Task 1:
Describe the picture. Answer the following questions in your description:
- What do you see in the picture below?
- What might this picture illustrate?
- What does the picture make you think of?
Write your answer in
100–120 words.
Additional tasks:
Task 2 (essay topics)
Imagine that the picture from task 1 is given to you as a visual prompt for an essay. Think of and write down 3 essay topics relevant to the picture.
Task 3 (finding mistakes)
Read the description below, which answers task 1. What are its weak points?
The picture shows a strange thing. This thing is white. It has three shadows. The shadows
are on three walls: red, blue and yellow. The shadows are different, because the shape of
the thing is strange.
The picture shows that if we look at something we see only one side, and if we look at
another side, we see something else. It means that if we want to know what this something
really looks like, we must look at it from different sides.
This picture makes me think that when we see or experience something, we should
understand that we don't know what it really is and we must remember that it can be
different from what we see.
Task 4 (improving your description)
Look again at the description you wrote for task 1. Does it have any weak points like the
one in task 3? If it does, improve your description. The vocabulary below might be of help:
- look at the problem from every aspect
- angle of vision
- scratch the surface of something
- peculiar
- bizarre
- ray of light
- spotlight
- cast a shadow
- resemble
- represent
- reflect
- create / give an impression
- make an accurate / balanced judgement
- draw a false conclusion
Vocabulary exercises related to the topic:
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Task 1:
Describe the picture. Answer the following questions in your description:
- What do you see in the picture below?
- What might this picture illustrate?
- What does the picture make you think of?
Write your answer in
100–120 words.
Task 2 (essay topics)
Imagine that the picture from task 1 is given to you as a visual prompt for an essay. Think of and write down 3 essay topics relevant to the picture.
Task 3 (caption)
Write a caption for the picture. Use no more than 8 words.
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The picture below is “Wellington at Waterloo” by Robert Alexander Hillingford. Describe the picture. Your writing must contain:
- a detailed description of the people and objects you see;
- a brief description of the battle (date, location, participants, result).
Use and underline the following words in your writing: infantry, canon, equipped, invade, emperor. You can change the given words to make them grammatically suitable.
Write your answer in 120–150 words.
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Compose a fairy tale based on oneof the given sayings:
- A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
- Revenge is a dish best served cold.
- Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Use your imagination. Your fairy tale must have:
- Title
- Good and bad characters
- Setting (when and where the story is taking place)
- Plot (sequence of ordered events)
- Morale (which supports the saying)
You should write 200–250 words.
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Compose a fairy tale based on oneof the given sayings:
- A stitch in time saves nine.
- You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
- Rob Peter to pay Paul.
Use your imagination. Your fairy tale must have:
- Title
- Good and bad characters
- Setting (when and where the story is taking place)
- Plot (sequence of ordered events)
- Morale (which supports the saying)
You should write 200–250 words.
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Compose a fairy tale based on oneof the given sayings:
- When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
- Once bitten, twice shy.
- Every cloud has a silver lining.
Use your imagination. Your fairy tale must have:
- Title
- Good and bad characters
- Setting (when and where the story is taking place)
- Plot (sequence of ordered events)
- Morale (which supports the saying)
You should write 200–250 words.
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Compose a fairy tale based on oneof the given sayings:
- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
- Two blacks don’t make a white.
- The darkest hour is just before the dawn.
Use your imagination. Your fairy tale must have:
- Title
- Good and bad characters
- Setting (when and where the story is taking place)
- Plot (sequence of ordered events)
- Morale (which supports the saying)
You should write 200–250 words.
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Compose a fairy tale based on oneof the given sayings:
- There’s no smoke without fire.
- Waste not want not.
- People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Use your imagination. Your fairy tale must have:
- Title
- Good and bad characters
- Setting (when and where the story is taking place)
- Plot (sequence of ordered events)
- Moral (which supports the saying)
You should write 200–250 words.
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You bought an acre of land on the Moon from the online company Lunar Land. However, you were not satisfied with the quality of your order when it arrived.
Look at the screenshots of the Lunar Land site and the notes which you have made (Page 2). Then write a letter of complaint to the manager of the company. Mention all the information from your notes and ask for a solution that will suit you.
Write about 150–180 words.
Образец ответа
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the quality of the service provided by your company. Last week I bought a Premium Moon Package advertised on your site. Although the order was easy to make and arrived on time, my initial positive impression was completely ruined by the contents of the package.
