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B2 First (FCE) Essay Writing Guide

The Cambridge B2 First (FCE) essay is easier to write than you think! Follow these steps to write the perfect essay.

Post Contents

What is the Cambridge B2 First Essay?

  • Part 1 of the writing test – there are 2 parts total
  • 140-190 word limit
  • You have about 40 minutes to plan and write your essay
  • You must answer a question using two notes and your own idea
  • The topic requires general knowledge only
  • The essay is always formal because it is written “for your teacher”

Step One: Look at the Task (1 minute)

To begin, all B2 First essays have a similar format . This is great because you know exactly how to write the essay before seeing the question.

Read the essay question carefully and HIGHLIGHT any keywords you need to write about.

Tip: If you don’t understand the question or notes, DON’T PANIC. Try your best to write the essay. You will still get points for grammar, vocabulary, and structure.

B2 First essay writing instructions

Sample exam test from Cambridge English .

Step Two: Write a plan (5 minutes)

A lot of my students dislike writing a plan. However, a plan helps you organize your thoughts and helps you write a better B2 First essay. Your essay needs 5 paragraphs . We will use the sample task from above as an example:

Paragraph structure for an essay

Introduction.

  • Rivers and seas
  • Your own idea

Next, to create a plan, write a few words for each paragraph . DO NOT write whole sentences. This takes too much time. Try to focus on keywords and short phrases .

Tip: “Your own idea” DOES NOT mean your opinion. You need to think of another topic related to the question to talk about. Some ideas for this task could be: recycling, agriculture, industry, etc.

Additionally, you can prepare a list of linking words and related vocabulary . Getting these words written down before you start helps you remember to use them.

Look at the example plan below. You can draw something similar on a blank piece of paper.

B2 First essay plan

Tip: Time yourself – see how long it takes for you to write a plan. Try to reduce that amount of time as much as possible.

Step 3: Write your essay (32 minutes)

On the official test, you must write with a pen . No erasable pens or pencils are allowed. I suggest writing your plan and essay with a pen every time you practice .

Let’s take a look at each paragraph of the essay.

The introduction to your essay should be 2-3 sentences long . It introduces the essay topic in a general way .

Tip: DO NOT include your opinion in the introduction. Your opinion goes in the conclusion.

If you are unsure how to write an introduction, try this structure and look at the example :

Structure of the introduction  

  • 1 sentence about the topic in general
  • 1-2 sentences about the topic more specifically, including a question if you like.

Example Introduction

On every continent, the amount of trash and waste is increasing each year. Rubbish causes damage to ecosystems all over the world. Is there a way for countries to reduce their carbon footprint and save our planet?

Body of the essay

The body of the essay has three paragraphs . These paragraphs talk about one idea with supporting examples .

For each paragraph, you need to write a topic sentence. A topic sentence is the main idea of the paragraph . DO NOT copy the notes. Instead, try to rewrite the idea in your own words. This is called “paraphrasing.” 

Your paragraphs should be 3-4 sentences .

Tip: Start each paragraph with a linking word .

Structure of a body paragraph

  • Linking word and topic sentence
  • Supporting sentences

Example body paragraph

Firstly, countries can decrease pollution and environmental stress by offering more public transportation. Cars and other vehicles which require petrol produce toxic fumes. If more electric buses and trams were available, fewer people would need to drive their cars.

Follow the same structure for each body paragraph.

Tip: Remember that “your own idea” is NOT your opinion . Write about an additional topic related to the question that you wrote down on your plan.

Finally, you get to say your opinion! In the conclusion, you need to summarize the topic and give your opinion on the question. A conclusion should be 1-2 sentences long.

Structure of the conclusion

  • Transition word and a sentence summarizing the topic
  • A sentence that gives your opinion

Example conclusion

To sum up, countries around the world must make changes in order to protect the environment. In my opinion, offering more public transport, reducing overfishing, and creating recycling programs are necessary for a cleaner planet.

Step Four: Review your writing (2 minutes)

This is another important step that students often miss. Take two minutes after writing your essay to check for spelling and grammatical errors.

Since you wrote in pen, simply cross out the incorrect word or words LIKE THIS and rewrite them.

How can I get a higher mark on the FCE essay?

Now that you know how to write an essay for the Cambridge B2 First exam, let’s look at how to get the best mark possible .

Increase your mark on your B2 First essay

  • Include 5-8 linking words – these words introduce paragraphs and connect ideas
  • Use a variety of grammatical structures – you should have both simple and complex forms. Try to use perfect and future forms, conditionals, comparatives, relative clauses and passive
  • Use formal vocabulary – do not use slang or simple words like “good, big, small, bad.” Also, do not use contractions. Write “cannot” instead of “can’t”
  • Make the essay interesting to read – the examiners read hundreds of essays so make yours easy to read and engaging
  • Use the correct amount of words (140-190) – it’s ok to be a few words over the limit, but not too many

Final Advice

The best way to improve your writing skills … is to write! Try to write a few essays each week and ask your teacher for feedback . I have had students who entered my class with very poor writing skills and with practice, they were able to pass the exam after only 10 weeks!

I help students prepare for the FCE exam with private lessons via Zoom. Email me at [email protected] or check out my private lessons page to learn more.

If you want more practice for the B2 First , try these Speaking exam tips , free writing checklist , and Reading part 1 practice.

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Teacher Phill

Cambridge B2 First (FCE): How to Write an Essay

Image of a notepad with the word essay written on it

Essay writing is easier than you think

The very first reaction I usually get when I want to practise essay writing with my students is wild panic. Everybody around me starts rolling on the floor crying and screaming. I try to calm them down, but there is no way of doing it and eventually all of them quit and tell me that they will never be able to pass the FCE exam.

Of course, this was a little bit of an exaggeration, but it is true that most students get stressed as soon as they here the word essay when, actually, there is no real reason for that. In fact, essay writing might be the easiest type of writing in Cambridge B2 First because there is a plan that you can follow every single time you sit down with pen and paper to practise as well as in the exam itself.

So, let’s look at essays, how they are organised and what exactly you have to be careful with in order to pass easily and get the high marks you deserve.

What a typical essay task looks like

Looking at different essay tasks, the first thing that students often realise is that all tasks look the same. Their structure doesn’t change, which gives you the advantage of being able to plan a strategy before you even take the exam. Every time you practise is like the real exam.

Example of an essay task in Cambridge B2 First

Above there is a typical essay task. As you can see there is not a lot of information, but we still have to look at it carefully and decide what we are asked to do exactly.

The first step is always to underline the key points in the task so you know what to do and what information to include in your essay.

Example of an FCE essay writing task with the key information underlined

In the image above I underlined and circled the most important information for you. When you look at a writing task – and I mean every kind of writing task, not only essays – you should think about two things: what you have to include in your text and who is going to read it.

While the first point seems obvious students often forget about the second one and miss out on higher marks. In our example your English teacher is going to read the essay. What does that mean for you when you write it? Think about the style and tone of the language you are going to use. Does your English teacher expect informal language like in a text message to your best friend or should it be rather formal? I think you understand what I mean.

Choosing the correct register and tone (formal English) for your essay will earn you higher marks so don’t forget about it.

The second point we need to consider is what we have to write about. In every essay task there are a situation/topic (problems with pollution and damage to the environment), a question for you to answer (Do you think these problems can be solved?) and three topic points (transport, rivers/seas, your own idea).

You must deal with all these things if you want to pass with high marks. If something is missing you will lose marks. That includes your own idea. I see it all the time that students write about the two ideas given in the task, but they ignore the fact that they have to add a third topic on their own. Don’t make the same mistake. Always write about all three topic points.

