FCE

Writing
Table
Usually written
for a teacher
and generally
asks your
opinions about
a statement.
Careful
planning,
organisation
and a logical
answer to
the question
is required.

Part 1
Compulsory

Present both
sides of the
argument or
just one but
give examples
that support
the different
points of view.
Conclusion
should round
up what has
been said in a
concise way.
Give your
opinion in the
final paragraph

Contrasting
points

Giving
opinions

Organising
/linking

Conditional
phrases

Ending

Many people
feel that ...

On the other
hand ...

I personally
feel that ...

First of all,
Secondly,

..provided
that..

Finally,

First and
foremost, ...

Other people
think ...

I find it hard
to see why ...

..unless..

To
summarise,

It is widely
believed that
...

An opposing
argument is
...

I certainly
don't believe
that ...

It would be
ideal if ...

However,..

It is difficult to
believe that ...

Essay
Brainstorm ideas
for the third
content point then
write the intro and
PLAN each
paragraph
Paraphrase the
question in the
opening
paragraph. Use
questions.
NO contractions

If the question
asks for
experience,
give examples.

Making
points

Another
argument in
favour is ...
It is clear from
the facts that
...

Nevertheless,

Having said
that,
Similarly,..
Even so,

The benefits
of ... outweigh
the
disadvantages
.

Despite (the
fact that)..

So
As a result,

In my
opinion
I would like to
begin by
saying that.

In spite of

Many people
believe that

While/
Whereas

On the whole,
I think ...

On the one
hand on the
other hand

On the whole

While it is true
to say
..as well as

In addition,
Moreover,
Furthermore,.

It could be
argued that

If

In
conclusion,.

Therefore,

However,
I object to the
cloning of
animals.

..as long as..

Not only
(+inversion)
.but also..
In order to..
..so as to..

I would like
to conclude
by saying
that
To sum
up,
On balance,
I feel that

Part 2

Informal
Letter/
Email:
Informal
vocabulary,
including

Beginnings

Asking

Referring
to their
news

Giving news

Apologies

Invitations

Requests
and
offers

Thank you/
Congratulalations/
Good Luck

Making
suggestions/
recommend

Giving
opinin/
stating
preference

Thank
you/Many
thanks for
your
recent/last
letter/postcar
d

Hi! / How
are the
things? /
How are
you? /
Hows it
going?

Great news
about

Listen, did I
tell you about
?

Im writing
to apologise
for missing
your party
but Im
afraid I had
the flu.

Im/Were having
a party on Friday
19th and I/we
hope youll be
able to come.

Im writing to
ask for your
help/if you
could do me a
favour.

Im writing to
thank you for
your
hospitality/the
wonderful
present.
It was so kind
of you to invite
me to stay with
you.
I really
appreciated all
your
help/advice.

Why dont
you/we ?

In my
opinion/view

phrasal verbsgo on instead

of continue
Simpler

It was
good/nice to
hear from you
recently.

sentence
structureIll be late for
the party
because of my
French exam.

Im sorry I
havent
written/been
in touch for
such a long
time.

Punctuation
using
exclamation
marksIf youd been at
the wedding,
youd have
loved the food!

Use
contractions

Its ages since

Ive heard
from you. I
hope
youre/you
and your
family are
well.

Can I
/we..?
Do I/we..?
Should
I/we..?
Do we have
to..?
Do you
know
if/whether/
when ?
Can you tell
me
if/whether/
when..?

Glad to
hear that
Sorry to
hear about

What a
fantastic
idea!
Its great
you can..
I was really
pleased to
hear
about..

Youll never
believe what I
heard!

Oh, and
another
thing..
This is just to
let you know
that

I thought you
might be
interested to
hear
about/know
that

By the way,
have you
heard
about/did you
know that ?

Im really
sorry that I
forgot to
send you a
birthday
card but I
was busy
with my
new job.

If you let
me know
where you
bought
it/how
much it cost
Ill gladly
pay for
it/replace it.

Please let
me know
how much
the bill is
and Ill
gladly pay
it.

Would you like

to come/go to
see Room With
a View with me
at the weekend.
I was wondering
if youd like to go
to the
theatre/come on
holiday with us?
Could you let
me/us know if
you can
come/youd like
to join us?
Thank you very
much for your
invitation. Id
love to come.
Thank you for
asking/inviting
me to but Im
afraid I wont be
able to come
Thanks for
inviting me
to.but Im
afraid I cant
make it

I wonder if/I
was wondering
if you could
help me/do me
a favour.

I hope you
dont mind me
asking but
could you
(possibly) ?

Id be
very/really/terr
ibly grateful if
you could
Do you think
you could
Could you.
Please?
I could .if
youd like me to
Can/Shall I..?
Would you like
me to..?

