Directed writing Banker

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Phones off, minds on (from a parents' newsletter)Our school should follow the example of many others and ban mobile phones completely during the school day. Phones would be handed in at the gate each morning and returned at home time.The reasons are obvious to anyone who has watched a group of teenagers at break. Instead of talking, playing or simply resting their minds, they sit hunched over screens. Teachers tell us that notifications interrupt lessons, and that some pupils secretly message friends or play games under their desks.Phones also bring the worst of the internet into school. Arguments that begin online continue in the corridors, and cruel photographs can be shared within seconds. A ban would give pupils seven hours a day of freedom from this pressure.Some parents worry about contacting their children in an emergency. But the school office has always been able to pass on messages, just as it did before phones existed. A short period of adjustment would be worth the calmer, more focused school that would result.Text B: Don't treat us like children (a student's blog)Every few months, someone suggests banning phones in school, and every time I want to ask: has anyone asked us?My phone is not just for games. I use it to check my timetable, photograph the board when I can't copy fast enough, look up words in English lessons and use the calculator in science. During the last power cut, it was the only torch in our classroom.Banning phones will not stop online bullying. Most of it happens in the evening, at home, where the school has no control. What would actually help is teaching us how to use phones responsibly and how to report problems, because we will have phones for the rest of our lives.There is also the journey to and from school. Many of us travel by bus or rickshaw, and our parents feel safer knowing they can reach us. Handing phones in at the gate means queues and lost or damaged devices.A better rule would be simple: phones switched off in lessons unless the teacher asks for them. Trust us, and most of us will respect it.

1. (a) Your headteacher is considering banning mobile phones during the school day. You decide to write a letter to the headteacher.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about banning mobile phones in school• give your own views, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Headteacher'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Give the bazaar back to people (from a heritage society report)The old bazaar is one of the city's treasures: a maze of narrow lanes lined with spice merchants, cloth sellers and centuries-old doorways. Yet anyone who tries to walk there today must dodge motorbikes, delivery vans and cars forcing their way through spaces built for donkeys and handcarts.We propose that the main bazaar street be closed to motor traffic between ten in the morning and eight at night. Deliveries could be made early in the morning. Elsewhere, similar schemes have transformed historic centres: air becomes cleaner, accidents fall, and visitors linger longer and spend more.Pedestrian streets also protect old buildings, whose fragile walls are shaken by heavy vehicles. They allow space for street food, performers and seating, and they make the bazaar safer for children, elderly people and wheelchair users.The bazaar has survived for centuries. It will not survive many more decades of traffic jams.Text B: Who will carry the goods? (a shopkeeper's view)My family has sold brass and copper in the bazaar for three generations, and I am worried about the plan to ban vehicles.Many of our customers are not tourists strolling around with cameras. They are wholesalers and families who buy heavy goods: large cooking pots, trays and wedding gifts. They come by car or motorbike and load their purchases at the door. If they have to carry everything half a kilometre to a car park, they will simply shop elsewhere.Early-morning deliveries sound simple, but our suppliers come from other cities and cannot always arrive before ten. Porters would have to be paid to carry stock, adding to costs that are already high.There is also a risk that the bazaar becomes a museum for visitors rather than a working market for local people. I agree the traffic is terrible, but the answer is better parking at the edges, strict rules on through traffic and fines for double parking, not a total ban.

1. (a) Your city council is considering closing the main street of the old bazaar to motor traffic during the day. You decide to write a letter to the council.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about closing the bazaar street to traffic• give your own views, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Councillors'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Open-plan offices bring us together (from a property company advertisement)Gone are the days of grey corridors and closed doors. Our new office buildings are designed around bright, open floors where whole teams work side by side.Open-plan spaces encourage conversation. When colleagues can see one another, questions are answered in seconds rather than by lengthy emails, and ideas are shared naturally over a desk. Managers are visible and approachable, so problems are spotted early.These offices are also more flexible. Desks can be rearranged as teams grow or change, and the absence of walls lets natural light reach every corner, which research suggests improves mood. Companies save money, too: the same floor can accommodate more people.Modern businesses depend on teamwork. Our open-plan offices are built for it.Text B: I can't hear myself think (an employee's blog)When my company moved into an open-plan office, we were promised a new era of teamwork. What we got was noise.Phones ring, people chat, someone eats crisps beside me, and a colleague's video call can be heard across the room. For work that needs real concentration, such as checking figures or writing reports, it is exhausting. Many of us now wear headphones all day, which rather defeats the point of talking to one another.There is no privacy. Discussing a personal problem with a manager, or making a doctor's appointment, means doing it in a corridor. Illnesses spread more quickly, too; when one person catches a cold, half the floor follows.I am not asking for my own office. But a few quiet rooms, some screens between desks and agreed silent hours would make a huge difference.

