3
Most of the content is relevant and the target reader is informed.
There should be more of a balance of the arguments with a bit more focus on the nursery.
You are also over the word limit so I would suggest writing fewer points with more backing up. Perhaps you could shorten the introduction.
The target reader would be able to reach a decision following as a result of your arguments.
3
The conventions of essay writing have been used.
Some of your points could be strengthened with further examples and evidence. Fewer points with more justification would be good.
The tone of the essay is generally appropriate and the use of a title is also appropriate.
Although the essay is quite easy to follow, some of the language could be tailored more precisely towards the wording of the question. This would help to communicate your ideas more clearly.
4
The essay is well organised and quite coherent.
Each paragraph focusses on a separate argument. Within the paragraphs there are good organisational patterns used to emphasise certain points 'but, above all...' or to show contrast 'Unfortunately, on the other hand...'
2
There is a good range of vocabulary and grammatical structures used appropriately, 'Usually, it was the mother, who had to leave her job...'
However there are also quite a few errors where a more appropriate word could have been used. The choice of words at times detracts from how closely your answer ties to the question.
There are a range of linking devices used appropriately, 'furthermore', 'another solution could be', 'on the other hand'. There are also some errors 'advantages in this approach' but these do not impede communication.
Adding the marks together, the student has scored:
Content: 3/5
Communicative Achievement: 3/5
Organisation: 4/5
Language: 2/5
Total: 12/20.
If you can't remember what these scores mean, watch my CAE writing marking criteria video .
If this student got 12/20 for their part 2 writing in the exam, they would have 24/40 for the C1 Advanced writing paper.
The student would therefore pass this exam paper.
To understand how these marks are calculated, check out this page . I suggest using a table like this to mark your scores when you are practising for all the different exam papers.
This question has come from ' Cambridge English Advanced Practice Tests - Plus 2 ' by Nick Kenny and Jacky Newbrook.
While you read this example answer, you should write down any mistakes you find on this document , then complete the examiner assessment template below:
Online template
Hard copy Assessment Scale Template
Example Answer Download
If you haven't done it yet, download this assessment template here , or complete it online here with your thoughts on the writing above.
Here is the student's answer with my corrections and comments written in ( bold and italics).
Nowadays , many young people tend to ask themselves how valuable is the benefit of taking part in sport competitions in which they participate ( I don’t think these words add any extra to the sentence) . It is said that ‘ it’ ( after using the phrase ‘it is said/thought that’ you should repeat the subject) is worth y (you should use ‘worth’ here) for healthy people to hav ing a positive attitude and th is (the attitude) are also usually able to contribute s more to a the healthy mind.
But which point s can be highlighted as valuable from ‘ having’ healthy lifestyles? (Personally, I wouldn’t ask questions in an essay). Not only ‘ does’ physical condition ha ve a very important role to play, but also mental condition might be affected ‘ as a result’ . This (what starts at the beginning?) starts at the beginning (the beginning of what?) when the young child can learn about the value of exercise. Despite having a fit ness body, this (what is ‘this’?) should not only be aimed at sport s competition s . They need to have continuous ‘win nings and los ses ings ’ in order to understand the importance of being trained mentally ( I think the argument of the essay disappears a bit here). For instance, Usain Bolt is an excellent athlete thanks to ‘ his’ capability to accept to los s e s and train hard for the next sport competition.
Attitude alone, however, is not enough. Young athletes need to have easy access to resources which will enable them to learn in a better way. There is no point in having a great attitude to learn if they cannot find materials that other athletes can share as tips in order to make the difference. In this case, these materials refer s to personal experiences and train ing methods ed abilities which youngsters need to pay more attention ‘to’ . If cooperation is not performed (we don’t normally ‘perform cooperation’, it would be more common to say ‘if cooperation does not exist’ , young people are all too likely to slip into bad habits (this paragraph is well written) .
To sum up, of the two values outlined above, healthy lifestyles is the more effective one. lt is more far reaching in that it relates to all aspects of living healthily. In addition to this, after all, through (‘developing the right’) attitude , that a person will learn why it is better to go to a sport competition than to lie on a couch in front of the television. (I don’t think I understand this final sentence. Do you mean attitude will teach a person? I probably wouldn’t introduce a new idea into the final sentence of an essay).
Below, you can read my critique on the examiner assessment scale...
Sorry, you'll need to register or upgrade your membership in order to access the content below.
This student has scored:
Communicative Achievement: 2/5
Organisation: 3/5
Language: 3/5
Total: 11/20.
If this student got 11/20 for their part 2 writing in the exam, they would score 22 out of 40 and they would not pass the CAE writing exam at a C1 level.
The student might still pass the exam if he/she gets higher marks in the other exam papers, Reading , Use of English , Speaking and Listening .
Let's have a look at another example essay that a student sent to me. Similar to the first two, we'll have a look at the question, answer and my feedback.
Fantastic work if you've made it this far...you're really going to be helping yourself prepare for this tricky part of the exam. High five!
The following question can be found on this website .
While reading the next answer, you should complete the assessment scale. You can download the assessment template here or complete this online version .
CAE Essay Examples - Answer 3 pdf
Okay, so hopefully you've completed the hard copy or the online examiner assessment template with your marks and comments. Before reading my corrections below, you should now write down any mistakes you find on this document.
We live in a wor ’l’ d where there are so many options for travelling (Spelling mistakes are not a huge issue, but they are important if they disrupt the flow/meaning of your writing. This spelling mistake is in the first sentence and therefore might put negative thinking in the examiner’s mind) . According to a recent article, there has been an increase in international travelling. Since the article did not find the major causes of what is causing this new trend (can you think of a way to avoid saying ‘causes’ and ‘causing’ in the same sentence?) , I decided to raise two crucially important factors which could presumably contribute to this.
