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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.

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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How to Write an Essay for C1 Advanced (CAE)

Luis @ kse academy.

• diciembre 21, 2022

As I’m sure you already know, Cambridge exams have several papers (Reading, Writing, Use of English, Speaking and Listening), and each of these components is divided into different parts. In this post, I want to focus on Writing Part 1 of the C1 Advanced, that is, how to write an Essay for the CAE . Because, remember, C1 Writing Part 1 will always be an essay 🙂 

Sample C1 Essay

New C1 Writing Guide out now!

• 3 examples of every task type
• Essay, Review, Formal and Informal Email and Letter, Report & Proposal
• 500+ useful phrases ready to use in your writings
• 95 pages of exclusive and original writing content
• Description of the C1 Writing paper
• Detailed description of each part of the Writing paper
• Assessment criteria and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

See sample or Buy on Amazon

What are the parts of the C1 Advanced Writing?

The C1 Advanced (CAE) Writing, as we have already seen in another article, has 2 parts , and for each one you will have to write a text according to the exercise instructions. What you should know is that there is a limited range of text types that you may be asked to write in each part, so let’s see: 

• Writing Part 1: In this part you will always have to write an essay, and you will have no other options to choose from. That’s why it is really important that you pay attention to this article and learn how to write an essay for C1 Advanced to the best of your ability. 
• Formal letter/email
• Informal letter/email
• Review 
• Proposal 

Each writing task you do should be between 220 and 260 words long, approximately, and, as they are different types of writing, you should take into account the peculiarities of each one in terms of structure, register, grammar and vocabulary, etc. 

So let’s start with the one that concerns us in this article: Essays! 

What is an essay ?

An Essay is a text of opinion in which we analyse a topic, a situation or a problem from different points of view or by considering several points or solutions to the problem. In each of the paragraphs, we deal with each point and express different facts, considerations and opinions. 

Now that we know what an essay is, let’s look at how to write an essay and its characteristics. 

How to Write an Essay for CAE Writing

Here are the main characteristics of a C1-level essay so that you can keep them in mind when writing: 

• Purpose: With an essay, what we do is evaluate a topic, situation or problem that is of some interest or controversy (e.g. teenage mobile phone use ). Often, the Writing activity is set as a task that takes place after a class debate. In an exam, you will have to imagine the debate for yourself (duh!).
• Tone and register: As it is a text on a serious or controversial topic, the Essay is always written in a formal context, so we must use an objective tone. Furthermore, the linguistic register should always be formal, avoiding common words such as things , stuff , get , etc.; contractions ( can’t , don’t , won’t , etc.); or expressions that may sound informal. 
• Structure: Like all writing tasks, an essay has a fairly well-defined structure, although it is not 100% fixed and immovable. To begin with, we can choose to give it a title or not, but, personally, I find it more appropriate to write an Essay with a title. Have you ever seen a text published without a title? Probably not.  As for the body of the essay, it should be divided into the following paragraphs: introduction, point 1, point 2 and conclusion. In other words, in general, a Cambridge C1 Essay should have 4-5 paragraphs.
• Opinion: This is where we have the most leeway when writing an essay for C1. There are many ways of expressing your opinion in an Essay, so you should choose the one that best suits your Writing approach. What I usually recommend, however, is that you remain impartial throughout the whole text and only express your opinion at the end, in the last paragraph, as a conclusion. As always, the most important thing is that you justify everything you say in your writing and that your conclusion answers the main question of the assignment.
• Coherence and progression: Coherence is essential in all Writings, but especially in the essay. As it is a supporting and argumentative text, you cannot write unconnected sentences and paragraphs; the ideas must follow a logical and well-connected order, using connectors appropriate to C1 level, in this case. Furthermore, the reader must perceive a logical progression of paragraphs, without losing the thread of what you are trying to argue. Otherwise, when they get to the last paragraph, they won’t know what you are talking about and our writing will have failed catastrophically. 

CAE Writing Essay Example

Now that we are familiar with the main features of an essay for Cambridge Advanced (CAE) Writing, let’s look at a sample essay at C1 level, both the sample instructions and a possible answer.