1. (a) Your employer is planning to move your department into an open-plan office. You decide to write a letter to your manager.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about open-plan offices• give your own views, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Ms Akhtar'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: A car park we badly need (from a traders' association leaflet)Shopkeepers on Station Road have struggled for years. Customers circle the block looking for somewhere to park, give up and drive to the new mall on the bypass, where parking is free and plentiful. Half a dozen shops have closed in the last two years alone.The council now has a simple way to help: turn the small, little-used park behind the post office into a two-level car park. The park is neglected. Its benches are broken, its grass is worn to dust, and after dark it attracts people drinking and littering. Few families use it.A car park would bring shoppers back, protect jobs and increase the council's income through parking fees, which could then be spent on improving other parks in the town. Some trees would be lost, but new ones could be planted along the edge of the car park.If we do nothing, Station Road will become a street of shuttered shops. The town centre must come first.Text B: Save Jinnah Park (a residents' petition)The council plans to concrete over Jinnah Park, the only green space within walking distance for over two thousand households in the old town. We, the undersigned residents, say no.Yes, the park is shabby. That is because the council has failed to maintain it for a decade. Mend the benches, water the grass and light the paths, and families will return; we have seen it happen in other districts.Every morning, elderly residents walk there and children play cricket after school, because there is nowhere else to go. The large trees provide shade on hot afternoons and help clean air that is already heavy with traffic fumes. Once a park is gone, it never comes back.More parking will simply bring more cars into narrow streets that are already jammed. If shops are struggling, the answer is better buses, a weekly market and pleasant streets that make people want to stroll and shop, not another slab of concrete.We call on the council to restore the park, not destroy it.

1. (a) Your local council is deciding whether to turn a small town park into a car park. You decide to write a letter to the council.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about replacing the park with a car park• give your own views, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Councillors'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: The four-day week works (from a business website)When our design company moved to a four-day working week last year, many clients thought we had gone mad. Twelve months later, the results speak for themselves.Staff now work Monday to Thursday, for slightly longer hours each day, with no cut in pay. Because everyone knows that Friday is free, meetings are shorter, emails are answered faster and time-wasting has almost disappeared. Our productivity has actually risen.Sick days have fallen sharply, and staff say they come back on Monday refreshed rather than exhausted. Recruiting has become much easier: when we advertised two jobs in the spring, we received four times as many applications as before.There are challenges. Some clients expected to reach us on Fridays, so we created a small rota to answer urgent calls. But overall, we are convinced. A rested workforce is a better workforce, and the five-day week is a habit, not a law of nature.Text B: Four days? Not for everyone (comments from an online forum)Shazia, nurse: "A four-day week sounds lovely in an office, but hospitals, shops and factories need people every day. If some workers get Fridays off and others don't, resentment builds very quickly."Daniel, small shop owner: "I employ six people. If each of them works one day less, I either close for a day and lose customers or hire extra staff I can't afford."Hamza, accountant: "We tried it. The longer days were exhausting, especially for colleagues with young children who had to arrange extra childcare in the evenings. Some people ended up checking emails on Friday anyway, so it wasn't really a day off."Mehwish, graphic designer: "I love my four-day week. But I know it only works because my job can be measured by results, not hours behind a counter."

1. (a) The manager of the company where you work part-time is considering introducing a four-day working week. You decide to write a letter to your manager.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about a four-day working week• give your own views, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Mr Siddiqui'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Too many visitors (from an environmental group's website)Every summer, the narrow road to the lake is jammed with cars for kilometres. Families picnic on the shore, music blares from speakers, and by evening the meadows are littered with plastic bottles, nappies and food wrappers. The lake that once drew visitors with its silence is being loved to death.We call on the regional authorities to introduce a daily limit on visitors, with tickets booked in advance, and to charge an entrance fee. The money should be used to employ local rangers, build proper toilets and remove rubbish.Some will say this keeps poorer visitors away, but a modest fee is a small price for protecting the lake. Without limits, the wildlife will disappear, the water will become polluted and visitors will eventually stop coming because the place has been ruined.Text B: Nature belongs to everyone (a tour guide writes to a local paper)I have guided visitors to the lake for fifteen years, and I agree that the litter is shameful. But a daily limit and an entrance fee are the wrong answer.For many families from the cities below, a day at the lake is their only holiday of the year. A fee, especially one charged per person, would make that trip impossible for the very people who most need fresh air and open space. Advance booking also assumes everyone has internet access and can plan weeks ahead.The local economy depends on visitors. Hotels, tea stalls, jeep drivers and guides like me would lose income if numbers were cut.The problem is not how many people come but how they behave. Put bins and toilets along the shore, employ wardens to fine people who drop litter, and educate visitors with signs and leaflets. Most people will respect the lake if they are shown how.

1. (a) The regional authorities are considering limiting visitor numbers at a popular mountain lake. You decide to write a letter to the editor of the regional newspaper.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about limiting the number of visitors to the lake• give your own views, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Editor'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Let them sleep (from an education magazine)Research into the teenage body clock has been clear for years: adolescents naturally fall asleep later and need more sleep than adults. Yet many schools still expect pupils to be seated and alert by half past seven.A later start, perhaps at nine o'clock, would allow teenagers to get closer to the eight or nine hours they need. Schools abroad that have tried this report fewer pupils arriving late, better concentration in morning lessons and improved moods. Some even noticed fewer road accidents among young drivers.Critics say teenagers would simply stay up even later. But the evidence suggests that most would sleep longer, not shift their whole night. In any case, a fixed early start that leaves pupils exhausted makes no sense if our aim is learning rather than routine.Changing timetables is difficult, but schools exist for pupils' benefit. It is time we built the school day around the bodies of the young people in it, rather than the habits of the adults who run it.Text B: A later start? Not so simple (a parent's letter to a newspaper)I understand the arguments for starting school later, but families like mine would find it almost impossible.Both my husband and I begin work at eight. At present we drop our children at school on our way. If school began at nine, who would look after them for that hour, and who would collect them when they finished later in the afternoon? Not every family has grandparents nearby.A later finish also means less time for homework, tuition, sports and helping at home, and in winter children would travel home in the dark. School buses and vans that serve several schools would have to change their routes, and costs would rise.I also doubt that teenagers would use the extra hour to sleep. My son would simply spend it on his phone at midnight. Surely the answer is better habits: earlier bedtimes, no screens at night and parents who set rules.Before changing a whole system, schools should consult the families who will have to make it work.

