CILS - Prove Scritta #03 Un'altra produzione scritta. Questa volta, si tratta di una domanda di informazioni con un tono un po' pi formale diciamo. Devono essere utilizzate da 80 a 100 parole. Istruzioni: La scuola Romana di Fotografia e Cinema organizza dei corsi estivi per principianti. Scrivi una e-mail alla segreteria della scuola per informarti sui costi, sulle date e sull'alloggio. -- Torino, 24 Ottobre 2018 Alla cortese attenzione della segreteria della scuola Romana di fotografia e cinema, Prendo la libertà di contattarvi oggi per farvi alcune domande riguardo agli corsi estivi che la vostra scuola offre per i principianti. Innanzitutto, vorrei sapere quanti costano i corsi estivi? Inoltre, quando loro iniziano, quali sono gli dati disponibili? E infine, potreste dirmi se esiste un possibilità di essere ospitato nella scuola o nei dintorni? Vi ringrazio per il tempo dedicato alla mia richiesta e vi porge di accettare i miei distinti saluti, John Doe. -- Di nuovo, se avete suggestioni o consigli, vi ascolto ! A me sembra cortissimo ma io devo rispettare il formato quindi non occorrere strafare.

CILS - Prove Scritta #02 Ciao ! Eccomi cui di nuovo, questa volta per scrivere su un libro che mi è piaciuto. Si deve utilizzare da 120 a 140 parole quindi ho dovuto fare a breve. -- Il libro di cui vorrei parlare oggi si chiama The Black Russian, è stato ispirato da eventi reali e si tratta della vità di un uomo Afro-Americano che va in giro per il mondo con il sogno di una vita migliore. Il protagonista si chiama Frederic, è uno schiavo e decise di andare via per L’Europa ad un epoca dove l’America è intrisa di razzismo. Il libro dipinge la realtà del 19 secolo attraverso gli occhi di un giovane uomo Americano che non ha mai conosciuto nient’altro che la schiavitù. La sua vita sarà irto di incontri, dalla Francia tra la Turchia per alla fine diventare un imprenditore di successo nell’ambito della notte Moscovita. In questo libro, non solo il personaggio principale va in gita per il mondo ma lui porta anche il lettore in viaggio al suo fianco. -- Che ne pensate? Suggestioni, errori, qualcosa che non va magari?

Dove sono gli Italiani !?

Ehi !

Se sei Italiano/Italiana mandami un messaggio! Ho bisogno di parlare quanto più possibile visto che sto preparando la mia certificazione di italiano come lingua straniera. Naturalmente ti darò una mano per sia l'inglese o il Francese, la mia madrelingua. Ho ottenuto il mio Cambridge e ho vissuto per 3 anni nel Regno Unito e in realtà ci vivo ancora adesso..

Spero a presto!

CAE - Writing Part 2 - Proposal [Assessment Required #6] Hey! Today I tackled the Proposal. The subject's been taken from Write&Improve. -- You work in your local library. The number of visitors to the library has been falling steadily over the last year, so your manager has sent you the following email: Thank you for raising the recent fall in visitor numbers in the meeting on Tuesday. Please could you put together a proposal with suggestions for how we might attract more visitors to the library and I will present it at the next board meeting. Thanks! Write your proposal. -- Dear Sir, As requested, find below my suggestions for Tuesday's meeting. Presence online It was brought to my attention that a substantial amount of visitors are eagerly waiting for an online catalogue offering them the possibility to book their items straight from their electronic devices. Therefore, an update of our website and the digitization of the hardcopy of our books is definitely worth considering. Moreover, a mobile application would definitely tip the scales in our favor and allow us to stand out from our counterparts. Craft sessions According to a recent survey, visitors have shown a deep interest towards craft sessions, especially cooking and gardening. Consequently, I think the library would benefit from such activities by proposing to visitors an hands-on approach along with short tailored sessions led by professionals. I personally know a couple of chefs an gardeners who can positively respond to this demand. Discounts Finally, we should consider bringing down our prices and even offer a 80% discount for newcomers. By keeping steady the cost of our annual membership the library ensures to offer the best rates on the market. On top of that, we could back this offer with a well oiled marketing campaign and spread the word across the city in the blink of an eye. I genuinely hope the suggestions outlined before will meet your expectations and improve the overall number of visitors shortly. Should you need further details, I'm at your entire disposal. Peter.

