PTE Writing: Practice Questions - 1 | Practice Tests for PTE PDF Download

Summarize Written Text

You need to summarize the passage given below. In the exam, you will have 10 minutes to complete this task. Your response will be assessed on how well you capture the essential points of the passage and the clarity of your writing.
You can draft your answer on paper, and then check your response by clicking the "View Answer" button.

Q1: When a giant and extremely photogenic iceberg grounded near a Newfoundland town in April, it brought global attention to the annual drift into the North Atlantic of icebergs calved off Greenland's glaciers. The International Ice Patrol, set up as an aid to shipping after the Titanic sank in 1912, says 976 have been sighted so far this year south of 48 degrees north, the latitude below which they pose a danger to shipping. That is about double the average for this period. Why are there so many?

Many have been quick to blame climate change. Higher air and ocean temperatures in the Arctic have led to an acceleration of ice loss from glaciers in West Greenland. Glaciers are weakened from above when melting water seeps through and weakens cracks, and from below by warmer sea water. Meltwater also acts as a lubricant underneath a glacier, allowing it to move faster toward the sea. Scientists estimate that up to 40,000 icebergs are created each year in Baffin Bay, the body of water between Greenland and Baffin Island in Canada. They also agree the number is increasing, although not at a steady rate.

But although climate change can explain an increase in the absolute number of icebergs created off Greenland, it does not adequately explain why there are so many off Newfoundland this year. A host of other factors come into play during the two- or three-year journey an iceberg makes as it first travels north on the West Greenland current before turning south and being caught by the Labrador current. Warmer ocean temperatures can cause them to melt farther north. Heavy seas can cause icebergs to break apart, hastening their disappearance. The Labrador current itself varies in strength. And then there is the wind encountered by icebergs as they drift. Icebergs with a lot of mass above water are susceptible to being pushed by strong winds either far out in the North Atlantic or close to shore.

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Q2: One of the most symbolic images at any airport is the control tower where, from their lofty vantage point, air-traffic controllers monitor flights taking off, coming in to land and taxiing to and from terminals. Increasingly, though, control towers will be shuttered as airports switch to using remote centres to look after flights. These centres will be housed in ordinary low-rise buildings, some of which may be hundreds of kilometres away. The centres will receive a live video feed from cameras positioned around the airfield to create a 'virtual' image of the airport to be displayed on large screens positioned around the controllers' desks.

The first airport to use a virtual control tower was in northern Sweden. Norway is going further and consolidating control of 15 small northern airports into one virtual tower. Airports in other parts of Europe, and in America and Australia, are testing remote towers with a view to installing them.

These measures, say air-traffic-control providers, are to improve safety and reduce costs. By using multiple cameras, including infrared ones and other specialist sensors, a virtual tower should provide controllers with a greatly enhanced view, especially at night and in poor visibility. As they do at present, the controllers would continue to use radar and communicate with pilots by radio. The screens can also be used to zoom into different parts of the airfield and can be superimposed with flight information. Apart from the savings in not having to build and maintain a tall structure, the remote centres would also cut operating costs, especially when looking after more than one airport. As in most things to do with aviation, remote towers would have multiple backup systems, including dual power supplies and additional routes for data networks.

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Write Essay

You will have 20 minutes to plan, write and revise an essay about the topic below. Carefully read the statement below and write an essay in response. A sample essay is available for you to review by clicking on the "View Answer" button.
Your essay will be evaluated based on how effectively you develop your position, organize your ideas, provide supporting details, and adhere to the conventions of standard written English. Aim for a word count between 200-300 words.

Q1: Historical structures like buildings and monuments are often painstakingly preserved at a substantial cost to the taxpayer. The land and resources could be better utilized by the public. What are your views on this?

Support your point of view with reasons and examples from your own experience or observations.

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