E Book Fce Writing
E Book Fce Writing
E Book Fce Writing
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Index:
Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3
Who is this book for? .............................................................................................. 3
Whats in the FCE writing exam?.......................................................................... 3
How is the exam assessed? .................................................................................. 4
4 essentials for good answers ............................................................................... 4
Section 1: Writing formal letters or emails ........................................................ 4
Introduction (Writing formal letters or emails) ..................................................... 4
Useful phrases (Writing formal letters or emails) ............................................... 5
Sample questions (Writing formal letters and emails) ....................................... 9
Section 2: Writing informal letters or emails ................................................... 11
Introduction (Writing informal letters or emails) ................................................ 11
Useful phrases (Writing informal letters or emails) .......................................... 11
Sample Questions (Writing Informal Letters and emails) ............................... 12
Section 3: Writing stories ............................................................................... 14
Introduction and tips (Writing stories) ................................................................ 14
Useful phrases (Writing stories) .......................................................................... 14
Sample questions (Writing stories) ..................................................................... 15
Section 4: Writing articles .............................................................................. 16
Introduction and tips (Writing articles) ............................................................... 16
Useful phrases (Writing articles) ......................................................................... 17
Sample questions (Writing articles) .................................................................... 18
Section 5: Writing essays ............................................................................... 19
Introduction and tips (Writing essays) ................................................................ 19
Useful phrases (Writing essays) ......................................................................... 19
Sample questions (Writing essays) .................................................................... 20
Section 6: Writing reports ............................................................................... 21
Introduction and tips (Writing reports) ................................................................ 21
Useful phrases (Writing reports) ......................................................................... 21
Sample questions (Writing reports) .................................................................... 22
Section 7: Writing reviews .............................................................................. 23
Introduction and tips (Writing reviews) ............................................................... 23
Useful phrases (Writing reviews) ........................................................................ 23
Sample questions (Writing reviews) ................................................................... 25
Finally ............................................................................................................ 26
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Introduction
Who is this book for?
This book is simply for students who want good marks in the writing section
of the Cambridge First Certificate Exam. It is also useful for any intermediate
or advanced student who would like to improve his or her writing.
If you intend taking the FCE exam you can find an excellent online course,
covering all the exam on this page.
The Spanish version of the page can be accessed here.
It is also for teachers. Use it exactly as you like. Forward it to students. Print
it out. Use it in class. Its completely up to you.
I hope it works.
Enjoy your English and every success with exams.
Alan Bray
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Santander, February, 2014
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If you have read one of the set books you can write about it by answering
Question 5, but this option finishes in December 2014.
You are given an article to read from a newspaper. You write to the
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Dear Sir
Dear Madam
Dear Sir/Madam
Dear Mr Brown
Dear Ms Jones etc.
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Introducing the complaint:
Firstly
In the first place
First of all
My first complaint is
The first problem is
The first thing I would like to draw your attention to is
My first concern is
Secondly
In the second place
Not only .but also
In addition
In addition to this
Added to this
.was also unacceptable
Demanding action:
I am writing to suggest
I am writing to arrange
I am writing to offer suggestions
I am writing make arrangements
My first suggestion is
First of all I suggest
I would like to suggest
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Making further suggestions:
Another possibility is
A further possibility is
I further suggest
I would further suggest
Secondly
Offering a choice:
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e) Writing formal letters to give information:
Reason for writing:
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Making further requests:
Your notes:
Write your letter in 120-150 words. You must use grammatically correct
sentences with accurate spelling and punctuation in a style appropriate for the
situation.
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2. Write 120-150 words in an appropriate style.
You have just returned from a trip to Canada. You flew there and back with
Maple Air. You decide to write to the airline to complain about your flight and
ask for some money back.
Read the advertisement and the notes you made and then, using the
information, write a letter to the airline. You may add other relevant points of
your own.
FLY MAPLE AIR TO CANADA
We offer:
3 flights a day
wide, comfortable seats
friendly, well-trained staff
a good choice of food special diets no problem
the latest in-flight entertainment
Phone 0179 765893 now or see your travel agent for more details.
Your notes:
Late boarding
Staff quite rude
No vegetarian food for me
Old film
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Write an email in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.
Dear Jim
Hello Jim
Hi Jim
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By the way
Did you hear about
Did you see
Have you seen
Tell me about
Oh, another thing
Well, time to go
Well, it's time to go
Well, got to go
Well, time to close
I've got to leave off now
Write soon
Make sure you write soon
Love
Lots of love
All my love
Will write again soon
Look after yourself
Take care of yourself
All the best
Everything good
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Could you come the day before the party to help with preparations. There's a
lot to plan so I'd really like your help. Can you suggest something else that will
really make the party special?
All for now.
best wishes,
Anne
Your notes:
Write your email. You must use grammatically correct sentences with
accurate spelling and punctuation in a style appropriate for the situation.
Your notes:
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Write your letter. You must use grammatically correct sentences with
accurate spelling and punctuation in a style appropriate for the situation.
