Present and develop the essay question in your introduction
Practice, write & improve, c1 advanced (cae) essay: how to write an essay.
If you have two main points to make, you can give your essay a clear structure by dividing it into four paragraphs.
The first paragraph of an essay provides the introduction. It states what is to be discussed and why. Your main points are briefly introduced. This paragraph need not be lengthy.
Introduction: We often hear about the many benefits of health and fitness. However, less often do we hear concrete suggestions for how to improve participation rates, particularly among young people. In this essay I will discuss two possible actions that governments could focus on in order to promote health and fitness to youth today. (main points are briefly introduced.)
One of the most common mistakes made by inexperienced writers involves using too personal language writing an essay.
Everybody likes to talk about themselves, but when (for example) you’re writing about environmental issues, you should be talking about the environment and not about yourself.
The way word you is used in informal speech ‘You should have seen it!’ ‘if you know what I mean’ is not appropriate in formal writing. At best it sounds chatty and informal; at worst, disrespectful or even offensive. The word you points a finger at the reader. But the readers are not friends of yours, and you have no right to make assumptions about them.
Paragraph 1.
In this paragraph, more background information is provided in greater detail. Your first, often the strongest main point is expanded upon. Bring in and refute any arguments against your point of view.
Paragraph 1: The first possible action is to improve physical education teaching in schools. Local students have at times complained that… (Describe the first point/argument from the notes)
The second paragraph provides your second key point, lying it into the theme of your essay. Again, bring in opposing points of view and support your second key point with Information and background.
Paragraph 2: A second option would be to attempt to change the overly competitive attitudes that seem ingrained in many of the sports… (Describe the second point/argument from the notes)
Between paragraphs:
To begin with, I would like to put forward […] The first possible action is, to improve physical education …[…] A second option would be. … competitive attitudes that […]
Within a paragraph:
[…] which activity is better than the others. Another reason for not financing sports […]
There are two approaches you can choose to write your essay professionally .
This is the traditional approach where a writer discusses points in favour of their position and against. Typically this means that one point will be used to contrast the general position. There are advantages to this method.
Step 3: conclusion.
The final paragraph is used to summarise or conclude your essay. It shows how the two key points you have presented compare or relate to each other. It also clearly re-states your initial position from the introductory paragraph.
Conclusion: In summary, either approach would be a step in the right direction. In my view, it would be wise to prioritize dealing with reducing competitiveness first because I believe it would help young people feel better about the sports they already do. They could then, in turn, influence their friends to join in.
C1 advanced (cae) essay: example answers, cae essay sample 1.
Your class has attended a panel discussion on facilities which should receive money from local authorities. You have made the notes below:
Which facilities should receive money from local authorities?
Some opinions expressed in the discussion:
Write an essay discussing two of the facilities in your notes. You should explain which facility it is more important for local authorities to give money to, giving reasons in support of your answer.
[Introduction]
In regard of a recent discussion about the facilities, which are financially supported by local authorities, I would like to write a few of my personal thoughts. Whether we are talking about sports centres or public gardens, there is no doubt that they are both a good thing to have in the city and should both be supported somehow. The only question then is which one of these is more important, what are the pros and cons of each one?
[1 st body paragraph ]
Let me start with the sport centres as I think these are a bit more problematic. Obviously, in our times where lots of people spend days sitting in their office staring at a computer, some sort of physical training is very important. We have to balance that shift in our lifestyles. The problem I see with supporting the sports centres is the number of activities that you can do at these days. There is almost countless list of either individual or team sports that we can think of, and each centre is usually designed for a specific type or at least a group of sports similar in its nature. Therefore I think that it is too difficult to support them equally and we can’t say which activity is better than the others either. Another reason for not financing sports as much as green parks is their commercial use. What I mean by that is that we usually pay for everything the centre offers us to do and therefore they are more able to last from their own money than gardens.
[2 nd body paragraph]
Regarding of the green spaces, the situation is much clearer I think. Every city needs gardens where people can sit and relax, but nobody is going to pay a tax for just walking around.
[Conclusion[]
These factors lead me to my conclusion, that the public gardens are definitely a facility which should be financed from public money, whereas in the case of sports centres, the situation is questionable.
Your class has attended a panel discussion on the action governments can take to promote health and fitness among young people. You have made the notes below.
Action to promote health and fitness among young people
Some opinions expressed during the discussion
Write an essay for your tutor, discussing two of the actions in your notes. You should explain which action you think is more important, giving reasons to support your opinion.
We often hear about the many benefits of health and fitness. However, less often do we hear concrete suggestions for how to improve participation rates, particularly among young people. In this essay I will discuss two possible actions that governments could focus on in order to promote health and fitness to youth today.
