c1 essay structure

• How to write a C1 Advanced Essay

• Posted on 26/02/2020
• Categories: Blog
• Tags: C1 Advanced , Cambridge Exams , Writing

The Cambridge C1 Advanced is an excellent qualification to aim for if you’re thinking of studying or working abroad. It’s recognised by universities and governments all over the world and also helps you prove your language skills to future employers.

One of the most demanding parts of the exam is Part 1 of the Writing paper, which includes writing an essay. For many of you, this won’t come naturally… especially in another language.

So, to give you the best chance at success, we’ve created this in-depth guide full of Cambridge C1 Advanced Writing tips and useful language to get you producing excellent essays in no time.

So, pick up your pen, and let’s get started!

If you’d like to get more help with the C1 Advanced, consider our exam preparation class!

C1 Advanced Writing Requirements

The C1 Advanced Writing exam has two writing parts, which you must complete in 90 minutes. Both parts have a word limit of between 220-260 words. We recommend getting lots of writing practice under these conditions!

Part 1 is always a discursive essay . It requires you to think about arguments for and against a topic.

Part 2 is a situationally based writing task. This could be a letter , an email , a report , a proposal or a review and you have three options to choose from.

Today, we’ll be looking at how to do your best in part 1.

Before you begin

When you turn over the paper and begin Writing Part 1, take some time to read the task instructions. Identify all parts of the question, underlining which parts are obligatory and noting which parts are optional.

Let’s take a look at an example question!

Remember, you don’t have to use the opinions expressed in the box, but they may help you to get the ball rolling . Also, you only have to talk about two of the options given, not all three.

Make a plan

Take ten minutes to lay out your ideas. Make a pros and cons list for each of the three options and then decide which two you feel most confident with. Here’s some things you might come up with, can you think of any more?

Structure your essay

The essence of a good essay is a clear structure.

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. Include a good topic sentence and remember to give reasons for your answer. Describe some of the advantages, and even some of the disadvantages too. This will give a well-balanced argument.

Paragraph 2

Here’s where you introduce the second option. Again, try to present both sides of the argument and give reasons for your ideas. Gradually work towards the conclusion.

State your final opinion. This should be a summary of the rest of the essay and point clearly to which option you think is the most important. Do not introduce any new arguments at this stage. The conclusion is where you tie-up any loose ends .

This is an advanced piece of writing, so make sure your choice of language reflects it. You will get marked for accuracy, however, occasional errors can still be present as long as they do not impede understanding. So don’t play it too safe . This is your opportunity to show what you can do, so take some risks and have fun with it!

In the writing paper you should use a range of vocabulary, including less common lexis. Brainstorm some vocabulary related to the topic. Take your time to think of nouns and compound nouns that you know at C1 level. Really let your vocabulary sparkle .

No one likes a broken record . Find synonyms for simple words. You want to use a variety of language, and try not to repeat yourself too much. Check out these different ways of saying the same thing:

advantage = benefit, positive, upside

disadvantage = downside, drawback

effect = influence, impact, result, outcome

problem = issue, challenge, difficulty, obstacle, setback, complication

important = valuable, essential, beneficial

expensive = costly, dear, high-priced, extortionate

cheap = inexpensive, affordable, economical

big = great, large, sizeable, considerable, wide, vast

small = slight, tiny, little

Quick tip: Visit Thesaurus.com to study more synonyms!

Experiment with different grammatical forms. At this level you’re expected to have a good grasp on the grammar. You should use a range of simple and complex grammatical forms with control and flexibility. So challenge yourself with some of these…

• Participle clauses
• Conditionals
• Modal verbs
• Passive with reporting verbs
• Cleft sentences
• Comparatives
• Relative clauses

Useful expressions

To make your essay flow it’s best to use some key phrases. These will link all your ideas together, and help it sound semi-formal. Take a look at the expressions below. Why not use some in your next essay?

Introduction:

It is often said that…

Many people feel that…

We live in an age when..