1. (a) Your school is considering starting the day one and a half hours later. You decide to write a letter to the headteacher.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about starting the school day later• give your own views, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Headteacher'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Everyone should win (from a primary teachers' blog)Sports day at many schools still follows the old pattern: races, medals and a few children celebrating while the rest trail home feeling like failures. It is time to rethink.Children who are not naturally sporty often dread the event for weeks. Being publicly beaten in front of parents can put a child off exercise for life, which is the opposite of what we want. A sports day built around team challenges, obstacle courses and personal bests would let every child feel successful.Cooperation matters more than competition in later life. Most jobs require teamwork, not beating colleagues. Activities in which mixed groups solve problems together teach patience, communication and kindness.Competitive children can still compete in clubs and inter-school matches. Sports day should be a celebration for all, not a showcase for a few.Text B: Let them lose (from a sports coach's newspaper column)I keep reading that school sports days should drop races and winners in case children's feelings are hurt. I could not disagree more.Losing is part of life. Children will fail exams, miss out on jobs and be beaten in all sorts of contests as adults. A sports day race is a safe place to learn how to lose with dignity and try again. Protecting children from every disappointment does them no favours.Competition also motivates. Many of the athletes I coach began by trying to beat a classmate on sports day. Take away the chance to win, and you take away a reason to train.We do not hide spelling test results from pupils who struggle with spelling. Why should sport be different? Children who excel at running deserve their moment, just as children who excel at maths or art deserve theirs.By all means add team games and fun events. But keep the races.

1. (a) Your school is considering replacing competitive races on sports day with non-competitive team activities. You decide to write a letter to the headteacher.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about competition on sports day• give your own views, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Headteacher'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Time to scrap the uniform (from a youth magazine)School uniforms belong to another century. They are expensive, uncomfortable and do nothing to improve learning.Parents are told that uniforms save money, yet blazers, ties and specially labelled jumpers from a single approved shop often cost far more than ordinary clothes. Children grow quickly, and many families struggle to replace items every year.Uniforms also stifle individuality. The teenage years are when young people discover who they are, and clothing is one of the main ways they express it. Forcing everyone into identical outfits teaches conformity, not confidence.Supporters claim uniforms reduce bullying, but children always find differences to tease each other about: shoes, bags, haircuts, phones. A sensible dress code, banning offensive slogans and unsafe items, would achieve everything a uniform does at a fraction of the cost.Text B: Why I'm glad we wear uniform (a head girl's speech)When I joined this school, I came from a family that could not afford fashionable clothes. On my first day, in my uniform, I looked exactly like everyone else, and nobody knew. That mattered to me more than I can say.Without a uniform, every morning becomes a competition. Pupils compare brands and judge each other by what they can afford. A uniform removes that pressure and lets us concentrate on who we are rather than what we wear.Uniform also gives a sense of belonging. When we travel to competitions, we are proud to represent our school, and people recognise us. It helps us switch into 'school mode' in the morning, just as adults dress for work.Yes, uniforms can be expensive, but that is a reason to make them cheaper, perhaps through second-hand sales, not to scrap them altogether.

1. (a) Your school's governors are considering abolishing school uniform. You decide to write a letter to the chair of governors.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about school uniform• give your own views, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Chair of Governors'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Homework: an outdated habit? (from a parenting website)Every evening, millions of children sit at kitchen tables completing worksheets after a full day at school. But is homework actually worth it?For younger children especially, the evidence that homework improves results is weak. What it does do is cause stress and arguments. Parents who work long hours end up nagging tired children, and pupils without a quiet space or help at home fall further behind those with tutors and educated parents.Children also need time to play, read for pleasure, help their families and simply rest. These activities develop creativity and independence in ways that another page of sums cannot.Some countries with excellent school results set very little homework. Perhaps we should follow their lead and let school be for learning and home be for living.Text B: Why homework still matters (a teacher's view)I am tired of hearing that homework is pointless. Used well, it is one of the most valuable tools we have.Learning does not stop when the bell rings. Practising a skill on your own, without a teacher to help, is how you find out whether you have truly understood it. Homework also gives time for tasks that do not fit into a lesson: reading a novel, researching a project, learning vocabulary.Perhaps most importantly, homework builds habits that students will need at university and work: organising time, meeting deadlines and working independently. Students who never learn these habits at school often struggle badly later.Bad homework, such as pointless worksheets or hours of copying, should certainly go. But the answer is better homework, not none at all.

