MODEL COMPOSITIONS FOR BACHILLERATO

1.Keeping a pet
(Write 80-100 words)
Keeping a pet can enrich a child´s life in many ways.First of all,caring for a dog or cat teaches the child responsability because the pet is dependent on the child for food and protection. Secondly,pets act as a comfort when there is a change in a child´s life,such as moving to a new house or starting a new school.Also,pets bring out happy feelings and love in people.Their loyalty and affection help children to develop friendships.Finally,even the painful death of a pet helps a child to understand the cycle of birth,life and death. A pet is a wonderful friend and teaches a child a lot about life.

2.“Exams are quick,fair and objective”,Do you
agree or disagree?Justify your answer.
(Write up to 80 words)
In my opinion,exams are the best way of assessing students.They test a specific amount of material in a limited amount of time.Also,all students take the exam on the same day,at the same time,which is basically fair.Finally,teachers have the same marking criteria for all students in order to be as objective as possible.Nobody has designed a better system yet,so I think exams will be with us for some time.

3.Discuss the different forms of entertainment
for teenagers available in your town/city.
(Write about 80 words)
There are many different forms of entertainment for teenagers available in Leeds.Firstly, for young people who enjoy sport,there are several good sports centres with swimming-pools.We also have lots of tennis courts.Secondly,teenagers who prefer cultural activities have a choice of cinemas,theatres and art galleries.Finally,there are plenty of pubs and cafés,where teenagers can meet in the evenings.If you are a teenager,there´s a lot to do in Leeds.

4.-Do we need advertising? Why/Why not?
(Write 80-100 words)
Advertising is useful to society,but within limits.Advertisers Bring new products to our attention. They give us information on the differences between products.Advertisers inform us of the quality,price and range of products.Also, the money from advertising subsidizes newspapers and television.However,we must not forget that advertisers aim to sell us a product which perhaps we do not actually need.Advertisements sell us dreams and illusions and are often in poor taste.In conclusion,advertising is necessary but we shouldn´t believe everything the advertisers tell us.

5.Fast food is international and is one way
of bringing people closer together.Discuss.
(write 60-80 words)
It plays an important role in human relations,because fast food is international.When people around the world eat the same food,whether it is hamburgers,pizzas or some other fast food,they have something in common.This bring them closer together;they can identify with with one another. People feel at home when the food is familiar.National,language,racial or social barriers often disappear when everyone is enjoying the same food -anywhere in the world.

6. A visit to a museum/city/region/country
that you enjoyed.(80-100 words)
Last summer,I spent a week in Amsterdam,in the Netherlands.During my stay,I visited some excellent museums of art,including the Van Gogh Museum which has a wonderful collection of paintings.The old part of the city is full of canals,so I took a glass-topped boat and travelled around looking at the beautiful old houses which are 400 years old.I shopped in the local markets.The cheese market is open on Fridays and I got tulips in the flower market.
In my opinion,Amsterdam is a charming city and I would certainly visit this city again.

7.Discuss a work of art,music or literature
that has made a great impression on you.
Write a composition of 80-100 words.
A book I read as a teenager which greatly impressed me was The Ragged-Trousered philanthropists by Robert Tressel.The book describes the lives of manual workers at the turn of the century in England.The “painters” in the story work long hours for very low wages,which are never enough to feed and clothe their families.Their poverty and suffering are a direct result of the social class into which they were born and the lack of equality in English society.The bookdescribes the development of their political consciousness and the beginnigs of the Labour Party in Britain.This book deeply influenced my moral and political views.

8. Have you ever been disappointed after
seeing the film of a book you´ve read?
(write 80-100 words)
This happened to me recently.I saw a film which hardly reflected the book at all.In the book,the story takes place in pre-warLondon,whereas in the film,we find ourselves in the present day.In contrast to the spontaneous and amusing hero in the novel,the film hero didn´t seem to have the same sense of humour somehow.While I understand that you can´t get all the details of a book into a two-hour film,I think the film could have paid more attention to the other characters,not just the hero and heroine.In typical Hollywood tradition,the tragic ending of the book was changed to a happier one,probably to please the audiences!.So next time you see a film version of a book you´ve enjoyed,don´t have high expectations.You may be disappointed.

9.Have you ever found yourself watching
a soap opera? (Choose 80-100 words)
I recently found myself watching a soap opera called Harvest of sins,which tells the story of a Sicilian family whose father is the head of the Mafia.The series follows the lives of people in the family and those connected to it.I was amazed at how quickly a soap opera can draw you into its plot.After only one episode,I knew that I just had to watch again in order to see what happens to everyone.Now,I can understand why soup operas are so popular.

