CAE CONTRIBUTION TO A LONGER PIECE

TASK

As we regularly do, we’re asking you, the readers, to add your contribution on the subject of one of our feature articles. So tell us what you think. 

Are young people given too much too soon in their lives? We don’t just mean famous youngsters, we mean youngsters in general. Are they spoilt? Do their parents indulge them too much? Is it better for them to go without certain things so that they learn the value of having to struggle to get what they want? Are they given the impression that life is easy because it is too easy for them? Or is it the opposite in a lot of cases? Is life too much of a struggle for too many youngsters? 

Maybe you have personal experience you’d like to share with the readers. We’ll print some of your articles in future editions.

Write your contribution in 220-260 words

                                   Too much too young?

Today parents are definitively different from those of yesterday when it comes to educating their offspring. I strongly believe that youngsters are over spoiled and parents too much indulgent.

Young people are obviously more and more influenced by their environment and the media resulting in a more demanding generation of children than in the past. Today watching fussy kids in a shop making scenes is pretty common. They make their parents buy them the latest trendy gadget even if they cost an arm and a leg.

I have witnessed this on several occasions and always wonder why is it that parents accept to give them everything they want. This can be due to the fact that today parents are too busy working away from home, and feel guilty not to be with their kids or not doing enough for them, so they try to compensate their love with presents.

I remember the time when I was young, I contented myself with just my colour pencils, drawing, playing with my dolls or outside with some friends. But luckily my family was always there to play with me. I have them, and it was more important than any material thing.

Another reason why I think parents spoil their children is because they want to give them a good quality of life. They have good intentions, I mean, wishing the best for their children is legitimate, but giving them all for free certainly doesn´t teach them to be responsible in life nor to work hard to achieve their goals, nor to be thankful for what they receive. These spoilt children probably even ignore that in the world there are many poor children who have no toys to play with.

The way I see it parents should teach their children real values like hard-work and solidarity from a young age, rather than spoiling them with too many, many time useless, material things.

CAE ESSAY

Read this CAE ESSAY SAMPLE sent to us by a CAE student. Surf our web for more on CAE. We recommend How to write an Essay

TASK:
You have recently had a class debate in which students discussed whether knowledge or social connections were more useful in achieving success. Your teacher has asked you to write an essay giving your opinion on the following statement:

« It’s not what you know, but who you know that counts »

Write your essayin 220-260 words

What you know or who you know?

I strongly believe that having the right skills and qualifications is essential in order to get a good job and succeed in life. However, with the large numbers of people competing for jobs nowadays, aren’t social connections equally important?

Some parents encourage their sons and daughters to keep up with the academic work in order to acquire the necessary knowledge to get into college and obtain a well-paid job one day. These young people do their best to be the first student in the class, they qui ttheir social life and have very few friends. But then when they finish their studies, despite their impressive marks, they struggle to find a job.

On the other hand we can find a group of people who were not necessarily brilliant at college but who have the right connections. They are the ones who get a good place in a company because they know the right people. Having knowledge is undoubtedly important but I think we all need a little push from others to succeed in today´s society.

Nevertheless I want to make it clear that I believe that getting a job only because you have connections is not fair and people should not be given a job if they do not have the right qualifications. The way I see it both, knowledge and connections, are equally important.

CAE REPORT

Read this CAE REPORT SAMPLE sent to us by a CAE student. Surf our web for more on CAE. We recommend  How to write a Report for CAE.

TASK: 
An international research group is carrying out an investigation into changing trends in the way young people spend their free time. You have been asked to write a report about the situation in your country.

Write your report in 220- 260 words

Report on the changing trends in the way young people in France spend their free time.

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to show how the new leisure trends have highly changed the way young people in France spend their free time.

From past to present

If we take a step  some  years backwards  young people used to spend their free time outdoors playing football, biking, or making friends. Today these recreational activities only belong to the past having been replaced by video games, television, and the new technologies. The digital revolution has really brought about a big change in the way people spend their free time.

A blessing in disguise 

The new generations are born and have grown up in a world governed by the media and computers. It is estimated that about 65% of young people in France, ranged between 18 and 25, spend at least 13 hours per week on the internet. They search for information, download music, play games, chat with friends and use the social networks. This, however, might be a blessing in disguise as statistics also show that this generation of young people read more, socialise more, and gets better marks at school.

Conclusion

There is a clear preference for young people to spend time with the computer instead of doing sport outside. However, this is not so terrible news.  Our study indicates that today’s young people read more than our parents did in the past and are much more involved in participating actively in on-line and real life communities.

CAE December 2014 Writing Paper. What to expect in the exam.

Are you taking the Cambridge CAE exam in December 2014? Then you are probably wondering what to expect in the Writing Paper. Read this post to find out.


The Writing Paper of the CAE exam is divided in two parts:

Part 1 Compulsory task

Writing one of the following: an article, a report, a proposal or

a letter. 180-220 words.


To prepare for this part, visit our page How to write an article for an International Exam


Part 2 

Candidates have a choise of tasks. For questions 2-4 the 

task types used are: article, competition entry, contribution to

a longer piece, essay, information sheet, letter, proposal,

report and review. Question 5(a) and 5(b) are based on two

set texts.  220-260 words.


You will need to produce both pieces of writing in 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

CAE COMPETITION ENTRY

Read this COMPETITION ENTRY sample sent to us by a CAE student. Surf our web for more on CAE. We recommend  How to write a Report for CAE.

TASK: 

We are planning a series of TV programmes about the 10 greatest sportmen and women of all time. Which sportperson would you nominate to be included in the series?

Write to us describing this person’s achievements and explaining why you feel he or she should be included.

Write your competition entry in 220-260 words

Greatest sportsperson competition

Zinedine Zidane is a former French footballer who is considered one of the greatest players of all times. He made a name for himself at national and international level for his outstanding performance in the game and also for the several championships he won throughout his career.  He also helped France classify to the World Cup finale in 2006, in which they were the winners. It goes without saying that this icononic player really deserves to be the candidate for a nomination in your television series.

But how did Zinedine Zidane become such an amazing player? To answer this we need to go back to his early age. He discovered football in his home town. He used to play football with his friends in the streets, where he developed some unrivalled techniques and a perfect control of the ball. Endowed with an unique ability, he evolved as a professional player and won several titles such as the Juventus of Turin and the Real Madrid ones, which led him to be voted several times as the best international football player in 1998, 2000 and 2003, as well as to win a golden ball in 2006.

I believe that what sets Zinedine apart from any the other player is his perseverance and charming personality, but above all his strength to face adversity with composure. So friendly and sociable is he that he became the favorite player of the French in 2006 who nicknamed him «  Zizou ».

At the age of 35 he was at the height of his career and, came the time for him to leave the football pitch. Since 2013 he has held the position of an assistant coach for the Real Madrid team club. If there is one thing for sure is that Zizou is now a legend and he undoubtedly deserves a place among your top ten greatest sportspeople.

Submitted by Syb
Edited by www.cpesamplewritings.blogspot.com


CAE Practice.

Now it is your turn to practise for the CAE Cambridge Exam. Write a Competition Entry using the task above. If you would like to have your writing checked for free and posted in this blog, you can send it to gustavo.albarracin.q@gmail.com