1. (a) Your school magazine is running a feature on homework. You decide to write an article for the magazine.In your article you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about homework• give your own views, based on what you have read.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Buy less, choose well (from a sustainability magazine)Fast fashion has made clothes cheaper than ever. A T-shirt can cost less than a sandwich, and new styles arrive in shops every few weeks. But the true cost is hidden.Making clothes uses enormous amounts of water and energy, and cheap garments often fall apart after a few washes, ending up in landfill. Many are made by workers paid very little in unsafe factories.The alternative is simple: buy fewer, better-quality clothes, repair what you have and shop second-hand. Charity shops and online resale sites are full of good clothes at low prices, and buying used saves resources and money.Fashion should be about expressing yourself, not following a trend that will be forgotten next month.Text B: Not everyone can afford to be choosy (a reader's reply)It is easy for well-off writers to tell us to 'buy fewer, better-quality clothes'. For many families, cheap fashion is not a luxury but a necessity.When you have three growing children, a good-quality jacket that costs five times as much is simply not an option, however long it might last. Second-hand shops are not always nearby, and the best items are snapped up quickly, often by people reselling them for profit.Cheap clothes also provide jobs. Factory work may be hard, but in many countries it is one of the few ways for women to earn an independent income. Boycotting cheap brands could hurt the very workers we want to help.By all means, let companies improve conditions and make clothes last longer. But please do not blame ordinary families for doing their best on a tight budget.

1. (a) A community magazine is running a series on shopping habits. You decide to write an article about fast fashion.In your article you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about fast fashion and buying second-hand• give your own views, based on what you have read.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Zoos save species (from a zoo's information leaflet)Modern zoos are not the prisons of the past. Today's best zoos are centres of conservation, education and research.Many endangered animals survive today partly because zoos bred them when wild numbers fell dangerously low, and some species have been returned to the wild from zoo populations. Zoos also fund conservation projects in the animals' home countries, protecting habitats and training rangers.For millions of children, a zoo visit is the only chance to see a tiger or an elephant up close. That experience creates a lifelong love of animals and a desire to protect them, which no documentary can match.Our keepers and vets study animal health and behaviour, and their knowledge helps wildlife experts around the world. A good zoo is not an alternative to wild nature; it is one of its most important allies.Text B: Empty the cages (from an animal welfare campaign)However large the enclosure, a zoo is still a cage. An elephant that would walk many kilometres a day in the wild, or an eagle built to soar, cannot live a natural life behind a fence.Many zoo animals show signs of distress: pacing, rocking or chewing the bars. Most species kept in zoos are not endangered at all, and very few animals bred in captivity are ever released, because they lack the skills to survive.If we want to save wildlife, the money spent on keeping animals in cities should go directly to protecting their natural habitats, where whole ecosystems benefit.As for education, children can learn far more by watching animals behave naturally in high-quality films, or by visiting wildlife sanctuaries that rescue injured animals rather than displaying healthy ones for profit.

1. (a) A local newspaper invites young people to write about whether zoos should exist. You decide to write an article for the newspaper.In your article you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about zoos• give your own views, based on what you have read.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: AI is the calculator of our time (from a technology blog)When calculators appeared in classrooms, people feared that children would never learn arithmetic. Today, AI chatbots are causing the same panic, and the same mistake is being made.AI tools can explain a difficult idea in several different ways until a student understands it, at any hour of the day. They can suggest how to improve an essay, quiz students before a test and help those who cannot afford private tuition.Banning these tools will not work; students will use them at home anyway. Schools should teach pupils to use AI wisely: to check its answers, to ask good questions and to use it as a tutor rather than a ghost-writer.The workplaces our students will enter already use AI every day. Schools that ignore it are preparing pupils for a world that no longer exists.Text B: Who is doing the thinking? (from a school newsletter)This term, several teachers noticed something odd: homework essays that were fluent, well organised and strangely similar to one another. Many had been produced by AI.Writing an essay is not about producing a finished document; it is about the thinking that goes into it. Students who let a machine do that thinking miss the struggle that actually builds understanding. They may receive good marks without learning anything.AI tools also make mistakes. They can invent facts and references with complete confidence, and students who trust them may learn things that are simply wrong.There is a question of fairness, too. When some students use AI and others do not, marks no longer reflect real effort or ability.We are not against technology. But until students can show they understand a topic themselves, AI should stay out of homework.

1. (a) Your school magazine is publishing articles on whether students should be allowed to use AI chatbots for homework. You decide to write an article.In your article you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about students using AI for homework• give your own views, based on what you have read.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Why we should go abroad (from a school trip organiser's leaflet)Every year our school takes a group of students on a trip abroad, and every year they come back changed.Seeing famous buildings, tasting new food and hearing other languages brings classroom learning to life. History becomes real when you stand in an ancient city; geography makes sense when you see a glacier with your own eyes.Travelling with classmates also builds independence and confidence. Students learn to manage money, find their way and cope when plans go wrong, all with teachers nearby for support.Perhaps most valuable is the experience of meeting people whose lives are very different from our own. In a world that often seems divided, understanding other cultures is not a luxury but a necessity.Text B: Closer to home (a student's proposal to the school council)Last year's trip abroad cost more than many families earn in a month. Out of a year group of one hundred and twenty, only twenty students went. The rest were left out, and some felt embarrassed even to talk about it.I propose that the school spends the same money on a local volunteering week for the whole year group. We could help restore a park, read with children at a primary school, plant trees on the riverbank or assist at an old people's home.This would teach many of the same things as a trip abroad: teamwork, responsibility, confidence and understanding of people different from ourselves. And the benefits would stay in our own community.Long-haul flights also produce large amounts of pollution. A local project would be cheaper, fairer and greener. Travel is wonderful, but it should not be the only way a school helps students grow.