10.A film,play or rock concert I enjoyed
recently.(100-120 words)
A film I saw recently,which impressed me very much,was Remains of the day with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.Life in an English stately home is seen through the eyes of the butler.He is so dedicated to his work that he sacrifices his own love and emotional life in order to serve his master.At the end of the film,he realizes what he has lost and goes to find the woman he loves,but too late.He loses her and his lastchance of an emotional life.It´s a very powerful film.

11.Write about the life of a film star.
(100-120 words)
Mel Gibson is an international star and is certainly one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood.
He studied acting at drama school in Australia,and by the late 1970s he had made his name as an actor playing the role of Mad Max in a series of films about life in a futuristic and violent society.Since then,he has made many very successful films and has become one of Hollywood´s most popular actors.He is happily married with five children.Despite his public image,Gibson manages to keep his private life out of the public eye.

12.-If you found a stray dog or cat in your
garden/street,what would you do?
(Write 100-120 words)
If I found a stray cat in my garden,first of all I would look carefully to see if it had any signs of disease.If it looked healthy but lost and hungry,I´d probably give it something to eat,such as fish,meat or just milk.Secondly,I´d look for some kind of basket to keep it in until I decided what to do.In such situations,the next thing to do is to find out whether there is a vet in town that can examine the cat or an organisation that takes strays.However,I think I´d ask my
parents to let me keep the cat because I´d love that pet to be my friend.


13.What are the arguments for and
against experiments on animals?
(write 100-120 words)
Some scientists argue that by experimenting on animals,we can test drugs in order to find cures for certain diseases.In addition,the cosmetic industry also tests its products on animals in search of possible allergic reactions and side effects.The military also argue that test in weapons, especially biological weapons, on animals,can help us to protect ourselves better in times of war.On the other hand,such tests are cruel,painful and often fatal to the animals being
tested.On the whole,today the public seems to be against experiments onanimals,and due to public pressure,laws are being passed to impose strict controls on animal experimentation.

MODEL TEXT WITH CONNECTORS
ADVERTISING
Advertising has always existed in some form or another.In ancient times,people who wanted to sell something probably couldn´t read or write.As a result,they shouted at people who walked by and told them about the things they had to sell.Later,people advertised by drawing pictures on signs.A picture of a goat,for example,signified a dairy,or milk or cheese for sale.By the 15th
century,with the invention of the printing press,advertisements appeared in journals,books and on notice-boards as posters.Today,we use the media to advertise.
Advertising is everywhere -on the cinema screen,on the radio,on television and in the press.In the future,the computer will probably become the major medium for advertising.Advertising always has been and always will be a part of our lives.

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ANIMAL LOVERS?
Over half the homes in Britain have pets and as a result,the British spend almost a thousand million pounds a year on domestic animals.In fact,many people treat their pets like members of the family.Pets can actually enhance our lives and health.Childless couples often keep a pet because they need to play the role of parent to strengthen their identity as a couple.Lonely,elderly people may keep a pet,such as a cat or a dog for company or protection..Pets have also been used in therapy to help retarded youngsters develop a sense of responsability and self-worth.Yet while we treat our own animals with love and devotion,do we care about the way the society at large treats animals?In 1992,almost three million experiments on animals took place.These included warfare experiments and the testing of drugs,cosmetics and cleaning fluids.Animals are also slaughtered for their meat,skins and fur.
In many cases,these animals are kept in terrible conditions and are cruelly treated by private companies and governments alike.However,thanks to PETA(people for the ethical Treatment of Animals)and Uncaged(Organisation which actively fights vivisection in hte UK),there is a light at the end of the tunnel.With slogans like “Buy a fur and slip into something dead” or brochures on the cruelty of vivisection,these organisations are forcing consumers,private industry and governments to examine their consciences.

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THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
For the ancient Aztecs of Mexico,cocoa beans were the food of the gods.They made a chocolate drink by boiling the beans.In 1528,Cortés took cocoa beans to Spain where the drink remained a secret for almost 100 years before it was introduced to France.
Then the secrets of chocolate quickly spread across Europe to Austria and Germany,and by 1707 it was the most popular drink in England.
Recently,in Cologne,Germany,a chocolate museum was opened containing many exhibits connected to the history of chocolate making -for example,real cocoa trees,a factory which actually produces sweets,and a variety of antique sweet machines.In fact,this museum is a dream and a delight for adults and children alike.

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SPICES AND HERBS
Spices and herbs are the parts of plants we use in cooking to add flavour,aroma or colour to our food.In the ancient world,men travelled to Asia to bring spices to the markets of Europe.In fact,the spice trade is one of the oldest known to man and it has influenced the course of history.Men like Magellan set off on voyages of discovery in order to reach the spice lands. Important cities like Venice and Rome traded in spices,but by the 20th century,London had become the centre of the spice trade.Herbs and spices have always been a part of our lives and will continue to be so in in the future.