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Cambridge FCE Exam tips – Writing task

Here is some useful advice to help you prepare for the Writing section of the Cambridge FCE Exam.

FCE task – Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes

For this part of the exam it is most important that you follow the instructions carefully. You are firstly shown a letter or an email, for this you should use this text to structure your answer. An example is shown below.

You must answer this question. Write your answer in 120 – 150 words in an appropriate style on the opposite page.
FCE Writing task 1 example

Secondly you are offered a choice of four subjects to write an essay/letter/report/review/story about.
With both questions try not to copy information from the text – instead if you need to, try to rewrite the part using different words.

• For the first part you should use all of the information given to answer the question. The notes on this text will help you (provided). Try to use one paragraph for each of the notes given. Write between 120-150 words. And read through your answer to check for grammar or spelling errors. Content is very important here.
Don’t forget to start and finish the letter appropriately (e.g. Dear and Yours sincerely). You do not need to write an address for this letter so don’t.
Here you have to write a piece as if you were expecting a response from them.

• For the second part you should underline the main task you have to answer. Then you should decide how you should write the text – formal/informal, essay/magazine/business/letter to a friend. Write a plan for this essay to help with how you structure the writing.

This part is more focused on language. Look for bullet points and text in bold to help you.
For reports you should remember to write a title and sub-headings that are relevant to what you are writing about.

The last question in the choices is only if you have read AND studied the books – if you write about a different book from the set texts it is an automatic zero!

• Try to think of what the examiners are looking for – this will help you to write your answers.
There is no marking scheme – so do not focus on these.

Visit Eurospeak and prepare for your FCE exam classes here. The next FCE exam in Reading, Berkshire is going to be held on the 2nd of December.

Contact Eurospeak. Phone: 0118 9589599 or Email: info@eurospeak.ac.uk

Here are some useful links for preparation on other FCE exam sections:
Cambridge FCE Exam Speaking Tips
Cambridge FCE Use of English

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