C1 Essay Instructions

In the picture below you can see an example from the Cambridge website. 

From these instructions, we must always extract the essentials: 

• Topic: 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.»
• Address only 2 of the 3 points given. 
• Answer and justify the main question (« to which facility is it most important that local authorities give money «).
• Justify your answer (« giving reasons in support of your answer «)
• Use your own words (« use your own words as far as possible «)

According to the task model outlined above, we can approach out writing with the following structure: 

• Introduction
• Point 1 (museums)
• Point 2 (sports centres)

Although it is not set in stone, you will normally get 4 paragraphs. So now let’s look at an example Essay for CAE Writing: 

At first glance, we can see that this Essay for C1 has an introductory title and 4 paragraphs ( introduction , museums , sports , conclusion ). In addition, if we read the text carefully, we can see the following aspects: 

• Title: The title perfectly summarises for the reader the topic to be covered in the text. Sometimes, a title in the form of a question such as « Which facilities should receive funding from local authorities? » can be a good idea, although I always prefer more concise titles.
• Introduction : introduces the topic and mentions the two options we are going to discuss in the following paragraphs. 
• Museums : Discusses the benefits of museums and the benefits of investing money in them. 
• Sports centres : Discusses the benefits of sports centres and the consequences of investing money in them. 
• Conclusion : In a very clear way, museums are seen as the ones that should receive the investment for certain reasons that are well justified. 
• Connectors: Connectors are used that clearly define the coherence and progression of the text.: on the one/other hand, in addition, ultimately, however, while, etc. 
• We do not use contractions or catch-all words.
• When it comes to
• comes to mind
• valuable cultural resource
• heritage 
• generating income
• engage in physical activity
• positive outlet for energy
• Grammar is also advanced (E.g.: Not only can…, but they also… )

In short, this is a good example of an Essay for CAE Writing. It should be noted, however, that this writing is written to simulate a strong C1 level, perhaps without necessarily going into a C2 level.

Will I be penalised if I write less than 220 or more than 260 words?

This is the most typical question in this part of the exam and the answer is: yes and no. Let me explain. The assessors won’t count the words and penalise you according to the number of words only. There is a rumour going around among students and teachers that for every 10 words they take away X points, but this is not true. However, if you have gone over 260 words by 50 or 100 words, or more, there is probably some content that is not relevant to the assignment, and that is penalised. Likewise, if you write less than 220 words, you are probably missing important information or you are not covering it in the detail required by the task instructions.

For this reason, I always recommend going over 20 words at most. That way you won’t lose points if your assignment covers the required topics and points. 🙂

The best guide for C1 Advanced Writing with examples and useful expressions

Although I will be publishing more articles explaining how to do each type of task for C1 Advanced, the best thing you can do to get plenty of information and practice is to buy the official KSE Academy guide to CAE Writing. In this guide you will find the following:

I hope you found this post useful. If you did, don’t forget to share with your friends and family. 🙂

I’ll see you in the next post. Until then, don’t forget to keep smiling! 

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• 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

Your Guide To Moving To The USA

• Posted on 04/03/2020

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C1 Advanced (CAE) essay example

FOR LEARNERS

C1 Advanced Writing Part 1: Essay (220-260 words, 45 min approx.)

TASK: Your class has watched a panel discussion on the areas which have benefited from the internet. You have made the following notes:

Entertainment

• Social relationships

Write an essay for your tutor discussing two of the areas in your notes. You should identify which area has benefited more from the internet, giving reasons for your choice.

Write your answer in 220 – 260 words in an appropriate style.

Task taken from Cambridge Write and Improve website. Link below. 

https://writeandimprove.com/workbooks#/wi-workbooks/bdc648bc-b760-4bac-98bc-161a95deff5e/tasks/62602255-69f6-4369-8224-48fc6013bd1d

Let’s analyse the task

The first thing when reading the task is to identify what two areas from the notes you are going to write about and choose the one that (in this case) has benefited more . Then, brainstorm some arguments .

