190
Writing Models
NB
a) The above format is only one possibility and it is worth
looking at other CVs to compare layouts.
b) Your address and phone number should be in your
covering letter, not on the CV.
c) List qualifications and experience in reverse chronological
order, starting with the most recent. Prospective employers
are mainly interested in your latest achievements.
d) Do not clutter the CV with details of hobbies which are
irrelevant to the job you are applying for. Similarly, your
early education is unimportant.
e) Do not just give job titles but explain in detail what you
did.
f) Only give references if asked to do so.
3.
Prepare a CV for yourself. First make notes of all the important
information (with dates), using similar headings to those in the
example above. Then organise it as clearly as possible. Finally,
type it on a computer and store it so it can be updated in future.
4.3 Reporting and Designing
Surveys
1. Surveys, in which people are asked questions about their
opinions or behaviour, are a common feature of academic
work, especially in fields such as education, psychology and
social sciences.
What are the reasons for carrying out surveys? List your ideas
below.
a)
b)

benefits (12%).
192
Writing Models
Table 1. Do you have or have you had a part-time job?
Men Women Total %
Have job now 8 7 15 30
Had job before 4 6 10 20
Never had job 14 11 25 50
The twenty-five students with work experience were next
asked about the effects of the work on their studies. A
significant h) ............... (64%) claimed that there
were no negative effects at all. However, 24% said that
their academic work suffered i) ..............., while
a small j) ............... (12%) reported serious
adverse results, such as tiredness in lectures and falling
marks.
Further k) ............... examined the nature of
the work that the students did. The variety of jobs was
surprising, from van driver to busker, but the most l) . . .
............ areas were catering and bar work (44%)
and secretarial (32%). Most students worked between 10
and 15 hours per week, though two (8%) worked over 25
hours. Rates of pay were m) ............... near the
national minimum wage, and averaged £5.20 per hour.
The final question invited students to comment on their
experience of part-time work. Many (44%) made the
point that students should be given larger grants so
that they could concentrate on their studies full-time,
but others felt that they gained something from the
experience, such as meeting new people and getting

Which is the better question?
i) How old are you?
ii) Are you (a) under 20, (b) between 21 and 30, (c)
over 30?
6.
What is the main difference between the two questions?
i) What do you think of university students?
ii) Do you think university students are (a) lazy, (b)
hardworking, (c) average?
7.
How many questions should your questionnaire contain?
When designing your questionnaire:
a) Limit the number of questions so the respondent can
answer them in a minute or two. Long and complicated
questionnaires will not receive accurate replies.
b) Questions should be clear and simple, and not be too
personal.
c) Closed questions (6ii) are easier to process, but open
questions (6i) will collect a wider range of responses.
d) You should try asking the questions to a classmate before
beginning the full survey, and be ready to modify any that
were not clear.
8.
You are preparing a survey on one of the following subjects.
Write a questionnaire of no more than six questions to collect the
most useful data.
a) How overseas students learn vocabulary
b) Student attitudes to the cinema
c) A comparison of undergraduate and post-graduate leisure
activities

2. The text contains four key points:
a) In the last 50 years there has been no apparent
increase in personal happiness in Western nations,
despite steadily growing economies.
b) . . . which seems strange since wealthier people
generally claim to be happier than poorer people.
c) Individually, more money does seem to increase
happiness, but when everyone gets richer, no-one
appears to feel better.
d) One suggestion has been that people rapidly get
used to improvements, and therefore devalue them.
cross-reference
1.6 Selecting Key Points