CPE Reading and Use of English Part 7
You are going to read four extracts in which experts discuss the role and future of handwriting. For questions 44–53, choose from the experts (A–D). The experts may be chosen more than once.
Which expert believes that …
44 the primary purpose of writing is to convey a message effectively.
45 abandoning this skill would cut us off from a significant part of our heritage.
46 handwriting has potential to be a source of inspiration.
47 a limited capacity to write covers the majority of everyday needs.
48 its aesthetic value is often wrongly used as an argument for its continued practical use.
49 it promotes a more thoughtful and lasting understanding of information.
50 it should be viewed as one useful component within a broader, modern set of communication tools.
51 writing by hand enables one to add a personal touch that is otherwise impossible.
52 its value lies in how it engages both the body and the mind in the creative process.
53 the ability to produce it easily is no longer a priority in general education.
A. Dr. Elara Vance – Cognitive Neuroscientist
Our brains engage differently when we write by hand and when typing. The act of forming letters, a complex sensorimotor task, activates neural circuits involved in thinking, language, and working memory in a way that tapping keys does not. Studies show students who take notes by hand demonstrate better conceptual cognizance and retention than those who type. It is not just about putting words on a page; it’s a cognitive workout that lays the foundation for literacy and idea generation. To relegate it to the status of a quaint art form is to overlook its role as a primary tool for sculpting the developing mind. Its decline isn’t simply a shift in tools; it represents the loss of a key discipline for focused, deep thinking.
Marcus Thorne – Technology Efficiency Consultant
The emotional hand-wringing over cursive is a classic case of nostalgia masquerading as principle. The goal of writing is communication, and that is where digital text excels: it’s universally legible, easily editable, instantly shareable and, above all, it is much quicker to produce. Our time is finite. Should children spend countless hours mastering the looping joins of a script used almost nowhere in the modern world, or should they master touch-typing, digital composition, and media literacy – skills that are of immediate relevance nowadays? Handwriting has had its run. Let’s not confuse the visual appeal of a fountain pen scribbles with utility. Progress means letting go of inefficient tools, not fetishizing them.
C. Professor Anya Petrova – Historian and Calligrapher
Handwriting is a deeply personal trace of the human hand, a biological signature. When we lose the teaching of it, we sever a tangible connection to centuries of human thought. We can no longer read the original letters of our grandparents, much less historical manuscripts, without viewing them as foreign artifacts. This is a nothing short of self-inflicted cultural impoverishment. Yet another argument in its favour is that handwriting remains a potent form of individual expression and artistic creativity, from the simple flair of a signature to the full art of calligraphy – something to truly value in today’s homogenised environment. Writing with your hand teaches patience, care, and a physical connection to one’s words that the sterile ‘delete’ key undermines. Giving it up, we risk raising a generation with no sense of the physical weight of words.
D. David Chen – Educational Policy Analyst
The dichotomy of either to abolish handwriting or teach it rigidly is unhelpful. The pragmatic question is: what level of handwriting proficiency is functionally necessary in the 21st century? In all likelihood, basic legibility for quick notes, forms, and labels should suffice. It is schools’ responsibility to ensure this, then rapidly pivoting to teaching digital literacy right after, which includes understanding online source credibility, structuring digital documents, and responsible communication. However, we can leverage the cognitive benefits by integrating short, mindful writing exercises into early learning without making it a core academic subject. Our curriculum must be dynamic, equipping students with a toolbox of skills, not clinging to one because it’s traditional.
For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary
