In this article, Margaret explains the format, structure, task types and marking criteria of the Cambridge C1 Advanced Writing examination.

The Cambridge C1 Advanced exam

C1 Advanced is one of the exams in the series provided by Cambridge Assessment – part of the University of Cambridge. It is the second in the range of tests they provide in General English:

A2 Key (KET)
B1 Preliminary (PET)
B2 First (FCE)
C1 Advanced (CAE)
C2 Proficiency (CPE)

The references next to each test refer to the CEFR Level (Common European Framework of Reference), and show the language level of each test. For CEFR C1 Writing, you will be able to:

communicate complex ideas effectively on a range of topics
write clearly using a variety of cohesive devices and organisational patterns
explain your viewpoint and communicate complex ideas effectively
recognise the reader of texts, and use a consistently suitable register
use a good range of simple and more complex grammatical structures with flexibility and control
use a good range of vocabulary, including less common lexis, correctly and with precision
recognise the functional language needed, and select language to convey meaning effectively.

How does the test work?

You can take the C1 Advanced exam on a computer or on paper. The content is the same for both forms of the test. The C1 Advanced Writing paper gives you the opportunity to show your language skills. The topics of tasks are chosen so that they are relevant to the typical student taking this exam, so you should find that you have enough ideas to write about.

Each question will guide you by identifying the context, the purpose for writing and the target reader. It is important to remember that you aren’t being tested on the subject content of the tasks. So, if the topic of the Part 1 question, for example, is voluntary work, you aren’t expected to be an expert about this topic. The test format is:

Time allowed: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Number of parts: 2
Number of questions:
- Part 1: one compulsory question
- Part 2: one optional question from a choice of three
Task types: essay, letter, email, proposal, report, review
Length: each answer should be 220–260 words long

Task type 1: Essay

Part 1 (Question 1) of the Writing paper is always an essay written for your teacher; the format of the question is always the same and consists of three sections. Firstly, the topic and explanation are stated. The topic is based on an academic activity, such as taking part in a seminar or discussion. This is followed by three bullet points relating to the topic, and then three short comments related to the bullet points:

The emboldened words in the question provide a focus for your answer.

You must cover two of the ideas in the bullet points (but you can say whether you agree or disagree with them) or, alternatively, you can discuss both sides.
You must come to a decision to address the question prompted by the ‘which’ in the instructions.
You must support your answer with reasons.

You can also add your own opinions. To complete the task you must include two points from the question, however, so make sure that you don’t forget this if you also include your own ideas. The purpose of the essay is to allow you to show that you can select relevant information and can back this up with a supporting argument. Remember, you don’t have to tell the truth! The examiners won’t know, so if you don’t have experience or an opinion you can make something up.

Your essay should be well-structured with clear and appropriate organisational features. Suitable introductions and conclusions should be included, and the structure of the essay and its paragraphing should guide the reader through the content, helping them understand the argument. Essays are written in a semi-formal register as you are writing for your teacher.

Task types 2 and 3: Letter/email

You may have the option of writing an email or letter in the C1 Advanced Writing paper. The two task types are very similar in that they require you to respond to a prompt or message given in the question. You don’t need to worry too much about the layout – you won’t be tested on whether the email has a ‘To/From’ line, for example. However, you should think about how to open your email or letter and what opening salutation and closing to use.

At C1, emails or letters are not limited to just giving information but will also require you to show some other functional language – for example, complaining or justifying a course of action. Your email or letter may be addressed to the person who has written to you, but could also be to an editor of a newspaper or the manager of a company, for example. It is important that you identify who you are writing to before you start your response. It is also important to decide on the register, and to write your email or letter in an appropriate way for the recipient.

There is one letter and one email task included in the examples in this book, with one being more formal and the other more informal.

Task type 4: Proposal

A proposal is written in response to a request for ideas from either a peer group, such as members of a club, or a superior, such as a college principal or work supervisor. They may also be written in response to a wider call for feedback on plans – for example, following an announcement of funding for a project and requests for ideas on how to use the money. It is often useful to include headings in proposals so that the different sections are clearly set out. Language should be persuasive but polite, and proposals are semi-formal in register.

Task type 5: Report

A report is usually written for a teacher or school principal, or a specific group such as the members of a club of society to which you belong. Reports are mostly factual and need to be based on the situation that is presented in the question.

Reports at this level go beyond those at B2 level, which are mostly descriptive. At C1, you. need to show that you can evaluate the information and use this to, for example, suggest an alternative course of action or to say if an aim has been achieved.

Reports are typically semi-formal and often contain more impersonal language, such as passive forms. As with proposals, headings can help to show the different sections of your report.

Task type 6: Review

A review may be about a book, film, play, show or concert, but could also be about a product (for example, a kitchen gadget), or a service, such as a tour of a museum. You will be asked to give your opinion, but at this level you will also need to evaluate the subject of the report for a particular group of people or reason. The target reader will be described in the question, and you should make sure that you write your report with them in mind.

Reviews often include a range of different adjectives and, at C1, also include language of justifying opinions.

Preparing for the exam

It is important that you plan your time in the exam. You will need to complete both tasks within the 90 minutes. It is sensible to divide your time equally between the two tasks: about 45 minutes each. You should make sure that you:

Read all of the questions carefully to be certain you understand what they mean.
Plan your writing.
Write your response according to your plan.
Check your writing for errors.