The first possible action is to improve physical education teaching in schools. Local students have at times complained that the curriculum is rigid and emphasizes repetitive activities instead of team sports and enjoyment. Better role models and more adventurous options could lead to improved attitude and participation. Naturally, employing specialist sports teachers would incur considerable cost.
A second option would be to attempt to change the overly competitive attitudes that seem ingrained in many of the sports competitions for youngsters. When adults such as parents and teachers focus on winning above having a good time, it puts undue pressure on the participants. They may feel a sense of failure if they lose and also be less inclined to try a new sport.
[Conclusion]
In summary, either approach would be a step in the right direction. In my view, it would be wise to prioritize dealing with reducing competitiveness first because I believe it would help young people feel better about the sports they already do. They could then, in turn, influence their friends to join in.
Cae example topic 1.
In class you have had a discussion about inequality and work. You have made the notes below:
Do the privileged few get a head start in life?
Write an essay discussing two of the points given and explain the reasons behind your answer.
Recently, you have held a discussion in a university plenary about work-life balance. You have made the notes below:
Work is the pillar of society though it is obvious that people need to disconnect. Where is the balance?
Write an essay using two of the points and say what might be the most effective way of achieving a healthy work-life balance
You have discussed young people and their future work prospects in class. You have made the notes below:
What might be the most effective strategy to prepare young people for work?
Write an essay discussing two of the points and say which should be implemented into the national curriculum.
C1 advanced (cae) essay: tips.
After writing your text, you can check it yourself using the writing checklist below.
How to do that? Simply check your text/email by answering the questions one by one:
Communicative Achievement
Organisation
C1 advanced (cae) essay: marking criteria.
A wide range of suitable grammatical structures and elements should be used in sentences that are not too simple. Longer sentences with more than one clause should be well controlled and totally clear in meaning. Vocabulary connected with the topic area should be used accurately and a high level of vocabulary to make and support points on the subject should also be demonstrated. | The essay should be neutral or formal rather than informal or conversational. as it is a serious piece of academic work. The reader should clearly understand all the points made about the two aspects, as well as the writer’s reasons for selecting one of them as the most important. |
The essay should be appropriately divided into paragraphs, perhaps with separate paragraphs for each of the two aspects. A short introductory paragraph and/or a short concluding paragraph could be included but neither of these is essential. Sentences and paragraphs should be linked with appropriate linking words and phrases. | The essay must discuss two of the three aspects listed in the question and state which of them the writer regards as the most important, giving reasons for this choice. If the opinions from the discussion are used, they should be rephrased as much as possible, not simply copied. |
We will finish it with useful advanced vocabulary (words to use in an essay) mostly used to organize information. Although it is taking a shortcut, if you learn several expressions/words for each paragraph in each type of text that could be on your exam, you will certainly be able to create a very consistent essay with a perfect structure.
It is often said that … ….is a hotly-debated topic that often divides opinion. ….is a topic that is often discussed but rarely solved. Many people feel that … We live in an age when many of us are… More and more families/people are choosing to … The trend nowadays is towards +ing Over the past/last ten years or so, … Recent research indicates that the number of …is increasing. Statistics indicate that— Hardly a week goes by without another report of .. appearing in the media. This raises the issue of whether …………….. Although most people would generally agree that …………… few
First Paragraph
…. clearly/undoubtedly has an impact on… It is common knowledge that… plays a crucial role in… It is undoubtedly the case that… There is little doubt that… … is widely believed to contribute to… It is generally considered that… Recent research suggests that… Studies have shown that… has an impact/influence on… Few people would contest/dispute the fact that…
Second Paragraph
Another factor to consider is… On the other hand/In contrast… It is often claimed that… All the evidence suggests that…
As I see it, It seems to me that ………… I would also say that …. I am convinced that …………… I am inclined to believe that ……………… There is no doubt in my mind that ……………… One of the drawbacks of ……. is ………. However, one of the benefits is that …………
As regards the causes for this, ………….. Concerning the causes for this, ……… As for the causes, ………..
One justification often given for ……….. is that…………….. Advocates/Proponents would claim that ……………… Those who object to …………….. often argue that ………………. Another objection is that …… However, it should not be forgotten that ………….. ……….. are opposed to ……………. on the grounds that …………….. From the point of view of …………….. According to ………………..
One factor which has led to ………… is ………….. One of the factors which has brought this about is ……… The problem often stems from ……………….. The situation has been exacerbated by ……………. ………….. has only made the situation worse. One consequence of ……………. is …………….
As regards the most appropriate response to this situation, one suggestion would be to ……… The first step to be taken would be to …….. To alleviate the situation people should ……….. In addition they ought to …………… This can only be dealt with if ………… To overcome this problem, ………….. Were the government to ……………, the situation would doubtless improve. Individuals can do a great deal to ………… The burden of responsiblity lies in the hands of …….. It is vitally important that ……… Legislation should be introduced to control …………….. It would be a grave error if we ……………..