With this flood of information the next step is to think about how we can organise our essay. Luckily, there is a plan that works and I’m going to share it with you.

The 3 main parts of an essay

Looking back at our example from before we can see that there are three topic points which we need to deal with: transport, rivers and seas as well as your own idea.

I think it is not difficult to see that we can turn these three topics into three paragraphs, one for each idea. These three paragraphs are called the body of the essay. However, an essay wouldn’t be an essay without an introduction at the beginning and a conclusion at the end. All together that’s five paragraphs and we could structure it like this:

  • Introduction
  • Rivers and seas
  • Your own idea

With an introduction, body and conclusion every essay has three main parts. You can follow this for any essay question in the FCE exam and it works every single time.

Yeah, it sounds good to me too. 🙂

But what exactly do we have to include in these different parts? Let me give you an overview so you get a better idea.

When I read the introduction to an essay I can often tell immediately if the essay is going to be great or if the student needs to work more on it. Think of the introduction as an appetizer before the meal begins. It gives you an idea of what to expect so you don’t want to disappoint the reader from the start.

Your introduction should always put the topic in the context of today’s world and paraphrase the question of the essay. It is also a good idea to include your opinion so the reader knows from the beginning what you think.

Let’s have a look at an example introduction for an essay about the above topic:

More and more countries and cities struggle with dirty air and water and while it is difficult to find a solution to these issues, I believe that there are ways to improve the situation and to protect the environment.

In this introduction all the key elements are covered. The topic is put in context (“More and more countries and cities struggle with…”), the question is paraphrased (“…while it is difficult to find a solution to these issues,…”) and the candidates opinion is clear (“I believe that…”).

All you need to do is to memorise this formula and use it in every essay you write. The examiner and you will be happy. 🙂

The body is like the meat in a hamburger. It’s the best part and you want it to be full of flavour. For your essay it means the following:

Each paragraph of the body starts with a topic sentence which introduces the main idea of the paragraph. After that, you add reasons, examples and you can even acknowledge other points of view.

A great topic paragraph in the body doesn’t just talk about advantages and disadvantages. Think about how you can support the message in your topic sentence to convince the reader.

Here is an example for you.

Firstly, congestion on roads not only in major cities, but also in smaller towns causes a lot of pollution and noise and even though this situation seems to get worse and worse many countries are trying to encourage people to use alternatives like electric cars, which is a good first step to deal with this kind of challenge.  

In this example paragraph the candidate simply followed the formula from above. The first sentences states what the problem is. After that, she acknowledges that the issue seems pretty bad, but then she explains different alternatives to cars that could improve the situation.

Also, notice the different linking expressions she uses in this paragraph (Firstly, not only…but also, and even though, which is). Examiners like a variety of linking words and phrases to connect your ideas so try to include them in your essay.

That’s really all you need to do. Repeat the same process for the other two topic points and you should be able to impress and achieve great marks.

Last but not least, a good essay is rounded off with a nice conclusion. Here, it is your job to tie everything together like a Christmas present. You don’t want the gift wrapping paper or the bow on the present to be ugly so make sure that you conclusion is on point.

In a good conclusion you should summarise the essay in one sentence and clearly state your opinion on the question one last time.

I told you above that the introduction is there to make a good first impression on the reader. The conclusion plays the role of giving a good last impression. You don’t want the examiner to be happy until the end and then read a conclusion that is only average. Make sure that every part is great.

To sum up, our environment needs our help and although the air we breathe as well as waterways in many parts of the world are heavily polluted I strongly believe that we can solve these issues if governments and the people work together.  

The first part of this conclusion summarises the problem one last time and in the second half the candidate clearly states her opinion and that’s it. Don’t make your life harder than it already is and instead focus on the criteria that really matter.

Plan before you write

Earlier we had a look at the different paragraphs in an essay and I told you that five is a good number. A lot of students take this information and jump straight into writing as soon as they see the task.

Stop right there! When you plan to improve something around your house or in your apartment, do you just run to the store and buy five buckets of paint or do you think about the size of the room and how much paint you need, what colour you want and what kind of brushes and paint rollers you will have to get?

Treat your essay like a home improvement project and make a plan before you start writing. It only takes five minutes, but, in the end, it can save you time because once you start, you don’t have to worry about ideas any more…it’s all there in your notes.

To create a plan make a list of the five paragraphs of your essay. As we said before this could be something like this:

Now, all you have to do is to add a few words to each point so you won’t forget what you want to write about. I thought of a few things for our example task:

  • Introduction – problems with pollution, is there a solution?
  • Transport – -: CO2 emissions, noise +: electric cars
  • Rivers and seas – -: sea life and plastic +: projects to clean oceans
  • Animal agriculture – -: CO2 emissions, excrement +: vegan/vegetarian lifestyles, sustainable farms
  • Conclusion – summary, it’s a big problem but there is hope

It took me about three minutes to write this and if I wanted to write the full essay, I would have all the ideas I need already in front of me. The next step would be to add more information to each point and voilà, the essay is done.

How your essay is marked

Marking FCE writing tasks is like a science and for a lot of students it feels as if there is this big mystery and nobody really knows how it works. Actually, there are very clear rules that the examiners have to follow and the criteria are publicly available.

While it is possible to find all the information on your own I thought it would be a good idea to put everything together in an article for you. Check out how your writing tasks are marked by clicking here .

Practice makes perfect

I hope that my article is going to help you with your essays. As you saw you can analyse and structure every task the same way. With all your new knowledge the only thing you have to do is start practising. If you put in the time and work, essay writing will become quite easy and you can focus on other areas of your English that need more improvement.

Lots of love,

Teacher Phill 🙂

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B2 First (FCE) Writing Part 1 – Improve an Essay

Writing is the part of any English exam where you should aim to get a high score and B2 First FCE Writing Part 1, an obligatory essay, is no different. It’s also the most trainable part of the exam in a classroom. While other skills often take lots of time, effort and practice, writing can be taught through models, which learners can then take and replicate. Of course, it’s important to write your own material, but the format and many expressions are transferable for essays regardless of the topic. With this material, we aim to demonstrate areas where B2 First candidates often go wrong with writing an essay. With a few tweaks, you should be able to reproduce a high quality essay every time.

B2 First (FCE) Writing Part 1 - Improve an Essay

Essays may not be fun, but they are important. The Cambridge B2 essay might be the first time you need to write an essay for an exam, but it won’t be the last. This task continues to be obligatory at C1 and C2 levels. If you are doing a Trinity or IELTS exam, you’ll also need to write an essay. Basically, there is no escape. You either learn to write a good essay or you don’t pass your writing exam (I recommend learning it).

The challenge with essays is not only the style, which should be formal and academic. Exam candidates also often have issues with content in First (FCE) Writing Part 1. The B2 essay question is always the same, and it’s not particularly complex, but sometimes it still causes issues regarding what content points to include. At the same time, an uninspiring question can easily lead to an uninspired answer. That becomes a problem when your essay isn’t interesting to read. Keep in mind that whoever corrects your essay has probably read 95 other essays on the same topic, so it a good idea to stand out!

The Materials

With this activity, you analyse a sample essay contrasting living in a city vs the countryside. To use it in the classroom, have students discuss the issues with the essay in pairs. You can even have them use the Cambridge writing scales to give it a mark. Then, feedback in open class and finish with your students writing their own improved version. I like to do this task just after receiving a round of previously assigned essays from students as a sort of extended test-teach-test activity.

Check here for more First Certificate essay questions to use in class.

