fce writing an essay tips

How to Write an Essay for B2 First (FCE) Writing

Luis @ kse academy.

• noviembre 24, 2019

As you probably know already, Cambridge English exams usually have some or all of the following parts: Reading, Writing, Use of English and Listening. In this post I am going to talk about the FCE Writing B2 part and, more specifically, about how to write an essay for FCE Writing . We will see a good example of an essay for FCE and you can check out a full FCE Writing Guide where you can find more examples of emails , letters and other types of writings.

Essay Sample Answer

Este artículo también está disponible en castellano.

What are the parts of the FCE Writing?

The First (FCE) Writing has only two parts. For each part, you must write a composition which will depend on the instructions you receive for each task. For the  first part , you will always be asked to  write an essay , as it is the only option provided. However, in the  second part , they allow you to choose one out of 3 options. These include  different types of writing , which are : letters/emails ,  articles ,  reviews and  reports . Each piece of writing must have between 140 and 190 words , approximately.

Since they are different types of writing , the language and structures to use will also differ. But that’s what I’m here for, to explain to you exactly how to write each part. And today, I’m starting with  how to write an essay .

How to Write an Essay for FCE Writing

An  essay is an opinion writing with which we analyse a topic , a situation or an issue from different points of view , providing different arguments and expressing our opinion about it. For this reason, an  essay must have the following features:

• Purpose: What we usually do with an essay is to analyse and assess a topic, situation or issue which, in some way, is interesting or controversial. It is normally set as a writing task after a class debate. In the exam, you have to imagine the debate, obviously.
• Tone and style: Given that you’re writing about a  serious or controversial issue , an essay is written in a formal style, so we must stick to an objective tone and style . Our language must be formal, thus avoiding words that are simply too common or generic (E.g.:  things, stuff, get,   etc.) and contractions (E.g.:  can’t, don’t, won’t,  etc.).
• Structure: Like every piece of writing,  an essay must present a defined structure . For starters, we can choose either to give it a title or not. Personally, I would say that it is more appropriate to have an essay with title . Then, the body must be divided into introduction, idea 1, idea 2, idea 3 and conclusion. This means that, in general,  essays must have 5 paragraphs ,   although it is not entirely necessary.
• Opinion:  There are countless ways of expressing your opinion in an essay, so you must choose the one that suits you best. However,  it is advisable to remain impartial throughout your writing and give your opinion only in the last paragraph , as a conclusion. But, as I say, it is optional. The most important thing is that you justify everything you say in your essay.
• Coherence: Coherence is essential in every type of writing, but especially in an essay. As it tends to be an argumentative text, you must avoid writing incoherent paragraphs that have nothing to do with one another. Your ideas must  follow a logical order and be well connected with appropriate linkers .

FCE Writing Essay Example

Now that we are familiar with the  characteristics of an essay for First (FCE) Writing , let’s take a look at an  example of an essay at B2 level , both at the task and at a sample answer.

Instructions of an Essay

In the following image you can see the instructions of an essay which involves a typical topic, that of the environment:

In these instructions, we must pay attention to the following:

• The  first paragraph introduces the topic: … different ways in which you can protect the environment.
• The  second sentence is usually the same in every task:  Write an essay using  all the notes…
• In the box , you are given the main topic as a question and they give you something to talk about:  recycle, using bicycles and walking, your own idea . As you can see, you have to come up with the third idea, something connected to the topic which is not provided in the exam task.

Given the model task above, each paragraph will correspond to a different idea, apart from the introduction and conclusion. Again, it is only natural to have 5 paragraphs. So, the best way to know how to write an essay for FCE Writing is to take a look at an  example of an actual essay for FCE Writing :

At first sight, the essay has  a title and 5 paragraphs (introduction + idea 1 + idea 2 + idea 3 + conclusion). And if we stop to read the essay more carefully, we’ll notice the following things:

• The paragraphs are visual and well defined , which is very important.
• The title summarises the topic  of the essay. Another option is to use the question ( What can people do to help protect the environment? ) as title. However, it usually tends to be too long, so I prefer to summarise it into a shorter heading.
• Introduction: it introduces the topic in a general way and it leads to the second paragraph (first idea).
• Paragraph 2: it deals with idea 1.
• Paragraph 3: it deals with idea 2.
• Paragraph 4: it deals with idea 3.
• Conclusion: we express our opinion to conclude and summarise the essay.
• It uses connectors to define the development of the essay:  firstly, second, finally, etc.
• It doesn’t use many contractions or pet words.
• One of the things that
• In the last few decades,
• For this reason,
• First, / Second, / Third,
• By doing so,
• For example,
• In conclusion,

This is a good example of an essay for FCE Writing . By the way, you must bear in mind that it has been written to simulate a strong B2 level, without reaching C1.

FAQ: Do I get penalised for writing over 190 words?

This is the most typical question in this part of the exam and the answer is « yes and no «. Let me explain myself. Cambridge English examiners don’t count the number of words and penalise you based upon that fact alone. There’s a rumour going around among teachers and pupils that says that for every 10 words over 190, they take «this many» points off, but it is not true. However, think about this: if you’ve written 50 or 100 words more than asked, you are probably including irrelevant information to the task , right? Now that’s a reason for losing points. In the same way that if you  write under 140 words you are probably missing essential information , don’t you think?

For this reason, I always recommend writing up to 10 or 20 words over the limit. In this way, you won’t lose any points for including irrelevant information.

FCE Writing Guide with examples (pdf)

Although I intend to write more posts on how to do each piece of writing for FCE, if you don’t want to wait any more, simply download the official KSE Academy FCE Writing Guide . In this guide you will learn:

• How to write an essay  and 3 examples.
• How to write an article  and 3 examples.
• How to write a review  and 3 examples.
• How to write a report  and 3 examples.
• How to write an email or letter  and 3 examples.
• Over 300 useful expressions for every FCE Writing .

Would you like to see a sample of this guide? Here it is!

Did you find this useful?  Why not share it with other teachers and students of English? Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, y YouTube. 🙂

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Fce (b2 first) writing exam (essay) – video.

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In this lesson you can learn how to write an essay for the Cambridge FCE exam , step by step.

You’ll see exactly what to do at each stage in the fce writing essay section, and how to get the best possible fce score ., there are four steps to the writing process. you’ll see what to do at each step, then you’ll learn how the writing is assessed., 1. how to analyse your fce writing essay task.

First, you need to read the FCE writing essay task and identify exactly what needs to be included.

Let’s look at a sample question:

You’ve recently had a discussion in English class about society. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay. Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons for your point of view.

University should be free for everyone. Do you agree or disagree? Notes 1. Taxes 2. Opportunity 3. Your own idea

So, what do you need to do? Most importantly, you need to say if you agree or disagree that university should be free for everyone.

You also need to use all the notes and give reasons for your point of view. That means your essay needs to include three central ideas: taxes, opportunity, and one other.

It also means that you need to reach a clear, justified conclusion. You can’t just say, ‘I agree’, or ‘I disagree.’ Think of it like this: you need to convince the examiner that your conclusion is correct.

You might think at this point, ‘yeah, obvious, thanks for the help, Kasia!’ Trust me; it’s harder than it sounds. Many FCE essays that we see don’t get these basic things right. It’s very easy to leave something out, or to go in the wrong direction.

Next, you’re writing this answer for your teacher so what style do you think it will be in? Formal or informal?

An essay should be formal. What does that mean?

Formal writing doesn’t use contractions, like ‘I’d’, ‘you’re’ or ‘don’t’. Write the full forms. You should also avoid using slang, colloquial vocabulary, or anything which sounds very conversational.

Next, think: what do you need to include?

You need to talk about taxes, opportunity, and you also need to add your own idea.

Even the ideas which are given to you—taxes and opportunity—are quite vague. That means you need to decide exactly what to talk about.

You also need to think about how to connect your ideas.

For example, with taxes you could say that if you pay taxes, then this should go back into society to benefit everyone. You could add to this by pointing out that having equal opportunities also benefits society. And for your own idea, you could talk about how people with higher education are more likely to be economically productive.

This is just one example, of course! There are many paths you could take.

Let’s talk about that in more detail.

2. How to Plan Your FCE Writing

Here’s what you need to do when you plan your writing for the FCE writing essay.

First, you need to decide what your conclusion is going to be. Are you going to agree or disagree that university should be free for everyone?

Decide your conclusion first, because everything else in your essay needs to lead to it.

Secondly, you need to plan how many paragraphs you’re going to have, and what you’ll put in each one.

Thirdly, you need to make sure your paragraphs are connected to your conclusion.

Let’s see an example:

• Taxes – parents pay taxes so children should get education. Children will pay taxes in the future.
• Opportunity – education creates more equal society. Higher standard of living for everyone.
• Economy – educated workforce helps the economy grow.
• Conc. – agree with statement

Pause the video if you want some more time to read the plan.

You can see that we use the key idea of ‘education’ in the notes for each paragraph. Doing this can help you to stay focused and on-topic, because you’re connecting each paragraph back to the main idea of the question.

When you plan, make sure that each paragraph has a clear focus.

Every good paragraph starts with a topic sentence, which summarises the main point of the paragraph.

The sentences which follow are called supporting sentences. These include reasons and examples to support your topic sentence.

A good exercise during planning is to take a paragraph and think to yourself: “What’s this paragraph about?”

If you can answer that question in one simple sentence, then that’s a good sign. Hopefully, your plan is clear. However, if you can’t answer that question, that shows that your plan isn’t totally clear in your head.

Once you’ve finished your plan, you’re ready to write your answer!

3. How to Write Your Answer

In your candidate answer book, you will now write your essay.

Let’s look at a model answer:

• There are many factors to consider when deciding if the university should be free or not. Among these are taxes, equality of opportunity, and the economy.
• Firstly, a proportion of taxes should go to education. Some might say if you can afford university, then you should pay for it. But, this doesn’t take into account the fact that higher earners pay higher income tax so they are already contributing more.
• Secondly, by making university free for all, it creates more opportunitys for those from low-income backgrounds. Although they may still have difficulty meeting other costs such as accommodation it makes the playing field more level.
• In addition, having an educated workforce is proven to help the economy grow. The more people with degrees there are, the higher the standard of living for everyone. So, more people will be able to pay taxes to fund the education of future generations.
• In conclusion, free university ultimately benefits all members of society.

