IPP IELTS HCMC ACTUAL WRITING TEST – APRIL - Page |1 ĐỀ THI NGÀY 8/4/2018 The chart below shows the average cost of monthly contract for four different mobile (cell) phones in a European country from January to September 2002, measured in euro 30 25 20 15 10 Jan Feb Mar Domo Apr May Lex Jun Sim TX Jul Aug Sep Alpha The line graph illustrates changes in monthly payment plans of four different European mobile phone brands between January and September in 2002 Overall, while the average monthly cost of Domo, Lex and Alpha increased by varying degrees, with the most dramatic change seen in Alpha company, the figure for Sim TX remained relatively stable over the timescale It is readily apparent that those using Domo phones had to pay the highest cost every month As regards Domo, customers incurred erratic mobile expenses ranging from €15 to €25, with the highest point being in July Paying a stable amount of €5 on average for mobile services in the first six months, Alpha phone users were charged surging costs in the last four months, which amounted to over €25 in September, registering a fivefold growth from June It is of note that from January to June, the cost of mobile contracts for both Sim TX and Lex was comparable, with an overall upward trend reaching the same figure of about 14 euros in June After that, the figure for Lex continued to go up steadily to €17, while that of Sim TX dropped to only €9 in September IPP IELTS HCMC ACTUAL WRITING TEST – APRIL - Page |2 Some people argue that government money should not be used for art and cultural activities Some said it is necessary for governments to fund those activities for the benefit of their population Discuss both views and give your opinion People have different views about whether or not public money should be spent on art and cultural events I hold the opinion that governments should allot part of their spending to such activities because they offer tremendous benefits in various ways Opponents of money allocation for art and cultural activities tend to argue that government expenditure should be used to improve public services, thereby enhancing people’s overall quality of life rather than spent on the arts, which is often deemed an unnecessary waste In increasingly secular societies, a large proportion of taxpayers have no religion nor an interest in arts Therefore, spending public money on organizing such events, which serve them no benefit, may be considered a waste of money From their viewpoint, monetary contribution through the tax system should be, for example, invested in upgrading the public transport system to make people’s travel experiences more comfortable or building more parks where they can gather to relax, keep fit, and improve their general wellbeing However, I believe that art and cultural activities deserve funding from the government for many reasons To begin with, such celebrations are the hallmarks of a society in terms of its timehonored culture, which should be preserved by all means With the abolition of traditional events, it might only be a matter of time before the loss of cultural identities occurs In addition, festivities are instrumental in boosting the economic growth of a country Take Thailand as a typical example Songkran, which is the Thai New Year’s festival, attracts a massive influx of tourists from different parts of the world every year, exporting the unique image of Thai culture worldwide and thus promoting its tourism industry in in such a way that is inimitable In conclusion, although opinion is largely divided, as discussed above, I am completely convinced that art and cultural events should be funded by the government because of their indispensable role in retaining a country’s distinct cultural values and stimulating economic development IPP IELTS HCMC ACTUAL WRITING TEST – APRIL - Page |3 ĐỀ THI NGÀY 14/4/2018 The charts below give information about the high-speed continuous internet connection of households in five countries in 2001 and 2002 Country Percentage change South Korea +20 USA +170 Germany +80 Switzerland +120 Britain +230 connections per 1000 people The table and bar chart illustrate increased access to high-speed internet among families in five nations between 2001 and 2002 Overall, it is clear that the rates of high-speed Internet access substantially rose in one year, with the most dramatic rise recorded in Britain The US was the clear leader across the chart with the largest number of connections, far surpassing the figures for other countries In 2001, only 93 US households per 1000 used high-speed Internet; however, this figure surged by 170% to a high of 251.1 connections in 2002 The high-speed Internet growth rate was at its lowest at 20% in South Korea It topped the chart in 2001 with 112 connections per 1000 heads to then be relegated by the US one year later Between only 3.3 and 3.6 high-speed connections were set up per 1000 people in other countries including Germany, Switzerland, and Britain in 2011 Growth rates in these nations were significant, with figures of 80% for Germany, 120% for Switzerland, and the biggest figure of 230% for Britain Despite a dramatic increase, it is of note that high-speed Internet