Congratulation
s on passing
your
exams/your
excellent exam
results!
I wish you
good luck/Good
luck in/with
your
exams/your
driving
test/your
interview.
Dont worry,
Im sure youll
do well/pass.
Do be on time,
wont you, and
dont forget to

Maybe
you/we could
?
How about
-ing?
We could
always.
You cant
leave New
York without
doing sth

Im sure
youll enjoy
going to
If you like,
we can
I suggest we
visit .
Dont forget
to..(Imperative Strong
Recommenda
tion)
Im told that
People say
that (If you
heard sth is
good)

For me../As
for me, I
think/believe
/
Feel that
Id prefer
to..
Id rather
that we..
I prefer ing
to.
I think it
would be
better to

Part 2
Informal
Letter/
Email
cont:

Giving
Reasons

Id like to/ I
want to..
because I
think itll be
interesting/gr
eat
fun/enjoyable

Sorry, Id love
love to but
Ive already
arranged to../
been invited
to

Im afraid I
cant
because..

Endings/
Signing
off
Give my
love/regards
to
Say hello to

Hope to
hear from
you soon.

See you
soon! Write
soon.
Once again,
thank you
for all your
help.

Love,
Lots of love,
All the best,
Best wishes,

Reason
for
writing

Part 2
Formal
Letter/
Email

Dear Mr/Ms
(surname) |
Dear
Sir/Madam |
Dear Sir or
Madam,
Formal
vocabulary,
usually not
using phrasal
verbs
(Tolerate
instead of put
up with)
More complex
sentence
structure
Punctuation
using semicolons
The library
offers no
facilities for
borrowing
videos; this is
because of the
high cost
involved

+First name
NO
contractions

I am writing
to

I am writing
with regard
to

I am writing
on behalf of

Asking
questions

I would be
grateful if
I wonder if you
could
Could you ?
Could you tell
me something
about ?
I would
particularly like
to know
I would be
interested in
having more
details about

Referring
to thier
letter

Complaining

Closing

As you stated
in your letter,

I am writing to
complain about

Regarding

You said but

in fact what
happened

If you require
any further
information,
please do not
hesitate to
contact me.

Concerning
With regard
to..

We were
supposed to
stay with
British families
whereas we
actually stayed
in a guest
house.

Knowing what
a good
reputation the
restaurant has,
I was
disappointed
with the
service.

I look forward
to hearing
from you.

Please
contact me if
you have any
further
questions.

Signing
off
(If Dear
surname)
Yours
sincerely,
(If Dear
Sir/Madam)
Yours
faithfully,
First name +
surname

Part 2
Letter of
application:
Dear Mr/Ms
(surname), Dear
Sir/Madam/Sir or
Madam,

NO
contractions

Reason for
writing

I am writing
to apply for
the
post/position
of
as
advertised in

I am writing
with
reference/in
response to
your
advertiseme
nt, which I
saw
I am writing
in connection
with your
advertiseme
nt in the
Daily Star on
May 11th
With
reference to
your
advertiseme
nt

Experience/
qualifications/ CV
I gained some
experience
while
I am currently
working as
I have been
working for
for the last
four years in..
I worked parttime for three
years as
At the
moment I am
employed by

My
qualifications
include
I have a
diploma in
I graduated
from
Barcelona
University last
year with a
degree in
Please find
attached my
CV
As you can
see from the
attached CV

Endings

Signing off

Part 2
Report:

Please do
not hesitate
to contact
me
if/should
you require
further
information
.
I look
forward to
hearing
from you.
I am
available
for
interview at
your
convenienc
e.
I shall be
available
for
interview
any day
apart from
Wednesday
s.

(If Dear
+surname at
the beginning
finish with)
Yours
sincerely,

Formal lang.
Factual
information,
suggestions
&/or
recommendat
ion.

(If Dear
Sir/Madam at
the beginning
finish with)
Yours
faithfully,

Clearly
organized,
incl.
introduction&
conclusion.
a) Stating
aim
b)Discussing
pros and cons
c)Giving a
recommendat
ion.
Headings for
each
paragraph.
Impersonal
style with use
of passive
structures
Advantages/d
isadvantages
of specific
suggestions
and give
reasons for
opinions
expressed
NO
contractions

Introduction

This report
covers..

Reporting
results

Making
recommendations

Most people
seem to feel
that...

I would
therefore
recommend

e.g. the main

shopping
facilities in
Newtown

Several people
said/told
me/suggested/
thought that

Report on.

One advantage/
disadvantage
of
is..

e.g. idea to
remove drinks
machine
The purpose of
this report is to
consider.
e.g. different
ways of raising
money to pay
for new books
and DVDs for
the school
library and to
recommend the
best course of
action.

There are
strong
arguments in
favour
of/against

that we expand
the library/
installing a new
coffee machine
would.
It would seem
that banning
mobile
phones is the

I hope you will

find this
information
helpful
(Do NOT end as
a letter)
I summarise
below / Below
is a summary of
the most
important
relevant points
as well as some
recommendatio
ns

best idea.

To sum up

Having

In conclusion

considered the
options,
I would like to
suggest/recom
mend

This report is
intended to.

