1. Introduction can't get full marks in the exam.

If you don't write about damage to the environment, you

can't get full marks.
READ THE TASK AND DO EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS
You have 80 minutes to write two texts. The first text will always be an essay and should be
140-190 words long. The second text can be an article, informal email or letter, a formal
email or letter, a report, or a review and should be 140-190 words. 5. Communicative Achievement
The examiners give you a grade based on 4 things:
​ Content - Did you write what you were asked to write? The next thing Cambridge wants is for you to show that you understand about tone. In the
​ Communicative achievement - Was your writing too formal, too informal, or just previous example, you were asked to write an essay for your English teacher. How formal
right? should that be? You're not writing to a lawyer so you don't have to be super formal, but you
​ Organisation - Did you link paragraphs and sentences? Is there a logical flow from aren't writing to your best friend, so you shouldn't be too casual.
start to finish? For that essay, you should use a neutral or slightly formal style.
​ Language - Did you show off your sparkling vocabulary or did you use basic words? That means you need to study how to write in different ways. Spot the difference in tone in
Did you make lots of grammar and spelling mistakes? this extracts from letters:
1.
2. Time management Yo, John,
Guess what? I bunked off school and tramped up and down the beach all day.
Great fun! I found some nearly-fresh muffins in a box, so that was lunch sorted.
The two texts are worth equal points and have the same word lengths, so you should spend Free food! Niiiiiice.
equal time on them. That gives you 40 minutes per text. Spend some of that time planning 2.
and some checking. For example: Dear Mr and Mrs Biggins,
​ Planning - 10 minutes I regret to inform you that we have taken the decision to suspend Jack from
​ Writing - 25 minutes school for the next week. Not only did he fail to come to school today, but we
​ Checking - 5 minutes received a call that he had stolen a container of confectionery from a local
You might think that's too long for the planning stage, but the more you plan the fewer business.
problems you will have later.
In short, try to make sure that what you write is appropriate for the person you are writing
3. You can't cook without a recipe to.

Many of my students hate the planning stage and like to just start writing as soon as 6. Organisation
possible. But the finished product is normally not very good. Imagine a chef in a restaurant
- does he go into the kitchen and start throwing vegetables into pans? No - he gets a recipe Cambridge love when you link sentences together with words like 'whereas' and 'however',
and follows the plan! and link paragraphs with phrases like 'Firstly, secondly'.
So, take a deep breath, think about what you have to write, what you want to write, and You must learn how to use these phrases if you want a good grade.
how you can write it. One easy way to get a higher score in 'organisation' is to ask a question, and then answer
You can even start to think about good words you know, and advanced sentences that you it.
can include.
Example: Before I started writing this page I listed all the sub-headings. I knew how I would
start, and how I would finish. It's much easier to write with the structure already prepared. 7. Language
4. Content Your writing will be more interesting and you'll get a better grade if you can use a wide
variety of language. Use high-level vocabulary when you know it; don't repeat the same
word too many times; don't make too many mistakes; try to use a variety of grammar (not
Now let's look at what Cambridge cares about in your writing. The first point is the content just 'subject verb object' all the time).
itself. If you are asked to write a letter to your friend and you write a poem - well, it doesn't You will be rewarded if you learn (and use) some appropriate phrasal verbs, idioms, and
matter how good that poem is. Maybe you can write the best poem in the history of the collocations. Compare these sentences:
world - the examiner will be impressed, and then give you zero points. 1. The food was good and the service was good and we had a good time.
Here's a sample FCE writing task: 2. The food was delicious, while the service was faultless. Did we have a good time?
Absolutely!
I hope you agree that the second is much nicer to read. Is it much harder to write? Not
really. And if you don't know the word 'faultless' you might know a different word that would
fit. Even if you said 'good' again, the sentence would get you a much better score in FCE
because the 'while' connects the first two parts and the question connects the last two.

