INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

PRACTICE FINAL TEST PRACTICE

AE2 WRITING

Student name: ______________________________________________ Student ID: _______________________________

TEST PAPER
Proctor: Date of exam: Time: Duration:
____________________ ____________________ 60 minutes

Instructions:
1. Read the instructions carefully and write the answers for all the tasks on the answer sheet provided.
2. Only textbooks are allowed.
3. All electronic devices, reference materials, discussion and material transfer are strictly prohibited.

Task 1: Choose the appropriate connectives below to fill in the blanks in the following text. Write the
LETTERS corresponding to your answers on the answer sheet. There is one example. (20 pts)

a. As we can see g. In my opinion

b. and consequently h. Admittedly
c. Even so i. especially
d. Lastly j. To me, however
e. First of all k. To put it another way
f. Furthermore

The issue of whether sex education should be introduced in all schools at secondary level has been an on-going
debate for quite some time. (0) To me, however, such education is a necessary part of the curriculum at this
level.

(1)In my opinion, I believe pupils need be given lessons on sex education, just like any other field of study.
(2)First of all, they should not be protected from this subject, as it is one of the most important matters in our
everyday life.Take the threat of AIDS, for example. Sex education would go a long way in preventing the spread
of the HIV virus (3)and consequently, AIDS among the younger generation. (4)Even so, there may be some
reticence, and even antagonism, among certain groups of people, as to the way and the degree this subject is

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presented. (5)To put it another way, I strongly believe that it needs to be part of the curriculum.

(6) Furthermore, we have to remember what other hazards ignorance about sex may bring for
pupils, at secondary school, (7) especially young girls. (8) Admittedly, it is better to know everything
about this 'taboo' subject than to seek knowledge when it is too late, for example in the case of unwanted
pregnancies.

(9)Lastly, we all know that young people are especially vulnerable to stress as regards sex. Proper education
would, I feel, help to prevent frustration in certain circumstances. What is more, it may also stop young people
from seeking 'nonscientific' ways of solving their problems, and halt the development of superstition.

(10)As we can see, there are many arguments to support giving lessons in sex education at secondary school.

0. j

Task 2: Read the following text and write a summary on the lines provided (30 pts)

DIRTY BRITAIN

Before the grass has thickened on the roadside verges and leaves have started growing on the trees is a perfect
time to look around and see just how dirty Britain has become. The pavements are stained with chewing gum
that has been spat out and the gutters are full of discarded fast food cartons. Years ago I remember travelling
abroad and being saddened by the plastic bags, discarded bottles and soiled nappies at the edge of every road.
Nowadays, Britain seems to look at least as bad. What has gone wrong?
The problem is that the rubbish created by our increasingly mobile lives lasts a lot longer than before. If it is not
cleared up and properly thrown away, it stays in the undergrowth for years; a semi-permanent reminder of
what a tatty little country we have now. It is estimated that 10 billion plastic bags have been given to shoppers.
These will take anything from 100 to 1,000 years to rot.
However, it is not as if there is no solution to this. What is clearly necessary right now is some sort of combined
initiative, both individual and collective, before it is too late. We know that people respond to their
environment. If things around them are clean and tidy, people behave cleanly and tidily. If they are surrounded
by squalor, they behave squalidly.

Summary:
It is time to observe how dirty Britain has been. Not only chewing gum and plastic trashes are all over the pavements but
also junk food cartons are filled up the drains. Somehow, Britain used to be worse abroad. The rubbish from our mobile is
the key problem since it can exist in the underground for years. Today, nearly 10 billion plastic bags are waiting to rot in
the next 100 to 1000 years. However, there still have way for this. To tackle this problem, we need to work together
before it is too late. According to the research, people usually is affected by their surrounding environment. If it is clean,
they behave well. If it is not, they become corrupted.

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Task 3: Students can choose either A or B. (50 pts)

A. Write a passage of about 180 words, describing the visual below.

In Brandes’ survey (1986), sixth graders attending 45 California elementary schools were asked whether they
had ever seen other students cheat on a test. The following chart summarizes all 1,037 responses from the
survey.

Brandes (1986) surveyed over 2,000 California public high school students. Here is a summary of the behavior
reported in the study.

Behavior Reported Percent reporting

Seeing another student cheating 96.7%

Copying from another student 75%

Using crib notes 73.5%

Gaining prior access to test questions 41.5%

Using signals to cheat on a test 37.5%

Table 1: Cheating Behavior Reported

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where
relevant.
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B. Write an essay of about 350 words on the following topic.

Some students think cheating at school is really a serious moral offense.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge. Pay
attention to the use of academic language and a clear text structure.

Choose B
Dishonest acts during examination often occur in many schools. Some of the people attending schools and
universities believe that these negative behaviours are morally offensive. In my opinion, I strongly agree with
this point of view.
Firstly, cheating leads to unfair treatment for those who do the exam honestly. The effort students invested in
studying is no longer equivalent to the fruit of their work due to these kinds of behaviours. Hence, without
being discovered, cheating may encourage bad students to commit immoral acts in the future and discourage
good students from maintaining their morality and learning seriously.
Furthermore, as cheating has become a habit, some might not be able to live without it. Those who have been
addicted to these misconducts may look down on well-behaved students and stray from the right path, as
education’s main purpose is not for high grades but for leading people to become well-developed and law-
abiding individuals.
In a nutshell, cheating harms not only the students carrying out these acts themselves but also their
surrounding people. Thus, I completely agree with the mentioned viewpoint and always remind myself and the
others not to conduct these immoral behaviours.

This is the end of the test.