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PRUEBA: KNIFE CRIME
EXAM and ANSWERS
El alumno deberá responder a todas las preguntas que se formulan, excepto en el caso de la primera
pregunta (la redacción), donde deberá elegir entre la opción A y la opción B. Las respuestas a todos los
ejercicios deberán ser realizadas en inglés.
Puntuación máxima del ejercicio: 10 puntos.
Puntuación máxima de cada pregunta: 1ª = 4 puntos; 2ª = 2 puntos; 3ª = 2 puntos; 4ª = 2 puntos.
KNIFE CRIME
In the past few years, recorded incidents of knife crime in the UK have more than doubled. These
alarming figures partly testify to improved policing, which means that more criminals are actually being
caught, but they also highlight the growing tendency for young people to carry weapons. According to
police records, the majority of both the perpetrators and the victims of knife crime are under twenty‐five.
Shockingly, Luke Walmsley was only fourteen when he was stabbed at school by a fellow student. Sadly,
Luke did not survive the attack.
The government is currently considering a range of measures to tackle the problem. At the moment,
over‐sixteen‐year‐olds may acquire many types of knives perfectly legally in the UK. One option might be
the introduction of tougher anti‐knife legislation, and stricter enforcement of the rules.
Police officers may be granted more powers to stop and search potential offenders for weapons. As part
of this initiative, over 500 pieces of metal‐detecting equipment are to be sent to police forces in the UK.
These will be used to scan possible trouble‐makers in crime ‘hotspots’.
Politicians are also proposing that teachers could be given similar authority to search students. It is
impossible to say with any degree of accuracy how many school students carry knives, but one estimate
suggests the number might approach 300,000. However, some teachers are resisting the proposal.
According to geography teacher Paul Williams, “It will foster bad relationships between staff and pupils,
and erode trust. How would you feel about a teacher who accused you of being a criminal?”
Whatever you think about the issue, something needs to be done. Last year, more than twenty
teenagers received fatal knife wounds. We can’t afford to ignore that statistic.
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1) Write a composition on one of the following topics:
a) Why do you think more young people today are carrying knives? Give your opinion in no less than 80
words.
Suggested model answer. (Many different answers possible.)
Why do you think more young people today are carrying knives?
I think that young people today are carrying knives for several reasons.
For a start, young people sometimes want to impress their friends, and carrying a knife might help them
to appear cool or dangerous. What is more, some people might be trying to copy their favourite rap or
hip‐hop stars, who often glamorise knives and guns in their music.
Lastly, I think that some people carry knives for protection. When everyone else is carrying a weapon,
you can feel very vulnerable. The government needs to make schools and cities safer, so that people are
less afraid of crime.
b) Write a story of at least 80 words beginning with the words: “When Mark was attacked at school,
everyone was shocked.” Please notice that these 9 words do not count in the 80 you have to write.
Suggested model answer. (Many different answers possible.)
Knife attack
When Mark was attacked at school, everyone was shocked. He was a popular student, and quite easy‐
going. Even the teachers liked him!
One morning, Mark got into an argument with an older student, who was making fun of Mark’s little
sister. Before anyone realised what was happening, the other student pulled out a knife, and attacked
Mark. It all happened very quickly.
Mark has now been in hospital for a week, but doctors think he will be able to come home soon. The
other student has been arrested. Everyone at the school is now very worried about security, and teachers
regularly check students’ bags. We all hope that nothing like this will ever happen again.
2) Answer the following two questions:
a) According to the text, why is knife crime a particular issue for young people? Explain your answer.
Suggested answer: Knife crime is a particular issue for the young because most of the people who
commit knife crime, or who are injured by knife crime, are under twenty‐five years old.
b) According to the text, why are some people critical of one of the government’s suggestions? Explain
your answer.
Suggested answer: Some teachers are concerned about the government’s suggestion that they could
search students’ property. They believe that this could damage the relationship between students and
teachers, because students will think that teachers do not trust them.
3) Imagine that you have seen a friend of yours steal a wallet. Tell him/her to return the wallet and
give him/her a good reason for it.
Suggested answer: You must return the wallet to its owner straightaway, or you could be arrested for
committing a crime.
4) Rewrite the following sentence in the negative interrogative:
a) It will foster bad relationships between staff and pupils.
Won’t it foster bad relationships between staff and pupils?
Rewrite the following sentence using a conditional form. Begin, “If he ...”
b) He was hungry, so he stole some food.
If he hadn’t been hungry, he wouldn’t have stolen any food.
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