Example email

Comments

Subject: ‘Room-for-a-break campaign The learner uses a subject line

that identifies the topic of the email.
Hello Team,
The email is to be sent to all staff
working at the company, so a greeting
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the recent
that includes everyone is appropriate.
discussions about whether or not our company should join the

‘Room-for-a-break’ campaign. I have researched the campaign,

taken all of your opinions into consideration and will explain why I

have decided we should join with some slight changes. In this paragraph, the learner
reminds readers of the situation and
Some say that taking a nap at work is counter-productive, while introduces the decision that will be
others say that it will increase effectiveness at work. The problem explained.

is if you have the ability of bouncing back after a relaxing nap or

not. Other companies which have nap rooms have found that some

people take napping too far, but I am confident that will not be a

problem for us. Mid-afternoon napping will be encouraged only

Each paragraph deals with just
when it is necessary. one feature of the campaign.

Innovation rooms on the other hand I believe will increase

everyone’s creativity. In our innovation room there will be couches,

music, coffee and dim lights. It will be a room for staff to relax in

and to think in. You will be able to stay there and socialise or just

think how we could improve our company. I hope you will use it

wisely so that it can become something permanent after the

Each paragraph includes relevant
campaign.
support and details to explain what
has been decided about each part of
Sporting equipment will also be made available in the office. This is
the campaign.
better than going to a separate gym because it saves time and you

will not miss out on important discussions with your co-workers. It

means you can exercise and carry on working so you will not get

behind with important deadlines but will still get a break.

The focus of each paragraph is
clear in its first line.
At the end of the campaign we will look at how productive

everyone has been to decide if we should carry on with nap rooms,

innovation rooms and sporting activities in the office or not. I am

impressed with the extra work you have all put in to make this
 Comments

happen so I am trusting you with this campaign. There is a short

survey to fill in before we start – please complete this before

Friday.
The closing section explains what
Let’s make room for a break and see how it goes. will happen next and what employees
are expected to do.
[Name]
The sign off makes it clear that a
final decision is still to be made.

© Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2023 v1

2
Example of an essay

Comments

The candidate introduces the topic

in the first paragraph and uses a
Teenagers love fast food. But is it good for them, or should they rhetorical question to engage the
avoid it? reader. No heading is required for an
essay.

To begin with, it’s usually quite tasty. Furthermore, it’s The candidate presents
quick and easy if you choose to eat fast food. You walk in to a arguments in favour of fast food. The
second opinion is well supported with
restaurant, give your order, and your food is ready in just few reasons.
minutes. When you’re in a hurry, getting fast food is a good option.
The candidate uses a range of
appropriate linking words, ‘to begin
However, there are some disadvantages. The main one is with’, ‘furthermore’, ‘so’, ‘however’ and
health. Fast food contains fat, sugar and salt – all things that ‘also’, to link their ideas together.

are bad for you and make you gain weight and becoming ill. The In the third paragraph, the
candidate presents arguments against
truth is that fresh food, cooked at home, is much better for you, fast food and both opinions are well
even if it sounds boring to most teenagers. Fast food is also waste supported with reasons.

of money. It might to seem cheap, but if you buy it a lot, your The candidate includes the ideas
money will soon disappear. from the comments, but uses their
own language, by changing
grammatical structures and
Overall, I believe eating fast food ocasionally isn’t a problem,
vocabulary where possible.
but fresh home-cooked food is best.
The candidate uses some
extended sentences and makes a few
attempts at more complex structures.

The candidate provides a clear

conclusion which shows that the
essay is effectively sequenced and
organised. The candidate uses an
appropriate choice of words for a
neutral to formal register.

© Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2023 v1

2
Example of a report

Comments

To the Principal

A report on the school career day

Career day, held on the 20th September this year, gave many
students an opportunity to discuss their existing career plans with
experienced professionals. This report outlines what students felt
the day offered them, what they most enjoyed about careers day The learner introduces the topic
and outlines the key aspects the
and what they learned as well as how the day could have been
report will focus on.
improved further.

Insights
The learner uses clear, relevant
All of those who had been asked to present on their industry were sub-headings to show organisation
honest and open about what they see as the pros and cons within and clarity.
their fields. This new knowledge required students to think
critically about how and whether various career paths may suit
their individual interests and values. Most people enjoyed the
The learner has grouped points
skills and personality quiz which we took part in before break. together helpfully for the benefit of the
Whilst many found it fun to reflect on themselves through the reader. This shows an excellent
sense of purpose.
quiz, resulting in high levels of engagement, some said that the
results have made them think about niche career paths which they
had never considered before. The learner uses a range of
appropriate vocabulary.
Highlights

Having discussed the career day with classmates, I noticed that

The learner’s choice of linking
some aspects of the day were mentioned consistently. Particular words, phrases and grammatical
highlights included the set of presentations outlined in A Day in structures are consistently appropriate
for the style and register of a report.
the life and the time set aside to talk with visitors who had each

been set up on their own table. Whilst a small number of students

did find it difficult to drop into conversations and intimidating to

approach somebody for a specific discussion about a career which

they had only just been introduced to, others were more confident.