was far less accessible in these three countries than in the US and South Korea IPP IELTS HCMC ACTUAL WRITING TEST – APRIL - Page |4 Advances in science and technology have made great changes to the lives of ordinary people, but artists such as musicians, painters and writers are still highly valued What can the arts tell us about life that science and technology cannot? Some people question the role of the arts in modern society in which technological breakthroughs have been transforming the way people live While I recognize the countless significant contributions of advanced technology to the overall improvement of our quality of life, I believe that science and technology cannot rival the arts in some aspects of life It is not an exaggeration to say that science and technology could hardly tell people about their national cultural values which are otherwise conveyed through various forms of arts For example, from an early age, Vietnamese children are taught songs and tales about their timehonored culture and longstanding traditions, which should be preserved for future prosperity They also teach about national pride and patriotism In this way, I am strongly of the opinion that no matter how advanced technology becomes, it could hardly provide people with these values What is more, the arts, especially plays and stories, have a crucial role to play in educating people about human virtues No other channel could make morality lessons as vivid and easy to understand for children as fairy tale stories like Cinderella or Snow White Many other forms of art such as plays, comic books, and cartoons also have such lessons conveyed effectively The case is also true for adults whose emotions and perceptions of life can be lifted and changed drastically by the arts For example, hardly can anyone resist being touched by the classic Les Miserable novel or the heart-wrenching The Thorn Birds movie These art masterpieces have the power of enriching people’s souls and orient them towards goodness in a subconscious way that they not event notice In conclusion, there is no denying the importance of science and technology in today’s digital world; however, they could barely tell people about abstract concepts like culture, good human qualities and morality, which can be easily found in works of arts IPP IELTS HCMC ACTUAL WRITING TEST – APRIL - Page |5 ĐỀ THI NGÀY 21/4/2018 The chart below shows the Japan’s population by age groups starting in 1960 and including a forecast to 2040 80 70 60 Population (%) 50 40 30 20 10 1960 1970 1980 0-14 1990 2000 15-64 2010 2020 2030 2040 65+ The line graph illustrates demographic changes in Japan shifting towards an aging population from 1960 to 2040 Overall, it is predicted that the proportion of people aged under 64 will decline by varying degrees, while un upward trend will be registered in the figure for the elderly Children up to the age of 14 accounted for nearly one third of the Japanese population in 1960, before a slight increase to a peak of 35% in 1970 Except for a plateau in the 1980s, the figure is forecast to decrease steadily to a low of 10% in 2040 From 1960 to 2000, the majority, between approximately 65% and 70%, of the Japanese population was comprised of adolescents and adults between 15 and 64 years old However, this percentage is expected to decline gradually to its lowest level of 53% in 2030 prior to a recovery to 55% in 2040 It is of note that the figure for the elderly will continue to rise from 5% at the beginning of the period to a high of 35% in 2040, indicating a 700% increase From 2000 to 2040, Japan is predicted to experience an enormous disparity between the figures for senior citizens and those for children IPP IELTS HCMC ACTUAL WRITING TEST – APRIL - Page |6 Organized tours to remote places and communities are becoming more and more popular Is it a positive or negative development for local people and the environment? Tourists have become increasingly interested in travelling to untouched places for their pristine landscape I hold a belief that tourism development in those places is mostly associated with a negative impact on both the local environment and communities Firstly, tourist activities and services could leave irreversible environmental footprint The promotion of guided tours could turn remote places into popular tourist hubs where tourism infrastructure and governance are underdeveloped and incapable of serving flocks of tourists As a result, irresponsible tourists may litter and damage natural places without awareness of protecting local nature The exploitation of private and unregulated tourism infrastructure including hotel services, restaurants, or recreational activity arrangements in distant places might result in huge amounts of waste disposed and fuel consumed for transportation Take Binh Ba Island in Vietnam, which used to be a natural treasure before tourist exploitation, for example The mushrooming of private tourist hostels and tours has turned the island into a place filled with tourist trash along its coastline Coral bleaching effects on beaches around the island is more evident of how the flora and fauna has been adversely affected Secondly, there are social