In light of the above, Taking all this into consideration/account,… As far as I am concerned, / in my opinion, / as I see it, etc. … is the most effective way to… due to the fact that… Despite the fact that… undoubtedly plays a role in… I firmly believe that… is more effective due to the fact that… its advantages outnumber/ outweigh those All in all it seems to me that ……….. The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that ………………….. All things considered! …………. On balance! , tend to believe that ………… The world would surely be a better place to live in if …………..
Luis @ kse academy.
As I’m sure you already know, Cambridge exams have several papers (Reading, Writing, Use of English, Speaking and Listening), and each of these components is divided into different parts. In this post, I want to focus on Writing Part 1 of the C1 Advanced, that is, how to write an Essay for the CAE . Because, remember, C1 Writing Part 1 will always be an essay 🙂
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The C1 Advanced (CAE) Writing, as we have already seen in another article, has 2 parts , and for each one you will have to write a text according to the exercise instructions. What you should know is that there is a limited range of text types that you may be asked to write in each part, so let’s see:
Each writing task you do should be between 220 and 260 words long, approximately, and, as they are different types of writing, you should take into account the peculiarities of each one in terms of structure, register, grammar and vocabulary, etc.
So let’s start with the one that concerns us in this article: Essays!
An Essay is a text of opinion in which we analyse a topic, a situation or a problem from different points of view or by considering several points or solutions to the problem. In each of the paragraphs, we deal with each point and express different facts, considerations and opinions.
Now that we know what an essay is, let’s look at how to write an essay and its characteristics.
Here are the main characteristics of a C1-level essay so that you can keep them in mind when writing:
Now that we are familiar with the main features of an essay for Cambridge Advanced (CAE) Writing, let’s look at a sample essay at C1 level, both the sample instructions and a possible answer.
In the picture below you can see an example from the Cambridge website.
From these instructions, we must always extract the essentials:
According to the task model outlined above, we can approach out writing with the following structure:
Although it is not set in stone, you will normally get 4 paragraphs. So now let’s look at an example Essay for CAE Writing:
|
At first glance, we can see that this Essay for C1 has an introductory title and 4 paragraphs ( introduction , museums , sports , conclusion ). In addition, if we read the text carefully, we can see the following aspects:
In short, this is a good example of an Essay for CAE Writing. It should be noted, however, that this writing is written to simulate a strong C1 level, perhaps without necessarily going into a C2 level.
This is the most typical question in this part of the exam and the answer is: yes and no. Let me explain. The assessors won’t count the words and penalise you according to the number of words only. There is a rumour going around among students and teachers that for every 10 words they take away X points, but this is not true. However, if you have gone over 260 words by 50 or 100 words, or more, there is probably some content that is not relevant to the assignment, and that is penalised. Likewise, if you write less than 220 words, you are probably missing important information or you are not covering it in the detail required by the task instructions.
For this reason, I always recommend going over 20 words at most. That way you won’t lose points if your assignment covers the required topics and points. 🙂
Although I will be publishing more articles explaining how to do each type of task for C1 Advanced, the best thing you can do to get plenty of information and practice is to buy the official KSE Academy guide to CAE Writing. In this guide you will find the following:
I hope you found this post useful. If you did, don’t forget to share with your friends and family. 🙂
I’ll see you in the next post. Until then, don’t forget to keep smiling!
Introduction.
An essay in the C1 Advanced Writing paper is usually written for an academic tutor and may be written as a follow-up to a class activity, such as attending a seminar or watching a documentary. The main purpose of the task is to underline relevant salient issues on the stated topic, and to support an argument with subsidiary points and reasons. An essay should be well organised, with an introduction, clear development and an appropriate conclusion. It should hold the target reader’s attention and communicate complex ideas using an appropriate range of vocabulary and structures. Source: Cambridge English C1 Advanced handbook for teachers
Essays are part of the first section of the CAE Writing paper. The task is mandatory, which means that you always have to write an essay unlike the other texts ( emails/letter , proposals , reviews , reports ) where you can choose which one you would like to tackle in the exam.
Long story short, in this article I’m going to take you by the hand and guide you through all the different aspects of essay writing. We’re going to see what a typical essay task looks like, the structure and language and, of course, common problems and mistakes you should avoid on your way to mastering essays.
Apart from that, you are also gifted a few ideas in the smaller of the two boxes . You can use these in your essay (You don’t have to.), but make sure that you don’t just copy them word for word. Instead, paraphrase them and make them your own, or simply come up with your own ideas.