More and more…

Introducing & Addition:

Firstly, secondly, thirdly…

On the one hand…

In addition…

What is more…

For example…

For instance…

As a case in point…

Contrasting:

In contrast…

On the other hand…

Alternatively…

However…

Conclusion:

All things considered…

As far as I’m concerned…

In light of the above…

What the examiners are looking for

When writing your essay, bear in mind what you’ll be marked on:

Have you answered all parts of the question? Is everything relevant to the question?

Communicative Achievement

Is the style and tone appropriate? Remember it should be semi-formal and neutral.

Organisation

Does it follow a logical order? Have you used paragraphs and linking devices?

Are you using a variety of grammar and vocabulary? Is it accurate?

Now your masterpiece has come together. Remember to take time to check your work. Here’s the official Writing Checklist from Cambridge Assessment English . And our list of the most common mistakes:

• subject + verb agreement
• singulars / plurals
• question formation
• variety of tenses
• dependent prepositions

Some final tips

Avoid contractions (I’m, they’re, we’re) as this is a formal writing.

Don’t use first person pronouns (I, my, our, us).

Practise under timed conditions.

Use model answers to practise fixed expressions.

——

Looking for more help with your Cambridge C1 Advanced exam? Here are our other guides from our blog:

C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English – Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3

And if you are not sure if you’re ready for the C1 Advanced, check out our article Am I ready for the C1 Advanced exam? to find out!

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Get the ball rolling (exp) : to start something.

Lay out (v): to explain something in detail.

Paraphrase (v): to say the same thing in a different way.

Tie-up any loose ends (exp): to resolve issues.

Play it safe (exp): to act cautiously.

A broken record (exp): when someone repeats themself.

Sparkle (v) : to shine.

Good grasp (exp): a good knowledge.

Bear in mind (exp) : to consider.

Masterpiece (n): an incredible work of art.

exp = expression

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Small Talk For Business English

• By: oxfordadmin
• Posted on 19/02/2020

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Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE): How to Write an Essay

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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.

Essay writing is not that difficult…

…if you know what you are doing. For most students, essay writing feels like this huge obstacle that they won’t be able to clear when, in fact, it is not as bad as you might think.

Just like every other writing task in C1 Advanced you can apply a specific structure because the different tasks share the same characteristics. Obviously, the topic changes and the input you get from the question differs, but, essentially, it is like repeating the same task over and over again. For this, you can become pretty good at essay writing in a short time just by practising regularly until most of it becomes almost automatic for you.

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.

What a typical essay task looks like

As mentioned earlier, essay tasks in C1 Advanced look very similar to each other and once you understand what those common features are, you will see that everything becomes a lot easier. A typical task might look like the one below:

Every essay writing task looks like this with the content changing, but the structure staying exactly the same.

There are also a few things highlighted for you in bold which are definitely important for you to consider when you plan and, later, write your text.

First of all, in the bigger box there is always the question you have to answer and three option s to choose from and, as the rubric tells you, you have to pick two of them . These two points need to be discussed and compared and then you explain (with reasons!) which option you think is better, more suitable, nicer or whatever the task asks you to do (Here: Which facility is it more important for local authorities to give money to?).

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.

If you have ever written a Cambridge B2 First essay , you will immediately see the similarities between the tasks, but in C1 Advanced there is less support for you and you have to make more decisions on your own before you can even start to make a plan for your text. Read the whole task very carefully and then choose wisely based on what feels best for you in any given case .

Formal or informal language in an essay?

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).

How to organise your essay

OK, we know now what we have to do and what kind of language we have to use so it’s time to look at the organisation and structure of a good essay.

When organising a piece of writing you should always think about what it is that you have to include in your text. In a C1 Advanced essay there are basically four things:

• First topic point
• Second topic point

From that, we can make four paragraphs and this applies to every single essay you are going to write to practise or in the official exam.

Let’s have another look at our example from earlier. The three options are museums, sports centres and public gardens. Museums and sports centres are both buildings and probably similar to talk about so I’m going to choose sports centres and public parks, just because we can contrast them better in my opinion.

