1.    The causes of traffic accidents

    Nowadays, the problem of traffic is a hot issue in many developing nations. There were a thousand of not only accidents but deaths each year and the two main reasons of those usually are the consciousness of people and the infrastructure of that nation. Firstly, the consciousness of an individual person using transport is in a low level. It is very easy to get a driving license with an amount of money. For that reason, many candidates do not want to learn the traffic laws but they still get through the exam easily. When they do not see the police, the keep running past the red lights or drive into a one-way road. Many people are afraid of being late so they pass the safety limit of speed which was made to prevent many serious accidents. Last but not least, the infrastructure in many developing countries are left behind the development of the economy. The volume of transport went up rapidly through each year and the roads are always full of cars and bikes while The government do not have enough money to build more roads and bridges. Hence, many people have to think how to go home and go to the office as fast as they can. After that they crash into another vehicle. For those reasons, the traffic accidents are always a serious problem in many countries and the only way to decrease the number of accidents must come from sides, people and government.

2.    Consequences of cheating in school

Cheating in school has caused a lot of serious consequences for students. First and foremost, cheating makes a direct impact on cheaters. Primarily, students who are caught cheating will be punished in different ways such as being placed on probation or even being expelled from school, which depends on their forms of cheating. In addition to academic punishment, it may lead to humiliation if cheaters are caught in front of their peers. Moreover, cheating can become a habit when it is repeatedly successful, resulting in students’ increasing cases of dishonesty. This effect also creates students’ lack of learning, which occurs when they spend more time focusing on how they cheat on their examinations instead of studying to master the material. Furthermore, cheaters will develop a bad reputation among teachers, parents, and even other students, so they may find it difficult to maintain a positive relationship with school administrators. Secondly, cheating has an adverse effect on other students. The fact that cheaters can earn higher grades than honest students may create enviousness in the classroom. Consequently, more students are prone to begin cheating to gain higher marks, leading to a negative learning environment. Last but not least, cheating has a long-term impact on students’ work in the future. Students who are graduate from a school in which cheating is common also face a lot of difficulties in looking for jobs. There is also a prejudice against that school’s graduates regardless of personal honesty. In general, because of its potential threats to the quality of education, cheating in school must be prevented before it becomes an incurable phenomenon.

3.    A suitable job for my partner (informal letter to a pen pal suggesting a job)

Dear Sam,

          In my opinion, you have a great personality. You are good at many things. If I had to choose one job for you, it would be a tourist guide.

          Firstly, you are very good at learning languages such as English, French, Germany, etc. You can talk with foreigners in a natural way and I admire you about that so much.

          Secondly, you are a sociable person, too. You enjoy communicating with other people and seem to make friends easily. You are also good at working in group. Everybody in our class wants to talk and work with you and so do I.

          Thirdly, I know that you love travelling so much. You have traveled to many places, haven’t you? I believe that you could recommend foreigners many beautiful sceneries, cities as well as wonderful cultures of Vietnamese people.

          Consequently, I think a tourist guide is a best job for you.

Lots of love,

Jane.

4.    A wonderful moment!

   If I were asked about the most wonderful moment in my life, I would tell you about the day I received the news that I passed the exam to high school. The competition between thousands of students to get to high school was extremely hard. Everyone wanted to get in the best high school because their future depends on that. At that time, I chose Thanglong high school which was one of the most well-known high school in Hanoi. I knew that I had to compete with the best students of Hanoi who had the same purpose as me. I was worried so much because the whole family believed that I could pass the exam easily. However, for that reason, I was under a lot of pressure. Although I finished the math exam, I was still worried because I did not know exactly the result of the exam. Two weeks later, when I was reading a book, suddenly, the bell rang and I heard the good news. I was so excited that I jumped off the chair and screamed out as loud as I had never done before. I ran downstairs and told my parents about that news. You could not imagine what their face looked like at that time. They were so happy that they also jumped up like two babies. Nowadays, I still smile when I think about that time and it was the best moment in my life until now.