CAE - Writing Part 2 [Assessment Required #5] Hellooooo! I had a 45 mins window this very morning so I seized the opportunity to give another try to the second part of the writing test. Without further ado, let's talk about ..... TRAIN STATION (woow, exciting ! Isn't it?) -- Send us a report on a bus or train station that you have used. We'd really like to know what was good or bad about the bus or train station and any problems you have experienced. We'd also like your suggestions for ways in which the bus or train station could be improved. -- REPORT ON THE GARE MONTPARNASSE The objective of this report is to assess the facilities provided at the French parisian train station : “ La Gare Montparnasse “ and make recommendations upon it. An overall view The “Gare Montparnasse” is often described as the artery of Paris. Bustling and overcrowded, the train station has often been critised by users for its relentless delays. Well deserved, the extensive underground network connects from and to any locations in the French capital. Informations booths are often throttled which results in lenghty waiting lines that can be observed at any time of the day. Moreover, pickpockets are numerous in spite of the army patrols prowling day in day out among the facility. Drawback Outdated and unreliable, the communication system in charge of conveying precious informations about the traffic to users is the bleak point of the station. Text messages that were meant to be sent to users are seldom reaching out their target which had terrible consequences for travelers. More often that not, delays have been experienced and users were given no other choices but spend a sleepless night in the station. Room for improvements In the light of the concerns pointed above, I feel it would be a considerable advantage whether changes were made to the obsolete system and if the infrastructure intended for communication underwent a complete makeover that would prevent further mishaps in the future. -- cheers !

CAE - Writing Part 1 [Assessment Required #4] Hey ! Today is report day, namely, Part 2 of the Cambridge Test. -- You have just finished a three-week study and work programme in an English-speaking country. You studied English language in the mornings and worked for a local company in the afternoons. The programme organiser has asked you to write a report about your experience. In your report, you should evaluate the programme, explaining which part of the programme was more useful, and suggest changes you would recommend for next year’s programme. -- THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMME The objective of this report is to assess the programme “English Abroad”, outline the pros and make recommendations for the next year. WORK AND STUDY My three-weeks programme took place in Los Angeles even though other destinations are available. Accomodations are provided for newcomers and should you find the need to, a taxi can pick you up at the airport. All rooms and facilities match high criteria and everything is exactly how it has been advertised on the website of the organization. Moreover, it should be noted that most of the local companies students might happen to work for are situated a stone’s throw away from the housing. The courses provided in the morning are individual tailored sessions that perfectly fit the timetable of the students so they can get to work on time in the afternoon. Teachers are friendly and always eager to help. THE WAY TO FLUENCY The ability to work for an American company and get swamped in a spoken English environment on a daily basis gave me the opportunity to reinforce and sharpen my speaking skills. On top of that, it also heightned my confidence to speak publicly and get out of my comfort zone. RECOMMENDATIONS On the whole, it has been a lovely experience. Nonetheless, given the tight schedule of the programme, I would recommend the organisers to extend the duration of their stays so the would-be students can make the best out of it. -- I'm quite satisfied about my composition. I'm usually short on time but today I even had the luxury to go over my writing several times to polish it up ! Thanks to whoever might find the time to point out my mistakes. cheers! ERRATUM: typo in the title, that's Part 2, not the Part 1, my bad.