Adding our two topic points to the list from before, this specific essay structure looks like this:

• Sports centres
• Public parks

So there you go. I think that the process up this point is fairly simple and from there most students jump right into the deep end and start to write their essay – but not so fast!

Plan before you start writing

One of the most crucial yet most undervalued tools for excellent writing is a good plan. Unfortunately, I see too many students skip this step and they often end up revising their texts over and over until they run out of time and the result is still not satisfactory.

Please don’t make the same mistake. It takes around five minutes to make a plan which helps you organise your thoughts and ideas in a way that makes sense. You will be able to focus on your language and arguments instead of worrying about possibly forgetting to include content while saving you time. It works and you should do it as well.

To make your plan just take the list we created above and add a couple of thoughts to each point so you know what you want to write about.

• Introduction (panel discussion, local authorities, sports centres & public gardens –> Which one is more important?)
• Sports centres (public health, wide variety of activities, social aspect)
• Public parks (green lung of the city, place to relax from city life, social outdoor activities)
• Conclusion (sports centres better choice –> more variety, more social, greater health benefits)

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.

The different parts of an essay

So far, we’ve looked at a typical essay task and we put everything in order. The next step, of course, is to put our pen to paper and turn our ideas into a great essay. Please be aware that these are simply my recommendations and if you feel that they are helpful, you’re welcome, and if not, modify them or change whatever you think makes more sense for you.

The introduction to your essay serves several different purposes. It presents the topic/question to the reader and puts it in context, introduces the topic points you are going to discuss and creates interest and anticipation in the reader.

All of this sounds like an awful lot of stuff to include, but with a little bit of practice you’ll find out that it is a fairly repeatable process. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you’ll produce one great introduction after another without having to think about it too much.

With all that being said, let’s look at a possible introduction for our example task.

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.

With all our boxes being ticked we can now move on to the next part of the essay.

After you finish your introduction, you can turn your attention towards the main topic paragraphs. These are called ‘the body’ of you essay. I always compare it to a hamburger where the introduction and the conclusion are the bread bun while the patty, lettuce, tomatoes and sauce are the body. You want to make your essay tasty so make sure that the body is just as great as your intro.

Your topic paragraphs should be longer than the introduction and conclusion, but at the same time balanced and about the same length between the two of them. Remember, however, to stay within the limit of 220-260 words total.

A couple of characteristics that are useful and important for every topic paragraph are the following:

• Start with a topic sentence that makes it clear what the paragraph is about.
• Always support your arguments with reasons and/or examples .
• Avoid being too personal unless you give your own opinion at the end of the paragraph.

This is not rocket science, but let me show you what I mean in a couple of examples.

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.

At the beginning of each paragraph it immediately becomes clear what to expect as I mention sports centres and public parks (green spaces, parks). I managed to include all the points from our plan and I supported my arguments with some examples . Also, you can see that, for example, I didn’t use the word ‘I’ in these paragraphs at all even though my opinion on each point is pretty clear. Instead, I used more general statements (“It is widely known that…”, “considered by many as…”, “…can be seen”) which help convey your opinion without simply stating it .

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.

Finally, the conclusion of your essay is there to summarise and to give your opinion on the topic as well as to answer the question in the task (Which facilities should receive money from local authorities?). Your opinion can be nuanced and doesn’t have to be simply black or white as long as you can justify what you say.

In our example, a conclusion might look something like this:

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.

There you have it. The conclusion summarises the findings from the body of the essay and I answered the question giving my opinion. That’s really all you have to do in order to finish off your text well.

Time to start practising

With all the information provided in this article I hope you feel ready to start your journey to become an excellent essay writer. As you can see, the structure is clear and the tasks are always similar. Practise regularly in order to improve until essay writing becomes second nature for you.

