Homework 2016-2017

Workbook:
You can do the exercises in Units 1-10

Blog: 
In this blog you will find extra material to improve your English.

Bibliography Advanced 2
Speakout LEAD-IN
Unit 1: Speakout 1.1  Speakout 1.2  Speakout 1.3  Speakout 1.4 & 1.5
Unit 2 : Speakout 2.1: p 20  p 21 & 22  Speakout 2.2  Speakout 2.3 Speakout 2.4 & 2.5
Unit 3 : Speakout 3.1  Speakout 3.2  Speakout 3.3  Speakout 3.4 & 3.5
Unit 4 : Speakout 4.1  Speakout 4.2  Speakout 4.3  Speakout 4.4 & 4.5
Unit 5 : Speakout 5.1  Speakout 5.2  Speakout 5.3  Speakout 5.4 & 5.5
Unit 6 : Speakout 6.1  Speakout 6.2  Speakout 6.3  Speakout 6.4 & 6.5
Unit 7 : Speakout 7.1  Speakout 7.2  Speakout 7.3  Speakout 7.4 & 7.5
Unit 8 : Speakout 8.1  Speakout 8.2  Speakout 8.3  Speakout 8.4 & 8.5
Unit 9 : Speakout 9.1  Speakout 9.2  Speakout 9.3  Speakout 9.4 & 9.5
Unit 10 : Speakout 10.1  Speakout 10.2  Speakout 10.3  Speakout 10.4 & 10.5



Get ready for the speaking exam
Guide
pictures & questions



Assignments

Unit 1: Personal profile:

Our language assistant this year is called Natalie. She is from Minnesota. Write an email to her with your personal profile. (deadline: 17 Oct)

You will find useful language here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

More ideas on how to write personal profiles on page 10.

Unit 2: Discursive essay: write a balanced discussion (discursive essay) on the following theme:


Social networks have drastically changed the way people communicate and interact. Discuss. You will get more ideas on how to write an essay on p 25 & 121, here and here. You will find useful language, here, here , here , here and here (deadline: 7 Nov).

Here you have other ideas for a discursive essay:

Medical advances will soon mean that people will live until they are 200 years old.
Individual countries do not have the right to interfere with the affairs of another country.
Students, not the state, should pay university tuition fees.
Women should be promoted to top jobs in business and politics before men.
E-books: the end of the word as we know it.

Unit 3: Proposal:

Has Mallorca reached a ceiling on visitors? Your local government intends to solve the issue of tourist overcrowding and invites residents to send in proposals. In your proposal you should outline any problems there are, and make recommendations for improving the current situation. You can find useful language and ideas for this topic here and here. You can find more ideas for writing proposals on page 41. Here you can see examples of how to write proposals. Finally, you can find useful language for writing proposals on pages 39 and 132 (3.3) and here. (Deadline 28 Nov)

Unit 4: A problem-solution essay:

According to a recent survey conducted by a government unit responsible for gender violence, two million women in Spain say they have been the victims of some type of abuse at some point in their lives. How would you solve the problem of gender-based violence in our country nowadays?


Write a problem-solution essay about gender-based violence. You will find useful language for this topic here and here. You will get more ideas on how to write a problem-solution essay on p 49 and here. You will find useful language, here, here , here , here and here (deadline: 19 Dec).


Here you have other ideas for a problem-solution essay:

Human rights
Child labour
Economic development
Intellectual Property
Capital punishment
Religious freedom
Environmental awareness
Illegal immigration
Civil liberties
Free trade
Freedom of speech
Gun control
The Global Refugee Crisis (you will find useful language for this topic here, here and here.)
Economic inequality: the gap between rich and poor


Unit 5: A narrative. Choose one of the two options below and write a narrative. You will get more ideas on how to write narratives on p 58 and here. You will also find useful language here .

A) You decide to enter a writing contest. The rules say: Write a narrative that ends with the words “Before leaving, he said – Please, keep it under your hat.”

keep something under your hat: (informal) to keep something secret and not tell anyone else.


B) Write a scrapbook after Christmas with the activities you did together with family and friends.

(deadline: 16 Jan)


Here you have other ideas for a narrative:
Identify a significant experience in your life and write about it. You will find useful language here.
Write a story which ends as follows: "He picked up the unopened envelope and set light to it with a match. With a faint smile on his face, he watched the remains crumble in the ashtray".

Unit 6: Write a report

The language school where you study English would like to know the opinion of its students about the school web page and the teachers' blogs. To see how to write a report click here.


Here you have another idea for a report:

Write a report about the housing situation for young people. Find the details here. (Deadline: 6 Feb)

Unit 7:
Make a presentation. Give a 10 minute presentation on one of the curriculum topics. You can find some tips here. Deadlines: before 31 Oct tell your teacher the topic. In February give the presentation.

A formal letter or email

You are given a spa voucher as a present. According to the brochure you can choose from a wide range of pampering spa services and luxury treatments. You are looking forward to a weekend of well-being and relaxation, but after redeeming your voucher you feel worse than ever. Write an email of complaint to the spa resort.

redeem something to exchange something such as shares or vouchers for money or goods. Sp. canjear. E.g. This voucher can be redeemed at any of our branches.


Useful language for writing letters: here , here and here.

(Deadline: 20 Feb)


Unit 8: Article. A series of articles is being published in a magazine you read under the title Tell Me What It's All About. The articles are all attempts to explain something that is currently popular to people who have never heard of it and know nothing whatsoever about it. Readers have been invited to send in their own articles under this title. Write your article, remembering that it must assume no knowledge of its subject on the part of the reader. To see how to write articles click here and also here. On page 97 you can also read some guidelines to improve descriptive writing. Finally, you can find useful language for writing here. (Deadline: 13 March)

Unit 9: Write a review of a book you have read this year and compare it to its film adaptation. Useful language. (Deadlines: before 31 Oct tell your teacher the book you are going to read. In April hand in your review) Click here for a list of readers and more instructions for this assignment.

Other ideas for reviews:

Write a review of two books/ two hotels / two art galleries / two museums/ two films / two concerts... and compare them.

Unit 10: Application letter and Character Reference. (deadline: 8 May). Find the details here.
More ideas on how to write letters:
You will find a letter writing guide here and here . You can find useful language here.
Formal letters.
How to write. 

Last assignment:
Reflection: write a letter to your teacher (deadline: 15 May)

We are approaching the end of the academic year. You decide to write a letter to your teacher giving him some feedback about the course. In your reflection you can include aspects of the course that you loved or loathed; what you found useful or useless; suggestions for the future and any other aspect you may consider worth pointing out in order to improve the teaching and learning process of this course.

You will find a letter writing guide here and here . You can find useful language here.
Formal letters.
How to write.