Leaflet

Look at this task.

You work in a fitness centre. The centre would like to encourage more business
people to use its facilities after work. There are many companies in your town
which have English-speaking employees and you have been asked to prepare the
text for a leaflet aimed at them.
You should:
1. introduce the fitness centre and its facilities.
2. emphasise the benefits of regular exercise.
3. give brief general advice on ways of avoiding stress in daily life.
Write the text for the leaflet using about 250 words.

First, you will need to think about the content of your leaflet.
make a list of possible exercise and other facilities (such as a shop, caf etc)
make notes about the benefits of regular exercise (and the dangers of inactivity)
think about what to include in the general advice section.
Layout and organisation
Information sheets, leaflets and brochures are intended
to inform, persuade orwarn. The two main aims are therefore to catch the readers
attention and to present the message as clearly as possible. To do this, layout and
organisation need to be as effective as possible. Short paragraphs with clear headings
are much easier to read and absorb than long blocks of text, for example. The best
approach is to imagine yourself as the reader and to ask what you would want to know,
and in what order you would find it easiest to absorb the information. Consider these
points:

Main heading:
Is this as direct and eye-catching as possible?
Does it give the reader a clear idea of what the subject is?
Does it make the reader want to read on?
Subheadings:
Are these short and clear? Asking a question in your heading may be more interesting
than stating a fact.
Text:
Is the information broken up into short, easy-to-read sections?
Is the order logical?

Look After Your Heart

A Simple Guide To Feeling Fitter
Looking Better
And Living Longer
Why do I need to look after my heart?
By looking after your heart you can feel fitter and look
better and youll be protecting yourself against heart disease too.
England is one of the worst countries in the world for heart disease.
It causes one in three of all deaths among 55-64 year olds.
What causes heart disease?
Your heart needs a supply of oxygen that comes from the blood
in its arteries. Over a number of years these arteries can get clogged up
and the supply of blood to the heart can stop. This causes a heart attack.
Im fit and healthy. Why should I worry?
Heart attacks usually happen to people in middle age, but the damage
to your arteries can start long before that, without you realising it.
It can even start to develop in childhood.
So its important to look after your heart now, whatever your age.
Isnt a heart attack a quick way to go?
Not always. Heart disease can cause years of pain, discomfort and worry.
How can I avoid getting heart disease?
There are no guarantees, but the best way to avoid heart disease is:
Dont smoke
Eat healthily
Take regular exercise
Go easy on alcohol
Avoid stress if you can
If you have heart disease in you family you may have a greater risk of
getting it yourself so its especially important to follow this advice.

REPORT/PROPOSAL
Report on the Annual Student Games in London

Introduction
The aim of this report is to describe my experience of attending the Annual Student
Games in London, which took place in August of this year. This report will also give some
recommendations for the organisation of next years event in Lima, Per.

Accommodation, food and transport

Finding cheap accommodation in London was firmly easy. There were plenty of youth
hostels and bed and breakfasts available, which offered incredible discounts to Latin
American students. And, as breakfasts and dinners were included, I only had to worry
about paying for lunch (8-10 dollars a day).
Travelling through London was not difficult. There were special buses which could take
you for free to the venues of the sporting events.
The social programme
The event lasted a week and was packed with enthusiastic young people. Universities
from all over the world sent their "champion Olympians" to participate in track and field,
football, basketball and swimming competitions.
The highlight of the event was, of course, the closing ceremony, in which the winners
were presented with a medal and a posy by no other than the Queen herself.
Communication
The organisers of the event had the innovative idea of announcing the schedule for the
games via e-mail, as 99% of students use smart phones and iphones. However, there was
a problem with the wifi signal in some parts of the city, which made internet connectivity
slow and in some cases impossible.
Recommendations for next years games
I strongly recommend we follow in the Londons organising committee footsteps and
offer accommodation, food and transport facilities to foreign students. I also believe we
can adopt their communication-via-mobile-phone idea, but we have to make sure we will
have a good wifi signal available in all the youth hostels and b&bs.
Finally I suggest we invite a huge celebrity or very important political figure to be present
in the closing ceremony.

2. Useful language / Phrases to use in a Report.

In the introduction
- The aim of this report is to...
- The purpose of this report is to outline...
- This report will also provide some recommendations on...
In the conclusion
- I strongly recommend...ing
- It would be highly advisable to...
- I would no doubt suggest...ing
- I also believe we should...