It cannot be denied that we take most means of transport for granted and flying on a plane is becoming more prevalent (Good sentence) . In comparison to the previous century, the cost of airline tickets has noticeably decreased. In other words, most airlines are now aiming at a wide ’r’ range of ‘people’ public . (We don’t often say ‘a range of public.’) Not only do they want to attract the affluent, but they also want to ensure that even the poorest citizens can afford to buy a ticket. Moreover, the convenience of aircraft also plays a vital role as flying is not so time-consuming. (Good paragraph).
Another potential factor is global business and trade. The majority of successful companies, such as Foxconn and Apple, are spread out into ‘across’ the whole world. If they did not do this, they would not be able to satisfy their customers. Therefore, they often have no other option, but to dispatch (‘dispatch’ is not often a word used for people but more for inanimate objects) their representatives , (remember the comma as this is a non-definite relative clause because the next part of the sentence is extra information) who always travel by plane. Secondly, the world economy has reached its peak, that is to say, our population is buying more cars. (I think this point would be made stronger by adding another sentence.)
To sum up, as far as I am concerned, global business plays a bigger role when it comes to the increase in travelling. Despite the fact that means of transport have changed, companies have a major impact. To make it clear, companies have the power to shape our society. We are under the influence of them. They set down the rules in terms of new trends in our society (I think you could combine the final two sentences and avoid repeating the words ‘our society’) .
Upgrade here to access my marks and comments >>
I have awarded the essay the following marks:
Content - 3 Communicative Achievement - 4 Organisation - 4 Language - 4
Total: 15/20
In my opinion, this is a good essay. Remember you only have 90 minutes to complete 2 writing tasks in the exam, but if you could write this and a similar part 2 answer in 35 minutes each, leaving time for planning and checking, I think you will stand a good chance of passing at a C1 level. The examiners tend to mark the writing paper quite strictly in my experience and so it’s possible that some of the marking criteria could be awarded a 3, but it’s also possible some could be awarded a 5. It depends a little bit on the individual examiner. Well done!
This came from the book ' Cambridge English Advanced 2 ' which you can buy here >>
You should print off a copy of the answer below here and write down any mistakes you find.
Alternatively, you can write the mistakes on a separate sheet of paper or on this online template .
You should also complete the examiner assessment scale template in hardcopy or online .
Here is a video of me critiquing this answer:
If you would like to receive a similar video critiquing one of your answers, check out my CAE writing assessment service >>
Below, you can read the answer with my corrections and what I wrote on the examiner assessment scale...
Social trends are part of today’s society and they could be described as peculiar behaviours that become ‘a’ fundamental characteristic of a society. In the last few years there have been many changes such as the development of ‘the’ internet, mobile phones and cheaper flights that have had an important influence in ‘on’ social trends.
As far as I’m concerned, the factor which influence ‘s’ the most social trends ‘the most’ is the communication and especially the new communication via social network ‘s’ . As a matter of fact s , the way we communicate has been influenced a lot by the development of ‘the’ internet and technology. Therefore, internationally widespread social networks such as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok have created ways of communicating that make it very easy to spread a peculiar ‘specific’ social trend by imitat ‘ing’ e the trends of other countries.
Other people may say that advertising is shaping social trends because of its u ‘i’ nescapable influence on consumers. Although it surely plays an important role and everywhere we go we are surrounded by advertising, in my humble opinion , we are totally used to them and we know how to ignore them, so they don’t ‘ do not’ have such a big influence on social trends.
In conclusion , it ’s ‘i s evident that what influence ‘s’ ‘social trends’ the most social trends are the ways of communicating used by the people of today. They have the ‘ability’ peculiarity to make the world smaller and spread a new trend amazingly rapidly with the feature that it will affect a big amount ‘number’ of people in a small amount of time.
|
|
|
| 3 | All parts of the question have been adequately addressed. The target reader can see which of the two points the writer is discussing in the essay. It is also clear which point the writer thinks has the biggest influence on social trends. The first main point about communication could be made slightly stronger. |
| 3 | The writing could be slightly easier to follow at times, for example in the conclusion. This would also help keep the target reader engaged. There are one or two places in the essay where the arguments could be expanded and strengthened to help the target reader follow and understand the main points. |
| 4 | Some words and phrases have been used to start new paragraphs but also to connect ideas within a paragraph, helping maintain a good structure and also to express your ideas and opinions, for example: ‘Therefore’ The whole essay has a good structure. |
| 2 | There is evidence of different and a variety of grammatical structures, for example, the present perfect. It would be good to see you attempting some more complex grammatical structures. There are some less common words and phrases used, for example: ‘Peculiar’ ‘Fundamental characteristic’ However, there is some repetition of certain words where there is opportunity to show more variety and a wider knowledge of the English language. There are a few small errors, for example, using an incorrect preposition or missing articles. Some of the language is slightly too informal for an essay. |
Content - 3
Communicative Achievement - 3
Organisation - 4
Language - 2
Total: 12/20
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.
Remember, you do not need to pass every exam paper in order to pass the C1 Advanced (CAE) exam and get a certificate.
If you want to find out more about what marks you need in order to pass the exam, have a look at this page >>
I recently published a book with 6 CAE essay examples and 15 other CAE sample writings. They all have my mistakes and suggestions highlighted, as well as critique based on official writing marking criteria.