1. (a) Your school is deciding whether to replace its annual trip abroad with a local volunteering week. You decide to write an article for the school magazine.In your article you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about school trips abroad and local volunteering• give your own views, based on what you have read.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Influencers: the new role models (from a marketing magazine)Ask a group of teenagers who they admire and you are as likely to hear the name of an online creator as a sports star or scientist. This is not necessarily bad news.Many influencers have built their success from nothing, teaching themselves to film, edit and run a business. They show young people that creativity and hard work can lead to a career without connections or wealth. Some use their platforms to raise money for charity or speak openly about mental health, reaching audiences that traditional campaigns cannot.Influencers also feel closer than celebrities. Followers can comment, ask questions and receive replies, and many creators share honest accounts of failure as well as success. For a lonely teenager, that sense of connection can be important.Instead of sneering, adults should help young people choose positive role models online.Text B: The filtered life (from a psychologist's column)Teenagers today compare themselves not with classmates but with people whose lives are carefully edited for millions of viewers.Influencers earn money by selling things, and much of what looks like friendly advice is actually advertising. Young followers may not realise that the skincare routine or the trainers have been paid for. Constant exposure to perfect bodies, luxury holidays and expensive possessions can leave young people feeling ugly, poor and inadequate.The 'honesty' of creators is often a performance, too. Even a video about a bad day is planned, filmed and edited. And for every influencer who makes a living, thousands try and fail, sometimes abandoning their education in the process.Role models should be people whose lives young people can see in full: parents, teachers, coaches, older friends.

1. (a) A youth magazine invites articles on whether social media influencers are good role models for young people. You decide to write an article.In your article you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about influencers as role models• give your own views, based on what you have read.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Take a year out (from a travel company brochure)After years of exams, many young people head straight to university without stopping to ask whether they are on the right path. A gap year offers the chance to find out.Volunteering abroad, working, or travelling teaches skills no classroom can: independence, problem-solving, budgeting and dealing with people from different cultures. Students return more mature, more confident and often clearer about what they want to study.Universities and employers increasingly value these experiences. A student who has taught children in a village school or worked on a conservation project has stories to tell at interview.Our programmes in more than twenty countries make it easy, with accommodation, support and adventure included. Your future can wait a year. Your adventure cannot.Text B: Gap years: a privilege, not a plan (from a careers adviser's blog)Gap years are often presented as life-changing adventures. For some, they are. But we should be more honest about the downsides.Organised programmes abroad can be extremely expensive, which means they are mainly available to students from wealthy families. Short-term 'volunteering' can even do harm, as when untrained teenagers spend a few weeks in schools or orphanages and then leave.Some students lose momentum. After a year away from study, returning to academic work can be hard, and a few never go back at all.A gap year can be valuable if it is planned carefully: working locally to save money, gaining experience related to a future career, or volunteering long-term with a reputable local organisation. Travelling simply because friends are doing it is not a plan.

1. (a) A national newspaper invites young people to write an article on whether students should take a gap year before university. You decide to write an article.In your article you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about taking a gap year• give your own views, based on what you have read.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Make community service compulsory (from a newspaper editorial)Every secondary school student should complete forty hours of community service before leaving school.Young people have energy and skills that our communities badly need. Hospitals, libraries, animal shelters and clean-up campaigns are always short of helpers. At the same time, many teenagers spend hours each day on screens, cut off from the people around them.Volunteering teaches responsibility, empathy and teamwork, and it introduces young people to careers they may never have considered. It also breaks down barriers between generations: an afternoon spent with elderly residents can change a teenager's view of old age.Making it compulsory ensures that every student benefits, not just those whose parents already encourage volunteering.Text B: Forced kindness isn't kindness (a student's letter)I volunteer every Saturday at an animal shelter, and I love it. But I strongly oppose making community service compulsory.Volunteering means choosing to give your time. When it becomes a requirement, students will do the minimum, watch the clock and treat it as another box to tick. Organisations would have to supervise unwilling teenagers, which takes staff away from real work.Many students already help their communities in ways that are not counted: caring for younger siblings, working in family shops or looking after sick grandparents. Adding forty hours to their workload, especially in exam years, is unfair.Encourage volunteering, celebrate it, make it easy to find opportunities. But do not force it.

1. (a) Your school is considering making forty hours of community service compulsory for all students. You have been asked to give a speech at a school assembly.In your speech you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about compulsory community service• give your own views, based on what you have read.Write the words of your speech.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: No smartphone before fourteen (a parents' campaign leaflet)More and more parents are agreeing to wait until their children are at least fourteen before giving them a smartphone.Young children are not ready for the internet in their pocket. Smartphones expose them to harmful content, contact with strangers and endless games and videos designed to keep them hooked. Sleep, homework and outdoor play suffer.Children can still have a simple phone for calls and texts, so parents can stay in touch. If enough families agree to wait together, no child need feel left out.Childhood is short. Let children enjoy it before they enter the online world.Text B: Banning isn't parenting (a parent's blog)I understand the worries about smartphones, but I disagree with banning them until fourteen.My daughter got her first smartphone at eleven. We agreed rules together: no phone at meals or after nine, parental controls, and she tells me if anything online upsets her. She uses it to video-call her grandparents abroad, practise languages and coordinate with friends.Children who never use smartphones until fourteen suddenly receive one without any experience or guidance, which may be more dangerous. And in many classes, important information is shared in group chats; a child without a phone can genuinely miss out.Rather than banning, we should be teaching children to use technology safely while we are still there to guide them.

