ESSAY SAMPLE WRITING TASK 1

These two pie charts show the differences between two groups of Australians (25 to 34 and
55 to 69 year olds) in terms of their post-school qualifications.

The first point to note is the huge increase in the number of people with qualifications. The
younger group is more than three times bigger than the older group (347,500 compared to
104,800).

Comparing the two groups, architecture and medicine have experienced a decrease in
popularity with younger graduates; medicine declined by almost 4%. However, the biggest
loss was to engineering, -which decreased from 19.27% to 9.35% of the whole.

Some subjects were more popular with the younger age group. The biggest gains in graduate
numbers were made by Science, Maths and Information Technology which, as a group, have
increased by over 8%. Administration has gained by 4.1%.

Overall, the charts show a threefold increase in the number of graduates. The most noticeable
change in subject percentages is the decrease in the number of engineering graduates.

(163 words)

ESSAY SAMPLE WRITING TASK 2

A wide range of medical treatments is available today. Patients may wonder which will be the
most effective, and whether their own mental attitude to the type of treatment might affect its
success.

This essay will consider the second of these questions.

Many people visit their doctor or go to hospital with complete trust in the expert care offered
by conventional services. However, some people do not get a satisfactory result. For
example, the drugs they are prescribed may have unpleasant side-effects. Their initial positive
attitude towards their treatment does them little good.

Similarly, those patients who choose alternative treatments over traditional medicine may
find themselves disillusioned. Less rigorous qualification standards among alternative
practitioners may mean that some healers give ineffective or damaging advice. The result,
again, is that a patient who entered treatment with confidence leaves that treatment
disillusioned.

On the other hand, patients may try a style of treatment with some scepticism. A person used
to conventional medicines and drugs may be suspicious of treatments based on diet and
lifestyle changes. Yet if they follow such programs, they may in fact notice improvements in
their condition, in spite of their scepticism. Equally, a patient opposed to conventional
medicine may have an accident and be saved by the effective treatment of conventional
emergency services.
In conclusion, it appears that the mental attitude of the patient is not the most significant
factor in determining the outcome of the treatment. Patients who enter treatment confidently
may leave disillusioned while those who begin treatment sceptical of the results may find
themselves surprised with what they have gained. Patients should seek the advantages which
each style of care can offer.

(277 words)