Some of you can read it for free with Kindle Unlimited:
Take a look inside >>
Register to start the course below >>
I learnt a lot from your essays samples and corrections. Please send more of your lesson I need it for studies. Thanks
Thank you Evelyn, I’m glad they helped you. When you become a member of my website you get access to more of my materials: https://studentlanguages.com/membership-checkout/?level=4
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .
B2 first: fce >>, c1 advanced: cae >>, linguaskill >>.
You need Gold membership to access this…
Can you beat the quickest time and register within 24 seconds?
Can you beat the quickest time and register within 52 seconds?
Can you beat the quickest time and register within 51 seconds?
Marketing Permissions: Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Student Languages. By checking the box below you also agree to our Terms and Privacy policy .
You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website .
We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp’s privacy practices here.
Which membership level do you want, free >>, pay monthly (£14.53) >>, pay annually (£84.47) >>.
Marketing Permissions
How would you like to receive your feedback and other useful English information? Please remember to check your junk/spam email! By checking the box below you also agree to our Terms and Privacy policy .
We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking above to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp’s privacy practices here.
* indicates required.
Marketing Permissions: How would you like to receive your free e-book and other useful English information? Please remember to check your junk/spam email! By checking the box below you also agree to our Terms and Privacy policy .
One of the things which you will be evaluated on in the Writing and Speaking parts of Cambridge Advanced exam is your use of English vocabulary.
To get a higher mark in these parts you need to use a variety of words and phrases.
To help you do this, you'll find below a list of advanced synonyms that you can use for some common English words that you will already know and use.
Although all of these words/phrases are synonyms, some are used slightly differently to the main word (e.g. they could be used in a different part of the sentence etc...). So read the description below each synonym and read the example sentence to make sure that you use them correctly.
In addition to using the below advanced synonyms of commonly used words in your speaking and writing in the exam, there are other things you should improve for the exam in general, for instance, your knowledge of phrasal verbs and grammatical structures .
Before you see the list of synonyms, there is one thing you need to know. In order to remember them for the exam, you need practise using them as much as possible. So make sure that you create sentences in your own words using them. You can either write these down or just say them, it's your choice, but try to make as many sentences as you can.
This is used to support an argument you or another person is making (to give extra reasons/examples) and to give extra information about a thing or person (e.g. 'I also play football')
Although these synonyms have the same meaning as 'also', what you say when using them is different to what you would say if only using 'also'. For many of them, you have to say what the previous reason or example was directly after using them (which you don't do when using 'also' by it self). In addition to that, many of them will also use 'also' later in the sentence (like this sentence for example).
This is normally used to connect/link the information in two sentences together. You follow it by saying what the previous argument you made or piece of information about the thing was:
'Going to university is good for your job prospects in the future. In addition to improving your job prospects, it also helps your intellectual development.'
'Going to university is good for your job prospects in the future. In addition, it also helps your intellectual development.'
This is used in exactly the same way as you use 'in addition to', but shouldn't be used when writing formal pieces of writing (e.g. essays, reports, proposals):
'Going to university is good for your job prospects in the future. On top of improving your job prospects, it also helps your intellectual development.'
This can be used to both connect/link two pieces of information together in the same sentence and connect/link the information in two sentences together:
'Going to university is good for your job prospects in the future. Besides improving your job prospects, it also helps your intellectual development.'
This is normally used to connect/link two pieces of information together in the same sentence. If you use it, you need to use a question like structure (e.g. 'did he...', 'were they...' etc...) directly after the 'Not only':
' Not only does going to university help your job prospects, but it also helps your intellectual development.'
This is normally used to connect/link two pieces of information together in the same sentence:
'Going to university is good for your job prospects in the future. Along with improving your job prospects, it also helps your intellectual development.'
This is normally used to connect/link two pieces of information together in the same sentence. This shouldn't be used when writing formal pieces of writing (e.g. essays, reports, proposals):
'Going to university is good for your job prospects in the future. As well as improving your job prospects, it also helps your intellectual development.'
The word 'although' is commonly used to say there is a contradiction between a situation ('it was raining') and what happened or will happen ('I went for a walk'). The word 'although' and its synonyms below are always used in front of the situation (e.g. 'although it was raining'). This is different to another word used for making a contrast, 'but'. With 'but', you use it in front of the what happened or will happen (e.g. 'but I went for a walk').
It is used in exactly the same way as 'although':
' Despite the fact that most people are very worried about global warming, very few people are willing to change things in their life in order to stop it.'
You can also just use ' despite '. But if you do, it should only be followed by a noun or noun phrase (e.g. 'the heavy rain'):
' Despite the film being nearly 3 hours long, I never looked at my watch while watching the film in the cinema.'
' In spite of the fact that most people are very worried about global warming, very few people are willing to change things in their life in order to stop it.'
You can also just use ' in spite of '. But if you do, it should only be followed by a noun or noun phrase (e.g. 'the heavy rain'):
' In spite of the film being nearly 3 hours long, I never looked at my watch while watching the film in the cinema.'
' Even though most people are very worried about global warming, very few people are willing to change things in their life in order to stop it.'
It is used in exactly the same way as 'although', but shouldn't be used when writing formal pieces of writing (e.g. essays, reports, proposals):
' Though most people are very worried about global warming, very few people are willing to change things in their life in order to stop it.'
This is used to give a reason why something happened, happens or will happen.
It is used in exactly the same way as 'because':
'I don't think that many people would choose to stop using their car, due to the fact that public transport is slow and often dirty.'
You can also just use ' due to '. But if you do, it should only be followed by a noun or noun phrase (e.g. 'the heavy rain'):
' Due to public transport being slow and dirty, I don't think that many people would choose to stop using their car.'
