The pie charts show the proportions of people volunteering in various kinds of organisations, in 2008 and 2014.

It is clear that while volunteer participation in environmental, sport, and health care organisatons increased, the opposite was true for other types of organisations. Additionally, the percentages of health care volunteers were by far the lowest during the two years.

In 2008, volunteering in educational organisations was the most common choice, accounting for nearly a quarter of all volunteers, while 21% and 18% of volunteers took part in environmental and art projects respectively. 15% of volunteers worked in sports organisations, and another 15% in other organisations, while only 6% volunteered in health care.

In 2014, significantly more volunteers worked in environmental and sport organizations compared with the other fields, at 29% and 25% respectively. Meanwhile, the figures for art and other volunteers both fell by 6%. There was also a slight fall in volunteers in educational organizations, at 17%, while volunteering in health care was still the least preferred option, at only 8%.

(171 words – Band 8.0)

Opinions diverge widely on the importance of different news sources. While some people consider reading newspapers to be the most effectve way to receive news, I would argue that it is no longer the best way to get the news thanks to the proliferaton of online news sources.

On the one hand, there are good grounds for arguing that newspapers stll hold the most popular positon among newsreaders even though we are living in a digital world. Firstly, since newspapers have existed long before the introducton of the internet, most senior citzens have developed a habit of reading a newspaper every day, and they do not want to change this habit. Secondly, newspapers are considered a more reliable source of informaton compared to other sources nowadays. This is because newspapers are usually writen by professional journalists, and are thoroughly checked, edited and censored prior to their publicaton.

On the other hand, the Internet has become an increasingly dominant news source these days due to the benefts it offers. The frst thing that atracts people to reading news online is its easy access. With the widespread presence of the Internet, people with portable devices, such as a smartphone, can access a huge storage of news in just a few clicks. Furthermore, online news channels have brought a greater reading experience to readers, thanks to the constant advancement in technology, which has made it possible to upload videos and audio recordings online. For instance, soccer fans these days can re-watch their favourite matches whenever they want with only a laptop connected to the Internet, which a mere newspaper cannot do.

In conclusion, while raising the legal driving age can make our roads safer to some extent, I believe that governments should also introduce other road safety measures that are discussed above.

(310 words – Band 8.0)