Aptis Advanced

‘Writing’

Pro-ELT Enhance
2021
WHOA!
 Session Objectives

● Aptis Writing Test Format

● Model Questions and Answers
● Writing Skills
● Common Problems
● Tips and Advice
● Strategies
 WRITING
PRODUCTION - CEFR

In order to know what to work towards, it is a good idea to understand the 'can do'
statements CEFR has outlined to describe users of a language.

USE THE CAN-DO STATEMENTS FOR A PROFICIENT WRITER AND REFLECT

IF YOU CAN DO THEM TOO. THIS WILL GIVE YOU A GUIDE OF WHAT YOU
NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON AT YOUR OWN TIME.

Fill in the Google Form to reflect on your writing skill.

https://forms.gle/7ZYmq9hja75yKhb16
 Unpacking the Test
One feature that is shared
by all parts of the Aptis is
that they present situations
designed to evaluate your
knowledge and, of course,
to assign you a certain
level of mastery for each
skill. The first part will be
the easiest and the
following ones will
increase in complexity.
You must be able to use
your ability to write in You must demonstrate
English in different grammatical accuracy as
communicative situations well as good spelling
with varying degrees of and punctuation. Your
complexity ranging from ability to adequately
providing personal construct sentences that
information to expressing respond to the topic and
your opinions and have coherence and
arguments in formal and cohesion between them
informal situations. will also be taken into
account.
 “You can obtain a better score if you
demonstrate a flexible and precise use of
written language. We recommend using a
variety of vocabulary, grammatical structures,
and connectors.”

Also keep in mind our goal of achieving C1/C2.

 THE TEST

There are three parts to the writing test. You will interact in a
social media-type written conversation, write an email and
write a short article for an online publication. All writing
tasks are marked by examiners.

Make sure you fully understand the questions. Plan what you
are going to write, write using a variety of vocabulary,
grammatical structures, and connectors and then edit your
writing before clicking to the next question.

The total time allowed for the writing test is 45 minutes

 Weightage: 25%

Test design: 3 parts

WRITING
Time allocated: 45 minutes
10 minutes

15 minutes

20 minutes
AREAS ASSESSED

• Responses are fully on topic.

• Use of appropriate register.
• Range of complex grammar constructions
used accurately.
• Range of vocabulary used.
• Control of grammatical structures.
• Accurate spelling and punctuation.
• Range of cohesive devices .
• Clear indication of links between ideas.
• Response is informative (mainly Part 3).
• Response is interesting (mainly Part 3).
The most common mistakes include:

● not answering the questions (going off-topic)

● writing too much but with poor grammar, spelling and
punctuation
● not using a variety of sentence structures
● not writing in sentences or paragraphs.
Part 1
Time is precious!!
Writing Part 1
A social network – type interaction.

Three written • Three questions.

responses to • Respond to all three.
questions
• Answer all three questions correctly.
• Don’t go off-topic.
• Use accurate spelling and punctuation
• Write text that is cohesive and coherent.
10 mins • Keep to the word count of:
30- 40 words per answer.
WRITING PART 1 Areas assessed: task fulfilment / topic relevance,
punctuation, grammatical range & accuracy, vocabulary
range & accuracy, cohesion.

Responses to all three questions are to be on topic and should show the
following features:

● Control of simple grammatical structures.

● Punctuation and spelling are accurate.
● Vocabulary is sufficient to respond to the questions.
● Uses simple cohesive devices to organise responses as a linear
sequence of sentences.
Cohesive Devices are generally used to convey the ideas of :–
1. Addition – And, also, besides, moreover, in addition, In addition to.
2. Contrast – Despite, But, However, Yet, Still, Though.
3. Choice – Or, Either …… or, Neither …… nor.
4. Purpose – So that.
5. Result/effect – Consequently, So, Therefore, Thus.
6. Cause/Reason/Consequence – Because, as, since, for.
7. Time – After, Then, When, before, at last, finally, till, at first.

8. Similarity – Similarly, Likewise

9. Exemplification – For example, for instance, such as, particularly.
10. Clarification – In other words.
Writing Part 1: Tips

• These questions are simple

to answer, but you should try
to not just only use simple
sentences.

• Use complex sentences and

interesting vocabulary, but
don’t go over the word limit.
Writing Part 1: Practice 1
Writing part 1: Three written responses to questions.

You need to write responses to three questions.

