Cambridge English: First

Writing Task (go to Checklist)

Writing Paper Part 2. Task Type: Report

Question
You recently attended an English language course. At the end of the course you were given the following letter:

Write your report for the Principal (around 140-190 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:

• Where were you studying and what type of English course was it? Invent some details to make your report more realistic (E.g. the name of the school, the length of the course, the type of course)
  I was recently a student of the Language Academy on your six-week intensive English course.
• What were the good and bad things about the course? Try and think of three points for each:
  Good points = friendly teachers, good computer facilities, my English improved a lot
  Bad points = cost of the course too high, trips were boring, not enough time for relaxation
  Now think about how you are going to join these points together by using connecting words/phrases.
  e.g. Moreover, Secondly, Another thing to mention is...
• What recommendations are you going to make?
  Suggestion = improve the food in the refectory
• Think about ending the report on a positive note.
  I hope to be able to return to the Language Academy at some point in the future.

Drafting and proofreading your work

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

• Have you answered the question?
• Is the report organised in a clear and logical way?
• Is the language accurate with a good range of structures?
• Will the principal be likely to take note of the points you have made?
• Is the style OK?

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