c1

THE ESSAY

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Tips!

Writing Part 1: The Essay

The C1 Advanced Writing paper has 2 parts. Part 1 has only one task, which you must answer. You will: be given the topic of an essay and a set of notes consisting of 3 bullet points and 3 quotes be asked to choose two of the bullet-pointed ideas to write about need to give an opinion and support it with reasons need to write between 220 and 260 words have 45 minutes to complete each writing task (90 minutes in total for the Writing paper).

• Make sure you answer all parts of the question.
• Underline key points in the question before you start.
• Stick to the word count. Become familiar with what it looks like so you don't waste time counting

+iNFO

Assessment Criteria

Content

• how well the task has been completed; for example, has all the important information been included in the piece of writing?

Organisation

• the way the text is organised; for example, are the ideas presented coherently and are they connected through the text across sentences and paragraphs?

Language

• vocabulary and grammar; for example, is there a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures and how accurately are they used?

Communicative Achievement

• how appropriate the writing is in terms of genre; does the text communicate the ideas appropriately and effectively to the target reader?

Tip!

Use the P.O.W.E.R. process to write your practice essays: P = Prepare - Do your research, narrow down your topic, brainstorm ideas. O = Organise - Choose your best ideas, write a plan or outline of your essay, think about paragraphing. W = Write it! E = Edit your work. Check carefully for errors or unnecessary repetition. R = Review and Reflect - When you practise for the exam, have someone else check your work too and think about what you can improve on next time.

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Read, think and complete the following tasks: 1. Are you a technophobe or a technophile? Do you think the following are beneficial or dangerous to society? Why? • artificial intelligence • social media • the Internet • online learning

Step 1: Prepare to write - choose and research your topic

researching different topics and making your own writing practice tasks will help you build your vocabulary and confidence

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Make notes in English on one of the areas listed below.

• how the topic (e.g. social media) has influenced society
• benefits

• drawbacks
• ways to improve it
• ways that the government could help improve it

• Find at least three points related to your chosen topic e.g. three benefits • Write down any vocabulary or phrases that could be useful in your essay.

Choose one topic from the list above that you find interesting, and use the Internet to research it in

e.g. social media. This topic will be the subject you will write about in your essay today.

Essay title: The impact of [your topic] on society today.

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Make sure to .. • write using a formal or neutral style as if for a teacher or university tutor. • write 220 to 260 words.

Now, we will create a Writing part 1 practice task

expand on 2 of the 3 points you made notes about in Exercise 2 with an explanation, examples and opinions.

say which of the two points you think is the most significant and why.

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Make a paragraph plan. Collect your thoughts and organise them logically

Step 2: Organise your ideas

Intro Essay title: The impact of [your topic] on society today. Reflect; Briefly describe the topic; grab the reader’s attention; tell your general opinion

Paragraph 1 Point 1 – choose your most convincing points Can you justify why this point is so convincing?

Paragraph 2 Point 2 – review your notes and choose your best argument. how does your second point add to, or contrast with Point 1. How can you make this clear to the reader?

Concluding paragraph What is the most important fact/opinion you mentioned and why? What does the future hold in relation to this topic? How can you leave the reader with something to think about?

Step 3: Write Use the notes you made as you prepared your paragraph plan as a guide to help you as you write your first draft. Try the following strategies to give you a feel for what it is like to write a timed essay.

Time yourself. You are aiming to plan, write and edit your essay in 45 minutes. Don’t worry, it’s OK if you need to practise more than once to achieve this

Count your words. You need to know what 220 to 260 words looks like on the page and in your writing.

Well done! You’ve worked hard. Give yourself a break!

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Step 4: Edit – check your work against the assessment criteria

Plan your time carefully. Make time to read and check your essay. Now you have written your first draft, Read and review your essay. Think about the four assessment criteria as you check your work.

Assessment Criteria 1: Content

•  I wrote about 2 main points
•  I included my opinion, explaining which point I felt was most significant, and gave reasons
•  I wrote between 220 – 260 words

2. Communicative Achievement

• language is appropriate (formal, informal or neutral tone)

3. Organisation

• Clear paragraphing
• Use indents or leave an empty line between each paragraph to make them stand out.

• Use discourse markers and linking words to connect your ideas and guide the reader

+iNFO

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Did you know...

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With this function...

You can add additional content that excites your students' brains: videos, images, links, interactivity... Whatever you want!

Genially

07/10

Your content is liked, but it only engages if it is interactive

Genially

9/10

'Your content is liked, but they are much more engaging when they are interactive'