Pause the video to read, and start again when you’re ready.

First question: have we answered the question?

Yes: the conclusion states that ‘free university benefits all members of society.’ This shows that we agree that university should be free for everyone.

Next: have we used topic sentences?

Yes, we have. The first sentence of the essay tells you what the entire essay will be about.

Then, each paragraph’s topic sentence contains a key word from our plan. We have ‘taxes,’ ‘opportunities’ and ‘economy’.

Also, the topic sentences and paragraphs all reference the idea of ‘education’, either directly or indirectly. This shows that our points are relevant and connected to the task.

So, now you’re finished, right? No–there’s one more step. This answer is not bad, but it could be better.

4. How to Check and Improve Your Answer

The final step is to check your answer.

What type of things do you think you should look for?

Grammar, of course, but what else?

Check for spelling mistakes. Check for style—have you used any conversational language which doesn’t fit the tone of an essay like this?

Check your use of linking words and phrases. Many students overuse them; don’t use a linking word like nevertheless unless you’re sure it fits.

Check for repetition of vocabulary. Could you replace any simple vocabulary with something more advanced?

Look at our model answer again:

• There are many factors to consider when deciding if the university should be free or not. Among these are taxes, equality of opportunity and the economy.
• Secondly, by making university free for all, it creates more opportunitys for those from low-income backgrounds. Although they may still have difficulty meeting other costs such as accommodation * it makes the playing field more level.

The bold words are either mistakes, or they could be improved somehow.

How would you improve this? Pause the video while you read and decide.

The first problem is with grammar. Unless you’re talking about one specific university, you don’t use the.

Okay, what’s wrong with doesn’t? We’ve used a contraction! Don’t use contractions in your essay. So, it should be does not.

The next problem is a spelling mistake. When a word ends in ‘y’, it changes to ‘ies’ in the plural: opportunities .

Next is a punctuation mistake. There’s a comma missing. There are two clauses in this sentence and they need to be separated by a comma.

There’s nothing wrong with people with degrees but it’s quite basic. What else could you say?

You could say educated people, or even highly-educated people, either of which is slightly more elegant.

So is not a mistake, but we used so in the second paragraph already. You want to show the examiner your range of language, so here you could use something more precise like consequently.

Our conclusion is only one sentence, so let’s add an extra point. We’re still under the maximum word count. This could help us to state our opinion more clearly.

Let’s change it to:

• In conclusion, free university should be free for everyone. It makes economic sense and ultimately benefits all members of society.

Here’s the final version of our essay:

• There are many factors to consider when deciding if university should be free or not. Among these are taxes, equality of opportunity, and the economy.
• Firstly, a proportion of taxes should go to education. Some might say if you can afford university, then you should pay for it. But, this does not take into account the fact that higher earners pay higher income tax so they are already contributing more.
• Secondly, by making university free for all, it creates more opportunities for those from low-income backgrounds. Although they may still have difficulty meeting other costs such as accommodation, it makes the playing field more level.
• In addition, having an educated workforce is proven to help the economy grow. The more highly-educated people there are, the higher the standard of living for everyone. Consequently, more people will be able to pay taxes to fund the education of future generations.

At this point, it’s looking good! Next, let’s focus on what you can do to produce a good FCE writing essay which will get a high score in your exam.

5. How to Improve Your Score

Your essay score is made up of four parts. For each part, you get a score from zero to five.

• Content – how well the candidate has fulfilled the task
• Communicative Achievement – how appropriate the writing is for the task
• Organisation – how well the writing is put together
• Language – focuses on vocabulary and grammar

First there’s Content . The mark scheme says this “focuses on how well you have fulfilled the task”. In other words, have you done everything you were asked to do?

This corresponds to step one of our writing process. Analyse the task carefully and make sure you do everything it asks you to. A good tip is to underline the key words in the task to help you identify what you need to do.

Next there’s Communicative Achievement . This “focuses on how appropriate your writing is for the task”.

Have you used the correct register? Have you used contractions? Basically: does your essay look and sound like an essay?

Then we have Organisation . This looks at “how the writing is put together”. Is it logical and organised? By planning your writing carefully, it will already be organised. Remember to plan your paragraphs carefully and write a clear topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.

You can also use linking words and phrases to make the connections between paragraphs even clearer.

In our essay, we used many linking words, including firstly, secondly, in addition, although, consequently and in conclusion. Look through the essay again, and note how the linking words and phrases are used. Can you find any more examples of linking words in the essay?

Finally, you have Language : vocabulary and grammar. The examiners will be looking for a range of language as well as how accurate it is. In step four, you saw how checking your essay can improve your language.

Are you worried that making mistakes will affect your mark? Of course, making a lot of mistakes will lower your mark, but remember this is only one part of your score.

For B2 level, the Cambridge mark scheme says, ‘Occasional errors may be present but do not impede communication.’ That means you can still score 5 from 5, even with some small mistakes.

But, hopefully, you’ll catch most of them when you’re on step four – checking and improving your answer.

You’ve seen how to write an essay for FCE, but you can use the same process for other Cambridge exams, including the CAE and CPE when you get that far.

Good luck with your exam preparation and let us know when you pass! Thanks for watching!

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Tips for the FCE Writing Section (B2 English)

By Fabio 6 Comments

Hey friend, how is life? In this blog post I’m going to review some useful insights to ace the Writing part of the FCE exam , also known as Cambridge English: First but also as First Certificate in English.

So you know already one fundamental notion: Cambridge Assessment English exams have as many titles as Daenerys Targaryen . 😂

This post looks in more depth at the Writing part but if you feel like having a broader vision of the FCE exam, here you have it –>  First Certificate in English (FCE): How to Ace it

To pass the exam is no easy feat and the Writing is certainly one of the hardest. Language conventions, style, lexicon … 😔 In the Reading and Use of English at least you only have to fill empty spaces :-/ in here, you have to compose a text from scratch.

You are given a few guidelines and you’re left with a blank space to scrabble in. No wonder some of us find this part to be difficult .

Well, it does not have to be: with the right preparation and tools, you can pass the exam with flying colours, FCE Writing included.

⚠️ WARNING: THIS POST IS NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED ⚠️

👎 Downside: you’re reading a lengthy piece . I couldn’t make it exhaustive and short at the same time, sorry.

👍 Upside: you do not need to look any further on the Internet. This <brag alert> is the most comprehensive guide available concerning the FCE Writing </brag alert>.

I invite you to put it in your Favourites in order to come back, every now and again, to explore the different parts and suggestions, as you happen to need them. 🔖

And now, let’s dive into the matter.

Cambridge English: First – The Writing section

You’re given 80 minutes for two different tasks:

• Essay (compulsory for everybody).
• Review, report, letter, email or article (you have to pick one of those proposed).

So, it makes forty minutes for each text. In reality, you can spend seventy minutes on one and ten on the other : it’s absolutely fine. In this time, you have to do it all:

• Jot down ideas ,
• brainstorm vocabulary you’d like to use,
• blueprint the text, 🗺️
• pass it on a fair copy,
• checking GSP (Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation), 🔬 and
• deliver it to the examiner.

Both texts have to be between 140 and 190 words long each.

Cambridge English: First: On paper or computer?

You can either go for the paper-based exam or for the computer-based exam : one of the two major differences between them lies indeed in the FCE Writing section.

In the paper-based exam, you write on, surprise surprise , paper . 📝 That means you have to do it the good old way: basically, draft first then neat copy. Thus, you have to factor in the time to do this all and make a final check round before to deliver it.

In the computer-based exam, you write on… (drum roll) … a digital screen . 💻 That means you don’t have to worry about initial draft and final draft : there won’t be crossing-outs, ink stains, bad handwriting. However, you still have white paper, pens and pencils in case you want to scribble some notes aside.

Also, if you go for the computer-based exam, you have some extra perks:

#1 You have a stopwatch right before your eyes, on top of the screen, flashing red when the time is about to end; ⏱️

#2 You also have a word counter , below the screen, so that you can keep your text length under control the whole time.

Are in essence the paper-based and the computer-based versions of the Writing the same? Absolutely the same . It’s just a different medium. If you feel like scrabbling ideas on paper , you can still do it: you are provided with blank paper and pens and pencils, whereas necessary, before the beginning of the exam.

So, should you go for the paper-based exam or the computer-based one? Whatever floats your boat. ⛵ Surprisingly, many candidates prefer the paper-based one.

Want to know more about the two formats? Read: Paper or Computer: Choose your Cambridge English Exam Format .

Cambridge English: First – Writing: Traps you should be aware of

Along these years in the field, I’ve seen many students underestimating this task. Why? Because they think they’re already able to write . Among the remarks I heard the most:

• I’ve been sending emails in English in my job for years now, what need do I have to prepare?
• I’m quite used keeping in touch with my Erasmus friends by sending emails and texting them 📱 , no need for further studies.
• I read a lot in English: British newspapers, sport magazines, travel newsletters… it shouldn’t be hard to craft a few words-text.

There are sooooo many misconceptions here. 🤔

#1 Email is just one of the six options you may have in the FCE Writing section. Besides, you may be writing for a thousand years but doing it wrong.

#2 Texting and emailing informally a friend is NOT the same as to write an email with the required language and conventions to someone who’s not a friend. And again: email is just one of five options in the FCE writing; WhatsApp messages are not yet considered as a type of text from the Cambridge folks deserving to be introduced in any exam.

#3 Reading is the compulsory starting point if you want to write 📚, but then, there’s more work to do.

The truth of the matter is the following, beautifully articulated by Benjamin Franklin:

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

For the great majority of us, real life just does not provide the type of preparation you need to pass the exam . Who do you send an essay to? What do you write a report for? OK, I think I made myself clear on this point. Now, an interesting question.

Any textbook to prepare myself for the FCE Writing task?

Is there any book you’d recommend to improve specifically the Writing section of the FCE exam? Yes, there is FCE Writing Masterclass by Marc Roche . I’d rather say it’s a must-study.

