Writing (C1 Advanced/ CAE)

1. 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? Is it good to read? Can the reader
understand you?
• Organisation - Did you link paragraphs together? Is there a
logical flow?
• Language - Did you show off your sparkling C1 vocabulary or
did you merely use B1/B2 words? Did you make lots of
grammar mistakes?

2. Language
Incorporate linking words, different sentence structures and sentence
lengths and advanced vocabulary in your writing.
For example, if the topic is about transport you might use phrases
like 'mass transit system', 'to commute', 'congestion,' and 'pressed
for time'.
*Refer to pdf for vocabulary list
 3. Task Types
Essay
Writing an essay is the first part of the C1 Advanced (CAE) Cambridge
writing paper and it is obligatory.
-You need to answer the question with between 220-260 words.
-You need to give your opinion in an interesting way. CAE essays are
often academic in tone(semi formal/formal), so practice of formal
writing will be helpful.
-What the examiner wants to see is a balanced argument that is both
interesting and easy to read.
ESSAY SAMPLE:
Subject:
Your class has attended a panel discussion on the action governments can take
to promote health and fitness among young people. You have made the notes
below.
Action to promote health and fitness among young people:
• improve teaching in schools.
• improves attitudes to competitiveness.
• improve the image of sports.
Some opinions expressed during the discussion
‘There need to be specialist sports teachers for children and students of all
ages.’
‘Some young people are put off by the pressure to compete.’
‘A lot of young people don’t think it’s cool to take part in sports.’
Write an essay for your tutor, discussing two of the actions in your notes. You
should explain which action you think is more important, giving reasons to
support your opinion.
SAMPLE ANSWER:
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.
The first possible action is to improve physical education teaching in
schools. Local students have at times complained that the curriculum is rigid and
emphasizes repetitive activities instead of team sports and enjoyment. Better
role models and more adventurous options could lead to improved attitude and
participation. Naturally, employing specialist sports teachers would incur
considerable cost.
A second option would be to attempt to change the overly competitive
attitudes that seem ingrained in many of the sports competitions for
youngsters. When adults such as parents and teachers focus on winning above
having a good time, it puts undue pressure on the participants. They may feel a
sense of failure if they lose and also be less inclined to try a new sport.
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 their friends to join in.

REMEMBER!
✓ Answer the question.
✓ PLAN your essay.
✓ REVISE your essay to correct mistakes.
✓ The final paragraph is the best place to express your opinion clearly
✓ Add quotations, statistics, facts. examples and other relevant data to
support your points.
✓ The tone and register can be formal or semiformal depending on your
treatment of the topic.
✓ Punctuation is important in essays and can be a powerful tool for
expressing subtle or emphatic points.
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.
Before you start, read the task carefully and underline all the content
points and consider the following:
-Why are you are writing the letter/email? To correct information, to
apply for a job, to complain about something…
-Who is the target reader? You may have to write to the editor of a
publication, to a potential employer, to a university administrator…
-Which language/register would be appropriate to reach my goal? Is
there enough specific detail in my letter/email to convince the target
reader?
LETTER SAMPLE:
QUESTION
Your company would like to offer work-experience placements to students in
an international college. Write a letter for publication in the student
newspaper at the college.
Your letter should explain what your company does, what kind of work-
experience placements are available, and how students would benefit from
the experience.
Write your letter.
SAMPLE ANSWER:
Dear Students,
Are you looking for a work placement that will give you plenty of valuable
experience and will look good on your CV? If so, then our company may have
something to offer you.
We are an international educational exchange organisation which organises links
between schools all over the world. We currently have three work-experience
placements available for students from your college. The work would involve a
range of office tasks, including dealing with correspondence, arranging meetings
and keeping our database up-to-date. We are particularly interested in offering
these placements to students with some knowledge of two or more languages.
The placements would be of great benefit to the students who are given this
opportunity. It would provide experience of working in a small and dedicated
team, which would give you the chance to develop a wider range of office skills
than would normally be the case in larger organisations. Our international
network means that you would also gain some contacts all over the world, which
might be of particular value to any of you considering a career in some aspect of
education.
You will find further information about our organisation and the placements we
offer on our website and we look forward to hearing from any of you who think
that the work might be right for you — and that you might be the right person
for one of these placements.
Best wishes to you all,
Paula Fisher