EXAM PART: First (FCE) Writing Part 1 – Essay

EXAM SKILLS: Improving content and communicative achievement in essay writing

TOPIC:  Lifestyle (living in the city vs living in the countryside)

TIME: 30 minutes + 45 minutes writing (in-class or for homework)

PREPARATION: One copy of the worksheet per student

breakout english fce

  • Reading Tests
  • Writing Tests
  • Speaking Practice

B2 First (FCE) Practice Online

English Swami

How to Write a Band 5 Essay for FCE B2 First 2021

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Introduction

In part 1 of the Cambridge English B2 First (FCE) Writing paper we have to write an essay, it’s compulsory. So in order to get top marks, it’s essential to be able to write a good one.

Luckily, we can do a lot to prepare and make sure we get our highest marks possible.

  • Spend approximately 40 minutes on the essay ; the Writing paper is 1 hour 20 minutes in total both parts are worth the same points.
  • The word limit is 140-190.
  • According to Cambridge English, the essay should: “Focus on agreeing or disagreeing with a statement, giving information, giving opinion, giving reasons, comparing and contrasting ideas and opinions, drawing a conclusion.”

What do I have to do?

Let’s look at an example question:

Write 140 – 190 words in an appropriate style.

In your English class you have been talking about education. Now, your English teacher has asked you to write an essay.

Write an essay using all the notes and giving reasons for your point of view.

‘The role of schools should be to prepare students for a working career.’ Do you agree?

  • learning valuable skills
  • ………………………… (your own idea)

The question always starts with the phrase “ In your English class you have been talking about… ” and a topic, e.g. the education.

Then, we have a statement about the topic and question:

Often, the question is “Do you agree?” , sometimes it’s more specific. In any case, you are asked to give an opinion.

Finally, we have some notes with three prompts. The first and second are always provided and the third is always “your own idea”.

In our essay, we must answer the question and refer specifically to the 2 given prompts and our own idea.

The 5 Paragraph Formula

This is a very simple five-paragraph formula you can use to structure any B2 First (FCE) essay:

Paragraph 1: Introduction

Introduce the topic in our own words. This demonstrates to the examiner that we have understood the question. Say whether we agree or not with the statement. Two sentences are sufficient.

Paragraphs 2-4: Prompts

Give each prompt its own paragraph. The first sentence should introduce the prompt. Then, we should explain why it supports our opinion and give examples why.

Paragraph 5: Conclusion

We should summarise the essay briefly in different words and repeat our opinion in a clear way.

This isn’t the only way you can structure your essay, but it’s easy to follow so I recommend it (as well as most teachers).

“ If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. ” ― Benjamin Franklin

Planning your essay before you start is important. Think about:

  • if you agree or disagree with the statement (if the question asks you).
  • detail and examples for prompt 1 and 2
  • your own idea for prompt 3.
  • high-level vocabulary related to the topic

Example Answer

Here’s an example essay for the question above:

It is widely accepted that our education system should give students the best chance for future employment. However, it is my opinion that schools should provide much more than this.

Firstly, we can not deny that examinations are unimportant. However, putting too much focus on testing can leave students feeling overstressed, and often does not provide space for them to develop their creativity. Furthermore, it makes the experience of learning boring.

Secondly, schools absolutely should teach students useful skills which they can use throughout life. But they should focus on a range of skills, not just work-related ones. For example, if students learnt about finance and health they would benefit in other areas of their lives, outside of work.

Finally, the importance of social interaction in education must not be forgotten. For many young people, schools provide an opportunity for students to form relationships which will serve them throughout their entire lives. A person with strong social skills will not only do well in their careers but will be happier too.

In conclusion, while it is important to give students good job opportunities, schools also have a responsibility to make learning enjoyable, relevant and creative. Life is not just about work, and education should reflect this.

Tone and register

Your essay should have a formal or neutral tone, never informal. Here are some ways to make your writing more formal.

Avoid contractions

❌ It’s widely believed… ✅ It is widely believed…

❌ We’ve seen… ✅ We have seen…

Avoid personal stories and information

Only refer to yourself when giving your opinion about the question. Avoid talking personally otherwise. Don’t use personal experiences as examples.

❌ Whilst I was travelling last year… ✅ It is my opinion that…

Phrasal verb alternatives

Phrasal verbs often have a more formal alternative; for example:

❌ They took part… ✅ They participated…

❌ People are finding out that… ✅ People are discovering that…

Avoid exclamation marks

❌ Furthermore, it makes the experience of learning boring! ✅ Furthermore, it makes the experience of learning boring.

Use the passive voice

If you haven’t included a passive example, think about sentences where you can:

✅ We must not forget the importance of social interaction in education. ✅ ✅ ✅ The importance of social interaction in education must not be forgotten.

How is the Essay assessed?

There are four areas that examiners focus on when assessing your essay:

  • Content – focuses on how relevant your writing is to the task and if you have answered the question
  • Communicative Achievement – focuses on how appropriate your writing style is
  • Organisation – focuses on how well you have constructed the essay
  • Language – focuses on your range of grammar and vocabulary

Each area is marked on a scale of 0 to 5.

Here are some main points to remember in order to get top marks:

Answer the question!

Often, students lose easy points because they write more than necessary about irrelevant things, or they forget to completely answer the question and prompts. It doesn’t matter if you write better than Shakespear, if you don’t answer the question correctly you can’t get full marks.

The most important things to remember are to:

  • clearly give your opinion to the statement and question
  • introduce each of the 3 prompts and give details and examples

Improve your conditionals

Here’a a good tip: if you find yourself writing a conditional sentence with ‘if’, see if it’s possible to change it to a second conditional. If so, do it. This is an easy way to demonstrate a higher lever.

Compare these sentences:

For example, if students learn about finance and health they will benefit in other areas of their lives, outside of work. ✅

For example, if students learnt about finance and health they would benefit in other areas of their lives, outside of work. ✅ ✅ ✅

Both sentences are correct for an essay and express the same idea. But the second sentence will get more points because it uses more complex grammar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it matter if i write more than 190 words.

Not exactly, a few words over the limit won’t make a difference, so don’t waste time counting words. It’s not a strict rule. However, if you write much less than the limit then you probably aren’t covering all the points with enough detail. If you write much more than the limit, you’re likely including irrelevant information. In both cases, you would lose points for Content.

Does my spelling have to be perfect?

One or two small errors won’t matter but if your errors make the essay hard to understand you could lose points.

Do I have to include a title?

No, but you can if you want.

Should I use British or American English?

It does not matter which you use, but you must be consistent. Don’t change between the two.

Common B2 First Essay Topics

Here are some common B2 First (FCE) essay topics; make sure you have a good range of vocabulary for each:

  • Environment
  • Entertainment
  • Young people
  • Advertising

Tools, Links and Downloads

  • Write and Improve – Free tool that marks writing in seconds.
  • Sample Writing Paper – Computer Based (Cambridge English)
  • B2 First Teachers Handbook (Cambridge English)
  • Google Docs – Excellent grammar and spelling checker.

I hope you find this guide for the B2 First (FCE) Writing essay helpful. Practice makes perfect so make sure to write as often as you can. Use the comments below to leave your answer to the sample question above.

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Really clear and easy to follow easy planning – thanks

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Thanks Lucy 👍

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Actually very clear and useful! Thanks a lot!!!

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  • Writing an effective essay: Cambridge B2 First

Escribir una redacción eficaz para el Cambridge B2 First | Oxford House Barcelona

  • Posted on 28/02/2018
  • Categories: Blog
  • Tags: B2 First , C1 Advanced , C2 Proficiency , Cambridge CAE Certificate of Advanced English , Cambridge CPE Certificate of Proficiency in English , Cambridge Exams , Cambridge FCE First Certificate of English , Learn English

Students take language certifications like the Cambridge B2 First qualification for lots of different reasons. You might do it to motivate yourself to improve your language abilities, to prove your level of English to an employer, or even to achieve an ambition like travelling around the world and going to live in an English-speaking country.

