Text 1: Naomi Benaron, Running the Rift, 2013
The surprise was that a famous runner was coming to speak to the class. Not just any runner — an Olympian. After Sister made the announcement, Jean-Patrick could not keep his mind on the path of his studies. All morning long, his mind travelled back to the runner.

Text 2: www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine
I remember vividly the moment I first understood why organised, competitive sport was hateful. It was a Sunday evening on the A12.
Not the most promising time or place for a revelation, but it came nonetheless.
My oldest son and I were returning from an under-12 county cricket match between Surrey and Essex.

Expression: Choose ONE of the following subjects. (150 words minimum)
1) You are a student called Peter McAllister or Tanya Kapur and you are interviewing a sportsman or woman (from an English-speaking country) for a school project. Write the interview.
2) You are June Miller or Dylan Wilson, a student at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago, and you want to join one of the sports teams (baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming, tennis, volleyball, hockey, cross country, golf or water polo). Write the motivation letter necessary to be admitted.

Text 1: Lauren Weisberger, The Bamboo Confessions, 2004
My mother’s voice rang in my ears. ‘Honey, I just don’t think this little trip is a good idea. You hate to be alone. Why do you want to go halfway around the world to some godforsaken country all by yourself?’

Text 2: USA Today, 2014
British sisters describe how they swam for eight hours to reach safety after their Indonesian ferry sank
Two sisters who were on board a ferry that sank off a remote Indonesian island have revealed how they spent ten hours clinging to the wreckage1 before swimming for eight hours through shark infested waters to reach safety.

Expression: Vous traiterez les DEUX sujets.
1. Write the first e-mail that Katie sends to her parents from Vietnam. (80 words)
2. You have decided to take a gap year in a foreign country. You try to convince your parents that this is a good idea. Write the conversation. (120 words)

Text 1: unicef.org, 2014
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and UNICEF today announced an international partnership which will see the All Blacks, and all other New Zealand Rugby teams, support UNICEF’s work in improving the lives of children and communities around the world.

Text 2: www.nhs.uk, 2013
Karen, 42, volunteered for Kids Company as a mentor for 18 months, working with a six-year-old boy from a disadvantaged background in London.
“I decided to volunteer because I saw a lot of children and young people in my neighbourhood who were missing out. »

Expression: Choose ONE of the following subjects (200 words)
1. You would like to join an association to become a mentor. Write a letter or an email to the association of your choice to explain your motivations.
2. Do you think sport can help change people’s lives? Justify your point of view by giving examples.

Text 1: Ricken Patel: the global leader of online protest (www.theguardian.com, 2013)
Last week, a 36-year-old man named Ricken Patel gave the Commonwealth Lecture at the Guildhall in London. It was entitled The opportunity of our time and promised a ‘new politics, a new activism, a new democracy’.

Text 2: Shake your booty in Big Ben’s shadow (www.theguardian.com, 2009)
The opening piano chords of I Believe suddenly blare out in Parliament Square. A young girl steps forward on the green and stretches gracefully to the sky before being joined in her dance by another and then another, until 150 dancers are enthusiastically shaking their booty in the shadow of Big Ben.

Expression: Choose ONE of the following subjects (150 words minimum).
A. You are an activist for ONE of the following causes: – End Poverty / – Women’s Rights / – Save the Children
For the homepage of the website of your association, describe your goals and actions and present the next event you plan to organise. You want to convince the readers to join the association.
B. You are R. Smith a student at Jefferson High school and your principal, Mr Miles, has decided to stop giving money to a club to which you belong. Write a letter to explain how useful your club is and persuade school officials to change their decision.

Text 1: Hannah Taylor (myhero.com, 2006)
Childhood experiences often shape the path one takes in life. In Hannah Taylor’s case, it was not what she experienced herself, but rather something she saw, that altered the course of her young life.

Text 2: Freedom (Jonathan Franzen, 2010)
Connie was a student at a small Catholic academy, St Catherine’s, where the girls wore uniforms and were forbidden all jewelry except one ring (“simple, all metal”), one watch (“simple, no jewels”), and two earrings (“simple, all metal, half-inch maximum in size”).

Expression: Choose ONE of the following subjects (180-250 words).
A- You are part of an organization that fights for a good cause. Write an article for the school newspaper to convince your schoolmates to help you or to join the organization.
B- The students at your school disagree with one of the school’s rules and ask you to represent them. You go and see the headmaster to try to persuade him / her to change it. Imagine the conversation.

Text 1: Frank McCourt, Teacher Man (2005)
Ken was a Korean by who hated his father. He told the class how he had to take piano lessons even though they had no piano. His father made him practise scales on the kitchen table till they could fford a piano.

Text 2: The Guardian (2003)
For parents, it can be a difficult time when the childre leave home to go to university.

Expression: Choose Task 1 or Task 2 (200 words).
Task 1:
a. Finally, Ken comes home for Christmas. Write the dialogue between father and son. (120 words)
b. Many students leave home to study. Would you like to do that? Who or what can influence your decision? (80 words)
Task 2 (200 words):
You are about to leave home to study at university and you want information about the everyday life of a student. Write the e-mail you send to a friend who is already studying at university. Write the answers he/she e-mails back.