While writing

For the introduction, try to rephrase the task and be as general on the topic as you can. Make sure to mention the two areas you have chosen to write about.

When writing the paragraphs don’t forget to include a Topic sentence . This sentence serves as an introduction of the paragraph. Then follow it by your arguments and reasons.  Here is a video explaining the whole process.

For the conclusion, repeat what you said before using other words and express your opinion clearly on which one area has benefited more from technology.

Here is my take on the task

Introduction.

There is no doubt that the new technologies have changed our lives. Education and entertainment can be identified as two main areas that have experienced a positive impact. 

First of all, schools have changed a lot since the Internet was introduced. They cater more to different learning styles using a wide range of media and tools such as interactive boards, tablets and Kahoot. Moreover, using technology in the classroom has proven to be more engaging than the old-fashioned blackboard. For instance, it results that students would readily write a text for a blog or a website rather than an essay. Last but not least, learners tend to do their homework more diligently if the task has to do with social media.

Another area that has changed for the better is entertainment. Streaming platforms such as Netflix have brought TV to our fingertips and made it incredibly cheap and easy to access. No more saving to go to the cinema or buy the latest DVD. Now you can Google almost anything and have it delivered or play it right away. What’s more, you can create your own content and monetise it as any aspiring You-tuber will tell you. 

In conclusion, the Internet and new inventions such as smartphones and tablets are shaping the way we consume information whether it is for work, studies or just fun. However, as far as I am concerned the field which has benefited the most is entertainment. It has become even more widespread than before and more and more people are spending their time and attention watching such content. 

Don’t memorise examples!

You can use example essays to get a feel of the style. Compare your ideas and organisation. Learn some phrases to use in your own writing. But don’t forget that we all have different writing styles and there isn’t one correct way of doing it. 

Still not confident about your writing?

Check out my other articles:

How to write an essay using a template

How to write a B2 First essay

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Writing - Part 1 - C1 Advanced (CAE) - Practice, Write & Improve

Exam question:, type: essay.

Write an  essay  discussing only two points . You should explain which point is more important , giving reasons in support of your answer.

Student's Answer:

“The Internet is a technology which has revolutionized the lives of a significant proportion of the world population. Throughout the past few decades people have been given the opporunity to perform tasks that only a short time before the Internet was created, would have sounded outrageous, to say the least. One way in which the Internet is making the lives of people easier and less stressful, is by offering the opportunity to buy and sell online. Although some find online purchases risky, or even life-threatening, for an other part of the society the action of going to the supermarket and putting groceries into the basket has transformed into scrolling through the web pages of the online shop. Perhaps the most useful feature the Internet provides us, is the ease with which we can keep in contact with friends and relatives. People nowadays can simply open the social media app and get in touch with the person they want, even if they are on the other side of the world. Furthermore, due to online communication being so simple to execute, many jobs have the opportunity to be done remotely. As a result of this rapid technologic advancement, one negative that has to be pointed out, is that people meet their close relatives far less frequently than they used to before the Internet. To sum things up, the most valuable course of action humans are capable of doing via the Internet, is the ease and convenience of keeping in contact with the people we love and value.”

The Internet is a technology which has revolutionized the lives of a significant proportion of the world population. Throughout the past few decades people have been given the opportunity to perform tasks that only a short time before the Internet was created, would have sounded outrageous, to say the least.

a) One way in which the Internet is making the lives of people easier and less stressful is by offering the opportunity to buy and sell online. [topic sentence - good!] Although some find online purchases risky, or even life-threatening, for another part of the society the action of going to the supermarket and putting groceries into the basket has transformed into scrolling through the web pages of the online shop.

a)   Perhaps the most useful feature the Internet provides us is the ease with which we can keep in contact with friends and relatives. [topic sentence - good!]   a) (as an illustration, for instance) People nowadays can simply open the social media app and get in touch with the person they want, even if they are on the other side of the world. Furthermore, due to online communication being so simple to execute, many jobs have the opportunity to be done remotely. As a result of this rapid technologic advancement, one negative that has to be pointed out, namely,   is that people meet their close relatives far less frequently than they used to before the Internet. [Practice linkers & various clauses to make text more fluid]

To sum things up, the most valuable course of action humans are capable of doing via the Internet, is the ease and convenience of keeping in contact with the people we love and value.