8. FCE Essays
You have to write an essay, so this is the first thing you should learn to write. Essays are
about giving information and your opinions, comparing and contrasting.
Title: Use a title at the top of your essay. The title should be interesting so that someone
would want to read the article. Imagine two friends share a link on Facebook. Which are you
more likely to click on?
1.
Why Pollution is Bad
2.
Climate Change is Fake, and Here's Why
Most people would click on the second one! You don't have to be so provocative in your
You have to write about pollution and the environment, and you have to include 3 points. 2 essay, but do try to make it interesting.
of those points must be transport, and rivers and seas. If you don't include transport you
Structure: Use the task as the structure. In the example from question 4, you could have
these paragraphs: TRANSPORT
​ Introduction traffic congestion
​ The Transport Pollution Problem aviation
​ Pollution in Rivers and Seas carbon dioxide
​ Pollution at Home
​ Conclusion greenhouse gases
- Try to connect the title you have chosen with the conclusion. If you call your essay emissions
'Climate Change is Fake!' you should end by saying 'and that's why climate change is not exhaust fumes
real.' electric cars
- You should write in a balanced way - don't only say that something is good or bad.
Example: driverless cars
'It's clear that pollution from cars is a big problem that should be looked at. The air in some freight/cargo trains
cities is not fit for humans. But the car isn't totally a villain - it's also a symbol of freedom
for many people. So we need a solution that lets people drive their cars, but without being RIVERS AND SEAS
too harmful. For example, electric cars let people get to work but are cleaner than diesel
engines.' barges
- As a minimum, move from paragraph to paragraph by using phrases like 'firstly, secondly'. cruise ships
But try to learn some more advanced versions, too. world trade
plastic
factories
HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY FOR FCE lead poisoning
water quality
First things first - what do I have to write and who is going to read it?
THE HOME
I have to write an essay, which means giving my opinion on the topic. My English teacher batteries
will read it, so I should write in a neutral tone. I'm going to mention transport, rivers and power grid
seas, and think of a third point, and the whole theme is pollution and damaging the waste
environment. recycling (cardboard, glass)
energy efficiency
I could write in the style of Donald Trump and say that pollution isn't real and there's fines
nothing to worry about... but I do have a brain so I'll write the truth. subsidies
Planning Okay I feel pretty ready to get started - this is a topic I know a lot about, and that quick
Let's take 5 to 10 minutes to plan the essay before I start writing. brainstorm has me READY TO GO.
I'll do a quick one or two sentence introduction. Then I'll have three paragraphs, one for
3 Reasons Why Donald Trump is Wrong About Pollution
transport, one about rivers and seas, and one for my third point. Now's a good time to
think about that.
Donald Trump may be admired by millions of Americans, but he's dangerously wrong about climate
change. In this essay I'll discuss three reasons why pollution is a huge problem and suggest ways
I've decided to take 'pollution in the home' as my third point. But I could have chosen they can be solved.
factories, plastic, cutting down the rainforest - a billion things. TRANSPORT
First I'd like to talk about transport. We travel much more than we ever did in the past, and
Finally there will be a sentence that ties everything together. trade more than ever. That means a non-stop stream of planes, trains, and automobiles. Almost
100% of these are powered by petrol or diesel engines, which means carbon dioxide and other
Now, ideally I'd have a nice title for this essay. Mentioning Donald Trump before gave me greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere. One solution would be to switch to electric
an idea. (If you're reading this in the future, Donald Trump was an American millionaire
cars, and there has been progress in that direction.
who in 2016 tried to become became president of the USA. He had many crazy opinions,
and his beliefs about pollution were especially stupid. He said that pollution was not a RIVERS AND SEAS
problem and we should continue to destroy the planet as much as we wanted. Fortunately Thanks to pollution, our water is slowly turning to acid and major cities like Flint, Michigan don't
Hillary Clinton got 90% of the votes and so nothing bad happened.) even have clean drinking water. Seas are filled with plastic that traps and kills fish and dolphins.
The solution is better controls in factories and fines for anyone who adds to the problem.
My title will be '3 Reasons Why Donald Trump is Wrong About Pollution'. It's not a very HOMES
elegant title, but it'll have to do. I don't have 15 minutes to think about it! If you've ever left your computer running overnight, you're part of the problem. The solution
must come from government intervention - no more subsidies for companies that pollute, and
The next thing I want to do is think about some vocabulary and grammar I can use in my
fines for those that do.
essay. Here's me brainstorming some words and phrases on the 3 topics (all somehow
connected to the topic of pollution):
SUMMARY
Pollution is a problem that affects us all, but if we elect rational politicians who understand basic
science, we can start to make things better.(233 words) (highlighted in blue).

