CPE Writing Part 1: Useful Language (updated April 2019)

INTRODUCTION General introduction + Question + reference to the texts

Music has been present in humans' lives from the very dawn of civilisation. It is part of every major event
in our lives, be it weddings or funerals and accompanies us in our daily routines. But how exactly does it
affect us? Both texts (explore/shed light on/look into/examine) (this issue/concept/question) from
different perspectives.
General introduction
• Hardly a week goes by without another report of ................. appearing in the media.
• Over the past ten years or so the media have frequently carried reports of ...............
• The trend nowadays is towards (gerund)
• This issue strikes a chord with the vast majority of the general public.
Question
• How has the public’s opinion on this issue shifted over the last few years?
• This raises the issue of (whether / what / how)……
• What impact, if any, have these shifts/changes/developments had on the general public’s
psyche?
• How are we to gauge the effect of such shifts/changes/developments?
Reference to both texts
Both extracts (1) discuss the nature of these (2) notions, but from different (3) viewpoints

1) discuss/evaluate/explore
2) notions/concepts/ideas
1. Introduction
3) viewpoints/perspectives/points of view
2. Main body
text 1- summary
MAIN BODY evaluation
Summary of texts own ideas
• The first text/passage/extract outlines the benefits/drawbacks of…
3. Main body
• The second text argues/claims that… text 2 - summary
• The first text advocates… +…ing (supports) evaluation
• The second text puts forward the idea that… own ideas
• It then goes on to espouse the viewpoint that… (say)
4. Conclusion
• The text sheds light on the issue/topic of… Answer the question in
• The text brings the topic of… to light. intro without
• The writer of the first text is a firm believer in… mentioning text.
• The writer/author of the second text is highly critical of…
• Both writers seem to agree that…; nevertheless, where their ideas
deviate is on the topic of…
• The second text makes bold statements in support of…
• Not only does the first text state that…, but it also claims that…
• In addition to the aforementioned point, it also claims that…

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 CPE Writing Part 1: Useful Language (updated April 2019)

Evaluation (critical examination)

• One thing the writer fails to mention is…
• A glaring omission from the first text is…
• One aspect the text/author/passage ignores is that...
• While the writer makes some valid arguments in favour of…, she ignores the fact that…
• One area which the writer seems to have overlooked is…
• While I am generally in agreement with the majority of the first writer’s points the obvious
hole in their argument is…
• Were I to pick holes in the writer’s arguments, I would start by pointing out that…
• I feel it must also be pointed out that…
• When it comes to the topic of…, the text seems to be lacking somewhat.
• One major weakness in the writer’s argument is that…
• The text neglects to mention that fact that…
• The writer seems to have gone overboard in their praise/criticism of…
• This will resonate with many people, because...
• Though this is often the case, it is by no means universal.
• Though the writer makes some valid points, he fails to mention that...
• This is a fairly limited view of the matter, as...
• This is a fairly accurate description of the issue, though I would add that....
• This may be the case in most Western societies/among some social groups/for some
privileged individuals/ but it is by no means a universal truth

Own Ideas (expressing opinion)

• I am of the opinion that…
• In my humble opinion…
• My thoughts on the matter are that…
• As far as I am concerned,
• As far as my opinions on the matter are concerned,…
• My initial reaction to the opinions outlined in the text was…
• I am a firm believer in…
• On the whole, I tend to agree with… due to the fact that…

CONCLUSION (ONE PARAGRAPH)

Starting your conclusion
• All in all it seems to me that ...........
• The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that .......................
• All things considered, .............
• On balance, I tend to believe that ............
Ending your conclusion
• The world would surely be a better place to live in if ..............
• If people stopped ....ing, we would have/ we could look forward to a ...............
• The prospects for the future will be bleak/grim unless ...................

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 CPE Writing Part 1: Useful Language (updated April 2019)

GRAMMAR THAT WILL IMPRESS

Participle phrases and gerunds up front:
"Burning plastics produces dioxins."
"Reducing the retirement age would create significant difficulties for pension funds."
"Having been bullied at school, I know how psychologically damaging this can be."
"Having been released from prison, many people subsequently reoffend."

Conditionals with inversions instead of "If.."

"Were the government to ......... , we would .............."
"Had television not been invented, economic growth would have been slower."
"Had the police implemented the law more strictly, fewer people would now be disabled."

Cleft sentences
"What ecologists object to is ............"
"What many people would like to see is ......................"
"It is the ................. that I object to."

Inversions,
"Not only are landfill sites unsightly, but they are also a source of pollution"
"Rarely do we see our political leaders riding bikes."

Passives
"It is often forgotten that ..................."
"............. is considered to be ............."
"...... has been attributed to ......."
".......has been linked with ........"
"The conclusion to be drawn is that ............."

The advanced use of 'so'

“This is so grave an issue that ......”

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