Be VERY mindful of an irrefutable fact: if you know how to write, speaking will follow .

This is an all too often overlooked concept: a horde of learners presume talking well in a given language is all about pronouncing right and training amply the talking itself. Wrong!

First, you need to get your linguistic act together: having something to say, being able to tell it in an articulated matter ; pronunciation, prosody, rhetoric come later. Writing is to speaking as walking is to running.

Want to know more about the Speaking part? Read: FCE Certificate: A Recipe for Success in FCE Speaking .

Now, let’s dig into the kinds of Writing you will encounter in the B2 First exam, one by one.

FCE Writing: Essay

The Essay is the only component of Part 1 of the Writing. It’s compulsory . In it, you have to talk about a topic, mentioning two points you’re provided plus a point of your own. 🖊️ In other words, in an essay you give info, you explain your viewpoint, you compare and contrast.

The consumption of dietary supplements has been growing exponentially and various voices call for a more stringent regulation about them. What do you think?

Write about:

• The online sales of such supplements;
• health hazards associated with their consumption;
• … … … … (your own idea).

So, in less than 200 words you have to talk about the two points offered plus a point of your making.

What are some basic principles you should follow?

• You have to show a B2 lexicon : tablets, superfoods, nutraceutical, etc;
• the composition must be structured in paragraphs , linked one another with proper connectors ;
• you have to tap into a language portfolio to express comparisons, explanations, agreements and disagreements, personal views.

What do I mean in point 3 ? Making use of:

• Although, despite, even if;
• firstly, to begin with, first of all;
• on the one hand, on the other hand; f
• or example, for instance;
• additionally, on top of that; to summarise, in conclusion…

You got me.

How would I organize my time ? Ideally, I would:

• Budget some three-four minutes to take note of all the useful words and sentences I may use to show how good is my English,
• then another couple of minutes to draft a roadmap of my text,
• do the actual writing, the bulk of it,
• then I’ll eventually sum it all up and conclude,
• to eventually make a last check round to seek and destroy any mistakes.

A word of advise (or two) (maybe three):

#1 Keep your words under control.

The maximum limit of words is quite tight: if you don’t pay attention, you’ll end up writing twice as much in order to cover all the points.

#2 Keep your brainstorming skills sharp.

Far from the exam, is a good thing to do the following exercise. Open up a newspaper, pick an article: what topic is it? Nuclear wastes? Climate change? Online banking security breaches? 🔓

Perfect! Pick them, write them on paper then brainstorm for a few minutes what words and structures to use in the essay .

#3 Save some time for the end.

It is useful to allow, at the very end of your 80 minutes, some spare 3-4 minutes to come back to the essay , to read it again in search for mistakes again and incongruences. Why?

Because after forty minutes of being on top of the essay, you may not be able any more to spot such undesired intruders. The distance given by half an hour and attention on something else, gives a useful semi-fresh perspective on it .

What is that I shouldn’t say but it is better for me to say?

#1 Keep it simple : don’t play Alain de Botton if your name is Pedro Antuñéz or Giovanni Rossi. Better something less sophisticated but correct than something amazingly conceived but poorly rendered on paper.

#2 Care your GSP (Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation) : there is no point in being Malcolm Gladwell 🦱 if you have a first grader’s GSP.

#3 Never forget that you’re not being evaluated on the originality of your ideas.

If the essay is about recycling, you don’t have to quote a pioneering study from the University of Petropavlovsk concerning the reuse of coffee pods in subarctic oceanic aquaculture.

What you have to do, in your FCE Writing, is to show that you have a B2 English , not a PhD in the subject of the essay.

And now, it’s time for you to get stained with some ink. Read the assignment below –> do it yourself –> check how I would have done it. ✒️

A real-life example of an Essay

Consider the following assignment.

More needs to be done to encourage children to spend time healthily outdoors. Do you agree? (140-190 words)

Write about: 1# Benefits and disadvantages of children’s outdoor activities 2# Recommendations for parents and teachers 3# Your own ideas

💬 Done? Very well. So, there are MANY ways to write this essay, but a decent one is the following:

Children spending time healthily outdoor

First of all, I wholeheartedly agree with the statement, but I will try to describe all the pros and cons related to the matter, before coming to conclusions.

To begin with, it’s easy to come up with several reasons why our kids ought to spend some daily hours in places such as parks, gardens or in the countryside. Physical activity is paramount to a person’s wellness, even more at a young age; besides, it would prevent obesity and subtle manipulation from TV and the internet.

That doesn’t mean there are no downsides. It’s difficult to be outdoorsy if you dwell in a 50 sqm-flat downtown or if you reside in a bad dodgy neighbourhood. In that case, we may want these children to stay indoors, watching the TV and being looked after.

However, the most crucial element in this regard is, in my opinion, parenting style. We’ve been breeding a generation of “helicopter parents”, hovering constantly over their offspring in search for hidden threats. Media play a big role in this, as they blow everything out of proportion: there’s rather plenty of evidence that such fears are irrational.

To sum up, I do admit there are pros and cons in letting the kids stay less indoor, but I firmly believe there’s a lot more to gain than to lose.

💬 And here it is. Too hard? Too long? If you prepare well, you’re going to nail it.

Any textbook to improve my Essay writing skills?

Actually, you know what? Most prep books for the FCE exam focus enough on the Essay. Why? Because it’s the only Writing exercise you’re obliged to do, hence their emphasis.

Any of the books suggested in the main post about FCE are as good as a lemon sorbet in a summer heat wave. 🍦 You may find them here:

First Certificate in English (FCE): How to Ace it

You shall find plenty of instructions and examples there. Nevertheless, whatever your strategy, it is neeeeeeeeever a bad idea to review and strengthen your grammar . This can be an excellent ally of yours:

English Grammar in Use with Answers : I have a hard time taking grammar books in my hands, but this is well done.

FCE Writing: Article

The Article is one of the options you’re given in the Part 2 of the FCE Writing: whether to go for this one or not, is your choice.

In the Article, you have to write an engaging text for a website, a magazine, a newsletter. ✏️ I n other words, in an article you describe, provide examples and articulate your opinion , in a way that you readers feel compelled to read it all.

In your opinion, what would be the upsides and downsides of learning programming languages? Is it something you would invite all young people to do?

The best article will be published next month.

• Tap into your source of B2 vocabulary ;
• write a sentence for each paragraph you’d like to include, then expand from such sentence outwards;
• always keep in mind who’s your reader persona : age, social and educational background, etc.

General suggestions:

• A catchy title is recommendable , but do not go Huffington Post-clickbait-ish.
• A school newspaper requires a style that a tech magazine does not. Learn how to pass from informality to formality in your writing.
• Away from the exam, read as many articles as you can given that they are your raw material.

#1 Keep it simple : if you can’t put on paper a Fareed Zakaria’s prose , don’t try. A couple of ideas, linear clauses, appropriate nouns and adjectives, good connectors: that’s all.

# 2 Care your GSP (Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation) : no point in writing the best article ever if you drop a wheater you leik it or not . 😱

#3 Never forget that you’re being evaluated for your English , which has to be B2. Not for your originality in terms of content or style: just for your English . Cambridge does not deliver Pulitzer prizes anyway.

💬 Now it’s your turn again: read the assignment below –> write it yourself –> check my version of it. ✒️

A real-life example of an Article

In your opinion, is learning programming languages necessary in today’s world? Is it something you would invite all young people to do?

The best article will be published next month in our college magazine.

💬 Again, COUNTLESS are the ways to write this. I’m just putting down one of them here below.

Human languages are the present: programming languages the future

In modern-day society, a good curriculum has no real appeal if not completed with the mastery of one or two foreign languages. But… Do you think it will always be this way? I don’t think so.

Sooner or later, human languages will be translated and interpreted by machines that will run on an entirely different set of languages: that of computers. Programming languages, we call them.

That’s the future. It will take ten years, perhaps twenty: but in that moment, these tools will be as popular and embedded into our daily life and professions, that ignoring Python, C+ or Java will be just as prejudicial as is nowadays not knowing English or French.

Hence, I strongly recommend our youth to start exploring the subject. It’s no more difficult than learning any other discipline: a bit of patience, some guidance, good materials.

So, guys: read about it, try coding, come to our so-called “Hackatons”, attend courses and hone your programming skills. Before you know it, it will be impossible to live without.

💬 And here we are. Nothing otherwordly, don’t you think?

Any material to boost my Article writing skills?

Of course. It is possible to accomplish this task even without this book, to be honest. On the other hand, if you want to learn how to write an article in an excellent way, you shouldn’t miss:

The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century , by Steven Pinker . Good for FCE, CAE, CPE and for being a human being.

FCE Writing: Email

The Email is also one of the options you’re given in the Part 2 of this section, so it is not compulsory .

In this, you have to write in response to a certain situation , formal or informal, being careful to include everything you’re told according to the conventions of an email. 📧

You see this ad on an English-language literary magazine website.

Writing Contest

Ready to share your novel or poem with the world? Whether you’re a newbie or more established writer, you’re welcome to take part in our Fiction or Poetry contests.

Submit by sending us an email briefly introducing yourself, as a person and an author, beside a few words on your creation. Don’t forget to attach your work!

So now, what’s the purpose of the email?

• To explain who you are , both in life and in the literary sphere,and
• to succinctly describe the piece of fiction you’re participating with.

Informal or formal? Kind of in between here, don’t you concur? It’s a writing contest, granted, but the phrasing used in the announcement is not Victorian literary English . 👑

The cues are:

• the Ready to share… rather than a more pompous Are you ready to share…
• words like newbie , rather than a formal neophyte or even novice
• you’re instead of you are
• the exclamation mark in the end of the ad and the absence of pleases or other expressions of deference.
• Prove that you master a B2 vocabulary : inner voice, the heart of the story, blurb, etc;
• the conventions of the genre must be respected: opening, main body, closing formula;
• you have to balance somehow the different points you’re asked to talk about: your biography, who you are as a writer and what’s your literary work about. 📗 You can be the new Charlotte Brontë but if you miss these three things you’re hardly going to succeed.