Is used in exactly the same way as 'because':
' Owing to the fact that public transport is slow and often dirty, I don't think that many people would choose to stop using their car.
You can also just use ' owing to '. But if you do, it should only be followed by a noun or noun phrase (e.g. 'the heavy rain'):
'I don't think that many people would choose to stop using their car, owing to public transport being slow and dirty.'
' On account of the fact that public transport is slow and often dirty, I don't think that many people would choose to stop using their car.'
You can also just use ' on account of '. But like the two previous synonyms, if you use this shortened version, it has to be followed by a noun or noun phrase (e.g. 'the heavy rain'):
' On account of public transport being slow and dirty, I don't think that many people would choose to stop using their car.'
Is used in exactly the same way as 'because', but shouldn't be used when writing formal pieces of writing (e.g. essays, reports, proposals):
' As university is now very expensive to go to, more and more young people are now choosing not to go.'
' Since university is now very expensive to go to, more and more young people are now choosing not to go.'
This form of 'because' is used as a preposition (i.e. it can only be followed by a noun or noun phrase):
' Because of public transport being slow and dirty, I don't think that many people would choose to stop using their car.'
The below synonyms of ' believe ' or ' think ' are used when expressing your opinion about something.
Used to give your opinion on something like 'believe' or 'think'. When you use 'consider', it sounds like you have thought a lot on the topic/subject/issue:
'I don't consider global warming to be such an important reason why people would choose to stop using their car.'
Used to give your opinion on something like 'believe' or 'think':
'I don't regard global warming to be such an important reason why people would choose to stop using their car.'
'It is my view that if most people were given the choice, they'd prefer to travel by their own car than by public transport.'
Used to give your opinion on something like 'believe' or 'think', but shouldn't be used when writing formal pieces of writing (e.g. essays, reports, proposals):
'I reckon that if most people were given the choice, they'd prefer to travel by their own car than by public transport.'
'I feel that if most people were given the choice, they'd prefer to travel by their own car than by public transport.'
This first use of the word 'but' (there are synonyms for another meaning of it after this) is used to say there is a contradiction between a situation ('it was raining') and what happened or will happen ('I went for a walk'). The word 'but' and its synonyms below are always used in front of the what happened or will happen (e.g. 'but I went for a walk'). This is different to another word used for making a contrast, 'although', which is always used in front of the situation instead (e.g. 'although it was raining').
In addition, it is also used when you want to contradict what you or another person has said or written before.
Is used in the same way as 'but', but it is generally followed by a comma and is normally used (but not always) at the beginning of a sentence to contrast what was stated/said in the previous sentence:
'Most people are very worried about global warming. However , very few people are willing to change things in their life in order to stop it.'
Used like 'however'. It can used in both the middle of a sentence (to connect the two parts/clauses) and at the beginning of a sentence to contrast what was stated/said in the previous sentence:
'Most people are very worried about global warming, nevertheless very few people are willing to change things in their life in order to stop it.'
Is used in exactly the same way as 'nevertheless':
'Most people are very worried about global warming, nonetheless very few people are willing to change things in their life in order to stop it.'
Is used in exactly the same way as 'however':
'Most people are very worried about global warming. Despite that , very few people are willing to change things in their life in order to stop it.'
Is used in the same way as 'but'. You also can 'but' in front of it is you want (e.g. 'but even so'). It shouldn't be used when writing formal pieces of writing (e.g. essays, reports, proposals):
'Most people are very worried about global warming. Even so , very few people are willing to change things in their life in order to stop it.'
Is used in the same way as 'but':
'Most people are very worried about global warming, yet very few people are willing to change things in their life in order to stop it.'
The second use of the word 'but' is used to say that there is a difference when directly comparing two things together (e.g. 'I like oranges, but my brother doesn't like them'). You can use these when comparing the photos or talking about the different options in parts 2 and 3 of the Speaking exam.
'The people in the first photo appear to be feeling frustrated. Whereas those in the third photo look like they’re more anxious.'
'The people in the first photo appear to be feeling frustrated. Whilst those in the third photo appear to be more anxious.''
'The people in the first photo appear to be feeling frustrated. However , those in the third photo look as though they’re more anxious.'
'The people in the first photo appear to be feeling frustrated. Conversely , those in the third photo seem to be more anxious.''
Below are synonyms of 'for example' that you can use when wanting to give examples to support an opinion.
Is used in the same way as 'for example':
'There are many things that you can do to reduce traffic in cities. For instance , charging drivers to enter it.'
Used as a preposition (so followed by either a noun or noun phrase). You can also end the sentence where you use it with 'for example' or 'for instance':
'There are many things that you can do to reduce traffic in cities, such as charging drivers to enter it for example.'
'There are many things that you can do to reduce traffic in cities, like charging drivers to enter it for instance.'
This is good for referring to things you or your partner said before (especially in the Speaking part of the exam).
Used with the same meaning of 'say' when you want to refer to what you or the other person said before:
'As you stated before, people will normally choose the thing which is the cheapest to buy.'
'As I remarked before, people will normally choose the thing which is the cheapest to buy.'
'As we commented on before, people will normally choose the thing which is the cheapest to buy.'
'As I mentioned before, people will normally choose the thing which is the cheapest to buy.'
Used with the same meaning of 'say' when you want to refer to what was said before. However, this should only be used to say what you talked about together (so you can only use 'we' in front of it):
'As we discussed before, people will normally choose the thing which is the cheapest to buy.'
Like with seem, the below synonyms are used when you want to express a bit of uncertainty when saying why some happened, what happened or when describing what you can see in the photos in the speaking part of the exam.
