Name: | ______________________

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents...................................................................
1. Introduction.........................................................................
2. Time management............................................................
3. The Essay Plan – Important
things to consider..................................................................
4. Grading: Content...............................................................
5. Grading: Communicative Achievement......................................

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1. Introduction
You have 90 minutes to write two texts. Each
text should be about 220-260 words long.
Part 1 is always an essay, while in part 2 you
have a choice of 3 tasks (letter/email;
proposal; report; review).

The examiners assess you on 4 elements:

• Content - Did you do the task you were asked
to do?
• Communicative achievement - Did you use
the right tone and level of formality?
• Organisation- Did you link paragraphs
together? Is there a logical flow?
• Language - Did you show off your sparkling
vocabulary or did you merely use First
Certificate words? Did you make lots of
grammar mistakes?

2. Time management
CAE responsive 1

You have 90 minutes to write 2 texts. Both texts

will be about the same length, and are worth the
same number of points. The exact time split will
depend on how fast you write, but try something
like this:
• Planning - 10 minutes
• Writing - 25 minutes
• Checking - 10 minutes

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3. The Essay Plan – Important things
to consider
Think about how many paragraphs you want
then get some ideas about the content of each.
But even at this early stage you should start
planning the language you want to use.

Ask yourself questions like:

• Where can I use a passive form?
• Where can I use an inversion?
• What CAE-level vocabulary do I know about
this topic, and where can I use it?
• How do I link from one paragraph to the next?
• What idioms can I include?
• Which connectors will I use without
repetition?

Thinking about solutions before you start writing

is the easiest way to solve problems!

• Think about who you are writing to and

use an appropriate style of language.
• Try to use a range of complex language.

4. Grading: Content
PART 1
The first thing you're assessed on is your
content. In part 1 you are given three bullet
points but are asked to talk about TWO of them.

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If I were planning my answer, I'd probably choose
'giving rules' and 'setting an example' as my two
points because I feel like I have more to say
about those topics. (How much would I write
about 'offering advice'? Nothing! Because I
should only write about two things!)

Another important point is to say which is more

effective. I'd probably write one paragraph
about 'giving rules', and the next paragraph
would be about 'setting an example' - I would be
sure to give reasons why it was a more effective
way to influence younger people.

PART 2
What about part 2? Again, it's important to read
the question carefully and make sure you include
everything it tells you to.
Here's the kind of task that will come up:

Here's an outline you could follow:

• Intro
• Evaluation of the programme
• The most useful parts of the programme
• Suggested changes for next year
• Summary

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5. Grading: Communicative Achievement

TONE
Tone determines the type of language we should
use and is normally where students lose marks. If
your task is to write a report for your 'serious'
organisation you should use a formal tone. If
you're writing a magazine article for teenagers
you can be more informal.

NOTE: The main tip is to be consistent -

students often write a report that is 95%
formal, and then throw in some
exclamation points, slang, contractions,
and informal vocabulary. That's bad! It
suggest you don't have control over your
tone.

Learn more about formal vs informal English:

Formal English: We use it when writing essays

for school, cover letters to apply for jobs, or
emails and letters at work.
Informal English: We use it with friends,
children, and relatives.
The following list will help you torecognize the
informal and formal ways of sayingthe same
thing. The list is divided into sections of: verbs,
transitions, emphasis words, abbreviations, and
slang.

Verbs
Informal Formal
say sorry apologize, apologise
go up increase

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 Informal Formal
go down decrease
set up establish
look at examine
blow up explode
find out discover
bring about cause
put off postpone, delay
rack up accumulate
make up fabricate
stand for represent
find out discover, ascertain
leave out omit
point out indicate
go against oppose
get in touch with contact

Informal Formal
It’s about It concerns, It’s in regards to
need to required
think about consider
get obtain
put up tolerate
deal with handle
Seem appear
demonstrate, illustrate,
Show
portray
start commence

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 Informal Formal
keep retain
free release
get on someone’s nerves bother
ring up call
show up arrive
let permit
fill in substitute, inform
block undermine
give the go ahead,
authorize, authorise
greenlight

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 Informal Formal
start commence
keep retain
free release
get on someone’s
bother
nerves
ring up call
show up arrive
let permit
fill in substitute, inform
block undermine
give the go ahead,
authorize, authorise
greenlight

Transitions
Informal Formal
Anyways Nevertheless
Moreover/
Plus/Also
Furthermore
But However
So Therefore/Thus
In addition,
Also
Additionally
as soon as possible/at
ASAP your earliest
convenience
Okay, OK acceptable

Informal Formal
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 In the meantime In the interim
I think In my opinion,
In the end, Finally
To sum up In conclusion,
In a nutshell/Basically To summarize,
Anyway, Notwithstanding
All right Acceptable
Well,
To top it all off, In order to
On top of it all,

Emphasis words
Informal Formal
lots of/ a lot of much, many
large quantities of, a number
tons of, heaps of
of
totally completely, strongly
really, very definitely

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Letter Expressions
Informal Formal
Hi Robert, Dear Sir or Madam
Just wanted to let you I am writing to inform
know… you…
Yours sincerely, Yours
Love,
faithfully,
Cheers,
Yours Truly, Best
regards, kind regards

