Section B Set 1 Questions & Model Essays

SET 1 Section B A. You have 1.25 hours for this paper (which is allocated 18% of the total subject mark).\ B. It is suggested that you spend some of the time on planning and proofreading. C. Write legibly and make neat corrections wherever necessary. D. DO NOT USE YOUR REAL NAME IN ANSWERING ANY OF THE QUESTIONS. If you wish to use a name to identify yourself, then use ‘Chris Wong’. E. Write about 500 words on ONE of the topics.

1. Some parents in Hong Kong were unhappy about the changes to the medium of instruction that the Education and Manpower Bureau imposed on primary and secondary schools. Consequently, they opted to send their children to international schools rather than Government schools. You think this trend is not beneficial to society, parents and students. Write an essay explaining why you oppose this trend. Discuss the effects of the trend on society, parents and students, and give reasons to support your argument. The Education and Manpower Bureau has introduced a number of changes to primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. Not only are teachers and school administrators frustrated by the changes, many parents are unhappy too, particularly about those relating to the medium of instruction. Consequently, they have opted to send their children to international schools rather than Government schools. In my opinion, this trend is not beneficial to society, parents and students. The first disadvantage of this frend is that the competition for school places is becoming keener. There are approximately forty thousand international school places for primary and secondary students in Hong Kong. However, many corporations are finding it difficult to secure places for the children of their expatriate staff. This is because many of these places are being taken by local children who are returnees from foreign countries or whose parents distrust the education provided by local schools. The second disadvantage is that local parents have to pay high tuition fees for their children to attend international schools. The school fees range from six to twelve thousand Hong Kong dollars per month, which is very expensive. Besides, parents also have to pay for the extra-curricular activities and study trips, usually to overseas countries, that students in international schools participate in. This really gives the parents a huge financial burden. The third disadvantage is that local students may have a difficult time adapting. They have to use English in their lessons but their English may not be good enough. If they do not speak English at

home, they may have difficulty communicating with their teachers and other students at school. Chinese students may form cliques and talk to each other in Cantonese. As international schools do not teach English grammar and vocabulary the way local schools do, Chinese students may not get the opportunity to study English intensively in school. At the same time, they may not receive adequate instruction in Chinese subjects. To summarise, enrolling children in international schools rather than Government schools has many disadvantages. Not only is the competition very keen, but parents have to pay a lot to enrol their children, and Chinese students may have difficulty adjusting to life in an international school. Therefore, I urge parents to consider carefully before sending their children to international schools.

2. Violent video and computer games are reputed to have a negative effect on your children and teenagers. It is thought that these games desensitize users to violence and may be a contributing factor to the increasing trend of bullying in schools. Critics of these games have suggested banning them for people under the age of 18. Write an article for the school magazine expressing your view EITHER for OR against this suggestion. Give at least three reasons to support your view.

Many children come into contact with computer and video games at a fairly young age. In some families, children as young as three already know how to play video games. Although playing these games with family members can strengthen family relationships, they can also desensitise users to violence. Some educators and social workers suggest that violent computer and video games may be a factor contributing to the increasing trend of bullying in schools. Critics of these games propose banning them for people under the age of eighteen. I strongly agree with them. My first reason is that some computer or video games contain unethical content. For example, in one popular game, the player takes the role of a criminal who was betrayed by his girlfriend in a robbery. He needs to commit a lot of crime to recover his status with the gangsters before getting his revenge on her. Some players say they get great enjoyment from this game because it allows them to act in ways that are impossible in real life. However, the moral of the game is wrong. These illegal and unethical acts are not defensible just because they are fantasies that happen in virtual reality. My second reason is that some games increase players’ urge to kill. In these games, players must kill robbers, terrorists, monsters or even policemen to complete their mission. Many players enjoy these games because they do not have to use their brain. They just rely on their instincts to automatically shoot anything that moves. Even if they are killed in the mission, they know that they will have another chance because it is only a game. In fact, the US army uses similar shooting games to train soldiers for combat. In other words, military experts agree that shooting games can desensitise players to violence and that is why they use them to train their soldiers. My third reason is that some games desensitise players to the consequences of violence. In fighting games, players select a character for themselves and an opponent to fight. The character must use all his or her skill to knock the opponent unconscious. Each character has his or her own style of fighting and signature moves. The most popular characters are those that are the most resilient or the most powerful. Some players

even try to imitate the fancy kicks and punches of the characters in real life. This may be particularly dangerous for young children who cannot tell fantasy from reality. When young children imitate the fights in these games, they can easily injure themselves or others without realising the consequences. To summarise, there are so many negative effects of violent computer or video games on young people, particularly in providing unethical ideas, increasing players’ urge to kill and desensitising players to the consequences of violence. I strongly agree that violent computer or video games should be banned for people under the age of eighteen.

