CAE Writing Test Tips
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Transcript of CAE Writing Test Tips
CAE Writing Test Tips1. Introduction
You have 90 minutes to write two texts. Each text should be about 220-260
words long. Part 1 is always an essay, while in part 2 you have a choice of 3
tasks (letter/email; proposal; report; review).
The examiners assess you on 4 elements:
Content - Did you do the task you were asked to do?
Communicative achievement - Did you use the right tone and level of
formality?
Organisation - Did you link paragraphs together? Is there a logical flow?
Language - Did you show off your sparkling vocabulary or did you merely
use First Certificate words? Did you make lots of grammar mistakes?
2. Time management
You have 90 minutes to write 2 texts. Both texts will be about the same length,
and are worth the same number of points. Obviously, you should spend the
same amount of time on each! Personally, I'd spend as much time planning as
possible, since it makes everything else easier. The exact time split will depend
on how fast you write, but try something like this:
Planning - 10 minutes (I've made a video about the planning process - it's
in section 8 below.)
Writing - 25 minutes
Checking- 10 minutes
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3. You can't cook without a recipe
A lot of students hate planning and think it's a waste of valuable exam time. But
do chefs walk into a kitchen and just start cooking? Of course not - they lay out
their ingredients, make sure their utensils are clean, and have their recipe
nearby.
Your plan is the recipe you'll use to cook up a great piece of writing. Think about
how many paragraphs you want then get some ideas about the content of each.
But even at this early stage you should start planning the language you want to
use. Ask yourself questions like:
Where can I use a passive form?
Where can I use an inversion?
What CAE-level vocabulary do I know about this topic, and where can I use
it?
How do I link from one paragraph to the next?
Thinking about solutions before you start writing is the easiest way to solve
problems!
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4. Content
PART 1
The first thing you're assessed on is your content. That basically means reading
the task carefully and doing what you are told to do! In part 1 you are given
three bullet points but are asked to talk about TWO of them. (You're also given
some opinions on the topic that you can use if you want, but you don't have to.)
Here's an example of the three bullet points and a task:
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If I were planning my answer, I'd probably choose 'giving rules' and 'setting an
example' as my two points because I feel like I have more to say about those
topics. (How much would I write about 'offering advice'? Nothing! Because I
should only write about two things!)
Another important point is to say which is more effective. I'd probably write
one paragraph about 'giving rules', and the next paragraph would be about
'setting an example' - I would be sure to give reasons why it was a more
effective way to influence younger people.
PART 2
What about part 2? Again, it's important to read the question carefully and make
sure you include everything it tells you to.
Here's the kind of task that will come up:
Here's an outline you could follow:
Intro
Evaluation of the programme
The most useful parts of the programme
Suggested changes for next year
Summary
Not very imaginative, but you'd be guaranteed to get full marks in terms
of content!
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5. Communicative Achievement
TONE
Which is better English:
1. Wasssssssup?!
or
2. Dear Sir or Madam
Well, it depends who you're talking to! If your task is to write a report for your
'serious' organisation you should use a formal tone. If you're writing a magazine
article for teenagers you can be more informal.
This is a HUGE topic and there's not enough space to go into it in detail here. I'll
list a few external resources that might help, but a good coursebook will give
you lots of guidance. (Did we mention that Ready for CAE is the best
coursebook? Take a look on Amazon!)
The main tip is to be consistent - students often write a report that is 95%
formal, and then throw in some exclamation points, slang, contractions, and
informal vocabulary. That's bad! It suggest you don't have control over your
tone.
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Learn more about formal vs informal English:
on the Antimoon website (run by two Polish students who mastered
English)
on the EngVid site
from the BBC
TASK TYPES
You should invest some time making sure you know the difference between a
letter and an essay, and between a report and a proposal. Here are a few quick
tips:
Essay
You need to give your opinion in an interesting way. CAE essays are often
academic in tone, so practice of formal writing will be helpful.
Letter/email
Write an email with the same opening/closing as a letter. In these you write
about your personal experiences. Your writing will have a purpose, like
responding to a newspaper article you don't agree with.
Report/Proposal
Use headings for each paragraph. The task will tell you some of the content you
need to include and you'll be able to use your imagination to add some more
ideas. You may be asked to evaluate if some goal has been achieved and/or to
suggest alternative courses of action. A proposal will have more scope for
making suggestions and more need for polite persuasive language.
6. Organisation
Cambridge love linking words and cohesive devices. These are bits of text like
'firstly', 'whereas', 'in addition', 'however', and so on. Properly used, they will
make your writing flow and make your text easier to read. You can't do well in
CAE without using these phrases.
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Here's a great list of cohesive devices - try to include them in your writing.
7. Language
Organising a text, using linking words, and getting all the content points is a
great start, but for a high grade you'll need to use advanced vocabulary and
more difficult sentence structures.