REPORTS/PROPOSALS
Introductory comments
I recently visited (the new Leisure Centre) and have prepared the following report for your consideration.
Further to my visit to ... , I have prepared the following report.
The following report relates to my recent visit to ...
General comments
On the whole, I found that ...
Although ... , I should point out that ...
It is a fact that ...
Concluding comments
All things considered, I believe that ...
Taking all these points into consideration, I would recommend ...
I recommend that we look into the possibility of ...
Comparing places or facilities
One of the main differences between X and Y is that
X is completely/entirely/totally different from Y in that
Unlike X, Y is ...
While/Whereas/Although X is ... , Y is ...

X is a little/slightly/somewhat/a great deal (bigger/more elegant than Y.

X is not quite/nearly as (comfortable/expensive/ convenient) as Y because ...
X is virtually/exactly the same as Y when it comes to ...

Title: Report into .

Paragraph Titles: Introduction, Strengths, Weaknesses, Conclusion. (for
example)

Fixed introduction: The aim of this report is to evaluate/put forward ideas

for/examine etc.
Introduction:
The purpose/aim of this report is to.
This report sets out to
The report will comment on
Below is an explanation of
The focus of this report is
This report will offer an in depth critique of
Fake survey/questionnaire:
It can be a good idea to base the report on a survey/questionnaire.
This report will present the findings of/This report is based on the findings/results of
an extensive survey carried out by
Concluding:
-To sum up,To conclude,

Grammar check list

Have you included?

-I hope that the plan

outlined/presented in this

An inversion (not only/no

sooner/seldom)

report meets with your approval

An inverted conditional (Were

we to)

-I hope that the recommendations

outlined/

A participle clause

presented in this report will

receive your serious
consideration.
Should the recommendations
outlined in this report be carried
out, I have no doubt that . Will
be a resounding success.

(Being/Having gone)

A double comparative (The

more we the more)

A cleft sentence (What is

most crucial is)

Linkers
(Nevertheless/despite/due
to/consequently)

Impressive verbs (bring about

change/undergo development)

To, From, Subject, Date

The purpose/intention/aim of this report is to outline / present / discuss / give a
brief comment / suggest / sum up the last...
The report contains the relevant details concerning the problem as you
required.
It's based on my observations/extracts from the questionaries / the feedback
from participants...
As requested I am submitting this report concerning...
This report is submitted in support of our request for...
I suggest ... as it would result in...
Consideration should be given...
It would be prudent / inadvisable / advisable to ... on the grounds that it /
owing to the fact that / due to the fact that...
I am opposed to the idea of...
It would be mutually advantageous
I suggest that the problem of... can be addressed through...
Therefore...
For the satisfaction of... the ... should be...
Another problem was that...
I would strongly recommend...
More steps also need to be taken to...
The obvious conclusion to be drawn from these facts is that...
I hope / believe / trust you will consider this proposal favourably / the proposal
will be given due consideration / the proposal will receive a due consideration.

CPE REPORT SAMPLE

Report on the Water Circuit Park
The aim of this report on the Water Circuit Park in Lima city is to display some
recommendations on how to enhance the park facilities and to give account
on why making these positive changes would attract more tourists and visitors
to this venue.

The facilities
The Circuit Park, is one of the best well-known tourist attractions in Lima. It is
a site which has thirteen ornamental fountains of water which offer an
unforgettable lights show when darkness reaches the Limenian sky. Since all
the fountains are interactive it allows children to play in the water as well.
Each fountain reflects colourful lights and plays enchanting music. Appart
from that there are resting areas for adults to sit down and use the free wi-fi.
Improvements to take into account
A first recommendation is to display posters outside the park which warn the
public to wear appropiate clothes. All children and any adult standing near the
fountain to play or to take photos is inevitably going to get wet. They should
be aware of that.
It would also be wise to have more guardians to ensure the security and the
order outside the park, for it has been a matter of great concern that there
might be pickpockets in the sometimes crowded queues.
Benefits of the improvements
Being informed of what clothes to wear will prevent people from leaving the
park because they got wet. If they stay in the park for longer it means they
can buy more souvenirs and it means extra money for the Park.
As for the security guards on the doors, having a safer place will surely give a
better impression on the public who will no doubt recommend your friends to
come.
Conclusion
Provided these recommendations are taken into consideration, we will be able
to offer a better service to people and they will respond back by visiting more
frequently the Circuit, and not only that but also recommending us to others.
By Salom Aguilar

Formal Essay
Introduction
Present the topic of discussion and ask questions the essay will
answer.
Hardly a week goes by without another report of .. appearing in the
media.

