B2 Writing Guide - Copy for Students

B2 Writing Guide

Essay, Article, Review, Report, Letter & Email

Let's go!

Questions you may have about the writing exam

How much time do I have?

1 hour, 20 minutes

How many parts are there?

How many textsdo I have to write?

How long should my texts be?

140 - 190 words each

In the exam, they will ask you to write...

Part 2 - Choose one from

Part 1 - Alway an

Report

Article

Essay

Letter & Email

Review

B2 First exam format | Cambridge English Qualifications

PART 1 - ESSAY

YOU HAVE TO

THEY GIVE YOU

STAY ON TOPIC!

• Use the ideas given
• Add a third, different idea of your own
• Write 140-190 words

• A title

• Two ideas linked to the title

The title will be a subject of general interest – you won’t need any specialised knowledge!

writing tips

Tips for writing an essay

Be coherent

Goal

• Organise your ideas clearly
• Explain your ideas
• Don't repeat yourself
• Use linking words

Discuss the different ideas, the ones they give you and the one you have to add. Pros and cons are always a good idea, when the topic allows it. Give your personal opinion at the end.

Writing Style

Structure

• Think about using a title
• Always write an intro and a conclusion
• Keep each idea/group of ideas in a different paragraph

• Formal tone
• Your teacher is the reader
• Try to be objective
• Avoid adressing the reader or talking too much in the first person

Example of an Essay

A title is not a bad idea

Writing a B2 essay

In this essay, I will be discussing how to properly write a good essay for the writing part of a B2 exam. The first think to keep in mind is the structure. Essays need a short introduction, a conclusion in which to give one's opinion but that does not introduce new points, and each important idea should have its own paragraph and be clearly stated. Using linking words helps a lot with this. Secondly, it is important to pay attention to the writing style. An essay needs to be formal, so colloquial words should not be used, and contractions ought to be avoided. It can also be a good idea to use passive sentences to help with the tone. Finally, a good essay should be coherent. Avoiding unnecessary repetition, making sure that ideas follow each other logically, and expressing points clearly greatly help with this. To sum up, writing an essay is not difficult if one follows these simple guides. With a bit of practice, anyone can obtain a great mark in the exam!

Straightforward intro

Each idea neatly expressed in a separate paragraph

• structure
• style
• cohesion

Conclusion, with a less objective tone

PART 2 - ARTICLE

PAY ATTENTION

• Who's the article for?
• what's the topic?

These things may affect the tone and style a little bit.

THINK WHAT YOU'LL WRITE

GET TO IT

• Are you sharing an anechdote?
• Are you recommending something?
• What ideas will you divide your paragraphs into?

Use:

• Phrasal verbs
• Contractions
• Exclamations!!!

writing tips

Tips for writing an article

Be coherent

Goal

Write about something you like, a personal experience, or something you're an expert about!

• Separate your text in paragraphs
• keep your talking points organised and neat

Writing Style

Structure

• Always use a title (try to make it fun!)
• Think about using a rhetorical question in the intro and/or the conclusion
• You may use the conclusion to make a reccomendation

• Not too formal
• Entertaining!

• Your followers are the readers
• Adress your readers! (You, your)
• Subjective, it's all about your opinion

Example of an Article

A title is a MUST!

Learn how to write a B2 article!

Have you always wanted to learn to write great articles? Keep reading, and I'll teach you how! First of all, the most important thing in the article is the tone. You can pretend that you are writing a post for your popular blog! Use a lot of adjectives to keep descriptions interesting. It is a good idea to talk directly to your reader. Keep the tone casual, and use tons of phrasal verbs and contractions. In addition, you want to make sure that you are sharing your point of view. You may want to tell the readers a personal anechdote, or just express your honest opinion about something. They want to know how you feel about the topic! Lastly, it is still important to keep your article well organised and to express your ideas neatly. Avoiding repeating the same thing over and over, and express yourself clearly. Use linking words as well, so your article is easy to follow. To sum up, articles are supposed to be subjective and entertaining. It's not hard to write a great one following these tips. Go ahead and put them to practice!

Interesting introwith a rhetorical question

Each idea neatly expressed in a separate paragraph

• tone & style
• subjective. give your opinion!
• coherence & cohesion

Conclusion, with a recommendation (go practice!)

PART 2 - REVIEWS

YOU HAVE TO ...

GET TO IT

TAKE INTO ACCOUNT

• The style of the review is very similar to the article!
• You can make up whatever you are talking about! You don't need to talk about a real book, movie, etc...

• Use vocabulary relevant to the topic.
• Be creative!

• Describe and discuss the thing in question.
• Make a recommendation

writing tips

Tips for writing a review

Be coherent

Goal

Write a review about an object, a movie, a series, a television program, etc. It's intended to give information to the reader which will help them decide whether to do it themselves.

• Separate your text in paragraphs
• keep your talking points organised and neat

Writing Style

Structure

• Try to use a title
• You can use the first two paragraph for a description (maybe positive/ negative) and the second paragraph to anwers the questions asked

• Include a recommendation in the conclusion

• Not too formal
• Try to catch the reader's attention

• Your followers are the readers

• Subjective, it's all about your opinion

Example of a Review

A title is not cumpolsory, but not a bad idea.

Writing a B2 reviw; a review.

Last weekend I wrote a review for my English class. Do you want to know how it went? Let me tell you all about it. Reviews are not the most difficult texts you can write in B2, at least in my opinion. Mine used a neutral style, so it felt entertaining for the readers and it was very clear that what I was sharing were my opinions and feelings about it, not facts. I didn't think it was too long, so it didn't get boring for me, but it was long enough that I could talk about everything I needed. If you ask me what I think the perfect review should include, I would say that it's not a bad idea to have both good and bad things about the thing you are reviewing. Mine didn't have any negative points, so I think that could be improved on. It was a challenging exercise, for sure. I had to rewrite sentences many times, and I needed to check the dictionary now and then, but I think the end result was well worth the effort. Overall, knowing how to properly write a review is important, and practice even more so! I would deffinitely recommend you write your own review, it will help with your English skills, for sure!

Interesting introwith a rhetorical question

Each idea neatly expressed in a separate paragraph

• Good things :)
• Bad things :(
• General impression

Conclusion, with a recommendation

Useful expressions for reviews

• I wouldn't encourage anyone to …
• I would recommend this film to anyone.
• Although I enjoyed it, I would not recommend it for….
• It's one of the best (shows) I’ve ever seen.
• Although I am not normally keen on (musicals), I am glad that I decided to go.
• The (film) lifts you out of your everyday life

Giving Background

Introducing contrast

• On the plus side,…
• On the down side,…
• On the one hand,…
• On the other hand,…

• This show stars…
• The play is directed by…
• The film is about…
• It's set in……….
• The story is based on (a book…)
• It's about…..
• There are many memorable characters including ….
• The main theme of the film is…..

Recommending

• Overall, I'd recommend…
• All in all, the film was…
• I wouldn't hesitate to recommend…

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