You are a member of a cooking club. You are in the club’s chat
room talking to another member. The other member will ask you a
series of questions. You should answer all three questions to the
best of your abilities. You have 10 minutes in total. Answer all three
questions.
Writing Part 1:

Stella: Hi! Hello. I see you’re new to our club. I’ve been a member
01 for nearly a year now. Why did you decide to join?

02 Stella: So what dishes do you enjoy cooking?

Stella: Apparently the club is going to start posting members’

03 favourite dishes on the website. What do you think of this idea?
Writing Part 1: Q1

Stella: Hi! Hello. I see you’re new to our club. I’ve been a
member for nearly a year now. Why did you decide to join?

Hi, I joined because I want to cook new cuisines and unite with
people of the same passion. I am eager to collaborate with
others to make extraordinary dishes and eventually accomplish
my dream of becoming the best cook.
Writing Part 1: Q2

Stella: So what dishes do you enjoy cooking?

I love cooking all kinds of dishes, but my

absolute favourite is my grandmother's pasta sauce
recipe. It is a combo of canned tuna spiced up with
garlic and olive oil. It is so tasty that one can never
resist.
Writing Part 1: Q3

Stella: Apparently the club is going to start posting

members’ favourite dishes on the website. What do you
think of this idea?

I think that’s a great idea, especially if they post them

along with the recipes. We will get to know what others in
the club like to consume, and hopefully, we can gain
some new cooking ideas and styles.
You are a new member of the EEN community service club. You are in the
club’s chat room. Please answer all questions below.
You are talking to Kevin in the club chat room. Talk to Kevin using complete
sentences. Use 30-40 words per answer. You have 10 minutes to complete all 3
answers.

Hello. I see you're new to our club. I've been a member for
01 nearly a year now. Why did you decide to join?

02 What do you enjoy about helping your community?

Apparently, the club is going to start posting members' community

03 service contributions on the website. What do you think of this
idea?
 Question 1
Again, these questions are pretty simple but
remember you should try to use a range of
interesting and accurate grammar,
vocabulary, and stay within the word limits
(30-40 words per answer) and time limit is
(10 minutes for all three questions) .
 REFLECTion

1.Reflect on the answers shared.

2.Identify the strengths and
weaknesses (if any).
3.Share on how you can improve your
answers or ideas.
Hello. I see you're new to our club. I've been a member for
nearly a year now. Why did you decide to join?

It offers the chance to give something back to the community or make a

difference to the people around us. Additionally, it provides an
opportunity to develop new skills or build on my existing experience and
knowledge.

What do you enjoy about helping your community?

I like the fact that I can help people who I had never encounter and
would probably never see again. It gives me the feeling that I am an
unsung hero to somebody somewhere.
Apparently, the club is going to start posting members'
community service contributions on the website. What do you
think of this idea?

I believe it is a fantastic idea as it will motivate the existing

members to keep contributing and inspire others to join.
Furthermore, it will be a good advertising strategy for the
club.
Writing Part 1: Marking Scale (C)
Response to all three questions are fully on
topic and appropriate register is used.
Response shows the following features:

• Range of complex grammar construction

used accurately.

• No punctuation and spelling errors

• Range of vocabulary used. No awkward

or inappropriate lexical choices.

• Range of cohesive devices used to

clearly indicate the links between ideas.
 Part 2

Time is running out!

 Part 2

Register: Authority = Formal e-mail

Content: Express feeling

120 -150 words Use the notes
15 minutes
Writing Part 2: Tips 15 mins

• Read an email from • Respond to the email in • Be on-topic.

an authority. 120 – 150 words.
• Use the notes provided
• Express how you feel
about the situation.
• Use the appropriate register
for the situation.
• Avoid text message or social
media language
• Focus on formal writing.
You have received the e-mail below from your local supermarket. Read the e-mail and the notes
you have made. Write a reply using all the information in your notes, and express how you feel
about the situation.
You should write between 120 and 150 words.

