Writing

3 rd A&B

Teacher: Ivana Persuh

Student:_______________________________
CONTENTS
Unit 1:
What’s in the writing paper? .............................................................................. 3
Assessment ........................................................................................................... 4
Unit 2:
General outlines ..................................................................................................... 6
Coherence and cohesion ....................................................................................... 6
Unit 3:
Letters/e-mails ..................................................................................................... 9
Style ........................................................................................................................ 10
Informal Letters/e-mails .................................................................................... 10
Giving advice...................................................................................................... 11
Making/accepting/refusing invitations ....................................................... 12
Asking for/ giving information ...................................................................... 14
Formal Letters/e-mails ........................................................................................ 16
Applying for a course ...................................................................................... 16
Applying for a job ............................................................................................ 17
Complaining ....................................................................................................... 18
Apologising ....................................................................................................... 20
Recommending/ making suggestions ............................................................. 21
Letter to the editor: for & against .............................................................. 23
Letter to the editor: opinion ......................................................................... 24
Letter to the editor: solution to problems ................................................. 25
Essay writing ......................................................................................................... 26
Techniques for introductions & conclussions ............................................. 26
Style ................................................................................................................... 27
Opinion Essay .................................................................................................... 29
For & against Essay ......................................................................................... 32
Essay providing solutions to a problem ........................................................ 35
Revision .............................................................................................................. 38
Stories .................................................................................................................... 40
Technique to begin/end a story .................................................................... 40
Writing techniques .......................................................................................... 41
Describing people in stories .......................................................................... 43
Describing places in stories ........................................................................... 45
Describing objects in stories ............................................................................ 47
Articles .................................................................................................................. 49
Introductions and conclusions ....................................................................... 49
Titles ................................................................................................................. 51
Reviews ................................................................................................................... 52
Reports ................................................................................................................... 55
 What’s in the Writing paper?
In the two parts of the B2 First Writing paper, you have to show that you can write different types of text in English.

Summary
Time allowed: 1 hour 20 minutes

Number of parts: 2
Part 1: one compulsory question
Number of questions:
Part 2: one question from a choice of three
Types of tasks: Articles, email, essay, letter, report, review.

Length of the texts 140–190 words

Part 1 (Compulsory question)

● What's in Part 1?
You’re given an essay title and two ideas clearly linked to the title. You write an essay giving your opinions about the title,
using the ideas given. You must also add a third, different idea of your own linked to the title. The title will be a subject of
general interest – you won’t need any specialised knowledge.
● What do I have to practise?
Using language functions, such as evaluating, expressing opinions, hypothesising, justifying, persuading.
● How many questions are there?
One compulsory question.

Part 2 (Situationally based writing task)

● What's in Part 2?
You write a text from a choice of text types – article, email/letter, report or review. To guide your writing, you’ll be given
information about context, topic purpose and target reader.
● What do I have to practise?
Writing different types of text that could be included in the exam.
● How many questions are there?
One task to be selected from a choice of three.

Task types in the Writing paper

The different task types are intended to provide frameworks for candidates so that they can put together and develop their
ideas on a topic with a purpose for writing and a target reader in mind. These indications of readership and purpose are not
comprehensive, but are intended to provide some guidance about the different task types.
⮚ An email
is written in response to the situation outlined in the input information. Candidates can expect to write to,
for example, a school principal or an English-speaking friend.
⮚ A letter
is written in response to the situation outlined in the question. Letters in the B2 First for Schools Writing
paper will require a response which is consistently appropriate in register and tone for the specified target reader.
Candidates can expect to be asked to write letters to, for example, an English-speaking friend, a classmate, a school
principal, or a magazine editor.
⮚ An article
is usually written for an English-language magazine aimed at teenagers, and the reader is assumed to have
similar interests to the writer. The main purpose is to interest and engage the reader, so there should be some opinion or
comment.
⮚ An essay
is always written for the teacher. It should be well organised, with an introduction, the candidate’s opinion
on the ideas given, the candidate’s own idea and an appropriate conclusion.
⮚ A review
 is usually written for an English-language magazine, newspaper or website. The main purpose is to describe
and express a personal opinion about something which the writer has experienced (e.g. a film, a holiday, a product, a website
etc.) and to give the reader a clear impression of what the item discussed is like. Description and explanation are key
functions for this task, and a review will normally include a recommendation to the reader.
⮚ A story
is usually written for an English language magazine or website for teenagers. The main purpose is to engage
the interest of the reader. Effective answers have a clear storyline which links coherently to the first sentence,
successfully uses the prompts provided and demonstrates a sound grasp of narrative tenses.

