SAMPLE COMPOSITIONS

¡Hola, chicos!
Espero que estéis descasando y pasándolo muy bien. De cara a prepararos el writing del examen de septiembre, para cada tipo de redacción tenéis dos modelos: el que os proporciona el libro en la página que os indico y éste otro que os incluyo aquí.

1. A  description of yourself or anyone you know

2. A story pg 30

3. A semi-formal thank-you letter pg 44

4. An informal email narrating an event pg 56

5. A for-and-against essay pg 70

6. An opinion essay pg 82

7. An essay suggesting solutions to problems pg 96

1.      A  description of yourself or anyone you know

My sister is in her early forties. She is medium-height and thin. She has got medium-length wavy brown hair and big brown eyes with long eyelashes. She has got an oval face with a small and straight nose and full round lips. She is quite beautiful and what makes her look so attractive is the beauty spot she has got over her upper lip. These are her most outstanding physical features.

As regards her personality, she may seem like a distant or reserved woman because of her shyness. But when you get to know her, you realize she is a very interesting, good-tempered and warm person, who can also be really amusing and good fun when she feels in a relaxing atmosphere.  

2.      A story

The Rescue

Last month I was sleeping in my bed when I smelt smoke.

I was worried. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise. It was the fire alarm. I tried to leave but my door handle was hot, so I pushed my wardrobe in front of it. I went to the window for some fresh air. Then I heard the fire brigade´s siren. A firefighter climbed up to my window and helped me down. I was glad to see my parents!

Three hours later the fire was completely out. I was exhausted, but relieved. It was the scariest day of my life.

3.      A semi-formal thank-you letter

Dear Mr & Mrs Carter,

I am writing to thank you for your kindness during my stay with you. It was very kind of you to make me feel so welcome.

I enjoyed every minute of my stay in Scotland. The charity event was very successful. In the end we raised over £4,000.

Since I have been home, I haven´t returned to school yet. For the last few weeks, I have been helping my dad in his shop.

Thank you once again for your kindness. You are always welcome here if you ever decide to visit Spain.

Best wishes,

Jacob

4.      An informal email narrating an event

Hi Glenda!

How are things? I witnessed something really awful last week! My parents and I had just had a lovely picnic and were driving home along a quiet country road.

Suddenly, I saw a big black motorbike speed past us. The rider hadn´t seen an oncoming lorry; he swerved to avoid it and flew off his bike! We stopped the car. Seconds later, I ran to help him. He had landed on the grass and only had a few scratches. We called an ambulance, though, to be sure.

We felt extremely relieved that no one was seriously injured!

Write back soon.

Daniela.

5.      A for-and-against essay

These days more and more teenagers own mobile phones. This has advantages and disadvantages.

There are benefits to teenagers owing a mobile phone. In the first place, they can contact people in any situation. For instance, parents can contact their children easily. Furthermore, it is useful in emergencies. To give an example, teens can call for help if they need to.

On the other hand, there are drawbacks to teens owing mobiles. The main argument against is it can distract from schoolwork. For example, teens may call and text instead of studying. Also, mobile phones can be expensive. For this reason, teens need to know about hidden charges.

All things considered, there are both good and bad points to teenagers owing mobiles. In my opinion, they are very useful if used sensibly.  

6.      An opinion essay

Nowadays, many people buy ready-made meals instead of preparing home-cooked food. Although they say they are quick and convenient, in my opinion, people should cook their own meals.

To begin with, ready-made meals are unhealthy. For example, they are full of preservatives and additives and high in salt and fat. For this reason they are harmful to our health.

Secondly, ready-made meals are expensive. For instance, eating them all the time can cost a lot of money. Home-cooked food costs less. As a result, you can save money.

To sum up, I feel it is safe to prepare your own meals rather than buying ready-made meals. We can be healthy and save money.

7. An essay suggesting solutions to problems

Graffiti is a serious problem nowadays and it makes our towns and cities look ugly. What can we do to solve this problem?

One suggestion would be to introduce tougher fines for people who spray graffiti on monuments and buildings. By doing this, people would think twice before vandalising property.

Another way to help solve this problem is to create graffiti parks. Then, those who consider themselves graffiti artists could have a place to express themselves and show their work.

The problem of graffiti cannot be solved overnight. By introducing tougher fines and providing graffiti parks, though, we can reduce it.

SEGUID DISFRUTANDO Y ESTUDIAD UN POQUITO CADA DÍA.