Module 3. WRITING. Tips

📘 C1 Teacher's Guide: Tips & Models

C1 Part 1 (Essay) Strategy

• Tip: Choose exactly two points. Use a clear paragraph for Point A, a clear paragraph for Point B, and conclude by clearly selecting the greater long-term threat. Use formal, objective language.

• Key Vocab: Devaluation, intellectual property, collaboration, appropriation, copyright infringement, remuneration.

  
  

C1 Model Answer (Essay): AI's Dual Challenge to Creativity

The rapid advancement of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has initiated a crucial debate regarding its role in creative sectors. While some see AI as a revolutionary tool, others view it as an existential threat. Two key issues undermining the creative professions are the devaluation of human skill and the burgeoning legal battles over copyright.

The most immediate concern is the devaluation of human skill and labour. When AI can produce high-quality work, be it a musical score or a piece of digital art, instantly and at minimal cost, the market value of human-produced content inevitably drops. If a client can obtain a product for free from an AI, they will be less willing to pay a human artist, leading to widespread economic hardship for those whose livelihood depends on their craft.

The second major problem is the legal chaos surrounding copyright. AI models are trained on vast datasets of existing works, often used without the original creator's consent or compensation. This is creating a legal minefield where artists must fight for their intellectual property, claiming that the AI has committed digital theft by appropriating their style or content without fair remuneration.

In my view, the devaluation of human skill poses the greater long-term threat. While copyright laws can eventually be reformed, the societal acceptance that creative work is essentially valueless will permanently hollow out the creative economy. If the human element is no longer valued, even new laws will struggle to protect artists from technological unemployment.

C1 Part 2 (Article) Strategy

• Tip: C1 Articles need to be lively and engaging for a general audience. Use rhetorical questions, direct address ("you"), and clear, descriptive headings.

• Key Vocab: E-waste, toxicity, obsolescence, disposal, recycling infrastructure, ethical consumption.

C1 Model Answer (Article): Your Phone’s Toxic Legacy: Taming the E-Waste Crisis

Have you ever stopped to wonder where your last smartphone went? Once your beloved gadget is replaced, it rarely finds a new home. This continuous cycle of buying and discarding has given rise to the "gadget graveyard," a massive and increasingly toxic problem known as e-waste.

The sheer volume is staggering. Every year, millions of tons of obsolete electronics are thrown away. This is not just unsightly; it is fundamentally dangerous. Electronic waste is packed with toxic materials, including lead and mercury.When these gadgets are improperly processed or dumped in landfills, these poisonous elements leach into the soil and water supply, causing devastating environmental and health damage.

So, what can the environmentally conscious consumer do? The power lies in extending the life cycle. Instead of instantly upgrading, consider having devices repaired. If a device truly reaches the end of its life, ensure it is directed towards certified recycling programmes, not the general trash. Governments must also mandate that manufacturers design products that last longer and are easily disassembled. Ultimately, tackling the e-waste crisis requires a systemic shift away from planned obsolescence and toward responsible consumption.

🎓 Level 2: C2 Proficiency (CPE)

Focus: Nuance, abstract ideas, sophisticated register, and synthesis of texts.

Part 1: Compulsory Essay

1. Read the two texts below. Write an essay summarising and evaluating the key points from both texts. Use your own words throughout as far as possible, and include your own ideas in your answers. (240–280 words)

Text 1: The Illusion of Control The proliferation of "smart" household gadgets promises efficiency, yet this convenience comes with an invisible cost: the outsourcing of domestic wisdom. When a refrigerator reorders milk or a thermostat predicts optimum temperature, we subtly cede our control to an algorithm. The consequence is a form of digital dependency, eroding our capacity for simple decision-making and creating a vulnerability to systemic failures. The home, once a sanctuary of autonomy, is becoming an integrated node in the Internet of Things, controlled by remote, opaque processes.

Text 2: The Data Economy The true value of any gadget today is not the hardware itself, but the data it harvests. This constant, granular collection of personal information—from sleep patterns to political views—is the engine of the modern economy. Consumers willingly exchange their privacy for functional utility, a trade-off founded on a fundamental imbalance of power. The data is aggregated, analysed, and monetized without the user's informed consent, generating profits that are rarely shared. Thus, we are not customers of smart technology; we are the product.