It was suggested that some less formal time being to mingle at the

beginning may have resulted in more beneficial or easier

The learner distances themselves
interactions. from the criticism and maintains an
objective perspective, reporting what
was said indirectly.
 Comments

Learning

The majority of students overwhelmingly enjoyed the career day

and learned a lot about themselves and what they might want to

do in the future. The personality quiz certainly helped me to

progress with my own thinking and the presentations promoted

me to look more closely at joining the navy rather than pursuing a

career in banking which I had been considering beforehand.

To summarise, I personally feel that the careers day was well The learner includes a concise
conclusion and offers their
organised with plenty of different industries involved and overall
recommendation.
was very useful. I recommend that the day is also run for future

year groups, with changes incorporated as you see fit as I believe

they will be able to benefit similarly.

© Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2023 v1

2
Example candidate response and examiner comments

Example Candidate Response – middle Examiner comments

A new shopping centre

The candidate begins their
review with an introduction
A shopping centre is a place where people visit to buy clothes, highlighting the role that
supermarkets play for local residents
food as well as furnitures. It is not only used to purchase things, in general.

others can go there to meet friends as well as to get fresh air.

The candidate attempts some
more complex structures with a
The new shopping centre in our town that was recently opened varied level of success.

overcame many problems that we had at the beginning. We do The candidate shows a good
sense of purpose in this paragraph.
not need to travel to other towns to purchase things as a result
The candidate also tries to engage
this saves time and money. Moreover it is a good place to meet the reader by introducing the idea of
overcoming problems, which are
friends as we will have a variety of shops that we can buy food to later listed in the same paragraph.
However, the candidate merely lifts
eat as well as to do window shopping. the ideas from the prompts and there
is little expansion here.
However everything that is sold there seems quite expensive
There are some attempts at less
therefore people don’t usually go there as the spending takes them common vocabulary (e.g. ‘window
shopping.’, ‘In a nutshell’ etc.)
out of budget. Moreover many shops that we also need they are
The candidate introduces the
not yet there, as a result people are forced to change their plans
negative points in this paragraph by
of purchasing. using ‘however’. The ideas are again
mostly lifted from the prompts with
little development.
In a nutshell the shopping centre really helped us, although
The candidate uses a range of
there are some loopholes, which we belive they will be fixed as time linking words to link their ideas within
paragraphs (e.g. ‘as well as’,
goes on. ‘therefore’), but also to introduce a
new idea at the start of the
paragraphs (e.g. ‘However’). Some
of these linking words are rather
formal for this style however (e.g.
‘Moreover’) and this may also have a
negative effect on the reader.

The review is clearly structured

and ends with a concise conclusion.
However, it is not very persuasive
and lacks a clear recommendation
from the candidate.

Mark for Content = 4 out of 6

Mark for Language = 6 out of 9
Total mark awarded = 10 out of 15

4
Example of an article

Comments

Online friendships – true or false? The learner uses a heading that

is relevant to the topic of the article.
In recent years, technology has taken over our daily lives. Many

people claim that they simply couldn’t imagine a life without the

internet and social media. So are your online friendships doing you
The learner introduces the topic in
more harm than good? the first paragraph and uses a
rhetorical question to engage the
It has become commonplace in our society to argue that reader.

technology is the reason for people being socially distant and

experiencing loneliness. Some studies do show a correlation The paragraph identifies

contrasting viewpoints, making it clear
between social media usage and low self-esteem, although there is where there is support for one view or
no solid proof showing that this is the main cause. Indeed, others another.

have come to the defence of the internet and claim it has done the
The learner is trying to vary
opposite – helped to revive social relationships. Some people find it
sentence structure and vocabulary.
easier to form relationships when they are hidden behind a screen.

It allows them to be themselves without fear of rejection, ridicule

and judgement. Soon, they become confident enough to merge

their virtual personalities with their offline personalities, becoming

a more authentic version of themselves.

The learner uses an appropriate
linking word at the beginning of the
However, it can be said that online relationships are weaker and
paragraph to show they are about to
not as real as face-to-face relationships. Online relationships are offer a new contrasting argument.

formed easily and quickly. They’re not the same as a physical

relationship. You might not know anything about an online friend

other than the things they choose to post on the internet. Unless

you make a point of communicating with all of them for at least

two hours every week, you can’t even call it a real friendship. The

strength of an offline relationship lies in the experiences you share

together in the real world.

True, it could be argued that online relationships are not

particularly meaningful, but saying that social media friendships

are false is not correct. ‘You and your real friends may not The learner develops the
always be able to meet in person,’ explains one lifestyle expert. argument that online friendships are

Social media can be used to keep in touch and ensure that your
 Comments

relationship stays in tact until the next time you meet, and where useful and supports it by reference to
a quotation from an expert.
else can you bond over silly and fun things like memes and cute

cat videos? Your social media friendship ensures that no matter

how far apart you are, you can always be there for each other.
Having discussed a number of the
arguments, the learner leaves the
reader with a strong impression of the
value of social media friendships.

© Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2023 v1