fce opinion essay task

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Fce (b2 first) writing exam (essay) – video.

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In this lesson you can learn how to write an essay for the Cambridge FCE exam , step by step.

You’ll see exactly what to do at each stage in the fce writing essay section, and how to get the best possible fce score ., there are four steps to the writing process. you’ll see what to do at each step, then you’ll learn how the writing is assessed., 1. how to analyse your fce writing essay task.

First, you need to read the FCE writing essay task and identify exactly what needs to be included.

Let’s look at a sample question:

You’ve recently had a discussion in English class about society. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay. Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons for your point of view.

University should be free for everyone. Do you agree or disagree? Notes 1. Taxes 2. Opportunity 3. Your own idea

So, what do you need to do? Most importantly, you need to say if you agree or disagree that university should be free for everyone.

You also need to use all the notes and give reasons for your point of view. That means your essay needs to include three central ideas: taxes, opportunity, and one other.

It also means that you need to reach a clear, justified conclusion. You can’t just say, ‘I agree’, or ‘I disagree.’ Think of it like this: you need to convince the examiner that your conclusion is correct.

You might think at this point, ‘yeah, obvious, thanks for the help, Kasia!’ Trust me; it’s harder than it sounds. Many FCE essays that we see don’t get these basic things right. It’s very easy to leave something out, or to go in the wrong direction.

Next, you’re writing this answer for your teacher so what style do you think it will be in? Formal or informal?

An essay should be formal. What does that mean?

Formal writing doesn’t use contractions, like ‘I’d’, ‘you’re’ or ‘don’t’. Write the full forms. You should also avoid using slang, colloquial vocabulary, or anything which sounds very conversational.

Next, think: what do you need to include?

You need to talk about taxes, opportunity, and you also need to add your own idea.

Even the ideas which are given to you—taxes and opportunity—are quite vague. That means you need to decide exactly what to talk about.

You also need to think about how to connect your ideas.

For example, with taxes you could say that if you pay taxes, then this should go back into society to benefit everyone. You could add to this by pointing out that having equal opportunities also benefits society. And for your own idea, you could talk about how people with higher education are more likely to be economically productive.

This is just one example, of course! There are many paths you could take.

Let’s talk about that in more detail.

2. How to Plan Your FCE Writing

Here’s what you need to do when you plan your writing for the FCE writing essay.

First, you need to decide what your conclusion is going to be. Are you going to agree or disagree that university should be free for everyone?

Decide your conclusion first, because everything else in your essay needs to lead to it.

Secondly, you need to plan how many paragraphs you’re going to have, and what you’ll put in each one.

Thirdly, you need to make sure your paragraphs are connected to your conclusion.

Let’s see an example:

• Taxes – parents pay taxes so children should get education. Children will pay taxes in the future.
• Opportunity – education creates more equal society. Higher standard of living for everyone.
• Economy – educated workforce helps the economy grow.
• Conc. – agree with statement

Pause the video if you want some more time to read the plan.

You can see that we use the key idea of ‘education’ in the notes for each paragraph. Doing this can help you to stay focused and on-topic, because you’re connecting each paragraph back to the main idea of the question.

When you plan, make sure that each paragraph has a clear focus.

Every good paragraph starts with a topic sentence, which summarises the main point of the paragraph.

The sentences which follow are called supporting sentences. These include reasons and examples to support your topic sentence.

A good exercise during planning is to take a paragraph and think to yourself: “What’s this paragraph about?”

If you can answer that question in one simple sentence, then that’s a good sign. Hopefully, your plan is clear. However, if you can’t answer that question, that shows that your plan isn’t totally clear in your head.

Once you’ve finished your plan, you’re ready to write your answer!

3. How to Write Your Answer

In your candidate answer book, you will now write your essay.

Let’s look at a model answer:

• There are many factors to consider when deciding if the university should be free or not. Among these are taxes, equality of opportunity, and the economy.
• Firstly, a proportion of taxes should go to education. Some might say if you can afford university, then you should pay for it. But, this doesn’t take into account the fact that higher earners pay higher income tax so they are already contributing more.
• Secondly, by making university free for all, it creates more opportunitys for those from low-income backgrounds. Although they may still have difficulty meeting other costs such as accommodation it makes the playing field more level.
• In addition, having an educated workforce is proven to help the economy grow. The more people with degrees there are, the higher the standard of living for everyone. So, more people will be able to pay taxes to fund the education of future generations.
• In conclusion, free university ultimately benefits all members of society.

Pause the video to read, and start again when you’re ready.

First question: have we answered the question?

Yes: the conclusion states that ‘free university benefits all members of society.’ This shows that we agree that university should be free for everyone.

Next: have we used topic sentences?

Yes, we have. The first sentence of the essay tells you what the entire essay will be about.

Then, each paragraph’s topic sentence contains a key word from our plan. We have ‘taxes,’ ‘opportunities’ and ‘economy’.

Also, the topic sentences and paragraphs all reference the idea of ‘education’, either directly or indirectly. This shows that our points are relevant and connected to the task.

So, now you’re finished, right? No–there’s one more step. This answer is not bad, but it could be better.

4. How to Check and Improve Your Answer

The final step is to check your answer.

What type of things do you think you should look for?

Grammar, of course, but what else?

Check for spelling mistakes. Check for style—have you used any conversational language which doesn’t fit the tone of an essay like this?

Check your use of linking words and phrases. Many students overuse them; don’t use a linking word like nevertheless unless you’re sure it fits.

Check for repetition of vocabulary. Could you replace any simple vocabulary with something more advanced?

Look at our model answer again:

• There are many factors to consider when deciding if the university should be free or not. Among these are taxes, equality of opportunity and the economy.
• Secondly, by making university free for all, it creates more opportunitys for those from low-income backgrounds. Although they may still have difficulty meeting other costs such as accommodation * it makes the playing field more level.

The bold words are either mistakes, or they could be improved somehow.

How would you improve this? Pause the video while you read and decide.

The first problem is with grammar. Unless you’re talking about one specific university, you don’t use the.

Okay, what’s wrong with doesn’t? We’ve used a contraction! Don’t use contractions in your essay. So, it should be does not.

The next problem is a spelling mistake. When a word ends in ‘y’, it changes to ‘ies’ in the plural: opportunities .

Next is a punctuation mistake. There’s a comma missing. There are two clauses in this sentence and they need to be separated by a comma.

There’s nothing wrong with people with degrees but it’s quite basic. What else could you say?

You could say educated people, or even highly-educated people, either of which is slightly more elegant.

So is not a mistake, but we used so in the second paragraph already. You want to show the examiner your range of language, so here you could use something more precise like consequently.

Our conclusion is only one sentence, so let’s add an extra point. We’re still under the maximum word count. This could help us to state our opinion more clearly.

Let’s change it to:

• In conclusion, free university should be free for everyone. It makes economic sense and ultimately benefits all members of society.