REMEMBER!
✓ avoid everyday colloquial language or slang
✓ avoid contractions (I’m, it’s)
✓ avoid emotional, subjective language (terrible, rubbish, etc.)
✓ avoid general words such as nice, good, get, etc.
Report
There are three main areas of focus when writing a report:
1. Present factual information
Obviously, these facts might be made up (not real) by you but you
need to present them as if they were factual.
2. Effective and efficient text organization
Think about the right paragraph structure, relevant headings as well
as different linking words and expressions to connect ideas.
3. Making suggestions/recommendations
Every report has a suggestion or recommendation at the end of it
because that’s the sole purpose of writing a report.
-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.
REPORT SAMPLE:
Subject:
You have been helping to run a new music club at your college. Now the college
principal wants to get more people involved with the club and attract new
members.
The club organiser has asked you to write a report for the principal outlining
what the club currently does, explaining the club’s future plans and suggesting
ways of getting more people involved with the music club.
SAMPLE ANSWER:
RockSun – present situation, future plans and improvement suggestions (title)
The objective of this report is to outline the current condition of the RockSun
music club, shed some light on the club’s plans in the near future, and
propose novel ways of attracting new visitors.
Present situation
At present, the activities that the club organises are twofold:
1. gigs of indie bands at least once a week at weekends;
2. musical instrument courses for wannabe musicians on weekdays.
Regrettably, the club does not enjoy much popularity among students, despite
it being located in the heart of the campus near the dorms. This is, firstly, due
to the prices at the club which are on the expensive side and, secondly, the fact
that performers visiting the club are chiefly little-known artists. Both factors
greatly discourage many potential customers.
Plans
The future of the club looks bleak and some corrective actions are required.
The club management, aware of the gravity of the situation, is planning to
expand its operations to attract new visitors. In the first place, additional
musical courses, including singing lessons by reputable teachers, are planned.
Additionally, the club intends to attract better known artists for the weekend
concerts.
Suggestions to attract more visitors
The actions planned, which are certainly a step in the right direction, may not
be sufficient. What could attract more visitors is reducing food and drink prices
as it is one of the most important factors on which any club’s popularity is
based. Furthermore, weekly musical quizzes with prizes might appeal to the
club’s target customers.
REMEMBER!
✓ The person reading your report is looking for some specific information.
✓ The information is about something that happened in the past.
✓ The Target Reader of a Report usually doesn’t have much time – help
them find the information they need by using headings.
✓ The Target Reader doesn’t need to be entertained, but they will be
better informed if there is specific information in the Report.

Review
A review is one of the possible text types in the second part of the
writing.
-written traditionally for an English-language magazine, newspaper,
or website.
-The main purpose:
1. to describe and express a personal opinion about something which
the writer has experienced (e.g. a film, a holiday. a product, a
website, etc.)
2. to give the reader a clear impression of what the item discussed is
like.
-Description and explanation are key functions for this task
-A review will normally include a recommendation to the reader.
-Only choose this if you are great with vocabulary. The kinds of words
you need to know depends a lot on the topic - you might be
reviewing a film, a concert, a book, a website - so if you know 20 C1
words related to film then great! If not, you can do a great review
that will feel FCE/B2 level.
REVIEW SAMPLE:
Question:
You have seen this announcement on your favourite music website.
Have you ever been to an amazing concert venue?
Write a review of the best music venue in your local area and tell us about
what makes it so special. Say who you would recommend it for a why?
The best entries will be published on our website.
Write your review in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.

SAMPLE ANSWER:
The Apollo: The Theatre of Dreams
Never before have you seen such an amazing spectacle as you will see in the
Apollo. It´s not only the facilities and personnel that make this venue so great,
but also the amazing acoustics of such a large venue.
From the moment you enter the place there is an awe about it. All of the greatest
acts of recent times have played here and you can feel the buzz as soon as you
enter. The crowd are so close to the stage that they can literally feel the droplets
of sweat coming off of the brows of their favourite artists, this creates an
amazing connection between the musicians and the audience and I can tell you,
the fans go wild!
I´d definitely recommend this venue to anyone, it has a great feel to it and the
prices are at the lower end of what you would expect to pay in such a place.
They also don’t go over the top on drinks prices, and through it sounds weird,
it´s not all that difficult to get to the bathroom which is a plus. So, without a
doubt, the next time your favourite group is playing, come on down to the Apollo,
oh, and did I mention it is in London? It couldn´t get any better.
REMEMBER!
✓ A title is advisable.
✓ Think about what you are trying to achieve and the structure of your
review.
✓ You should also start a new paragraph for every item/aspect you are
addressing in your review.
✓ Include a final recommendation or evaluation
✓ Don’t forget! The target reader is specified in the question, so the
candidate knows not only what register is appropriate, but also has an
idea about the kind of information to include.