Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE): How to Write an Essay
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Introduction.
An essay in the C1 Advanced Writing paper is usually written for an academic tutor and may be written as a follow-up to a class activity, such as attending a seminar or watching a documentary. The main purpose of the task is to underline relevant salient issues on the stated topic, and to support an argument with subsidiary points and reasons. An essay should be well organised, with an introduction, clear development and an appropriate conclusion. It should hold the target reader’s attention and communicate complex ideas using an appropriate range of vocabulary and structures. Source: Cambridge English C1 Advanced handbook for teachers
Essays are part of the first section of the CAE Writing paper. The task is mandatory, which means that you always have to write an essay unlike the other texts ( emails/letter , proposals , reviews , reports ) where you can choose which one you would like to tackle in the exam.
Essay writing is not that difficult…
Long story short, in this article I’m going to take you by the hand and guide you through all the different aspects of essay writing. We’re going to see what a typical essay task looks like, the structure and language and, of course, common problems and mistakes you should avoid on your way to mastering essays.
What a typical essay task looks like
Apart from that, you are also gifted a few ideas in the smaller of the two boxes . You can use these in your essay (You don’t have to.), but make sure that you don’t just copy them word for word. Instead, paraphrase them and make them your own, or simply come up with your own ideas.
Formal or informal language in an essay?
I’ll keep this short for you because this works in every single task: Keep your language formal , which means no contractions ( I’m , don’t , etc.), no colloquial expressions ( Hey, what’s up? , I liked it heaps ., etc.), and no slang or phrasal verbs that convey informality ( I’m bursting vs. I have had enough to eat; carry on vs. continue).
How to organise your essay
Plan before you start writing.
It took me 4 minutes to create this plan. I used the idea from the task for sports centres (“Sports centrs mean healthier people.”), but I paraphrased it (public health) while the idea for public parks seems too vague for me so I left it out. Remember that it is optional to include these thoughts in your essay. if you feel that you have better ones, go for it.
The different parts of an essay
In recent years, public funding for local facilities has become more problematic for many towns, which has become more obvious to me after listening to a panel on the financial needs of several different local facilities like sports centres and public parks. As these places battle for funds, the main question is which ones deserve the money more.
Let’s have a closer look at this intro. At the beginning the whole issue is put into the context of the financial problems many local authorities have experienced. Sports centres and public parks as our two topic points are included as well and, last but not least, a question is asked to create a little more interest in the reader.
It is widely known that sports centres provide many different benefits to the local community. Someone on the panel mentioned that, from a public-health standpoint, it is crucial to offer opportunities to exercise in order to keep everyone healthy physically as well as mentally due to the social character of sports. In addition to that, exercise comes in many different shapes and forms, from team sports to individual activities like swimming, so there is something for everyone to enjoy in a dedicated group of people. While green spaces in a town or city have their own benefits, it can be difficult to maintain such large areas in order to keep parks pleasant and inviting to everyone. Nevertheless, considered by many as the green lung of a city their use as a refuge from hectic city life cannot be debated, and groups of people as well as individuals can be seen following their favourite pastime or socialising with others, which makes the discussion about allocating funds even more difficult.
Last but not least, both parts are balanced in terms of their length, but I don’t want you to think that they have to be perfectly equal. If there is good reason to give one part a little bit more attention over the other, that’s fine. For example, you can say in your essay that one of the ideas is more complex than the other, which tells the examiner that you actually thought about this instead of just having messed up your text. Be clear about it and think it through before you even start writing.
Taking into account all the positions from above I come to the conclusion that funding should be allocated to both facilities as they provide essential resources to the local community. However, due to their more social character and possibly greater public health benefits I would give more funds to sports centres.
Time to start practising
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CAE Writing Paper – Tips, Format & Tasks | C1 Advanced
C1 Advanced (CAE) Writing: Format
Format: cae writing paper contains two parts. Timing: 1 hour 30 minutes
Parts: 2 Task: candidates are required to complete two tasks:
- a compulsory task in Part 1
- one task from a choice of three in Part 2.
A range from the following: email/letter; essay; report; review; proposal
C1 Advanced (CAE) Writing: Part 1 – Essay
Your essay should be organised well, including an introduction, supporting paragraphs and a compelling conclusion. The composition should capture the reader’s attention and express sophisticated ideas using a range of stylistic structures and vocabulary.
You will be asked to explain which of the two points is more important and to express reasons for your viewpoint. Your essay should include a well-organised introduction, supporting paragraphs and an appropriate conclusion.