3. More and more people are using the Internet as their primary means of social interaction – chatting, playing online games, documenting their lives in a weblog, or reading and commenting on other’s weblogs. Although users argue that the Internet is a good way to make new friends, psychologists argue that heavy Internet use can lead to isolation, and should not be seen as a substitute for real– life social interaction. Your teacher has asked you to write an essay discussing the advantages and disadvantages of social interaction via the Internet. Write the essay, ending it by giving your own opinion.

The Internet has become such an important part of many people’s lives that they spend hours each day chatting with friends or playing online games. More and more people write online diaries, or weblogs for friends to read and comment on. Although the Internet may be a convenient way to interact with others, some argue that it can never be a substitute for real-life social interaction. In this essay, I will examine both sides of the issue. The first advantage is that it is convenient and inexpensive. Users can contact their friends any time they want because computers with Internet access are available in many coffee shops and even major MTR stations. With the inexpensive broadband Internet access in Hong Kong, users do not have to worry about paying a lot to get in touch with friends. They can even use Internet messenger programs to talk to their friends or relatives overseas if both have the necessary software installed. The second advantage is that it provides an opportunity for people to share their creative work. Interestingly, many are willing to share their inner thoughts and feelings when they post on the Internet. Not only that, many even upload photos or have music they composed to share with others online. For example, a number of popular songs in the mainland and Hong Kong were distributed online long before they were noticed by major music companies. In this way, people actually learn more about each other through the Internet. Now that I have looked at the advantages of interacting with others via the Internet, which include convenience, low cost and the opportunity to share work, I will examine the disadvantages. These disadvantages concern identification and losing touch with reality. The first disadvantage is that people can hide their true identity on the Internet. A popular comic strip once made fun of this by drawing a dog typing on a computer keyboard. In fact, many users make up a new identity when they make friends online and deliberately mislead their new friends. In fact, there have been

several cases in which young girls were kidnapped or hurt by people they met online. No wonder a number of web sites warn parents to closely monitor who their children talk to on the Internet. The second disadvantage is that people can lose touch with reality when they are online. Perhaps the extent and variety of information available attracts users’ attention so much that they find real people and things unattractive. In some extreme situations, users have been known to lock themselves up in their rooms and rely solely on the computer to connect them to the outside world. The issue of whether the Internet fosters or hinders social interaction has both supporters and critics. The supporters believe that the Internet provides a convenient and inexpensive platform for users to share their lives and their creative works. The critics argue that users may be misled by others and lose touch with the real world. After examining both sides of the issue, I personally have to agree with the critics. Although there may be many advantages to interacting with others via the Internet, the potential dangers are too great to be ignored.

4. Each year, local universities admit a small number of non–local, mostly mainland Chinese, students into their undergraduate programmes. Since the implementation of this scheme, professors and employers have given positive feedback on the quality of the students. Plans have been drawn up in each university to increase the proportion of non–local students to ten per cent of the total student population. Write an article for your school newsletter expressing your view EITHER for OR against this proposition. Give at least three reasons to support your view.

Since 1999, local universities have been admitting a small number of non-local, mostly mainland Chinese students into their undergraduate programmes. Since the implementation of this scheme, professors and employers have given positive feedback on the quality of the students. Plans have been drawn up in each university to increase the proportion of non-local students from all over the world to ten per cent of the total student population. I absolutely agree with this proposition and I have three reasons to support my view. First, it gives local students more opportunities to practise speaking a different language. This will improve their communication skills. Although most local university students are confident speakers of both Chinese and English, they seldom have the opportunity to practise speaking Putonghua or English to native speakers of each language. Making friends with native speakers will give them more opportunities to engage in social conversations to prepare for their future work. This enriches the regular language curriculum of the university and increases local students’ competitiveness in the job market. Second, it helps them gain a better understanding of different cultures. As local students have more opportunities to interact with students from other countries, they will increase their understanding of the different thinking and working styles of other people. For example, they may learn from their Japanese classmates how to pay serious attention to detail and from their Spanish classmates how to balance study and play. Through cooperation with each other in projects, they will also learn how to give well-rounded solutions to real-life problems based on each others’ strengths. Third, it helps to improve the reputation of local universities in the world. Although local universities rank high among world universities, the major source of students is from Hong Kong. In terms of diversity of student population, which is one criterion often used, Hong Kong ranks fairly low. If local universities attract students from all over the world, not only will they improve their rankings further, but they can also introduce new blood into the student

population. When local students work alongside other students who are equally talented, it can motivate them to learn from others’ strengths and do better. In this way, a win-win situation could result and benefit both students and the universities as a whole. To summarise, many benefits can be gained if local universities admit more non-local students into their undergraduate programmes. This scheme can give local students more opportunities for language practice, give them a better understanding of other cultures, and improve the reputation of the universities. Therefore, I strongly support this scheme.