Lots of love,

Teacher Phill 🙂

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Breakout English

Advanced (CAE) Essay Questions and Sample Answers

The Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) essay is a formal, academic writing. You’ll find it in Part 1 of the CAE writing exam and, just like at other levels, Part 1 is mandatory. That means whether you like it or not, you’ll be writing an essay for your C1 Cambridge exam. Considering that, it’s probably a good idea to practise. The good news is, the CAE essay can be quite formulaic. Once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll notice the structure and style are always pretty similar. Before you know it, you’ll be writing them in your sleep! In this post, you’ll find some useful CAE writing tips and three essay questions with sample answers.

If you’re looking for a complete overview of the CAE writing exam, with CAE writing tips and much more, check out Advanced Writing Plus , our complete self-study course.

Topics for Advanced (CAE) essay questions

At C1 level, you are expected to be able to write about pretty much any topic you can imagine. However, CAE essay topics are generally going to be quite formal. You’re not going to be asked about your plans for the weekend!

These are some of the topics which are most likely to come up in an Advanced essay question:

• Environmental issues
• Public projects
• Science and nature
• Global issues

Make sure you’ve looked into these topics and studied relevant vocabulary. You can also read different articles and listen to radio broadcasts (or podcasts) related to the topics. Don’t forget to note down important vocabulary so you can remember it for your writings!

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.

• Don’t do anything too strange – The essay question is likely to be on quite an interesting topic. It could even be on something you feel strongly about or specialise in. But be careful! When essays start to ramble too much or go too far, they lose their strength. This essay isn’t going to change the world, so don’t go overboard!
• Use advanced language – Remember that to get top points, you must use advanced structures in your writing. Take some time to practise inversion, cleft sentences and participle clauses, then use them in your essay.
• Don’t be stingy with linking words – Linking words (and expressions) are the glue of a writing. Without them, everything falls apart. This doesn’t mean you have to use ridiculous uncommon linking words, but you should use them frequently, probably more than you expect. Take a look at our post about linking words for some ideas.
• Be stylish! – An essay needs to read like an essay, just like a report needs to read like a report. This means it is a formal, academic text. Formal means no contractions, few phrasal verbs, complex sentences and an impersonal style. The essay needs to include your opinion, so you need to express that opinion through style and substance, supported by facts.
• Focus on argument and coherence – To score high in the CAE essay, it’s important to have a clear argument and structure. Plan your essay and stick to the plan, making sure each paragraph has a clear purpose. Ensure that your points are logically connected and that your writing is coherent.
• Use a variety of sentence types – Varying sentence types and lengths keep the reader engaged and demonstrate your writing skills. Mix simple and complex sentences to add interest to your writing.
• Check your writing! – Proofreading is critical for writing a top-scoring CAE essay. Check for grammatical and spelling errors and make sure the writing flows well. Also, don’t forget to check your writing style and tone to make sure you sound professional and academic.
• Practice, practice, practice – Finally, practise writing essays under timed conditions. This will help you to improve your time management and build confidence for the actual exam.

The materials

Here are three Advanced (CAE) essay questions. They each use different CAE essay topics. Use them to practise and improve in preparation for the Cambridge C1 Advanced exam. After completing your own essay, check the example answer and compare.

Are you a learner at C1 English level (advanced) ? This section offers writing practice to help you write clear, well-structured texts about complex subjects. Texts include essays, proposals, articles, reports, reviews and emails.

Each lesson has a preparation task, a model text with writing tips and three tasks to check your understanding and to practise a variety of writing skills. Make a start today.

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A music review

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A proposal for a digital newspaper

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A report on a research study

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A response to a complaint

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An email explaining an incident

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An email request

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An email to a friend

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An essay about women in science

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An opinion essay

Learn how to write an opinion essay.

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Conference bios

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Describing a table

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The changing workplace

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C1 advanced exam format.

C1 Advanced is a thorough test of all areas of language ability.

The exam is made up of four papers developed to test your English language skills. You can see exactly what’s in each paper below.

The formats below are the same for both the paper-based and computer-based exams and digital exams. Please note, during March 2024 we will be moving from our current computer-based exam delivery to Cambridge English Qualifications Digital, which will offer you even more benefits. Information on the switch and what this means for you can be found on our Cambridge English Qualifications Digital page.