Used in the same way as 'seem':
'The people in the photo appear to be in a library or maybe a book shop due to their being a lot of books around them.'
'The people in the photo look like they are in a library or maybe a book shop due to their being a lot of books around them.'
'The people in the photo look as though they are in a library or maybe a book shop due to their being a lot of books around them.'
It has many meanings. Below are the synonyms for 'so' when it is used with the meaning of 'as a result' or 'for this reason' (when you want to give or explain what the consequences or the results of something happening were, are or will be. For example, 'I was very tired, so I went to bed.').
Used in a similar way to 'so'. However, it normally starts a new sentence:
'It is still a lot cheaper and quicker to eat junk food than it is healthy food. Therefore , poor people especially continuing eating a lot of it in their diet.'
'It is still a lot cheaper and quicker to eat junk food than it is healthy food. Thus , poor people especially continuing eating a lot of it in their diet.'
Used in the same way to 'so':
'It is still a lot cheaper and quicker to eat junk food than it is healthy food. As a consequence , poor people especially continuing eating a lot of it in their diet.'
You can also use ' consequently ' in exactly the same way:
'It is still a lot cheaper and quicker to eat junk food than it is healthy food. Consequently , poor people especially continuing eating a lot of it in their diet.'
'It is still a lot cheaper and quicker to eat junk food than it is healthy food. Hence that is why poor people especially continuing eating a lot of it in their diet.'
Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.
To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser .
Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.
Sarah Turner
Dina Tsagari
Stephen Bax
Ivana Vidakovic
The paper investigates lexical development of L2 learners of English using written responses to Skills for Life writing examinations across five proficiency levels. In this way, the paper also explores the validity of Skills for Life Writing examinations from a lexical perspective by ascertaining how well they differentiate between language proficiency levels. This is done by analysing the use of individual words and lexical bundles (extended collocations) in candidates’ written responses to examination questions. Vocabulary frequency measures have been found to be insufficiently robust for capturing the differences between proficiency levels (see Read & Nation 2006, Schmitt 2005), possibly because single-word frequencies are not the only measure of lexical mastery. Therefore, an investigation of multi-word units, such as collocations and lexical bundles, has been called for.
Cathy Benson
Dictionary Contribution
Dara Tafazoli
An A to Z of Second Language Assessment is an essential component of the British Council’s Assessment Literacy Project and is designed for EFL/ESL teachers and those who are involved in pre-service or in-service teacher training and development. This resource, available in two formats, can be accessed online or as a downloadable PDF file. It can be used as part of a course or as a reference for those teachers who want to increase their knowledge of language testing and assessment. Learning the terminology and jargon of the field of language assessment also means understanding the concepts represented by these terms and understanding how they are interlinked and interrelated. Written by teachers for teachers, these 285 terms and their respective definitions represent the collective knowledge of 81 teachers from 27 countries worldwide. We have made every effort to include definitions that are readable and easy to understand, even for teachers with little or no assessment background. It is hoped that this resource will be an important one in your ongoing journey to assessment literacy.
Raluca Mica
Teaching to the test is an educational practice where the curriculum is centered primarily around an end assessment or standardized test. The practice is designed to give students a set range of knowledge or skills that will allow them to enhance their performance on tests. As Cambridge examinations are becoming more and more popular nowadays and as more and more students are taking them, many English teachers have come to teaching English to the Cambridge examinations, that is focusing mainly on the type of exercises, techniques, strategies and ways of approaching required by the Cambridge type of examinations. But is this good or bad? Does it influence students positively, negatively or both ways? There are obviously opinions supporting both sides. We will in what follows try to outline the main issues regarding teaching to the test, and the ways testing influences teaching. First of all, we have to admit that testing is definitely linked to teaching, in more than one way: • It can be a useful tool at the beginning of the school year to help the teacher gain an overview of what the students bring new to instruction. It also helps the teacher to plan review material and identify potential issues to be faced. • It can help in taking decisions about grouping students in class. • It can be used to diagnose what individual students know. • It can help the teacher determine the pace of classroom instruction. Teachers tend to use tests they prepare themselves much more often than any other type of test to monitor what has been previously learned. If we consider the above-mentioned, we can identify four main types of tests: • Placement tests, which as their names suggest, are designed to place students in an appropriate course or class for their language level. • Diagnostic tests, which are usually used within a class to identify areas where a student is having particular difficulty. • Achievement tests that are usually related to a syllabus or set of objectives. Their purpose is to establish the level of student attainment towards a syllabus or set of objectives. • Proficiency tests are not related to a particular syllabus. They are intended to assess language ability independently of the courses of study that individual students may have followed. Still, we have to be aware of the fact that while the four categories can undoubtedly be used to characterize a given test, in the “real” world of testing they are not as distinct as they might seem on paper. For example, the Cambridge Examinations, especially the ones in the Main Suite (FCE, CAE, CPE) are both world-wide exams intended to test general English ability, and in this sense they are proficiency tests, but they have also spawned a large industry of textbooks and preparation courses for the students, so for students who have followed such a course they are also tests of achievement. Sometimes, teachers use Cambridge examinations as placement tests, especially at the beginning of a course with new students, to in order to see where to start from. So, in many educational and social contexts a given test may be fulfilling a number of purposes.