Again, it’s a useful exercise to take a few minutes to think of the words, idioms and expressions you may use, plus to draw a simple outline of how you’re going to unfold the email, paragraph after paragraph.

Points I want you to be aware of:

#1 The Email writing is more difficult than what it looks like.

Why? Because in life you may read a lot of essays, articles or reports so that you will have an idea of how to draft them even if you do not specifically train yourself for them. But emails? Not really.

That’s when textbooks and prep books come in very handy: they contain this stuff, so you should rely on them. 📩

#2 A maximum of 190 words is less than what you imagine.

Don’t get carried away or you’ll still be talking about yourself by word nº 220 and you still haven’t even glossed over your writing genius and your manuscript.

#3 Don’t warp your English in an effort to make it superduper cultured. 

It’s unlikely that this email will end up in a posthumous collection such as The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. At a B2 you know enough English to communicate richly, but to be Virginia Woolf-like, a great deal remains to be done.

💬 Time for you to test your skills: read the assignment below –> do it yourself –> check how I would have done it. ✒️

A real-life example of an Email

Scholarships 

Every year, two scholarships are offered to candidates from overseas who can show how our one-year course in English studies would help their career.

Scholarships cover fees, accommodation and food but not transport or personal spending money.

To apply, write an email explaining why you think you deserve a scholarship.

💬 I hope you really did it, rather than scrolling down endlessly 🤨 Anyway, this is what I’d write.

Dear Sir/Madam, I hope this email finds you well.

I am writing to your attention about the ad on your website, concerning the two scholarships for overseas students. I believe it would make a huge difference for me: allow me here to explain why.

As you know, Italy is a tourism-based country. Thus, I have been pursuing an education in Hotel Management and Sustainable Tourism. Unfortunately, in my country English teaching is not cutting-edge: neither within the education system, nor in the general society. As a result, undergraduates like me are forced to take matters into their own hands.

I have carefully read your one-year English studies program: I believe it would be very formative for me, beside being a boost for my employability.

This email would not be complete if I failed to mention either my excellent academic results (I hereby attach my curriculum) or, particularly, my limited budget. Hence, a financial aid in the form of a scholarship would be most welcome.

I look forward to hearing from you and please do not hesitate to contact me for any queries you may have.

Yours sincerely, Tyrion Lannister

💬 And here it is. As long as you study well, the Email does not constitute any danger.

Any textbook to improve my Email writing skills?

Yes, there’s one which is as good as a granita siciliana while laying on a beach in Favignana in August. 🍦 It’s this one:

Writing That Works, 3rd Edition: How to Communicate Effectively in Business Paperback by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson : a phenomenal textbook on how to write emails the proper way.

FCE Writing: Review

The Review is one of the options you’re given in Part 2: again, it is not compulsory .

The Review assesses how well you can describe and motivate your opinion about something you have first-hand knowledge of (the like of an electronic gadget, a theatre play, a holiday package, etc.), with a final suggestion to the reader. 📝 In other words, in a review you have to describe, detail and give your opinion.

A review may be published on different media: daily newspaper, online magazine, nationwide printed cultural journal. Hence, different styles for different outlets.

The Best Tablet of the Year

On our lifestyle webzine, we’ve been gathering reviews from our readership concerning the best tablet of the year. If you have recently purchased or used one, write us your opinion including brand, model, features and other data you deem relevant.

We will then publish a chart based on the devices which have received the most praises!

So, the assignment couldn’t be clearer. You have to include in your review (I am totally making stuff up here below between parenthesis):

• Brand and name of the device (Maple iMoon), 📟
• what did you use it for (to track supernovas in the sky in-sync with a telescope),
• relevant features (material, screen size, USB ports, Bluetooth, processor, battery life, pre-installed Apps, front camera lenses, etc.),
• what has mattered the most for you (next-gen processing speed but short battery life, for instance),
• a resume of your opinion and a recommendation to other readers (not the best piece of equipment for pros but good value for money for amateurs). ✔️
• Brag about your B2 vocabulary : screen-to-body ratio, headphone jack, processing power , etc;
• if you are utterly uninformed about the matter (i.e. technology here), you may want to skip a review like this. On the other hand, if you’re an electronic gadget buff, tune down your prose . No mere mortal understands stuff like “a 16MB Intel Smart Cache behind a 1080p non-touch capacitive display would earn my praise only with a our USB-C SD carbon fibre card adapter”;
• organise carefully your review in sequential paragraphs .

#1 Choose a title that is alluring and at the same time gives the readers an idea of what to expect from your review. 💯

#2 It’s a good thing to read reviews profusely in preparation of the exam.

A brief summary of your go-to resources:

– Gizmos: Techradar – Restaurants & Hotels: Tripadvisor – Books: Goodreads – Movies: BBC Film Reviews

It’s good to remark that most of the reviews you’ll find over the Internet are user-generated but not reviewed by a proofreader : nevertheless, at a B2 level you should be proficient enough to tell the bad from the good.

#3 Don’t get lost in the analysis that you forget to include your final recommendation .

💬 Your turn: read carefully the assignment –> do it –> have a look at my attempt. ✒️

A real-life example of a Review

The following announcement has been published in your English-language university website magazine.

Film reviews wanted!

Have you recently watched a film in which you particularly liked the main character?

Write us a review of the film explaining what the main actor did and why in your opinion he deserves praise. Tell us also to whom you would recommend this film to other viewers.

We will publish the best review in our magazine.

💬 Not an easy one. Still, we need to be prepared. Here’s my piece.

The Call of the Wild review: a light-hearted, comforting story

The latest adaptation of Jack London’s most famous novel, directed by Chris Sanders, won’t satisfy the sophisticated appetite of our most salacious critics, but it does have an appeal, in my opinion.

Starring Harrison Ford as gruff Thornton and a CGI imposing dog as Buck, the film will likely become a young adult’s classic. Unfolding in the northern wilderness, the story is about two losers, harshly beaten by life, that come to recognize one another and team up.

I found that Ford’s acting is convincing, not entirely so that of the computer-generated Collie-St. Bernard mongrel: at times it falls short of nowadays’ FX standards, besides conferring the dog an incomprehensible, semi-supernatural ability to understand the English language.

The other characters’ performances are not subpar, nor are they Oscar-winning. There are no cliffhangers or unexpected plot twists, as it’s easy to imagine.

All in all, in my opinion is worth seeing, for those that are in search of an eighty minute-long solace, an unadventurous film evolving among the jaw-dropping Alaskan landscapes. One to relax, rather than reflect.

💬 This is one of the hundred reviews one may jot down. The genre has its own peculiar traits, but it entirely doable, as you can see.

Any volume to ameliorate my Review writing prowess?

Not really, which is a pity. However, you may want to dissect the book below.

It is not specifically for this type of text, but considering the insane variety of reviews there can be, it’s a terrific idea to review your vocabulary (no pun intended):

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-Intermediate by Michael McCarthy and Felicity O’Dell : the authors are two established names in the field of Teaching English as a Second Language.

FCE Writing: Letter

The Letter is an option you’re given in Part 2, among others. Thus, it is not compulsory .

In the Letter, you have to write a written communication to a friend, a relative, an editor in chief, a head hunter, etc. ✍️

A pet to care for

Two English-speaking friends have accepted to take care of your turtle while you’re abroad for three months, but they’d like to know more in detail what it entails. You thank and inform them through a letter.

So, it isn’t so complicated, is it?

• They’re friends, so the language has to be informal ;
• first you thank, then you provide instructions ;
• you begin, end and fill the email with B2 words and expressions, in a laid-back tone.

What are some basic principles you should follow in this part of the FCE Writing?

• Don’t let the informality of the letter fool you . You still have to prove that you know proper English;
• you can steer a bit the composition in the direction you prefer : food, shelter, special needs of the turtle, if you prefer your friends to come at your place versus you bringing a terrarium to theirs; 🐢
• A letter is similar to, but not identical, an email. Respect the differences .

#1 The example I brought up above is that of an informal letter, but some – such as job applications – are so not informal. You need to be equally prepared for both styles .

#2 Just as other types of writing, you may hardly have in your daily life the chance to send and receive letters of any kind . It seems so from the Eighties now. 📨 A couple of good textbooks and prep books are what you need for this.

#3 No exception to the GSP rule (care your Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation): it’s friends you’re writing to but neither you are allowed to misspell nor to use abomination like b4 for “before”, 2 for “to” or bcz for “because”.

💬 Time to practice the Letter! As usual: read the assignment as carefully as you can –> write your composition –> compare it with mine below. ✒️

A real-life example of a Letter

You met an old ex colleague at a trade fair, when he informed you his current company has been looking for an experienced account manager in the publishing business.

You write a cover letter to the head of Human Resources that will have your CV attached. In the letter, you briefly introduce yourself, mention a few highlights of your profile and ask for an interview.

💬 A cover letter, an evergreen. Here’s how I’d do it.

Dear Mr Gladstone,

I’m writing under the suggestion of my former coworker, Mr Mormont, whom I have recently met at the press trade show in Zurich: there, he made me aware that your company is in need of an accomplished salesperson: I’d like to be included in the recruitment process.

I know your company to be one of the top-five providers of marketing services to publishing enterprises: ambition and commitment seems to be in the DNA of your firm, so they are of mine.

As you can see in the hereby attached curriculum, I’m a young yet experienced key clients administrator in the same field, with a proven track record. My educational background is in International Relations, which comes extremely useful when dealing with firms from all over the world. The fluent knowledge of French and Spanish complete my profile.

I’d be honoured to have an interview with you at a mutually convenient time. In the meantime, in case of further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

I look forward to speaking with you about this opportunity and thank you for the time taken to read this.

Sincerely, Alys Karstarck

💬 No need to write about insanely overqualified profiles, as long as your English is correct and appropriate.

Is there a book I can use to scribbles letters better than now?

Yes and no. There are tonns of decent books about it, but once you have the one I mentioned above about business communication, it’d be sufficient.

FCE Writing: Report

The Report is one of the options you’re given in the Part 2 of the FCE Writing: again, it is not compulsory . In the Report, you have to explain facts and express a recommendation.