To begin with, my name on the certificate is spelt incorrectly, being 'Homes' instead of 'Holmes'. Secondly, there is no Lunar Land Pledge, in spite of it being listed among the documents included in every package. Finally, I discovered that the location indicated on my Moon Map coincides completely with that of my friend's, who also happens to be a Moon land owner. Either these identical coordinates are a technical mistake, or your claim about not selling any property twice is untrue.
I feel that the service described above cannot be called appropriate, which therefore forces me to request a full refund of the price of the package. Unless compensated, I will have no choice but to take matters further.
Yours faithfully,
Helen Holmes
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Посмотреть разбор ответов на это задание: ответ 1.
Your English teacher asked you to write a letter (app. 250-280 words) to your future self, which they will send you in 5 years after your graduation. Focus on your healthy lifestyle choices in this letter. Reflect on your fitness journey, care for your mental health, dietary habits, and overall well-being. Discuss your aspirations for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, ask questions about the challenges and victories in this regard, and express gratitude and kindness towards the self-discipline and self-care practices you've adopted.
Remember the rules of letter writing, but you do not need to include postal addresses.
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Task A: Advertisement
Choose one of the products from the pictures below and write an advertisement describing this product. In your advertisement:
- mention at least 3 special features of the product;
- make the product look attractive for the potential customer.
Make sure that your description matches the picture you have chosen.
Write 100–120 words.
Product 2: Electric Toothbrush
Product 3: Wireless Headphones
Task B: Letter of Complaint
Now imagine that you are a customer who read the advertisement written in Task A. You got interested in the product and bought it. However, the purchase was disappointing. Write a letter of complaint to the manager of the company. In your letter:
- complain about the quality of the product, comparing its real qualities with those listed in the advertisement;
- ask for a solution that will suit you.
Write 150–180 words.
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Imagine that today is the first day of your holidays in London. Write a letter to your parents describing your stay.
Remember to
- write about the trip from your city to London;
- describe the place you are staying at;
- mention the places of interest you have already visited;
- share your impressions.
Write about 180–200 words.
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Imagine that you, being a news reporter, have to cover the start-of-term banquet in Hogwarts. Watch the video to gather the information and write your news article in 200–250 words.
In your news article describe:
- the Great Hall where the event took place;
- the guests;
- the food;
- what the guests did during the banquet.
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The newspaper you work for has asked you to cover the recent arrival of an alien ship. Write a news report in about 200–250 words.
Your news report should:
- name the date and the place;
- describe the event;
- signify the importance of the event.
Make sure that all your descriptions match the picture below.
News Report встречался на олимпиадах «Покори Воробьёвы горы!» и «Ломоносов».
Образец ответа
Seattle receives extraterrestrial guests
A large alien spaceship appeared in the sky above Seattle, Washington, yesterday evening. After remaining stationary for several hours, it flew away, leaving no trace behind. More than 300,000 people witnessed the event.
Mr Cruncher, one of the first witnesses, reported having seen the spacecraft at about 6:15 p.m.: "It was an unusual shadow that caught my attention. I looked up — and there it was, enormous and intimidating!". The object, a grayish-white disc, about 200 meters in diameter, hung still in the air for nearly 5 hours. It was monitored constantly by 9 helicopters, sent by the local government.
In spite of close surveillance, very little information was gathered, since the interior of the ship was impenetrable. Neither was it possible to take samples of the materials composing the vessel (presumably, they are an alloy of steel and nickel). The ship showed no signs of working engines, therefore it remains unclear what kind of power it uses to travel throughout space. Another grey area is whether the spaceship was manned or controlled automatically.
The event received worldwide attention both in scientific communities and among ordinary people. This is the first time that the existence of aliens has been publicly witnessed and carefully documented. Scientists predict further visits which will throw new light on the event. "We finally know that we're not alone in the Universe, and further contacts are bound to be established", commented Mr. Daniel Flumpengo, a paranormal research expert in Stanford University.
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Task A:
Imagine that you are a teacher at school. One of your students didn't hand in his homework claiming that his pet dog had eaten it. Write a note to your students' parents.
In your note:
- briefly explain the situation;
- express your doubts about the student's honesty;
- insist on the student bringing his homework within the next week.
Write about 50–60 words.
Task B:
Imagine that you are a parent of the student from task A. You really have a pet dog, and it did eat the notebook with the student's homework. Write a note to the teacher.
In your note:
- explain that the student wasn't lying;
- assure the teacher that the student will bring the rewritten homework.
Write about 50–60 words.
