GCE O Level English Paper 2 Directed Writing - 1

In the GCE O Level English Paper 2 Directed Writing Exercise, you'll come across a passage to read, followed by a question to answer below. This exercise is designed to test your comprehension skills and your ability to craft a well-thought-out response. So, don't stress out, take your time to understand the passage, and then tackle the question with confidence.

Passage

Text A (Nora, 32 years old)

I prefer influencers’ reviews over commercials as these influencers have taken the time and tested out the products and their use in everyday situations. This helps me to decide whether the product would bring me any benefit. On top of that, I would only go to a well-established and reputed influencer such as the likes of Marques Brownlee and Sara Dietschy. These influencers often have deep knowledge in their areas of expertise such as technology and fitness. They give detailed information comparing different options. It really comes in handy when I want to decide between, say, Samsung and iPhone. Nowadays, there are tons of regulations and laws being put in place to protect the customer. If influencers tried to lie and marketize the products dishonestly, they would risk losing their audience. This keeps these influencers in check. After all, their income depends on the number of views of their videos. Compared to traditional commercials, the review of influencers is more encouraging of critical thinking. Their reviews often spark debate and conversation. This I believe adds more nuance to the products’ credibility. If I were to put myself in the shoes of the companies, given the proven strength of the influencers’ recommendations and the popularity of social media, I would go to an influencer to review my products.

Text B (Xavier, 35 years old)

Even though we say that influencers have accountability, we cannot deny that they may have their hidden biases and agenda. After all, they are human beings with human weaknesses. Their job is to get maximum exposure and they might engage in behaviors that attract viewers even if such behaviour may not reflect reality. Besides, influencers tend to project unrealistic expectations about the products that they are advertising. For example, if they are advertising a beauty product, and say that they have used the product on themselves, how do we make sure they are not lying? Their video may have been heavily edited! They might also prioritize aesthetics over functionality of products in their review videos. This is obviously misleading! Those who pose as ‘experts’ reviewing products may not actually be experts and may not actually be aware of all the dimensions of a product. Customers can easily be influenced by these fake experts and misled into buying the product. There are no external bodies that monitor these reviews and verify them. Besides, because of the way the algorithm works, we cannot expect our feeds to give us a balanced perspective of the products. We will be shown the kind of reviews for which we have already shown a liking.

Question

You work for a marketing company. Write a letter to your manager giving your opinion on having social media influencers to advertise your company’s upcoming product.

Sample Answer

Dear Mr. Turner,

Should influencers advertise our products?

My name is Tricia Thomas, and I am from the advertising department. As the head of the department, I would like to share my opinions on why social media influencers should be allowed to market our products.

An aspect of social media advertising that I believe benefits the consumers and the company is that the influencers do test the products in their own time to figure out how they can be useful in daily life. This helps consumers decide whether these products can benefit them or not. When the influencers have tried the product and seen its advantages, the review will be very convincing, and this will help in the sale of the product. Once the influencer is committed to the advertisement of a product, it goes without saying that whoever watches him/her will very likely buy the product.

It is quite unlikely that a social media influencer that we engage will give a negative review of the product, when the product does not have downsides. In case of any dishonesty, we can report such cases. People who post fake reviews can be sued.

Working with well-established social media influencers will help boost our sales, and also enhance the company’s reputation. It is indisputable that social media such as Instagram have a higher reach among the target group of consumers that we have, namely, the youth. More than television and print advertisements, social media advertising reaches more people in this category.

Due to these reasons, I recommend social media influencers as the most desired advertising medium for our company’s products.

Thank you,

Tricia.