular Maggie. However, itsoon becomes clear that she was not as innocent asshe seemed, and there are lots of people in the townwith secrets to keep.

The novel is very well written and is full of suspense. Thetwists and turns in the plot will keep readers hooked. Whatis more, the characters are totally convincing, and thevivid descriptions of the town and its strange, threateningatmosphere really bring the book to life.

Dead Loss is a nail-biting read and I thoroughly recommendit to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Topic 2

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing with reference to your advert inGlobal News Magazine. I would like to takeadvantage of the special offer (referencenumber: Q43B), and take out a year’ssubscription to The Economist magazine.

I would like the magazine to be delivered to:M. Jenkins, 37 Sycamore Lane, Brandford,BF23 6GH.

Yours faithfully,Martin Jenkins

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(179 words)

MARKING THE STORY

The following points should be takeninto consideration when marking thestory.

● content

The story should start with the givensentence.

● organisation

The story should be organised inparagraphs, following the plan on p46.


The story should use appropriate pasttenses to describe the events that took

place. Complex sentences should beused to describe events, includingappropriate time linking words, suchas those given in the box on p47.


The piece of writing should be in theform of a story, starting with the givensentence. The writer should useinformal register.

● target reader

It should be clear to the target readerexactly what happened in the story.

A Voyage to RememberI was millions of miles from the Earth, orbiting the planet Cornix,and thinking about life on that planet. The year was 2025 andthere I was on Spaceship Zoe, about to become the firstteenager in the history of the Earth to visit Cornix! My missionwas to collect information about young Cornixians and toanswer their questions about teenagers on our planet.

I sat comfortably in my seat, thinking about the pictures I hadseen of the fascinating purple planet and the tall Cornixianswith their shiny green hair. All of a sudden, the air in the cabinturned very cold and the spaceship started shaking from side toside! I was so frightened that I wanted to scream, but I wasfrozen with terror.

A few minutes later, the spaceship’s head navigator made anannouncement. I will never forget her calm voice saying, “Sorryabout that, everyone. We were going through one of the well-known Cornix Clouds, which is never easy! Everything’s fine now,and we’ll be landing at the Cornix Spaceport in about threeminutes.”

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MARKING THE ARTICLE

The following points should be takeninto consideration when marking thearticle.

● content

The article should discuss a personwho has made an impression on thewriter or on the world in general. Itshould describe this person and whythey made such an impression.

● organisation

The article should have a title andshould be organised in paragraphs. Itcould follow the plan given in theteacher’s guide, p23.


The article should use appropriatevocabulary to describe the person.This could include some of the usefullanguage from the table on p55.


The piece of writing should be in theform of an article with a suitable title.As it is being written for a youngpeople’s magazine, it can have aninformal style.

● target reader

It would be clear to the target readerwho the article was about and why theymade a big impression on the writer.

My Hero

Out of the hundreds of people I have met, my uncleRichard is the one who has made the biggest impressionon me. He is a generous, brave man, and I think he hasbeen an excellent role model for me.

My uncle was seriously ill for many years. However, henever complained or felt sorry for himself. In fact he wasalways fun to be around because he is very warm-heartedand has a great sense of humour. Now my uncle hascompletely recovered, and is training to be a doctor sothat he can help people who find themselves in thesituation he was in. Uncle Richard is always the firstperson I talk to if I have a problem, because he is alwayssympathetic and he gives excellent, honest advice.

I think we can all learn something from people like myuncle Richard. He has certainly influenced me in a verypositive way.

(156 words)

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MARKING THE ESSAY

The following points should be takeninto consideration when marking theessay.

● content

The essay should answer the questionasked in the rubric. It should give botharguments for and arguments againsttrying to help people live for ever.

● organisation

The essay should be organised inparagraphs following the plan onp63. Each paragraph should start witha suitable topic sentence. These couldinclude the ones given on p63.


The essay should use appropriateexpressions to introduce arguments.These could include examples from thebox on p63.


The piece of writing should be in theform of an essay. It should use formalregister.

● target reader

The target reader would clearlyunderstand the arguments beingpresented and would know what thewriter’s opinion on the topic was.

(176 words)

It is possible that, one day,scientists will be able to keep allhumans alive for ever. Whilethis idea may seem like anightmare scenario to somepeople, others would view it asa dream come true.

On the one hand, there wouldbe benefits if people lived forever. Firstly, we would neverhave to cope with the loss offriends or relatives. What ismore, we would becomeextremely knowledgeable andmight be able to solve many ofthe world’s problems.

