2 Read the quotes again to find words or phrases that are similar in meaning to 1-5.
1 repressed (quote A) 4 aptitude or talent (quote F)
2 necessary means (quote A) 5 forecast (quote F)
3 happen by themselves (quote B)
3 Do you agree with this statement from quote c?
Other people can't tell you your strengths and weaknesses; you have to work them out for yourself.
Discuss your answer with your partner.
What careers advice have you had, if any, at school or outside?
SPEAKING
Karen is 18 and is currently homeless in London. This profile of her experience at secondary school appeared in The Big Issue, a magazine that is put together and sold on the streets by homeless people. Read the text once only. Did you feel the same way about school?
"Between 11 and 16 you don't think about the future"
I left my school In Newcastle at 17 with eight GCSEs. None of the kids had any respect for the teachers, though a few did deserve respect. The headmistress wouldn't allow teachers to punish the kids. We were given homework, but if you didn't do it, It didn't matter. Most people didn't get encouragement from home. When I had my exams, no one in my family asked about grades or anything. Between and 16 you don't think about the future. You think you're never going to need education. If ifs a choice between homework and a party, most people would choose the party. I didn't find work hard, just pointless.
People from my area didn't know how to go about things like job interviews, instead of textbooks, you need stuff about real life and things going on about you. one teacher used to say, "Face It, in ten years time, you're all going to be in council flats with kids." He wanted to get us stirred up, he was slapping the truth in our faces about where you could end up. About a third of the people in my year now do have kids, half are on the dole. Swots used to do 'A' levels and went on to university, but they used to stick in their own group.
If I got somewhere to live, I'd like to go back to college and do something different.
3 Do you think there is a lot of pressure on young people nowadays? What kind of pressure comes from:
• parents? • friends? • school?
W
riting
Taking Time Out
1 If you had the opportunity to work abroad, which country would you like to work in? What type of work would you like to do?
Look at the following adverts for work abroad, which appeared in a magazine for young people. Study the three adverts carefully and decide what exactly is being advertised in each case. Which of the three adverts would you be most interested in? Note down what other information you would need to know about the jobs that are described.
b
Now look at this writing task.
Some friends of yours in England have just sent you some adverts they have found in a magazine, as they know you are keen to find a job abroad. Read the letter from your friends and study the adverts carefully.
Now write:
a a letter to one of the organizations, asking for further information (100 words),
b an appropriate reply to your friends, telling them what action you have taken (150 words).
2 For letter a, decide what specific information you require. Are there any points in your friends' letter that it would be useful to include? Be careful not to 'lift' phrases from their letter. You should not only reword what they say, but also change the style of what you write to a formal register.
For letter b, decide how to reply to your friends' letter. You should include an appropriate opening greeting and brief comments in reply to their letter.
Make sure you follow instructions carefully - CAE examiners will penalize irrelevance and omissions. ;
3 a Look at these sentence openings and suggest suitable completions in relation to letter a.
• Introduction With reference to...
lam writing to inquire...
• Request for information I would like to receive...
Please could you send me...
• Additional question I am a little unsure about...
I do not fully understand what...
Could you possibly explain...
• Ending I would be grateful if...
Thank you in anticipation for...
b Look back at your friends' letter and find examples of each of these informal features. Then suggest relevant phrases or sentences containing the same features to use in letter b:
• phrasal verbs • ellipsis • informal punctuation
• contractions • imperatives • abbreviated forms.
4 For letter a, use the outline in 3a above.
As you plan letter b, decide how many paragraphs you need and work up your own outline. In what order should you deal with the points in your friends' letter? Don't forget to mention the job you are considering and say what action you have taken.
5 Now write the two letters, using no more than 100 words for letter a and around 150 words for letter b. When you have finished check your answer carefully. Remember WRITE!!!!