Is this dependence on computers a good thing or should we be more suspicious of their benefits? We are becoming increasingly dependent on computers. They are used in business, hospitals, crime detection and even to fly planes. What things will they be used in the future? Is this dependence on computers a good thing or should we be more suspicious of their benefits? It is known that nowadays people make use of computers in the majority of their activities, such as their personal lives, at work, to deal with crime, to manage the sick people on hospitals, the prisoners in jail and also the airplanes traffic. This essay will discuss about the pros of the computers’ use increase. Not many years ago the computers were such valuable objects and only a few people could afford them. It was common to see in the companies, for example, a vast use of papers to send reports, people used to write them manually and send them physically over a courier. That process would take a very long time. On the other hand, when we analyze the advance of technology it is clear to observe all the benefits that computers have brought to the society. Taking the same example mentioned before, the processes in the companies were automatized and it is possible to say that they are also a lot more efficient this way. In my opinion, in the future they can be used to develop researches in the health field, helping the scientists to discover possible cures for sicknesses that still cause a lot of death, such as cancer. Finally, I would consider that computers had provided a lot more benefits than disadvantages. Of course if we consider its use for personal life people have to know how to balance it. But generally it is a great thing.

Write a letter to the bank to complain about a wrong charge. You have had a bank account for a few years. Recently you received a letter from the bank stating that your account is $240 overdrawn and that you will be charged $70 which will be taken directly from your account. You know that this information is incorrect. Write a letter to the bank. Explain what has happened and say what you would like them to do about it. Dear Sir, My name is Silvia Pontes and my account number is 53207-2. I have had this relationship with this bank since 2007, for almost ten years. I usually deal with John, who is my account Manager, and he helps me every time I need. However, most of the time I do the transactions online. I also have some investments with this bank. When it happens to have some extra money in the account, John normally advises me what is the best option at the time. Additionally if there is any overdrawn it is common that money from some of the investments are used to cover it up. I decided to write you this letter and explain all these regarding a letter that I have received from the bank on the last July 2nd. In my opinion it was something new and very strange, because it was different from how the bank used to treat the customers. Finally I would like to ask you to revise this action, considering I have no overdrawn in my account. I felt injured receiving such a letter in my residence. I hope this was all a misunderstanding. Sincerely, Silvia

Discuss why people travel more these days and to think about the benefits of travel. In my opinion, people travel more these days because the Internet allowed them to get the information easier and also increased the possibilities of the type of trip people want to make. A few years ago there were only a few airlines and the tickets used to be very high. With the entrance of new competitors into the market, the prices decreased and permitted a lot more people to have access to this service. And we can relate this not only to air tickets, but also to all other services that involve any kind of experience during a journey trip. Currently there are personalized services for all different hobbies, if you want to go fishing, cycling, running, hiking, if you prefer the mountains or the beaches, they got them all available. You just have to pick the one which better fits your needs. There are also online booking and a huge variety of apps to help you finding the best place, the best hotel, the best restaurant, the best museum, and so on. The benefits of traveling are enormous, you get the chance to get out of your comfort zone and to explore new places and situations you had no idea you would ever face. It allows you to get to know the culture in a different region of your own country or even in a different country, their behavior, gastronomy, architecture and history. It’s definitely a great investment to yourself.

Some people think that computers are more of a hindrance than a help in today’s society, discuss. QUESTION Some people think that computers are more of a hindrance than a help in today’s society. Others believe that they are such indispensable tools that they would not be able to live or work without them. Discuss both opinions and give your opinion. ANSWER The first group considers that computers are more of hindrance than a help in today’s society. They could be formed by the elderly people, who hasn’t gotten used to the computers yet, probably they still prefer the old style. On the other hand, the second group believes that computers are such indispensable tools that they would not be able to live or work without them. And I would believe this group is composed by younger people, who belong to the computer era. I agree with second group. In my opinion the computers allowed that all the processes at work became more efficient, permitting people to spend less time, to do their jobs and, consequently, also to do more tasks. It allowed the companies to organize better all their information, to provide better reports and also to decrease the amount of paper they used to deal with. We could not leave aside the advance of the Internet afterwards, which brought even more power to the computer and enabled the information to be available to everyone. So definitely the computer and all the technology related to it have contributed a lot to improve people’s lives.

Disruptive school students have a negative influence on others. QUESTION Disruptive school students have a negative influence on others. Students who are noisy and disobedient should be grouped together and taught separately. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer. ANSWER As a matter of fact, disruptive school students have a negative influence on others. However, I disagree that students who are noisy and disobedient should be grouped together and taught separately. I don’t agree with the statement because I think they need to be part of a mixed group, like anywhere else, where they are able to live together with other type of children, either with better or worst manners. They need to face life examples, to realize the consequences of being a good or a bad student and, then, to make a decision of what they want for their own lives. Of course, the teacher and the school in general have a enormous influence on teaching and correcting everything that is needed on their path. And they also need to inform and to allow the parents to be part of the process. Finally, they need to be punished properly, if that is the case, to keep the organization in class and also to show to the others that its not acceptable, there are rules that need to be followed.

Eating a balanced diet is the most important factor for a healthy life. To what extent do you agree? In my opinion, eating a balanced diet is important for a healthy life, but it is not only this, it is actually a sum of different habits and attitudes. To have a balanced diet is not enough for a healthy life, because we also need to have enough sleep at night and to practice exercises on a daily basis. For example, I could be used to eat the right amount of food, the right ingredients for each meal and also consider eating only organic food. However, if I am a workaholic who gets home super late everyday and only get around three hours sleep per night, there is a big chance I would not be considered a healthy person. The exercises are also truly important, we have to practice at least three times a week or even if it is just a thirty minutes walk per day. We need to keep our body moving, we can not just leave it, we have to maintain it. So, I think we need to try to balance not only diet, but also exercises and sleep. The conjunction of these three will make a person a lot healthier.

2 - Practicing for IELTS Writing exam - Task 1 Question 2 For this task, students were asked to write a letter to a friend to tell him/her about a new flat move. They need to say why they’ve moved, what the new flat is like and to invite their friend to visit. Hello Carol, how have you been?? We haven’t been in touch for a while, but it was definitely for a good reason. Jonathan got a new job and he was taking a long time to get there. He is very excited about it and considering we were already thinking about the possibility of start looking for another place, we decided to go for it. It took us a little while to find exactly what we wanted, but we finally got this charming flat at Soho, just a few minutes walk from the train station, there are all the stores we need near by, it has two bedrooms, a huge living room and the best part of it is that there is a social area for barbeues. So we are very excited about all this news and we cant wait to celebrate with you! When do you think you could come over? With love, Marina

Practicing for IELTS Writing exam - Task 1 You have a new job and can no longer attend your regular English Class. So you have to send a letter to the School. Dear Responsible, My name is Marina Andrade and I am a student in the Advanced Class at the School, for two years now. I had just upgraded my professional career to a new position and because of that I won’t be able to attend the regular classes anymore. I will be traveling most of the time, plus I’ll have to attend a month training course in another town. Learning and practicing English are definitely some of my priority, but I’ll have to adjust that for a little while. Unless the School has an alternative situation, such as online classes, for example. Looking forward for your feedback. Kind Regards, Marina

IELTS Preparation Hello, my name is Marina and I am from Brazil. I am getting prepared for the IELTS test and would love to talk to someone in the same situation in order to practice for the Speaking section!