Endings

I therefore
suggest/recom
mend
You may wish
to consider

Part 2
Article:
Where will the
article be published
and who will read
it?
Use an informal,
lively style. Avoid
using a lot of
formal language.
Use your own
experience or what
you have
read/seen.
Give your article a
heading or
headline which
makes the subject
clear and also
catches the
readers attention.
Divide the article
into paragraphs to
help the reader
follow the
argument.

Begin with an
interesting
introduction an
example, perhaps,
or a question.

End with an overall

comment or
concluding.

Neutral style

Heading/
Tiltle

Opening

Ending

Freezing!
(dramatic)

Did you know

?

My Lone Walk
to the North
Pole (a
summary)

What would
you do if ?

Summary
of what you
have
written and
give your
opinion, if
appropriate
.

Whats the
big idea? (a
question)
Youre
already
well equipped
to prevent
crime
(surprising)

Have you
ever?
(present
perfect)
Can you
imagine-ing?
You might
think that,
but

In my
opinion/vie
w.
I
think/believ
e that.
To my
mind.
Personally,
I find

Part 2
Review:
Make your
review more
interesting
with personal
comments
Mention the
title, the type
of the book/
play/ film/etc,
the setting
(when/where),
the theme, the
main
characters, etc
It may be
formal or
semi-formal in
style,
depending on
its intended
readership,
and is usually
written using
present
tenses.

Neutral
style

Introduction

Comparing

Opinion

This wellwritten/
informative /
fascinating/
thoughtprovoking
book is

is even better
than

The only
criticism I would
make is that

is (not) nearly
as good as
is twice as
good as

The film/
book/ play/
etc. is set
in.. / tells
the story
of../ is based
on..
The film/ play
starts ../ is
directed
by../ is the
sequel to..
The plot
revolves
around
involves
/focuses on
/has an
unexpected
twist.
The story
begins with
/unfolds /
reaches a
dramatic
climax when

is the best I
have ever seen /
read / been to.
in comparison
with
One of the
strongest /
weakest things
about

In contrast, /
On the other
hand,

What I really
loved about is

To me,
seemed
was from
start to finish.

+ exceptional /
good value /
gripping / lively
/ memorable /
perfect / realistic
/ stunning /
superb / wellwritten / -acted
/ -cooked etc.

disappointing
/ dreadful / dull
/ inadequate /
poor /
predictable /
sub-standard /
unconvincing /
unimaginative /
uninteresting

Evaluating

Recomendation

The
play/film/series
has a
strong/starstudded/mediocr
e cast.

I would highly /
strongly
recommend

The acting is
moving/powerful
/excellent/weak/
disappointing/un
convincing.
The plot is
gripping/dramati
c/fascinating/sus
pense-filled/fastmoving. farfetched/predicta
ble/
confusing/dull
/unimaginative.
The
script/dialogue is
touching/witty/hi
larious/boring/m
undane.
It is
beautifully/brillia
ntly/sensitively
written/directed.

I certainly
wouldnt
recommend
I strongly advise
you (not) to
Everyone should
see / do / read
this
immediately!
is not to be
missed!
You should give
a miss!
Dont bother
reading / seeing
/ going

It is a classic of
its kind/ It is
sure to be a hit/
best -seller

First for
Schools

Beginnings
/
Endings

Verb
tenses 1

Verb
tenses 2

Time links

A narrative
needs an
interesting
beginning to
catch the
readers
attention and
encourage
him or her to
read on, and
a clear ending
to round the
story off
satisfactorily.

We use:

Present
participles
to show two
actions
which are
linked:

before .
then
at first,
next
later
during after
that
afterwards
when
finally,

Adding
variety/
interest

Vary length to
be effective

Try to use
different
adjectives to
convey the
atmosphere.
For example,
if you want to
convey the
idea of "fear",
you could
use frightened
, terrified,
scared.

Use direct
speech
occasionally for
dramatic effect
(remember to
use inverted
commas
correctly: No,
he yelled, dont
touch that
switch!)

ONLY

Story:
Plan your story
with a beginning,
middle and end.
Neutral style

A weak
beginning or
ending can
spoil the
effect of the
story, so its
worth
spending time
planning how
to start and
finish.
NEVER finish
with:
Then I woke
up.

The simple
past to
describe the
main events:
I ran to answer
the phone but
it stopped
ringing as I
picked up the
receiver.
The past
continuous to
set the scene:
It was raining
heavily as we
set off.
The past
perfect to
describe events
which
happened
before the
main events:
When I got on
the bus all the
seats had been
taken.

Compiled by Rita Nowicka

International House, Barcelona, Spain

Noticing
that she
looked lost,
I asked if I
could help.
Perfect
participles
to show that
one action
was
complete
before
another
started:
Having
reported my
stolen
passport to
the police, I
returned
sadly to the
hotel.

By the time
After a while
Just after that,

Some time
later
as soon as
eventually,
immediately
in the end,
once
A few days
earlier
Following the
accident
Later on
Meanwhile,
Suddenly,
Eventually,