Hola Gustavo,

Qué tal?

Te mando un "essay" del nivel Proficiency. A ver qué te parece. Es encomiable el trabajo que estás realizando.

Por cierto, sería interesante crear un grupo de estudiantes del Proficiency. A diferencia del First y del Advanced, no hay mucho material. Por qué será?

Muchísimas gracias.

Amaia García Juaristi

Question
Read the two texts below.
Write an essay summarising and evaluating the key points from both texts. Use your own words throughout as far as possible and include your own ideas in your answers. 

The Financial Costs of Stress
Research carried out by the Health and Safety Council estimates that stress and mental illness continues to be neglected by many businesses, both small and large. And the economic impact of this is huge, costing employers around £26bn a year. Stress at work can lead to a lack of concentration, fatigue and low motivation, all of which will cost the company in terms of low productivity, customer satisfaction and the very reputation of the company itself. Employers are being urged to become more "emotionally intelligent" and to improve the way they deal with stress and mental illness.

Speak up about Stress
Many people find it difficult to talk about their feelings, particularly if we're feeling weak or vulnerable. However, when suffering from stress it’s vital you seek help. It's important to feel you can talk honestly with a close friend, a loved one, a work colleague or doctor about what’s going on. Stress is easily diagnosed and there is plenty you can do to successfully treat and manage stress. One of the most effective of these is to share your feelings with those you trust. Remember that accepting help and support is not a sign of weakness. Close relationships are vital to helping you get through this tough time.

Write the essay. (around 240 - 280 words)

Answer  ( No Title? )

Both texts speak about stress as something to be taken into account and treated. Whereas the first one points out the negative consequences of having stressful employees, therefore stress at work, the second one focuses more on its treatment. (Feedback: lines in red need correction)

Hardly a week goes by without another a new survey showing that employees from big companies are prone to taking more days off that the ones from smaller companies. The reason is simple: the unbearable stress. The tremendous pressure these workers suffer to finish their projects deadline and the brutal competition they have from their colleagues, make their hearts beat faster and suffer from frequent headaches if not severe migraines. Were I a mogul of these companies I would adopt a battery of measures, like installing a room on the upper floor so that employees can take a nap. (Seems to be incomplete. Paragraph doesnt really summaryse the first text). 

However, the second extract focuses more on the psychological side of the issue, not paying attention to the profits or losses of the company but to the way we should tackle the problem. The first step would be to accept that we have a problem and then expose it to the closest people because there is nothing to be ashamed of. The same way we need medicines to ease our physical pain the same way we need professional advice to relieve so much tension from our hectic lives.

To sum up, although there is nothing wrong being a top-notch employee who wants to fulfil the company’s expectations it might be at the expense of your physical and mental health and it is always worth bearing it in mind.  (Conclusion could be better connected with the info in the texts )

Feedback

Hello Amaia. You are right. There is not much free online material for the CPE, and it would be great if we had a group to support each other. This is the idea of this blog.

I invite you to read the writings from other students and leave comments. This way we can start dialogue. You can also visit our Facebook page and leave some comments to start conversation.

Thanks a lot !