Over the past ten years or so the media have frequently carried reports of
The trend nowadays is towards (gerund)
How has the publics opinion on this issue shifted over the last few years?
Although most people would generally agree that few would deny that
.
This raises the issue of whether or not..
This issue strikes a chord with the vast majority of the general public.
What impact, if any, have these shifts/changes/developments had on the general
publics psyche?
How are we to gauge the effect of such shifts/changes/developments?

EMPHASIZING
-I would like to stress that the research is still at an early stage.
-It should be noted that there are a number of alternative methods available.
-It is worth bearing in mind that 90% of the scientists researching herbicides
in the US are employed by chemical companies.

CAUSE
-lead to: The research could lead to a cure for many serious illnesses.
-result in: The fire resulted in damage to their property.
-be responsible for: He was responsible for the accident.
-bring about: The war brought about enormous social change.
-give rise to: Poor performance in exams can give rise to depression and even
thoughts of suicide.

-trigger: to make something suddenly start to happen, especially a bad situation

such as a crisis or a war, or a medical condition: Certain foods can trigger allergies.
-contribute to: Passive smoking could contribute to the development of
respiratory diseases among nonsmokers.
-factor: Cost is often the deciding factor when choosing any product.

Describing causes
One factor which has led to is ..
One of the factors which has brought this about is
The problem often stems from ..
The situation has been exacerbated by .
.. has only made the situation worse.
One consequence of . is .

Proposing steps and measures

As regards the most appropriate response to this situation, one suggestion
would be to .........
The first step to be taken would be to ........
To alleviate the situation people should ...........
In addition they ought to ...............
To begin to tackle this situation society/individuals/the government need/s
to ..........
.............. would certainly ameliorate the situation.
This can only be dealt with if ............
To overcome this problem, ..............

Were the government to ..............., the situation would doubtless improve.

Individuals can do a great deal to ............
The burden of responsiblity lies in the hands of ........
It is vitally important that .........
Legislation should be introduced to control .................
It would be a grave error if we .................

Concluding
All in all it seems to me that ...........
The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that .......................
All things considered, .............
On balance, I tend to believe that ............
The world would surely be a better place to live in if ..............
If people stopped ....ing, we would have/ we could look forward to a ...............
The prospects for the future will be bleak/grim unless ...................

Text Type

Structural Features

Article / Contribution

Title (article +
contribution)
Paragraph headings
(contribution)

Language features

Has to catch and

hold readers
attention so
needs interesting
opening and
effective ending.
Use direct
questions.
Try to personalise
it.
Register depends
on target reader

but usually
informal
neutral.
Competition Entry

Title

Report

Title
Paragraph headings

Proposal

Title
Paragraph headings

Has to stand out

from other pieces
on the specified
topic so needs a
striking opening
and memorable
ending.
Register depends
on target reader
but usually
informal
neutral.
Clear introduction
explaining the
reason for the
report
Very clear
language
describing
something
precisely
Objective /
impersonal style.
Neutral to formal
register
depending on
target reader.
Clear conclusion,
usually a
recommendation.
Clear introduction
explaining reason
for writing.
Very clear
language,
persuasive
language,
recommendations
/ suggestions.
Objective /
impersonal style.
Neutral to formal
register
depending on
target reader.
Argument backed
up by crystal
clear reasons.

Essay

Title usually provided.

Information Sheet

Title
Paragraph headings

Review

Title

Formal Letter

Opening and closing

conventions:
Dear sir / madam
yours faithfully

Dear Mr. Smith yours

sincerely

Neutral formal
register
Academic piece
of writing
Examine both
sides of an
argument in a
clearly organised
structure.
Likely to come to
a definite
conclusion.
Neutral formal
register
Clear language
explaining rules
and regulations
for example.
Distinct
paragraphs about
different subjects,
no links between
paragraphs.
Early statement
of the subject of
the review (film,
book, website
etc.)
Some factual
information about
the subject.
More of the
content should be
devoted to the
writers opinions
on the subject.
Writers opinion
supported by
examples related
to subject.
Clear opening
paragraph giving
reason for
writing.
Language that
persuades by
giving reasons
supported by

examples.