1. (a) Your school's parents' association is holding an evening meeting about children and smartphones. As a student representative, you have been asked to give a speech.In your speech you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about giving children smartphones• give your own views, based on what you have read.Write the words of your speech.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: A mall means jobs (from a developer's presentation)Our proposed shopping mall on the edge of town will bring more than one hundred shops, a cinema, restaurants and a children's play area under one roof.Construction alone will employ hundreds of local workers, and once open, the mall will provide around eight hundred permanent jobs, many of them suitable for young people. Local businesses will be offered units at reduced rents in the first year.Families currently drive to the city, an hour away, for this kind of shopping and entertainment. The mall will keep that money in our town. It will also be air-conditioned, safe and clean, with plenty of parking.The site is ordinary farmland. A modern town needs modern facilities.Text B: Don't pave our fields (from a farmers' and residents' group)The land chosen for the mall is not 'ordinary farmland'. It produces wheat and vegetables for local markets, and families have farmed it for generations. Once concrete is poured, it can never be farmed again.The jobs promised are mostly low-paid shop work, while small traders in the town centre, already struggling, may lose customers to the mall and close. We could end up with a busy mall and an empty town centre.Traffic is another concern. Hundreds of cars on narrow rural roads will bring noise, pollution and danger to villages along the route. Heavy rain already floods these fields; building over them could push water into nearby homes.We support development, but it should use empty buildings and land already built on, not destroy the farms that feed us.

1. (a) Your town council has called a public meeting about a plan to build a shopping mall on farmland outside the town. You decide to give a speech at the meeting.In your speech you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about the proposed shopping mall• give your own views, based on what you have read.Write the words of your speech.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Ban plastic bags in the market (from a city environment officer's report)Our weekly market uses tens of thousands of thin plastic bags every day. Most are used for a few minutes and then thrown away. They block drains, causing flooding in the monsoon, and they are eaten by cattle and goats that wander the streets.We recommend banning thin plastic bags in the market from next year. Cloth and jute bags are cheap, strong and can be reused hundreds of times. Other cities that introduced similar bans have seen cleaner streets and fewer blocked drains within months.Shoppers adapt quickly once bringing a bag becomes a habit. Small changes by many people can make a big difference.Text B: Think of the small sellers (a vegetable seller's view)I sell vegetables in the market six days a week. My customers expect a bag, and if I don't give one, they buy from the next stall.Paper bags tear when tomatoes are wet, and cloth bags cost me far more than plastic. If I have to provide them, my small profit disappears. If I ask customers to pay, they complain.When bans have been tried before, plastic bags were still sold secretly, and the shopkeepers who obeyed the rules lost out. The real problem is the lack of bins and rubbish collection. Clean the drains, provide bins, and the bags will not end up in the streets.I am not against protecting the environment. But please do not make the poorest traders pay for it.

1. (a) Your city council has called a public meeting about banning thin plastic bags in the weekly market. You decide to give a speech at the meeting.In your speech you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about banning plastic bags in the market• give your own views, based on what you have read.Write the words of your speech.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Car-free streets around schools (a road safety charity's proposal)Every morning, the streets outside our schools turn into car parks. Parents double-park, reverse onto pavements and leave engines running, while children squeeze between bumpers.We propose 'school streets': roads outside schools closed to cars for half an hour at the start and end of the school day. Residents and disabled drivers would still have access.Where this has been tried, more children walk, cycle or scoot to school, air pollution at the gates falls, and accidents decrease. Children arrive more alert after exercise, and parents chat on the walk instead of fighting for parking spaces.The safety of children must come before the convenience of drivers.Text B: Not every family can walk (a parent's response)School streets sound wonderful if you live around the corner. But many families do not.I drop my two children at different schools on my way to work, which starts at eight. Without the car, I cannot do it. Public transport in our area is unreliable, and walking two kilometres along a busy main road is hardly safer for young children.Closing the street will simply push the same cars into neighbouring roads, causing jams and anger among residents there. Children with disabilities, or those who live far away, would be hit hardest.Instead, provide a supervised drop-off zone a short walk away, safer crossings and a school bus. Help families who cannot walk, rather than punishing them.

