Cambridge English: Proficiency

Writing Task (go to Checklist)

Writing Paper Part 2. Task Type: Article

Question
A newspaper that you read regularly is conducting a campaign to encourage schools to teach more relevant subjects, or 'life' skills. Its editor has asked readers to write short articles based on the following question:

Write the article for the editor of the newspaper. (around 300 - 350 words)

What you need to do to pass
Read our checklist first to understand what the examiner is looking for in a good answer.

Ideas for writing
Ask yourself the following questions to help you get started:

• Decide what 'essential topics' you could write about. Brainstorm a list of about 5 or 6 areas:
  e.g. health education (sex/drugs awareness), dealing with peer pressure, personal finance, home improvement, First Aid....
• Now choose some of these topics to focus on in your article (three is a good number). For each topic think about the following points:
  - was the topic included in your school curriculum but not taught in a relevant way?
  - why do you consider it to be an essential area of knowledge?
  - have there been any negative consequences of not being taught about this topic?
• Decide if you are going to adopt a serious tone for this article, or a more lighthearted one. It doesn't matter which tone you adopt as long as you maintain a consistent tone.

Drafting and proofreading your work

You should look at your first draft of the task and decide:

• Have you answered the question?
• Is the layout and organisation appropriate?
• Is the language accurate with a good range of structures?
• Is the style appropriate and consistent?
• Will it have a positive effect on the reader?

If the answer is 'no' to any of these questions then you will need to do some more drafting!