• openbook Reading and Use of English
• compose Writing
• playlist Listening
• megaphone Speaking

openbook What’s in the Reading and Use of English paper?

The C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English paper is in eight parts and has a mix of text types and questions.

Part 1 (Multiple-choice cloze)

Part 2 (Open cloze)

Part 3 (Word formation)

Part 4 (Key word transformations)

Part 5 (Multiple choice)

Part 6 (Cross-text multiple matching)

Part 7 (Gapped text)

Part 8 (Multiple matching)

compose What’s in the Writing paper?

In the two parts of the C1 Advanced Writing paper, you have to show that you can write different types of text in English.

Part 1 (Compulsory question)

Part 2 (Situationally based writing task)

playlist What’s in the Listening paper?

The C1 Advanced Listening paper has four parts. For each part you have to listen to a recorded text or texts and answer some questions. You hear each recording twice.

Part 1 (Multiple choice)

Part 2 (Sentence completion)

Part 3 (Multiple choice)

Part 4 (Multiple matching)

megaphone What’s in the Speaking paper?

The C1 Advanced Speaking test has four parts and you take it together with another candidate.

There are two examiners. One of the examiners conducts the test (asks you questions, gives you the paper with things to talk about, and so on). The other examiner listens to what you say and takes notes.

Part 1 (Interview)

Part 2 (Long turn)

Part 3 (Collaborative task)

Part 4 (Discussion)

Cómo escribir un Essay para el C1 Advanced (CAE) [Guía 2023]

Luis @ kse academy.

• diciembre 16, 2022

Como seguro que ya sabes, los exámenes de Cambridge tienen varias partes (Reading, Writing, Use of English, Speaking y Listening), y cada uno de estos components se divide en diferentes partes. En este artículo me quiero centrar en el Writing Part 1 del C1 Advanced, es decir, en cómo escribir un Essay para el CAE . Y es que la parte 1 del Writing del C1 siempre será un essay.  🙂

Respuesta de ejemplo de C1 Essay

¡Nueva guía de Writing C1!

• 3 Ejemplos de cada tipo de Writing
• Essay, Review, Formal and Informal Email and Letter, Report y Proposal
• 500+ expresiones útiles listas para utilizar
• 95 páginas de contenido exclusivo
• Descripción completa del examen de Writing del CAE
• Descripción detallada de cada parte
• Criterios de corrección y preguntas frecuentes (FAQ)

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¿Qué partes tiene el Writing del CAE?

El Writing del C1 Advanced (CAE), como ya vimos en otro artículo, tiene 2 partes , y para cada una de ella tendrás que escribir un texto según las instrucciones del ejercicio. Lo que debes saber es que existe una serie limitada de tipos de textos que te pueden preguntar en cada parte, así que veamos: 

• Writing Part 1: En esta parte siempre tendrás que escribir un ensayo ( essay ), y no tendrás más opciones para elegir. Por eso es realmente importante que prestes atención a este artículo y aprendas a escribir un ensayo para el C1 Advanced lo mejor posible. 
• Formal letter/email
• Informal letter/email
• Review 
• Proposal 

Cada writing que haga deberá tener entre 220 y 260 palabras, aproximadamente, y, al tratarse de diferentes tipos de escrito, deberás tener en cuenta las peculiaridades de cada uno en cuanto a estructura, registro, gramática y vocabulario, etc. 

Así que comencemos con el que nos atañe en este artículo: Essays ! 

¿Qué es un essay ?

Un Essay , en español «ensayo», es un texto de opinión en el que analizamos un tema, una situación o un problema desde diferentes puntos de vista o considerando varios puntos o soluciones al problema. En los diferentes párrafos, tratamos cada uno de ellos y expresamos diferentes hechos, consideraciones y opiniones. 

Ahora que ya sabemos lo que es un ensayo, pasemos a ver cómo escribir uno y sus características. 