For all task types, questions are constructed to enable candidates to display their English language proficiency at CEFR B2
level; candidates should take special care to read every part of each question, and not to omit any required development of
the topic

Assessment
Rubrics
Tasks are marked using assessment scales that were developed with explicit reference to the Common European Framework
of Reference (CEFR). The scales consist of four subscales: Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation, and
Language:

• Content:
focuses on how well the candidate has fulfilled the task, in other words if they have done what they were asked to
do.
• Communicative Achievement:
focuses on how appropriate the writing is for the task and whether the candidate has used the appropriate register.
• Organisation:
focuses on the way the candidate puts together the piece of writing, in other words if it is logical and ordered.
• Language:
focuses on vocabulary and grammar. This includes the range of language as well as how accurate it is.
Responses are marked on each subscale from 0 to 5.

When being marked, the length of responses and varieties of English are taken into account:
• Guidelines on length are provided for each task; responses which are too short may not have an adequate range of language
and may not provide all the information that is required, while responses which are too long may contain irrelevant content
and have a negative effect on the reader. These may affect candidates’ marks on the relevant subscales.
• Candidates are expected to use a particular variety of English with some degree of consistency in areas such as spelling,
and not, for example, switch from using a British spelling of a word to an American spelling of the same word.

Content

5 All content is relevant to the task. / Target reader is fully informed.

4 Performance shares features of Bands 3 and 5.

3 Minor irrelevances and/or omissions may be present. / Target reader is on the whole informed.

2 Performance shares features of Bands 1 and 3.

1 Irrelevances and misinterpretation of task may be present. / Target reader is minimally informed.

0 Content is totally irrelevant. / Target reader is not informed.

 Communicative Achievement

Uses the conventions of the communicative task effectively to hold the target reader’s attention and
5
communicate straightforward and complex ideas, as appropriate.

4 Performance shares features of Bands 3 and 5.

Uses the conventions of the communicative task to hold the target reader’s attention and communicate
3
straightforward ideas.

2 Performance shares features of Bands 1 and 3.

Uses the conventions of the communicative task in generally appropriate ways to communicate
1
straightforward ideas.

0 Performance below Band 1.

Organisation

Text is well organised and coherent, using a variety of cohesive devices and organizational patterns to
5
generally good effect.

4 Performance shares features of Bands 3 and 5.

3 Text is generally well organised and coherent, using a variety of linking words and cohesive devices.

2 Performance shares features of Bands 1 and 3.

1 Text is connected and coherent, using basic linking words and a limited number of cohesive devices.

0 Performance below Band 1.

Language

Uses a range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, appropriately.

5 Uses a range of simple and complex grammatical forms with control and flexibility.
Occasional errors may be present but do not impede communication.

4 Performance shares features of Bands 3 and 5.

Uses a range of everyday vocabulary appropriately, with occasional inappropriate use of less common
lexis.
3
Uses a range of simple and some complex grammatical forms with a good degree of control.
Errors do not impede communication.

2 Performance shares features of Bands 1 and 3.

Uses everyday vocabulary generally appropriately, while occasionally overusing certain lexis.
1 Uses simple grammatical forms with a good degree of control.
While errors are noticeable, meaning can still be determined.

0 Performance below Band 1.

 General Outlines
Coherence and Cohesion
What is Coherence?
Coherence describes the way anything, such as an argument (or part of an argument) “hangs
together.”
If something has coherence, its parts are well-connected and all heading in the same direction.
Without coherence, a discussion may not make sense or may be difficult for the audience to follow.
It’s an extremely important quality of formal writing.