Content: 5/5 have you answered the question?

All content is relevant and the target reader is fully informed.

Communicative Achievement: 3/5 have you completed the task in the right sort of language?

Essay-writing conventions are used effectively to communicate ideas clearly. The register is mostly consistent but could have been more formal. (we can keep in contact, get in touch with)

The organisation: 3/5 have you structured your writing properly?

a) Use more cohesive devices to make text more fluid (words or phrases that show the relationship between paragraphs or sections of a text or speech). https://www.skidmore.edu/writingcenter/documents/TransitionalWordsPhrases-Sept2020.pdf

Language: 4/5 have you used a good range of grammar and vocabulary?

There is a range of vocabulary and some less common lexis, which is collocated appropriately. There is also a range of simple and more complex grammatical structures used with control.

Useful links: 

How to write an essay? Essay - examples and modal answers. Improving writing skills and text fluidity.

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Home » C1 Advanced » CAE Course » CAE Writing Course » C1 Advanced Essay CAE | 1 Amazing Technique

C1 Advanced Essay CAE | 1 Amazing Technique

Table of Contents

C1 Advanced Essay

What is a C1 Advanced Essay?

A C1 Advanced Essay is a writing task which forms part 1 of the C1 Advanced exam writing paper. There are 2 parts in the CAE writing paper. There is one question in Part 1 and this is always an essay. The aim is to answer this question, writing between 220-260 words.

If you follow the order of information on this page, you will know exactly what you need to do to pass the C1 Advanced essay and get the examiners smiling 🙂

The information follows a specific order, so make sure you don't skip any parts!

Before we continue, I want to tell you about my new e-book of writing samples . It contains 6 essays with my corrections and feedback. You can get it with a free Kindle Unlimited trial in some countries:

Cambridge English Assessment Scale

In order to prepare for the writing paper effectively, it is best to understand what the examiners look for. If you know how the examiners mark your writing, you are in a better position to get top marks!  Watch the video below because it explains the marking criteria in detail:

How To Write A C1 Advanced Essay - CAE Writing Part 1

Here is a video I made which shows you:

• How to find an example question.
• Advice for writing an essay.
• An example answer.
• What mark the examiner gave this example (based on the assessment criteria above).
• Typical essay mistakes.
• Extra essay tips.

You should open the video in a new tab and complete the rest of the page with me at the same time...

i. C1 Advanced Essay - Example Question

In part 1 you are given only one question to answer.

Here is an example essay question from page 33 of the Cambridge English Advanced Handbook for teachers: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/167804-cambridge-english-advanced-handbook.pdf .

Write your answer in 220-260 words and in an appropriate style on the separate answer sheet.

The question tells us to only talk about two of the facilities. That gives us three options:

• Museums and sports centres
• Sports centres and public gardens
•  Public gardens and museums.

We also have to explain which is more important, which means we need to develop our points giving reasons to support them.

ii. C1 Advanced Essay Advice

Let's have a look at some instructions that are given for writing essays in the Cambridge English Advanced Handbook for teachers .

The advice above is important for the Communicative Achievement marking criterion.

It's important to know who your target reader is as this will effect the level of formality or register. We know from the information above that our target reader is likely to be an academic tutor, which means that your writing should be formal.

CAE Essay Tip:  sorry this tip is available for higher level members only. Register/upgrade here >>

Okay, so the information above means we need to find the most important issues with regard to a topic and back these up with reasons, extra points and extra ideas if you can think of them.

This will help with the Organisation marking criterion. You should follow a clear structure with a good flow. If the examiner can see that the points are developed in a clear way, you will get higher marks.

"Holding the target reader's attention" is important for the Communicative Achievement criterion. The way to hold their attention is to write in a way which is appropriate for the target reader, while using your Language to express simple and complicated ideas. The way you Organise and structure your essay as a whole and on an individual paragraph level can also help hold the reader's attention. 