Here’s the final version of our essay:

• There are many factors to consider when deciding if university should be free or not. Among these are taxes, equality of opportunity, and the economy.
• Firstly, a proportion of taxes should go to education. Some might say if you can afford university, then you should pay for it. But, this does not take into account the fact that higher earners pay higher income tax so they are already contributing more.
• Secondly, by making university free for all, it creates more opportunities for those from low-income backgrounds. Although they may still have difficulty meeting other costs such as accommodation, it makes the playing field more level.
• In addition, having an educated workforce is proven to help the economy grow. The more highly-educated people there are, the higher the standard of living for everyone. Consequently, more people will be able to pay taxes to fund the education of future generations.

At this point, it’s looking good! Next, let’s focus on what you can do to produce a good FCE writing essay which will get a high score in your exam.

5. How to Improve Your Score

Your essay score is made up of four parts. For each part, you get a score from zero to five.

• Content – how well the candidate has fulfilled the task
• Communicative Achievement – how appropriate the writing is for the task
• Organisation – how well the writing is put together
• Language – focuses on vocabulary and grammar

First there’s Content . The mark scheme says this “focuses on how well you have fulfilled the task”. In other words, have you done everything you were asked to do?

This corresponds to step one of our writing process. Analyse the task carefully and make sure you do everything it asks you to. A good tip is to underline the key words in the task to help you identify what you need to do.

Next there’s Communicative Achievement . This “focuses on how appropriate your writing is for the task”.

Have you used the correct register? Have you used contractions? Basically: does your essay look and sound like an essay?

Then we have Organisation . This looks at “how the writing is put together”. Is it logical and organised? By planning your writing carefully, it will already be organised. Remember to plan your paragraphs carefully and write a clear topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.

You can also use linking words and phrases to make the connections between paragraphs even clearer.

In our essay, we used many linking words, including firstly, secondly, in addition, although, consequently and in conclusion. Look through the essay again, and note how the linking words and phrases are used. Can you find any more examples of linking words in the essay?

Finally, you have Language : vocabulary and grammar. The examiners will be looking for a range of language as well as how accurate it is. In step four, you saw how checking your essay can improve your language.

Are you worried that making mistakes will affect your mark? Of course, making a lot of mistakes will lower your mark, but remember this is only one part of your score.

For B2 level, the Cambridge mark scheme says, ‘Occasional errors may be present but do not impede communication.’ That means you can still score 5 from 5, even with some small mistakes.

But, hopefully, you’ll catch most of them when you’re on step four – checking and improving your answer.

You’ve seen how to write an essay for FCE, but you can use the same process for other Cambridge exams, including the CAE and CPE when you get that far.

Good luck with your exam preparation and let us know when you pass! Thanks for watching!

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B2 First (FCE) Essay Writing Guide

The Cambridge B2 First (FCE) essay is easier to write than you think! Follow these steps to write the perfect essay.

Post Contents

What is the Cambridge B2 First Essay?

• Part 1 of the writing test – there are 2 parts total
• 140-190 word limit
• You have about 40 minutes to plan and write your essay
• You must answer a question using two notes and your own idea
• The topic requires general knowledge only
• The essay is always formal because it is written “for your teacher”

Step One: Look at the Task (1 minute)

To begin, all B2 First essays have a similar format . This is great because you know exactly how to write the essay before seeing the question.

Read the essay question carefully and HIGHLIGHT any keywords you need to write about.

Tip: If you don’t understand the question or notes, DON’T PANIC. Try your best to write the essay. You will still get points for grammar, vocabulary, and structure.

Sample exam test from Cambridge English .

Step Two: Write a plan (5 minutes)

A lot of my students dislike writing a plan. However, a plan helps you organize your thoughts and helps you write a better B2 First essay. Your essay needs 5 paragraphs . We will use the sample task from above as an example:

Paragraph structure for an essay

Introduction.

• Rivers and seas
• Your own idea

Next, to create a plan, write a few words for each paragraph . DO NOT write whole sentences. This takes too much time. Try to focus on keywords and short phrases .

Tip: “Your own idea” DOES NOT mean your opinion. You need to think of another topic related to the question to talk about. Some ideas for this task could be: recycling, agriculture, industry, etc.

Additionally, you can prepare a list of linking words and related vocabulary . Getting these words written down before you start helps you remember to use them.

Look at the example plan below. You can draw something similar on a blank piece of paper.

Tip: Time yourself – see how long it takes for you to write a plan. Try to reduce that amount of time as much as possible.

Step 3: Write your essay (32 minutes)

On the official test, you must write with a pen . No erasable pens or pencils are allowed. I suggest writing your plan and essay with a pen every time you practice .

Let’s take a look at each paragraph of the essay.

The introduction to your essay should be 2-3 sentences long . It introduces the essay topic in a general way .

Tip: DO NOT include your opinion in the introduction. Your opinion goes in the conclusion.

If you are unsure how to write an introduction, try this structure and look at the example :

Structure of the introduction  

• 1 sentence about the topic in general
• 1-2 sentences about the topic more specifically, including a question if you like.

Example Introduction

On every continent, the amount of trash and waste is increasing each year. Rubbish causes damage to ecosystems all over the world. Is there a way for countries to reduce their carbon footprint and save our planet?

Body of the essay

The body of the essay has three paragraphs . These paragraphs talk about one idea with supporting examples .

For each paragraph, you need to write a topic sentence. A topic sentence is the main idea of the paragraph . DO NOT copy the notes. Instead, try to rewrite the idea in your own words. This is called “paraphrasing.” 

Your paragraphs should be 3-4 sentences .

Tip: Start each paragraph with a linking word .

Structure of a body paragraph

• Linking word and topic sentence
• Supporting sentences

Example body paragraph

Firstly, countries can decrease pollution and environmental stress by offering more public transportation. Cars and other vehicles which require petrol produce toxic fumes. If more electric buses and trams were available, fewer people would need to drive their cars.

Follow the same structure for each body paragraph.

Tip: Remember that “your own idea” is NOT your opinion . Write about an additional topic related to the question that you wrote down on your plan.

Finally, you get to say your opinion! In the conclusion, you need to summarize the topic and give your opinion on the question. A conclusion should be 1-2 sentences long.

Structure of the conclusion

• Transition word and a sentence summarizing the topic
• A sentence that gives your opinion

Example conclusion

To sum up, countries around the world must make changes in order to protect the environment. In my opinion, offering more public transport, reducing overfishing, and creating recycling programs are necessary for a cleaner planet.

Step Four: Review your writing (2 minutes)

This is another important step that students often miss. Take two minutes after writing your essay to check for spelling and grammatical errors.

Since you wrote in pen, simply cross out the incorrect word or words LIKE THIS and rewrite them.

How can I get a higher mark on the FCE essay?

Now that you know how to write an essay for the Cambridge B2 First exam, let’s look at how to get the best mark possible .

Increase your mark on your B2 First essay

• Include 5-8 linking words – these words introduce paragraphs and connect ideas
• Use a variety of grammatical structures – you should have both simple and complex forms. Try to use perfect and future forms, conditionals, comparatives, relative clauses and passive
• Use formal vocabulary – do not use slang or simple words like “good, big, small, bad.” Also, do not use contractions. Write “cannot” instead of “can’t”
• Make the essay interesting to read – the examiners read hundreds of essays so make yours easy to read and engaging
• Use the correct amount of words (140-190) – it’s ok to be a few words over the limit, but not too many

Final Advice

The best way to improve your writing skills … is to write! Try to write a few essays each week and ask your teacher for feedback . I have had students who entered my class with very poor writing skills and with practice, they were able to pass the exam after only 10 weeks!