233 words! My god! How did that happen? Well, the good news is it only took me 10 Some teachers would tell you not to say 'I believe' in the introduction. You could easily
minutes or so, so although I got a bit carried away I have time to fix it. replace that with a phrase like ‘It is clear that…’

And 'old bits of plastic' is a little informal, too. ‘old pieces of plastic’ is probably more
Making it better suitable.
Let's take another look at the topic and check that what I wrote is relevant. That will help
me delete the unimportant parts.

It says 'Every country has a problem with pollution. Can it be solved?' 9. FCE Reports
Often, you'll be able to choose to write a report in part 2. The reader will usually be your
teacher or a group you belong to. You have to give facts and make recommendations.
Hmm. So I don't need to say that pollution is a problem. I can focus on the solutions.
That's good. But I should add in something about 'every country' - that's something I Example:
didn't do in the first draft.
A group of English students is coming to your college. Your English teacher has
asked you to write a report on one local tourist attraction. In your report you
And actually, the whole Donald Trump thing isn't needed if I'm going to focus on the should
solutions. So I should come up with a new title, too. ​ describe the attraction
​ say what you can do there
Second Draft ​ explain why you think students would enjoy visiting it
​
Pollution: 3 Simple Solutions If I were writing that, I'd use this structure:
People in every country think that putting an end to pollution must be extremely hard. But is it?
(Title:) Report on Old Trafford Football Stadium
I believe there are 3 simple things we can do that will have a big effect.
TRANSPORT Introduction
We travel much more than we ever did in the past, and trade more than ever. That means a The aim of this report is to describe Old Trafford and to say why it's the best
destination for students who visit our college.
non-stop stream of planes, trains, and automobiles. Almost 100% of these are powered by petrol
or diesel engines, which means adding tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. One Old Trafford
(a description of the stadium, its history)
improvement would be to switch to electric cars, and there has been progress in that direction.
RIVERS AND SEAS Activities
Seas are turning to acid, cities don't have lack clean drinking water, and fish get caught in old (what you can do there - the stadium tour, the gift shop, touch the magical grass)
bits of plastic. The solution? Better controls in factories and fines for anyone who fails to recycle Why It's Perfect for Visitors
plastic. (the tour is given in English so it's good practice, football is universally popular,
it's great for taking photos)
HOMES
Energy waste starts at home - a 30% reduction in electricity use would be easy if people turned Conclusion
off their electronics when not in use, and didn't use did not use tumble dryers so much. For the reasons I have mentioned, I highly recommend visiting Old Trafford with
the visiting students. I'm sure they will all have a great time.
SUMMARY
Pollution is a problem that affects us all, but we all have the power to make tiny changes that 10. FCE Reviews
would improve the situation wherever we live.
(200 words) Reviews are quite a good choice for part 2 because you've probaby read thousands of
reviews in your own language - reviews of movies, video games, hotels and so on. So you
So the word count is close to ideal now and it's much more focused on on-topic. 190 should be quite familiar with the format.
words isn't a lot! There's no time to ramble and talk about random things like orange The main skills you need are: describing things, explaining, and giving your opinions.
losers! IMPORTANT - You are allowed to lie in the exam! I personally hate the movie Titanic, but I
remember quite a lot about it. If I had the task of reviewing a movie I love, maybe I would
I'm quite happy with the addition of the parts in bold, because it links the very start with choose Titanic. The story is clear in my head, I remember the names of the actors, the
director and the theme song... I can pretend to like it if it helps me pass the exam...
the very end, and it is something mentioned in the task. - Like in the essay task, I encourage my students to use an interesting title. 'Titanic - Their
Hearts Will Go On'.
I wasted a lot of time writing and rewriting this essay, but now I'm in the writing mood
and ready to tackle part 2. I'll be much more efficient there. For a start, I'll read the task - Use the question to help you structure your review.
properly!

