Section A: Directed Writing Read both texts and answer Question 1. Text A Hazeema, 14 years I don't understand why teachers give us homework. I already have 35 hours per week of lessons and my walk to school takes 30 minutes that's more hours and a longer commute than most adults have! Concentrating in school all day is tiring. When I come home, I want to relax, spend time on my hobbies, or do something creative, not spend hours doing more work. Some students have quiet study areas at home, but not everyone is so lucky. For me, it's difficult to concentrate while my sisters are fighting over the TV remote control, or my dad is talking on the phone to one of his friends. I know that some students have a lot of support in doing their homework. For example, many students use the internet to find information they need, or they get help from their parents, but this isn't possible for everyone. Also, sitting down for hours in the evening after sitting down in school all day is unhealthy. We're always being told we should be doing more physical activity, but there's no time to do it when we have so much homework! I'm really not sure homework is as useful as some people think. Text B Jianyu, 16 years I think it's really important for us to do homework. It gives us the chance to make sure we have fully understood all of the topics we've studied during our lessons in school. Students who complete their homework learn more and therefore do better on their courses. I know my teachers give homework because they find it a useful way to check what students have understood in their lessons and, perhaps more importantly, what they haven't understood. Homework helps parents to know what their children are studying in school and means they can support them with their learning. My parents often ask questions about what homework I've got and whether I need help with it, which I really appreciate. Having homework helps us to learn important skills, for example how to balance our time between schoolwork and extra-curricular activities like sports, music or other hobbies. This helps us to become more mature and disciplined and prepares us for adult life, which is, after all, the point of school! I know that a lot of my classmates complain about getting homework and would rather spend time doing other things, but I really believe that it's an essential part of our learning. Your school is considering a ban on homework. You decide to write a letter to your school principal, giving your views on the proposed ban. Write a letter to your school principal about whether or not you think homework should be banned. In your letter you should: evaluate the ideas and opinions in both texts; give your own views about the proposed ban, based on what you have read in the texts. Base your letter on what you have read in both texts but be careful to use your own words. Address both of the bullet points. Begin your letter with 'Dear Principal' and supply a suitable ending. Write about 250 to 350 words. Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 15 marks for the quality of your writing.