Author: Wendy Chan - English language & literature Tutor

2018 DSE English Writing Question 6 (Sample)

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Learning English through Popular Culture

‘Athleisure’ is currently one of the biggest trends in the fashion industry. This is a term for clothes that can be worn both for exercises and as everyday wear.

Write an article for the local newspaper explaining possible reasons for the rise in popularity of athleisure.

Athleisure – A Healthy Lifestyle

Athleisure has become popular and has set the fashion trend in recent years. Basically, athleisure means athletics and leisure.  People wear sports clothing not only for exercising but also for casual occasions. They wear yoga pants, gym clothes, sports tops and shorts, leggings, sneakers and shoes as everyday wear.  There are several reasons why athleisure is so popular.

Most people are now living and working under pressure in the city. Normally, they spend at least 8 hours stuck sitting in the air-conditioned office working with the computers. It easily leads to stress, headache, muscle fatigue, back pain and other body-related problems.  They are in need of stretching, breathing and exercising to reduce stress and keep their body healthy. As a result, the concept of living a healthy lifestyle becomes so popular with the office workers that yoga studios, gym rooms and fitness centres are opened everywhere to cater for their needs. They wear sportswear outfit to go to these fitness centres to do exercises on a regular basis to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, athleisure comes with the healthy lifestyle and becomes trendy fashion.

As fast-food diet is common to our everyday life, many people are overweight and have the problem of obesity. Many celebrities also face the same issue. They usually upload photos and videos of their workout process and result on their social media accounts to advertise the concept of athletics, sportsmanship and healthy lifestyle as well as their sportswear sponsorship since they are representative of some sportswear brands. People are easily attracted to their outfits, efforts and workout performance and follow suit. Moreover, as the newspapers and magazines are full of the celebrities’ success stories of weight loss through exercising to achieve a perfect figure and wear slim sportswear outfit, the general people are easily influenced to follow the trend. With the impact of celebrities, athleisure becomes a popular trend.

In recent years, the annual marathon competition has become so popular that it has attracted thousands of people to take part in. People from all walks of life are interested in joining the marathon run. To prepare themselves for the competition, they have to keep training themselves throughout the year. The marathon run is now a major sports event in Hong Kong and has spread its influence among the general public. It has created a culture of athletics. This is one of the driving force behind athleisure. 

Last but not least, sportswear products are trendy and fashionable. They offer both comfort and a taste of fashion. Comfort wear is preferable to denim jeans because not only the fabrics used serves the purpose of comfort, durability and flexibility, but also its design is stylish as well. So athleisure becomes fashionable and is much sought after.

In short, athleisure is equal to healthy lifestyle. As long as people are obsessed with health pursuit, athleisure will sustain and continue to set the trend in the fashion industry.

#dse #sample

2019 DSE English Writing Question 2 (Sample)

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Learning English through Social Issues

The following excerpt appeared in an article in the Hong Kong Daily Press:

To participate in today’s global economy, companies hire individuals whose skills and talent meet standards of excellence. One hundred years ago, people were hired from within the local community but today the best individuals are hired from around the world.

  • Write an essay for your English teacher
  • Explain some of the benefits and challenges international talent brings to Hong Kong society and ways to ensure that people from the local community are not neglected
  • Include a title for your essay

Local Talent in Danger

As the world is undergoing globalization in the 21st century, business is becoming international. Companies are eager to recruit global talent to cater for the demand of business as they have to co-operate with companies and countries worldwide to develop and expand their business. While there are benefits to Hong Kong society and economy by hiring global talent, there are also challenges to the local community.

The benefits brought about by global talent are numerous. First of all, it can diversify the local workforce so that they can learn to work with people from other languages, cultures and countries. It increases their international exposure. Second, it can satisfy the needs of multinational companies or international corporate which set their headquarters and branches in Hong Kong. An Indian manager stationed in Hong Kong is more likely to know how to communicate with his fellow colleagues in India and oversee the business performance in his home country than local counterparts. Moreover, it brings in the necessary and professional knowledge and skills to help build and develop business. For example, the Hong Kong branch of US-based international company Apple employs tech-savvy and IT talent from India to bring in the first-class information technology knowledge and skill to assist the business development in Hong Kong. Lastly, with the inflow of foreign talent, it brings in innovative ideas and insights into the local business and avoids brain drain of the talent pool in Hong Kong.

Despite the positive effects mentioned above, there are negative sides to the input of global talent. First, it increases the competition of local job market. Local talent is compelled to compete with global talent in order to secure a place in internationally renowned companies. In terms of language, international experience and professional knowledge, they may pale in comparison and thus lose out the opportunities of getting hired. Second, it is difficult for local talent to find a good job with potential development. As well-paid jobs are filled up by global talent, local talent is only left with jobs without good prospects and benefits. As a result, global talent seemingly “steals the rice bowl” of local talent and affects its social mobility.