Personally, I think planning your answer is also  really  important. I have a plan template which you can complete online here >> or print off here >>

My friend Charles Cornelius, a former IELTS examiner, runs a tutoring website for his IELTS students and he has some really useful tips for essay planning, including his 4 step essay planning approach .

iii. C1 Advanced Essay - Example Answer

While reading the answer, you should write down any mistakes you find here , along with their corrections.

I'd also like you to read the essay below which is based on the question above and give it a mark from one to five for each of the 4 marking criteria (Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language). You can use this online template or print this hard copy . Remember 1 is the worst mark and 5 is the best. If you give the content 5 out of 5 for example, write why it is so good.

THINK LIKE AN EXAMINER

If you can think like the examiner then you will get much better marks in the essay. In the words of Faithless, you can 'come 1' 😉 If you're tired, play their song, get up, jump around and then come back and complete the task with the example answer below the Faithless video...

https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/167804-cambridge-english-advanced-handbook.pdf

Examiners' Assessment Scale Template

Download the hard copy here or write on the online template .

iv. Examiner Comments

Now we're going to look at what the real examiner thought about this essay. I'd like you to compare the examiner's marks with your own marks and see if you had similar ideas or if you had different ideas. I recommend reading the examiner's comments in detail, this will help you know exactly what the examiners are looking for when you're writing your essay. Take as long as you like to do this...

Okay so hopefully you've read the comments above, so now I would like to show you some of the bits which I thought were really important from these comments:

This means the person answered all parts of the question. They have poured the perfect pint 😉

Communicative Achievement

The opening paragraph and conclusion leave no room for doubt that where the money should go. Having a clear structure and argument mean it's easier to follow the writing.

Consistency is key . Remember that 😉

This writing is consistently formal and it is objective, which is important. You should try to be objective and use objective language rather than subject language.

Clear paragraphs help to keep the reader's attention as well. This comes down to flow and organization as well as communicative achievement.

Organisation

There are a lot of different cohesive devices used. Cohesive devices are linking words (moreover, however) and organisational patterns (using parallel structures, 'He thinks x, while she thinks y'. Cohesive devices link different ideas and sentences together.

There is a range of vocabulary which is relevant to the topic. There is also a range of simple and more complex grammatical structures.

All of the above are positive points that you should try to incorporate into your writing. If you are confused by some of the terminology above, it explains most of these words and their meanings in more detail on pages 37 and 38 of the Handbook for Teachers: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/167804-cambridge-english-advanced-handbook.pdf

I highly recommend having a look at my CAE writing samples book as well. I mention all these terminology while critiquing 21 CAE writings. If you read that book you will have a much better understanding of what the examiners want and how to get top marks in the exam.

Get The Book Now >>

v. CAE Essay Mistakes

When I read through the essay above, I noticed there were some specific mistakes with the language and so I've written these down here. They might be connected with spelling, grammar or whether the phrase is not very easy to understand. Are the mistakes below the same as the ones you identified above? If so, great. If not, it's possible I missed a couple of mistakes, so don't panic.

You should now write down the correct version of the sentences below. You can write your corrections on this worksheet .

People have lost the interest in visiting...

Moreover, the young men should be aware...

history museums provide people very interesting informations.

It can be organised events like...

there can be built spaces for kids to play

investment from local authority are...

vi. C1 Essay Corrections

Hopefully you've done the tasks above. Now have a look at my corrections below and see if you have the same corrections as mine...it's possible there may be more than one correct answer, so feel free to contact me if you want to check...but BE SPECIFIC in your email!

'People have lost interest in visiting'.. . (‘people have lost interest’ not ‘people have lost THE interest’).

'Moreover,  young  men should be aware... ' ( Not ‘the’ young men just young men in general without ‘the’).

‘history museums provide people WITH very interesting information’ (we always say to provide someone WITH something and information is uncountable so it shouldn't be ‘informations’ just ‘information’).

events like this can be organised... (I would say the subject first. ‘Events can be organised’).

‘spaces for kids to play can be built’. (Again the subject should be at the beginning of a sentence. ‘Spaces’ and ‘events’ at the beginning of the sentence and then say what you can do with these things).