3. Your friend, Jim, has written you an email, part of which says:
My parents have given me some money for passing my exams. I dont know
whether to spend it on going to watch United in Madrid, or whether I should
save up a bit more and buy some clothes. What do you think?
Write an email in reply in 120-150 words.
It all began
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Shortly afterwards
Meanwhile
Not long afterwards
Some time later
Later that day
A little later
Finally
In the end
Eventually
Suddenly
All of a sudden
Without warning
Out of the blue
Just at that moment
Quite unexpectedly
As if from nowhere
Direct speech:
Concluding stories:
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Write your story in 120-180 words for in an appropriate style.
2. You have been asked to write a story for a competition. The story must
begin with the following words.
It was five o'clock in the morning when there was a knock at the door.
Write your story in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.
3. Your teacher has asked you to write a story for a college magazine. The
story must begin with the following words.
It was very exciting but I wouldnt like to do it again.
Write your story in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.
4. Your teacher has asked you to write a story for a student magazine. The
story must begin with the following words.
I knew I had to leave that city as soon as I possibly could.
Write your story in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.
5. You have entered a competition to write a story. The rules say it must end
with the following sentence.
Suddenly, I woke up and realised it had all been a fantastic dream.
Write your story in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.
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Firstly
In the first place
First of all
The first thing to consider is
One thing to consider is
To begin with
Secondly
Another consideration
Yet another consideration
Another thing to consider is
Added to that
Apart from that
In addition to this
In conclusion
To conclude
To sum up
So
I think
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In my opinion
Personally I believe that
In my view
If you ask me
To my mind
My personal opinion is
Tell us which one of these five ideas you like best and why.
Make one other suggestion for a new club and explain why it would be
a good idea.
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Expressing Contrast:
nevertheless
even so
even though
however
in spite of
despite
but
although
Expressing results:
because of this
therefore
thus
as a result
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Giving examples:
such as
like
for example
for instance
2. You have had a discussion on fashion in your English class. Your teacher
has asked you to write an essay, giving your opinions on the following
statement.
Young people never want to dress the same as their parents
Write your essay in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.
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Famous people such as footballers, film stars and politicians, deserve to have
a private life without journalists constantly following them.
Write your essay in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.
To:
From:
Subject:
Date:
Headings - to include:
Introduction:
Subject of each paragraph:
Conclusion or recommendation(s):
Introductory Paragraph
As requested I have ..
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Recommending:
3. Your head teacher (or University Chancellor) has sent you a letter
explaining that the government is awarding 50, 000 euro grants to
organizations which are making big efforts to become greener.
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He asks you to tour the school (or university) to see what can be done to
make the building more environmentally friendly.
Then he wants you to write a report describing the current situation and
making recommendations on how improvements can be made.
Write your report in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.
4. You belong to a youth club which is subsidised by the village council. The
youth club leader has asked you to write a report on the activities of the club
to help the council decide whether or not they will increase the small grant
they give every year.
Write your report in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.
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What I disliked
Reviews of books:
main character
is set in
comedy
science fiction
thriller
romance
comedy:
author
written by
chapter
factual
fiction
unbelievable
bestseller
chapter
ending
lead role
star role
star
star actor
star actress
starring
secondary role
He plays a .
She plays a .
written by .
is set in ..
based on a true story ..
believable
true to life
not very believable
far-fetched
comedy
romance
science fiction
ending
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Reviews of hotels, restaurants, etc:
location
service
setting
attractive setting
disappointing setting
owned by
run by
head chef (restaurant)
waiters (restaurant)
staff .
staff at reception .(hotel)
hotel facilities .
reasonable prices ..
good value for money ..
excellent value for money ..
expensive
a bit expensive
overpriced
not worth the money
poor value for money
always fully booked
book in advance
2. Your teacher has asked you to write a review for a film you have seen
recently on DVD or at the cinema. The best reviews will go in the school
magazine. Review the book giving your opinion and saying whether or not you
would recommend it.
Write your review in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.
3. At school you are building a tourist website in English. Your teacher has
asked you to write a review of a restaurant you have eaten at in your town.
Review the restaurant giving your opinion and saying whether or not you
would recommend it.
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Write your review in 120-180 words in an appropriate style.
Finally
We at Brays hope that the information you have read helps you master the
English language.
The fact that you have read this far should prove useful. But, obviously, the
more you write, the better you become, especially if you have a good teacher
to guide you.
To get the best from what you have read you need now to go to the next
important stage:
Select a question!
Answer it
Ask a tutor to guide you through the correction
Repeat the process
Repeat again and again
The more practice and guidance you have, the better you will become.
If you dont have someone with a sufficiently high level to guide you then
contact us. We will be happy to revise your work and set you on the right path.
If you intend taking the FCE exam you can find an excellent online course,
covering all the exam on this page.
The Spanish version of the page can be accessed here.
Every success with your exams, and in life.
Enjoy your English,
Alan Bray
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