Hope to hear from you I look forward to

soon hearing from you

You can call me if you Please do not hesitate

need anything to contact me

Abreviations
Informal Formal
ASAP as soon as possible

T.V. television

photo photograph

cell cell phone

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 Informal Formal
net Internet

Informal Formal
kids children

bad negative

good positive
really big considerable
right correct
wrong incorrect

smart intelligent
cheap inexpensive
loaded Rich

TASK TYPES

You should invest some time making sure you

know the difference between a letter and an
essay, and between a report and a proposal.
Here are a few quick tips:

Essay
You need to give your opinion in an interesting
way. CAE essays are often academic in tone, so
practice of formal writing will be helpful.
Use various structures and vocabulary with more
set phrases and idioms. Pay special attention to
appropriate linking devices.

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The CAE essay gives you three bullet points on a
topic and you have to select two of them and
explain them.

First you must plan your essay which should

consist of the following parts:

PARAGRAPH 1 – INTRODUCTION. What you have to

do is introduce the topic (go from general to concrete).
I would suggest three sentences here. Make the third
one a question/hypothesis.
PARAGRAPH 2 – Discuss the first bullet point.
Write a good topic sentence and give reasons to
support your argument. Point out advantages and
maybe also disadvantages (on the other hand, it
is ....). Use examples where possible.
PARAGRAPH 3 – Discuss the second
bullet point you have chosen in a similar way. It’s not
obligatory to point disadvantages again (bear in
mind you have to write up to 260 words).
PARAGRAPH 4 – CONCLUSION.
Stateyour opinion and back it up with evidence from
the body of your essay. Write two or three
sentences. Point out clearly which of the two
discussed aspects is more important, on the basis of
what you have written above. The conclusion should
put a full stop to what you have written and not open
a new argument.

Idea Phrases
Some people believe
Introducing the topic
that….

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 Idea Phrases
It is often said that….
To begin with/ Firstly,
First of all I would like to
consider…
The first thing (I would
like to consider) to be
considered is…
Nowadays, it seems
that…/ In recent times…

The issue focused on

The central theme..

Views on…..range from….

Idea Phrases
Similarly, …
In the same way …
Likewise, …
In comparison …
Complementary to this
To compare and Contrast …
Then again, …
However, …

This is in contrast to …

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 Idea Phrases
In contrast, …
And yet …
Nevertheless, …
Conversely, …
On the contrary, …
On the other hand, …
Not with standing …
Whereas …
In contrast to …
That aside, . . .
While this is the case
…
. . . disputes …
Despite this, . . .
Letter/email
Write an email with the same opening/closing as
a letter. In these you write about your personal
experiences. Your writing will have a purpose,
like responding to a newspaper article you don't
agree with.

Formal Letter

Dear Sir/Madam (In case you don’t know the

name → Yours Faithfully)
Dear Mr X (→Yours Sincerely)

Reason for writing (Who I am (not the name!),

What I want, When and Where it happened)

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I am writing with regard/reference to (the article
which appeared when/where) to express my
concern about/disappointment with/dissatisfation
with/disapproval of/apologies for (motivation)

Body (2/3 paragraphs – Points from input

material)
Firstly/To beginwith/Moreover
In fact/Furthermore/In addition/Finally
(I feel) I must also (dis)agree with
I would like to/ I want to point out that
According to your (article)/ Your (article) states
that.. However/which is completely wrong

Action Step/Desired outcome

I trust/very much hope you will (print this letter
in the next issue of your newspaper)
I would appreciate it/be grateful if you would
It seems only fair that you should
I look forward to receiving/seeing
In light of the above (I feel I am entitled to a full
refund and a formal apology)

Ending
Yours faithfully( when you don´t know the name
of person)/Yours Sincerely (when you do know
the name)

Check notes of Formal Vs Informal.

Formal Less formal

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 furthermore, in also, and, as
addition to, well as,

in the same way as, besides, just as

Addition

moreover, similarly

although, however,

nevertheless, but, or, so,

Opposition nonetheless, ontheotherhan
d
Whereas

in all cases, in general,

in many cases, in most

Reference since, so
cases, in some cases,

regarding,
withreference to

Report/Proposal

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 Sentence Starters

The aims of this proposal are

to…

This proposal evaluates…

Introduction

This proposal in intended to

present the …

Many students/local
residents/pensioners/members
of the local community have
commented that...

Current situation
There is a strong feeling
amoung all concerned that…

Following a survey of local

residents, it was found that…

It is recommended that..

From the evidence it is

Suggestions believed that…

It would be advantageous to

If the above recommendations

Final Recommendations are implemented there would
be …

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 Sentence Starters

Unless the recommendations

are take seriously, it is unlikely
that…

Implementation of the above

ideas would result in …

Use headings for each paragraph. The task will

tell you some of the content you need to include
and you'll be able to use your imagination to add
some more ideas. You may be asked to evaluate
if some goal has been achieved and/or to
suggest alternative courses of action. A proposal
will have more scope for making suggestions and
more need for polite persuasive language.

You should write in a formal style.

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