SAMPLE ESSAYS FOR C1 EXAM

PRACTICE WRITING ESSAY :
Topic 1:
Leaders and directors in an organization are normally older people. Some people
think younger leader would be better.
Do you agree or disagree? (opinion)
People have different views about whether older or younger individuals are more
suitable for important positions in organizations. While I accept that old people have
significantly important qualities, I believe younger ones are more likely to become
good leaders.
On the one hand, elderly people can be good leaders for some reasons. Firstly, as old
people have worked for many years, they have gained much more work experience
compared to younger workers. This might allow them to make wiser decisions and
bring success to the company they work for. Secondly, older people are often more
respected by others. Therefore, they can have a more powerful voice within the
company, and people are more likely to listen to them. If leaders are young, they
might find it hard to influence other employees.
On the other hand, I believe it will be better if young people take up important
positions. The first reason is that young individuals tend to be physically stronger, so
they can handle big responsibilities and much work. Being a leader requires people to
work with much pressure, and old people are often not capable of doing that.
Additionally, younger people are usually more creative, so they are more likely to
find newer and better improvements which benefit the entire organization. For
example, a young manager can come up with a new advertising strategy for a product,
which contributes to the increasing sales of the company.
Topic 2:
In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year
between finishing high school and starting university studies.
Discuss the advantages & disadvantages for young people who decide to do
this.
Essay 1
It is quite common these days for young people in many countries to have a

break from studying after graduating from high school. The trend is not restricted to
rich students who have the money to travel, but is also evident among poorer students
who choose to work and become economically independent for a period of time.
The reasons for this trend may invovle the recognition that a young adult who
passes directly from school to university is rather restricted in terms of general
knowledge and experience of the world.
By contrast, those who have spent some time earning a living or travelling to
other places have a broader view of life and better personal resouces to draw on. They
tend to be more independent, which is a very important factor in academic study and
research, as well as giving them an advantage in terms of coping with the challenges
of student life.
However, there are certainly dangers in taking time off at that important age.
Young adults may end up never returning to their studies or finding it difficult to
readapt to an academic environment. They may think that it is better to continue in a
particular job, or to do something completely different from a university course. But
overall, I think this is less likely today, when academic qualifications are essential for
getting a reasonable career.


My view is that young people should be encouraged to broaden their
horizons. That is the best way for them to get a clear perspective of what they are
hoping to do with their lives and why. Students with such a perspective are usually the
most effective and motivated ones and taking a year off may be the best way to gain
this.
Essay 2
Nowadays, a large high school students tend to take a gap year before starting
university since they might suppose it is a good way to relax before reaching their
proper decision. However, there are both pros and cons to deciding to do this. In this
essay, I will look at both sides and try to draw some conclusions.
I will start by looking at the advantages. One of the major plus points of

working or travelling for a year after finishing high school is that they might gain
valuable experience for their lives. Those who spend some time working or travelling
have chances to experience some types of job and some different people, which may
help broaden their knowledge of the world and gain plenty of useful experiences. This
may make them more confident to deal with difficulties in their future career.
An other advantage of taking a gap year is that it may be also a good way
for the young adults who come from poor families to solve their financial problems. It
is to say that during their working time, they can save enough money for their future
study.What is more spending a year working may give them enough time to think
about their future jobs, which may help them reach right decision.
On the other hand, there are some drawbacks in taking time off at that
important age.One of the disadvantages is that leaving school for some time may
cause the young adults to distract their studying because they have to focus on their
earning money, and even lead to the fact that some may end up never returning to
their studies and some may find it difficult to readapt the academic environment.
In conclusion, there are both positives and negatives to working or travelling
a year before entering the university. From my point of view, taking a gap year will be
of great benefits if the young adults have right attitude and strong ambition toward
their future studies and their lives.
Topic 3
You should spend 40 minutes for this task.
As the world becomes technologically advanced, computers are replacing more
and more jobs. Describe some jobs positions that may be lost because of
computers, and discuss at least one problem that may result.
You should write at least 250 words.
(Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own
knowledge or experience.)
In recent years, the rapid development of technology has brought human lots
of changes in social life as well as manufacture. Especially, computer system has
replaced men to do most of the jobs, which may result in the loss of many job

vacancies. In this essay I will describe some job positions that may be taken away by
computers and discuss some problems that can be caused by this kind of electric
machine.
I will start by looking at some job positions that may be lost as a direct result
of modern computer technology. In education, teachers play an important role in
society, but nowadays a variety of courses which are available online attract a
majority of children to learn via computers. Take an other example of some places
such as shopping centres or supermarkets, a great number of shop-keepers and


