Writing Task 1

　　You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

　　The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time.

　　Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.

　　You should write at least 150 words.

　　The most prominent trend shown in the graph is an enormous rise in the number of people traveling to and from work by car in the 40 years from 1950 to 1990. In the same period, there was a steep drop in the numbers of people riding bicycles or walking. In addition, the trend was accompanied by a slight decline in the number of bus users.

　　In 1950, only about 5% of all commuters used cars. This shot up to over 25% in 1970, and to about 30% in 1990. The number of foot travelers halved in both 20-year periods successively, and bike riders followed suit. The use of buses rose sharply until 1970, and then declined to somewhat lower than its former level over the next 20 years.

　　The graph suggests that people are becoming less active. In 1950, most people traveled to and from work in th is city either on foot or, to a slightly lesser extent, by bike. But by 1990, cars were by far the most popular mode of transport, and almost as many people were still traveling by bus in 1990 as in 1950, with very few using bikes or walking.

　　Writing Task 2

　　You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

　　Present a written argument or case to an educated non-specialist audience on the following topic.

　　The first car appeared on British roads in 1888. By the year 2000 there may be as many as 29 million vehicles on British roads.

　　Should alternative forms of transport be encouraged and international laws introduced to control car ownership and use?

　　You should write at least 250 words.

　　You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

　　There is general a greement that there are far too many automobiles crowding the roads nowadays. In fact, it is estimated that there will be as many as 29 million motor vehicles on British roads by the year 2000. Not only do these motor vehicles cause inconvenience in the form of traffic jams and accidents, they also contribute to the planet’s ever-worsening air pollution.

　　In my opinion, we must encourage alternative forms of transport. If more people rode bicycles or traveled by public transport they would be healthier and suffer less from stress, the roads would be less congested and safer, and the air in our cities would be cleaner. An added benefit would be that people would have more money to spend on more people than private cars can, and subway systems, of course, take passengers off the streets entirely. Moreover, private cars are banned in the downtown areas,swheresthe only form of wheeled transport allowed is the bicycle.

　　However, it is necessary that these efforts to improve the traffic situation be backed up by international laws to control the ownership and use of cars. This is because, first of all, pollution caused by automobiles is worldwide problem. Secondly, more people are traveling by car to other countries nowadays.

　　If measures are taken in a planned way to encourage alternative forms of transportation, and international laws put in place to control car ownership and use, there is no doubt that the result will be safer roads, a healthier lifestyle and a less-polluted atmosphere.