Writing (1 hour 30 minutes)

Part 1

Read the two texts below.

Write an essay summarising and evaluating the key points from both texts. Use your own words throughout as far as possible, and include your own ideas in your answers.

Wrife your answer in 240-280 words.

1.

Being a home

For some people, it is only at home that they can truly relax. It is the place they go to to recover from both the excitements and the stress of their everyday life: the noisy hubbub of the city, the pressures of study and work, and the busy commute through rush-hour traffic. They appreciate the opportunity to reflect on all that has happened that day. They can contemplate the day's significant events,either in the peace and quiet of their own room or through participating in a discussion over a meal.

2.

Communications technology

For many of us, life at home can be rather restrictive, or simply dull, so we escape to public places where we can socialise and be ourselves, such as cafés and coffee bars. Yet home is still a place where people can express their personalities. The choice of furniture, the colour scheme, and the paintings or posters displayed on the walls, will all say a great deal about the person who lives there. Visiting a friend's home for the first time may well reveal aspects of their personality which were previously unknown to us.

Part 2

Write an answer to one of the questions 2 – 4 in this part. Write your answer in 220 – 260 words in an appropriate style.

2. You have recently worked as a volunteer, coaching teenagers at a sports camp designed to encourage young people to take up new sports. The organisers have asked you to write a report for the website. You should briefly describe your responsibilities as a coach for two different You should also evaluate how valuable the sports camp was for the teenagers overall and recommend how it could be improved in future.

Write your report.

3. You have recently read some letters in a magazine discussing the question ‘What are good manners’?’. The magazine has invited readers to join the You decide to write a letter in which you briefly describe one or two examples of what you consider to be good manners, explaining why behaving politely in those particular situations is necessary. You should also evaluate just how important good manners are nowadays.

Write your letter.

4. A film magazine has invited readers to submit reviews of films which are set in the future, but deal with themes relevant to today's world, such as our relationship with technology or environmental problems. You decide to submit a review briefly déscribing such a film and explaining why its themes are relevant You should also consider how important it is for films set in the future to say something about contemporary society.

Write your review.

5. Write an answer to one of the following two questions based on one of the titles below. Write 5(a) or 5(b) at the beginning of your answer.

(a) Tracy Chevalier: Girl with a Pearl Earring

‘The earring would complete the painting. It would also put me on the street.’ Your class tutor has asked you to write an essay assessing the significance of the pearl earrings in Griet's story, and explaining the way in which the earrings contribute to her losing her position in the Vermeer household.

Write your essay.

(b) Tobias Hill: The Cryptographer

An English language magazine is running a series of articles dealing with the theme of money, and has asked its readers to send in articles for the series. You decide to write an article considering the importance of money in the relationship between John Law and Anna Moore in The Cryptographer. You should also explain why you think an article about this novel would be worth including in the series.

Write your article.