Writing reference What to expect in the exam The Writing paper is Paper 2. It lasts 1 hour 30 minutes. You do two tasks. t In Part 1, there is one task which you must do: an essay. t In Part 2, you choose one of three tasks.
Part 1 You are asked to write an essay on a given subject or proposition, together with input text in the form of notes made during some form of discussion on the subject. These notes consist of three general topic areas and some quoted opinions from the discussion. In your essay you must cover UXP of the the topic areas. You can make use of the opinions if you wish, but you don’t have to do so. Length: 220–260 words Time: approximately 45 minutes This part tests your ability to t develop an argument on a particular topic t express your opinions clearly and support your ideas with reasons and examples t write in a style that is appropriately formal for an academic essay t organise your answer in a logical way t write accurate English.
)PX UP EP 1BSU Read carefully through the instructions and the accompanying input text that you are given. (2 minutes) Find and underline the points which explain the subject and context of the essay and the key points that you must write about. (2 minutes) Decide which two of the three given topic areas you will focus on and whether you want to refer to any of the opinions. (2 minutes) Make brief notes on what you will put in your answer and organise your notes into a plan. When writing your plan, decide how many paragraphs you need and what you will say in each one. If you are planning to use any of the opinions given in the task, think about how you can express them in your own words. (5–7 minutes) Write your answer, following your plan. (25–30 minutes) When you have finished, check your answer for mistakes. (5 minutes)
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Part 2 In Part 2 you must choose one writing task from a choice of three. The tasks you can choose from will be three of these: an email, a letter, a proposal, a report, a review. For each of these tasks, the instructions are much shorter than in Part 1 (a maximum of 80 words). They tell you who your text is to be written for, what its purpose is and what areas it should cover. You answer the task with your own ideas. Length: 220–260 words Time: approximately 45 minutes This part tests your ability to t organise and structure your writing t use an appropriate range of vocabulary and grammatical structures t use an appropriate style t compare, make suggestions and recommendations, express opinions, justify your point of view, persuade, etc., depending on the task.
)PX UP EP 1BSU Read the questions and choose the task you think is easiest for you. (1–2 minutes) Re-read the task you have chosen and underline t UIF QPJOUT ZPV NVTU EFBM XJUI t XIP XJMM SFBE XIBU ZPV XSJUF t BOZUIJOH FMTF ZPV UIJOL JT JNQPSUBOU NJOVUFT Decide what style is appropriate. Think of ideas you can use to deal with the question and write a plan. When writing it, decide how many paragraphs you need and what to say in each one. (5 minutes) Think of useful vocabulary you can include in your answer and note it down in your plan. (2–3 minutes) Write your answer, following your plan. (25–30 minutes) When you’ve finished, check your answer for mistakes. (5 minutes)
