CPE

WRITING
ESSAY
WRITING

You are required to base your essay on input material which will take the form of two texts, each
approximately 100 words long. The texts will be based on a variety of authentic, contemporary sources

You need to answer the question with between 240-280 words.

 ● Step 1: read the two texts below and write down to key points of each extract
Read the two texts below. Write an essay summarising and evaluating the key points from both texts. Use your
own words throughout as far as possible, and include your own ideas in your answers.

Examinations are not fair.

Making judgments about the ability of students based on examinations that take place just once or
perhaps twice a year is simply not fair. So many students fail to show their true ability due to anxiety,
stress and a number of other factors. Many students who do well in exams do so simply by cramming
facts into their heads the week before the exam, to be forgotten by the following weekend. Surely
assessment of the work done in class and at home throughout the school year would be a fairer
system?

Extract 1. Key points:

1) Unfair to judge a year’s performance just once or twice a year.

2) This unfair system forces students to temporary parrot-fashion learning
Classroom assessment is idealistic.
It’s all very well to talk about teachers judging their students work in the classroom, and students
working alone at home on their projects, but everyone knows that continuous assessment
doesn’t work like that. Teachers are only human, and tend to be softer on their students than an
examiner would be (or, in a worse scenario, harder on a student they don’t like). Parents or older
siblings help students with the projects they have to do at home, even if it’s just coming up with
ideas for them. Exams may not be fun, but at least we get to see what each individual student is
capable of.

Extract 2. Key points:

3) Continuous assessment depends too much on the teacher who may be either
too lenient or too strict.
4) Parents and siblings may give an unfair advantage to some students over
their classmates who don’t have help at home.
 ● Step 2: introduction. make a plain reference to the
topic of the two texts

The two texts express contrasting views on the hotly debated issue of school
exams.

● Step 3: Body paragraph (1) = topic sentence plus point 1 + point 2

[Topic sentence] The first author considers the annual assessment of students’ performance
as inadequate. [Paraphrase the first (1) point] Knowing that your only chance to prove your
competence relies on a couple of questions that need to be answered within a suffocating
time limit cannot but fill you with anxiety. [Paraphrase the second (2) point] To make matters
worse, even when the students manage to cope with the stress it is doubtful whether they
gain any academic benefit. All they do is switch off their critical thinking and employ their
parrot fashion learning. When the exams are over they ‘delete’ all this array of incongruent
information. Therefore, they end up with lots of pains and no gains!
● Step 4 : body paragraph ( 2) = topic sentence+ point 3 + point 4

[Topic sentence] Conversely, the second text sees the exams as the only reliable means of
school assessment. [Paraphrase the third (3) point:] If the students were continually evaluated
throughout the year they would be at the mercy of the bias of their teachers. If the professors
are positively predisposed they will inflate the marks and if they have any sort of conflict with
their pupils they could use the marks as a form of punishment. [Paraphrase the fourth (4)
point] Moreover, the project work that has often been hailed as the creative alternative of
barren exams may prove to be a hoax. More often than not it is other family members that do
the work and the students undeservingly reap the rewards.
 ● Step five: body paragraph ( 3) your opinion

[Topic sentence] While I agree that the exams entail counterproductive stress that may
spoil the true meaning of education, I cannot overlook the fact that they are an objective
and trustworthy method of evaluation. If the written tests accounted for a proportion of the
pupils’ overall mark and the rest was completed with projects and class participation we
could successfully combine the profits of these too seemingly contrasting methods.
● Step 6: conclusion: closing remark- no new ideas

All in all, the examinations can contribute to an objective assessment of

school performance as
long as they are combined with elements of continuous assessment.
CPE Essay: Structure

Introduction
Make a plain reference to the topic of the two texts.