5.    A successful person

There are many successful people in the world, perhaps they are actors, artists, directors, CEOs, etc. However, it seems to me that my father is the most successful person who I know in the world because of his great efforts and characteristic. My father was born in the countryside about sixty years ago. In that time, my grandparents were very poor, but when my father was sixteen years old, he went to Hanoi – the capital of Vietnam to earn money and study instead of staying in the countryside to work as a famer. During a long time, he underwent a lot of hardship such as poverty, living alone, the war,.. but he has always tried his hardest. Therefore, he becomes a grand actor in his workplace now. Many people say that my father is a respectable, tolerant as well as gentle person and I think so. He is willing to forgive me if I really repent and gives me advice when I have troubles or any problems. In addition, he is always works with his enthusiasm especially teaching young people how to play a character. Furthermore, he is also a thoughtful father; he knows how to balance between his work and family, so he remembers all special events of my family and spends enough time for us. For those reasons, I think he is the most successful person and I admire him so much. I hope that I will become a person like him in the future as he is a really good example for me and my brother to learn.

6.    Hanoi, an interesting destination

Vietnam is a beautiful and peaceful country with many interesting places, but if I had to choose one place as the greatest destination, it would be Hanoi – the capital of Vietnam. First of all, Hanoi is one of the largest cities of Vietnam as well as the capital; therefore it has many places of entertainment such as parks, zoos, cinemas, museums, shopping malls, etc. If tourists want to go to a busy, noisy place, they can go to the center of the city in which many people go to visit the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake. Besides that, tourists can also go to the suburbs in order to feel the peaceful and quiet atmosphere. For example, Bat Trang is a great idea, while people in Bat Trang, they can make pottery by themselve, which is very interesting. Secondly, many people all over the world are very keen on Vietnamese food because they are not fat like European food. In particular, Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, so visitors can find any kinds of food as well as specialities of all Vietnamese cities in here. Furthermore, Hanoi food also has special and delicious taste; for instance, a lot of tourists extremely enjoy “Pho”, “Bun cha” or “Banh cuon” of Hanoi. Finally, people in here are not only gentle but also very hospitable; they are always willing to help tourists if they could. For those reasons, I think Hanoi is the most fascinating destination of Vietnam.

7.    AN INFORMAL LETTER TO A PEN PAL TELLING HIM/HER ABOUT YOUR CHRISTMAS PARTY

                                                                   26th December, 2012

Dear Sam,

          It was so nice to hear from you, I hope you and your family are well. I really enjoyed this Christmas because I had a wonderful small party with two of my best friends on that special occasion.

          It was an extremely beautiful evening; many streets were decorated with a lot of colourful lights and balloons. The centre of city was full of people therefore the atmosphere was absolutely amazing and fascinating.

          At 7:30 pm, I went to Oanh’s house, one of my best friends, to bake some biscuits. Oanh is very good at making cake and I admire her very much. After that, at about 8:00 pm, we brought those biscuits to a café where another best friend works part-time. Her name is Thao. What an interesting moment, Thao was absolutely surprised because of our suddenly appearance.

          Then, we ate cakes, drank coffee together and talked about many things such as stars, movies, music, study, etc. It was a long time we hadn’t met each other and gathered together because we were very busy with our study. As a result, all of us were extremely happy and cheerful. Everything went smoothly except that I lost some money on returning home. However, I still thought that it was an excellent day.

          I hope that we would have a nice Christmas together next year. By the way, I wish you and your family a happy new year.

          Best wishes,

          Jane.

8.     A letter of request for some information about an English course

(Address, Date)

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Tran Minh Thu. I have just finished my important exams and now I am looking for a suitable course at a famous university. I read the Vietnam’s News about an English course at ITP, Banking Academy and I am very interesting in it. Therefore, I am writing this letter to know more information about this course.

First of all, could you let me know when this course starts in order to I can bring my documents to apply. Moreover, could you tell me if I need to do some test or have an interview in the beginning to take part in your programme.

Second, I would like to know about the teachers. I know ITP is an international programme, so can I study with native teachers who come from England, America or Australia? In addition, I want to know how they could help me to improve my English skills and the result I got after finishing this course.

Finally, can you tell me how much I must pay for this course? Now, I am a student and I do not have a job, so money is an important problem. Moreover, with a lot of money, can I study in a really good education environment?

I am looking forward to receiving your reply. Thank you very much.

Yours faithfully,

Minh Thu.