On the other hand, if we alllived for ever, there would be

some definite disadvantages.The planet is alreadyovercrowded, and the increasein the number of people wouldcause major food and watershortages. Even if theseproblems were overcome, livingfor ever could be veryunpleasant if we suffered fromchronic illnesses. Finally, lifemight become boring after afew centuries.

All things considered, I believethat scientists shouldconcentrate on improving thequality of our lives, rather thantry to make us immortal.Quality is always better thanquantity.

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MARKING THE LETTER


● content

The letter should give informationabout the arts festival and makesuggestions about events that thewriter’s friend would enjoy. It shouldalso answer the friend’s question aboutstaying with the writer.

● organisation

The letter should be arranged inparagraphs, following the plan givenon p71.


The letter should include appropriateexpressions for starting and finishing

an informal letter, and expressions formaking suggestions. These couldinclude some examples from the tableon p71.


The piece of writing should be in theform of a letter and use informalregister.

● target reader

The target reader should understandthe information given about the artsfestival and know what suggestions thewriter was making, and why the writerthought that these events would besuitable for him/her. The reader wouldalso understand that he/she is invitedto stay at Karl’s house.

Dear Chris,

Thanks for your email. It was wonderful to hear from you!

There are several great music and dance events at the Summer Arts Festival thisyear. The first is a rock concert with some top international bands. The ticketsare e20 each, and the concert is on June 1st at the Municipal Park. You couldcome here that afternoon and we could have lunch and walk over to the parktogether. From June 2nd to the 10th, there’s a contemporary dance groupperforming at the National Theatre, but I know that you prefer traditional dance.However, since you’re a big jazz fan, I think that “All that Jazz” at the MarketTheatre would be perfect for you! It’s a music and dance performance whichshows the history of jazz. This is on from June 2nd - 6th and tickets cost e20-e100.

It would be fantastic if you could stay at my house and enjoy the festival with me.Let me know which events you want to attend. Please give my regards to yourfamily!

Best wishes,Karl

(176 words)

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MARKING THE STORY

The following points should be takeninto consideration when marking thestory.

● content

The story should describe part of aday in the life of a dog or cat. Itshould end with the given sentence.

● organisation

The story should be arranged inparagraphs, following the plan onp80.


The story should use appropriate pasttenses to describe the events that took

place. Complex sentences, includingappropriate time linking words, shouldbe used to describe events. The storyshould be written in the first person.


The piece of writing should be in theform of a story, ending with the givensentence. The writer should useinformal or neutral register.

● target reader

The target reader should understandwhat happened in the story.

(187 words)

A Dog’s LifeYesterday was a beautiful sunny day and as soon as I heardmy master mention the word ‘park’, I jumped off the sofaand started barking joyfully. The park was full of exciting new smells, but I was evenmore excited to see some birds on the ground in front ofme. I had always wanted to catch one of those dumb birds.I ran as fast as I could, but they were too quick for me and,exhausted, I collapsed in the shade under a tree. After afew minutes, I noticed a huge black shape in the sky. It wasan enormous bird, and it was coming towards me! I triedto run, but the giant bird swooped down, grabbed me andcarried me away. We were flying higher and higher. Soonthe park was just a little green dot below us. I was terrified.Then, I heard a voice. “Come on boy, it’s time to go home.”I woke up with a jump. I couldn’t believe it had been adream. I was so glad when I realised I was still in the park.

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MARKING THE ARTICLE


● content

The article must describe the writer’slife as a refugee living in a newcountry.

● organisation

The article should have a heading. Itshould begin with an interestingsentence and be organised inparagraphs, following the plan onp88.


The article should use appropriatevocabulary, including a range ofadjectives, to describe life in the newcountry. Complex sentences, perhapsusing relative pronouns, could be usedto make the article more interesting.


The piece of writing should be in theform of an article with a suitableheading. The writer should use formalregister.

● target reader

The target reader would understandwhat life as a refugee had been likefor the writer.

Ordinary PeopleCan you imagine having to leave your home, friends,family and country because your home town had beencompletely destroyed by war? Last year, my mother andI lost almost everything in the war in our country. Wehad to make a long and difficult journey to start a newlife here. Mum found a job in a café last month, so we have justmoved out of a shelter and into a small flat. Mum istaking language lessons in the evenings and she hopesto find a better job soon. I had difficulty learning thelanguage and making new friends at first, but thingsare slowly getting easier. Of course, Mum and I oftenmiss our loved ones. Life in our home town was muchquieter and cleaner too.Life in this country is both difficult and interesting.Some people here are hostile towards refugees like us,but we’ve also met many kind and generous people whounderstand that we are just ordinary people who havehad some very bad luck.

