For the writing exam, there are 2 parts to complete in total with 80 minutes to do so. Part one will always be an essay. However, part 2 can be a choice between an article, review, report, or email/letter of complaint. You have to write between 140-190 words.
The structure of your writings is vital so make sure you learn how to structure your writings and linking words to connect it all together! Also, think about the target readers and the language you use, does it need to be formal or informal?
PART 1
As mentioned before, part 1 will ask you to write an essay. An example question could be:
As you can see, 2 points are already given to you and you need to think of a 3rd point to add to the essay. You can not change the 2 given points and each point needs to be clearly written about in your writing. In essays, you need to use formal language!
An essay should have 5 paragraphs in total:
- Intro
- Point 1
- Point 2
- Point 3
- Conclusion/Summary
.
Now, for part 2. You are given a choice of 3 different writings to choose from, you only need to choose 1, it will look something like this:
The subjects of the question can be a wide variety of topics and styles. Choose one that you are most comfortable with because each style is different, that means each writing structure will be different too…don’t just use the essay structure.
So make sure learn how to write each style!
FORMAL WRITINGS
- Essays
- Reports
- Email – Cover letter
- Reviews
- Articles
- Email to friend
As the total time allowance is 80 minutes, so spend around 40 minutes for each part. I advise you to spend some time to plan and also to check your writing.
- Take 5 minutes to make a plan – Write some keywords, remember the structure and the general content of the writing.
- 30 minutes to write – Use your planning.
- 5 minutes to go through and check your writing and makes changes if needed.
You will be marked in the following criteria:
Did you write what you were asked to write?
Did you link together your paragraphs and sentences? Is there a logical flow from start to finish?
Was your writing too formal, too informal, or just right?
Did you show off your vocabulary or did you use basic words? Did you make lots of grammar and spelling mistakes?
1. As mentioned already a few times – learn the structure, does it need a title? Sub-headings? How many paragraph?
2. Think of the language, is it formal or informal? Active or passive? So then think about the words you are using:
I’d like to book 2 tickets (Inf) – I would like to reserve 2 tickets (F)
I’ve given up looking for the perfect… (Inf) – I have stopped searching for the perfect (F)
3. Also the choice of adjectives and linking words:
The service was good but the music was bad.
or
The service was fantastic, however, the choice of music was poor.
4. Once again, spend a couple of minute at the start to make a plan, it will help you when writing. For example, I wrote all my sub-headings for this blog so I knew what I want to say before I even started writing.
Once the exam have been completed, B2 First results are then reported on the Cambridge English Scale.
You will receive a separate score for each of the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and use of English, giving you a clear understanding of your performance. These five scores are averaged to give you an overall result for the exam. You will also be given a grade and Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) level.
Feel like you need to practice some exercises? Or want to try out the other parts of the exam?
COURSE BOOKS:
EXAM MATERIALS:
If you need help or you just have some questions about the exam, feel free to contact us.