TOEFL iBT Independent Writing 1) Should a city try to preserve its old, historic buildings or destroy them and replace them with modern buildings? 2) If you were an employer, which kind of worker would you prefer to hire: an inexperienced worker at a lower salary or an experienced worker at a higher salary? - revised -

 

Writing Topic A

Should a city try to preserve its old, historic buildings or destroy them and replace them with modern buildings? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

 

 

☆Let’s think

1.         Why do we keep old, historic buildings?

Note: A historic building helps us remember historic events, the era, and the related people. In many cases, they themselves are part of the tradition and culture of the city or country. Every city has many old, historic buildings and people have valued them.

2.         Why are some old, historic buildings replaced by modern buildings?

Note: It often happens that they have to give them up for development. Some people may not want to see the landscape with an old building among new ones, others may think about the benefits or profits that replacing it with a new one will make.

 

☆Hints for Points

Good points of old, historic buildings

1.    They represent our culture, history, and identity. To lose them is to lose all these intangible assets.

2.    They help us learn from the past more effectively than from textbooks.

3.    Many old buildings are beautiful in their own ways.

4.    They benefit tourism.

 

Good points of modern buildings

1.    They are stronger and cleaner. Also, many are more durable than old buildings.

2.    The street view will be more orderly.

3.    The city can increase its revenue by demolishing the old building and using the site for making-money.

 

☆Your Sample Body Structure

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】

 

☆Speech Time

Make a one-minute speech on this topic.

 

☆Sample paragraph development

【Main Idea】Old, historic buildings effectively help us learn from the past events and remember them.

【Supporting Detail (in general)】For example, the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima is a tangible proof of the destructive power of nuclear weapons and symbolizes the horror of its use.

【Supporting Detail (specific)】Standing next to the building will show that the famous broken stone walls with the crippled steel arches on top is a huge structure that could not have collapsed so easily. The guide will tell you that the whole city was engulfed by fire to become a ground zero and that the river next to the building is where people whose bodies were seriously burnt jumped into to escape from pain and thirst and drowned to death. Also, memories will be lost as a generation is replaced by another, while the ruin in the middle of the now-thriving city will never allow oblivion. The Atomic Dome will keep sending a strong message for disarmament.

【Follow up】It is true that books and movies can send the same kind of message, but the impact of the real site is stronger than information from those of such media.

【Conclusion】The same can be said about other historic buildings in other cities. They are the concrete evidence of the past events. Therefore, we need to preserve the building to preserve our history and to save our future.

 

Your Sample Paragraph Development:

【Main Idea】                                                                                       

                                                                                                    

 

【Supporting Detail (general)】                                                                       

                                                                                                    

 

【Supporting Detail (specific)】               

 

                                                        

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                             

【Follow-up】                                                                                      

                                                                                                   

 

 

                                                                                                  

 

【Conclusion】                                                                                      

                                                                                                   

 

 

Comments or Suggestion from your partner or group members

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                    

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                     

                                                                                                     

Writing Topic B

If you were an employer, which kind of worker would you prefer to hire: an inexperienced worker at a lower salary or an experienced worker at a higher salary? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

 

 

☆Let’s think

1.      Paying less for an employee is more preferable for an employer because he can cut costs. Is an experienced worker worth the extra money?

2.      Is lack of experience just a disadvantage?

 

☆Hints for Points

Reasons for hiring an inexperienced worker at a lower salary

1.    Everyone is inexperienced at the beginning. Chances should be given to the young.

2.    It would be easier to train an inexperienced worker than an experienced worker because he is more ready to accept the company culture, while an experienced worker often has difficulty in unlearning what he has already acquired in his previous work places.

3.    He would work harder because he wants to learn anything related to his job.

4.    The payroll will be low.

 

Reasons for hiring an experienced worker at a higher salary

1.       An experienced employee is valuable as an asset. His skills, knowledge, and the network of personal connections would be useful for your company.          

2.       A worker with experience can help inexperienced workers lean their job.

3.       A well-seasoned worker can make fewer serious mistakes than an inexperienced worker.

4.       It lowers the risk of wasting the recruiting expenses, as veterans will not quit easily.

 

☆Sample Body Structure

Sample A              

【Point 1】about experienced workers  

【Point 2】about inexperienced workers  

【Point 3】my choice  

 

Sample B

【Point 1】good point of my choice 1

【Point 2】good point of my choice 2

【Point 3】why the bad point does not matter

Your Sample Body Structure

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3】

 

☆Speech Time

Make a one-minute speech on this topic.

 

☆Sample Paragraph Development

Sample A

【Main Idea】Leaders need those who can move around more easily than themselves.

【Supporting Detail (general)】Aged company officials have ideas but they lack bodily energy to execute them.

【Supporting Detail (specific)】They also lack mobility as most of them are old and married.

【Follow-up】It does not mean that young people cannot intellectually contribute to the company, but they are not confident enough to realize their ideas due to lack of experience.

【Conclusion】Except for new information, the young have little knowledge to contribute to the company.

 

【Main Idea】A company cannot afford to pay a high salary to a newly employed.

【Supporting Detail (general)】It has to pay a lot to employees who have been working for the company.

【Supporting Detail (specific)】The employees a company already has are those that have contributed to the company, and thus the company has to reward them well.

【Follow-up】Damage by new workers can be avoided through training and communication.

【Conclusion】It is practical to invest in grooming inexperienced workers to make them highly-paid workforce.

 

Sample B

【Main Idea】An experienced worker can start work on the day he is hired.

【Supporting Detail (general)】An experienced worker knows what to do.

【Supporting Detail (specific)】The person can do his job without asking other workers many questions. He has business manners and general knowledge of the industry. He can support his coworkers. On the other hand, it takes time for an inexperienced worker to be able to do the job. He needs to be trained and will still need to learn on the job for a while to be full-fledged.

【Follow-up】Of course, each company has some culture that an experienced worker has to learn, but it will not take long to learn.

【Conclusion】Therefore, a person who is ready to work is ideal as a new staff member. 

 

Sample C

【Main Idea】It lowers the risk of wasting the recruiting expenses.

【Supporting Detail (general)】You would not know exactly how much workable an inexperienced worker will be, no matter how careful in hiring you may be.

【Supporting Detail (specific)】He might be tardy or quit during the probation.

【Follow-up】It is true that not all experienced workers are perfect, but most of them are survivors. The fact that they have been in the industry for a long time shows that they have good work ethics, have no personality problems, and can do the job well enough.

【Conclusion】It would be safe to employ a person with work-experience.

 

Your Sample Paragraph Development:

【Main Idea】                                                                                       

                                                                                                    

 

【Supporting Detail (general)】                                                    

                  

                                                                                                     

【Supporting Detail (specific)】                                                                       

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                    

 

 

                                                                                                   

                                                                                                    

【Follow-up】                                                                                      

                                                                                                   

 

 

                                                                                                   

【Conclusion】                                                                                      

                                                                                                    

 

 

 

Comments or Suggestion from your partner or group members