LETTERS
Letters to the editor
I am writing about the article on ... , which appeared (in last night's paper).
I am writing with reference to the article you published (in last month's issue).
I have just read your article on ... and I feel I must ...
You raised some issues which I feel strongly about.
At the start of your article, you appear to claim that ...
I am afraid I totally disagree.
I am completely in agreement.
I am sure readers will agree with me when I say that ...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Sirs,
I am writing with reference to the article on... published in one of your latest issues.
I have just read an article published in...
I am writing to express my disappointment with the content of the article, concerning...,
published in...
I have read the article commenting on the debt problem of developing countries and would
like now to share my views with other readers.
I wish to protest about the article which makes totally false claims.
I hope you will not take amiss what I am going to say.
To begin with...
Furthermore...
Moreover...
What we also need to consider is...
A good example of this would be...
This is due to / This can be attributed to...
There's another factor as well...
Apart from this / that...
I am looking forward to seeing my letter published in one of the next issues of your
newspaper.

INFORMAL LETTER
TASK
You recently tried to buy an old camera on an internet auction site but had
some problems. You want to tell your friend what happened. Write a letter to
your friend explaining what happened, what you did and giving your friend
advice about buying things on auction sites.
Write your letter 220-260 words
Dear Jenny,
How are you doing ? It seems it has been ages since we last wrote to each
other. I just hope everything is fine with you. Let me tell you about a terrible
experience I had trying to buy a camera via an auction site.
You remember how fond I am of old cameras, right? Well, I spot this one on a
website. This was no ordinary camera, this is the camera I had long wanted to
complete my collection. So, without hesitation, I bid for it until it was mine. I
was on seventh heaven. I sent a juicy cheque to the seller and was confident to
receive the valuable item.
But days passed and you know what? I didn't receive it. And the worst thing is
that my cheque had been cashed already. Theres no doubt I had been coined .
So I decided to write to the owner without success. I was so blue in the face
that I complained to the website which in return said that they couldnt
control sellers and that it was the bidders to watch their backs. They werent
sympathic whatsoever!
I really blame myself for having been so naive . Believe me, Ive learnt a lesson
from it . If you decide to buy in an auction site, don't trust anyone. It is better
to contact the owner via the web and then make the money transaction face to
face.
Have you ever bid on an auction website ? Drop me a line and tell me how it
was, Im sure you can give me a few tips.
With love,
Brian
INFORMAL LETTER
Thanks so much for your letter. It was really great to hear from you.
Sorry not to have written / been in touch for so long / such a long time.

Thought I'd better / drop you a line / write to let you know...
Do you remember.... you mentioned in your last letter?
You said in your letter...
Last time you wrote you asked...

Phrases
The words and expressions below are often used by native speakers when writing to friends and
relatives. Using them will help you write in an informal style and will also help you organise your
letter into clear paragraphs.

Starting your letter (Paragraph 1)

Thanks for your letter.

Lovely to hear from you.
How are you?
How are things?
Hope you're well.

Commenting on something (Paragraph 1)

I'm sorry to hear/learn ...

I'm so pleased to hear ...
It's great to hear ...
What wonderful news about ...

Moving the topic on (Paragraph 2)

Anyway, the reason I'm writing ...

I thought I'd write to tell/ask you
Anyway, I was wondering ...

Ending your letter (Paragraph 3)

Well, that's all for now

Write back soon
Looking forward to hearing from you again
All the best

Best wishes
See you soon
Take care
Yours
Love
Lots of love

ARTICLE
Task: " You are a student at an international college. Your tutor has asked you to write an article for the
college website on ways students can improve language skills outside the classroom. In your article,
you should suggest ways in which students can make contact with English-language speakers. You
should also assess whether the most effective way of improving language skills is to make friends with
speakers of the language"

A fun way to learn English (give your article a

title)
(State

your

main

idea

in

the

first

paragraph)

