Task 1
The chart shows the employment status of adults in the US in 2003 and 2013.
Sample Answer:
The given bar chart illustrates the percentage of American adults in different fields of employment from 2003 to 2013.
In general, it can be seen that there were increases in the percentages of people working in education training, the hotel industry, the building industry, and the self-employment sector, while the medical, and business sectors saw decreases over this ten-year period. The unemployment rate also significantly dropped during this time.
In 2003, approximately 8%, 3%, and 10% of American adults were employed in education training, the hotel industry, and building respectively. The figures for these fields all rose to around 20% over the following ten years. Additionally, the percentage of self-employed people almost tripled, from around 10% to just over 30% during the period.
In 2013, around a quarter of the American working population chose to run their own businesses, which had seen a two-fold decrease from 2003. Similarly, percentages of those in the medical industry also dropped by half, from 20% to 10%, over the period.
Task 2
Advertising is becoming more and more common in everyday life. Some people say that advertising has a positive impact on our lives. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Answer:
Nowadays, people are confronted with advertisements of all kinds on a daily basis. Some people believe this has both positive and negative impacts on our lives, and personally, I completely agree with such viewpoint.
People in the modern world come into contact with advertisements almost everywhere, from online commercials, to banners displayed on crowded streets. Frequent exposure to advertisments of the same, or similar types of products, helps consumers make a clear comparison of certain aspects of the product, such as function or price, before deciding which items are suitable for their needs. For instance, thanks to the commercials of Iphone X and Samsung Galaxy S10, people wishing to purchase a smartphone can easily weigh up the pros and cons of these two products, and then choose the right one that serves their demand.(1)
However, widespread advertising can also have some negative consequences that are worthy of consideration. First, the information delivered in advertisements is not always accurate, as many companies exaggerate the features of their products in order to draw attention from the public. As a result, consumers are likely to receive products of much lower quality than advertised. Second, the heavy cost of producing a range of advertisments can raise the market price of many products, meaning that people will have to pay more money to buy an item that they want.
In conclusion, the fact that advertisements of all types surround people can influence their lives in both positive and negative ways, and companies should consider giving the accurate information, and reduce their budgets for advertising to mitigate the drawbacks mentioned above.(2)