I help students prepare for the FCE exam with private lessons via Zoom. Email me at [email protected] or check out my private lessons page to learn more.

If you want more practice for the B2 First , try these Speaking exam tips , free writing checklist , and Reading part 1 practice.

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Cambridge first (fce) writing part 1(essay).

Difficulty level : B2 /Upper Intermediate

Write 140-190 words in an appropriate style.

In your English class you have been talking about old people in society. Now your English teacher has asked you to write an essay.

Around the world, people are living and staying healthy for longer and longer. What changes does this bring to today’s society? Are these changes good or bad?

Notes Write about:

1.  Caring for the elderly 2.  Jobs 3.  __________ (your own idea)

First (FCE) Writing tests

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How to Write an Essay for B2 First (FCE) Writing

Luis @ kse academy.

• noviembre 24, 2019

As you probably know already, Cambridge English exams usually have some or all of the following parts: Reading, Writing, Use of English and Listening. In this post I am going to talk about the FCE Writing B2 part and, more specifically, about how to write an essay for FCE Writing . We will see a good example of an essay for FCE and you can check out a full FCE Writing Guide where you can find more examples of emails , letters and other types of writings.

Essay Sample Answer

Este artículo también está disponible en castellano.

What are the parts of the FCE Writing?

The First (FCE) Writing has only two parts. For each part, you must write a composition which will depend on the instructions you receive for each task. For the  first part , you will always be asked to  write an essay , as it is the only option provided. However, in the  second part , they allow you to choose one out of 3 options. These include  different types of writing , which are : letters/emails ,  articles ,  reviews and  reports . Each piece of writing must have between 140 and 190 words , approximately.

Since they are different types of writing , the language and structures to use will also differ. But that’s what I’m here for, to explain to you exactly how to write each part. And today, I’m starting with  how to write an essay .

How to Write an Essay for FCE Writing

An  essay is an opinion writing with which we analyse a topic , a situation or an issue from different points of view , providing different arguments and expressing our opinion about it. For this reason, an  essay must have the following features:

• Purpose: What we usually do with an essay is to analyse and assess a topic, situation or issue which, in some way, is interesting or controversial. It is normally set as a writing task after a class debate. In the exam, you have to imagine the debate, obviously.
• Tone and style: Given that you’re writing about a  serious or controversial issue , an essay is written in a formal style, so we must stick to an objective tone and style . Our language must be formal, thus avoiding words that are simply too common or generic (E.g.:  things, stuff, get,   etc.) and contractions (E.g.:  can’t, don’t, won’t,  etc.).
• Structure: Like every piece of writing,  an essay must present a defined structure . For starters, we can choose either to give it a title or not. Personally, I would say that it is more appropriate to have an essay with title . Then, the body must be divided into introduction, idea 1, idea 2, idea 3 and conclusion. This means that, in general,  essays must have 5 paragraphs ,   although it is not entirely necessary.
• Opinion:  There are countless ways of expressing your opinion in an essay, so you must choose the one that suits you best. However,  it is advisable to remain impartial throughout your writing and give your opinion only in the last paragraph , as a conclusion. But, as I say, it is optional. The most important thing is that you justify everything you say in your essay.
• Coherence: Coherence is essential in every type of writing, but especially in an essay. As it tends to be an argumentative text, you must avoid writing incoherent paragraphs that have nothing to do with one another. Your ideas must  follow a logical order and be well connected with appropriate linkers .

FCE Writing Essay Example

Now that we are familiar with the  characteristics of an essay for First (FCE) Writing , let’s take a look at an  example of an essay at B2 level , both at the task and at a sample answer.

Instructions of an Essay

In the following image you can see the instructions of an essay which involves a typical topic, that of the environment:

In these instructions, we must pay attention to the following:

• The  first paragraph introduces the topic: … different ways in which you can protect the environment.
• The  second sentence is usually the same in every task:  Write an essay using  all the notes…
• In the box , you are given the main topic as a question and they give you something to talk about:  recycle, using bicycles and walking, your own idea . As you can see, you have to come up with the third idea, something connected to the topic which is not provided in the exam task.

Given the model task above, each paragraph will correspond to a different idea, apart from the introduction and conclusion. Again, it is only natural to have 5 paragraphs. So, the best way to know how to write an essay for FCE Writing is to take a look at an  example of an actual essay for FCE Writing :

At first sight, the essay has  a title and 5 paragraphs (introduction + idea 1 + idea 2 + idea 3 + conclusion). And if we stop to read the essay more carefully, we’ll notice the following things:

• The paragraphs are visual and well defined , which is very important.
• The title summarises the topic  of the essay. Another option is to use the question ( What can people do to help protect the environment? ) as title. However, it usually tends to be too long, so I prefer to summarise it into a shorter heading.
• Introduction: it introduces the topic in a general way and it leads to the second paragraph (first idea).
• Paragraph 2: it deals with idea 1.
• Paragraph 3: it deals with idea 2.
• Paragraph 4: it deals with idea 3.
• Conclusion: we express our opinion to conclude and summarise the essay.
• It uses connectors to define the development of the essay:  firstly, second, finally, etc.
• It doesn’t use many contractions or pet words.
• One of the things that
• In the last few decades,
• For this reason,
• First, / Second, / Third,
• By doing so,
• For example,
• In conclusion,

This is a good example of an essay for FCE Writing . By the way, you must bear in mind that it has been written to simulate a strong B2 level, without reaching C1.

FAQ: Do I get penalised for writing over 190 words?

This is the most typical question in this part of the exam and the answer is « yes and no «. Let me explain myself. Cambridge English examiners don’t count the number of words and penalise you based upon that fact alone. There’s a rumour going around among teachers and pupils that says that for every 10 words over 190, they take «this many» points off, but it is not true. However, think about this: if you’ve written 50 or 100 words more than asked, you are probably including irrelevant information to the task , right? Now that’s a reason for losing points. In the same way that if you  write under 140 words you are probably missing essential information , don’t you think?

For this reason, I always recommend writing up to 10 or 20 words over the limit. In this way, you won’t lose any points for including irrelevant information.

FCE Writing Guide with examples (pdf)

Although I intend to write more posts on how to do each piece of writing for FCE, if you don’t want to wait any more, simply download the official KSE Academy FCE Writing Guide . In this guide you will learn:

• How to write an essay  and 3 examples.
• How to write an article  and 3 examples.
• How to write a review  and 3 examples.
• How to write a report  and 3 examples.
• How to write an email or letter  and 3 examples.
• Over 300 useful expressions for every FCE Writing .

Would you like to see a sample of this guide? Here it is!

Did you find this useful?  Why not share it with other teachers and students of English? Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, y YouTube. 🙂

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B2 First - Writing Practice

First certificate in english (fce).

• B2 First quick links:
• Use Of English
• Back to the B2 First main page

On this page, you will find example writing tests to help you prepare for the Writing part of the First Certificate exam.

The speaking section is divided into two parts and involves many types of writing: essay, email, review, report and article.

