first WRITING EXAM
There are two parts in the writing paper:
● Part 1 : an essay (140-190 words)
● Part 2: candidates are given three options and asked to write one of them:
an article, a report, review, an informal email/ formal letter. (140-190
WORDS)
PART 1. AN ESSAY. (140-190
words)
In this part of the test, you are asked to write
an essay in about 140-190 words. Essays are
about giving information and your opinions,
comparing and contrasting. You are always
given two topics to talk about and in another
paragraph you have to add a topic of your
choice.
THE STRUCTURE IS VERY IMPORTANT:
1. Title: Use a title at the top of your essay.
2. Introduction: Objective and short. Example : The
environment is at risk and we should really do
something about it.
3. Paragraph 1: talk about the first topic given
4. Paragraph 2: talk about the second topic
5. Paragraph 3: add a topic of your choice
6. Conclusion: write your personal opinion
USEFUL LANGUAGE TO LINK IDEAS
Introduction: Nowadays it is well known that....
Nowadays, most people share the view that…
Idea/Paragraph 1: Firstly, it is undeniable that... As a result…
Idea/Paragraph 2: Secondly, ______is also an important point to consider because…
Therefore ( Per tant)...
Idea/Paragraph 3: Last but not least, ______ should be mentioned since….
( ja que, perquè…)
( per últim però no menys important)
Conclusion: In conclusion, from my point of view...
PART 2
First of all, in question 2 decide which writing you are going to choose by focusing on the structure
and the topic. (For example if you know very well the structure of a review but the topic is a book review and you haven’t
read any book recently, don’t do it!)
● Spend 40 minutes on each writing activity
● The first 5-10 minutes are for planning. HOW?
In a REVIEW, for example, draw a square for each paragraphs in a draft paper and write inside the
main points and your ideas
Basic information about the
book
what happens in the book
a lonely writer fascinated by a
girl who lives downstairs, set
in 1940s Manhattan
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Truman Capote
why I like it
recommendations
the characters are believable
they
have
interesting
backgrounds
yes to teenagers and older
but younger not appropriate
modern American fiction
EVALUATION CRITERIA
CONTENT
COMMUNICATIVE ACHIEVEMENT
ORGANIZATION
LANGUAGE
5 MARKS
5 MARKS
5 MARKS
5 MARKS
Answer all the questions
Structure
One topic in each paragraph.
Range of vocabulary
Develop your answers
Register
Linking words.
Range of grammar.
Simplex and Complex ideas.
Linking words.
2.1. Informal Letter (the easiest choice)
USE: contractions: shouldn’t, doesn’t..
phrasal verbs: TAKE UP ( començar alguna cosa) You should take up playing football
GET ON WELL ( avenir-se amb algú)
KEEP ON + ING ( continuar fent alguna cosa) Keep on working hard
LOOKING FORWARD TO
idioms: It’s a piece of cake
hit the books I think you should hit the books
drop me a line ( escriu-me aviat) Drop me a line if you have time
intense adjectives: awesome, great (= good)
hilarious ( = funny)
awful ( = bad)
glad, thrilled, delighted ( = happy)
connectors: As well as that…
/ Also / Besides( a més a més)
However…(però)/ Although ( tot i que)
Instead of … ( en comptes de) Instead of beer I bought wine
In spite of (this) ….( tot i això) In spite of the rain you should go out
USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
Give advice: If I were you I would…If I were you I would hire a car to move around the city
Why don’t you…?
I think you really should...I think you really should rent a bike since it’s ..
I think it would be a great idea to...
Ask for information: Could you let me know?/ I’d like to know…
Accept an invitation: Count me in / I’m looking forward to it
Refuse an invitation: Unfortunately.../ What a pity! I wish I could
but… (I have to hit the books)
Example:
2.2. The Review
Example:
Review of a TV drama
BREAKING BAD
Breaking Bad is an American TV series set in New Mexico. It’s about a chemistry teacher called Walter
White and his family.
At the beginning of the series, Walter is told that he has cancer. His treatment is very expensive, and at
first Walter is worried about dying and leaving his family with no money. This is what motivates him to
behave as he does.
By chance, Walter meets Jesse, an ex-student of his, who has turned to a life of crime. To begin with,
Walter is disgusted, but he wants to be able to secure his family’s future so in the end, he decides to
work with Jesse. Walter and Jesse get involved in all sorts of awful criminal activities until finally their
lives are in danger. During the rest of the series, we see how his personality changes. Little by little,
Walter is hardened by his experiences. Eventually, he becomes nothing short of a tough criminal.
