Buổi 28: Thi thử giữa khóa – Writing (Task 1 + Task 2, 60 phút)

The line graph shows how many visits were made to museums, historic houses and archaeological sites in Country H at five-year intervals between 2006 and 2026.

Overall, museums were by far the most visited type of attraction throughout the period, and all three types experienced a sharp but temporary fall in 2021. By 2026, however, archaeological sites had shown the strongest long-term growth.

Museum visits rose steadily from 12 million in 2006 to 15 million in 2016, before dropping to 9 million in 2021. They then recovered fully, reaching a peak of 16 million in the final year. Historic houses followed a similar pattern at a lower level, climbing from 8 to 10 million, falling to 6 million in 2021 and returning to 9 million by 2026, slightly below their earlier high.

Archaeological sites, although the least visited throughout, more than doubled their visitor numbers over the twenty years, from 3 million to 7 million. Notably, they were the least affected by the 2021 decline, dipping by just 1 million, before rising to their highest level in the final year.

Dear Mrs Lam,

I read in the local newsletter that the history society is preparing an exhibition on life in our town fifty years ago, and I would like to offer some photographs that may be of use.

The collection belonged to my grandfather, who ran a small bicycle repair shop on Market Street. There are around thirty black-and-white prints, most of them taken between the late 1960s and the mid-1970s. They show the shop itself, the street outside on market days, and a number of local events, including what appears to be the opening of the old bridge.

I think they might be of particular interest because they show everyday working life rather than official occasions. Several pictures include neighbouring shops that no longer exist, and visitors may well recognise relatives among the customers.

I would be happy to lend the originals, provided that they are displayed behind glass and returned to me within a week of the exhibition closing. Alternatively, I could arrange for high-quality copies to be made. I would also appreciate my grandfather being credited by name.

Please let me know if you would like to see them.

Yours sincerely, Vo Thanh Long

With young people facing an uncertain job market, it is understandable that some would like schools to concentrate on subjects with obvious practical value. I disagree, however, that history has little to offer; in my view, it develops precisely the kinds of thinking that employers and citizens increasingly need, although the way it is taught may need to change.

The argument for prioritising job-related subjects deserves to be taken seriously. School time is limited, and every hour spent memorising the dates of distant events is an hour not spent on mathematics, languages or digital skills that are in demand. If history is taught mainly as a list of facts to be recalled for an examination, its value to a sixteen-year-old preparing for work is genuinely hard to defend.

Yet this criticism applies to a particular style of teaching rather than to the subject itself. Studied well, history trains students to weigh conflicting sources, to recognise when an account is one-sided, and to understand that most events have several causes rather than one. These are not merely academic skills. Someone who has learnt to ask who wrote a document, and why, is better equipped to judge a news report, a sales pitch or a company's annual results. Moreover, an understanding of how societies have changed in the past helps young people to see that the present arrangements, including today's job market, are not permanent.

In conclusion, while I accept that history taught as memorisation contributes little to employability, I believe that history taught as the analysis of evidence is among the most useful subjects a school can offer. The answer is not to reduce it, but to teach it in a way that makes its value visible.