The Cambridge B2 First exam includes a two-part writing section, which can be daunting for some people. So if you’re thinking about taking an exam like this, we have some top tips to help you write an excellent exam essay.

Most of the advice in this article can also be applied to any exam where you have to write an essay, such as the C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency or IELTS .

Writing test structure

Before we get into the details, let’s take a look at the structure of the writing paper. You have 80 minutes to write two texts – and it will go quickly!

The first part is the essay; the second part is an article, email, letter, report, or review.

You will be given the essay title and two ideas or prompts . It’s essential that you include both of these ideas in your essay, as well as another relevant idea that you have to come up with yourself .

You have to write 140-190 words in each part and it shouldn’t take you more than 40 minutes per answer .

Writing an essay in three steps

Take a look at this example from a sample paper and then think about how you would answer it in an exam:

Essay title:

Some parents teach their children at home rather than sending them to school. Is this a good or a bad thing for the children?

  • 1. having a parent as a teacher
  • 2. making friends
  • 3. …..

Question taken from http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/first/exam-format/ (Cambridge Assessment English, Feb 2018).

What could the third idea be? Stop reading, grab a pen and write down some ideas! Keep them general, but relevant. When you’ve finished, scroll down to the bottom of the page to see some of our ideas * .

Step One: plan it (10 minutes)

Step One: Plan | Writing an effective essay for the Cambridge B2 First | Oxford House Barcelona

That’s what my old history teacher used to tell me. I hate to admit it, but he was right! If you don’t usually plan before you start writing, you really need to get into the habit . Ten minutes may seem a lot, but the more time you spend planning, the clearer your ideas will be and the quicker the writing process will be.

A good place to start is to brainstorm keywords and phrases related to the topic.

Brainstorming Keywords | Writing an effective essay for the Cambridge B2 First | Oxford House Barcelona

Next, you should think about how you’re going to begin ( the introduction ), how you’re going to connect the three main ideas ( the body ) and how you’re going to finish ( the conclusion ). If you know where you’re headed , you’re much less likely to get lost along the way!

Step Two: write it (25 minutes)

OK, you’ve got our plan – you’re good to go ! It’s important to know what the examiners are looking for. The mark you get for the essay is based on the following four aspects :

Content: Have you included all three ideas? Remember, all content should be 100% relevant to the topic, so don’t go off on a tangent !

Communicative achievement: Is the style or tone of your essay appropriate? It should be neutral and quite formal, so avoid contractions (e.g. it’s, don’t, they’ll) and first person pronouns (e.g. I, me, my, we, us, our).

Organisation: Does your essay follow a logical order? To help your writing flow , try to include linking words. Here’s a website with some examples.

Language: Have you used a variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures? Don’t always write the first word that comes to mind – look for synonyms . Using some complex structures (e.g. different verb tenses, passives, inversion) will boost your marks, but be sure to use them correctly!

Step Three: check it (5 minutes)

This final step is essential. It’s your chance to read (and re-read) your essay to identify any mistakes. No matter how careful you’ve been, there are probably a few things that you can improve. Check for spellings. Check for plurals. Check for verb agreement . Basically, check everything!

5 quick tips to improve your proofreading

  • Keep a list of (your) frequent mistakes, so you know what to look out for
  • Read it slowly
  • Use your finger to guide your eyes
  • Correct one thing at a time (e.g. only punctuation, then only spelling)
  • Focus on the little words (pronouns, articles, prepositions, etc.)

Still not sure if this is the right exam for you?

There are many benefits of earning an English certification, but before you decide to do so, it’s very important to check your English level . This will help you select the right exam course and make sure you don’t waste time completing one that’s too hard or too easy for you.

If you decide to do an exam preparation course with us, one of our trained level testers will work with you to assess your level. But, if you can’t wait until then, here’s a multiple-choice test for you to complete to give you some idea.

This article also outlines the differences between the Cambridge and IELTS exams to help you decide which exam is for you.

Glossary for Language Learners

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

Daunting (adj): something that worries you because it might seem difficult to do.

Prompts (n): something serving to suggest or remind.

To come up with (pv): to think of something such as an idea or a plan.

To get into the habit (exp): to begin to do something regularly or often.

Headed (adj): destined for.

You’re good to go! (exp): you’re ready!

To go off on a tangent (exp): to start doing, discussing, or thinking about something completely different.

To flow (v): to proceed smoothly and continuously.

adj = adjective

pv = phrasal verb

exp = expression

*Example ideas: ‘group work’, ‘bullying’, ‘class sizes’, ‘working parents’, ‘free curriculum’

Pass your Cambridge Exam with Oxford House Barcelona

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5 Powerful Tools to Perfect Your Pronunciation

  • By: oxfordadmin
  • Posted on 22/02/2018

4 Ways English Words are Born

  • Posted on 07/03/2018

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How to Write an Article for FCE Writing

Luis @ kse academy.

  • noviembre 7, 2019

As we have seen in previous posts, the Writing B2 First (FCE) paper consists of two different parts. In the first one, you must write an essay. In the seccond, you must choose among different options. One of these options can be to  write an article . For this reason, in today’s post I’m going to show you exactly  how to write an article for FCE Writing  (Part 2). Besides, we will go over an  example of an article for FCE and a complete FCE Writing guide , where you can find more examples of  articles and other types of  FCE Writing  tasks.

Sample answer

Useful expressions to write an article for fce writing.

Este articulo también está disponible en castellano.

The Ultimate B2 First Writing Guide: 15 B2 Writing Sample Tasks and 300+ Useful Expressions (Guías de Writing para Exámenes de Cambridge)

How to Write an Article for FCE Writing Part 2

An article is a very common type of text nowadays. We can find all kinds of articles in newspapers, magazines, blogs, etc. For this reason, in order to know  how to write an article for FCE , we must bear in mind who will be reading our article. This, as we will see later on, we will find out from the instructions the FCE Writing paper provides us with. But before we move on to that, let’s take a look at the  characteristics of an article for FCE Writing Part 2:

  • Purpose of an article:  The aim of an article is usually to talk about a topic that we like or that we are familiar with. Besides, one of the features that articles have as opposed to other FCE Writing tasks  is that  an article must entertain the reader and, almos always, recommend the thing we are talking about.
  • Language:  In general, an article is more informal than an essay, although it will depend on where it is supposed to be published (an international magazine, a teenage magazine, a college magazine, an online blog, a newspaper, etc.). However, the most common case is that we must write a text in an informal or colloquial style . For this reason, our tone must be relaxed, making use of contractions, phrasal verbs and other colloquial expressions. Besides, it is recommended to use rhetorical questions and exclamation marks to engage the reader. You should also address the reader directly in the second person ( you ,  your ) and can make jokes if you think they are appropriate.
  • Structure:  Articles must always have a title . If possible, this must be catchy and witty so as to engage the reader. Then, each paragraph must address a single idea, to which you must add the introdduction and the conclusion, where you are usually expected to make a recommendation. It is also a good idea to end your article with a rhetorical question, especially if it is going to be an online article where people could (in theory) leave a comment.
  • Giving your opinion:  An article is almost exclusively about giving your opinion, so feel free to do so throught the whole piece of writing. As you are normally asked to write about something you like or enjoy, opinions are expected to be generally positive. Any article for FCE is usually a very personal piece of writing, so you can speak in the first person as much as you like. 😊
  • Common topics:  You may be asked to write articles on a variety of topics: the Internet, health and fitness, music, plays, hobbies, etc.
  • Number of words: you are expected to write your article in 140 – 190 words , no more or less than any other type of FCE Writing task.