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test One Essay / Report / Review / Email Exercise Number: FCE115

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Two Essay / Email / Report / Article Exercise Number: FCE116

• Try to choose questions that require you to write about something that is interesting to you.
• Always write a brief plan before each of the compositions.
• Think about the target reader and write in a suitable register and tone.

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Three Essay / Review / Article / Email Exercise Number: FCE117

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Four Essay / Review / Article / Report Exercise Number: FCE118

• Ensure all your points and paragraphs link together well.
• Avoid repeating phrases. Learn expressions that will help you write more naturally.
• Leave enough time at the end to re-read each composition and check for errors.

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Five Essay / Report / Email / Article Exercise Number: FCE119

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Six Essay / Review / Article / Report Exercise Number: FCE120

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Seven Essay / Email / Article / Review Exercise Number: FCE121

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Eight Essay / Email / Report / Review Exercise Number: FCE122

Best B2 First Certificate Books For Students

Use of English: Ten practice tests for the Cambridge B2 First | See in UK

FCE Writing Masterclass (Writing B2: FCE Cambridge) | See in UK

Listening First: Ten practice tests for the Cambridge B2 First | See in UK

Cambridge English Qualifications: B2 First Volume 1 Practice Tests Plus with key | See in UK

Cambridge English First 1 for Revised Exam - Student's Book with Answers: Authentic Examination Papers | See in UK

Reading and Use of English for First (FCE) | See in UK

Common Mistakes at First Certificate and How to Avoid Them | See in UK

Gold Experience 2nd Edition Exam Practice: Cambridge English First for Schools (B2) | See in UK

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Cambridge B2 First (FCE): Writing

One of the most unpopular things to do in an English class is to do a writing task. You can almost be certain that at least one student is going to complain or simply refuse to do it. Luckily, in FCE, writing is necessary and most students understand this as well. Even though they don’t enjoy it, they bite their tongue and do what they have to do. After all, you don’t want to fail the because of your own laziness. 😉

Time management is key

Your very first takeaway from this article should be that it is super important to prepare for writing the same way you would prepare for the other exam papers in FCE. Study what the requirements are, practise as much as you can and work on your weaknesses so your skills are balanced and you can take the test with a calm mind and without feeling stressed because of your time management.

The different parts of the writing exam

2. email/letter.

The email or letter is always a reply to message that you get in the task. You have to ensure that you respond to everything mentioned in the original message, that your language is appropriate (formal/informal) depending on the reader, and that you follow the common rules for a letter or email, for example including a greeting and salutation, etc.

Don’t panic just yet 🙂

I know that this seems to be a lot for you to process all at once, so for the rest of this article I’m going to go back to more general information. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there are more specific articles about the different writing tasks. Just pick the ones you are most interested in below and find out how to become a champion FCE candidate.

The four assessment scales

2. communicative achievement, 3. organisation.

Organisation is all about…well…organisation. Is your text written in paragraphs? Are your ideas connected? Is there a logical sequence of ideas? This is one of the parts candidates struggle with the most, but in my post on the different marking criteria you get much more detailed information with great examples, so jump over and check it out.

4. Language

How can you prepare for the writing exam.

Of course, this is easier said than done. You should always include an active element in your reading practice. This means that you should set a little task for yourself every time you sit down with a book, magazine, newspaper or in front of your computer. My recommendation is to either highlight new expressions and grammar and then to check it online or in a good grammar book, or to read and then summarise the text in your own words by writing a short paragraph. Believe me, it works.

2. Websites

Other ideas, this is just the beginning, similar posts, cambridge b2 first (fce): how to write an email/letter, cambridge b2 first (fce): reading & use of english, cambridge b2 first (fce) vs. c1 advanced (cae), cambridge b2 first (fce): how to write a review, cambridge b2 first (fce): reading & use of english part 4, cambridge b2 first (fce): reading & use of english part 1.

Breakout English

First (FCE) B2 Essay Structure – Essay Skeletons

There have been many occasions where my students have no time to learn the correct B2 essay structure for a Cambridge B2 First exam. Course books often do a great job of providing model answers, useful phrases and much more. However, sometimes people just want to be spoon-fed the correct way to write an essay. Well, are you hungry?

What is an essay skeleton?

An essay skeleton provides you with the base for an essay, without including any of the content. It includes all the necessary linkers, transitions and placeholders to emulate the ideal B2 essay structure. However, it is incomplete. In an ideal word, these skeletons can be memorised and adapted to any topic that you may find in the B2 First exam. Obviously, it isn’t likely to always be a perfect fit, so it can’t replace learning how to write an essay from scratch. However, if you are short on time or really struggling to produce a passing essay, this skeleton may be helpful.

B2 essay structure

A Cambridge B2 First essay has a reasonably set structure. This is because the tasks are always similar. Take a look at the task below:

When we analyse the task, the most obvious structure is to write 5 paragraphs. This allows us to keep a clear separation between our three points. It also gives us plenty of opportunities for lovely linking words . With a word limit of 190 words, these paragraphs will be quite short, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be clear and effective.

Our standard paragraph plan for a B2 essay structure is…

• Introduction – Including a thesis statement that mentions the 3 areas of focus
• Body paragraph 1 – In this case about pollution
• Body paragraph 2 – In this case about rubbish
• Body paragraph 3 – Our own idea (for example, endangered animals)
• Conclusion – Summarise the 3 areas and optionally choose the most important

The two proposed essay skeletons below follow this paragraph plan in order to produce the perfect B2 essay every time.

The materials

We’ve designed two essay skeletons. They are similar but have subtle differences. Either one of them can be used with any topic that may come up in the B2 First exam. If you want to practise using the essay skeletons, try it out with a B2 essay task .

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Tips for the FCE Writing Section (B2 English)

By Fabio 6 Comments

Hey friend, how is life? In this blog post I’m going to review some useful insights to ace the Writing part of the FCE exam , also known as Cambridge English: First but also as First Certificate in English.

So you know already one fundamental notion: Cambridge Assessment English exams have as many titles as Daenerys Targaryen . 😂

This post looks in more depth at the Writing part but if you feel like having a broader vision of the FCE exam, here you have it –>  First Certificate in English (FCE): How to Ace it

To pass the exam is no easy feat and the Writing is certainly one of the hardest. Language conventions, style, lexicon … 😔 In the Reading and Use of English at least you only have to fill empty spaces :-/ in here, you have to compose a text from scratch.

You are given a few guidelines and you’re left with a blank space to scrabble in. No wonder some of us find this part to be difficult .

Well, it does not have to be: with the right preparation and tools, you can pass the exam with flying colours, FCE Writing included.

⚠️ WARNING: THIS POST IS NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED ⚠️

👎 Downside: you’re reading a lengthy piece . I couldn’t make it exhaustive and short at the same time, sorry.

👍 Upside: you do not need to look any further on the Internet. This <brag alert> is the most comprehensive guide available concerning the FCE Writing </brag alert>.

I invite you to put it in your Favourites in order to come back, every now and again, to explore the different parts and suggestions, as you happen to need them. 🔖

And now, let’s dive into the matter.