1. (a) A public meeting is being held to discuss closing the roads outside local schools to cars at drop-off and pick-up times. You decide to give a speech at the meeting.In your speech you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about closing roads outside schools to cars• give your own views, based on what you have read.Write the words of your speech.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Talent shows open doors (from an entertainment website)Television talent shows have launched the careers of singers, dancers and comedians who might otherwise never have been discovered. For a young performer from a small town, a single appearance can mean being seen by millions.The shows also give ordinary viewers a voice: audiences vote, and sometimes the winner is someone the judges overlooked. Contestants receive coaching from professionals, perform on a huge stage and learn to cope with pressure.Even those who do not win often gain followers, bookings and confidence. And for families watching at home, talent shows are a rare programme that everyone, from grandparents to toddlers, enjoys together.Text B: The cost of the spotlight (from a former contestant's memoir)I was sixteen when I reached the semi-final of a talent show, and for three weeks I was famous. Then I was voted out, and within a month nobody remembered my name.What viewers do not see is how much is edited. My nervousness was turned into a 'tearful breakdown' for the cameras, and producers encouraged arguments between contestants because conflict made good television. Online comments about my weight and my accent were brutal.Winners often sign contracts that give the programme a large share of their earnings. Many are dropped after a single record.Young performers are better served by local theatres, music schools and steady practice, where they can grow without being judged by millions before they are ready.

1. (a) Your school's debating society is discussing whether television talent shows are good for young performers. You have been asked to give a speech.In your speech you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about talent shows and young performers• give your own views, based on what you have read.Write the words of your speech.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Reach for the stars (from a science magazine)Space exploration is sometimes described as a waste of money while problems remain on Earth. This view misunderstands what space programmes give back.Satellites provide weather forecasts that warn of cyclones and floods, help farmers plan their harvests and allow phones and navigation systems to work. Technologies developed for space travel have led to improvements in medicine, water purification and materials we use every day.Space missions also inspire. Many scientists and engineers say they chose their careers after watching a launch as a child. Studying other planets helps us understand our own climate and the risks it faces.Spending on space is a tiny fraction of most countries' budgets. It is an investment in knowledge, not a luxury.Text B: Fix the Earth first (from a charity's newsletter)Every time a rocket launches, millions of people around the world still lack clean water, enough food or a nearby hospital. Billions are spent on missions to Mars while children die of preventable diseases.Some argue that space research brings practical benefits. But if we want better medicine or clean water, it would be cheaper to fund that research directly rather than hoping it emerges from rocket programmes.Increasingly, space is becoming a playground for the very rich, with private companies selling short trips to wealthy tourists. Rocket launches also burn huge amounts of fuel.Exploring space can wait. Our most urgent mission is here on Earth.

1. (a) Your school's debating society is holding a debate on whether space exploration is worth the money. You have been asked to give a speech.In your speech you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about spending on space exploration• give your own views, based on what you have read.Write the words of your speech.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Gaming is a real career (from a gaming website)Professional gaming is no longer a hobby. Top players compete in tournaments watched by millions, with prize money that would make many sports stars jealous. Streamers earn from subscriptions, advertising and sponsorship, and some teenagers are earning more than their parents.Success requires the same dedication as any sport: hours of daily practice, teamwork and strategy. Universities in several countries now offer scholarships for players.If you are talented, the window is short; most professional players are at their peak in their late teens and early twenties. Waiting until after university could mean missing your chance.Text B: Don't quit school for a screen (a careers adviser's warning)For every gamer earning a fortune, thousands earn nothing. Like professional football, gaming is a pyramid: a tiny number at the top and a huge crowd at the bottom who never make it.Careers are short, and many players retire in their mid-twenties, often with no qualifications to fall back on. Long hours of gaming can also damage health, sleep and friendships.There are other ways to work in the gaming industry, from game design to marketing and event organising, and most require qualifications. Students who love gaming should keep playing seriously, but finish their education too.

1. (a) Your friend Ali has told you that he wants to leave school to become a full-time professional gamer and streamer. You decide to write a letter to Ali.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about becoming a professional gamer• give your own advice to Ali, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Ali'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Earn while you learn (from a youth employment website)A part-time job is one of the best things a teenager can do. Working a few hours a week teaches responsibility, teamwork and how to deal with customers, all of which look impressive on a university application or CV.Earning your own money also means learning to budget and save, and gives you independence from your parents. Many students say that working actually improved their time management, because they had to plan their studies around their shifts.Start with a few hours at weekends, and you may be surprised how much you gain.Text B: Exam year comes first (a teacher's advice)In an exam year, every hour counts. Students who take part-time jobs often find themselves too tired to concentrate in class, and homework and revision slip.Employers sometimes ask students to work extra shifts at short notice, and many teenagers find it hard to say no. A few hours can easily become many.Exam results affect university places and future careers for years. A job will still be there after the exams; a missed grade may not be easy to recover. If you need money, consider working only in the holidays.

1. (a) Your friend Hamza is thinking of taking a part-time job in a café during his final exam year. You decide to write a letter to Hamza.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about taking a part-time job during an exam year• give your own advice to Hamza, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Hamza'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Study abroad: the adventure of a lifetime (from a university fair brochure)Studying abroad opens doors that may stay closed at home. You will learn from international experts, use modern facilities and earn a degree recognised around the world.Living in another country builds independence. You will cook, budget, manage your own time and make friends from dozens of nations. Employers value graduates who have adapted to a new culture and can work with people from different backgrounds.Many universities offer scholarships for talented international students, and part-time work can help cover living costs. The experience will change the way you see the world, and yourself.Text B: Home is where the support is (a student's blog)I spent my first year at university abroad and came home. Many people think I failed. I think I made the right choice.The costs were far higher than the brochures suggested: rent, food, travel and visas, on top of fees. My part-time job left little time to study. I was lonely, especially during exams and festivals, and I missed my family's support more than I had imagined.Back home, I joined a good university, where I can live with my family, save money and still take part in an exchange semester abroad. Universities at home have improved enormously, and many offer strong links with employers.Studying abroad suits some people. But it is not the only route to success.