Read the questions

Read the Part 1 question carefully, and identify the two ideas that you want to focus on in your essay. Read all of the Part 2 questions. There will be three questions, and you will need to choose one. When making your choice, you will need to think about the task type, the topic and the language that you will need. For example, there may be a question with a letter to be written relating to a concert. If you know lots of high-level vocabulary relating to music and the arts, then this could be a good choice. Another question might be a proposal about how to use some funding for a project in the community. If you feel that organisation of your writing isn’t your strength, then choosing such a question might help as you can define the paragraphs by each funding idea. It is good advice to spend time thinking about each question before you start writing. If you start one question and then realise that you don’t feel confident about the ideas or language you need, you may need to change question.

Plan your writing

It is tempting to start writing as soon as you decide what question to answer, but spending some time planning is very sensible. Students plan their writing in different ways, but the following is an example of a plan for a review response:

Here, the candidate has noted down some ideas and good vocabulary to use, and has decided what will go in each paragraph.

Write your response

Use your notes to assemble your ideas from your plan into a well-organised piece of writing with a suitable tone and good, accurate language. With good planning technique, this will be easier. Of course, you will also be thinking about the functions, grammar and vocabulary that you considered before you started to produce your plan. This is the best way to make sure that you show the examiner as much of your language ability as possible.

It is a useful skill to paraphrase language that you find in the task. So, if the task says ‘Have you seen a show at the theatre recently where you disliked the main character?’, you could answer by saying ‘I saw a show where I disliked the main character...’. But it would be better to paraphrase and say something like ‘I really couldn’t stand the leading character in a musical I watched the other day...’.

What language do you need?

There are three things to consider when you have read the questions. There is some overlap between them, but it is still a good idea to think about all three.

1. What functions does the task need?

For example, do you need to make a suggestion, evaluate something or justify a decision?

2. What grammar can you use in the task?

This may be linked to the functions of the question. For example, if you are asked to give or justify a decision, you can use the infinitive to show purpose and cohesive devices like ‘due to this’ or ‘as a result of…’. Sometimes the grammar you use will be your choice. If you know that you are confident when using complex conditional sentences, can you include one in your response? If you know that you don’t feel confident about using relative clauses, how can you avoid trying to use one and show some other impressive language instead?

3. What vocabulary is related to the task topic and links in with the functions?

If you are giving recommendations in the task (for instance, maybe in a report), you should think about what phrases you can use to make sure that there is variety. For example, it is better not to start each idea with ‘I think…’. You could use ‘One perspective I have considered…’ or ‘It cannot be denied that…’ as alternatives to make sure that you show the examiner a good range of different phrases.

Check your writing

You should always leave five minutes to read through each response you write. Check that you haven’t left anything important out, but also check the language for errors. For example:

Have you used the right tenses?
Have you used linking devices?
Are there any spelling errors?

It’s a good idea to make your own checklist while you prepare for the C1 Advanced Writing paper. It will help you to think about what to check for, and also to think about mistakes that you often make.

Here is a suggested checklist to use, but it’s a good idea to add things that you know you sometimes make mistakes with.

What would you add to this checklist?

Does your response cover all of the content points in the task?
Is your response in the right style for the task type?
Have you used the right register for the task?
Have you used paragraphs to separate different ideas?
Have you used linking devices correctly?
Have you got a range of linking devices?
Are all tenses correct?
Have you used articles with nouns where needed?
Are the prepositions correct?
What about errors you’ve made in the past?

The assessment criteria

Each piece of writing is marked against four assessment criteria, each carrying a maximum of five marks.

Content

This criterion focuses on whether you have answered the question and whether the reader would have all the information they need. You must make sure that you identify what the question is asking you to do and plan your answer so that you stay on the topic. In Part 1 you must cover two ideas from the question, make a choice from them and give reasons for your choice. In Part 2 questions you must identify what you will need to write about from the question.

Communicative achievement

This criterion focuses on how well you communicate with the reader. This includes whether your writing is suitable for the task you are writing and that it also involves register. Register means whether your writing is more formal (e.g. writing for someone you don’t know) or less formal (e.g. writing for your classmates).

Organisation

This criterion focuses on how your ideas are organised into paragraphs, if these are needed. It includes the use of discourse markers (e.g. ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’ at a basic level; and ‘therefore’, ‘despite this’ at a higher level). It also includes things like how pronouns are used to refer to nouns to avoid repetition. For example: ‘He never liked school and hated going there...’. In this sentence ‘there’ means that the student doesn’t repeat the word ‘school’.

Language

This criterion focuses on vocabulary and grammar. It isn’t just about using vocabulary and grammar without making mistakes. It also considers whether your writing uses more difficult grammar and more unusual words and phrases. It is sometimes hard to focus on both, and, of course, it’s great if you don’t make any mistakes! However, if this means that your language is very simple, it may mean that you can’t get to the top marks here.

When all four criteria have been assessed your total mark is given out of 20.

How to use the book

The main section of this book focuses on each task type individually, explaining its characteristics and providing guidance on how to plan a response to an example question.

For each task-type question, two responses from different students are provided. One response is very good and the other is less good, identifying areas that the student could improve on. There are detailed comments on each response, and a breakdown of the marks that the response could get in the exam.

You should read these responses and commentary before you write your own response to the question. When you have written your response, look back at the comments and the mark scheme, and think about what you did well and also how you could have done better.

The book also includes 4 exam-styled Writing practice tests.

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