Cambridge English: First – The Writing section

You’re given 80 minutes for two different tasks:

• Essay (compulsory for everybody).
• Review, report, letter, email or article (you have to pick one of those proposed).

So, it makes forty minutes for each text. In reality, you can spend seventy minutes on one and ten on the other : it’s absolutely fine. In this time, you have to do it all:

• Jot down ideas ,
• brainstorm vocabulary you’d like to use,
• blueprint the text, 🗺️
• pass it on a fair copy,
• checking GSP (Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation), 🔬 and
• deliver it to the examiner.

Both texts have to be between 140 and 190 words long each.

Cambridge English: First: On paper or computer?

You can either go for the paper-based exam or for the computer-based exam : one of the two major differences between them lies indeed in the FCE Writing section.

In the paper-based exam, you write on, surprise surprise , paper . 📝 That means you have to do it the good old way: basically, draft first then neat copy. Thus, you have to factor in the time to do this all and make a final check round before to deliver it.

In the computer-based exam, you write on… (drum roll) … a digital screen . 💻 That means you don’t have to worry about initial draft and final draft : there won’t be crossing-outs, ink stains, bad handwriting. However, you still have white paper, pens and pencils in case you want to scribble some notes aside.

Also, if you go for the computer-based exam, you have some extra perks:

#1 You have a stopwatch right before your eyes, on top of the screen, flashing red when the time is about to end; ⏱️

#2 You also have a word counter , below the screen, so that you can keep your text length under control the whole time.

Are in essence the paper-based and the computer-based versions of the Writing the same? Absolutely the same . It’s just a different medium. If you feel like scrabbling ideas on paper , you can still do it: you are provided with blank paper and pens and pencils, whereas necessary, before the beginning of the exam.

So, should you go for the paper-based exam or the computer-based one? Whatever floats your boat. ⛵ Surprisingly, many candidates prefer the paper-based one.

Want to know more about the two formats? Read: Paper or Computer: Choose your Cambridge English Exam Format .

Cambridge English: First – Writing: Traps you should be aware of

Along these years in the field, I’ve seen many students underestimating this task. Why? Because they think they’re already able to write . Among the remarks I heard the most:

• I’ve been sending emails in English in my job for years now, what need do I have to prepare?
• I’m quite used keeping in touch with my Erasmus friends by sending emails and texting them 📱 , no need for further studies.
• I read a lot in English: British newspapers, sport magazines, travel newsletters… it shouldn’t be hard to craft a few words-text.

There are sooooo many misconceptions here. 🤔

#1 Email is just one of the six options you may have in the FCE Writing section. Besides, you may be writing for a thousand years but doing it wrong.

#2 Texting and emailing informally a friend is NOT the same as to write an email with the required language and conventions to someone who’s not a friend. And again: email is just one of five options in the FCE writing; WhatsApp messages are not yet considered as a type of text from the Cambridge folks deserving to be introduced in any exam.

#3 Reading is the compulsory starting point if you want to write 📚, but then, there’s more work to do.

The truth of the matter is the following, beautifully articulated by Benjamin Franklin:

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

For the great majority of us, real life just does not provide the type of preparation you need to pass the exam . Who do you send an essay to? What do you write a report for? OK, I think I made myself clear on this point. Now, an interesting question.

Any textbook to prepare myself for the FCE Writing task?

Is there any book you’d recommend to improve specifically the Writing section of the FCE exam? Yes, there is FCE Writing Masterclass by Marc Roche . I’d rather say it’s a must-study.

Be VERY mindful of an irrefutable fact: if you know how to write, speaking will follow .

This is an all too often overlooked concept: a horde of learners presume talking well in a given language is all about pronouncing right and training amply the talking itself. Wrong!

First, you need to get your linguistic act together: having something to say, being able to tell it in an articulated matter ; pronunciation, prosody, rhetoric come later. Writing is to speaking as walking is to running.

Want to know more about the Speaking part? Read: FCE Certificate: A Recipe for Success in FCE Speaking .

Now, let’s dig into the kinds of Writing you will encounter in the B2 First exam, one by one.

FCE Writing: Essay

The Essay is the only component of Part 1 of the Writing. It’s compulsory . In it, you have to talk about a topic, mentioning two points you’re provided plus a point of your own. 🖊️ In other words, in an essay you give info, you explain your viewpoint, you compare and contrast.

The consumption of dietary supplements has been growing exponentially and various voices call for a more stringent regulation about them. What do you think?

Write about:

• The online sales of such supplements;
• health hazards associated with their consumption;
• … … … … (your own idea).

So, in less than 200 words you have to talk about the two points offered plus a point of your making.

What are some basic principles you should follow?

• You have to show a B2 lexicon : tablets, superfoods, nutraceutical, etc;
• the composition must be structured in paragraphs , linked one another with proper connectors ;
• you have to tap into a language portfolio to express comparisons, explanations, agreements and disagreements, personal views.

What do I mean in point 3 ? Making use of:

• Although, despite, even if;
• firstly, to begin with, first of all;
• on the one hand, on the other hand; f
• or example, for instance;
• additionally, on top of that; to summarise, in conclusion…

You got me.

How would I organize my time ? Ideally, I would:

• Budget some three-four minutes to take note of all the useful words and sentences I may use to show how good is my English,
• then another couple of minutes to draft a roadmap of my text,
• do the actual writing, the bulk of it,
• then I’ll eventually sum it all up and conclude,
• to eventually make a last check round to seek and destroy any mistakes.

A word of advise (or two) (maybe three):

#1 Keep your words under control.

The maximum limit of words is quite tight: if you don’t pay attention, you’ll end up writing twice as much in order to cover all the points.

#2 Keep your brainstorming skills sharp.

Far from the exam, is a good thing to do the following exercise. Open up a newspaper, pick an article: what topic is it? Nuclear wastes? Climate change? Online banking security breaches? 🔓

Perfect! Pick them, write them on paper then brainstorm for a few minutes what words and structures to use in the essay .

#3 Save some time for the end.

It is useful to allow, at the very end of your 80 minutes, some spare 3-4 minutes to come back to the essay , to read it again in search for mistakes again and incongruences. Why?

Because after forty minutes of being on top of the essay, you may not be able any more to spot such undesired intruders. The distance given by half an hour and attention on something else, gives a useful semi-fresh perspective on it .

What is that I shouldn’t say but it is better for me to say?

#1 Keep it simple : don’t play Alain de Botton if your name is Pedro Antuñéz or Giovanni Rossi. Better something less sophisticated but correct than something amazingly conceived but poorly rendered on paper.

#2 Care your GSP (Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation) : there is no point in being Malcolm Gladwell 🦱 if you have a first grader’s GSP.

#3 Never forget that you’re not being evaluated on the originality of your ideas.

If the essay is about recycling, you don’t have to quote a pioneering study from the University of Petropavlovsk concerning the reuse of coffee pods in subarctic oceanic aquaculture.

What you have to do, in your FCE Writing, is to show that you have a B2 English , not a PhD in the subject of the essay.

And now, it’s time for you to get stained with some ink. Read the assignment below –> do it yourself –> check how I would have done it. ✒️

A real-life example of an Essay

Consider the following assignment.