How much do I have to write? 220–260 words.
Tips for CAE Writing Part 1
- Read the entire task before beginning to plan your response . You will need to familiarise yourself with reading the input, understanding the instructions in full and then deciding on how to organise and construct your response.
- Select two bullet points and develop your essay around them . Avoid trying to discuss more than two of the points, for this would lead the composition to being less developed than needed.
- You may use the opinions expressed in the task to develop your answer, but be sure to use your own words as much as possible . No credit will be given for text that has been copied directly from the prompt.
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C1 advanced (cae) writing: part 2 – one task from three.
You write a text from a choice of text types – letter/email, proposal, report or review. To guide your writing, you’ll be given information about context, topic purpose and target reader How much do I have to write? 220–260 words.
Tips for Writing Part 2
- lt is imperative that you become familiar with the various task types that the exam requires. All of the task types do not appear on each exam , thus it is important to be prepared to write in any of the styles.
- Develop your skills in deciding which type of task you will complete. Evaluate the required functions, grammatical structures, vocabulary and register required by each task. Then, you may select the task that you believe you can complete at the highest level.
- Be cognizant of your audience when crafting your essay. Consider whether the person is someone you know, a stranger or someone in a position of authority etc. lt is vital to develop a balanced approach whereby you equally weigh the functions required by the task and the relationship with the target audience.
FCE, CAE, CPE
Practice, write & improve, c1 advanced (cae) writing: part 2 – types of writing.
The different types of tasks that may appear on the CAE writing exam endeavour to establish frameworks for candidates to develop their ideas on a topic with a purpose for writing and a target reader in mind.
is written for a group of contemporaries like club members or colleagues. Candidates will be expected to make suggestions backed by facts to persuade their readers.
How to write a proposal? | C1 Advanced (CAE)
AN EMAIL/A LETTER
is written to respond to a situation outlined in the question reflecting the appropriate register and tone for the specified target reader. Candidates are asked to develop correspondence to, for example, an English-speaking friend or colleague, a potential employer, a college principal or a magazine editor.
is always written for a teacher. lt should address the prompt provided in terms of addressing both content points and providing a new viewpoint of the writer’s own. The essay should be well developed with an introduction, appropriate conclusion as well as w ritten in an appropriate register and tone.
How to write an essay? | C1 Advanced (CAE)
is usually developed for a superior (e.g. a teacher) or a peer group (e.g. members of an English club). The question identifies the subject of the composition and the areas to be covered. Candidates must provide some factual information and make recommendations, but there is space for them to incorporate their own ideas and experiences.
How to write a report? | C1 Advanced (CAE)
is written traditionally for an English-language magazine, newspaper or website. The main purpose is 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.) and to give the reader a clear impression of what the item discussed is like. Description and explanation are key functions for this task and a review will normally include a recommendation to the reader.
How to write a review? | C1 Advanced (CAE)
C1 Advanced (CAE) Writing: General Tips
- Read each question closely, highlight the most important facts and develop a response that addresses all of the points required by the task. This will facilitate your ability to develop well-structured and balanced compositions.
- Be sure to not simply reproduce an essay you may have written in preparation for the test. lt is unlikely that at previous response will satisfy the exact requirements of the exam.
- Practise developing ideas fully to illustrate a variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures to express more complex ideas where appropriate.
- Make effective use of linking words and phrases to polish the flow of your ideas. In addition, to enhance the logic and ease of your composition use a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns.
- Employ a range of complex language structures where suitable. The examiner will give you credit for attempting for sophisticated modes of expression, even if you make some mistakes, as long as it does not preclude the comprehension of the overall idea you are trying to convey.
- The time permitted allows for a brief period of planning and then the composition of your essay. lt does not account for time to compose fair copies or to count words. Each item on the Writing section carries with it equal marks. So practise using your time carefully on each question.
- Write legibly so that your answers can be marked fairly, though the quality of your penmanship will not be assessed. lt is immaterial whether your handwriting is joined up or not, nor whether you write in upper or lower case characters.
- Practice writing the compositions within the word limit so that you are well versed in w hat is required. lt is wasteful to spend time counting words and this often leads to poor alterations that erode the overall quality of your essay.
- Check your work for spelling, grammar and errors in punctuation . These mistakes are not penalised specifically but these mistakes can preclude communication and/or have an adverse effect on the reader.
- Practice writing your essays without a dictionary , for they are not permitted in the examination room.
As you can see, C1 writing is not that easy at all. See what are the most common mistakes you should avoid.
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