Writing Part 1 –Essay

The C1 Advanced Writing paper has two parts. Part 1 has only one task, which you must answer.
You will:
• be given the topic of an essay and a set of notes consisting of 3 bullet points and 3 quotes
• be asked to choose two of the bullet-pointed ideas to write about
• need to give an opinion and support it with reasons
• need to write between 220 and 260 words
• have 45 minutes to complete each writing task (90 minutes in total for the Writing paper).

Top exam tip! Make sure you answer all parts of the question.
Underline the key points in the question before you start. Only write about two of the bullet points and stick to the
word count. Make sure you know what 220 to 260 words look like in your handwriting; you don’t want to waste
time counting words in the exam.

In your essay you will:

• expand on 2 of the 3 points given with an explanation, examples and opinions.
• say which of the two points you think is the most significant and why.
• write using a formal or neutral style as if for a teacher or university tutor.
• write 220 to 260 words.

Organise your ideas - make a paragraph plan

Writing the outline plan is an important step and you should not miss it out in the exam. Spending 5 to 10 minutes
collecting your thoughts and organising them in a logical way, will help you fully answer the question and write a
coherent and cohesive essay.

Introduction Essay title: The impact of [your topic] on society today.

Your introductory paragraph Reflect on the essay title and the topic .
should state the topic of Briefly describe the topic you have chosen to write about.
your essay and its purpose. How can you grab the reader’s attention? What is your general opinion on the topic?
Avoid making your introduction too long — 3-5 sentences
Paragraph 1 Point 1 – brainstorm and make few notes choosing your most convincing ideas for
Body paragraphs are the the essay.
tools which you use to Can you justify why this point so convincing?
deliver the key message of
your essay.
Paragraph 2 Point 2 – review your notes and choose your best argument. Think about how your
You are advised to keep body second point adds to, or contrasts with Point 1.
paragraphs approximately How can you make this clear to the reader?
the same size — at least both
points should be developed Some of the tasks require you to choose which of the two aspects is more important,
equally well. and to state the reason for it being more important. In that case it is acceptable to
make one of the paragraphs slightly bigger. This can be done both in the body
paragraph and conclusion.
Concluding paragraph What do you feel is the most important fact or opinion you mentioned and why?
Your conclusion is commonly What do you think you can say to reinforce your idea in relation to this topic?
the shortest of all How can you leave the reader with something to think about?
paragraphs.

Write
Use the notes you made as you prepared your paragraph plan as a guide to help you as you write.