Write your essay.

Part 2: Choice

2. Letter A popular technology magazine has published a controversial essay arguing that "Digital detoxes are a luxury for the wealthy; the poor need technology to survive." You disagree with the premise that technology is solely a necessity and believe that digital dependency is a universal psychological burden. Write a letter to the editor. You should critique this argument, focusing on the psychological and social costs of constant connectivity. Write your letter.

3. Review You have read a non-fiction book that explores the concept of technological singularity (the point at which AI surpasses human intelligence) or a fictional equivalent. Write a review for an academic journal. Your review should evaluate the author's arguments regarding the likelihood and ethical implications of a true super-intelligence and assess whether the book is suitable for a general readership or only for experts. Write your review.

📘 C2 Teacher's Guide: Tips & Models

C2 Part 1 (Essay) Strategy

• Tip: The core link here is the price of convenience. Text 1 discusses the price in terms of autonomy/control, and Text 2 discusses the price in terms of privacy/economic value. Your essay must evaluate whether ceding control or ceding data is the greater vulnerability.

• Key Vocab: Opaque algorithms, dependency, cognitive dissonance, granularity, autonomy, monetization, systemic vulnerability, sanctuary.

  
  

C2 Model Answer (Essay): The Dual Price of Digital Convenience

The modern dependency on smart technology reveals two critical vulnerabilities: the erosion of personal autonomy and the economic exploitation of user data. The texts provided dissect these distinct but equally critical prices paid for digital convenience, highlighting the precarious contract between the user and the machine.

The first text astutely observes that the "Internet of Things" creates an illusion of control. By delegating simple domestic tasks to opaque algorithms, we incur a form of psychological dependency, converting the home from a sanctuary of personal freedom into a monitored node. I agree that this ceding of autonomy is deeply concerning, as it risks eroding the capacity for independent decision-making, leaving us vulnerable to both error and technological failure.

The second text expands this critique by addressing the monetization of privacy. It argues that the true function of the gadget is not utility, but the granular data it harvests. This data is the engine of the modern economy, generated by users whose "consent" is obtained under a fundamental imbalance of power. This confirms the uncomfortable truth: the user is the product, exchanging personal information for functional features.

In evaluation, while the loss of domestic autonomy is unsettling, the wholesale, systemic vulnerability resulting from the data economy is the greater threat. This loss of privacy feeds directly into control, allowing powerful, unseen entities to influence behaviour and potentially undermine democratic processes. A comprehensive solution demands strict data fiduciary responsibilities from manufacturers, restoring user agency.

C2 Part 2 (Letter) Strategy

• Tip: A C2 letter must be polite but intellectually rigorous. Use concession structures (Albeit, While it is undeniable that...) to acknowledge the opponent's point before launching your critique. Use sophisticated rhetoric.

• Key Vocab: Existential, psychological burden, dichotomy, socio-economic vitality, cognitive exhaustion, universal imperative.

  
  

C2 Model Answer (Letter): Rebuttal to 'Digital Detoxes are a Luxury'

To the Editor,

I am writing in response to your recent, rather cynical editorial suggesting that "Digital detoxes are a luxury for the wealthy." While it is undeniable that access to technology is often a socio-economic imperative for employment and information access, to imply that the accompanying psychological burden is not universal constitutes a dangerous and reductionist dichotomy.

The editorial fails to acknowledge the cognitive exhaustion that constant connectivity imposes on all individuals, regardless of income. The pressure to maintain a digital persona, the anxiety of perpetual notification, and the sheer volume of information to process are universal stressors. This digital anxiety knows no income bracket; indeed, those reliant on insecure gig economy jobs may feel the pressure to remain 'online' and instantly available even more acutely.

Furthermore, framing the issue as a simple necessity overlooks the social costs. Physical retail and genuine human interaction provide vital community structures and psychological grounding that no superior online shopping experience can replace. We must resist the technological determinism that views human life solely through the lens of efficiency. The solution is not to accept digital dependency as inevitable, but to fight for better digital boundaries, which is a universal right, not a luxury.

Yours faithfully,

[Student Name].