Cómo escribir un Essay para el CAE Writing

A continuación te explico las características principales de un Essay de nivel C1 para que las tengas bien presentes a la hora de escribir: 

• Propósito: Con un ensayo, lo que hacemos es evaluar un tema, una situación o un problema que es de cierto interés o controversia (Ej.: el uso de móviles en adolescentes ). A menudo, la actividad de Writing se plantea como una actividad que tiene lugar después de un debate en clase. En un examen, tendrás que imaginar el debate por ti mismo.
• Tono y registro: Al tratarse de un texto que versa sobre un tema serio o controvertido, el Essay siempre es un escrito que se da en un contexto formal, por lo que debemos utilizar un tono objetivo. Además, el registro lingüístico siempre debe ser formal, evitando palabras comunes como things, stuff, get, etc.; contracciones ( can’t, don’t, won’t, etc.); o expresiones que puedan sonar informales. 
• Estructura: Como todos los Writings, un ensayo tiene una estructura bastante definida, aunque no 100% fija e inamovible. Para empezar, podemos elegir darle un título o no, pero, personalmente, a mí me parece más adecuado escribir un Essay con título. ¿Has visto alguna vez un texto publicado sin título? Seguramente no.  En cuanto al cuerpo del texto, debe estar dividido en los siguientes párrafos: introducción, punto 1, punto 2 y conclusión. Es decir, en general, un Essay para el C1 de Cambridge debe tener 4-5 párrafos.
• Opinión: Aquí es donde más libertad tenemos a la hora de escribir un ensayo para el C1. Existen muchas formas de expresar nuestra opinión en un Essay , por lo que debes elegir la que mejor se ajuste al planteamiento de tu Writing. Lo que yo suelo recomendar es, sin embargo, que te mantengas imparcial durante todo el texto y expresar tu opinión únicamente al final, en el último párrafo, a modo de conclusión. Como siempre, lo más importante es que justifiques todo lo que dices en el escrito y que tu conclusión responda a la pregunta principal de la tarea.
• Coherencia y progresión: La coherencia es fundamental en todos los Writings, pero especialmente en el ensayo. Al tratarse de un texto justificativo y argumentativo, no se pueden escribir oraciones y párrafos inconexos; las ideas deben seguir un orden lógico y bien conectado, utilizando conectores apropiados al nivel C1, en este caso. Además, el lector debe percibir una progresión lógica de los párrafos, sin perder el hilo de lo que estás tratando de argumentar. Si no, cuando llegue al último párrafo no va a saber de qué estás hablando y nuestro Writing habrá fracasado catastróficamente. 

Ejemplo de CAE Writing Essay

Ahora que ya estamos familiarizados con las características principales de un essay para el Advanced (CAE) Writing de Cambridge, vamos a ver un ejemplo de essay a nivel C1, tanto las instrucciones de ejemplo como una posible respuesta.

Instrucciones de un Essay C1

En la siguiente imagen puedes ver un ejemplo obtenido de la página web de Cambridge.

De estas instrucciones, debemos extraer siempre lo esencial: 

• Temática: facilities which should receive money from local authorities
• sports centres
• public gardens
• «Museums aren’t popular with everybody!»
• «Sports centres mean healthier people.»
• «A town needs green spaces – parks are great for everybody.»
• Tratar únicamente 2 de los 3 puntos que nos han dado. 
• Responder y justificar la pregunta principal (“ which facility it is more important for local authorities to give money to ”)
• Justificar nuestra respuesta (“ giving reasons in support of your answer ”)
• Usar tus propias palabras (“ user your own words as far as possible ”)

Según el modelo de tarea planteado arriba, podemos plantear el escrito de la siguiente forma: 

• Introducción
• Punto 1 (museums)
• Punto 2 (sports centres)

Aunque no está set in stone , lo normal es que nos salgan 4 párrafos. Así que ahora vamos a ver un ejemplo Essay para el Writing del CAE: 