In the planning stage of the exam think about which high-level words you know
for that topic and think in which paragraph you can use them. For example, if
the topic is about transport you might use phrases like 'mass transit system', 'to
commute', 'congestion,' and 'pressed for time'.
Then you need to use a variety of structures - passives, inversions, cleft
sentences, questions, sentences with semi-colons. The more variety the better!
So instead of writing like this:
A lot of politicians say they will improve bus and train services. Having trains is
good for people who have to go to work. It means they don't have to take the
car to work. It is probably faster. If everyone takes a train to work there won't be
any traffic jams.
You can produce this:
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Why do progressive politicians pledge to provide mass transit systems in their
cities? The answer is clear: Not only do pressed-for-time commuters benefit,
but there is also less pollution. Let congestion be a thing of the past; let
flowers bloom next to every tram stop.
In those three sentences there is one question; one colon; one semi-colon; one
'not only but also'; one imperative. Not bad, right? You can write like this if you
practice and if you're not afraid to make some mistakes along the way.
8. Videos about CAE Writing
9. Common Mistakes in CAE Writing
GRAMMAR MISTAKES
Most CAE students don't make obvious, basic mistakes like your/you're or its/it's.
But they do struggle with things like:
Relative clauses
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You need to learn the difference between defining and non-defining relative
clauses. Your non-defining clauses need commas, while your defining clauses
shouldn't have commas.
I had lunch with my grandfather, who is 90 years old. (The second half of the
sentence tells you more about my grandfather. It's bonus information, so there
has to be a comma.)
I had lunch with my friend who lives in Prague. (I am very cool and popular - I
have lots of friends. If I say 'I had lunch with my friend' you don't know which
friend I mean. So the 'who lives in Prague' clause gives you essential
information. Therefore, no comma!)
Note that non-defining pronouns cannot be changed to 'that', so you should
never write a comma followed by 'that'. (This is especially a problem for German
speakers because in German you HAVE to use a comma before 'that'.)
Gerund vs infinitive
Gerund means the -ing form of a verb. This is a tricky part of grammar because
there are no rules and you have to learn every verb one by one. English! Argh!
Anyway, make sure you know these structures:
I used to live in China (= I lived in China).
I'm using to hearing German (= hearing German is normal for me).
I look forward to meeting you.
I stopped smoking (= I quit).
I stopped to smoke (= I stopped what I was doing because I wanted to have a
cigarette).
I recommend buying new computer equipment. (Suggest and advise are also
followed by gerunds.)
I recommend you buy new computer equipment.
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Prepositions
So hard! So many prepositions! So many mistakes! Just learn as many as you
can and remember, every single student who has ever taken the CAE exam has
struggled with prepositions. You are not alone!
Conditionals
If I get the job I will move to Zurich. (The speaker is confident.)
If I got the job I would move to Zurich. (The speaker is not confident.)
If I had got the job I would have moved to Zurich. (But the speaker didn't get the
job and didn't move to Zurich.)
OTHER MISTAKES
Not taking risks
A lot of students always write the same, safe, things they always write. To
master advanced vocabulary and structures you have to use advanced
vocabulary and structures!
Being boring
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It's hard enough to produce a well-structured piece of writing with good
vocabulary that fits the content. But remember that the examiners read
hundreds and hundreds of essays and most of them are very boring! If you
make yours interesting (though the style, unexpectedly good vocabulary, maybe
even a joke or two) the examiners will be VERY happy and you will be
REWARDED.
10. Frequently Asked Questions
Q - Do I have to use British spelling?
A - No, it doesn't matter. But if you use American spelling, be consistent
throughout your writing.
Q - How important is spelling and punctuation?
A - It's pretty important - If you make a trivial mistake it won't be a big deal. If
the mistake stops the reader from understanding what you mean then you will
lose points.
Q - How important is the word count? What happens if I write too many words?
A - The word count is a guide, not a rule. But if you do the task properly
you will write about 220-260 words. If you write 300 words then you've
probably written lots of stuff you don't need. If you write 200 words you've
probably forgotten something.
DO NOT waste time in the exam counting how many words you have written!
And never add or remove words just because of the word count - it'll turn out
clumsy and weird.
Q - I know I need to use complex sentences to get a good grade, but I'm worried
about making mistakes. Is it better to have a simple text with no mistakes?
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A - Cambridge says that students who make mistakes while trying to use
complex structures will get credit for trying (as long as the mistake doesn't stop
the reader from understanding).
Q - My handwriting is terrible! No-one can read it! Will I lose points?
A - No. Your handwriting is not very important. Just make sure it can be read.
Also, you don't need to rewrite your text (and you don't have time to rewrite it) -
if it's got lots of bits crossed out, don't worry. Every student's writing looks the
same!
Is CAE hard? Buy some stuff to make it easier! Take a look at the Courses,
Products, Tools, page.
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