Hanan Khalifa
Language Testing in Asia
Enayat A. Shabani
The literature on using scoring rubrics in writing assessment denotes the significance of rubrics as practical and useful means to assess the quality of writing tasks. This study tries to investigate the agreement among rubrics endorsed and used for assessing the essay writing tasks by the internationally recognized tests of English language proficiency. To carry out this study, two hundred essays (task 2) from the academic IELTS test were randomly selected from about 800 essays from an official IELTS center, a representative of IDP Australia, which was taken between 2015 and 2016. The test takers were 19 to 42 years of age, 120 of them were female and 80 were males. Three raters were provided with four sets of rubrics used for scoring the essay writing task of tests developed by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and Cambridge English Language Assessment (i.e., Independent TOELF iBT, GRE, CPE, and CAE) to score the essays which had been previously scored officially by a certified IE...
Micheline Chalhoub-Deville
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.
Xiaoxiao Zhang
Bianca Craciun
leristam ritonga
Shelagh Rixon
International Journal of Listening
Maria Nelly Gutierrez Arvizu
Safeer Javid
James Milton , Thomai Alexiou
Humayun Kabir
Lan-fen Huang
Hanne Roothooft
Veronica Pintos , marina gonzalez
Enda Tuomey
Walter peña meza
There are three main areas of focus when writing a report:
Check our Writing Guide – to see how to write a CAE report in detail.
Practice tests online, c1 advanced (cae) report: structure.
The purpose of this report is to…. |
|
Make your recommendations |
We will use the example topic below:
You have just completed six months in a new job. In preparation for a progress meeting, you have been asked to write a report to your manager.
Your report should explain what you feel you have achieved in the job so far, describe an problems you have had, and suggest any future training that would be suitable.
Write your report (around 220 – 260 words)
Knowing the topic can help you set the tone as well as think about vocabulary and expressions that you might want to include in your text. Also, we need to find the main topic points that we need to address in the task because they will make up the main portion of our text.
You have just completed six months in a new job. (topic: Job) In preparation for a progress meeting, you have been asked to write a report to your manager. (report is for : manager)
Your report should explain what you feel you have achieved (topic point) in the job so far, describe any problems you have had, (topic point) and suggest any future training (topic point) that would be suitable.
Topic: six months in a new job
Main key points:
The topic is your new job and we have three points which we must comment on.
The last thing we should think about in our task analysis s who’s going to read our report by finding out this kind of information we can decide on the correct style and most appropriate register for our text.
Target reader: your manager.
As soon as we’ve analyzed the task and extracted all the information that we need we can start building our structure and writing a report.
Step 2: title.
The report should start with the title it could be something like:
in this way, the title will have an appropriately formal connotation. See both examples below: Title: Report on six-month progress as a teacher Title: Six-month teacher progress : a report
The introduction must contain all the necessary information covered by the report:
See sample introduction:
Report on six-month progress as a teacher The purpose of this report is to (appropriate beginning) evaluate the progress following the first half year in my current position as an English Teacher (topic) as well as enumerate achievements (point 1) , outline issues (point 2) and make suggestions (point 3) for professional development measures.
In the main content, you should comment on/answer the main key points that you discovered in the task (see step 1) under suitable subheadings (positive/negative points), and each is placed in a separate section/paragraph .
Main key points (see step 1):
See the example main content below, with additional annotations you may find useful:
Achievements – add heading/simple, informative, formal Throughout the first six months of employment at XYZ School, I have made important strides in professional development by incorporating several new methods such as the task-based approach in daily teaching practice, which has improved my students’ experience tremendously . Apart from personal progress , numerous students have achieved their goals and advanced to higher education providers under my guidance. [describes first point – what you have achieved]
Problems – add heading Despite all of this organisation of internal exams is underdeveloped as there does not seem to exist policy and students have expressed their displeasure with other groups at the same level receiving easier or more difficult questions in their tests. Additionally , my mentor has not always been available even though a certain level of guidance in specific areas, for example developing teaching materials, is still required . [describes the second point – problems]
Future opportunities – add heading Considering all of the above, two main areas of possible improvement can be identified . Firstly , student and teacher satisfaction could be increased by establishing a resource bank for tests and exams and by training all the teachers to use them so as to ensure a consistent experience for our students. Secondly , regular meetings with a mentor should be mandatory in order to provide guidance and to help teachers become independent and confident with teaching materials. [describe the third point – suggestions]
– topic paragraphs / contain the main information about a given section
– useful language, formal expressions
– transitional words, expressions and conjunctions, which link the sentences and make the text more fluid
The conclusion should contain a final assessment of the report , providing information, conclusions and giving a final answer.
If the task of the report was, for example, to answer some questions, then this information should be included in the summary.
Conclusion – add heading In the final analysis, the situation of the teachers and students at our school is very likely to improve and overall satisfaction will probably increase due to more efficient work processes if ideas included in the report are implemented. – persuasive language
Full report.
Report on six-month progress as a teacher
The purpose of this report is to evaluate the progress following the first half year in my current position as an English Teacher as well as enumerate achievements outline issues and make suggestions for professional development measures.
Achievements Throughout the first six months of employment at XYZ School, I have made important strides in professional development by incorporating several new methods such as the task-based approach in daily teaching practice, which has improved my students’ experience tremendously. Apart from personal progress, numerous students have achieved their goals and advanced to higher education providers under my guidance.
Problems Despite all of this organisation of internal exams is underdeveloped as there does not seem to exist policy and students have expressed their displeasure with other groups at the same level receiving easier or more difficult questions in their tests. Additionally, my mentor has not always been available even though a certain level of guidance in specific areas, for example developing teaching materials, is still required.
Future opportunities Considering all of the above, two main areas of possible improvement can be identified. Firstly, student and teacher satisfaction could be increased by establishing a resource bank for tests and exams and by training all the teachers to use them so as to ensure a consistent experience for our students. Secondly, regular meetings with a mentor should be mandatory in order to provide guidance and to help teachers become independent and confident with teaching materials.