CAE - Writing Part 1 [Assessment Required #3] Hey! I've just done the Essay below, a review would be highly appreciated. The subject was the following: What type of book is more important to read nowadays? - Fiction - History - Science As usual, I had to write about two of the three points mentioned above and choose one. -- Book are important to read, regardless of their genre. But what are the books deserving the most of our attention? Whether you want to showboat at a friend’s party or just plain broaden your knowledge of the humankind, History books are full of nooks awaiting to be discovered. Not only they give a better understanding of our world and where humanity stem from but they also provide a sharp insight of our past. On top of that and thank to vulgarization, readers can now dive into complex stories filled with references, names and places in spite of their lack of knowledge on the subject. On the other hand, Science is often described as an obscure and dull field dedicated to scholars. Even though science books are necessary, there are not compulsory. Should you find yourself sheepish and speechless when someone is asking you about the current quantic theory, no one would hold it against you. However, get asked who was the president of your country 50 years from now and you might find a pretext to head to the bathroom. It’s a fact, people tend to relate to down-to-earth stories and ideas they can grasp rather than abstract and obscure concepts made up of black holes and nano-technologies. In spite of the importance of science to ensure the perennity of our civilization, being knowledgeable in History will arm you with the best tools to get by in a ever-changing society. Not only will you absorb a substantial amount of facts about the mankind but you will also understand what is at stake in our modern world.

CAE - Writing Part 1 [Assessment Required #2] Hello! I came up with another writing this morning. The subject was the following: Which aspect of our daily lives has been affected most by technology? 1. communication 2. relationships 3. working life It took me a little while to get down to work, there was so many points to cover I prefered to stick to my draft..let's hope I'm not off topic ! The task has been carried out within a 45 mins time frame. -- Technology is definitely a milestone for our civilization. Yet, we still begin to understand its impact over our lives. Nowadays, Technology is so embedded in our lives that the human kind could not step back without bearing the brunt of the consequences. Should you find yourself completely lost in a secluded area with no other mean of communication but your phone, you could still check your Facebook’s feed. Moreover, not only technology gave us the ability to touch base with one another but it also gave us the opportunity to get in touch with complete strangers living at the very end of the world. Indeed, Internet and moreover smartphones are quite possible the most important breakthroughs that gave humans the ability to step up their games. It has never been easier to engage a conversation with your crush regardless the part of the world you’re texting from or the language you have been taught. Yet, what could have been a tremendous tool to weave a wholesome relation with a perfect stranger quickly turned into a grocering activity. Sweep right and I end up in your basket. Sweep left and I head back into the abyss of Internet. Not only technology speeded up the matching process but it also merchandised our relationships. In a ever-growing world overwhelmed by technology some would argue we have never been so connected while other would contend we never felt so lonely. However, whatever the answer might be, get to grips with technology and its impact on our daily lives can certainly give use a better insight of the humankind and a better understanding about ourselves.

Writing Task 2 - CAE Hi ! Today I decided to tackle the Task 2 of the Writing Part. The subject given was the following : You have received a letter from an English friend. " I'm thinking about coming to live in your town for a while and learn your language ! What kind of accommodation would I be able to get ? And you know how keen I am on sport - any chance of learning a new one while I'm there? The problem is, I'll need to get a part-time job to pay for it all - is that going to be easy ? Let me know - it would be great if I could do it all !" Here is my writing. Hey Joe, Long time no see ! I’m glad to hear you eventually decided to settle in Newquay mate ! First thing first, I need more details about your budget. Rents start from 300$ for a single rom up to 700$ for a double room. Would it be for a long or a short stay? Landlords can be real sticklers about the lease, they often ask tenants a minimum stay of 6 months ! I suggest you to have a look on SpareRoom as soon as you get my message. There are loads of ads at this time of the year and as you can imagine, the sooner you sort that out, the better! In the meantime I will look into it from here. I keep you posted anyway! The council recently decided to renovate the reef, surfing schools are now sprinkled all along the coast ! The landscape is absolutely stunning ! If I’m not mistaken, you’ve never tried surf, haven’t you ? If you’re coming, you definitely have to give it a go. I can get you a board if you want ! Whenabouts would you be more likely to arrive? With regards to the job, I don’t want to get your hopes up pal but I know a couple of guys that might be able to get you something in the Hospitality Industry. I know you already have some experience as a cook and there are a substantial amount of restaurants down here. I’ve got you covered no worries! Peter