implications for indigenous communities as well If organized tours bring thousands of outsiders to a remote region at a time, the life of the local community might be disturbed The case of a small and exclusive country like Bhutan can illustrate this point Since indigenous cultural customs and religions are deeply entrenched in all aspects of the life of local communities, economic and social changes to serve mass tourism would disrupt local routines For this reason, the Bhutanese government tries to control tourist numbers by allowing only limited organized tours to ensure sustainable growth and minimize tourist disturbance In conclusion, I am of the belief that there is a link between the increase in guided tours to remote destinations and adverse social and environmental implications for local communities Tourism in these places therefore should be carefully managed by local authorities, aiming towards sustainable tourism exploitation to avoid undesirable impacts IPP IELTS HCMC ACTUAL WRITING TEST – APRIL - Page |7 ĐỀ THI NGÀY 26/4/2018 The maps below show Hunderstone Town at present and a proposed plan for it Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparison where relevant The map illustrates planned infrastructural developments to Hunderstone Town Overall, the proposed plan aims to improve the connectivity between the town and the main road A1 through the addition of more road links, a large roundabout, and a new railway route With the suggested infrastructural development, the town would be more accessible from the North and the South Currently, Hunderstone Town, together with its built-up area, is accessible from the A1 Road via an arterial connected with the ring road of the town Another way to reach Hunderstone Town center is by railway which runs parallel with A1 Road and is situated between the A1 and the town center A gas station lies at the intersection of the railway and the connecting road The the proposed development is an additional road, named A4, to the south, directly linking the A1 with the Hunderstone ring road from the South A large roundabout will be installed in proximity to the current gas station The airfield in the northern area will be replaced by an industrial estate which can be reached via the A1 Road from the West or via a railway extension from the East IPP IELTS HCMC ACTUAL WRITING TEST – APRIL - Page |8 It is more important to spend public money on promoting a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent illness than to spend it on the treatment for people who are already ill To what extent you agree or disagree? Some people think that government expenditure should be used to encourage people to lead a healthy life rather than spent on illness treatment I totally agree with this belief since prevention is better than cure There are many actions that the authority can take to promote a healthy lifestyle among its citizens First, they should consider building more public spaces equipped with sports facilities to encourage people to more physical activities This could not only help to boost public health and fitness levels but also greatly lower the incidence of several dangerous diseases such as heart attack and stroke, from which the elderly are most at risk Secondly, the state budget should also be invested in sporting events which contribute to raising public awareness about health issues For example, the Ho Chi Minh City authority, together with businesses, annually organizes ‘Infinity Race’, where people of all ages gather at one end of the street and run to the other end The aim of the event is to promote the importance of marathon running in improving physical wellbeing I side with the opinion that it is much better to spend on preventative measures than on illness treatment The first reason is associated with cost effectiveness It is quite obvious that the amount of money needed for medical equipment such as CT scanners, X-ray and surgical machines usually far exceeds that of constructing parks and running awareness-raising campaigns By focusing on prevention, the government could save a huge proportion of their spending for other purposes The second reason in favor of my argument is that prevention is the best solution to incurable diseases, especially HIV Patients can nothing rather than bear the pain until their death It is therefore more imperative to inform the citizens about the dangers of HIV and a healthy lifestyle to avoid it rather than paying for costly lifetime treatment for each victim In conclusion, I am of the strong opinion that public money should be allocated to illness prevention rather than the cure because of the reasons mentioned above ...IPP IELTS HCMC ACTUAL WRITING TEST – APRIL - Page |2 Some people argue that government money should not be used for art and cultural... country’s distinct cultural values and stimulating economic development IPP IELTS HCMC ACTUAL WRITING TEST – APRIL - Page |3 ĐỀ THI NGÀY 14/4/2018 The charts below give information about the high-speed... accessible in these three countries than in the US and South Korea IPP IELTS HCMC ACTUAL WRITING TEST – APRIL - Page |4 Advances in science and technology have made great changes to the lives