Conclusion In the final analysis, the situation of the teachers and students at our school is very likely to improve and overall satisfaction will probably increase due to more efficient work processes if ideas included in the report are implemented.
C1 advanced (cae) report: example answers, cae report sample 1.
You have been helping to run a new music club at your college. Now the college principal wants to get more people involved with the club and attract new members. The club organiser has asked you to write a report for the principal outlining what the club currently does, explaining the club’s future plans and suggesting ways of getting more people involved with the music club.
RockSun – present situation, future plans and improvement suggestions (title)
The objective of this report is to outline the current condition of the RockSun music club, shed some light on the club’s plans in the near future, and propose novel ways of attracting new visitors.
Present situation
At present, the activities that the club organises are twofold:
Regrettably, he club does not enjoy much popularity among students, despite it being located in the heart of the campus near the dorms . This is, firstly, due to the prices at the club which are on the expensive side and, secondly, the fact that performers visiting the club are chiefly little-known artists. Both factors greatly discourage many potential customers.
The future of the club looks bleak and some corrective actions are required. The club management, aware of the gravity of the situation, is planning to expand its operations to attract new visitors. In the first place, additional musical courses, including singing lessons by reputable teachers, are planned. Additionally, the club intends to attract better known artists for the weekend concerts.
Suggestions to attract more visitors
The actions planned, which are certainly a step in the right direction, may not be sufficient. What could attract more visitors is reducing food and drink prices as it is one of the most important factors on which any club’s popularity is based. Furthermore, weekly musical quizzes with prizes might appeal to the club’s target customers.
Cae report sample 2.
You have recently attended a week’s training course and on your return you receive the following note from your boss:
Hope you enjoyed the training modules. We’re compiling a report to help us evaluate our Staff Development programme. P lease send me an outline of what you did on the course, which modules were the most useful and your opinion of how colleagues would benefit from attending in the future. Thanks.
Report on the Staff Development Programme – a description of the training course carried out to improve the performance of our staff at work.
Organisation of the training modules
I have recently attended the training course organised by the company in order to workers get more information and develop some skills required in this activity.
I have to say that the information given in the course is hugely useful, but it should be scheduled in other date. At this moment, everybody is really busy and workers find it difficult to set aside time to not miss the course.
There is no point arguing that the sessions are too long and dense, what makes even harder to get the most of the training.
Alternative course
I would recommend to divide the content is several shorter sessions according to the main topics to deal with.
Perhaps, not everybody needs to receive the whole information. So, there can be some specific sessions to people involved in that area, whereas who is not working on that subject would only receive a short session just to get some knowledge.
I would like to make the following recommendations:
1.Schedule the training course in a less busy time.
2.Divide the sessions into shorter modules to ease people to attend.
3.Ensure the content is targeted to the people who are meant to attend them.
If these recommendations are implemented, the training programme will be much more successful.
C1 advanced (cae) report: writing topics, example topic 1.
Your report should explain what you feel you have achieved in the job so far, describe any problems you have had, and suggest any future training that would be suitable.
Write your report .
An international youth organisation is planning to publish a report looking at attitudes between different generations:
We are very keen to hear how elderly people are regarded by younger people in different countries and why the younger generation feel the way they do about elderly people. Suggestions regarding how positive attitudes can be developed are welcome.
Write the report for the organisation.
You have been asked to write a report for the World Information Organisation on the following topic:
What are the greatest threats to the environment in your country today? What are the solutions?
Write your report
What is recommended to include in the report.
C1 advanced (cae) report: writing checklist.
After writing your text, you can check it yourself using the writing checklist below.
How to do that? Simply check your text/email by answering the questions one by one:
Communicative Achievement
Organisation
Tips on structure:.
Formal writing offers the chance to really show off your knowledge of advanced vocabulary – especially nouns. But be careful with your spelling. Don’t misspell words like ‘Recommendation’ – it probably appears in the rubric anyway. Learn some set phrases that can be used to preface your invented statistics – “According to the majority of the students in my class” etc. | The organisation isn’t only about using the right headings, lthough that definitely helps. Use linking words to show how your ideas fit together. In formal language, remember that your sentences should tend to be quite long. But make them readable! |
To keep the Target Reader fully informed it’s best to think of just one idea per content point: introduce it, develop it, and add some detail. Then move on to the next point. Remember the headings. Keep the language formal. Avoid phrasal verbs and contracted forms. If you can’t imagine using a particular 5 expression with a teacher you don’t like, don’t write it in your Report. | By covering all of the content points in the rubric, and adding as much detail as possible, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t be able to get full marks here. Remember, . Making things up means it’s easier to fabricate the numbers you use in reporting statistics. |
We will finish it with some useful vocabulary mostly used to organize information. Although it is taking a shortcut, if you learn several expressions for each paragraph in each type of text that could be on your exam, you will certainly be able to create a very consistent and well-organized text.
The objective of this report is to compare ….. and ….. The purpose of this report is to examine / evaluate / explain / describe / analyse / present / outline… This report aims to… It is based on a survey conducted among… It is the result of a discussion which took place among…
The first observation to make concerns… First of all,… Firstly,… Secondly,… Furthermore,… Moreover,… In fact,… Lastly,… Finally,… It has to been stressed that… According to (the majority of respondents)… In spite of (the fact that)… Despite (the fact that)… The outlook for …… is (far from) bright/optimistic/depressing/daunting The future looks bleak/remains uncertain/is promising This seems unlikely in the near/foreseeable future
I would strongly recommend that… The following measures should be implemented: In the light of the results of the survey I would advise against… Given the results of the survey, I would advise for… I feel it would be to our advantage if… The best solution would be to… In order to improve …… it is necessary to.. This will have an impact on …….