After a class discussion, your English teacher has asked students to write a report on the role of pets in modern families. You have to include positive but also negative outcomes, making a recommendation on how to curb these latter.

• A title isn’t required but neither is forbidden: add it if you come up with a good one;
• information has to be orderly. A paragraph structure is paramount, and if you want, you can give each paragraph a heading; 📐
• don’t gloss over the requirements of the report to jump straight to recommendations.

#1 Choose a report if you’re knowledgeable about the topic.

All reports follow a similar scheme, therefore there’s a lot that you can learn and use in each of them, whatever the topic is.

However… do not choose the report just for this reason. Neither should you be up for it because you like the topic. You have to consider, first and foremost, how much you know about the theme . 🧐

To follow up on the example given above, you may love pets, have two dozens of them at your place and want to discuss it: whatever! The question is: are you able to write authoritatively about it? Passion about the topic does not help: mastery of it does.

#2 Spend time planning carefully to save time writing.

That’s it. Four to five minutes spent outlining your report are going to save you many minutes later when you do the actual writing.

It does not have to be rocket science. A very primitive plan could be:

• Recommendations

For each of these four parts, jot down ideas ; then, sentences, vocabulary, phrasal verbs and idioms you may use.📏 Then, attack the task and start writing. Why is it effective? Because without a plan, most of us get lost in the meanders of our brain.

You might spend twenty minutes writing only to realize afterwards that:

• You’ve gone off topic ,
• you haven’t balanced the pros with the cons,
• you have just made a long recommendation from the first line to the last.

#3 Headings may come to your rescue.

A report is one of these kinds of text in which headings help to define a clearer structure of the text. You certainly do not put them in a letter or email.

You know what? If for whatever reason you haven’t got plenty to say, you may want to include headings to increase your word count . 🆒

It has to be wisely done, of course: if they’re just paraphrasing what’s below them and as long as the paragraphs they’re on top of, hmmmm, not a good thing.

💬 Time for you to practice the Report: read the assignment –> do it –> check my own below. ✒️

A real-life example of a Report

Y ou see this announcement on your city council website.

We are conducting research about how to save water in our town. We would like to hear our citizen’s feedback and ideas on the matter: what are we doing well? Which area of improvements do you see? What would you propose?

💬 Water management: one of the most common topics. You can’t be caught off guard.

The aim of this report is to assess the current situation in our town regarding the usage of water and how to reduce it. What follows is the result of my own investigations: recommendations are given to the best of my knowledge.

In our city, this matter is particularly relevant as it lays on a basin characterised by the scarcity of water resources. Frankly, I haven’t seen any environment-minded policies so far, that’s why I welcome such forms of citizen participation.

I am told that our Urban Cleaning Services use non-potable water to clean streets and waste containers: that’s an excellent approach, but it’s far from being enough.

There is a battery of measures that could be implemented, among which:

• Substituting sprinkling irrigators in parks with more efficient dripping systems,
• making new buildings water-efficient,
• recurring to underground tanks to recover rainwater in public buildings,
• refurbishing existing housings with water-saving taps and bath-wares.

To sum up, some proposals do need a minimum budget to be implemented: perhaps, we can start from the cheapest, most cost-effective ones, to grow in ambition according to what the municipal funds allow.

💬 Here it goes. No need to solve world’s water issues: just to deliver a fair text, with a few ideas woven in clear sentences and paragraphs.

Would I recommend a textbook in order to learn to write better reports?

I know a few about improving the way we write reports in general : How to Write Reports and Proposals by Patrick Forsyth is arguably among the best, though it does not focus on the FCE.

Cambridge English: First – Writing: conclusions

We have come to the end of this post about the FCE Writing section. I hope to have clarified one main point: no need to stress in the FCE writing task .

Unlike the other sections, here you have a degree of freedom to include structures you know and language you are proficient in. If you follow the advice listed here, your FCE Writing task will be marvellous.

Have you missed the main guide about the FCE exam? Here you have it ⬇️

Having said that…

• Would you like to suggest something about this post? ➡️ Leave a comment below.
• Did you find the post useful? ➡️ Share with friends, relatives and fellow English learners.
• Do you need further help with the FCE Writing? ➡️ Contact me . I’ve been assisting for years learners like you to pass the FCE exam with flying colours. These colours:

Wash your hands, sneeze into your elbow, keep learning English and write a lot. I wish you the best. 😉

Your personal language exam trainer, Fabio

Anything else I can help with?

Reader interactions.

24th November 2020 at 3:02 pm

24th November 2020 at 7:28 pm

26th November 2020 at 2:22 pm

I have browsed a lot of websites about this and I have NEVER found such a complete review of FCE Writing. Sir, I’d like to hire your services. I need to take FCE soon. Thank you.

26th November 2020 at 8:27 pm

Thank you Haldor! I’m sending you a PM 😉

23rd August 2022 at 5:59 pm

Absolutely loved this. Thank you sir, very appreciated.

24th August 2022 at 10:14 pm

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B2 First (FCE) Essay Writing Guide

The Cambridge B2 First (FCE) essay is easier to write than you think! Follow these steps to write the perfect essay.

Post Contents

What is the Cambridge B2 First Essay?

• Part 1 of the writing test – there are 2 parts total
• 140-190 word limit
• You have about 40 minutes to plan and write your essay
• You must answer a question using two notes and your own idea
• The topic requires general knowledge only
• The essay is always formal because it is written “for your teacher”

Step One: Look at the Task (1 minute)

To begin, all B2 First essays have a similar format . This is great because you know exactly how to write the essay before seeing the question.

Read the essay question carefully and HIGHLIGHT any keywords you need to write about.

Tip: If you don’t understand the question or notes, DON’T PANIC. Try your best to write the essay. You will still get points for grammar, vocabulary, and structure.

Sample exam test from Cambridge English .

Step Two: Write a plan (5 minutes)

A lot of my students dislike writing a plan. However, a plan helps you organize your thoughts and helps you write a better B2 First essay. Your essay needs 5 paragraphs . We will use the sample task from above as an example:

Paragraph structure for an essay

Introduction.

• Rivers and seas
• Your own idea

Next, to create a plan, write a few words for each paragraph . DO NOT write whole sentences. This takes too much time. Try to focus on keywords and short phrases .

Tip: “Your own idea” DOES NOT mean your opinion. You need to think of another topic related to the question to talk about. Some ideas for this task could be: recycling, agriculture, industry, etc.

Additionally, you can prepare a list of linking words and related vocabulary . Getting these words written down before you start helps you remember to use them.

Look at the example plan below. You can draw something similar on a blank piece of paper.

Tip: Time yourself – see how long it takes for you to write a plan. Try to reduce that amount of time as much as possible.

Step 3: Write your essay (32 minutes)

On the official test, you must write with a pen . No erasable pens or pencils are allowed. I suggest writing your plan and essay with a pen every time you practice .

Let’s take a look at each paragraph of the essay.

The introduction to your essay should be 2-3 sentences long . It introduces the essay topic in a general way .

Tip: DO NOT include your opinion in the introduction. Your opinion goes in the conclusion.

If you are unsure how to write an introduction, try this structure and look at the example :

Structure of the introduction  

• 1 sentence about the topic in general
• 1-2 sentences about the topic more specifically, including a question if you like.

Example Introduction

On every continent, the amount of trash and waste is increasing each year. Rubbish causes damage to ecosystems all over the world. Is there a way for countries to reduce their carbon footprint and save our planet?

Body of the essay

The body of the essay has three paragraphs . These paragraphs talk about one idea with supporting examples .

For each paragraph, you need to write a topic sentence. A topic sentence is the main idea of the paragraph . DO NOT copy the notes. Instead, try to rewrite the idea in your own words. This is called “paraphrasing.” 

Your paragraphs should be 3-4 sentences .

Tip: Start each paragraph with a linking word .

Structure of a body paragraph

• Linking word and topic sentence
• Supporting sentences

Example body paragraph

Firstly, countries can decrease pollution and environmental stress by offering more public transportation. Cars and other vehicles which require petrol produce toxic fumes. If more electric buses and trams were available, fewer people would need to drive their cars.

Follow the same structure for each body paragraph.

Tip: Remember that “your own idea” is NOT your opinion . Write about an additional topic related to the question that you wrote down on your plan.

Finally, you get to say your opinion! In the conclusion, you need to summarize the topic and give your opinion on the question. A conclusion should be 1-2 sentences long.

Structure of the conclusion

• Transition word and a sentence summarizing the topic
• A sentence that gives your opinion

Example conclusion

To sum up, countries around the world must make changes in order to protect the environment. In my opinion, offering more public transport, reducing overfishing, and creating recycling programs are necessary for a cleaner planet.

Step Four: Review your writing (2 minutes)

This is another important step that students often miss. Take two minutes after writing your essay to check for spelling and grammatical errors.

Since you wrote in pen, simply cross out the incorrect word or words LIKE THIS and rewrite them.

How can I get a higher mark on the FCE essay?

Now that you know how to write an essay for the Cambridge B2 First exam, let’s look at how to get the best mark possible .

Increase your mark on your B2 First essay

• Include 5-8 linking words – these words introduce paragraphs and connect ideas
• Use a variety of grammatical structures – you should have both simple and complex forms. Try to use perfect and future forms, conditionals, comparatives, relative clauses and passive
• Use formal vocabulary – do not use slang or simple words like “good, big, small, bad.” Also, do not use contractions. Write “cannot” instead of “can’t”
• Make the essay interesting to read – the examiners read hundreds of essays so make yours easy to read and engaging
• Use the correct amount of words (140-190) – it’s ok to be a few words over the limit, but not too many

Final Advice

The best way to improve your writing skills … is to write! Try to write a few essays each week and ask your teacher for feedback . I have had students who entered my class with very poor writing skills and with practice, they were able to pass the exam after only 10 weeks!

I help students prepare for the FCE exam with private lessons via Zoom. Email me at [email protected] or check out my private lessons page to learn more.

If you want more practice for the B2 First , try these Speaking exam tips , free writing checklist , and Reading part 1 practice.