Образец ответа
Task A
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Black,
I am writing to inform you that your son has not brought his homework today and claimed that his
dog had eaten it — an excuse that I do not find plausible. Please make sure that the homework is handed in within the next week, since it is essential for the course.
Best regards,
Mrs. Honey
Task B
Dear Mrs. Honey,
Please accept our sincere apologies about the missing homework. We do happen to have a dog
that tends to be jealous when our son spends too much time at his desk. Eating the homework was
the dog's revenge. Although our child is not to blame in this situation, he will rewrite the homework
and hand it in as you request.
Best wishes,
Mr. Black
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Imagine that you are a thief who has just robbed someone's flat. Leave a note to the owners of the flat. Include a list of the stolen items in your note.
Spend no more than 5 minutes on writing, otherwise you won't have enough time to make off before the police arrive.
Write about 50-60 words.
Task B:
Imagine that your fellow robber from task A got into prison. You have a plan of escape. Share it with the prisoner by writing him a note.
In the note:
- let your friend know that you have a plan;
- tell him what he has to do to escape and how you will assist him.
Write no more than 80 words, or a security guard might notice it.
Click here if you have never escaped from prison and need ideas
Friends don't let friends rot in prison.
- Three convicted murderers escaped from an Arizona state prison in August 2010 by using wire cutters thrown over the prison fence by a woman outside.
- When David Puckett drove his stolen pickup to Houston after escaping from a Texas prison, he had money wired to him by a woman he'd met online while in prison.
- But the Best Friend Award probably goes to Pascal Payet. The French criminal first escaped from prison in 2001 in a helicopter hijacked by a group of friends.
Not all escapes require a helicopter. But a little technology helps.
Source of the text
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Last night your neighbour was listening to very loud music. You weren't sleeping and enjoyed the music pretty much. In the morning you decided to call on your neighbour to find out the name of the band, but he didn't open the door (being sound asleep, probably). Write a note to your neighbour to satisfy your curiosity.
In your note:
- express your positive feelings about the music;
- mention being a fan of that type of music;
- ask the name of the band;
- give your contact details.
Write about 50–60 words.
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Imagine that you are a linguist doing research into the dialogues in children's animated films. You have collected some data on the ways female characters are complimented (see the charts below). Write a brief report describing the changes you have noticed comparing Disney movies over the years.
Use the following words in your report (put them in the correct grammar form if necessary):
- praise
- average
- ability
- appearance
- pattern
Underline the required words when used in your report.
Write 220–250 words.
Use the following plan:
- make an opening statement;
- give some general information outlining the trend, analyze the information given in the charts;
- suggest possible reasons for the changes happening;
- make a conclusion.
Образец ответа
Subject: Changing Compliments Patterns in Disney Movies
Purpose
The linguistic analysis of the dialogues from 12 Disney movies appearing over the period 1937–2013 has revealed certain alterations in the nature of the compliments paid to female characters. This report aims at outlining the discovered changes and explaining the reasons behind them.
Changes
In classic Disney animated films female characters receive several times the amount of praise for their appearance as for their skills and abilities. For instance, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty have respectively 83% and 58% compliments related to the way they look. The same trend generally remains during the renaissance Disney period, although it must be noted that it is then that a character appears (namely Pocahontas, 1995), who is given credit for her skills rather than attractiveness. In most recent films the role of beauty-related compliments is noticeably lower — 20% on average, while showing respect for competence has risen in frequency, making up almost half of the total compliments in every film since 2009.
Reasons
Differing compliment patterns might have been caused by the changing perception of women's role in society. When a woman was primarily regarded as wife and mother, her value was mostly based on appearance. A shift towards engagement in activities other than household and motherhood was, in its turn, naturally followed by the increase in ability-related compliments.
Conclusion
To conclude, the quality of the compliments given to female characters in Disney movies has significantly altered, reflecting the ways societal values have transformed over the past 76 years.
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Imagine that your colleague has conducted an experiment on people's ability to detect changes. 50 people participated, and their results are presented in the chart below.
Study the chart, watch the video and write a report about the experiment in about 250–300 words. In your report speak about:
- what the experiment was like and how it was conducted;
- the purpose of the experiment;
- the results of the experiment.
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You won the most prestigious English Language Olympiad and came back home with an idea of organising a training course for those who want to prepare for language competitions.
Write a proposal report to the local authorities, outlining your project. Make sure to include the following points:
- what you intend to do;
- what kind of support you expect from the authorities;
- why your project will benefit the local area.
Write about 250–300 words.
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