' investment from local authorities are... ' ( it's probably more than 1 local authority and even if it is just one you would need to use an article ‘a/the’ before ‘local authority’). 

There are 6 sample essays with corrections and critique in my new book...take a look >>

i. C1 Advanced Essay 2

Here is another example essay question:

You must answer this question. Write your answer in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.

Your university has attended a conference titled ‘the greatest advantages of the internet for people in their everyday lives’. You have made the notes below:

Advantages of the internet in everyday life -communication -accessibility -retail

Write an essay for your lecturer discussing two of the points. You should explain which point you think is the greatest for people and provide reasons in support of your opinion.

ii. CAE Essay 2 - Example Answer

Read the essay below and write down any mistakes you find in the appropriate fields of this document .

Then mark the essay from one to five for each of the 4 marking criteria on the template below. 1 is the worst mark and 5 is the best.

You should also say why you gave it your score 1-5.

iii. Examiner Assessment Scale Template

Download here or fill in the online version here .

Make sure you have completed the examiners template with your own thoughts before continuing with this page.

Once you have completed the template above, you should read my notes below and compare my feedback with yours. When you become proficient at this skill and when your thoughts resemble mine for all CAE writing samples you read, you will have a good idea what the examiners are looking for in the CAE writing paper and this will DRASTICALLY improve your marks in this part of the exam.

iv. My Comments

Compare my mistakes, marks, comments and improvements below with yours...

Sorry, the content below is for members only. Register here >>

v. Pass or Fail

Pass or Fail

Content - 3 Communicative Achievement - 4 Organisation - 4 Language - 3

Total: 14/20

If you got the same marks for part 2 you would get 28/40. This would be a pass in the exam as the pass mark is 24/40. Well done!

Remember, there are 6 essays and 15 other writing samples with feedback etc. in my new book >>

There are some more useful tips for the CAE essay on this website.

C1 Advanced Essay 3

I. question.

Here is a question which one of my students submitted via my CAE writing assessment service . It has come from the ' Ready for Advanced ' coursebook (written by my friend Roy):

ii. CAE Essay 3 - Sample Answer

Read the essay answer below and note down any mistakes you find in this document .

Write a mark with a comment for each of the marking criteria on this document .

iii. My Comments

If you have written your mistakes here and completed the assessment scale , then you should compare your notes with mine...

"It goes without saying that the urban environment is a vitally important part of every city (Good first sentence - using a less common expression) . Councillors often do everything they can to sustain (We don’t normally say ‘sustain’ + noun + adjective. You can say ‘sustain this diverse system in a clean way ’, or you could simply replace the word ‘sustain’ with the word ‘keep’) this diverse system clean but not messy (‘messy’ is a slightly informal/colloquial word) . The majority of people do es n't (‘people’ is plural so say ‘people don’t...’) care about the environment at all. Although, throwing away (‘throwing away’ can have the same meaning as ‘throwing in the rubbish bin’ so it would be better to rephrase this) things such as plastic bottles instead of putting them into a rubbish bin has a detrimental effect on the whole eco-system. If we were more considerate of the urban environment, we would be able to achieve amazing results in terms of reducing pollution. What would be the most effective method to ensure this? 

First of all (‘Firstly’ is better to use here as it is more formal) , I have to mention the (don’t put ‘the’ unless you specifically mention which ‘legislation’ you are referring to) legislation. It could be said that if we put forward ‘and enforce’ (‘put forward’ is only to suggest or propose) tougher laws, we would achieve amazing results. As far as I am concerned, I am not fully convinced about that. (Could you write the previous sentences without using first person pronouns (‘I have to…’ ‘I am...’). According to a recent study, implementing tougher laws can result in disrespect for the local council. Moreover, it can lead to rebellion. 

Another way of tackling the problem would be to focus on public services such as the underground, buses, hospitals etc. (don’t write ‘etc.’ in formal writing). If the government put a huge amount of money into funding new electric buses, it (‘this initiative’) would contribute to the decrease in air pollution and noise. 