I enjoyed the series because in each episode, Walter is faced with a new and almost impossible
problem. You have to keep watching to see how he will deal with it in the next episode.
STRUCTURE
● WRITE A TITLE
● 4 PARAGRAPHS:
○ THE CONTEXT
○ THE PROBLEM
○ THE DEVELOPMENT
○ MY OPINION
● Use signposts to describe the development of a story: to begin with, little by little…
USEFUL LANGUAGE
CONTEXT
PROBLEM
DEVELOPMENT
OPINION
It’s about...
it’s filmed in…
it revolves around…
it’s set in…
It’s based on the
novel…
The leading role is
played by…
Supporting
actors
include...
The
story
begins
when...
At first…
At the beginning of the
series/book...
During the rest of the
series/book…
Finally…
In the end…
It ends with…
Little by little…
To start/begin with...
I enjoyed it because…
I recommend…
In my opinion…
I
particularly
enjoyed…
What I liked most
was...
I
found
the
….disappointing.
You have to keep
watching/reading to
see/find out…
I highly recommend
this film/book.
4. A Formal Letter
A formal letter should be written in polite, neutral language, without slang, abbreviations.
STRUCTURE
●
●
●
●
●
GREETING
OPENING
BODY ( 2 PARAGRAPHS)
CLOSING
SIGNING OFF
Write a letter expressing your opinion on the topic: It has been suggested in an article that students in
schools should take an active part in local ecological projects such as cleaning beaches and recycling
during the summer.
GREETING--------Dear Editor,
OPENING-----------With reference to your article about making pupils work on conservation proreason for writing jects during the summer, I am writing to express my opinion and to suggest an alternative.
BODY----------------I am against the idea of making students work in the summer for several reasons. Firstly, students are tired
after a year of studies and exams. They need to relax, and then return to school refreshed in September. Secondly, parents
take holidays with their children in summer. This quality time with family is no less important than cleaning a beach.
In my opinion, ecological projects should be part of the school curriculum, where students study local ecology and the
problems ecosystems face. By being involved all year in projects, they could experiment with solutions. Students are capable
of critical thinking, so another idea might be to have them suggest more creative ways of solving environmental problems.
CLOSING----------To sum up, students will learn little from picking up litter on a beach, when they should be taking it easy.
Perhaps environmental projects could be established in schools, where students really focus on preserving the local
environment. I believe my suggestions provide a better alternative and will interest students far more.
SIGNING OFF----Yours faithfully.
Lucy Jones
Greetings
remarks
and
opening Giving information
details
Dear Sir/Madam
Dear Mr Smith
I am writing in response to…
With reference to the article
in…., I ….
and Closing
remarks
signing off
Firstly…. Secondly…
In addition….
Furthermore…
It is not realistic to think…
This is no less important than…
Personally.../As I see it…
In my opinion…
It seems to me that...
and
To sum up…
All in all…
I look forward to hearing from
you
I hope my suggestions will…
Yours faithfully ( if you don’t
know person’s name)
Yours sincerely ( if you know
the person’s name)
5. A Report
A report is a document that presents information in a clear and organised way. Think about science reports
or statistical reports. They have strong introductions that clearly state their aims.
It’s a formal text. Try to avoid contractions, colloquial language and keep it polite.
This is an example of a report question:
2. What do you have to do?
Look at the question and underline all the key parts. This will help focus your attention on the task in
hand and decide how to organise your report.
STRUCTURE
●
●
●
●
INTRODUCTION
POINT 1
POINT 2
YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS
The trick is to keep the structure nice and simple. And always check you’re answering the
question.
Useful language for the introduction:
The aim / purpose / intention of this report is to…
In this report I will look at…
This report is based on…
This report is intended to…
Some fancy, formal sounding linkers to connect your ideas in the main body of your
report:
Currently…
To begin with…
Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly…
It appears that…
According to…
One way…
Another way…
Furthermore / In addition…
Use passive reporting verbs:
It is generally believed that…
It is thought that…
One way in which technology is used…
X is considered to be…
Recommendations
Here’s the fun part! This is where you can look back at your ideas and give your own opinion.
Make sure you mention the ideas from the previous paragraphs and don’t forget to give reasons
why.
Useful language:
All things considered…
I would recommend / suggest + ing…
I would recommend / suggest + object + infinitive (no to)…
Based on all the findings…
Although both… , I think that…
It would seem that...
Example ( in your report you don’t have to write the sections, I’ve done it just to make it clear to
you the different parts)
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