FCE Writing Article Example

Now that we are familiar with the characteristics of an article , the best weay to know  how to write an article for FCE Writing is to take a look at an example of an article at First-B2 level . So let’s see an example of a task and a sample answer to that very same task.

Instructions of an Article for the FCE Writing Paper

essay for fce samples

It is extremely important to read the instructions carefully , as you are supposed to obtain all the information you need to write the article. In this case we can see the following:

  • Where our article will be published:   a local magazine
  • Topic:   their favourite things about the Internet
  • Main ideas:   things you do with the internet, recommend a website

And that’s exactly how we will organise our article, knowing exactly what to talk about in each paragraph.

Now that we have an example of an article task for FCE , let’s take a look at a sample article which answers the task above. Pay attention to the language as well as to the structure marked in red.

essay for fce samples

If we take a close look at this sample article for FCE , we can see the following features:

  • It is visually appealing : The structure is clear, leaving space between paragraphs and defining a clear introduction and conclusion.
  • The introduction  presents the topic in a general way, but making clear what article is about: the Internet.
  • The second paragraph  talks about why I like the Internet and one of the things that I like about it.
  • The third paragraph  makes a recommendation of a website, explaining why I like it so much.
  • The conclusion is a summary of sorts and asks the reader for some feedback on their own preferences regarding the use of the Internet.
  • Phrasal verbs :  put you up, check out.
  • Contractions:   Isn’t that fantastic?
  • Colloquial phrases : one of the cool things, I totally recommend it, etc. 
  • We address the reader directly :  What about you? 
  • Exclamation marks :  … find the answer! 

In this example of article for FCE Writing we can appreciate many of the typical characteristics of this type of activity. However, bear in mind that I have tried to simulate a strong B2 level without necessarily reaching C1.

If you want to know how to write an article for FCE , it is very important to have a repository of useful expressions ready to use. So here are some which can come in handy:

  • Have you ever…?
  • Do you ever wonder…?
  • What do you think about…?
  • Are you a… like me?
  • Are you one of those people who…?
  • What would you say if I told you that…?
  • In the rst place,
  • To begin with,
  • The coolest thing about 
  • What attracts me most 
  • One thing to consider is
  • Another consideration is
  • Also, 
  • In addition,
  • In addition to that,
  • In conclusion,
  • On the whole,
  • To conclude,
  • All in all, 
  • … you will not regret it!

Frequently Asked Questions: What if I write more than 190 words?

As I already explained in previous posts, Cambridge Assessment English does not count how many words you’ve written in order to penalise you. But remember the following: if you have written a lot more words than necessary, you have probably included irrelevant information . In the same way,  if you write less than 140, you are probably lacking essential information . For this reason, I always recommend writing only 10 or 20 words over the limit. In this way, we make sure we don’t lose points for something so silly.

FCE Writing with Examples (pdf)

If you’re still looking for more examples of writing, check out  KSE Academy’s official FCE Writing Guide . In this guide you have the following:

  • How to write an essay  and 3 examples
  • How to write an article  and 3 examples
  • How to write a review  and 3 examples
  • How to write a report and 3 examples
  • How to write an email or letter  and 3 examples
  • Over 300 useful expressions for FCE Writing tasks

Would you like to see a sample first? Here you are !

Did you like this post? Please  share it with other students and English teachers . Subscribe to our newsletter and don’t forget to follow us on  Facebook   Twitter ,  Pinterest ,  Instagram ,&  YouTube . 🙂

Luis @ KSE Academy

16 comentarios en “How to Write an Article for FCE Writing”

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Hi Luis, I’m teaching First students in Italy and still learning the writing requirements myself, and just wanted to thank you for sharing your knowledge and tips – very helpful! 🙂

' src=

Hi Ingrid! Thank you very much for your kind words! I’m glad my site can be of help. Take care and good luck with your FCE students!

' src=

Hi Luis, I’m preparing a handout for my students about writing an article and I found your web really helpful. Thanks a lot!

Hi, Ángeles! Thank you very much for your comment. I’m glad to be of some help! 🙂

' src=

THANK YOU LUIS, GREAT PIECE OF WORK!

Thank you very much for your comment, Alexis! Take care! 🙂

' src=

Thank u luis you’ve been rilly helpful

Thank you, Molly! Take care!

' src=

Thank you so much, Luis! I am going to take the FCE Exam in July and hopefully I will pass it due to your sample answers and instructions!!!

Hi Iris! Thank you very much for your comment! Take care!

' src=

Hey Luis, thank you so much! this is gold and it explains very well how they should do it!

Hi Roxy! Thank you for your feedback. Take care!

' src=

thank you so much Jurate

' src=

Extremely useful in my FCE preparation course for Peruvian teens!! Thank you!

' src=

Dear Luis, just wanted to thank you for these amazing tips, which are very useful. You should definetly work for Cambridge! Best wishes!

Thank you! 🙂

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Home » B2 First » FCE Course » FCE Writing » FCE Essay – Pass B2 First Writing

FCE Essay – Pass B2 First Writing

Table of Contents

FCE Essay Writing

Do you want to know how to write an FCE essay which will boost your marks on the Cambridge scale ?

If the answer is “I have no idea how to get top marks”, then this page will be incredibly helpful for you.

FCE Essay Tip :  this is available for Gold members only.

To access this tip and more, register here >>

If you are a teacher, helping your students pass this exam, you will be able to use this page in your classes or for homework activities. Continue reading the page and you will see, there are worksheets for you to print out etc.

Before we continue, if you haven’t seen my page explaining how examiners mark your FCE writings, visit my FCE writing marking criteria page now.

If you have read and understood how examiners mark your writing and you are a member of this website, watch the video below:

FCE Handbook for Teachers

How To Write An FCE Essay

The next video will take you through all the information you will find on this page, including:

3:30 – Examiner Advice for FCE essays

4:48 – Example FCE essay question

7:53 – Write an Essay Plan

13:05 – Analysing An Essay

19:31 – Pass or Fail?

20:27 – You don’t need to pass the writing paper

20:53 – Essay Vocabulary

20:53 – Homework

22:46 – Send me your FCE writing

FCE Essay Advice Summary

This summary is available for Gold members only. Register here >>

FCE Essay Question 1

Part 1 – You must answer this question.

Write your answer in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.

You have been discussing environmental topics in a university lecture. Your professor has asked you to write an essay.

Write an essay using the notes below and give reasons to support your ideas.

Can we solve environmental problems globally? Notes Write about: Science Economics …………… (your own idea)

FCE Essay Plan Template

You should always plan your answer.

Can you remember how long I suggested to plan your answer for in the video above ?

If you said 2 minutes, you should go up and watch this video again now .

If you said 5 minutes, great…

Handshake, Hand, Give, Business, Man, Giving, Offer

Write An Essay Plan

Take 5 minutes (like in the exam) and write down a plan for the question above .

Write your plan on a separate sheet of paper, you can use this online template or this physical template or use your own style (it’s up to you). If you use my template, remember to add 3 body paragraphs (one for each note).

FCE Speaking Tip :  this is available for paid members only.

My B2 Essay Plan

Type of Writing : Essay .

Target Reader: University professor.

Content : Talk about all 3 notes. Good and bad points for each note.

Language : Formal. Neutral. Passive constructions. Linking words.

It’s also a good idea to write down some words which you can use in the essay (these will help you think of ideas).