More needs to be done to encourage children to spend time healthily outdoors. Do you agree? (140-190 words)

Write about: 1# Benefits and disadvantages of children’s outdoor activities 2# Recommendations for parents and teachers 3# Your own ideas

💬 Done? Very well. So, there are MANY ways to write this essay, but a decent one is the following:

Children spending time healthily outdoor

First of all, I wholeheartedly agree with the statement, but I will try to describe all the pros and cons related to the matter, before coming to conclusions.

To begin with, it’s easy to come up with several reasons why our kids ought to spend some daily hours in places such as parks, gardens or in the countryside. Physical activity is paramount to a person’s wellness, even more at a young age; besides, it would prevent obesity and subtle manipulation from TV and the internet.

That doesn’t mean there are no downsides. It’s difficult to be outdoorsy if you dwell in a 50 sqm-flat downtown or if you reside in a bad dodgy neighbourhood. In that case, we may want these children to stay indoors, watching the TV and being looked after.

However, the most crucial element in this regard is, in my opinion, parenting style. We’ve been breeding a generation of “helicopter parents”, hovering constantly over their offspring in search for hidden threats. Media play a big role in this, as they blow everything out of proportion: there’s rather plenty of evidence that such fears are irrational.

To sum up, I do admit there are pros and cons in letting the kids stay less indoor, but I firmly believe there’s a lot more to gain than to lose.

💬 And here it is. Too hard? Too long? If you prepare well, you’re going to nail it.

Any textbook to improve my Essay writing skills?

Actually, you know what? Most prep books for the FCE exam focus enough on the Essay. Why? Because it’s the only Writing exercise you’re obliged to do, hence their emphasis.

Any of the books suggested in the main post about FCE are as good as a lemon sorbet in a summer heat wave. 🍦 You may find them here:

First Certificate in English (FCE): How to Ace it

You shall find plenty of instructions and examples there. Nevertheless, whatever your strategy, it is neeeeeeeeever a bad idea to review and strengthen your grammar . This can be an excellent ally of yours:

English Grammar in Use with Answers : I have a hard time taking grammar books in my hands, but this is well done.

FCE Writing: Article

The Article is one of the options you’re given in the Part 2 of the FCE Writing: whether to go for this one or not, is your choice.

In the Article, you have to write an engaging text for a website, a magazine, a newsletter. ✏️ I n other words, in an article you describe, provide examples and articulate your opinion , in a way that you readers feel compelled to read it all.

In your opinion, what would be the upsides and downsides of learning programming languages? Is it something you would invite all young people to do?

The best article will be published next month.

• Tap into your source of B2 vocabulary ;
• write a sentence for each paragraph you’d like to include, then expand from such sentence outwards;
• always keep in mind who’s your reader persona : age, social and educational background, etc.

General suggestions:

• A catchy title is recommendable , but do not go Huffington Post-clickbait-ish.
• A school newspaper requires a style that a tech magazine does not. Learn how to pass from informality to formality in your writing.
• Away from the exam, read as many articles as you can given that they are your raw material.

#1 Keep it simple : if you can’t put on paper a Fareed Zakaria’s prose , don’t try. A couple of ideas, linear clauses, appropriate nouns and adjectives, good connectors: that’s all.

# 2 Care your GSP (Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation) : no point in writing the best article ever if you drop a wheater you leik it or not . 😱

#3 Never forget that you’re being evaluated for your English , which has to be B2. Not for your originality in terms of content or style: just for your English . Cambridge does not deliver Pulitzer prizes anyway.

💬 Now it’s your turn again: read the assignment below –> write it yourself –> check my version of it. ✒️

A real-life example of an Article

In your opinion, is learning programming languages necessary in today’s world? Is it something you would invite all young people to do?

The best article will be published next month in our college magazine.

💬 Again, COUNTLESS are the ways to write this. I’m just putting down one of them here below.

Human languages are the present: programming languages the future

In modern-day society, a good curriculum has no real appeal if not completed with the mastery of one or two foreign languages. But… Do you think it will always be this way? I don’t think so.

Sooner or later, human languages will be translated and interpreted by machines that will run on an entirely different set of languages: that of computers. Programming languages, we call them.

That’s the future. It will take ten years, perhaps twenty: but in that moment, these tools will be as popular and embedded into our daily life and professions, that ignoring Python, C+ or Java will be just as prejudicial as is nowadays not knowing English or French.

Hence, I strongly recommend our youth to start exploring the subject. It’s no more difficult than learning any other discipline: a bit of patience, some guidance, good materials.

So, guys: read about it, try coding, come to our so-called “Hackatons”, attend courses and hone your programming skills. Before you know it, it will be impossible to live without.

💬 And here we are. Nothing otherwordly, don’t you think?

Any material to boost my Article writing skills?

Of course. It is possible to accomplish this task even without this book, to be honest. On the other hand, if you want to learn how to write an article in an excellent way, you shouldn’t miss:

The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century , by Steven Pinker . Good for FCE, CAE, CPE and for being a human being.

FCE Writing: Email

The Email is also one of the options you’re given in the Part 2 of this section, so it is not compulsory .

In this, you have to write in response to a certain situation , formal or informal, being careful to include everything you’re told according to the conventions of an email. 📧

You see this ad on an English-language literary magazine website.

Writing Contest

Ready to share your novel or poem with the world? Whether you’re a newbie or more established writer, you’re welcome to take part in our Fiction or Poetry contests.

Submit by sending us an email briefly introducing yourself, as a person and an author, beside a few words on your creation. Don’t forget to attach your work!

So now, what’s the purpose of the email?

• To explain who you are , both in life and in the literary sphere,and
• to succinctly describe the piece of fiction you’re participating with.

Informal or formal? Kind of in between here, don’t you concur? It’s a writing contest, granted, but the phrasing used in the announcement is not Victorian literary English . 👑

The cues are:

• the Ready to share… rather than a more pompous Are you ready to share…
• words like newbie , rather than a formal neophyte or even novice
• you’re instead of you are
• the exclamation mark in the end of the ad and the absence of pleases or other expressions of deference.
• Prove that you master a B2 vocabulary : inner voice, the heart of the story, blurb, etc;
• the conventions of the genre must be respected: opening, main body, closing formula;
• you have to balance somehow the different points you’re asked to talk about: your biography, who you are as a writer and what’s your literary work about. 📗 You can be the new Charlotte Brontë but if you miss these three things you’re hardly going to succeed.

Again, it’s a useful exercise to take a few minutes to think of the words, idioms and expressions you may use, plus to draw a simple outline of how you’re going to unfold the email, paragraph after paragraph.

Points I want you to be aware of:

#1 The Email writing is more difficult than what it looks like.

Why? Because in life you may read a lot of essays, articles or reports so that you will have an idea of how to draft them even if you do not specifically train yourself for them. But emails? Not really.

That’s when textbooks and prep books come in very handy: they contain this stuff, so you should rely on them. 📩

#2 A maximum of 190 words is less than what you imagine.

Don’t get carried away or you’ll still be talking about yourself by word nº 220 and you still haven’t even glossed over your writing genius and your manuscript.

#3 Don’t warp your English in an effort to make it superduper cultured. 

