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1. SPEAKING Work in pairs. Put the following words/ phrases in order of importance concerning online education. Then compare your ideas with another pair.
lecture content; active participation; devices; timetable; internet connection; lecturer's teaching skills
2. Read the task and the letter. What problem (s) does the writer have? What does she want the recipient to do?
As a result of the pandemic Covid-19, all your classes are now online. You have been having problems with the internet connection in your area. Write a letter of complaint to the internet provider.
Dear Sir or Madam,
1. I am writing to report the slow and unstable internet connection in my area. Since I am now taking online classes, I access the internet for my lessons and materials, so high speed internet connectivity is very important to me.
2. My main problem is that the signal is not strong enough during the day. As most of my online classes are in the morning, I am frequently disconnected from the lectures. Without stable internet connectivity, it is more and more difficult for me to follow the class.
3. I realise that it is expensive to support all students in the city who are doing online classes as a result of the pandemic. However, students should be able to attend their classes without any interruption rather than spending all the time adjusting their devices.
4. In conclusion, I find this is an irritating problem. Unless there is a significant improvement to the internet reliability and speed in the area, the students in our city will not be able to attend online classes.
Yours faithfully,
Lam Anh
Nguyen Lam Anh
Writing StrategyRemember when writing a formal letter of complaint: • State the reason for writing clearly in opening paragraph. • Use formal language. • Be clear and concise. • State what you want done. |
3. Read the Writing Strategy. Match the bold conjunctions in the letter with the meaning below.
1. because (x2) __________, __________
2. instead of __________
3. if there is not __________
4. for that reason __________
| ⇒ Vocabulary Builder 8H Conjunctions: page 128 |
4. Match the paragraphs of the letter (1–4) with four of the topics below (A–E).
A. Give more details about the problem.
B. State what you want to happen in the future.
C. Explain the problem clearly and why it is an issue for you.
D. Ask for information.
E. Give reasons why you think the problem needs to be solved.
5. KEY PHRASES Read the useful phrases for summing up. Then find one more in the letter in exercise 2. Which paragraph does it begin?
Summing up
On balance, I think….
Overall, ... in my opinion.
All in all, …
For these reasons, I strongly believe that…
_________________
6. Work in pairs. Read the task below. Then plan and write the letter. Remember to use a phrase from exercise 5.
During the lock down time to prevent the spread of Covid-19, students in your city are having lessons broadcast on the city’s TV channel. Write a letter of complaint (120–150 words) about the problem(s) you have had. Think about the ideas you discussed in exercise 1.
| CHECK YOUR WORK Have you … • used conjunctions correctly? • checked the spelling and grammar? |