A simple vista, podemos ver que este Essay para C1 tiene un título introductorio y 4 párrafos ( introduction, museums, sports, conclusion ). Además, si leemos detenidamente el texto, podremos apreciar los siguientes aspectos: 

• Título: El título resume perfectamente al lector la temática que vamos a tratar en el texto. A veces, puede ser buena idea un título en forma de pregunta como “ Which facilities should receive funding from local authorities? ”, aunque yo prefiero siempre títulos más concisos. 
• Introduction : introduce el tema de forma general y menciona las dos opciones que vamos a tratar en los siguientes párrafos. 
• Museums : Habla de los beneficios de los museos y de invertir dinero en ellos. 
• Sports centres : Habla de los beneficios de los centros deportivos y de las consecuencias de invertir dinero en ellos. 
• Conclusion : De forma muy clara, se valora que los museos deben ser los que reciban la inversión por ciertos motivos que quedan bien justificados. 
• Conectores: Se utilizan conectores que definen claramente la coherencia y progresión del texto: on the one/other hand, in addition, ultimately, however, while, etc. 
• No utilizamos contracciones ni palabras comodín.
• When it comes to
• comes to mind
• valuable cultural resource
• heritage 
• generating income
• engage in physical activity
• positive outlet for energy
• La gramática es avanzada también (Ej.: Not only can…, but they also… )

En definitiva, se trata de un buen ejemplo de Essay para el CAE Writing. Hay que tener en cuenta, sin embargo, que este writing está escrito para simular un nivel C1, quizás sin adentrarnos en un nivel C2, necesariamente.

¿Me penalizan si escribo menos de 220 o más de 260 palabras?

Esta es la pregunta más típica en esta parte del examen y la respuesta es la siguiente: sí y no. Me explico. Los correctores no cuentan las palabras y te penalizan en función del número de palabras sola y exclusivamente. Corre el rumor entre los alumnos y profesores de que por cada 10 palabras te quitan puntos, pero eso no es cierto. Ahora bien, piensa que si te has pasado en 50 o 100 palabras, o más, probablemente estés metiendo información poco relevante a la tarea, y eso sí que es penalizable. Del mismo modo que si escribes menos de 220 probablemente te falte información importante o no la estés cubriendo con el detalle que se te pide.

Por ello, yo siempre recomiendo pasarse como mucho unas 20 palabras. De ese modo no perderás puntos si la tarea cubre los puntos que se te piden. 🙂

Guía para el C1 Advanced Writing con ejemplos y expresiones útiles

Aunque voy a publicar más artículos explicando cómo hacer cada tipo de tarea para el C1 Advanced, lo mejor que puedes hacer para tener información y práctica de sobra es adquirir la guía oficial de KSE Academy para el Writing del CAE. En esta guía encontrarás lo siguiente:

También puedes 👉🏻 Ver muestra o Comprar en Amazon

Espero que este artículo sobre el C1 Writing Essay te haya resultado muy útil. En ese caso, no olvides compartirlo con tus amigos y familiares.

Nos vemos en el próximo post. Hasta entonces, don’t forget to keep smiling ! 🙂

4 comentarios en “Cómo escribir un Essay para el C1 Advanced (CAE) [Guía 2023]”

Excellent material! I will be going deeply. I am from Ecuador and I need to do the B2 examination maybe in June to apply for a job as a public teacher here, now I am finishing my degree as a licensed. I will also trt to do a masters. Best, Ma. del Carmen Luzuriaga

Thank you for your comment, Maria del Carmen. Wish you all the best! 🙂

¿Sería bueno utilizar también phrasal verbs en nuestra essay?

Hola, Cristina. En principio, no hay problema por utilizar phrasal verbs, siempre que se ajusten a la temática y suenen naturales en el contexto y el tono que estés utilizando. Es decir, a priori, no hay problema, pero puede que algún que otro phrasal verb, según el contexto, puede sonar más informal de la cuenta. Pero depende. Si tienes algún ejemplo específico, no dudes en comentarlo por aquí. 🙂

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