It’s unlikely that this email will end up in a posthumous collection such as The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. At a B2 you know enough English to communicate richly, but to be Virginia Woolf-like, a great deal remains to be done.

💬 Time for you to test your skills: read the assignment below –> do it yourself –> check how I would have done it. ✒️

A real-life example of an Email

Scholarships 

Every year, two scholarships are offered to candidates from overseas who can show how our one-year course in English studies would help their career.

Scholarships cover fees, accommodation and food but not transport or personal spending money.

To apply, write an email explaining why you think you deserve a scholarship.

💬 I hope you really did it, rather than scrolling down endlessly 🤨 Anyway, this is what I’d write.

Dear Sir/Madam, I hope this email finds you well.

I am writing to your attention about the ad on your website, concerning the two scholarships for overseas students. I believe it would make a huge difference for me: allow me here to explain why.

As you know, Italy is a tourism-based country. Thus, I have been pursuing an education in Hotel Management and Sustainable Tourism. Unfortunately, in my country English teaching is not cutting-edge: neither within the education system, nor in the general society. As a result, undergraduates like me are forced to take matters into their own hands.

I have carefully read your one-year English studies program: I believe it would be very formative for me, beside being a boost for my employability.

This email would not be complete if I failed to mention either my excellent academic results (I hereby attach my curriculum) or, particularly, my limited budget. Hence, a financial aid in the form of a scholarship would be most welcome.

I look forward to hearing from you and please do not hesitate to contact me for any queries you may have.

Yours sincerely, Tyrion Lannister

💬 And here it is. As long as you study well, the Email does not constitute any danger.

Any textbook to improve my Email writing skills?

Yes, there’s one which is as good as a granita siciliana while laying on a beach in Favignana in August. 🍦 It’s this one:

Writing That Works, 3rd Edition: How to Communicate Effectively in Business Paperback by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson : a phenomenal textbook on how to write emails the proper way.

FCE Writing: Review

The Review is one of the options you’re given in Part 2: again, it is not compulsory .

The Review assesses how well you can describe and motivate your opinion about something you have first-hand knowledge of (the like of an electronic gadget, a theatre play, a holiday package, etc.), with a final suggestion to the reader. 📝 In other words, in a review you have to describe, detail and give your opinion.

A review may be published on different media: daily newspaper, online magazine, nationwide printed cultural journal. Hence, different styles for different outlets.

The Best Tablet of the Year

On our lifestyle webzine, we’ve been gathering reviews from our readership concerning the best tablet of the year. If you have recently purchased or used one, write us your opinion including brand, model, features and other data you deem relevant.

We will then publish a chart based on the devices which have received the most praises!

So, the assignment couldn’t be clearer. You have to include in your review (I am totally making stuff up here below between parenthesis):

• Brand and name of the device (Maple iMoon), 📟
• what did you use it for (to track supernovas in the sky in-sync with a telescope),
• relevant features (material, screen size, USB ports, Bluetooth, processor, battery life, pre-installed Apps, front camera lenses, etc.),
• what has mattered the most for you (next-gen processing speed but short battery life, for instance),
• a resume of your opinion and a recommendation to other readers (not the best piece of equipment for pros but good value for money for amateurs). ✔️
• Brag about your B2 vocabulary : screen-to-body ratio, headphone jack, processing power , etc;
• if you are utterly uninformed about the matter (i.e. technology here), you may want to skip a review like this. On the other hand, if you’re an electronic gadget buff, tune down your prose . No mere mortal understands stuff like “a 16MB Intel Smart Cache behind a 1080p non-touch capacitive display would earn my praise only with a our USB-C SD carbon fibre card adapter”;
• organise carefully your review in sequential paragraphs .

#1 Choose a title that is alluring and at the same time gives the readers an idea of what to expect from your review. 💯

#2 It’s a good thing to read reviews profusely in preparation of the exam.

A brief summary of your go-to resources:

– Gizmos: Techradar – Restaurants & Hotels: Tripadvisor – Books: Goodreads – Movies: BBC Film Reviews

It’s good to remark that most of the reviews you’ll find over the Internet are user-generated but not reviewed by a proofreader : nevertheless, at a B2 level you should be proficient enough to tell the bad from the good.

#3 Don’t get lost in the analysis that you forget to include your final recommendation .

💬 Your turn: read carefully the assignment –> do it –> have a look at my attempt. ✒️

A real-life example of a Review

The following announcement has been published in your English-language university website magazine.

Film reviews wanted!

Have you recently watched a film in which you particularly liked the main character?

Write us a review of the film explaining what the main actor did and why in your opinion he deserves praise. Tell us also to whom you would recommend this film to other viewers.

We will publish the best review in our magazine.

💬 Not an easy one. Still, we need to be prepared. Here’s my piece.

The Call of the Wild review: a light-hearted, comforting story

The latest adaptation of Jack London’s most famous novel, directed by Chris Sanders, won’t satisfy the sophisticated appetite of our most salacious critics, but it does have an appeal, in my opinion.

Starring Harrison Ford as gruff Thornton and a CGI imposing dog as Buck, the film will likely become a young adult’s classic. Unfolding in the northern wilderness, the story is about two losers, harshly beaten by life, that come to recognize one another and team up.

I found that Ford’s acting is convincing, not entirely so that of the computer-generated Collie-St. Bernard mongrel: at times it falls short of nowadays’ FX standards, besides conferring the dog an incomprehensible, semi-supernatural ability to understand the English language.

The other characters’ performances are not subpar, nor are they Oscar-winning. There are no cliffhangers or unexpected plot twists, as it’s easy to imagine.

All in all, in my opinion is worth seeing, for those that are in search of an eighty minute-long solace, an unadventurous film evolving among the jaw-dropping Alaskan landscapes. One to relax, rather than reflect.

💬 This is one of the hundred reviews one may jot down. The genre has its own peculiar traits, but it entirely doable, as you can see.

Any volume to ameliorate my Review writing prowess?

Not really, which is a pity. However, you may want to dissect the book below.

It is not specifically for this type of text, but considering the insane variety of reviews there can be, it’s a terrific idea to review your vocabulary (no pun intended):

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-Intermediate by Michael McCarthy and Felicity O’Dell : the authors are two established names in the field of Teaching English as a Second Language.

FCE Writing: Letter

The Letter is an option you’re given in Part 2, among others. Thus, it is not compulsory .

In the Letter, you have to write a written communication to a friend, a relative, an editor in chief, a head hunter, etc. ✍️

A pet to care for

Two English-speaking friends have accepted to take care of your turtle while you’re abroad for three months, but they’d like to know more in detail what it entails. You thank and inform them through a letter.

So, it isn’t so complicated, is it?

• They’re friends, so the language has to be informal ;
• first you thank, then you provide instructions ;
• you begin, end and fill the email with B2 words and expressions, in a laid-back tone.

What are some basic principles you should follow in this part of the FCE Writing?

• Don’t let the informality of the letter fool you . You still have to prove that you know proper English;
• you can steer a bit the composition in the direction you prefer : food, shelter, special needs of the turtle, if you prefer your friends to come at your place versus you bringing a terrarium to theirs; 🐢
• A letter is similar to, but not identical, an email. Respect the differences .