Note: It’s better to treat this task as being formal/academic neutral. So I changed didn’t HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW FOR FCE
use to did not use and instead of don’t have we could use a nice formal word like ‘lack’
In this article I will plan an FCE review, then write it.
Okay, that's not bad - I've got some good ideas already. Now I want to think of a title. I
Here's a sample review task from Cambridge: First: want something that is interesting and that helps me to write the review. What do I mean
by that? For example, I could write 'Review of The Remains of the Day'. But that's boring
and doesn't help me to write it. If I have a title like 'The Surprising Truth about The
Remains of the Day' - well, I can already think of a way to write the last paragraph.

You'll see what I mean, I hope.

I'm ready to write it now! Here goes:

The Surprising Truth about The Remains of the Day

Who's going to read this? My fellow college students. What does that mean about the The Remains of the Day seems to be a very simple story. An elderly English butler borrows a car and
tone? It means I can be on the informal side of neutral. You know, serious but friendly. drives to the coast to meet an old colleague. But is that all there is to it?

Planning time! In fact, the story is as complicated as its main character. Mr Stevens is the perfect butler - obedient,
skillful, and reserved. He is also secretly in love with the housekeeper, Miss Kenton. However, he is so
Okay, the first thing to do is to think of a book where the main character surprised me. bound by duty that he never tells her - never even gives her the slightest hint.
This is quite an important step, because everything that follows is linked to this decision.
Do you think I should spend five seconds on it, or thirty seconds?
The key moment in the book comes when their employer becomes fascinated by the Nazi ideology and tells
[Thirty seconds later] I chose one of my favourite books, The Remains of the Day, by Mr Stevens to fire two young Jewish servants. Miss Kenton cries, while Mr Stevens carries out his task
Kazuo Ishiguro. It's great! They made a movie of it with Anthony Hopkins. with no emotion. The writing at this point in the book is sublime - when you know that Stevens is in love
with Kenton, his behaviour is mystifying. Why doesn't he at least tell her that he agrees with her?
So what do I have to include?
Working out the answer to that question is one of the most rewarding quests in literature, and that's why
- write a review of the book
I strongly recommend you read this book as soon as possible.
- explain what the character did
(202 words)
- and why it was surprising
I don't know about you, but I think that's a pretty good review!
- would I recommend it
It's not perfect though - I forgot to link the ending to the beginning. That's why I gave
myself 5 minutes to check and change it!
It doesn't make much sense to have points 2 and 3 separate, so for this review I will keep
them together in one paragraph.
All I have to do is reword the ending:
So my outline looks like this:
Finding out the truth about Mr Stevens is one of the most rewarding quests in literature,
and that's why I strongly recommend you read this book as soon as possible.
Title
That gives a 'thread' through the review, from start to finish.
Introduction

Review

Main Character's Surprising Moment

Recommendation

Let's think of vocabulary and grammar I can use. I'm just going to brainstorm by
writing words and phrases I know that might be useful in the different paragraphs.
11. FCE Articles
Articles in First Certificate are usually written for English magazines or newsletters. The
genre; historical drama; romance; set in the 1930s; duty; uniform; reserved; butler; main thing is to make your articles interesting to read, and to give your opinions on the
gentleman; conflict; a difficult choice; there's no doubt that; not only but also; topic.
 IMPROVING AN FCE ARTICLE
Here's a Cambridge B2 First article written by a student named Kamel, followed by my
thoughts. This bit is interesting: 'my family was anxious about the state of my many'. In Kamel's
language, 'many' is a nice way of saying 'grandmother'. Now, if it was a Chinese student
THE TASK: writing 'Ayi' or a a Swiss person saying 'Grosi' that would be okay - though ideally you'd
You read this announcement in a magazine: what’s the best surprise you’ve ever had? Why stick to English and write 'granny'. The problem for Kamel is that 'many' is already an
was it a surprise? How did you feel when it happened? Send us your answers. We’ll publish English word, so it's very confusing to see it in this sentence. At the very least he should
the best ones. Write your article in 140-190 words. capitalise Many and even then I'd use quote marks to show that it's a foreign word:

