C1 Advanced (CAE) Essay: Writing Structure

1. Introduction
Present and develop the essay question in your introduction

2. Main content: Paragraphs 1-2

Describe the first point/argument from the notes (most important)
Describe the second point/argument from the notes.

3. Paragraph 3 (optional)
Explains the final point and links to the others.

4. Conclusion
A summary of what you have said.

C1 Advanced (CAE) Essay: Writing Guide

1. Introduction

The first paragraph of an essay provides the introduction. It states what is to be discussed and why.
Your main points are briefly introduced. This paragraph need not be lengthy.

Introduction: We often hear about the many benefits of health and fitness. However, less often do
we hear concrete suggestions for how to improve participation rates, particularly among young
people. In this essay I will discuss two possible actions that governments could focus on in order to
promote health and fitness to youth today. (main points are briefly introduced.)

2. Main content: Paragraphs 1-2

Paragraph 1

In this paragraph, more background information is provided in greater detail. Your first, often the
strongest main point is expanded upon. Bring in and refute any arguments against your point of
view.

Paragraph 1: The first possible action is to improve physical education teaching in schools. Local
students have at times complained that… (Describe the first point/argument from the notes)

Paragraph 2

The second paragraph provides your second key point, lying it into the theme of your essay. Again,
bring in opposing points of view and support your second key point with Information and
background.
Paragraph 2: A second option would be to attempt to change the overly competitive attitudes that
seem ingrained in many of the sports… (Describe the second point/argument from the notes)

3. Paragraph 3 (optional)

This is optional and can be linked to the second paragraph. It explains the final point and links to
the others.

4. Conclusion

The final paragraph is used to summarise or conclude your essay. It shows how the two key points
you have presented compare or relate to each other. It also clearly re-states your initial position
from the introductory paragraph.

Conclusion: In summary, either approach would be a step in the right direction. In my view, it
would be wise to prioritize dealing with reducing competitiveness first because I believe it would
help young people feel better about the sports they already do. They could then, in turn, influence
C1 Advanced (CAE) Essay: Useful Phrases, Words & Expressions
To start essay: Introduction

It is often said that …

….is a hotly-debated topic that often divides opinion.
….is a topic that is often discussed but rarely solved.
Many people feel that …
We live in an age when many of us are…
More and more families/people are choosing to …
The trend nowadays is towards +ing
Over the past/last ten years or so, …
Recent research indicates that the number of …is increasing.
Statistics indicate that—
Hardly a week goes by without another report of .. appearing in the media. This raises the issue of
whether ……………..
Although most people would generally agree that …………… few

First Paragraph

…. clearly/undoubtedly has an impact on…

It is common knowledge that… plays a crucial role in…
It is undoubtedly the case that…
There is little doubt that…
… is widely believed to contribute to…
It is generally considered that…
Recent research suggests that…
Studies have shown that… has an impact/influence on…
Few people would contest/dispute the fact that…

Second Paragraph

Another factor to consider is…

On the other hand/In contrast…
It is often claimed that…
All the evidence suggests that…

Stating your opinion

As I see it,
It seems to me that ………… I would also say that ….
I am convinced that ……………
I am inclined to believe that ………………
There is no doubt in my mind that ………………
One of the drawbacks of ……. is ……….
However, one of the benefits is that …………
Changing topic

As regards the causes for this, …………..

Concerning the causes for this, ………
As for the causes, ………..

Presenting arguments

One justification often given for ……….. is that……………..

Advocates/Proponents would claim that ………………
Those who object to …………….. often argue that ……………….
Another objection is that ……
However, it should not be forgotten that …………..
……….. are opposed to ……………. on the grounds that ……………..
From the point of view of ……………..
According to ………………..

Describing causes

One factor which has led to ………… is …………..

One of the factors which has brought this about is ………
The problem often stems from ………………..
The situation has been exacerbated by ………….. which has only made the situation even worse.
One consequence of ……………. is …………….

Proposing steps and measures

As regards the most appropriate response to this situation, one suggestion would be to ………
The first step to be taken would be to ……..
To alleviate the situation people should ………..
In addition they ought to ……………
This can only be dealt with if …………
To overcome this problem, …………..
Were the government to ……………, the situation would doubtless improve.
Individuals can do a great deal to …………
The burden of responsiblity lies in the hands of ……..
It is vitally important that ………
Legislation should be introduced to control ……………..
It would be a grave error if we ……………..

To conclude an essay: Concluding

Taking all this into consideration/account,…

As far as I am concerned, / in my opinion, / as I see it, etc.
… is the most effective way to… due to the fact that…
Despite the fact that… undoubtedly plays a role in… I firmly believe that… is more effective due to
the fact that… its advantages outnumber/ outweigh those
All in all it seems to me that ………..
The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that …………………..
C1 Advanced (CAE) Essay: Example Asnwers
Your class has attended a panel discussion on facilities which should receive money from local
authorities. You have made the notes below:

Which facilities should receive money from local authorities?

§ museums
§ sports centres
§ public gardens

Some opinions expressed in the discussion:

§ “Museums aren’t popular with everybody!”

§ “Sports centres mean healthier people.”
§ “A town needs green spaces – parks are great for everybody.”

Write an essay discussing two of the facilities in your notes. You should explain which facility it
is more important for local authorities to give money to, giving reasons in support of your answer.

Student’s CAE Essay Answer:

[Introduction]

In regard of a recent discussion about the facilities, which are financially

supported by local authorities, I would like to write a few of my personal
thoughts. Whether we are talking about sports centres or public gardens, there
is no doubt that they are both a good thing to have in the city and should both
be supported somehow. The only question then is which one of these is more
important, what are the pros and cons of each one?

[1 st body paragraph ]

Let me start with the sport centres as I think these are a bit more problematic.
Obviously, in our times where lots of people spend days sitting in their office
staring at a computer, some sort of physical training is very important. We have
to balance that shift in our lifestyles. The problem I see with supporting the
sports centres is the number of activities that you can do at these days. There
is almost countless list of either individual or team sports that we can think
of, and each centre is usually designed for a specific type or at least a group
of sports similar in its nature. Therefore I think that it is too difficult to
support them equally and we can’t say which activity is better than the others
either. Another reason for not financing sports as much as green parks is their
commercial use. What I mean by that is that we usually pay for everything the
centre offers us to do and therefore they are more able to last from their own
money than gardens.

[2 nd body paragraph]

Regarding of the green spaces, the situation is much clearer I think. Every city
needs gardens where people can sit and relax, but nobody is going to pay a tax
for just walking around.

[Conclusion[]

These factors lead me to my conclusion, that the public gardens are definitely a
facility which should be financed from public money, whereas in the case of
sports centres, the situation is questionable.