2020: „Choose one of the following topics and write a coherent text laying out your ideas.“
2020‑I American floods
- Air travel should be a lot more expensive. Do you agree?
- „Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.“ Comment on this statement.
- Cartoon
2020-II Behold the Dreamers
- „Immigration is not just a link to America’s past, it’s also a bridge to America’s future.“ Comment on this statement.
- Quota systems can help rectify women’s under-representation in prominent positions, and make it entirely normal for women to take up leading roles in various fields. Do you think this kind of affirmative actions is a justifiable measure?
- Cartoon
Bis 2019: “Choose one of the following topics. Write about 200 to 250 words.”
2019‑I Detroit: The Most Exciting City in America?
- „The best way to read a city’s mood is on a bicycle.“ Do you agree?
- „If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.“ Comment on this statement.
- Describe the way in which a major crisis opens up new possibilities in a literary work by an English-speaking author. Write an article for the English edition of your school magazine.
2019-II You’d recognize the name
- Is lying ever morally acceptable?
- „I’m not the product of my circumstances. I’m the product of my decisions.“ Comment on this statement.
- Describe the way a difficult parent-child relationship is dealt with in a literary work by an Englisch-speaking author. Write an article for the English edition of your school magazine.
2018‑I A Global City, at a Crossroads
- On their 18th birthday every EU resident should be given a free train ticket for travel around Europe for a month (Interrail Pass). Discuss.
- „To travel hopefully is a better things than to arrive.“ (Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850–1894, Scottish writer). Comment on this statement.
- A character’s struggle to find his or her identity often plays a central role in books and films. Show how this topic is dealt with in a work from the English-speaking world. Write an article for the English edition of your school magazine.
2018-II The Mysterious Bullet
- Imagine your school has been repeatedly targeted by vandals. A suggestion has been made to install CCTV cameras to stop the vandalism. Discuss.
- „The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.“ (Andy Rooney, 1919–2011, American radion and television writer). Comment on this statement.
- Describe the way a crime is dealt with in a literary work by an English-speaking author. Write an article for the English edition of your school magazine.
2017‑I Superhighway to cycling heaven […]
- It is the state’s responsibility to make its citizens behave in an environmentally-friendly manner. Do you agree?
- „Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.“ (Albert Einstein, 1879–1955, physicist) Comment on this statement.
- It should be illegal to make journeys of less than two miles by car. Discuss.
2017-II Prospect Park
- Never marry someone your parents do not approve of. Do you agree?
- „Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.“ (Malcolm Forbes, 1919–1990, US publisher) Comment on this statement.
- Describe the way a conflict with far-reaching consequences is dealt with in a literary work by an English-speaking author. Write a review for an English edition of your school magazine.
2016‑I Festival City […]
- Regional identity is something we should hold on in today’s globalised world. Do you agree?
- “Art does not exist only to entertain, but also to challenge one to think, to provoke, even to disturb, in a constant search for truth.” (Barbara Streisand, *1942; US singer and actress) Comment on this statement.
- You are going to set up an English drama group at your school and have already chosen a play by an English-speaking author. Write a text for the school website introducing the play and the reasons for your choice in order to find suitable actors and actresses.
2016-II Mrs. Packletide’s Tiger
- Zoos should be abolished. Do you agree?
- “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.” (Mahatma Gandhi, 1869–1948; Indian politician). Comment on this statement.
- Your British friends have told you that they are thinking of joining a tourist expedition to base camp on Mount Everest as part of their gap year. You are wondering about the implications of doing so and write them an email laying out your thoughts.
2015‑I Canal boats […]
- Growing migration to urban areas in the 21st century: discuss the implications for rural communities.
- “The impersonal hand of government can never replace the helping hand of a neighbor”. Comment on this statement.
- A turning point in a person’s life: write a review for an English edition of your school magazine, describing a turning point in a literary work by an English-speaking author and how it affects a character’s life.
2015-II Stepping into His Shoes
- Following in your parents‘ footsteps – a good idea? Discuss.
- “Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.” Comment on this statement.
- A turning point in a person’s life: write a review for an English edition of your school magazine, describing a turning point in a literary work by an English-speaking author and how it affects a character’s life.
2014‑I The New American Super-Family
- Mother’s Day should be abolished. Do you agree?
- “In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.” Comment on this statement.
- Tension in the family home often plays a central role in books and films. Choose an example from the English-speaking world and show how this topic is dealt with.
2014-II Running Late
- “Inclusive education means that all students attend and are welcomed by their neighbourhood schools in age-appropriate, regular classes and are supported to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of the life of the school.” Outline how you think students with mental or physical disabilities can be included in everyday school life.
- “Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all – the apathy of human beings.” Comment on this statement.
- [Thema bezieht sich auf den Text] What might happen next? Continue telling the story.
2013‑I You for Sale: Mapping, and Sharing, the Consumer Genome
- Does social status affect a person’s options? Discuss.
- “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Comment on this statement.
- You are contributing an article to The Learning Network of The New York Times, a site aimed at pupils and teachers, about the impact of Internet shopping on society. Write the article.
2013-II Dogs in the Fields
- “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” Comment on this statement.
- Does social status affect a person’s future options? Discuss.
- Thanks to social media, loneliness is a thing of the past. Do you agree?
2012‑I Fallen City: Could a Game Help Us Find a Solution to Society’s Ills?
- Can people actually learn for real life by playing simulation games? Choose an example or a genre that you are familiar with and explain its merits and limitations.
- “City life: millions of people being lonesome together.” Comment on this statement.
- A school in Glasgow has replaced schoolbooks with iPads. Write an article for your school magazine discussing this step.
2012-II Down Bowmont Hill
- Food is a good way to explore new cultures. Comment on this statement.
- “There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.” Comment on this statement.
- Discrimination. Write a review showing how this issue is dealt with in a film or a work of literature by an English-speaking writer.
2011‑I Why I’m Tired of Choice
- Should violent video games be banned?
- You have taken part in a study “Four weeks without electronic devices”. The four weeks are over now and you describe your experiences in an Internet blog.
- Brian Braye has been awarded a medal for showing civil courage. Write an article based on your interview with him.
2011-II Schools
- Some schools have re-introduced single-sex education. Do you think this is a good idea?
- “Affluence separates people. Poverty knits them together.” Comment on this statement.
- School life has often been the subject of films or books by English-speaking authors. Write a review of a work of your choice for an English edition of your school magazine.