In order to prevent local talent from being neglected, the Government should take certain measures to tackle the problem. For example, it should allocate more resources to the education sector, particularly higher education sector, to attract more internationally-renowned talent or scholars to foster and nurture our local students and to expand their horizons so that our students can also measure up to international standard. The Government should also set up education funds to subsidize our university students to participate in foreign exchange programs.

As the inception of global talent is inevitable, local people should not lose heart but work hard to make themselves unique, useful and competent so as to increase the competitive edge and “protect the rice bowl”.

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2019 DSE English Writing Question 5 (Sample)

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5. Learning English through Popular Culture

This week’s question in the Young Post’s Over to You column is:

Where do you get information about the latest trends in pop culture? Do you turn to newspapers and magazines or do you prefer blogs and videos on social media?

  • Write an article for the Over to You column
  • Choose one or two areas of pop culture from the chart below and tell readers where you like to get information about the latest trends. Provide the name of the sources you recommend
  • Give your article a title

Areas of Pop Culture

TV & MoviesMusic & ConcertsFood & DrinkStyle & BeautyTech & Games

Get Connected Online to Pop Culture

 

Nowadays, due to the advancement of technology, people can receive news and information online from the internet in addition to traditional newspapers and magazines in print. As teenagers born in the digital age, I prefer blogs, websites and social media sites to newspapers and magazines to get information about the latest pop culture because it is cheap, fast and convenient and is also easy to share the information with family and friends. There are two areas of pop culture which I am particularly interested. They are food and drink, and style and beauty. I am keen to share with you and recommend the following sources where you can get the latest and interesting information about these two areas of pop culture.

For food and drink, there are several channels where you can get to know the latest popular cuisine and delicious dishes. Go to U Magazine Facebook Page which features the most popular food among the teenagers. For example, each month, it covers a story about affordable local specialties favored by teenagers, such as HeyTea, the tea-drink brand which blends tea drinks with fresh milk, cream and fruit. From the built-in comment boxes, you can see reviews about the customer experience of the product quality. Also, very often, it features hidden gems found in the city, such as egg tarts, egg waffles, pancakes and soufflé etc. Apart from U Magazine, another way is to try Eat Weekly Instagram page which publishes photos and descriptions of seasonal food promoted by different eateries and restaurants, such as spicy chicken hotpot, Japanese Toro and Sashimi, A5 beef eat-unlimited buffet etc. There are also video posts about the preparation or cooking process of different dishes which enhance your visual appetite.

For style and beauty, despite the Facebook and Instagram Page of the fashion and beauty brands where you can easily see up-to-date information about the hottest products, you can turn to renowned blogs to get access to the latest trends in fashion and beauty. One of the famous blogs called Trendy Zone composed by a fashion and beauty consultant and blogger Victoria Chu is my favourite choice. Each day, there is a blog entry about the best selected clothes and the best bargain clothes among the popular fashion brands. Besides, there is another blog entry about how to mix and match different clothes together with stylish make-up to give a trendy and chic look. The recommendations are professional and well-received by teenagers.

If you are one of those who like to keep abreast of the trend in pop culture, I would definitely recommend the above sources where you can follow the latest teen pop. I hope you will have a well-informed choice before you head for food and fashion.

2019 DSE English Writing Question 7 (Sample)

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7. Learning English through Poems and Songs

Taylor Swift is an award-winning singer-songwriter. In an interview with Parade magazine she said:

I wrote the song ‘Mean’ about a critic who kept giving me really bad reviews. I get that, no matter what, people will criticise what you do. But there are different ways to criticise someone… and there’s a line that you cross when you just start to attack everything about a person.

You lead an after-school arts club. You would like to instruct members on how to review each other’s work.

  • Write a speech to be delivered to club members
  • Discuss what a critic does, how to give criticism and ways to respond to criticism
  • Give your speech a title

A Line Drawn for Criticism

Dear club members,

Today I am going to give a speech on how to review a work of arts by your counterparts. Recently, some members have revealed that they constantly receive extremely bad reviews and opinions on their works and even personal attacks and criticism. As such, I would like to reiterate how to criticize as a critic should do and how to respond to criticism.

A critic is a person who assesses and evaluates a work of arts according to his knowledge and taste of the subject matter. It is supposed that a critic is knowledgeable so that his criticism and comments will have a reference base and follow a set of rules and values upheld by the specific field. A critic should also be well-intentioned to prevent abusively attacking a person because of his dislike or hatred of the person. A critic should also have a good taste about his professional area so that he can distinguish good work from bad work.

For example, when evaluating a poem, we should first read the poem aloud to see if it has rhythm and sounds good to the ear. Then, read the poem closely. Next, spot each line if it has used figurative language like simile, metaphor, rhyme, imagery, personification etc and see if they have been used properly. After that, look at the content of the poem and try to figure out the meaning of the poem. What is the context of the poem? When and where does it set? To whom the poem is talking? Does the poem follow any pattern? Does the poem evoke any feelings, emotions, pictures, associations and imagination? Is the language used beautiful? Is the poem cohesive and coherent? How does the poem speak to you personally? Finally, based on the above rules, you can draw a conclusion about the poem and give a review whether it is well-written or not.