KAMEL'S ARTICLE: “My family was anxious about the state of my ‘Many’.”
The Best Surprise I’ve Ever Had Here's a version with some minor mistakes corrected and some of my complaints
Three years ago, something great happened to me. That thing was the best surprise I’ve ever addressed. If you're feeling advanced, study what I do with his commas.
had, it was the moment my grandma finished her mastectomy surgery. During that day all of
my family was anxious about the state of my many, I was full of doubt and sadness, and these ANDREW'S VERSION:
bad thoughts I had in mind: “and if it doesn’t work? What would happen if she dies?” and The Best Surprise I’ve Ever Had
made me in a state that cannot be described, and there is something very special to that Three years ago, something great happened to me. That thing was the best surprise I’ve
memory. That morning I went to the perfumes shop just to buy for her the jasmine perfume ever had: it was the moment my grandma survived her mastectomy.
that she loves too much, while I’m waiting in the waiting room I was wishing from all my During that day, my whole family was anxious about the state of my granny. I was full of
heart that she stay alive, so I can give her the perfume. Sudenly the doctor came out and doubt and sadness, and these bad thoughts kept coming to my mind: “And if it doesn’t
announced to us that the surgery worked and she was completely cured. I was the happiest work? What would happen if she dies?” This left me in a state that cannot be described, and
person on earth that moment. However she died 6 months after that but that moment is there is something very special about that memory.
considered the best surprise in my whole life. That morning I had gone to the perfume shop to buy the jasmine perfume that she loved so
much. While I was in the waiting room I was wishing with all my heart that she would stay
My Feedback alive so I could give her the perfume, though I was sure I would never have the chance.
Word Count: This is about 180 words, so that's fine. Suddenly, the doctor came out and announced that the surgery worked and my gran was
completely cured. I was the happiest person on earth at that moment. She died 6 months
Content: I think Kamel has met the requirements very well. He has written about a surprise later, but the smell of jasmine always makes me think of the day she surprised us by
and told us how he felt. He does answer the question of WHY it was a surprise (he mentions surviving her surgery.
his fears and doubts) and I think you could make that a bit more explicit. For example,
when the doctor comes out, Kamel could write that the Doctor's face was sad, so it was a big
surprise. Or maybe he was in the waiting room wishing to give the perfume, but knowing
that he wouldn't get the chance. Then it's REALLY clear that Kamel has completed the task. 11. Frequently Asked Questions
Q - Do I have to use British spelling?
A - No. You can use American spelling.
Communicative achievement: Kamel's tone is perfect for the magazine. It's informal, easy to
read, and would be just like everything else in the magazine. Q - How important is spelling and punctuation?
A - You aren't expected to be perfect, but if a mistake stops the reader from understanding
what you want to say, that's quite bad.
Organisation: First, I'd like to see the text split into paragraphs. Now it's just a blob of text.
One thought = one paragraph. Q - How important is the word count? What happens if I write too many words?
A - If you do the task properly you will write the correct number of words. You won't lose
Generally it's clear where and when Kamel is during the story. 3 years ago... that day... That marks if you write 5 words too many. Focus on writing what you have to write, and the word
morning... But then it gets confusing: 'while I'm waiting (present continuous) I was wishing count will take care of itself.
(past continuous) so I can give her the perfume (present simple).' Bit of a mess! Don't waste time in the exam counting how many words you have written!
Still, it was clear to me what he meant, and the 'suddenly' bit was really effective. (Though Q - My handwriting is terrible! Will I lose points?
he spelled it wrong...) A - Just make sure a human can read it - if you are very messy, write a little bit slower. If
The last sentence is a problem for two reasons. I don't like the 'however' - probably I'd you usually end up with lots of things crossed out - you need to plan better!
expect an 'although'. And 'that moment is the best surprise' seems to mean when she died...
Not what Kamel wants to say! With a little tweak the sentence would be completely clear.

Language: I actually really like this article - it's quick and easy to read, which means there
aren't too many mistakes and I found it engaging (interesting). There are some good words
used well - like surgery, anxious, cured. And I liked the questions in the middle - that helps
us to feel what Kamel is feeling and changes the rhythm of the sentences in a nice way.