Writing an introduction to the essay in your FCE exam might be quite complicated, especially if you have no

clue how to start, what to write, what words to use. On top of that you’re even more puzzled when you see the
prompts/notes, as you’re probably not sure if you should write about them in the introduction or main body.
So, I’m going to make it simple for you. Your introduction should consist of 3 sentences:

 1st sentence– introduce the theme or give some background information about it. It’s a sentence
showing a bigger picture of a problem
 2nd sentence– restate your topic questions using synonyms
 3rd sentence– rhetorical question, will give you a great link between introduction and main body

Let’s practice it with this topic question:

Do you think teachers should allow their students to use tablets instead of textbooks in the class?

Notes:

– focus

– price

– efficiency

First thing you need to do is to read the topic question to understand the theme/ bigger picture of the issue,
which in our case is TECHNOLOGY. At this stage don’t worry about the notes.

So the 1st sentence of the introduction could be:

Technological advances have influenced everyday life even the education sector.

or

Since the development of the internet technology has taken over main areas of our life including education.

or

The internet and technology are crucial aspects of many fields of life including education.

As you can see TECHNOLOGY is the theme of each example of the sentence. Try to use present perfect tense
when writing your 1st sentence.
2nd sentence of the introduction paraphrases the topic. What I mean by paraphrase, you need to rewrite the
question using synonyms of the key words used in the topic.

In a way your 2nd sentence is already given in the topic question, your task is to paraphrase it- use different
words or grammar structures. If the topic asks your opinion, make sure you include it in the introduction.

Our topic question again: Do you think teachers should allow their students to use tablets instead of
textbooks in the class?

Key words:

think – consider, believe

teachers – educators

allow – let, should, ought to

students – pupils, learners

use – deploy, utilize, make use of

tablet – electronic device

instead of- as an alternative, alternatively, in lieu

textbook – hardcopy of a book, coursebook

class – classroom

Once you came up with few synonyms you can rewrite the topic question, in which you also include your
opinion.

Some educators believe, myself included, that electronic devices ought to be used by learners during lessons.

or

Letting learners replace coursebooks with electronic devices is, in my opinion, a clever idea introduced by some
educators.

or

Some believe, myself included, that educators ought to let their learners replace electronic books with
coursebook.
The 3rd and final part of the introduction is a rhetorical question, which gives you a great link with the rest of
the essay, I mean the main body.

Examples of rhetorical questions you can use in our essay:

So, what are the benefits of using tablets during a lesson?

or

So, why is a tablet considered a better learning tool?

or

So, is a hardcopy of a coursebook no longer useful?

Our topic question again: Do you think teachers should allow their students to use tablets instead of
textbooks in the class?

Introduction 1

Technological advances have influenced everyday life even the education sector. Some educators believe, myself
included, that electronic devices ought to be used by learners during lessons. So, why is a tablet considered a
better learning tool?

Introduction 2

Since the development of the internet technology has taken over main areas of our life including education.
Some believe, myself included, that educators ought to let their learners replace electronic books with
coursebook. So, what are the benefits of using tablets during a lesson?

Introduction 3

The internet and technology are crucial aspects of many fields of life including education. Letting learners
replace coursebooks with electronic devices is, in my opinion, a clever idea introduced by some educators. So, is
a hardcopy of a coursebook no longer useful?
Topic question: Do you think it’s a good idea to give money to charity?

Helping others makes us feel important. Despite that, some people believe, myself included, that donating
money for a good cause is no longer a right decision to make. So, why should we stop supporting charitable
organizations?

Topic question: Everyone can be a celebrity. Do you agree?

Thanks to the internet everyone can have his 5 minutes of fame. Some believe, myself included, that nowadays
becoming a famous person is easier than ever. So, how can an average Joe turn into VIP?

Topic question: Every young adult should take a gap year. Do you agree?

Making important life decisions is a difficult task especially for young people. Some of them believe, myself
included, that taking a year off is crucial step in their education. So, why do they delay going to the university?

Taken from English Exam Help

FCE English Exam Resources