1st body paragraph

Topic sentence + Paraphrase point 1 + Paraphrase point 2

2nd body paragraph

Topic sentence + Paraphrase point 3 + Paraphrase point 4

3 rd body paragraph
Your opinion

Conclusion
Closing remark – No new ideas.
EXTRA TOPICS
AND USEFUL
LANGUAGE
Formal letter
WRITING
EXTRA TOPICS
AND USEFUL
LANGUAGE
Informal letter
WRITING
CHEAT SHEET
Exam type tasks
Report
WRITING
Exam type tasks
and useful expres
sions
An article is written on a particular theme in a style which makes it suitable for publication in an
English-language newspaper, magazine or newsletter.

The purpose of an article is to convey information; it may contain some description and/or narrative,
and you should bear in mind the need to engage the interest of their readers.

In some cases, a personal angle will be appropriate and a catchy title will attract the reader’s attention.

However, there are many different types of articles, and You should check carefully to see what kind of
publication You are being asked to write for. An article in an academic publication will have a very
different style and choice of language from one in an international magazine.
How to write a CPE article?
1. Keep in mind where will the article appear
– a newspaper, magazine or website?

2. Who is the target group?

Discover your audience. Are you writing for beginner, intermediate or advanced readers?

Having a good grasp on who will be reading your article can help you orient the information and the tone
so that it’s as useful as possible.

3. What is the purpose of the article

– to advise, suggest, inform, compare, contrast describe, etc.?

4. Organise your ideas carefully in paragraphs.

– each paragraph should provide a clear topic sentence.
CPE Article: Titles
The title is essential when creating an article.

It should be a concise summary of the information presented in the article. Shortly speaking, the main
topic of the article should be concluded in the title.

For example, if you are writing a description of a place, using adjectives can enhance the attractiveness of
the place, before the reader begins reading the article, e.g.

“The Tranquility and Peace of an Island that Time Forgot”.

If the task involves proposing a solution to a problem or your opinion, and so on, you can address your
audience directly, e.g.

“What You Need to Do to Be Successful”, or use a question such as “Is Learning English Really Necessary
Today?”.

The title should not be too long and ideally reflect the style of the article – both formal or informal.
CPE Article: Topic sentences…
To provide consistency in one paragraph, it is essential to group sentences according to the main idea.

Therefore, it is required to start either by setting a theme or a topic sentence that sums up the main idea of the
whole paragraph. Such a sentence usually appears at the beginning of the paragraph.

Sample topics:
“There are many reasons why pollution in ABC Town is the worst in the world.”
“To be an effective CEO requires certain characteristics.”
” Fortune hunters encounter many difficulties when exploring a shipwreck.”
CPE Article: Examples
CPE Article: Useful phrases and expressions
We will finish it with some useful vocabulary mostly used to organize information. Although it is taking a
shortcut, if you learn several expressions for each paragraph in each type of text that could be on your exam,
you will certainly be able to create a very consistent and well-organized text.

Agreeing partially Summary / Repetition / Exemplification

This is partly true… In brief…
To (an) (certain) / (some) extent… Place and Location
On the whole…
In some cases … Beyond…
Overall…
Up to a point … Nearby…
In short…
While it can not be denied that … On the opposite side…
In other words…
While it is true that… Adjacent to…
To be sure…
Over head…
For instance…
Qualifying Statements To/on the right…
In fact…
There is a tendency to… In the centre…
In any event…
A large number of the times… Over to the left/right….
Usually, they are inclined to… In the same area….
Purpose
Generally speaking… In the neighbouring town….
Therefore…
Sometimes/Usually/Often/Generally… With this object in view/mind…
Things appear to be… To this end…
In a large number of cases… For this purpose….
In some instances…
CPE Article: Mark scheme

It is a text generally intended to publish in a newspaper, journal or magazine

It is written for a wide spectrum of audience, therefore it is important to attract and hold
the attention of the readers
It may contain funny stories, reported speech, and descriptions
It may be formal or informal, depending on the target group
It should be written in an interesting or funny style
It should express opinions and thoughts, as well as facts
It has a less formal style than a report
Samples and tasks
FORMAL OR IN
FORMAL?

REGISTER
Review
WRITING
SAMPLE TASK 1
 SAMPLE TASK 2

EXAMPLES
Write your answer in
240-280 words
EXAM PRACTICE
or