#1 The example I brought up above is that of an informal letter, but some – such as job applications – are so not informal. You need to be equally prepared for both styles .

#2 Just as other types of writing, you may hardly have in your daily life the chance to send and receive letters of any kind . It seems so from the Eighties now. 📨 A couple of good textbooks and prep books are what you need for this.

#3 No exception to the GSP rule (care your Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation): it’s friends you’re writing to but neither you are allowed to misspell nor to use abomination like b4 for “before”, 2 for “to” or bcz for “because”.

💬 Time to practice the Letter! As usual: read the assignment as carefully as you can –> write your composition –> compare it with mine below. ✒️

A real-life example of a Letter

You met an old ex colleague at a trade fair, when he informed you his current company has been looking for an experienced account manager in the publishing business.

You write a cover letter to the head of Human Resources that will have your CV attached. In the letter, you briefly introduce yourself, mention a few highlights of your profile and ask for an interview.

💬 A cover letter, an evergreen. Here’s how I’d do it.

Dear Mr Gladstone,

I’m writing under the suggestion of my former coworker, Mr Mormont, whom I have recently met at the press trade show in Zurich: there, he made me aware that your company is in need of an accomplished salesperson: I’d like to be included in the recruitment process.

I know your company to be one of the top-five providers of marketing services to publishing enterprises: ambition and commitment seems to be in the DNA of your firm, so they are of mine.

As you can see in the hereby attached curriculum, I’m a young yet experienced key clients administrator in the same field, with a proven track record. My educational background is in International Relations, which comes extremely useful when dealing with firms from all over the world. The fluent knowledge of French and Spanish complete my profile.

I’d be honoured to have an interview with you at a mutually convenient time. In the meantime, in case of further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

I look forward to speaking with you about this opportunity and thank you for the time taken to read this.

Sincerely, Alys Karstarck

💬 No need to write about insanely overqualified profiles, as long as your English is correct and appropriate.

Is there a book I can use to scribbles letters better than now?

Yes and no. There are tonns of decent books about it, but once you have the one I mentioned above about business communication, it’d be sufficient.

FCE Writing: Report

The Report is one of the options you’re given in the Part 2 of the FCE Writing: again, it is not compulsory . In the Report, you have to explain facts and express a recommendation.

After a class discussion, your English teacher has asked students to write a report on the role of pets in modern families. You have to include positive but also negative outcomes, making a recommendation on how to curb these latter.

• A title isn’t required but neither is forbidden: add it if you come up with a good one;
• information has to be orderly. A paragraph structure is paramount, and if you want, you can give each paragraph a heading; 📐
• don’t gloss over the requirements of the report to jump straight to recommendations.

#1 Choose a report if you’re knowledgeable about the topic.

All reports follow a similar scheme, therefore there’s a lot that you can learn and use in each of them, whatever the topic is.

However… do not choose the report just for this reason. Neither should you be up for it because you like the topic. You have to consider, first and foremost, how much you know about the theme . 🧐

To follow up on the example given above, you may love pets, have two dozens of them at your place and want to discuss it: whatever! The question is: are you able to write authoritatively about it? Passion about the topic does not help: mastery of it does.

#2 Spend time planning carefully to save time writing.

That’s it. Four to five minutes spent outlining your report are going to save you many minutes later when you do the actual writing.

It does not have to be rocket science. A very primitive plan could be:

• Recommendations

For each of these four parts, jot down ideas ; then, sentences, vocabulary, phrasal verbs and idioms you may use.📏 Then, attack the task and start writing. Why is it effective? Because without a plan, most of us get lost in the meanders of our brain.

You might spend twenty minutes writing only to realize afterwards that:

• You’ve gone off topic ,
• you haven’t balanced the pros with the cons,
• you have just made a long recommendation from the first line to the last.

#3 Headings may come to your rescue.

A report is one of these kinds of text in which headings help to define a clearer structure of the text. You certainly do not put them in a letter or email.

You know what? If for whatever reason you haven’t got plenty to say, you may want to include headings to increase your word count . 🆒

It has to be wisely done, of course: if they’re just paraphrasing what’s below them and as long as the paragraphs they’re on top of, hmmmm, not a good thing.

💬 Time for you to practice the Report: read the assignment –> do it –> check my own below. ✒️

A real-life example of a Report

Y ou see this announcement on your city council website.

We are conducting research about how to save water in our town. We would like to hear our citizen’s feedback and ideas on the matter: what are we doing well? Which area of improvements do you see? What would you propose?

💬 Water management: one of the most common topics. You can’t be caught off guard.

The aim of this report is to assess the current situation in our town regarding the usage of water and how to reduce it. What follows is the result of my own investigations: recommendations are given to the best of my knowledge.

In our city, this matter is particularly relevant as it lays on a basin characterised by the scarcity of water resources. Frankly, I haven’t seen any environment-minded policies so far, that’s why I welcome such forms of citizen participation.

I am told that our Urban Cleaning Services use non-potable water to clean streets and waste containers: that’s an excellent approach, but it’s far from being enough.

There is a battery of measures that could be implemented, among which:

• Substituting sprinkling irrigators in parks with more efficient dripping systems,
• making new buildings water-efficient,
• recurring to underground tanks to recover rainwater in public buildings,
• refurbishing existing housings with water-saving taps and bath-wares.

To sum up, some proposals do need a minimum budget to be implemented: perhaps, we can start from the cheapest, most cost-effective ones, to grow in ambition according to what the municipal funds allow.

💬 Here it goes. No need to solve world’s water issues: just to deliver a fair text, with a few ideas woven in clear sentences and paragraphs.

Would I recommend a textbook in order to learn to write better reports?

I know a few about improving the way we write reports in general : How to Write Reports and Proposals by Patrick Forsyth is arguably among the best, though it does not focus on the FCE.

Cambridge English: First – Writing: conclusions

We have come to the end of this post about the FCE Writing section. I hope to have clarified one main point: no need to stress in the FCE writing task .

Unlike the other sections, here you have a degree of freedom to include structures you know and language you are proficient in. If you follow the advice listed here, your FCE Writing task will be marvellous.

Have you missed the main guide about the FCE exam? Here you have it ⬇️

Having said that…

• Would you like to suggest something about this post? ➡️ Leave a comment below.
• Did you find the post useful? ➡️ Share with friends, relatives and fellow English learners.
• Do you need further help with the FCE Writing? ➡️ Contact me . I’ve been assisting for years learners like you to pass the FCE exam with flying colours. These colours:

Wash your hands, sneeze into your elbow, keep learning English and write a lot. I wish you the best. 😉

Your personal language exam trainer, Fabio

Anything else I can help with?

Reader interactions.

24th November 2020 at 3:02 pm

24th November 2020 at 7:28 pm

26th November 2020 at 2:22 pm

I have browsed a lot of websites about this and I have NEVER found such a complete review of FCE Writing. Sir, I’d like to hire your services. I need to take FCE soon. Thank you.

26th November 2020 at 8:27 pm

Thank you Haldor! I’m sending you a PM 😉

23rd August 2022 at 5:59 pm

Absolutely loved this. Thank you sir, very appreciated.

24th August 2022 at 10:14 pm

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