(173 words)

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Topic 1: MARKING THE LETTERThe following points should be taken into considerationwhen marking the letter.

● contentThe letter should mention what was wrong with the cheese,where and when the writer bought it, and what the writerwants the reader to do.

● organisationThe letter should be organised in paragraphs, following theplan on page p96.

● range of structures and vocabularyThe writer should use suitable starting and finishing sentencesfor a formal letter and appropriate expressions to makecomplaints. These could include some of the expressionsgiven on p96.

● register and formatThe piece of writing should be in the form of a letter, start i n gwith ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ and closing with ‘Yours faithfully’.The writer should use formal register.

● target readerThe target reader would understand the complaints that thewriter is making and would know what the writer expectedto happen next.

Topic 2: MARKING THE TEXT MESSAGEThe following points should be taken into considerationwhen marking the text message.

● contentThe text message should invite the writer’s friend to therestaurant. It should tell him which restaurant and what timehe should be there. It should also tell him where therestaurant is (giving directions).

● organisationAs the piece of writing is a text message, its organisationis not important, but the information should be presentedclearly.

● range of structures and vocabularyThe text message can include abbreviations etc as long asthe meaning is clear.

● register and formatThe piece of writing should be in the form of a textmessage, and the writer should use informal register.

● target readerThe target reader would understand that he is beinginvited out for dinner, and would understand how to get tothe restaurant.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to complain about a product which I bought inyour West Street supermarket on Tuesday 17th March.

This was a 500-gram packet of Farmfresh cheddar cheese.Although the best-before date on the cheese was 1st April,when I opened it, the cheese smelt bad and had clearlygone off. It was covered in green mould. I believe that itmust have been left unrefrigerated for some time.

As a regular customer, I am very disappointed that youwould sell a product that was inedible. I could not return it tothe store, as I have misplaced the receipt. However, I feelthat, at the very least, you should refund the cost of thecheese (í4.28) and take steps to make sure that this kind ofproblem does not occur again. I trust that you will give thismatter your serious consideration.

Yours faithfully,Michael Rose

Topic 1:

Topic 2:

(147 words)

(46 words)

FRANK – GOING 2 ‘PAOLO’SPIZZERIA’ WTH FRED & JUDY2NITE. WLD U LIKE 2 CM? WE RMTING @ 8. TAKE NO 11 BUS,GET OFF @ CHARLES SQ &TAKE 1ST LEFT. ‘PAOLO’S’ ONMARSHALL ST, NXT 2 BANK.HOPE 2 C U THERE, KATE

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MARKING THE LETTER


● content

The letter should give argumentssupporting both sides of the topic andshould express thanks to the editor.

● organisation

The letter should use appropriateopening and closing formulas. Itshould be organised in paragraphs,following the plan on p104.


The letter should include appropriatephrases for expressing an opinion.

These could include some from thetable on p105. The writer should alsouse suitable words and phrases (suchas those given on p105) to link similarand contrasting ideas.


The piece of writing should be in theform of a letter to the editor of amagazine. The writer should useformal or neutral register.

● target reader

The target reader should understandthe arguments being presented by thewriter.

Dear Sir/Madam,I found the article about human nature in the April issue of your magazinevery interesting. I am writing to share my opinions on the ideas it contained. Seeing things in black and white certainly has some advantages. In the firstplace, it can make life simple. Those who see the world in this way don’twaste too much time worrying about whether they’ve made the right decisions inthe past. I have no doubt that people who think this way rarely feel confusedabout what they should do, so they generally have less stress than others.How often have you heard one side of an argument from a friend, and thenheard a different story from the other person involved? I believe that we needto be open-minded and not make snap judgements. There may well be two ormore sides to consider, and in my experience, the truth often lies somewhere inthe middle.Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and congratulations on yourmagazine.Yours faithfully,Patrick Garner

(178 words)

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MARKING THE ARTICLE


● content

The article should describe an every d a yobject from the point of view of analien who has never seen it before.

● organisation

The article should be arranged inparagraphs, following the plan onp114.


The article should use appropriatevocabulary to describe the object andhow the writer felt. This could includesome of the adjectives given in the‘useful language’ section on p114.


The piece of writing should be in theform of an article for a students’magazine. The writer should useinformal or neutral register.

● target reader

The target reader should be able toclearly follow the description of theobject and, eventually, understandwhat is being described.

(154 words)

A Very Strange Object

I have been on this planet for some time now, and I have seen someweird gadgets. But the one I saw yesterday was the weirdest of all.

It was almost round at one end with a lot of strings crossing each otherto make a grid. The other end was like a stick. Both of the young humanswere carrying one, and since they were wearing shorts, at first I thoughtit might be some kind of heater. It didn’t feel hot though. I was confused.Then I thought it might be a musical instrument. We have something thatlooks a bit like that at home, but this thing wasn’t making any noise.

I followed the humans to the park, where they used the thing to hit littlegreen balls at each other over a net. I like humans, but I’ll neverunderstand the crazy things they enjoy doing in their free time.

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MARKING THE ESSAY

The following points should be takeninto consideration when marking theessay.

● content

The essay should discuss whether ornot the writer would want to changehis/her family. It should give reasonsto justify his/her opinions.

● organisation

The essay should be organised inparagraphs and could follow the plangiven on p122.


The writer should use appropriatephrases for introducing general

comments and conclusions. Thesecould include examples from the boxon p122. Appropriate adjectivesshould be used to describe familymembers’ characteristics. These couldinclude those given in the text and thetask on p123.


The piece of writing should be in theform of an essay and the writer shoulduse formal register.

● target reader

The target reader should understandthe writer’s opinion and the reasonshe/she gives for this.

“We can choose our friends, butnot our relatives.”

Some people say that their liveswould be better if they had comefrom a different family. Ourrelatives, good or bad, usuallyplay a significant role in shapingthe people we are.

It is certainly tempting to wish tochange our relatives from time totime. My grandparents can beold-fashioned and out of touch,and my parents are often toostrict and demanding. SometimesI think that my brother gets moreattention than I do, and he oftengets me into trouble. However, I

know that deep down my parentsonly want the best for me, andmy grandparents love me dearly.I think that if we couldcommunicate more, things wouldimprove. However, having less-than-perfect relatives gives us thechance to learn more aboutourselves, and to becomestronger and more tolerant. If allour relatives were perfect, wewouldn’t grow very much asindividuals.To conclude, I believe that I wouldrather keep my relatives as I thinkthat I can learn a lot from them,despite the fact that I sometimeswish they were different.

(175 words)

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Unit 15 Models and Marking Criteria B2

MARKING THE LETTER

The following points should be taken intoconsideration when marking the letter.

● content

The letter should mention the advertthat the writer is responding to and saythat she/he is interested in the course.All the points from the notes should beincluded. The letter should say that thewriter is interested in an elementary,one-year, non-intensive course. Thewriter should ask how many studentsthere are per class, how much thecourse costs, whether she/he needs tohave an interview, and what thecourse dates are.

● organisation

The letter should be organised inp a r a g r a p h s , following the plan on p130.


The letter should include appropriateopening and closing formulas. It shouldalso use appropriate expressions tointroduce and ask for information in aformal letter. The letter could includeexamples from the ‘language andvocabulary’ and ‘useful expressions’boxes on p131.


The piece of writing should be in theform of a letter and the writer shoulduse formal register.

● target reader

The target reader would understandwhich course the writer is interested in,the information that the writer is giving,and would be able to answer thewriter’s questions.

(177 words)

Dear Mr Small,I am interested in the computer courses that your company hasadvertised in the Grimstown Herald, and I am writing with a viewto enrolling on a one-year (non-intensive) elementary course. Iwould appreciate it if you could answer some questions that I have. I am a sixteen-year-old high school student and I have access to acomputer at home. However, I only have a basic knowledge ofcomputers. This is why I believe the elementary-level course wouldbe most suitable for me. I would appreciate it if you could tell meapproximately how many students there will be per class and howmuch the fees for the course I am interested in will be.Could you also inform me about the exact dates on which theterms begin and end, and what the enrolment dates are? Finally,could you please advise me whether I will have to attend aninterview? Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Iwould appreciate an early reply to my queries.Yours sincerely,Hugh Hogan

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MARKING THE ARTICLE


● content

The article should describe the writer’sfavourite place and her/his feelingswhen she/he is there.

● organisation

The article should have a title. It shouldbe arranged in paragraphs, followingthe plan on p138.


The article should begin with aninteresting sentence. The writer should

use appropriate vocabulary to describethe place and her/his feelings. Thiscould include adjectives and phrasesfrom the ‘language and vocabulary’section on p138 or from the text onp139.