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Breakout English

First (FCE) Essay Questions

The essay task at Cambridge B2 First (FCE) level might be one of the first times learners encounter a truly formal writing task. At the previous level, B1 Preliminary (PET), all the writing tasks are relatively casual and informal. This is where the First Certificate writing forces candidates to prove they really know how to organise and deliver a robust formal text. However, at the end of the day, the FCE essay is a reasonably approachable task with can be overcome with a clear plan and plenty of practice. Here, we’ve got three questions on different FCE essay topics that are all common at B2 level. If you’re not sure how to write a good essay, try our how to improve an essay post.

FCE Essay topics

There are quite a range of possible topics at FCE level. However, some of them lend themselves better to writing tasks than others. Remember, a writing task always needs to have elements that can be compared to each other, which can be either complimentary or contrasting.

These are some of the FCE essay topics which a most likely to come up:

• The environment
• Education and work
• Culture and customs
• Leisure activities
• Health and fitness

It’s a good idea to look at all of these topics in depth. Study vocabulary related to the topic and consider where you stand on different issues. In a class, you can do a vocabulary lesson followed by a class debate. Then follow up the debate with an essay question on the same topic as homework.

Common mistakes when writing an essay

At B2 level, exam candidates are often still crossing the boundary into being efficient user of English. While they may have a range of grammar and lexis to draw on, they may not always use it to good effect. As a teacher, you may encounter adult learners who haven’t written anything academic in decades. Likewise, you’ll find younger teens who haven’t yet had to produce a cohesive text in their academic careers.

In my experience, these are the biggest mistakes B2 level students make when writing an essay for the FCE exam:

• Not including your own idea – One of the requirements of every First essay question is to include your own idea. It says it right there in the task. However, some people understand this to mean they have to include their opinion. While you should include your opinion, that’s not why is say “your own idea”. Every essay should include three content points. Two of those are provided in the question and one more must be provided by the writer.
• Paragraphs that are too long or too short – The word limit for the FCE essay question is quite short (140-190 words). This means writers have to be quite concise and get to the point quickly. Each paragraph will probably only contain 2-4 sentences. That said, 1 sentence paragraphs are never acceptable, especially when it’s one big long rambling sentence. Neither are 6 sentence paragraphs which leave you no words for other parts of your text.
• Over-personalisation – Your FCE essay includes an element of opinion. In fact, the task explicitly asks you if you agree with a certain statement. However, that doesn’t mean you should fill the essay with 1st person pronouns and personal anecdotes. An essay is an academic text which should use objective evidence to support your point of view.
• Lack of conclusion – Sometimes people write an essay that perfectly evaluates 3 different content points and then finishes with a statement that says all points are equal. This is a mistake. The question asks you whether you agree with a statement. Your conclusion should clearly express where you stand on the issue. Don’t be wishy-washy!
• Trying too hard – The best First (FCE) essays are simple, to-the-point, well-structured and cohesive. Your essay isn’t going to change the world, so don’t go overboard. Once you’ve got a structure that works, rinse and repeat with different topics until you can consistently produce a well-polished text.

The materials

Here are three First (FCE) essay questions. They have been designed using typical FCE essay topics for B2 level. Use them to practise and improve in preparation for the Cambridge B2 First exam.

Cambridge B2 First (FCE): Writing

One of the most unpopular things to do in an English class is to do a writing task. You can almost be certain that at least one student is going to complain or simply refuse to do it. Luckily, in FCE, writing is necessary and most students understand this as well. Even though they don’t enjoy it, they bite their tongue and do what they have to do. After all, you don’t want to fail the because of your own laziness. 😉

The great thing about writing in FCE is, however, that you can collect a lot of marks if you study the different writing tasks beforehand. The various types of writing tasks in the exam have very specific criteria in terms of content, register (formal/informal language), organisation and layout as well as the grammar and vocabulary you should or shouldn’t use. Knowing these characteristics can help you a lot and, in my opinion, will deliver the marks you need to pass quite easily.

So, compared to Reading & Use of English or Listening this exam paper is rather beneficial for candidates and I’m going to help you get the most out of it.

Time management is key

Writing is one of the exam papers in which you need to manage your own time. This can become quite difficult as you have to complete to different pieces of writing in 80 minutes, which means that you have 40 minutes for each task.

Your very first takeaway from this article should be that it is super important to prepare for writing the same way you would prepare for the other exam papers in FCE. Study what the requirements are, practise as much as you can and work on your weaknesses so your skills are balanced and you can take the test with a calm mind and without feeling stressed because of your time management.

With this out of the way, let me give you broad idea of what the writing exam looks like in the context of the whole exam as well as the different tasks within the exam paper.

The different parts of the writing exam

Cambridge B2 First includes five different parts that are broken up into four exam papers:

• Reading and Use of English

Writing is, together with Reading and Use of English, the paper in which you have to manage your own time, finish two pieces of writing within just 80 minutes. Each of these two pieces of writing needs to be between 140-190 words in length, or 280-380 words in total. As there are five different parts to the exam, Writing counts 20% towards your overall grade.

In the writing paper there are two parts, the first one being an essay and the second one your choice of several possible types of writing.

Part 1 of the writing exam is a compulsory essay. In this task the focus is on agreeing or disagreeing with a statement, supporting your own argument with reasons and examples, clearly stating your opinion, comparing different opinions as well as drawing conclusions.

In the second part of the writing paper you get three options which you have to choose one task from. There is a variety of types of writing and you will not always get the same options, so make sure that you are ready for all of them.

In an article you should show your opinion or comment on the topic. Your language should be interesting and engaging and you normally have to imagine that the reader has similar interests as you, the writer.

2. Email/letter

The email or letter is always a reply to message that you get in the task. You have to ensure that you respond to everything mentioned in the original message, that your language is appropriate (formal/informal) depending on the reader, and that you follow the common rules for a letter or email, for example including a greeting and salutation, etc.

You usually have to write your report to either a superior like the director of your college or to peers, such as your English club. The tone is normally quite neutral and you need to give a factual description of the topic as well as make recommendations or suggestions.

A review is mostly for a newspaper, magazine, newsletter or a similar publication. You should give your opinion about an experience you have had like a holiday, film, book, restaurant, etc. as well a description or explanation of what you are writing about. At the end of the task, you usually have to include a recommendation of some sort.

Don’t panic just yet 🙂

I know that this seems to be a lot for you to process all at once, so for the rest of this article I’m going to go back to more general information. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there are more specific articles about the different writing tasks. Just pick the ones you are most interested in below and find out how to become a champion FCE candidate.

How Cambridge examiners mark writing tasks is a little bit of a mystery and, as far as I know, they are not even allowed to talk about it. There are some very basic rules and guidelines for you to understand, though, and I will try to show them here in the easiest way possible. Remember, this information is more for teachers and examiners than for students, but let’s have a look anyway.

The four assessment scales

When an examiner looks at your writing tasks they mark it by looking at four different categories, each of which cover one aspect of your writing. The four categories are:

• Communicative achievement
• Organisation

For each part you can get up to 5 marks, so that makes it 20 marks in total. Under each of our four headings we can group certain smaller criteria.

Under Content the examiner checks if you have done what the task asked you to do. Did you answer the question completely? Is the reader fully informed?

2. Communicative achievement

Here you need to show that you can use the conventions of the task. Did you write an essay or does it look more like an article? Did you use the appropriate register or is your language too formal/informal? Are your ideas clear? Is your writing interesting and holds the reader’s attention?

3. Organisation

Organisation is all about…well…organisation. Is your text written in paragraphs? Are your ideas connected? Is there a logical sequence of ideas? This is one of the parts candidates struggle with the most, but in my post on the different marking criteria you get much more detailed information with great examples, so jump over and check it out.

4. Language

In the language section you get marked on you ability to use grammar and vocabulary. Did you use a variety of grammatical structures? Did you try to use more advanced structures as well? Did you repeat the same vocabulary all the time or showed a wide range?

How can you prepare for the writing exam?

There are many great ways to get yourself ready for the writing exam in FCE, but all of them require you to work for it. All the different skills in English need practice if you want to improve so don’t think that you can easily do this. Put in the work and you will experience how quickly your writing changes from OK to really good.

The easiest way to practise for the writing exam is probably to read regularly. I still don’t understand how so many people want to study English, but they are simply to lazy to spend 10 minutes per day on reading. Not only does a regular reading habit improve your comprehension skills, but it also exposes you to so many different grammatical structures and expressions which are amazing for your writing so you only have to be a sponge and absorb all the language.

Of course, this is easier said than done. You should always include an active element in your reading practice. This means that you should set a little task for yourself every time you sit down with a book, magazine, newspaper or in front of your computer. My recommendation is to either highlight new expressions and grammar and then to check it online or in a good grammar book, or to read and then summarise the text in your own words by writing a short paragraph. Believe me, it works.

2. Websites

There are quite a few websites out there where you can practise some writing, but my favourite is Lang-8.com. Here you can write as much as you want whenever you want and native speakers correct your writing for free. If this doesn’t sound amazing, then I don’t know what is.

For those of you who want to go the classic route I can definitely recommend language classes. Learning in groups can be really engaging or even working individually in a private class can help you a lot with you preparation for the exam. Just search for English language schools near you online, ask them for a free trial and see if it is the right thing for you.

Other ideas

For more ideas on how improve writing easily and without any pressure you can check out my 5 tips to get writing practice done today . Perhaps you will find an idea that motivates to work on your writing skills.

This is just the beginning

There is a lot of information in this post, I know. Especially when you start your Cambridge journey, it can be absolutely overwhelming and even scary once you realise how much there is to know and to study.

The best part about this is that you don’t have to worry because you have come to the best place. Whatever you need to know about Cambridge B2 First I’ve got you covered. With the right tools, tips and tricks you can definitely achieve your goal and pass the exam. I have prepared more articles for you about the different writing tasks and I would be happy if you read them too.

Lots of love,

Teacher Phill 🙂

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Home » B2 First » FCE Course » FCE Writing » FCE Essay – Pass B2 First Writing

FCE Essay – Pass B2 First Writing

Table of Contents

FCE Essay Writing

Do you want to know how to write an FCE essay which will boost your marks on the Cambridge scale ?