Vocabulary: Pollution. Traffic. Transport. Technology. Animals. Money. Economy. Subsidies. Finance. Financial institutions. Big companies. Green technology.

Introduction (30 words) – Popular topic nowadays. Difficult question to answer.

First paragraph (40 words) – science Science can help us resolve environmental problems. Linking word. Problem of science.

Second paragraph (40 words) – economics

Economics can help us solve problems, but it can also prevent us.

Third paragraph (40 words)

Social co-operation. This is fundamental, we also need this for science and economics.

Conclusion  (30 words) – Can I make a decision based on the 3 main paragraphs?

Sample FCE Essay Answer 1

Here is an answer that an FCE student wrote before taking the exam. You should download the answer and write any mistakes you find.

FCE Essay – Download This Sample Answer

fce essay sample answer

B2 First Examiner Assessment Scale Template

Have you written any mistakes you found on the student’s essay?

Now it’s time to complete the examiner’s assessment scale with your marks and thoughts about the writing. If you can’t remember how to do this, go back and read this page again.

Complete an online version of the template below here (it looks a bit different)

Download the physical template here, then print it off and write your thoughts on it .

Sample FCE Essay 1 My Critique

Every problem regarding ‘the’ environment and pollution can be solved. Science is always working on new solutions , ‘and’ new suggestions for alternative  means of production are frequently put on the table (good language) . The most difficult issue in this scenario is the interest s of different social groups in the world society (this is okay to mention here if it is your own idea and third point) .

The vision of profit gains must been align with environmental protecti on ve measures which is really challenging (good word) . First (why did you write ‘first’ – do you mean ‘The first’) positive changes begin with this alignment, for example, hotels proposing to clients to use the same bath towe ’l’ r while they stay s in. I t s is good for nature, and i t ( your spelling doesn’t need to be perfect in the exam, but you will lose marks if bad spelling confuses the meaning of your sentence) good for the business men (you could expand on what you mean here) .

For all other matters, conciliate (I don’t know this word. Perhaps you mean ‘finding an effective relationship between’) both aspects (does ‘both aspects’ refer to ‘the environment’ and ‘economics’)  is not a simple task, more difficult than the most high tech science. Efforts for environmental purposes should focus on changing culture, values, business perspectives of profits in global society, otherwise there will ‘not’ be not enough progress.

Examiner Assessment Scale Template With My Comments

Fce essay pass or fail.

This student got:

Communicative Achievement: 3

Organisation: 2

Language: 4

Total = 11/20

You need to get 24/40 in the Writing paper to pass at B2 level.

So if the student got 13/20 for their part 2 writing, they would pass this part of the exam.

You do not need to pass every exam paper but you need to have an average of 60% across all 5 exam papers to pass and get your B2 certificate.

If you want to find out more about how to calculate your scores, read page 4 of this document .

FCE Essay Vocabulary

Try to remember the words and phrases below which you can use in B2 First essays. A good way to remember is to write them down on a separate sheet of paper. Add more words and phrases to your list and write them in the comments section at the bottom of this page! If you are unsure about what language to use in an essay, you can also ask me in the comments at the bottom of the page.

Introducing an argument or point of view

Some/Many/A few people think/feel/say that… Other people disagree/argue that…. One point of view is… The general belief is that… Most people believe that… Public opinion is divided on the topic of… It is sometimes/often said/thought/claimed that….

Giving opinions

In my opinion I am of the belief that… In contrast to …. I feel that… My personal opinion is that… It is my wholehearted/sincere opinion that…

Linking Words and Phrases

However Nevertheless In addition… Firstly…Secondly On the one hand…On the other hand… In contrast… Meanwhile Whereas

FCE Essay Question 2

At school you have been talking about environmental issues. Your English teacher has asked you to write an essay on this topic.

Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons to support your view. (140-190 words)

The awareness of environmental problems has grown over the last few years. Do you think it’s possible for us to solve these problems?

Notes Write about: Plastic Transport ……………… (your own idea)

You should complete this online plan in no longer than 5 minutes. This is how long I recommend you plan for in the exam.

Alternatively, download and add a third paragraph to this FCE Essay plan template.

My B2 First Essay Plan

The plan below is available for paid members only. Register here >>

FCE blurred

FCE Essay Answer Example 2

Here is an answer to the question above which one of my students wrote.

FCE Essay – Download This Sample Answer and correct any mistakes you find.

Examiner Assessment Scale Template

If you have written down the mistakes above, you’re ready to complete the assessment scale below. If you want more help with this, check out my FCE writing marking criteria page .

Complete an online version of the template below here

Download, print and complete the template below here .

FCE Essay 2 My Critique

Compare the mistakes you found with the ones I have written below…

At school, during ‘ science and geography ’ lesson s of science and geography , everyone studies how ‘ the’ is made natural environment ‘is made’ and how we can protect it. Despite ‘the fact’ we study the importance of environment , we don’t pay much attention to this ‘in reality’ . At the moment we are attending particular and extreme phenomena, so we are very scared and worried and we want to change. It may not be as easy as it sounds. 

( I would start a new paragraph here) First ly , it is difficult to change ‘ our’ own lifestyle and habits. Change has an economic and personal cost. We don’t mind how much plastic we use every day. Plastic is everywhere: it wraps the (you don’t need ‘the’ here because we’re talking about ‘food’ in general) food, it is useful when we want to eat quickly, it is also in our clothes. The products , that don’t have plastic in their pack aging s , are more expensive ( this is a defining relative clause, not a non-defining relative clause) : . I think for example , when I buy drink s in the glass bottle s , they are very expensive. So , if I want to save money , I buy plastic bottles. Then I observe that (‘Another example that I have observed is…’) in the supermarket I can find many small food packs, also for single dose’ s/’portions’ of food’ . I don’t waste food but I pollute more ‘because of this’ . So we can find sustainable development (If you want to keep this sentence, you should explain in more detail what you mean) . 

( I would start a new paragraph here) Another problem is about transport: we are all in favor that we have to use more public transport s . The problem is that too often we don’t have a good public transport service with a capillary distribution (this term is only used in specific fields of work and is not used in everyday English) . However we can ‘make an’ effort to use ‘ our’ own car ’s’ only if it is necessary. 

‘The’ last thing it is about differentiated collection of waste: too few people do es it (You should remove this sentence . Don’t introduce too many ideas without developing them into detailed arguments).

I think that there are many ‘environmental’ problems but we have to stop to think that ‘these’ are only an obstacle. It is ‘ They are ’ also an opportunity. So it is important to change our mind’ set’ but we need also ‘need’ of more education in every where place ( ‘in’ school s , within famil ies y , at cinema s , etc.) about good (‘environmentally friendly’) behavior. Second ly, (I would only write this if I’ve written ‘firstly’ before it) , if the law and the penalties don’t work, probably we would change them in (‘people’s behaviour’?) ‘through’ incentives. For example , if the condo (what is ‘the condo’?) applies perfectly the rules about differentiated collection of waste it would have a discount in the invoice (I don’t understand this sentence) . Third ly , we need more investment ‘ in ’ for transport and sustainable development.

FCE Essay Example 2 Pass or Fail

This student achieved:

Language: 2

Total = 8/20

So the student would need to get 16/20 for their part 2 writing in order to pass this part of the exam.

I can tell by reading this essay that the student has not prepared much for this part of the exam, so it is unlikely that they would get a much higher mark for their part 2 writing.

Homework Write An FCE Essay

Wow….you’ve made it this far through the page….congratulations, you should now have a good idea how to write an FCE essay!