When you receive bad reviews on your work of arts, you should remain open-minded as it often happens. As works of arts have both their objective and subjective level, it is unrealistic that you expect everyone to appreciate and like your work. For example, when you receive bad reviews on your poem, you can at the very least refer to the above-mentioned standard to discern whether your poem has failed in a certain way. However, if you receive personal attacks such as hostile insults or shameful remarks due to your work of arts, it is likely that the critic is ill-intentioned and has crossed the line and you should refute the disapproval.

In short, when we review a work of arts, we should criticize based on the work of arts and not the person. Moreover, it is common that we receive bad reviews on our work of arts as everyone has different perspectives and taste. We should not only be open-minded to others’ criticism but also beware of malicious attacks.

Museum Piece by Richard Wilbur

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The good gray guardians of art
Patrol the halls on spongy shoes,
Impartially protective, though
Perhaps suspicious of Toulouse.

Here dozes one against the wall,
Disposed upon a funeral chair.
A Degas dancer pirouettes
Upon the parting of his hair.

See how she spins! The grace is there,
But strain as well is plain to see.
Degas loved the two together:
Beauty joined to energy.

Edgar Degas purchased once
A fine El Greco, which he kept
Against the wall beside his bed
To hang his pants on while he slept.

In the art world, different people (even those who claim they are artists) treat art with different attitude. Guardian is suspicious of Toulouse; another dozes upon Degas dancer; Degas despises El Greco. They have different perspectives and interpretations about art and adopt different attitude towards it (i.e. See how Degas hangs his pants on El Greco!)

Variation on a Poem by Frank Pulver

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Why are there some things that can’t be explained?
It feels like they have thrown me into a life full of pain
My life feels like it is over and I have died
The world is cruel and harsh
It doesn’t care whether I am dead or alive.
I suffer and struggle with no one by my side
Fear still sneaks up on me from the past
I wish that I can break up those fears
and live a quiet peaceful life
with my beloved walking together until
it is time to say goodbye.

Being Boring by Wendy Cope

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If you ask me ‘What’s new?’, I have nothing to say
Except that the garden is growing.
I had a slight cold but it’s better today.
I’m content with the way things are going.
Yes, he is the same as he usually is,
Still eating and sleeping and snoring.
I get on with my work. He gets on with his.
I know this is all very boring.

There was drama enough in my turbulent past:
Tears and passion – I’ve used up a tankful.
No news is good news, and long may it last.
If nothing much happens, I’m thankful.
A happier cabbage you never did see,
My vegetable spirits are soaring.
If you’re after excitement, steer well clear of me.
I want to go on being boring.

I don’t go to parties. Well, what are they for,
If you don’t need to find a new lover?
You drink and you listen and drink a bit more
And you take the next day to recover.
Someone to stay home with was all my desire
And, now that I’ve found a safe mooring,
I’ve just one ambition in life: I aspire
To go on and on being boring.

The line “There was drama enough in my turbulent past” is so true. After tears and passion in pursuit of a “normal” life, I would rather be a boring cabbage living an ordinary and quiet life under a safe roof. Excitement would carry me a little too far from what I want. I am content that we are still living, eating, sleeping, working and making love in our small little world.

Friends Again by Sophie Hannah

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Let’s sort this out. Make no more sherry
scones for the man that stole my jewels
and I’ll stop spitting in your sherry.
Both of us have been fools.

Here, you can have my rope and pins
if you give up your hooks and nails
and we’ll agree to wear wide grins
for subsequent betrayals.

Even a bond as firm as this
friendship cannot withstand attacks
if they are too direct; let’s hiss
behind each other’s backs.

In future, when I tread thick oil
into your house, I’ll hide my feet,
and if you have to be disloyal
please try to be discreet.

I think this poem is about disloyalty and betrayal, in terms of sexual relations, between lovers. The lovers are angry about each other’s betrayal behind each other’s back and are ready to enter a fight. The poet said next time if it happens again, she would love their behaviour to be more polite and less harmful towards each other.

Imaginary Conversation by Linda Pastan

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You tell me to live each day
as if it were my last. This is in the kitchen
where before coffee I complain
of the day ahead—that obstacle race
of minutes and hours,
grocery stores and doctors.

But why the last? I ask. Why not
live each day as if it were the first—
all raw astonishment, Eve rubbing
her eyes awake that first morning,
the sun coming up
like an ingénue in the east?

You grind the coffee
with the small roar of a mind
trying to clear itself. I set
the table, glance out the window
where dew has baptized every
living surface.

The poet should be a housewife having a hectic schedule and being occupied with household chores. Her husband urges her not to waste time and put off work as if it were her last day. But the poet desires to live as if it were her first when she could be like an innocent girl seeing the world in all astonishment and in new perspective. While her husband is grinding the coffee and making annoying noises, the poet looks out the window through which she desires a new life.