If the answer is “I have no idea how to get top marks”, then this page will be incredibly helpful for you.

FCE Essay Tip :  this is available for Gold members only.

To access this tip and more, register here >>

If you are a teacher, helping your students pass this exam, you will be able to use this page in your classes or for homework activities. Continue reading the page and you will see, there are worksheets for you to print out etc.

Before we continue, if you haven’t seen my page explaining how examiners mark your FCE writings, visit my FCE writing marking criteria page now.

If you have read and understood how examiners mark your writing and you are a member of this website, watch the video below:

FCE Handbook for Teachers

How To Write An FCE Essay

The next video will take you through all the information you will find on this page, including:

3:30 – Examiner Advice for FCE essays

4:48 – Example FCE essay question

7:53 – Write an Essay Plan

13:05 – Analysing An Essay

19:31 – Pass or Fail?

20:27 – You don’t need to pass the writing paper

20:53 – Essay Vocabulary

20:53 – Homework

22:46 – Send me your FCE writing

FCE Essay Advice Summary

This summary is available for Gold members only. Register here >>

FCE Essay Question 1

Part 1 – You must answer this question.

Write your answer in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.

You have been discussing environmental topics in a university lecture. Your professor has asked you to write an essay.

Write an essay using the notes below and give reasons to support your ideas.

Can we solve environmental problems globally? Notes Write about: Science Economics …………… (your own idea)

FCE Essay Plan Template

You should always plan your answer.

Can you remember how long I suggested to plan your answer for in the video above ?

If you said 2 minutes, you should go up and watch this video again now .

If you said 5 minutes, great…

Write An Essay Plan

Take 5 minutes (like in the exam) and write down a plan for the question above .

Write your plan on a separate sheet of paper, you can use this online template or this physical template or use your own style (it’s up to you). If you use my template, remember to add 3 body paragraphs (one for each note).

FCE Speaking Tip :  this is available for paid members only.

My B2 Essay Plan

Type of Writing : Essay .

Target Reader: University professor.

Content : Talk about all 3 notes. Good and bad points for each note.

Language : Formal. Neutral. Passive constructions. Linking words.

It’s also a good idea to write down some words which you can use in the essay (these will help you think of ideas).

Vocabulary: Pollution. Traffic. Transport. Technology. Animals. Money. Economy. Subsidies. Finance. Financial institutions. Big companies. Green technology.

Introduction (30 words) – Popular topic nowadays. Difficult question to answer.

First paragraph (40 words) – science Science can help us resolve environmental problems. Linking word. Problem of science.

Second paragraph (40 words) – economics

Economics can help us solve problems, but it can also prevent us.

Third paragraph (40 words)

Social co-operation. This is fundamental, we also need this for science and economics.

Conclusion  (30 words) – Can I make a decision based on the 3 main paragraphs?

Sample FCE Essay Answer 1

Here is an answer that an FCE student wrote before taking the exam. You should download the answer and write any mistakes you find.

FCE Essay – Download This Sample Answer

B2 First Examiner Assessment Scale Template

Have you written any mistakes you found on the student’s essay?

Now it’s time to complete the examiner’s assessment scale with your marks and thoughts about the writing. If you can’t remember how to do this, go back and read this page again.

Complete an online version of the template below here (it looks a bit different)

Download the physical template here, then print it off and write your thoughts on it .

Sample FCE Essay 1 My Critique

Every problem regarding ‘the’ environment and pollution can be solved. Science is always working on new solutions , ‘and’ new suggestions for alternative  means of production are frequently put on the table (good language) . The most difficult issue in this scenario is the interest s of different social groups in the world society (this is okay to mention here if it is your own idea and third point) .

The vision of profit gains must been align with environmental protecti on ve measures which is really challenging (good word) . First (why did you write ‘first’ – do you mean ‘The first’) positive changes begin with this alignment, for example, hotels proposing to clients to use the same bath towe ’l’ r while they stay s in. I t s is good for nature, and i t ( your spelling doesn’t need to be perfect in the exam, but you will lose marks if bad spelling confuses the meaning of your sentence) good for the business men (you could expand on what you mean here) .

For all other matters, conciliate (I don’t know this word. Perhaps you mean ‘finding an effective relationship between’) both aspects (does ‘both aspects’ refer to ‘the environment’ and ‘economics’)  is not a simple task, more difficult than the most high tech science. Efforts for environmental purposes should focus on changing culture, values, business perspectives of profits in global society, otherwise there will ‘not’ be not enough progress.

Examiner Assessment Scale Template With My Comments

Fce essay pass or fail.

This student got:

Communicative Achievement: 3

Organisation: 2

Language: 4

Total = 11/20

You need to get 24/40 in the Writing paper to pass at B2 level.

So if the student got 13/20 for their part 2 writing, they would pass this part of the exam.

You do not need to pass every exam paper but you need to have an average of 60% across all 5 exam papers to pass and get your B2 certificate.

If you want to find out more about how to calculate your scores, read page 4 of this document .

FCE Essay Vocabulary

Try to remember the words and phrases below which you can use in B2 First essays. A good way to remember is to write them down on a separate sheet of paper. Add more words and phrases to your list and write them in the comments section at the bottom of this page! If you are unsure about what language to use in an essay, you can also ask me in the comments at the bottom of the page.

Introducing an argument or point of view

Some/Many/A few people think/feel/say that… Other people disagree/argue that…. One point of view is… The general belief is that… Most people believe that… Public opinion is divided on the topic of… It is sometimes/often said/thought/claimed that….

Giving opinions

In my opinion I am of the belief that… In contrast to …. I feel that… My personal opinion is that… It is my wholehearted/sincere opinion that…

Linking Words and Phrases

However Nevertheless In addition… Firstly…Secondly On the one hand…On the other hand… In contrast… Meanwhile Whereas

FCE Essay Question 2

At school you have been talking about environmental issues. Your English teacher has asked you to write an essay on this topic.

Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons to support your view. (140-190 words)

The awareness of environmental problems has grown over the last few years. Do you think it’s possible for us to solve these problems?

Notes Write about: Plastic Transport ……………… (your own idea)

You should complete this online plan in no longer than 5 minutes. This is how long I recommend you plan for in the exam.

Alternatively, download and add a third paragraph to this FCE Essay plan template.

My B2 First Essay Plan

The plan below is available for paid members only. Register here >>

FCE Essay Answer Example 2

Here is an answer to the question above which one of my students wrote.

FCE Essay – Download This Sample Answer and correct any mistakes you find.

Examiner Assessment Scale Template

If you have written down the mistakes above, you’re ready to complete the assessment scale below. If you want more help with this, check out my FCE writing marking criteria page .

Complete an online version of the template below here

Download, print and complete the template below here .

FCE Essay 2 My Critique

Compare the mistakes you found with the ones I have written below…

At school, during ‘ science and geography ’ lesson s of science and geography , everyone studies how ‘ the’ is made natural environment ‘is made’ and how we can protect it. Despite ‘the fact’ we study the importance of environment , we don’t pay much attention to this ‘in reality’ . At the moment we are attending particular and extreme phenomena, so we are very scared and worried and we want to change. It may not be as easy as it sounds. 

( I would start a new paragraph here) First ly , it is difficult to change ‘ our’ own lifestyle and habits. Change has an economic and personal cost. We don’t mind how much plastic we use every day. Plastic is everywhere: it wraps the (you don’t need ‘the’ here because we’re talking about ‘food’ in general) food, it is useful when we want to eat quickly, it is also in our clothes. The products , that don’t have plastic in their pack aging s , are more expensive ( this is a defining relative clause, not a non-defining relative clause) : . I think for example , when I buy drink s in the glass bottle s , they are very expensive. So , if I want to save money , I buy plastic bottles. Then I observe that (‘Another example that I have observed is…’) in the supermarket I can find many small food packs, also for single dose’ s/’portions’ of food’ . I don’t waste food but I pollute more ‘because of this’ . So we can find sustainable development (If you want to keep this sentence, you should explain in more detail what you mean) . 

( I would start a new paragraph here) Another problem is about transport: we are all in favor that we have to use more public transport s . The problem is that too often we don’t have a good public transport service with a capillary distribution (this term is only used in specific fields of work and is not used in everyday English) . However we can ‘make an’ effort to use ‘ our’ own car ’s’ only if it is necessary. 

‘The’ last thing it is about differentiated collection of waste: too few people do es it (You should remove this sentence . Don’t introduce too many ideas without developing them into detailed arguments).

I think that there are many ‘environmental’ problems but we have to stop to think that ‘these’ are only an obstacle. It is ‘ They are ’ also an opportunity. So it is important to change our mind’ set’ but we need also ‘need’ of more education in every where place ( ‘in’ school s , within famil ies y , at cinema s , etc.) about good (‘environmentally friendly’) behavior. Second ly, (I would only write this if I’ve written ‘firstly’ before it) , if the law and the penalties don’t work, probably we would change them in (‘people’s behaviour’?) ‘through’ incentives. For example , if the condo (what is ‘the condo’?) applies perfectly the rules about differentiated collection of waste it would have a discount in the invoice (I don’t understand this sentence) . Third ly , we need more investment ‘ in ’ for transport and sustainable development.

FCE Essay Example 2 Pass or Fail

This student achieved:

Language: 2

Total = 8/20

So the student would need to get 16/20 for their part 2 writing in order to pass this part of the exam.

I can tell by reading this essay that the student has not prepared much for this part of the exam, so it is unlikely that they would get a much higher mark for their part 2 writing.

Homework Write An FCE Essay

Wow….you’ve made it this far through the page….congratulations, you should now have a good idea how to write an FCE essay!

I hope I didn’t bore you zzzzzzzzzzz…here’s a random picture 😉

Anyway, now it’s your turn to write an essay. You can answer the question above or answer a different question. Then you have 3 options:

• Submit your writing via my FCE writing assessment service
• Write your answer in the comments section at the bottom of this page
• Write an answer and be too shy to send it to me or write it below (not a good way to learn)
• Be lazy, don’t write an answer (the worst way to prepare for the B2 First exam)

I’ll leave the choice up to you.