1. (a) Your friend Fatima cannot decide whether to accept a place at a university abroad or study at a university in her home country. You decide to write a letter to Fatima.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about studying abroad or at home• give your own advice to Fatima, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Fatima'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Get the body you want in 30 days (from a fitness influencer's website)Tired of waiting for results? My 30-day plan will transform your body. Train twice a day, cut out carbohydrates completely and drink my protein shakes instead of two meals a day.Thousands of followers have already seen amazing changes, and their before-and-after photos speak for themselves. The secret is discipline: no excuses, no rest days, no 'cheat' meals.Sign up now and get my exclusive supplements at a special price. Your new life starts today!Text B: Fitness that lasts (a doctor's column)Exercise is one of the best things a teenager can do for both body and mind. But extreme programmes promising fast results can do more harm than good.Growing bodies need a balanced diet, including carbohydrates for energy. Replacing meals with shakes and training twice a day without rest can lead to injuries, exhaustion and unhealthy attitudes to food.Before-and-after photos can be edited, and influencers often earn money from the products they promote.The best plan is one you can keep up: a mix of activities you enjoy, three to five times a week, with rest days, enough sleep and proper meals. Results come more slowly, but they last.

1. (a) Your friend Zainab has started following a fitness influencer's 30-day plan and wants you to join her. You decide to write a letter to Zainab.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about the 30-day fitness plan and how to get fit• give your own advice to Zainab, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Zainab'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: The city is where it happens (from a careers magazine)For ambitious young people, there is no substitute for the big city. That is where the best jobs, the highest salaries and the most exciting opportunities are found.Cities offer variety: universities, training courses, industries of every kind and the chance to meet people who can help your career. They are also full of life, with restaurants, events and cultures from around the world.Of course, it takes courage to leave home. But those who stay in small towns often find themselves stuck in the same few jobs, wondering what might have been.Text B: Why I came back (a young engineer's blog)I moved to the city at twenty-two for a well-paid job. Within two years, I was spending half my salary on rent, two hours a day in traffic and most weekends too exhausted to enjoy the famous city life.I missed my family and the friends I had grown up with. When my mother fell ill, I could not be with her.Now I work for a growing company in my home town. I earn less, but I own a small flat, walk to work and see my family every week. With good internet, many jobs can now be done from anywhere.The city suits some people. But a good life is about more than salary.

1. (a) Your friend Usman has been offered a job in a big city far from home, but is unsure whether to accept it or stay in his home town. You decide to write a letter to Usman.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about moving to a big city for work• give your own advice to Usman, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Usman'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Switch off to switch on (from a wellness magazine)Imagine a month without social media. Many people who have tried a 'digital detox' say it changed their lives.Without constant notifications, they slept better, concentrated for longer and felt less anxious. They read books, rediscovered hobbies and spent real time with friends instead of scrolling through other people's highlights.Social media is designed to be addictive, rewarding us with likes and endless feeds. Breaking that habit completely, even for a few weeks, shows how much of our attention it has been stealing. Delete the apps, tell your friends, and see what happens.Text B: Balance, not escape (a psychologist's advice)Complete digital detoxes are fashionable, but they rarely last. Most people return to their old habits within weeks, sometimes using their phones even more to catch up on what they missed.For many young people, social media is also how they keep in touch with friends, find out about events and get support. Cutting off completely can leave them feeling isolated, especially if friends continue to communicate online.A better approach is to change how we use technology: turning off notifications, setting time limits, keeping phones out of bedrooms and unfollowing accounts that make us feel bad. Small, lasting changes beat dramatic gestures.

1. (a) Your friend Bilal has decided to delete all his social media accounts and stop using his phone for a month because he feels it is taking over his life. You decide to write a letter to Bilal.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about giving up social media completely• give your own advice to Bilal, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Bilal'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]

Read Text A and Text B, then answer the question.Text A: Follow your passion (from a motivational speaker's book)Too many young people spend their lives in jobs they hate because their parents chose their careers for them. Don't let that be you.When you do work you love, you work harder, learn faster and keep going when things get difficult. Passion turns into skill, and skill turns into success. Many of the world's most admired artists, designers and entrepreneurs were told their dreams were unrealistic.Security is an illusion anyway: industries change, and the 'safe' job of today may disappear tomorrow. Be brave. Choose the path that makes your heart beat faster.Text B: A secure future matters (a father writes to an advice column)My daughter is talented at art, and I am proud of her. But she has the grades to study medicine, and I worry about her future if she chooses art.Artists often struggle to earn a steady income, especially at the start. Medicine offers a respected profession, a stable salary and the chance to help people every day. I have seen relatives struggle financially for years, and I do not want that for my child.Passion is wonderful, but it does not pay the rent. She can still paint in her spare time, as many doctors do. Am I wrong to want her to be safe?

1. (a) Your friend Sara loves art but her family want her to study medicine. She has asked for your advice. You decide to write a letter to Sara.In your letter you should:• evaluate the views given in both texts about following a passion or choosing a secure career• give your own advice to Sara, based on what you have read.Begin your letter, 'Dear Sara'.Base your answer on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 25 marks for the quality of your writing (exam total 40). [40]