I hope I didn’t bore you zzzzzzzzzzz…here’s a random picture 😉

Tiger, Budgie, Tiger Parakeet, Photoshop

Anyway, now it’s your turn to write an essay. You can answer the question above or answer a different question. Then you have 3 options:

  • Submit your writing via my FCE writing assessment service
  • Write your answer in the comments section at the bottom of this page
  • Write an answer and be too shy to send it to me or write it below (not a good way to learn)
  • Be lazy, don’t write an answer (the worst way to prepare for the B2 First exam)

I’ll leave the choice up to you.

Adios amigos…don’t forget to click the Next Page >> link below 😉

Class/Homework Activities For Teachers

Are you a teacher?

You can use my resources to help your students in class or set them homework activities.

In Class With Computers / Homework Activities

If your students use computers in class, or you want to set them activities for homework, this is what I recommend.

Tell your students to:

  • Become a member of this website so they can access all the information. Email: [email protected] if you have many students and you’d like me to create a discount code for them.
  • Watch this video and make notes of the important points on the relevant parts of this form (they will be emailed a copy of the form which they can bring into class): https://studentlanguages.com/fcewritingtips/
  • Read this essay question: https://studentlanguages.com/fce-essay/#FCE_Essay_Question_1 and spend 5 minutes writing a plan for it here: https://studentlanguages.com/fcewritingplantemplate/
  • Compare their plan with my plan here: https://studentlanguages.com/fce-essay/#My_B2_Essay_Plan
  • Print and correct any mistakes they find on this sample essay answer >>
  • Complete the assessment scale template for the sample essay answer
  • Compare steps 5 and 6 above with my critique and my notes on the examiner assessment scale
  • Update this form during future classes.

In Class Without Computers

If your students don’t have computers in class, this is what I recommend.

  • Become a member of this website  so they can access all the information and bring all the materials they need to class. Email: [email protected] if you want me to create a discount code for lots of your students.
  • Print off this form for your students to complete while you show them  this video in class or tell them to complete the form while watching the video for homework.
  • Read this essay question: https://studentlanguages.com/fce-essay/#FCE_Essay_Question_1 , then take 5 minutes and write a plan for it here >>
  • Complete the examiner assessment scale template for the sample essay answer

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Exam English ✓

  • B2 First (FCE)
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Free Practice Tests for learners of English

Cambridge english: b2 first (fce) writing.

Difficulty level : B2 /Upper Intermediate

What is the B2 First (FCE) Writing test like? The test has two sections and takes about 80 minutes:

  • Part 1 - write an essay based on prompts
  • Part 2 - write one from a choice of 3 questions: an article , an essay , a letter, a report , a review , a story

Scoring Each of the two writing parts are marked out of 20. There are five marks for each of the following: Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language. You must write 140-190 words for each part.

How to prepare for the B2 First (FCE) Writing test

  • Choose a question that you are interested in. You will write better if you know the subject.
  • Read the instructions carefully before you start. Make notes. You must include all the points from the instructions in your writing .
  • Make a plan before you start writing. Decide what information to put in each paragraph.
  • Think about who you are writing to and use an appropriate style of language.
  • Try to use a range of complex language.

Read this explanation of how to write an article for FCE Writing part 2.

First (FCE) Writing tests

  • Writing part 1 (essay)
  • Writing part 2 (review)
  • Writing part 2 (article)
  • Writing part 2 (email)
  • Writing part 2 (report)
  • How to write an article
  • Writing essay introductions
  • Brainstorming ideas for essays
  • Answer the question!

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FCE Exam Writing Samples and Essay Examples

Tutor near me

A big thank you to Cork English Teacher for his wonderful materials.

fce exam essay examples

3. FCE Exam Writing Sample: My Favourite Hobby

FCE Exam Writing Samples - my favourite hobby

4. FCE Exam Writing Sample: The Person I Most Admire

FCE Exam Writing Samples - The person I most admire

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Hello Anastasia, Are this text your own or you get from some kind “ do my essay ” services? Can I use it on my blog or theses texts copyrighted? I want to use some of your information on my blog for the next article, I won’t copy whole page and leave the link to your site (source), so my readers can visit your site for additional info. Waiting for your reply! Bests, Mark

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Hi Mark! Copyrighted, but if you use it smart with the link back, feel free to do it.

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essay for fce samples

Articles – examples & model answers | B2 First (FCE)

Fce example article:  topic (learning) .

You see this announcement on an English-language website.

Example Answer (Grade: 3-4)

The most useful thing I have ever learned

The most useful thing i have learned is surely speaking English. I’ve been studing English for nine years till now. I used to take regular classes in these language which i found very interesting. Also, i learn English in school, my teacher is awesome but strict, so i have to study constantly. But most of all, i learn English, watching movies, TV shows. Allso cartoons when i was younger. When i came across a movie which was subtitled i turned the subtitle off. I enjoy wathing TV and movies on English.

English is the most spoken language across the world. It is studied all over the world. In order to get in a conversation with a stranger from other country, you need to speak English. I’m a swimmer, so i go on competissions in many countries, and in all of those countries i speak English. I want to study abroad when i finish highschool, so i’ll defenetly need English.

All in all, i enjoy speaking it, writing it, and I’m very glad I got to learn it, i find it very useful.

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Get Your FCE Article Checked!

Fce example article:  topic (music) .

You see this announcement on an English-language website:

Example Answer (Grade: 3)

I always listen to music, wherever I go I have my headphones on my ears. Listening to what I like satisfy’s me and makes me calm all the time. When the bus is taking me to school I listen to the music so I could wake up.

I love to listen to classical music, jazz, rock, hip-hop, dubstep, pop music. But I can’t listen to Serbian folk, any rap, techno or K-pop music. It just anoy’s me. Of all the songs I can listen, I adore pop and dubstep the most. I’m glad that my parents listened to roc and ninetees serbian songs which I like to listen sometimes.

Everybody has his own taste for music, somebody likes rock, somebody likes rap or something else, and that’s ok. I’m proud of myself that I’m listening to what I’m listening.

FCE Example Article:  Topic (Ambition) 

I think you would agree that ambition has a big influance on our lifes. But what really mean to be ambitious? How important is ambition in a daily life?

From my point of view it is very hard to talk about ambition. I have many ambitions. I want to be well-educated and sporty. I believe that these aims are good for me because I have to try to achieve them all the time. They make that I am not a lazy person. Good ambitions do not let us stop working and learning.

But what happen when we are too ambitious? I know many people who think that their ambitions, ideas and aims are the most important think in their life. It is a beautiful idea but we have to know where is the border. We cannot forget about other people when we are intending to achieve our ambition we must remember to stay a human for example, I spend a lot of time learning but I often prefer to go for a trip with my parents even if I will get a bad mark.

To sum up, ambition is very important in my life but I know there are many things which I value more like my family. I want to achieve my ambitions but it would not be a big loss for me do not do it.

FCE Model Article:  Topic (Holidays) 

You see this announcement in an international travel magazine.

Model Answer (Grade: 5)

I don’t know If I have found the perfect holiday destination but I’m sum that Watamu is the beet place I have ever visited.

Watamu Is a small village on the coastline of Kenya. It takes three hours to arrive there by car from the capital Nairobi but it’s a trip that is worth to be done.

When I booked the holiday I thought I was going to spend all the time laying on the beach. I was wrong! Once arrived there I discovered a lots of way to have fun. The sea and the white beaches with the palms am stunning but them something mom you can enjoy. The countryside is also Interesting and people are friendly and sell the products of their poor country always smiling.

And you cannot imagine how amazing is to make a safari In the park. Because of the very hot temperature, you have to set out very early in the morning if you want to see all the animals. The landscape of the park is fascinating, everything seems to very dry, them are no trees Just bushes. Driving on yourjeep you discover something real& special: a wild world full of life.