Adios amigos…don’t forget to click the Next Page >> link below 😉

Class/Homework Activities For Teachers

Are you a teacher?

You can use my resources to help your students in class or set them homework activities.

In Class With Computers / Homework Activities

If your students use computers in class, or you want to set them activities for homework, this is what I recommend.

Tell your students to:

• Become a member of this website so they can access all the information. Email: [email protected] if you have many students and you’d like me to create a discount code for them.
• Watch this video and make notes of the important points on the relevant parts of this form (they will be emailed a copy of the form which they can bring into class): https://studentlanguages.com/fcewritingtips/
• Read this essay question: https://studentlanguages.com/fce-essay/#FCE_Essay_Question_1 and spend 5 minutes writing a plan for it here: https://studentlanguages.com/fcewritingplantemplate/
• Compare their plan with my plan here: https://studentlanguages.com/fce-essay/#My_B2_Essay_Plan
• Print and correct any mistakes they find on this sample essay answer >>
• Complete the assessment scale template for the sample essay answer
• Compare steps 5 and 6 above with my critique and my notes on the examiner assessment scale
• Update this form during future classes.

In Class Without Computers

If your students don’t have computers in class, this is what I recommend.

• Become a member of this website  so they can access all the information and bring all the materials they need to class. Email: [email protected] if you want me to create a discount code for lots of your students.
• Print off this form for your students to complete while you show them  this video in class or tell them to complete the form while watching the video for homework.
• Read this essay question: https://studentlanguages.com/fce-essay/#FCE_Essay_Question_1 , then take 5 minutes and write a plan for it here >>
• Complete the examiner assessment scale template for the sample essay answer

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Tips on essay planning and writing

What is an essay, brainstorm your topic by creating a mind map, check you understand what your essay question is asking you, academic writing style, signposting, building an argument and summarising other people's ideas, what is paraphrasing, essay structure, useful links.

Traditional academic essays are pieces of writing which are designed to demonstrate the following points:

• that you understand a particular subject
• that you have undertaken some kind of research
• that you can produce a clear and coherent argument

This means that you have to combine important ideas, examples, and interpretations from other writers with your own. All of these have to be put together in a linear, written format (making one point, then moving on to the next), which persuades the reader that your line of argument is a convincing one.

Note : There may be variations in the approach you need to take depending on the discipline you are studying. Check with your tutor/department for discipline specific guidelines.

When you choose, or are assigned, an essay question, you are asked to focus on something very specific. It's not just a case of writing down everything you know about the subject. An essay question instructs you to do something with the knowledge you have, and to put it into a certain context, which will allow you to demonstrate the range of your critical thinking.

Essay questions therefore have  instructional verbs  to determine what your approach should be. These are words such as: discuss, analyse, argue, compare, review, evaluate, examine, outline, illustrate .... These tell you how to answer the question and what your essay should do. It is important that you understand exactly what these words mean so that you don’t misinterpret a question.  

• For more examples check 'Terms that may be used in essays or examinations'

You will usually be expected to write using academic language and specialist vocabulary from your subject area. Academic writing normally contains these features:

• Formal writing in an impersonal or objective style and often takes the 'passive' voice.  Passive constructions can be used to avoid using 'I' in essays, e.g. 'It can be argued...'
• Vocabulary appropriate for particular academic contexts is used which may include technical and specialist words. 
• Contains references to other writers’ publications which are used to support the arguments in the text
• You may notice that cautious language is frequently used in reporting research and making claims.  'Cautious language' indicates reservations or tentativeness about the conclusions that may be drawn from the evidence presented. Useful phrases are:  'it may be concluded', and  'we can assume'. 

Major Signposting

Major signposting is used to signal the introduction of key sections or aspects of the work. These might include the aim, purpose, or structure.

In the introduction:

• This essay will…
• The aim of this essay is to…
• The major issue being discussed is…
• This essay will define and describe…
• This essay will critically examine…
• This essay will first define…then discuss…before making recommendations for…
• This essay is organised in the following way;

In the conclusion:

• To conclude,
• In conclusion,
• To summarise,
• It is evident that

Minor Signposting

Minor signposting are linking words and phrases that make connections for your reader and move them through the text.

• They may be as simple as: First, second, third, next, then, last, lastly, finally
• To offer a counterpoint: However, although, though, yet, alternatively, nevertheless
• To indicate an example: For example, notably, for instance, in this case

Linking words and phrases help give your writing more fluidity. Linking words and phrases will help the flow of your academic writing.

Linking words are particularly useful for use in comparing and contrasting ideas and to move from one idea to another.

Check these resources for examples of linking words and phrases:

• Examples of linking words and phrases (University of Reading via Future Learn)
• Transitional devices (Purdue University)
• Signposting (Queen's University Belfast)

Source: Academic Writing Skills by Patricia Williamson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

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Often the clearest way to combine different points of view and to show that you have understood those points of view is to summarise them. Each summary of a different viewpoint can include direct and indirect quotations of key points, plus your understanding of what they mean and a comment on the weaknesses and strengths of the idea or viewpoint. Having described, interpreted and analysed other people's ideas, you can then go on to describe your own point of view and explain why you have chosen it.

Writing which ignores any of the parts described above, can become unbalanced. For example, if there are none of your own ideas, the piece becomes a review of everyone else's work. In these circumstances you could be accused of being uncritical. If the writing does not refer to other people's ideas (directly or indirectly), there is a problem of being too personal and non-academic (this partly depends on your subject). Neither of these would be persuasive arguments.

Paraphrasing is expressing someone else’s writing in your own choice of words, while keeping the same essential meaning. As Pears and Shields (2019, p. 15) explain, it is ‘an alternative way of referring to an author’s ideas or arguments without using direct quotations from their text’.

Paraphrasing is generally more highly valued by academics than direct quoting because it allows you to demonstrate a greater understanding of your source and helps you to maintain your personal writing style and the smooth flow of your essay.

Don’t forget to include in-text citations (author and date) in the text of your assignment and full references at the end of your assignment every time you paraphrase someone else’s words or ideas.

• Paraphrasing - an overview A guide on paraphrasing, academic writing, citing and referencing
• Introduction
• The main body
• Bibliography

The introduction is the official start of the essay and it usually includes some or all of the following:

• a statement introducing the topic
• an explanation of why it is important
• a brief mention of work on the same topic written by other writers
• a gap or problem in previous related work which will be solved or answered in this essay
• an outline of the structure of the essay
• definitions of key terms
• an anecdote or vignette (short story) which highlights the main point of the essay

The body is the largest part of your writing and this is where you guide your reader through your main ideas and arguments. These ideas and arguments come from your brainstorming and research. It is therefore a mixture of other people’s ideas and your own. These points should be organised into a logical order which allows your reader to follow your train of thought. 

The balance of discussion between your own ideas and information and those from external sources is crucial to the development of your argument. Without this balance, the writing can become either a summary of other people's ideas and theories, or a description of your personal ideas and experiences with no evidence of research. Both of these would lack analysis, a core component of a good essay. It is therefore vitally important to ensure that a mixture of positions are presented.

Each main point will be described, supported and analysed using examples from your own experiences, and information and theories from external sources (books, journals, websites, lectures, etc.). The main points should be clearly organised by using paragraphs. 

In short pieces of writing (< 3,000 words), there will be groups of paragraphs which together form one part of your argument. Usually these sections in "short" essays do not have specific headings. However, they can be clearly identified by using linking phrases which show for example:

• how many elements the section consists of:

There are four main reasons why ...

• the connection of additional points:

Another important point to consider is ...  A further issue of importance is ...  Moving on the the issue of ...

• or the introduction of a contrasting point:

On the other hand, ...  In contrast to the above, ...  An alternative understanding of the issue is ...

Longer pieces of writing and dissertations

In long pieces of writing (> 3,000 words) it is sometimes useful to identify clear sections by using sub-headings. Each section (or chapter of a dissertation or thesis) with a sub-heading is like a short essay which could stand alone. The sub-headings may come from your brainstorm and/or your research. However, the best order for the sections in long essays may only become clear after you have started writing them. When the best order becomes clear, chapter introductions and conclusions can be written in each section.

A short chapter introduction should briefly outline the contents of each section and where possible, should also refer back to the sections before and explain how they are related. Similarly, each section needs a conclusion. This should summarise what has been written in this part and should again make connections to other sections. In particular, it should describe the relationship between this part and the next. These are crucial in order to tell the reader what each part is about and how it fits with the other sections. It is like tying knots between separate pieces of string in order to make a single, stronger cord: your argument. 

The conclusion is the closing part of the essay and, like the  i ntroduction, connects the body of the essay to the title. However, whereas the introduction often starts generally, becomes more focussed and often includes an outline of the main points; the conclusion attempts to summarise the main ideas and arguments, then leads to a final statement.

It should not include new ideas which have not been mentioned before, although you can join ideas you have mentioned in a new way. You may also want to restate questions which you could not answer in your essay, but which you think deserve further study. As the final part of the essay, the conclusion is the last thing which the reader sees. Therefore, it should tie together the different points you have made.

Conclusions often include the following elements:

• language 'markers' showing that this is the conclusion (e.g. to conclude, in summary, this essay has given an account of...)
• a summary of the ideas in the main body
• a comment about the limitations of the scope of the essay / study
• a glance to the future: a prediction, recommendations for action, suggestions for further research, implications for future policy

A bibliography (or reference list) comes after the conclusion (or appendices and final figures) and includes all the information about the sources you have mentioned in the essay. For more information on referencing please see the Write it Right guide.

• Academic Writing Basics (Author: Megan Robertson)
• Academic Writing Essays in English (© 2021 UEfAP)
• Academic Writing Handbook
• OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab
• The Writing Process by English Language Studies group at the MIT Understanding and using the information on this site should make writing not only less anxiety-provoking and more efficient and effective for you, but ultimately it should also help you feel more creative and more satisfied with the products of your writing efforts and learn more in your classes as well.
• Last Updated: Apr 11, 2024 10:13 AM
• URL: https://lit.libguides.com/tips-writing-essays

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