Advertising is becoming more and more common in everyday life.

Is it a positive or negative
development?
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample:

Advertising activities have become an integral part of our lives. They can be found everywhere,
from billboards and magazines to social media and television. While advertising can bring a
multitude of advantages to businesses, I vehemently believe that this development bears more
significant disadvantages to the public.
One of the advantages of advertising activities on people is that they help in informing and
educating them about various products and services. Advertising helps to increase consumer
knowledge about new products and services, and how they can benefit from them. By doing so,
advertising can empower people to make informed purchasing decisions. Advertising can also be
beneficial to people by creating a sense of excitement and desire for products and services. This
can stimulate consumer interest in purchasing certain goods and may lead to increased sales for
businesses. Additionally, advertising can contribute to economic growth by creating jobs and
generating revenue for businesses, which can positively impact people's livelihoods.
However, I ardently believe that advertising activities can also have more disadvantages on
society. One of the main disadvantages is that it can create unrealistic expectations and desires.
Advertisements often depict idealized versions of products and services, which may not
necessarily reflect reality. This can lead to disappointment and disillusionment among consumers
when they realize that the product or service does not live up to their expectations. Moreover,
advertising activities can lead to a culture of consumerism and materialism. By constantly
promoting new and improved products, advertising can foster a desire for material possessions
and lead to a disregard for the environment and sustainability. This can have long-term negative
impacts on both people and the planet.
In conclusion, while we cannot deny the benefits of advertisements, the drawbacks they brought
are truly more concerning in the long run.
(299 words)
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The chart below compares the number of people per household* in the UK in 1981 and
2001.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Sample:

The charts illustrate the percentage of different sized households in the UK, in 1981 and 2001.
Overall, the most common sized household in both measured years was that of 2-person
households, while 6-person households were the least common. Additionally, while the
percentage of 1-person and 2-person households increased, the percentage of all other sized
households decreased.
In 1981, 31% of all households contained 2 people, while 20% of households contained 3 people.
1-person and 4-person households made up similar percentages, at 17% and 18% respectively,
whereas 5-person and 6-person households only made up 8% and 6% of the total.
By 2001, the proportion of 1-person and 2-person households had risen to 26% and 34%
respectively. Meanwhile, the proportion of all other sized households had decreased, with 3 and
4-person households dropping to similar levels, at 17% and 15% respectively, and 5 and 6-person
households dropping to 6% and 2% respectively.
(150 words)
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
(Actual tests on April 22nd, 2023)
Sample answer:
The given graph illustrates the average number of visitors who visited a museum
during the summer and winter seasons of 2003. Overall, it is apparent that the number
of visitors was higher during the summer season as compared to the winter season.
During the summer season, the number of visitors started at around 200 and rose
sharply to reach a peak of approximately 550,000 in August. Following this, the
number declined slightly and ended up at just above 400,000 visitors in September. In
contrast, during the winter season, the trend was relatively stable with the number of
visitors ranging from just below 150,000 to around 250,000 visitors from December to
February.
Looking at the comparison between the two seasons, it is worth noting that the
number of visitors in the summer season was around 3-4 times higher than in the
winter season. This difference is evident throughout the entire year, with the number of
visitors reaching its peak only during the summer season.
The graph below gives information about the price of bananas in four countries between 1994 and 2004.

You should write at least 150 words.

Sample: The given line graph compares how much bananas cost in 4 different countries: Japan,
France, Germany, and the USA from 1994 to 2004.
Overall, the prices of bananas were the highest in Japan and the lowest in America. Furthermore,
except for the USA, bananas’ costs in all the countries fluctuated wildly over the ten-year period,
with France and Germany following a relatively similar trend.
Regarding Japan, starting at $1.80/kg in 1994, the price
hit a peak of $2.80 in the next year, before dropping to $2.0 in 1996. From this year onwards to
2000, bananas’ cost oscillated between $1.90 and $2.20 and hit a bottom of around $1.50 in
2001. This was followed by a rebound to $2.10 one year later, when the cost rose exponentially
to $2.50 at the end of the period. The price of bananas in America remained stable at around
$1.10 throughout the ten years after an increase from $0.70 in 1994.
Both France and Germany started at $1.60 and $1.40, respectively, but while France’s price
stabilized until 1997, Germany’s cost saw a plunge to $1.20 in 1996. From 1997 to 2004, the two
countries’ costs experienced dramatic fluctuations, especially in France, where the price was
more expensive than Japan in 2001 at $1.60 and the lowest of all countries in 2003 at $1.00.
However, in the end, bananas cost roughly the same as they did 10 years prior in both countries.
(237 words)
Many companies today sponsor sports as a way of advertising themselves. Some people
think this is a good thing for the world of sport. Others think this has disadvantages.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample:

Some people believe that sponsorship in sports, as a method of advertising, can have negative
consequences, while others believe it is positive. I believe that negative consequences can
arise from this trend, however it is up to the sporting teams and events to ensure the companies
that sponsor them are moral and ethical and the products they sell do not have negative
consequences on society.
Firstly, without sponsorship, many sporting competitions and events could not operate. Large
sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics, require millions of dollars to
organise and coordinate, and sponsors provide a lot of this much needed money. If there were
no sponsors, the price of a spectator ticket would be extremely high as this would be the only
revenue to cover the costs of the event, and as a result, many people could not afford to attend,
which may leave the event organisers facing bankruptcy.
On a smaller scale, many local children’s sporting events and teams rely on local businesses for
sponsorship. For example, when I was young, a local business supplied my football team with
jerseys and advertised their name and logo on the front of them. Without this sponsorship, my
football club would not have been able to afford new football jerseys each year for the players.
However, there are some disadvantages which may occur when large sporting events use
sponsorship from companies that produce products which have a negative impact on people and
society, such as alcohol and tobacco companies. When young people are exposed to certain
advertising, they can easily develop a positive association with those products and start to use
them. Imagine how many young people could be influenced through watching the World Cup
football competition.
In conclusion, sponsorship in sports can have both positive and negative outcomes, however it is
up to the sporting teams and events to make sure that the sponsors they use will not have a
negative influence on people and society.
(330 words).