Writing

Part 1
You must answer this question. Write your answer in 220 – 260 words in an appropriate style on the
separate answer sheet.

1 Your class has listened to a debate about the things people read and how the way people read is changing.
You have made the notes below:

The different things people commonly read:

• news and current affairs

• novels
• factual information
Some opinions expressed in the debate:

“Soon, everything we read will be digitised and delivered online

to our personal devices.”

“Young people are reading less and less nowadays.”

“People don’t have time for extended reading – they want the
vital information given to them in useful, bit-sized chunks.”

 rite an essay discussing two of the things people commonly read in your notes. You should explain how
W
you think the way we read them is changing and provide reasons to support your opinion.

 ou may, if you wish, make use of the opinions expressed in the discussion, but you should use your own
Y
words as far as possible.

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 Answer Guidelines for Writing
Part 2
2 experience to talk about any achievements over the
Style
The letter in this case should be informal as it is to a
friend. You will need to use a range of structures to
give advice and justification for the course of action
that you are recommending. In this case you will
need to use a range of structures (conditionals) to
talk about hypothetical situations.
Content
The content of the letter needs to be fully relevant to
input text (a request for help deciding on a course
of action). Do not be tempted to change the topic
of the letter and start writing about your job or your
family news! This letter requires you to compare and
contrast getting a full-time permanent job with doing
a temporary job and then going travelling. A full
answer would explore the impact of both courses
of action on not just the friend but also on his/her
family and friends.
Organisation
Plan what you want to say in each paragraph of your
letter. Decide on a name for your friend and use
an appropriate greeting (Hi Ted). You might want
to start with a reference to leaving college ‘I can’t
believe college is over for ever!’ or the need to get
a job. Finish your letter with a wish that your friend
finds your advice useful and then add a suitable
closing (All the best) and your name.
3
Style
The report is written for your superiors (the
management team) and so should be neutral or
formal. You will need to use a range of past tenses
to recount what was achieved and future and
conditional tenses when giving suggestions for
improvements. Your language should be clear and
factual, not overly descriptive.
Content
The content of the report is largely factual and
needs to be fully relevant to the input material. In this
case you will need to establish exactly which sport
you were coaching. You can then draw on your own
18 CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: ADVANCED | TEST A
Adv p001-038 Practice Test A.indd 18
six months. The report also requires you to make
judgements on the quality of the club’s facilities and
the support you got, and to make some suggestions
for improvements.
Organisation
Plan what you want to say in each section of your
report. Give your report a heading and think about
the appropriate sub-headings for each section of
the report. Each paragraph should keep to the topic
suggested in the sub-heading.
4
Style
The review should be neutral but to keep the
reader’s interest, it would be good to use lively
expressions in your evaluation of the websites.
Content
You will need to think of two travel websites that you
know well and can effectively compare and contrast.
Think of a title that will make it clear to the reader
what your review is about. When you describe the
actual website, you could add details like how easy
the site is to navigate, how reliable it is (for example,
if it contains up-to-date information) and whether it
allows users to post their comments.
Organisation
Plan what each paragraph of your review is going
to be about. You will need to start with brief
descriptions of the sites, then the majority of your
review will be the evaluation and comparison of the
sites. In your final paragraph you should make it
clear who the sites would be most useful for, ‘If you
are a twenty-something, travelling alone and looking
for the trendiest bars and restaurants in the city then
this is the site for you.’
This page may be photocopied 
© Cambridge University Press 2014
06/10/2014 15:40