The piece of writing should be in theform of an article for a teenagers’magazine. The writer should useneutral or informal register.

● target reader

The target reader would understandwhat place the writer is describing,why she/he likes it and how the placemakes her/him feel.

The Old Town in The Modern CityHave you ever wondered what life in our country was like centuriesago? Well, although I am a resident of modern Vinocaster, I can seethe original Vinocaster whenever I visit the old town centre, which ismy favourite place.The old town is only a fifteen-minute walk from Vinocaster’s fast-paced modern business centre, but it has a unique character. Withinthe old town wall, the quaint eight-hundred-year-old stone houses aretightly packed along narrow cobbled streets. The only vehiclesallowed in the old town are the small horse-drawn carts that deliverpeople’s shopping. In the centre is a large open square dominated bythe old town hall (now a museum) and a magnificent church. Lots oftourists visit these buildings, as well as the little cafés and restaurantsin the square.For me, the picturesque old town is an oasis where I can escape fromthe pressures of modern life. There are always plenty of visitorsexploring its delights, but the bustle is friendly and relaxed. All in all, itis well worth a visit.

(176 words)

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MARKING THE LETTER

The following points should be taken intoconsideration when marking the letter.

● content

The letter should give the writer’s friendsome advice about taking an Englishcourse. It should include all the pointsfrom the notes. It should mention thei n t e rmediate course, conversation classesand should mention that living in anEnglish-speaking country is the best wayto learn the language. The writer shouldcomment on the difference betweenGeneral and Business English coursesand should mention that lots ofentertainment is provided.

● organisation

The letter should be arranged inparagraphs, following the plan on p149.


The letter should include suitableexpressions for starting and ending aninformal letter, and appropriatephrases for giving information, adviceand making suggestions.It could include examples of all ofthese from the boxes on p149.


The piece of writing should be in theform of a letter and the writer shoulduse informal register.

● target reader

The target reader would have a goodunderstanding about the Englishcourse, and would know what thewriter was advising.

Dear Arnie,It was great to hear from you. I think the best way to learnEnglish is to study in an English-speaking country. This summer I went to Blackfriars College in Barnston. Thecollege has a good reputation and caters for all levels, so I’dstrongly recommend it. My sister enjoyed the intermediatecourse she did last year. I joined a conversation class, whichwas great fun, and I also did general English. If you needEnglish for work, I’d recommend the business English class.Blackfriars found me accommodation with a great hostfamily near the college. The college also organises a lot ofentertainment; it’s a good way for students to socialise. Oneof my most relaxing afternoons was spent rowing on thelocal lake. You’ll enjoy that if you go. If I were you, I’dalso visit Barnston Castle: it’s fascinating!.All in all, I’m sure you’d love doing a course at Blackfriars.Let me know if you want any more information.Best wishes,Juana

(175 words)

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MARKING THE ESSAY

The following points should be taken intoconsideration when marking the essay.

● content

The essay should describe what lifewas like in the writer’s country fiftyyears ago.It should include a description of dailylife, information about what mostpeople did for a living and givereasons why things began to change.

● organisation

The essay should be organised inparagraphs. The bullet points on p156could be used as a plan for the essay.


The essay should include appropriatevocabulary to describe life in thewriter’s country in the past. This couldinclude examples from the table onp156.


The piece of writing should be in theform of an essay. The writer should useformal register.

● target reader

The target reader would understandthe information being given about lifein the writer’s country fifty years ago.

Nowadays, Scotland, like many othercountries, is technologically advanced. Fiftyyears ago life was quite different.

At that time, electricity was new to lots ofrural areas. Roads were narrower and had alot less traffic. People shopped at small localshops, many of which delivered groceries tohouses in rural areas. Most houses had aradio, but few had televisions, so peoplemade their own entertainment. Music,dancing and drama were organised bycommunities for themselves.

Working life was also very different. Morepeople were involved in agriculture andthousands worked in heavy industries likeshipbuilding, mining and steel. Few peopleworked in service industries like tourism andbanking, as they do now.

These changes are due not only totechnology, but also to economic andpolitical developments, like cheap importsand the closure of many industries. Also,more people have more interesting careerchoices and want exciting lifestyles.

(156 words)

Documents

Unit 1 - Ayvansaray · The report should outline how the writer’s classmates ... Most of the class are quite sporty. Football, basketball and swimming are particularly popular