Provided that these recommendations are taken into consideration,… In conclusion,… From the research one can conclude that…
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
C1 Advanced (CAE) Essay: Useful Phrases, Words & Expressions. Writing an essay is the first part of the C1 Advanced (CAE) Cambridge writing paper and it is obligatory. You need to answer the question with between 220-260 words. In the text, you need to analyse a question using different points of view.
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.
CAE Writing Guide . 2 of 17 Part 1- Essay Basic Paragraph Structure 1. A topic sentence to introduce the main point of the paragraph. ... Useful phrases for an essay Making general points ‣ As a general rule… ‣ For the most part… ‣ In general… ‣ In most cases… ‣ On the whole… Making additional points ‣ It is also the case ...
CAE Useful Idioms & Phrases: Download PDF. Download PDF. CAE Useful Idioms & Phrases: Download XLS. Download XLS. Les gens recherchent une pharmacie en ligne fiable, et pas n'importe laquelle, mais une pharmacie dans laquelle ils peuvent se sentir en sécurité et avoir confiance dans l'exactitude des informations sur les médicaments. C ...
Example Answer: Adults can influence younger people in a good way, but also in a bad way. There are various possibilities how this can happen. On the one hand, setting a good example is a quite useful way, because younger people will be able to see the adult's behaviours and ways of thinking.
• make notes on useful ideas and vocabulary to help you write a discursive essay • learn useful strategies for planning, writing and reviewing your written work. Get to know the exam: Writing Part 1 . The C1 Advanced Writing paper has two parts. Part 1 has only one task, which you must answer. You will:
Today, we're jumping deep into the world of C1 Essential Essay phrases, I'm giving you my favourite list, with definitions and LOADS of examples, so that the...
In a C1 Advanced essay there are basically four things: Introduction. First topic point. Second topic point. Conclusion. 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.
Click here for C1 essay examples. If you don't want to watch the video, here's the brief version! Writing a CAE Essay Basics. You must write an essay. (In part 2 you get a choice, but the essay is always mandatory.) You have about 45 minutes. The tasks always look the same. Don't 'lift' too much from the question - use your own words ...
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.
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 ...
Image credit: Cambridge Assessment English This is yet another designed to help students prepare for part one of the C1 Cambridge Advanced (CAE) writing exam. Some of the content has been rehashed from old posts but the approach is slightly different. Download the student handout below: advanced-writing-part-1-newDownload Give out the handout and draw students' attention…
a lot (of) à much / a great amount of / a great deal of + uncountable. a lot (intensity)à very much / significantly / dramatically. - Avoid using the word things / something, etc. Use a more specific word (problems, situation, solutions, subjects, and so on). 2) SEMI-FORMAL WRITING. Adressing the reader.
The new CAE writing part 1 is a formal essay based on a talk/lecture that the student has recently attended. There are always 3 bullet points that the lecture discussed, of which the candidate must only address two. There are also some quotes from other attendees/surveyed people that can be used. The final part of the task will include a ...
CAE Essays - Useful phrases. Flashcards. Learn. Test. Match. Flashcards. Learn. Test. Match. Created by. aubbi. Terms in this set (91) Introducing the phenomenon to be discussed. ... Other useful words and expressions for writing essays - evidence seems to suggest that... - a recent survey found that - in addition
C1 Advanced (CAE) Writing: Format. Format: cae writing paper contains two parts. Timing: 1 hour 30 minutes. Parts: 2. Task: candidates are required to complete two tasks: a compulsory task in Part 1. one task from a choice of three in Part 2. A range from the following: email/letter; essay; report; review; proposal.
CAE Writing is 90 minutes long and it consists of two separate tasks: In CAE Writing Part 1 you have to read three points on a topic and then write an essay based on two of them. In your answer you have to point out which of the two points are more important. Your essay has to be 220-260 words long. For CAE Writing Part 2 you get three ...
A CAE essay is an obligatory task in the C1 Advanced (CAE) Cambridge English exam. There are 4 CAE exam papers: Speaking, Listening, Reading & Use of English and Writing. The CAE essay forms part 1 of the 2 part writing paper. Students need to answer a question and write between 220-260 words. ... There are some less common words and phrases ...
Useful Expressions for CAE - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. This document is a study guide from a university library that provides sentence starters for academic writing. It offers suggestions for introducing topics, concluding, comparing and contrasting ideas, adding ideas, providing examples, showing relationships between ideas, and presenting the ...
C1 Advanced (CAE) Review: Useful phrases A review is usually written for an English-language magazine, newspaper or website. The main purpose is to describe and express a personal opinion about something which the essay writer has experienced (e.g. a film, a holiday, a product, a website, etc.) and to give the reader a clear impression of what ...
One of the things which you will be evaluated on in the Writing and Speaking parts of Cambridge Advanced exam is your use of English vocabulary. To get a higher mark in these parts you need to use a variety of words and phrases. To help you do this, you'll find below a list of advanced synonyms that you can use for some common English words ...
Useful phrases for CPE/ CAE/ FCE and IELTS essays Essays are academic documents written for a university/college class on a serious topic, such as "global warming" or "the impact of new technologies on our society". Therefore they are formal in style, contain advanced/specialised vocabulary and use a wide variety of grammatical structures.
C1 Advanced (CAE) Report: Useful Phrases & Expressions We will finish it with some useful vocabulary mostly used to organize information. Although it is taking a shortcut, if you learn several expressions for each paragraph in each type of text that could be on your exam, you will certainly be able to create a very consistent and well-organized ...