Writing
Writing - General Information
• There are 2 parts in writing. For part 1 will have to write an Essay. For part 2 you’ll have to
choose one choice out of three choices, each choice possibly being a (in)formal Letter or
Email/Review/Proposal/Report. There will be a word limit of 220-260 words, don’t exceed it!
• Remember, you will have 90 minutes and it will count for 20% of your final mark.
• In writing, the examiners will check the following criteria:
~Content - Have you answered the question(s)?
~Communicative Achievement - Did you use the right tone and level of formality? Is it good to
read? Can the reader understand you?
~Organisation - Have you structured your writing with paragraphs? Do you links the paragraphs
together? Is there a logical flow?
~Language - Have you used a good range of C1 grammar and vocabulary? Did you make a lot of
grammar mistakes? Try to use difficult words and sentences (e.g. don’t do: “I think that...”, but
rather do: “I’m of the opinion that...”).
Writing - Tips
• READ THE QUESTION 3 TIMES AND UNDERLINE IMPORTANT PARTS!
• Choose a choice in part 2 that you are interested in. You will write better if you know the
subject.
• Both part 1 and 2 are worth the same amount of points. You should spent 45 minutes on both
of the parts (so both parts equal amount of time). Planning is essential, without it you will have
a hard time. Per part try to use your time like this:
- Planning - 10 minutes (use bullet points on what to write down)
- Writing - 25 minutes
- Checking - 10 minutes
• Make a plan while planning using notes and bullet points before writing. Decide what
information to put in each paragraph. Take about 10 minutes for this. Ask yourself the following
questions:
- What am I going to talk about (use bullet points and notes to make logical content!)?
- What will my introduction and conclusion be like?
- What language do I use (formal/informal)?
- What C1 vocabulary do I know about this topic?
- How will I link paragraphs?
- Where can I use connectors and inversions (=instead of “He likes to walk” —> “Despite ..., he
likes to walk”)?
• Tips from CAE Practise examples:
- Make sure you content is very good, don’t just write something down!
- Use complex vocabulary!
• Remember to include all the points named in the instructions. In the exercise there are most of
the time two points that you need to talk about. Try to find those points to talk about in the
question before writing your piece down. Make notes of those points.
• The structure for every writing style except the proposal should be: “Introduction, ..., ..., ...,
Conclusion”). For the proposal it should be: “Introduction, Current Situation, Suggestions,
Final Recommendations”.
• Use titles in every writing style except in formal / informal letters and emails!
4
Writing - General Information
• There are 2 parts in writing. For part 1 will have to write an Essay. For part 2 you’ll have to
choose one choice out of three choices, each choice possibly being a (in)formal Letter or
Email/Review/Proposal/Report. There will be a word limit of 220-260 words, don’t exceed it!
• Remember, you will have 90 minutes and it will count for 20% of your final mark.
• In writing, the examiners will check the following criteria:
~Content - Have you answered the question(s)?
~Communicative Achievement - Did you use the right tone and level of formality? Is it good to
read? Can the reader understand you?
~Organisation - Have you structured your writing with paragraphs? Do you links the paragraphs
together? Is there a logical flow?
~Language - Have you used a good range of C1 grammar and vocabulary? Did you make a lot of
grammar mistakes? Try to use difficult words and sentences (e.g. don’t do: “I think that...”, but
rather do: “I’m of the opinion that...”).
Writing - Tips
• READ THE QUESTION 3 TIMES AND UNDERLINE IMPORTANT PARTS!
• Choose a choice in part 2 that you are interested in. You will write better if you know the
subject.
• Both part 1 and 2 are worth the same amount of points. You should spent 45 minutes on both
of the parts (so both parts equal amount of time). Planning is essential, without it you will have
a hard time. Per part try to use your time like this:
- Planning - 10 minutes (use bullet points on what to write down)
- Writing - 25 minutes
- Checking - 10 minutes
• Make a plan while planning using notes and bullet points before writing. Decide what
information to put in each paragraph. Take about 10 minutes for this. Ask yourself the following
questions:
- What am I going to talk about (use bullet points and notes to make logical content!)?
- What will my introduction and conclusion be like?
- What language do I use (formal/informal)?
- What C1 vocabulary do I know about this topic?
- How will I link paragraphs?
- Where can I use connectors and inversions (=instead of “He likes to walk” —> “Despite ..., he
likes to walk”)?
• Tips from CAE Practise examples:
- Make sure you content is very good, don’t just write something down!
- Use complex vocabulary!
• Remember to include all the points named in the instructions. In the exercise there are most of
the time two points that you need to talk about. Try to find those points to talk about in the
question before writing your piece down. Make notes of those points.
• The structure for every writing style except the proposal should be: “Introduction, ..., ..., ...,
Conclusion”). For the proposal it should be: “Introduction, Current Situation, Suggestions,
Final Recommendations”.
• Use titles in every writing style except in formal / informal letters and emails!
4