To sum up, I think the advantages of the second solution weight up ‘outweigh’ those which are mentioned in the first one. From my point of view, if we want to sustain ‘keep’ the urban environment clean, we should embark on the refurbishment of public services."

Examiner Assessment Scale Feedback

Sorry, the critique below is for higher level members only. Register/upgrade here >>

iv. Pass or Fail

I have awarded the essay the following marks:

Content - 3 Communicative Achievement - 2 Organisation - 3 Language - 3

Total: 11/20

You need a minimum of 24 out of 40 possible marks to pass the CAE writing paper. Remember, there are 2 different writings to complete, so you need to average 12 out of 20 for each writing task. If this student got 13 out of 20 for their part 2 writing, they would pass the Writing paper at a C1 level. Remember, you do not need to pass every exam paper in order to pass the C1 Advanced (CAE) exam and get a certificate, you just need to average 60% across all 5 exam sections.

If you want to find out more about what marks you need in order to pass the exam, have a look at my CAE exam page >>

I really recommend having a look at my new book >> it will definitely help you improve your writing exam score!

C1 Advanced Essay 4

Instructions.

• Read the example CAE essay question and answer below and write down any mistakes you notice on a separate piece of paper.
• Complete the examiner's assessment scale below, according to the marking criteria you examined on the previous page . You can download a template of the assessment scale here .
• Read the answer again with my comments.
• Read what I wrote on the examiner's assessment scale.

Here is the same question that we looked at in example 1 above:

https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/Images/167804-cambridge-english-advanced-handbook.pdf

ii. C1 Advanced Essay 4 - Sample Answer

Complete The CAE Essay Assessment Scale Template

Download here >>

CAE Essay Answer With My Comments

Sorry, the content below is available for higher level members only. Register/upgrade here to access now >>

CAE Essay Marks

Sorry, this section is available for higher level members only. Register or upgrade here >>

C1 Advanced Essay 4 - Pass or Fail

Sorry, this section is available to higher level members only. Register/upgrade here >>

CAE Essay Examples

I created a book recently with loads of sample writings that students have sent me. I think this is the best body of work I have produced:

If you do not want to access the book, I also have a few more essay samples on my CAE essay examples page here .

When I have time I critique them according to the examiners assessment scale and sometimes turn them into a video for my YouTube channel .

Send Me Your C1 Advanced Essay

If you have a CAE/FCE writing task you would like me to consider marking and critiquing in a future article, you should complete the form on this Cambridge writing exam page .

You can check out some other CAE writings which students have sent to me, along with my feedback in my new book .

Class Activities For Teachers

Are you a teacher?

Why not use my resources to help your students either in class or as homework exercises.

With Computers

Do you and/or your students use computers in lessons?

• Become a full member of my website to access loads more useful information and exercises including more essays .
• Read this essay question and then write a plan for it here.
• Save, print and then note down any mistakes on this example essay answer.
• Complete an assessment scale template for the example answer.
• Compare your mistakes with the mistakes I found here .
• Compare your assessment scale with the examiner's assessment scale notes.
• Watch this video,  note down the most important points on this form and then add any extra essay notes to the form too. Students receive a copy of the form by email.

Without Computers

If you or your students don't have computers, follow these instructions:

• Read this essay question then write a plan for it in no more than 5 minutes here .
• Save, print and correct any mistakes on this sample essay answer.
• Fill in the examiner assessment scale template for the sample essay answer.
• Compare the last two steps with the mistakes I identified  and the examiner's notes on this assessment scale.
• Print off this form and complete it with notes from this video and elsewhere.

For homework, you should write your own answer to the essay question above or you could write an answer to the essay question on this page . If you write your essay on computer you can submit it via my CAE writing assessment service and if I have time I will put your essay on my website with some of my feedback and my marks. You can also pay to have your writing marked within 7 days. Again, you can find loads more past writings students have sent me in my new book .

Finally, you should read the Cambridge English Advanced handbook for teachers because there is loads of really useful information in there. I really recommend reading the whole handbook before going into the exam because it will really help you to prepare.

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