What is your level of English?

IMAGES

  1. FCE Exam Writing Samples and Essay Examples

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  2. How to Write an Essay for B2 First (FCE) Writing

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  3. Cómo escribir un Essay para B2 First (FCE) Writing

    essay for fce samples

  4. How To Write An FCE Essay

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  5. FCE Exam Writing Samples and Essay Examples

    essay for fce samples

  6. Everything That You Need To Know About The FCE Writing Exam

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COMMENTS

  1. Essay

    FCE Essays - Sample/model answers and examiner comments. An essay is always written for the teacher. It should answer the question given by addressing both content points and providinga new content point of the writer's own. The essay should be well organised, with an introduction and an appropriate conclusion,and should be written in an appropriate register and tone

  2. PDF B2 First for Schools Writing Part 1 (An opinion essay) Summary

    • Learn useful techniques for planning your own essay. • Evaluate two examples of a Writing Part 1 essay. • Practise and evaluate your own answer to a Writing Part 1 task. Review: Writing Part 1 . The B2 First for Schools Writing paper has two parts. Part 1 has only one task, which you . must. answer. You will: be given the essay title.

  3. 20 English Essay Topics/Questions

    Article navigation: B2 First (FCE) Essay: Example Topics / Questions B2 First (FCE) Essay: Download (PDF) An essay is a piece of writing in which you are asked to discuss a topic that might be controversial or relevant somehow. It usually follows a class discussion. The language of an English essay should be formal.Also, make sure that you justify all your ideas and that you use appropriate ...

  4. How to Write an Essay for B2 First (FCE) Writing

    Each paragraph has a clear purpose: Introduction: it introduces the topic in a general way and it leads to the second paragraph (first idea). Paragraph 2: it deals with idea 1. Paragraph 3: it deals with idea 2. Paragraph 4: it deals with idea 3. Conclusion: we express our opinion to conclude and summarise the essay.

  5. How to write an essay?

    B2 First (FCE) Essay: Tips. Plan your essay before you write. Make sure you know how to comment on all the points that are asked. Invent information if you don't have any ideas. Divide the essay into paragraphs - put one answer in one paragraph. Use advanced vocabulary when you can and formal language.

  6. PDF B2 First Writing Part 1

    structuring an essay, but one way that works well for this type of question is: Paragraph 1 introduction Paragraph 2 point one - problem + solution ... Now ask students to look at the candidate answers to the sample question and to put them in order, with the strongest answer first. When they do this, they can think about how each candidate ...

  7. B2 First (FCE) Essay Writing Guide

    Part 1 of the writing test - there are 2 parts total. 140-190 word limit. You have about 40 minutes to plan and write your essay. You must answer a question using two notes and your own idea. The topic requires general knowledge only. The essay is always formal because it is written "for your teacher".

  8. Cambridge B2 First (FCE): How to Write an Essay

    These three paragraphs are called the body of the essay. However, an essay wouldn't be an essay without an introduction at the beginning and a conclusion at the end. All together that's five paragraphs and we could structure it like this: With an introduction, body and conclusion every essay has three main parts.

  9. Writing

    Here's a sample FCE writing task: You have to write about pollution and the environment, and you have to include 3 points. 2 of those points must be transport, ... FCE Essays. You have to write an essay, so this is the first thing you should learn to write. Essays are about giving information and your opinions, comparing and contrasting. ...

  10. FCE (B2 First) Writing Exam (Essay)

    First, you need to read the FCE writing essay task and identify exactly what needs to be included. Let's look at a sample question: You've recently had a discussion in English class about society. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay. Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons for your point of view.

  11. First (FCE) Essay Questions

    The question asks you whether you agree with a statement. Your conclusion should clearly express where you stand on the issue. Don't be wishy-washy! Trying too hard - The best First (FCE) essays are simple, to-the-point, well-structured and cohesive. Your essay isn't going to change the world, so don't go overboard.

  12. B2 First preparation

    Free: Digital sample tests. Cambridge English Qualifications Digital have now replaced our old computer-based exams and offer you even more benefits. Watch this video tutorial for help on how to complete an B2 First digital exam. Please also review this document which covers minor differences between the sample tests and the live exam. Listening

  13. B2 First (FCE) Writing Part 1

    With this activity, you analyse a sample essay contrasting living in a city vs the countryside. To use it in the classroom, have students discuss the issues with the essay in pairs. ... EXAM PART: First (FCE) Writing Part 1 - Essay. EXAM SKILLS: Improving content and communicative achievement in essay writing. TOPIC: Lifestyle (living in the ...

  14. How to Write a Band 5 Essay for FCE B2 First 2021

    The 5 Paragraph Formula. This is a very simple five-paragraph formula you can use to structure any B2 First (FCE) essay: Paragraph 1. Introduction. Introduce the topic and agree or disagree with the statement - 2 sentences. Paragraph 2. Prompt 1. Introduce, explain and example - 3 sentences. Paragraph 3.

  15. FCE

    Have a look at a sample question for an essay. FC essay model question An essay. ① is always written for the teacher.. ② should answer the question given… ③ by addressing both content points and providing a new content point of the writer's own.. ④ should be well organised, with an introduction and an appropriate conclusion and should be written in an appropriate register and tone.

  16. Writing an effective essay: Cambridge B2 First

    The first part is the essay; the second part is an article, email, letter, report, or review. You will be given the essay title and two ideas or prompts. It's essential that you include both of these ideas in your essay, as well as another relevant idea that you have to come up with yourself. You have to write 140-190 words in each part and ...

  17. How to Write an Article for FCE Writing

    In the first one, you must write an essay. In the seccond, you must choose among different options. One of these options can be to write an article. For this reason, in today's post I'm going to show you exactly how to write an article for FCE Writing (Part 2). Besides, we will go over an example of an article for FCE and a complete FCE ...

  18. How To Write An FCE Essay

    Sample FCE Essay 1 My Critique. Every problem regarding 'the' environment and pollution can be solved. Science is always working on new solutions, 'and' new suggestions for alternative means of production are frequently put on the table (good language).The most difficult issue in this scenario is the interest s of different social groups in the world society (this is okay to mention ...

  19. First Certificate in English (FCE) Writing

    The test has two sections and takes about 80 minutes: Part 1 - write an essay based on prompts. Part 2 - write one from a choice of 3 questions: an article, an essay, a letter, a report, a review, a story. Scoring. Each of the two writing parts are marked out of 20. There are five marks for each of the following: Content, Communicative ...

  20. 15 Example Article Topics (Writing) (pdf)

    Choose the word or phrase which best completes the sentence. Free example article writing topics/questions for B2 First (FCE) & PDF download. The goal of an article is usually to talk about a topic you like or in which you are an expert. Also, your article should aim to keep the reader engaged.

  21. PDF B2 First for Schools

    Steps: Over a period of weeks, set learners one sample task of each type from Part 2 of the B2 First for Schools Writing paper: an article, an email, a review and a story. After each writing assignment, ask learners to complete the self-evaluation template below.

  22. FCE Exam Writing Samples and Essay Examples

    A big thank you to Cork English Teacher for his wonderful materials. 1. FCE Exam Essay Examples. 2. FCE Exam Writing Sample: My Hometown. 3. FCE Exam Writing Sample: My Favourite Hobby. 4. FCE Exam Writing Sample: The Person I Most Admire.

  23. Articles

    Subscale Grade: Commentary: Content: 5: All content is relevant and the target reader is fully informed. The article describes the most useful thing which the writer has learned: speaking English, and explains why it is useful.The second aspect of the task is discussed in detail and various methods of learning are described.