assistants which were needed for selling the products in the time when computers did
not exist may now be replaced by modern computer systems.In addition, postmen
may not exist due to electric mail service which will gradually take the place of letters
or cards. What is more, librarians may lose the positions because computers can take
charge of most of the work such as checking library cards or helping borrowers to
find the right books quickly.
An other issue that should be mentioned in this essay is the consequence of
the loss of job vacancies in many workplaces. Because of the fact that computers can
play the role of human beings and take the place of workers as well as managers to
cope with a great deal of work in factories and even big companies, the majority of
employees become out of work. This means that lots of people can not apply for their
occupations to earn for their living, which may result in a host of problems such as
crime, social evils…
In conclusion, although computers have given us a better life. It is clear that
they are taking away lots of job positions in many fields such as education, trading,
postal services, libraries…, which may lead to an increasing number of the
unemployed in society. However, my view is that we must accept the fact that this is
an obvious result of modern technological time since everything has two sides- both
positives and negatives.
(in conclusion, it is clear that computers may replace some jobs, which causes some

problems facing people who work inn fields such as postal services, libraries and
education. My view is that the government should create more jobs for people losing
their position because of the computers so that they can earn enough for their living.Mrs Thanh)
Topic 4
You should spend 40 minutes on this task
Traffic and housing problems in major cities could be solved by moving large
companies and factories and their employees to the countryside.
To what extent do you agree or disagree to this opinion?
You should write at least 250 words.
Give reasons for our answer and include any relevant examples from your own
knowledge or experience.
(In recent years, traffic and housing problems in major cities have becoming
an alarming issue, which requires the Government to take immediate action. Some
people believe that to tackle this problem, large companies and factories and their
employees should be moved to the counntryside. From my point of view, I
completely agree with this idea. In this essay I will explain some reasons for my
point of view.
I will start by looking at some traffic problems in big cities nowadays.
…..
The second matter that I want to mention is the housing problem in major
cities and the reasons why we need to move the employees to the countryside.
…..)
Nowadays, traffic and housing problems are becoming growing concerns in
many big cities. To tackle this issue, some people believe that huge enterprises and
their workforces should be moved to the countryside. I completely agree with this
idea and in this essay I will support my opinion with examples.
In the first place, traffic congestion is a definitely a serious probem in major
cities. A large number of employees travel to and from work everyday, which would

lead to traffic jams especially in rush hours. Take Ho Chi Minh city or Danang as an
example, you will find it difficult to be punctual for work in the morning because of
crowded streets. Therefore, relocating large companies and factories as well as their
workers to rural areas could help to reduce the number of workers’ vehicles in cities’
streets and as a connsequence, a large of percentage of traffic will obviously decline.
Secondly, in regards to accommodation facing a majority of large cities, there
are so many people in urban areas that it is difficult for inhabitants to find apartments
or houses at proper price. Moreover, it is obvious that a large proportion of apartments
are occupied by employees from large corporations and their families. If the
workforce is relocated to the countryside, apartment building will fall in price and
people will be able to afford them.
All things considered, there is no doubt that relocating large companies and
factories and their employees to rural areas could sovle the issue of heavy traffic and
accommodation in major cities. Personally, I think the government should have
special policies to encourage companies, factories and their workers to move to the
contryside.
Topic 5 (st)
You should spend about 40 minutes for this task.
Some people believe that children’s leisure activities must be educational.
Otherwise, they are a complete waste of time. Do you agree or disagree with this
statement?
You should write at least 250 words.
Give reason for your answer and include any relevant examples from your
own knowledge or experience
Today parents are concerned about their children's relaxation more than ever. Many
parents hold the opinion that their kids's recreation is literally time-wasting without
educational content and methods. I strongly agree with this statement. In the
following essay, I will discuss in detail the benefits and advantages of educational
leisure programmes for children. 
Based on my own experience, I think parents should help their children choose

academic relaxation activities rather than give their kids the freedom to spontaneously
decide how they spend their spare time because of the following reasons. Firstly, it is
obvious that kids lack of the capabilities to distinguish which leisure activities are
suitable to them. Most children choose a certain extra-curricular activity because they
think it is hectic and exciting or the activity is popuraly played by many of their
friends . Sadly, children cannot be aware of the negative effects from the activity they
choose. For instance, lots of kids enjoy playing computer games without noticing that
computer-game addiction might lead to laziness and procrastination in their study.
Secondly, eduactional activities, which help children have fun and get educated
simultaneously, can significantly stimulate children's personality development
because researchers prove that children have great ability of learning and absorbing
knowledge while playing. Thirdly, educational relaxation programmes enable parents
to supervise their kids' spare time and to protect their children's lives from bad effects
caused by unhealthy leisure activities. 
However, the market providing academic recreation to kids is a bit saturated with
numerous options and places. Many programmes are of low quality with unthotough
organization. Therefore, in order to maximize the effectiveness of educational
relaxation activities, parents should spend time and efforts in searching for


appropriate offers and programmes. As far as I have concerned, there is another drawback of academic recreation is that those activities are offered at high prices, which
may cause difficulty for parents with lower income to afford a good programme for
their children.
On the whole, I believe eduactional entertainment activities play an important role in
the personality developing process of every child. In the future, there should be more
academic leisure programmes offered at lower price so that more children can get
easier partipation.