Dear Customer
Thank you for shopping at our supermarket. We value your custom and would like to hear about your most
recent shopping experience. Firstly, we want to know your opinion of our staff. Were they able to help you
in any way? (1) We would also like to know what you think about the organisation of the store. (2) Did you
find it easy to find the products you want? (3) Finally, we would like to hear your suggestions for improving
the customer shopping experience.
Register: Formal e-mail
Yours faithfully,
Customer Services 120 -150 words Use the notes

Your notes: Content: Express feeling

(1) staff seem very young - don't always know about products
(2) every month products are moved - difficult to find what you want
(3) music plays all the time - very irritating - prefer silence!!
Writing Part 2 : Practice 1: Sample Answer 1
Writing Part 2 : Marking Scale (C)
Writing Part 2 : Practice 1: Sample Answer 2
Dear Sir,
Writing Part 2 :
Writing Part 2 : Practice 2
You received this email from a local café. Read the email and the notes you have made. Write a
reply (120-150 words) using your notes, and express how you feel about the situation.
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your continued patronage at our café. We are always looking for ways to improve your
experience! We would love to know more about your visit today. How fast were you served? (1) It would
be great to know whether you found our staff helpful or not. Did they answer all of your questions with a
smile? (2) Lastly, what did you think of our new patio? Did you have a chance to enjoy it? (3) We would
love to hear your thoughts!
Yours faithfully,
Krave Café Staff
NOTES:
1. Slow service - made me late for work
2. Friendly staff – but too talkative
3. Patio looked beautiful – but it was raining
PART 3!
Part 3
Writing Part 3 20 mins

Article
• Write an article for a website that
is both informative and interesting.

Remember!
• Notes about the topic are provided.
• Use the information to help write the article.
• The article needs to be between 180–220 words.
Wow!
• Make your article informative and interesting
• Use original text (i.e. don't just copy the notes).
Read through the article.

Ask yourself if you have answered the question.

Look out for grammatical errors, spelling and

punctuation mistakes.

Delete any unnecessary information.

Make sure the paragraphs are well linked.

Work on the introduction and conclusion if necessary.

BY: ZUBAIDAH ALI, SISC+
Writing Part 3: Marking Scale (C)
THE QUESTION

Shopaholics Anonymous! is a website that publishes short

articles submitted by the public on general interest topics. You
have been asked to write an article about Online Shopping. You
have done some research on this topic in note form. Using your
notes, write an informative and attention-grabbing article for
publication (180-220 words).
NOTES:
● More products to choose from
● Can find deals and use coupon codes
● Pros: convenience / no lines or crowds
● Cons: cannot physically inspect item/ have to pay to return
 THE QUESTION
Price comparisons

Product Type Avg Price in person Avg Price online +/- Overall

Books $15/book shop $5 on Amazon +

Cheaper and bigger
selection online
Groceries $100 for the weekly $150 for the weekly -
shop shop More convenient/ but
can’t guarantee
freshness of products
Clothes $80 $80 (many % off -/+
deals) Save money/ but can’t
try on
● In Aptis test - notes are given. You must
make full use of all the notes.
● Comprehend the question and notes given
before you start writing.
● If there is a table with information included
(like the one in this question) try to analyse
the information by comparing them.
If you could only shop one way for the rest of your life, how would you choose to do
so?

For me and many others, online shopping has become a life-changing component of our
existence. Let’s consider the abundance that is found online.

I can find any book I have ever wanted for a third of the price online. What’s more, is that I
don’t have to fight for a parking spot in a busy lot or stand in a long line to purchase it. The
savings extend to clothes too. When my son was a baby, we constantly had to buy clothes
because he was growing fast. I single-handedly saved my family some serious cash by finding
bargains and coupon codes by shopping online.

However, not all that glitters is gold. There were some severe fails in the clothing
department. I may have saved a percentage of the cost, but many of the clothes didn’t fit right.
It would have been so much better if I could inspect the items before purchasing them as I had
to pay to return them! I also once tried to order groceries online but spent much more on fruit
and veg that weren’t the freshest.

In a nutshell, shopping online can be more convenient and cost-efficient, but it depends on
Remember how the Writing paper is assessed:

Content:

/ You have done what the task asked you to do. You have included all the important information/notes.

X You did not include everything you were asked for. Perhaps you have written something irrelevant or misinterpreted the task.
Communicative Achievement:

/ The writing is appropriate for the task. You used the right style for what you’re trying to communicate.

X The writing isn’t suitable for the task – for example, it might be too formal or too informal.
Organisation:

/ The writing is put together well. It is logical and ordered. The ideas are clearly connected.

X It is difficult for the reader to follow. For example, the paragraphing is poor, there aren’t many linking words, the ideas aren’t
organised logically, etc.
Language:

/ There is a good range of vocabulary and grammar, and these are used accurately. Even if there are some mistakes, they are
minor and the reader can still understand the text.

X There are mistakes that could make the text difficult or confusing for the reader.