Doing an enjoyable activity with a child can develop better skills and more creativity than

reading. To what extent do you agree? Use reasons and specific examples to explain your
answer.
Parents throughout the world place spend time reading with their offspring to prepare them for
school where their literacy skills are further developed; however, recent research suggests that
focusing on reading at an early age can be detrimental, and participating in fun activities would
be far more beneficial. I am a strong advocate of this approach, and the benefits of it will be
covered in this essay.

A fundamental reason for this is that there is no biological age for reading, and pushing infants to
acquire this skill before they are ready could have repercussions. For example, in the UK, many
boys are reluctant readers, possibly because of being forced to read, and this turned them off
reading. By focusing on other activities and developing other skills such as creativity and
imagination, when they are ready to read, they usually acquire this skill rapidly.

In addition, the importance of encouraging creativity and developing a child's imagination must
be acknowledged. Through play, youngsters develop social and cognitive skills, for example,
they are more likely to learn vocabulary through context rather than learning it from a book.

Furthermore, play allows youngsters to mature emotionally, and gain self-confidence. There is
no scientific research which suggests reading at a young age is essential for a child's
development, moreover, evidence suggests the reverse is true. In Finland, early years' education
focuses on playing.

Reading is only encouraged if a child shows an interest in developing this skill. This self-directed
approach certainly does not result in Finnish school leavers falling behind their foreign
counterparts. In fact, Finland was ranked the sixth-best in the world in terms of reading.

Despite being a supporter of this non-reading approach, I strongly recommend incorporating

bedtime stories into a child's daily routine. However, reading as a regular daytime activity should
be swapped for something which allows the child to develop other skills.
Social media marketing can influence what consumers buy. Do you agree or disagree? To
what extent do you agree?

Since the introduction of social media applications in the early 2000's the world has become a
much smaller place. Social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have
become information sources for a majority of the global market.

As such, it could be argued that marketing, which happens to be a source of information

accessible on these platforms can influence the consumers who use them. This notion is further
aided by the rise in online retail stores that conduct the bulk of their transactions online. This
makes it easier for the consumer to purchase from anywhere in the world.

As a consumer on social media, you are constantly bombarded with advertisements of various
products that are specifically designed to catch your attention. This means that most of the
adverts on your news feeds aren't random and will almost always feature something you have
previously searched online or something currently popular or trending. Given the fact that most
social media users are young consumers who are influenced by current trends and happenings,
these adverts will almost always catch their eye.

The habit of sharing, retweeting and liking also ensure that these adverts get around, quite fast.
As such, when an advert does reach your news feed you have already probably seen it on your
friend's news feed. The truth is, adverts are a form of information and with the age of the
internet, information spreads faster than a wildfire.

Therefore, it only makes sense that in the era and age of technology, globalization and the need
to be trendy, social media marketing can influence what consumers buy.
Some people believe that professionals such as doctors and engineers should be required to
work in the country where they did their training. Others believe they should be free to
work in another country if they wish. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Should domestically trained specialists in areas such as medicine and engineering be obliged to
pursue their careers in their homeland or should they be given the choice of working abroad? In
this essay, I shall discuss both sides of this controversial issue before going on to state why I tend
to agree with the need for them to remain in their countries at least in the short-term.

Those in favour of making graduates from these highly skilled professions stay and work in the
country where they studied, often stress that the cost of higher education in many countries is
subsidised by taxpayers and that thanks to government funding, talented students from any
background will be able to realise their potential. The argument, therefore, is that these alumni
owe a debt of gratitude to the society that helped them. Furthermore, in many developing
countries, the need to maximize all available resources, including the human variety, is of the
utmost importance. These countries cannot afford to lose such valuable talent, especially after
investing in it.

However, there are many who believe that it must be left to the individual to choose whether to
stay or re-locate in another country. After devoting years of their lives to study while perhaps
neglecting personal relationships and running up considerable debt, seeking opportunities
elsewhere to enjoy a better lifestyle and earn a higher salary as well as the chance to further their
academic and professional careers, should not be denied. Besides, if there are no restrictions on
people from other walks of life, such as those in business or even the arts such as music, dance
and acting, from migrating, then why should doctors and engineers be prevented?

However, there are many who believe that it must be left to the individual to choose whether to
stay or re-locate in another country. After devoting years of their lives to study while perhaps
neglecting personal relationships and running up considerable debt, seeking opportunities
elsewhere to enjoy a better lifestyle and earn a higher salary as well as the chance to further their
academic and professional careers, should not be denied. Besides, if there are no restrictions on
people from other walks of life, such as those in business or even the arts such as music, dance
and acting, from migrating, then why should doctors and engineers be prevented?
Today, the quality of life in large cities is decreasing. Discuss the causes and solutions.

The global phenomenon of urbanisation from the beginning of industrialisation to the present
day has brought opportunity and prosperity, albeit at a cost in the quality of life. With an
increasing city population, the complexity of the challenges also increases for the globe as well
as the local community. Therefore, the causes and effects of these on the current generation, as
well as possible solutions are outlined below.

The causes for the decrease in the quality of life are paradoxically the prosperity endowed on
such metropolitan centres. Their growth is largely due to the increase of opportunities on offer,
which in turn increases their attractiveness, essentially they are trapped in a positive self-
reinforcing cycle. While such developments have a positive impact on immediate economic
objectives, it perpetuates behaviours that can have a negative impact in the long term.

However, this eventually leads to a decrease in the quality of life as the city can experience
overcrowding, exorbitant property prices, and increased vulnerability to terrorist attacks. For
example, the density of London makes it a more efficient place to attack, when compared to a
smaller city such as Bradford.

Therefore, due to continuous growth and prosperity, urban citizens, especially the less well off,
often experience a lower standard of living. Even greater than this, are the relevant examples of
natural disasters such as recent fires in Australia, which brought about unprecedented weather
patterns resulting in the destruction of wild and rare animals. These effects are far from uniform,
as they affect different countries in ways unseen by previous generations.

Considering the solutions, greater investment in public transport would ease traffic congestion,
as would bike lanes. In theory, this would reduce air pollution, and possibly improve the well-
being of the population if they did adopt a more active lifestyle and cycle to work. While these
solutions are local, if adopted globally, would affect individuals and many countries alike. A
collective effort is needed to use social networks and other media to highlight the negative effect
of urbanisation as well as the negative sides of the wider ramifications on the population.

To conclude, while it could be argued that urbanisation advantages outweigh the disadvantages,
a wealthy city attracts a large population inflow, which then causes pressure on existing
infrastructure and security. Various solutions exist to mitigate such drawbacks, such as social
networks being used to raise awareness of such negative impacts on many countries, nevertheless
an indefinite solution has yet to be found.