DAVE WORLD'S FCE WRITING HANDBOOK

All you need to pass the FCE writing exam

Contents:
Top ten mistakes by Neil Harris Marking Scheme (what the examiner is looking for!)

Useful Phrase Reference Formal Letter Informal Letter Application for a job Article Report Essay

AN ARTICLE is usually written for an English-language magazine or newsletter, 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. A successful article interests and engages the reader. Descriptions, examples and anecdotes are often appropriate, and effective answers will be lively and include some colourful use of language. A personal angle usually works well, and a catchy title will attract attention. The use of direct and indirect questions also adds colour, and students should be taught how to use these. Looking at examples from English-language magazines may help.

AN ESSAY is usually written for a teacher and may be written as a follow-up to a class activity. It should be well-organised, with an introduction, clear development and an appropriate conclusion. The main purpose of the task is the development of an argument and/or discussion of issues surrounding a certain topic. Candidates will usually be expected to give reasons for their opinions. Essays need to present an argument and give reasons for this. Your students need to be taught to give opinions and to agree or disagree in a formal or neutral register. They should be advised that they are free to agree or disagree with the statement in the task, or discuss both sides. Effective planning and paragraphing is important in essay writing, as is the correct use of appropriate linking words and phrases. Students also need practice in writing.

A LETTER is written in response to the situation outlined in the question. Letters in the FCE 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 or colleague, a potential employer, a college principal, or a magazine editor. Students should be taught to use appropriately informal language consistently throughout an informal letter. They will be required to describe, express opinion and give information, and should use an appropriate range of informal linking expressions. It is important that they realise that while a brief general opening paragraph is appropriate, the majority of their letter should be devoted to dealing with the specific task outlined. Formal letters may be written to an individual or to an organisation. The purpose may be, for example, to apply for part-time or vacation work, or a study or scholarship opportunity. Students should be taught the appropriate expressions to begin and end a formal letter, but they also need to work on a range of functions, including describing skills and experience, expressing enthusiasm, and persuading AN EMAIL is written in response to the situation outlined in the input information. Candidates can expect to write to, for example, a college principal, an English-speaking friend or a colleague. Students should be aware that in email tasks, they will be expected to write grammatically correct sentences with accurate spelling and punctuation in a style suited to the situation and target reader. The abbreviated language used in text messages will not be considered appropriate to the task.

A REPORT is usually written for a superior (e.g. a teacher) or a peer group (e.g. members of an English club). Candidates are expected to give some factual information and make suggestions or recommendations. A report should be clearly organised and may include headings. Students need to be taught report format, with the use of headings where appropriate. They should also work on specific vocabulary areas such as transport, leisure and entertainment, and learn how to make suggestions and recommendations.

Useful phrases for writing essays: The following is a list of phrases that can be used when writing an essay. Notice that they have a formal style and that they do not contain contractions. Establishing the purpose of the essay (introduction) The aim of this paper is to examine... The essay seeks to... Giving opinions/stating facts It is vitally important to... I would like to point out that... It is doubtful that... Without a doubt... It would be infinitely preferable to... Giving somebody elses opinion It has recently been suggested that... According to Dr... Giving examples In the case of... This is an example of... For instance... Presenting arguments in order Firstly... Secondly... In addition to what has already been mentioned... Summarising your opinion In the end,... All in all,... In conclusion,...

Useful words and phrases

These words and phrases can be used in the following text types, depending on what are asked to write about: letters essays articles Expressing and supporting opinions I believe/do not believe that ... (because) ... Personally I feel that ... Let me explain why. In my opinion, ... Just consider ... As I see it, The reason is ... It seems to me that This is because ... I feel very strongly that ... I am convinced that ... I am of the opinion that ... I am very much in favour of/against ... I am completely opposed to ... The reasons why I believe that ... are as follows. Opening phrases People (sometimes) claim that but I feel that ... It is often said/argued that ... However, it seems to me that ... It is a fact that ... Over the past few months/years, it seems that Recently, we have all become concerned that In the past, people used to , but now ... These days, it seems that . Making statements It is clear that ... On the whole, it appears/seems that ... We must take into account the fact that .... It goes without saying that ... It is important to remember that ... Explaining/Expanding ideas and giving examples ... This means that ... ... This is largely due to ... For example/For instance, ... In other words, ... Listing arguments Firstly/In the first place / To begin with, Secondly/ Another point to remember is ... Finally, ... Last but not least, ...

Evaluating ideas, Dismissing contrary arguments I think it is true that ... I totally disagree/agree with the point that It is questionable whether I am sure/I doubt whether It is true that ... On the other hand, ... I agree that However, ... Although it is true that , we must remember that ... It could be argued that However, I would like to point out that ... Despite all the arguments, I still feel that ... It may be true that ... , but all too often ... In no way can I agree that ... Surely it is completely unacceptable that ... Persuading I would urge you to consider I am sure you will agree that Surely you must agree that When you hear the arguments, I am sure you will agree that ... Evaluating I was extremely impressed by I was rather disappointed by. The problem could easily be solved if ... I would like to praise the ... Another area for complaint is My overall impression was that I am sure that visitors/readers/holidaymakers will thoroughly enjoy ... While some people will love ... , others may feel less happy. A major problem is that ... I was less happy with ... Making recommendations I recommend that we ... I propose that we ... We should also ... I believe that we should ... We could ... I suggest we We would then be able to ... Summarising All in all, I think that ... To sum up, I believe that ... In conclusion, the facts suggest that ...