I’ll keep this short for you because this works in every single task: Keep your language formal , which means no contractions ( I’m , don’t , etc.), no colloquial expressions ( Hey, what’s up? , I liked it heaps ., etc.), and no slang or phrasal verbs that convey informality ( I’m bursting vs. I have had enough to eat; carry on vs. continue).
Plan before you start writing.
It took me 4 minutes to create this plan. I used the idea from the task for sports centres (“Sports centrs mean healthier people.”), but I paraphrased it (public health) while the idea for public parks seems too vague for me so I left it out. Remember that it is optional to include these thoughts in your essay. if you feel that you have better ones, go for it.
In recent years, public funding for local facilities has become more problematic for many towns, which has become more obvious to me after listening to a panel on the financial needs of several different local facilities like sports centres and public parks. As these places battle for funds, the main question is which ones deserve the money more.
Let’s have a closer look at this intro. At the beginning the whole issue is put into the context of the financial problems many local authorities have experienced. Sports centres and public parks as our two topic points are included as well and, last but not least, a question is asked to create a little more interest in the reader.
It is widely known that sports centres provide many different benefits to the local community. Someone on the panel mentioned that, from a public-health standpoint, it is crucial to offer opportunities to exercise in order to keep everyone healthy physically as well as mentally due to the social character of sports. In addition to that, exercise comes in many different shapes and forms, from team sports to individual activities like swimming, so there is something for everyone to enjoy in a dedicated group of people. While green spaces in a town or city have their own benefits, it can be difficult to maintain such large areas in order to keep parks pleasant and inviting to everyone. Nevertheless, considered by many as the green lung of a city their use as a refuge from hectic city life cannot be debated, and groups of people as well as individuals can be seen following their favourite pastime or socialising with others, which makes the discussion about allocating funds even more difficult.
Last but not least, both parts are balanced in terms of their length, but I don’t want you to think that they have to be perfectly equal. If there is good reason to give one part a little bit more attention over the other, that’s fine. For example, you can say in your essay that one of the ideas is more complex than the other, which tells the examiner that you actually thought about this instead of just having messed up your text. Be clear about it and think it through before you even start writing.
Taking into account all the positions from above I come to the conclusion that funding should be allocated to both facilities as they provide essential resources to the local community. However, due to their more social character and possibly greater public health benefits I would give more funds to sports centres.
Similar posts, cambridge c1 advanced (cae): how to write a proposal, cambridge c1 advanced (cae): reading and use of english part 1, cambridge c1 advanced (cae): how your writing is marked, cambridge c1 advanced (cae): reading and use of english part 3, cambridge c1 advanced (cae): reading and use of english part 2, how to stay calm on your cambridge exam day.
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C1 Advanced (CAE) Essay: Example Topics / Questions. Below is a sample list of academic essay writing topics/tasks for C1-level (advanced) students. You can use them to practice writing English essays or to simplyy prepare for the Cambridge exam.
Essay Samples/Model answers With Marks & Comments - C1 Advanced (CAE) .Check how to write your essay correctly, how it is scored and how to get the highest possible grade.
C1 Advanced (CAE) Essay Tips. You’ve probably got plenty of experience writing in English if you’ve reached a C1 level. Students who prepare for this exam often need their skills focused in the right way rather than being taught brand new ideas. Here are my top tips for preparing the CAE essay task.
Doing research on different topics and making your own writing practice tasks is a great way to build your vocabulary and confidence on common topics in the exam, including those you feel less confident about.
Introduction. Here you want to introduce the topic in your own words. Your first line should also grab the reader’s attention, then you should paraphrase the question. Finally, try using a statistic or a rhetorical question. This will make them want to read on, right? Paragraph 1. Discuss the first option you’ve chosen.
C1 Advanced Writing Part 1 – answer keys. Key to student’s worksheet. Exercise 1. • Part 1 is compulsory. • Candidates are required to write an essay on a given topic, based on two of the given points. They will then be asked to explain which of the points is more important in a given respect and give reasons for their opinion.
Structure, Writing Guide, Example Answers, Writing Topics, Tips, Marking Criteria, Useful Phrases & Expressions. words to start essay, to conclude an essay, to use in an essay, Perfect essay structure, You need to answer the question with between 220-260 words.
C1 Advanced Essay (CAE) Examples. This is a collection of CAE (Cambridge C1) essays written by my students, with my thoughts about them. There’s also a video I made of me writing an essay. If you want CAE writing tips, there are lots in the writing section of this site. Special pandemic offer: For a limited time I am giving feedback on essays ...
In this article, I show you how to write an essay for Cambridge CAE Writing. In addition, I bring you a guide to C1 Advanced (CAE) Writing that will help you improve your writing.
Find out everything you need to know about Cambridge C1 Advanced Writing - essays. Learn how to analyse a task, layout, register and useful language.