In today's intercultural society, no one can deny the importance of learning a second
language, especially English. In our college we believe that major action should be taken to
guarantee that all of us, the students, are given the chance to practice this ability to
communicate with for people from all over the world. This task will require working with a
holistic approach and will imply the participation of a very committed group of people willing to
help each other. So are you ready? (use a question to motivate readers)
(organise your text into paragraphs)
Our first idea is to use the Internet. For young people surfing the net is as easy as pie and we all have
access to it. We suggest getting in touch with other students from around the world. Some highly
recommendable sites include a wide range of social networks as Facebook and Twitter. It is also a good
idea to encourage students to chat via Skype with people from English speaking countries.
A second idea is to organise reading or conversation clubs, which can have monthly gatherings in
different spots in the city. Needless to say this will be a very effective way to learn while making
friends and having a blast. There are several attractive places in town such as parks, art galleries, cafs,
and social artistic venues where students and professionals can give a boost to their social and
language skills.

A final idea is for the college to create a web page. With the support of this effective tool, our
students can have blogs with a variety of engaging tasks and games. We can have fun
getting familiar with collocations and structures that can be shared as part of an exercise on
our creative website. It will definitely be highly engaging for students regardless of their backgrounds
and specializations, they will find an enjoyable site where they can put language into practice, as they
will be well-connected and comfortable with the cuttingedge technology.

LETTER OF COMPLAINT
BANK OF USEFUL EXPRESSIONS AND SET PHRASES TO USE IN A LETTER OF COMPLAINT.
A) STATING THE CIRCUMSTANCES(introduce the general reason for writing the letter)
I am writing
-to draw your attention to
-to complain about/make a complaint about
-to express my concern about
wit regard to /regarding/in connection with/on account of
I regret that I am obliged to complain about
I feel I must complain about
It was completely different from
I feel it is absolutely unacceptable
I am dissatisfied with
Unfortunately, it was nothing like I expected
B) LISTING COMPLAINTS
My most serious complaint is
Not only(+inversion e.g. Not only did your employee insult us)...but also
Firstly,....Secondly,....Finally..
If this were not enough...../As if that was not bad enough....
To make matters worse'
C) EXPRESSING INDIGNATION IN A TACTFUL MANNER
I was shocked/surprised/dissapointed...
To my amazement/surprise...
I must mention/point out...
Sadly, in your advertisement/brochure you state otherwise
Your advertisement/brochure was misleading in this respect as you failed to mention that..../led me
to believe that...
D) CONTRADICTING FALSE OR INNACURATE STATEMENTS MADE IN ADVERTISEMENTS, BROCHURES,
LETTERS, ARTICLES, ETC
Make your points clear and forceful:
1)We were supposed to spend four hours sightseeing but IN FACT we ACTUALLY spent just twenty
minutes in a flying visit to the History museum.
2)Some fellow travellers said the trip was good in parts WHEREAS those less charitablewould say the
whole thing was a disaster.
3)WHEREAS in your article you claim that..................., AS A MATTER OF FACT this was not the case
at all.
4)As far as.....is/are concerned, I THINK IT IS FAIR TO SAY(=it is true to say) that although.....
5)I REALLY FAIL TO UNDERSTAND how you can possibly make such irresponsible claims without....
6)ANOTHER POINT/CLAIM OF YOURS I WOULD LIKE TO CONTARDICT CONCERNS THE ALLEGEDLY
excellent service offered
7)AS FOR trhe superb facilities that you mention, THERE WAS, IN FACT, a small swimming poolin the
hotel, BUT swimming in it was impossible AS it was more crowded than a shuttle bus during the rush
hour.
E) INCLUDING NARRATIVE SECTIONS TO ILLUSTRATE A POINT
USE TIME EXPRESSIONS
1)in no time at all

2)by the time

3)earlier on that day
4)as time went by
F) USE REPORTING VERBS
support/accuse/blame/deny/threaten/insist/warn/suggest/offer/disregard
AND FINALLY, USE SET PHRASES FOR THE CLOSING PARAGRAPH-DEMANDING ACTION TO BE TAKEN
1)Considering all the above, I believe I am entitled to a partial/full refund
2)I demand a full refund/immediate action/ a replacement
3)I expect to be compensated/all expenses to be paid
4)I would be grateful if you(would) deal with this matter immediately
5)I would appreciate it if we could sort out this matter as soon as possible
6)I feel sure/ I am confident that this matter will receive your prompt attention
7)I am afraid that if this matter is not dealt with immediately, I will....
Unless you,.....I have no ption but to....
9)If I do not...., I will have no choice but to....