What is cohesion?
Cohesion refers to the way we use vocabulary and grammatical structures to make connections
between the ideas within a text. It provides flow and sequence to your work and helps make your
paragraphs clear for the reader.

Cohesive devices are words and expressions that show relationships between parts of text and ideas,
such as cause and effect, time, addition, or comparison and contrast.

What is using connector and cohesive devices?

Connectors and cohesive devices are words and phrases that help to link parts of your writing
together:
➢ They make your writing cohesive
➢ They show readers how different parts are connected and
➢ what the function of each part of the text is.

Many words and phrases are used to do this, such as moreover, on the other hand, as a result,
however, for example, etc. You also use pronouns (e.g. they, it), relative pronouns (e.g. whose, whlch)
and close synonyms (e.g. journey and trip) to create cohesion.

Why is using connectors and cohesive devices important?

They tell your readers whether the point you are making is an example, or a further point, or a
contrasting point, or a result, etc.
Without connectors and cohesive devices, your reader may be confused about what you are saying.
They guide the reader through your writing and make clear what you are trying to communicate.

How do you use connectors and cohesive devices?

You need to know a large number of different connecting words and phrases and know how to use
them.
In addition, you need to know different phrases that you can use to introduce a further point, to
present a contrasting point, to show a result, etc.
You also need to know how to use them naturally in context when you are writing.

How is using connectors and cohesive devices important?

They are important in all the text types you may have to write.
In an essay, you use more formal connecting words and phrases. These are an important part of
structuring the argument you want to present.
In the other text types (article, email/letter; report, review), you need to use appropriate words and
phrases to structure your writing and to signal the function of each part of your writing.

Hands at work

Using connectors and cohesive devices

1. Write a heading from the box in the correct place in the table

adding information - giving examples - showing contrast - showing reason - showing result

such as also but therefore as a result of

for example moreover although as a consecquence owing to

like in addition despite so since

2. Add a word or phrase from the box in the bottom of the table in exercise 1

additionally - because - consequently - for instance - however

3. Write a word or phrase from the table in exercise 1 in each gap. There may be more than one
correct answer.

a. A school-leaver may have learned a lot from books. __________________ there is no substitute for
seeing things first hand

b. My brother worked his way around the world in his gap year. He did various jobs __________________
dishwasher, waiter, cleaner and cook.

c. I couldn't afford to go straight to university, __________________ I spent my gap year working and
saving up.

d. If you go to another country, you see a different culture. __________________ , you get a new
perspective on your own country.

e. It is not always good to go straight from school to university__________________ you don't get a
chance to broaden your horizons first.

4. Complete the second sentence so it has a similar meaning to the first, using the word given. Write no
more than four words in each gap.
a. Keith wants to visit China as well as Australia. (addition)
In ________________________________________________________ Keith wants to visit China.
b. Although travelling is enjoyable, it is expensive. (despite)
_________________________________________________________ enjoyable, travelling is expensive.
c. Because of her journey around the world, Lana decided to study journalism. (result)
Lana decided to study journalism ___________________________________ her journey round the world.
d. You can look for summer work in places like hotels and summer camps. (such)
Places ____________________________________ and summer camps are good for finding summer work.
e. He spent his gap year working and, consequently, didn't enjoy it much. (as)
He spent his gap year working and,________________________________________ didn't enjoy it much.

5. Read the email and circle the correct words or phrases.

Dear Mum and Dad,

Hope you're both well! Sorry I didn't write before - I've been (1) so / such busy that I haven't
had a chance. America is great at least the small part I've seen, (2) because/ because of I
haven't seen much. We spent one day in New York and we had to leave for the summer camp early
the next day, (3) since / so we couldn't stay out very late. We managed to see most of the sights,
such (4) as/like the Empire State Building and Times Square (see attached photo).

We spent all day today learning our duties at the summer camp, (5) although/despite the fact that
we were exhausted. But there's no other day to do it (6) since / due to the kids arrive tomorrow.

I'm off to bed now to collapse! Love,

Kim
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