Tips on writing an essay for the FCE (B2) and CAE (C1) exams.
What is an Essay?
An essay is usually written for a teacher, perhaps as a follow-up to a class activity. It would probably include some opinions and suggestions on the subject.
For English language learners preparing for B2 and C1 exams, it is essential to grasp the structure and requirements of essay writing. Typically, essays involve presenting an argument supported by reasons, whether in agreement or disagreement. This involves giving information, examples, or explanations, as well as comparing ideas and opinions to draw conclusions.
- A neutral, non personal, academic language is preferable for essays.
- Use a formal or semi-formal style
- Don’t use contractions and avoid personal language (I, my, you)
- A range of vocabulary and linking words are essential to demonstrate your language abilities and avoid repetition.
- You should structure your essay into coherent paragraphs, comprising an introduction and a conclusion.
- Make sure you express your ideas in a clear and logical was, making sure that the development of the essay is smooth and easy to follow.
- Use higher level language such as inversion, cleft sentences, passive voice, reported and other advanced grammatical structures.
Some more tips
- Read the rubric, essay question and prompts very carefully
- Make sure you support your ideas with reasons and examples
- Vary the length of sentences, use direct and indirect questions
Organization is key!
Essays should be well-organised and coherent. PLANNING IS KEY!!! A well-structured essay comprises an introduction that either restates the question or explains the topic, followed by a clear development of ideas and a fitting conclusion that includes the writer’s opinion. You should spend 10 minutes planning your essay before you start writing. Don’t forget to refer to your plan after you have written each paragraph.
To effectively communicate ideas and opinions, a variety of sentence structures must be used, along with appropriate vocabulary and linking structures. This ensures clarity and coherence in your essay.
The FCE Essay
In the exam you will be given two prompts that offer ideas directly related to the question or statement. It’s crucial to address both prompts and rephrase the ideas provided. Furthermore, you should introduce a third distinct idea of your own, along with any overarching conclusions.
You’ll need to write 140 and 190 words.
You have about 40 minutes to plan, write and check your essay.
The CAE Essay
The task will outline a topic which is to be written about as a follow-up to an academic activity. You are given three bullet points and you have to include two of them in your essay. There are also three opinions relating to the bullet points which you can paraphrase and include, but you do not have to.
You’ll need to write between 220 and 260 words.
You have about 45 minutes to plan, write and check your essay.
How should you approach the task?
Students have a tendency just to sit down and start writing. This is a big mistake! It is better to use your time wisely and think about the question, your ideas and the language you want to include before you dive in.
Time management
Planning – 10 minutes
Writing – 20-25 minutes
Checking – 10 minutes
The planning stage
- Brainstorm relevant vocabulary
- What advanced sentences and structures can you include.
- List the main idea and extended point
- Think about linking structures and organisation of your ideas
- Does your plan answer the question fully
- Think about the structure of the composition type and the tone/formality required.
While Writing
- Cross check to your plan regularly.
- Make sure your sentences aren’t too long. Counting the number of sentences in each paragraph is a quick way of checking.
Introduction – 2/3 sentences
Main paragraphs – 3/4 sentences
Conclusion – 2/3 sentences - Reread each paragraph when you have finished to check for repeated vocabulary, simple errors or spelling.
Checking your work
- It is a good idea to go over your previous compositions and look at your teachers comments. Make yourself a personalized list of 5 errors you commonly make and look for these.
- Typical errors include – mixing tenses, spelling, punctuation, plural & uncountable nouns, omitted or duplicated subjects, articles.
- Check that you haven’t repeated any words.
- Look out for simple words. Can you think of more advanced or specific vocabulary to use?
How is your essay assessed?
The examiner will look at four criteria to evaluate your work:
1. Content
This focuses on how well you have completed the task and if you have answered the question appropriately.
- Did you use all the notes given in the task?
- Did you add your own idea?
- Have you made appropriate comments which are relevant to the question?
- Did you write enough words, or is it too long or too short?
2. Communicative Achievement
They consider how appropriate the writing is for the task and whether you have used formal or informal style for the essay.
- Is the style suitably neutral, non-personal or formal?
- Is every point justified with a clear reason or explanation?
3. Organisation:
They look at the way you put together the piece of writing, your flow and the development of your ideas and if it it clearly structured.
- Is the essay organised into clear paragraphs?
- Is the order logical?
- Is the punctuation correct?
- Have you used linking structures correctly?
4. Language:
This evaluates the vocabulary and grammar you have used. This includes demonstrating the range of language that you know, as well as how accurate it is.
- Did you use a good range of vocabulary related to the topic?
- Is there any repetition?
- Have you used the grammatical structures and language accurately?
- Have you tried to include some more complex language?
Useful language and phrases for an essay
Introduction Phrases:
It is often argued that……. However, this isn’t always the case.
Hardly a week goes by without another report of… appearing in the papers.
Recent research indicates that…
In this day and age, it is widely believed that…
An increasingly common issue facing (young people/scientists etc.) nowadays is…
Making points:
Many people feel that …
First and foremost, …
It is widely believed that …
Another argument in favour is …
It is clear from the facts that …
The benefits of … outweigh the disadvantages.
Adding ideas:
Moreover, …
In addition to this, …
It is also important to consider…
Generalising:
As a general rule… / For the most part….. / In general… / In most cases… / On the whole…
Introducing supporting facts:
Recent research has shown…
There is evidence to suggest…
The latest figures suggest that…
Giving reasons:
This could be a result of…;
One reason for this is that …
This may be attributable to…
This could/may/might be due to…
Contrasting and presenting alternative views:
On the other hand …
Other people think …
An opposing argument is …
Is this really true?
It can be argued that…
However, this is not always true.
Although it seems that … / Nevertheless… / Even so… / Despite this…
Suggesting something is not true:
It is not necessarily the case that…
It is not necessarily true that…;
Not everyone agrees that…;
It seems unlikely that…
Concluding remarks:
To sum up, …
On balance, …
In conclusion, …