The Cambridge First Certificate in English Examination
The Writing Test - Paper 2 (1 hour 30 minutes)
By Viv Quarry (www.vivquarry.com)
In the FCE exam, you will have to write two compositions of 120 - 180 words in 1½ hours.
The first composition is compulsory and you will have to write a letter based on instructions, short texts or pictures.
In part two, candidates must choose ONE question from FOUR CHOICES. They may be:
letters, articles, reports, narratives or discursive essays (a comparison, description or argument).
The marks from the composition paper form 20% of the total marks for the FCE Exam.
Specific areas from your notebook to revise:
1. Articles. 6. Prepositions.
2. False friends. 7. Punctuation and CAPITAL LETTERS.
3. Gerund or infinitive? 8. Spelling mistakes.
4. Irregular verbs. 9. Uncountable & plural nouns.
5. Make, do, have & go.
EXAMINATION TECHNIQUES:
As with all proficiency tests, TIME IS YOUR GREATEST ENEMY! Therefore, I recommend that you control your time STRICTLY according to the following table.
| Stage Time Allowed | Activity |
| 1. 5 minutes. | Reading section 1 question. |
| 2. 5 minutes. | Planning section 1 question. |
| 3. 30 minutes. | Writing section 1 question. |
| 4 5 minutes. | Selecting section 2 question. |
| 5. 5 minutes. | Planning section 2 question. |
| 6. 30 minutes. | Writing section 2 question. |
| 7. 5 minutes. | Looking for errors in section 1 question. |
| 8. 5 minutes. | Looking for errors in section 2 question. |
Total 1 hour and 30 minutes. |
Now prepare for the Use of English exam! |
Stages 1 & 4
It is ESSENTIAL to read the instructions carefully, highlighting key words in the question. A mistake made here could lead to a mark of zero for the question (if you don't complete the task that they set).
Stages 2 & 5
For a composition to be easy to read, have a logical structure and a start, middle and end, it is important that you plan what you are going to write BEFORE you start writing. Remember that all of your most important ideas must be included in no more than 180 and no less than 120 words.
Firstly, put all the ideas you have that are relevant to the topic on paper in SHORT NOTE FORM. Then order the ideas so that they have a logical sequence (eg. 1. advantages, 2. disadvantages & 3. conclusion). You should practice making essay plans in five minutes on a range of subjects.
Stages 3 & 6
Write quickly but NEATLY. Don't forget to punctuate your composition correctly and divide it into paragraphs. Again, don't lose track of the time at any stage. You should be starting your conclusion no later than ten minutes from the end of the half hour.
IT IS BETTER TO LEAVE A COMPOSITION UNFINISHED THAN TO RUN OUT OF TIME DURING STAGES 4, 5, 7 OR 8!
Stages 7 & 8
Even when writing in your native language you can make mistakes, which you find immediately when you re-read what you have written. Imagine writing in a foreign language!
ALWAYS LEAVE ENOUGH TIME TO CHECK THROUGH WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN.
Look out for mistakes in:
Format & conventions (letter writing) Make, Do, Have & Go
Articles (the, a/an) Prepositions
Capital letters Word order (adverbs)
Tense (present perfect? Irregular verbs?) Agreement (auxiliary verb & noun)
Spelling Gerund or infinitive
Linking words Punctuation
Uncountable and plural nouns False friends
DON'T FORGET THE SYMBOLS VIV USES IN MARKING YOUR COMPOSITIONS!
The examiners will assess your composition according to the following criteria:
Organization
Punctuation
Range of vocabulary
Range of grammatical structures
Accuracy of grammatical structures
Accuracy of vocabulary
Cohesion
Task achievement
Appropriacy
Spelling
FINALLY!
When you get home, start revising for the Use of English and Interview papers.