In this article, Margaret explains the format, structure, task types and marking criteria of the Cambridge C2 Proficiency Writing examination.

The Cambridge C2 Proficiency exam

C2 Proficiency 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 C2 Writing, you will be able to:

understand the finer points of complex texts
evaluate the contents of texts and identify relevant content
write on any subject with good expression and accuracy
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 range of simple and complex grammatical structures with flexibility and control
use a wide range of vocabulary including less common lexis correctly and with precision
recognise the functional language needed and select language to convey meaning.

How does the test work?

You can take the C2 Proficiency exam on a computer or on paper. The content is the same for both forms of the test. The C2 Proficiency 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 indicating 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 task is, for example, tourism, 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, article, formal/informal letter, report, review
Length:
- Part 1: answer should be 240–280 words long
- Part 2: answer should be 280–320 words long

Task type 1: Essay

Part 1 (Question 1) of the Writing paper is always an essay written for your teacher, and the format of the question is always the same. You will need to read two short texts on a related theme and then write an essay summarising and evaluating the key ideas. Your writing should be discursive and the expected language is that of academic writing. The two reading texts will be at a slightly lower level than C2 to ensure that you aren’t being assessed on your reading in this task. You will be expected to identify the key ideas in each text, to recognise any common areas or themes and any ideas that differ, and to use these as a basis for your essay. Your essay should be a combination of a summary of these points, an evaluation of the ideas and your own opinion.

The purpose of the essay is to allow you to show that you can select relevant information and can back this up with 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, to help them understand the argument.

Essays are written in a more formal register as you are writing for your teacher.

Task types 2: Article

An article is written to be published, either online or in a hard-copy publication, for a particular audience. The task will specify where the article will appear and who the target readers are. This will guide you in selecting an appropriate register and tone. If the article is for fellow students, for example, it will be less formal than something to be published on a more academic topic. Regardless of this, the article should aim to engage the target reader and make them want to read it. Articles often contain descriptive information or a narrative based on personal experience. Headings and possibly sub-headings may be helpful in organising the article.

Articles at C2 are more complex than those at a lower level, and the question will guide you in developing your article to, for example, evaluate or consider the topic in more depth.

Task type 3: Letter

Letters need to be written with the target reader in mind. You should ensure that you write in a suitable register for the person who has written to you, and think about how to integrate the points in the task using natural language. They may be written to apply for something, or to give comments on something. The target reader could be a school or college principal, the editor of a newspaper or, for example, the director of a company or organisation or someone who know personally. The task will guide you on the required content, but at this level it could include giving your opinion on a matter or describing an experience and relating this to the topic. You should include a suitable opening and close to your letter, but you don’t need to include addresses or the date.

Task type 4: 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 lower levels, which are mostly descriptive. At C2, 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. Headings can help to show the different sections of your report.

Task type 5: 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 address an aspect indicated in the question. This could, for example, be evaluating 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 review with them in mind.

Reviews often include a range of different adjectives and, at C2, also 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 texts carefully, and identify the content that you want to focus on in your essay. There will be three Part 2 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 review 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. 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. Candidates plan their writing in different ways, but the following is an example of a plan for an article 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. At this level you will be expected to be skilled at paraphrasing language you find in the task. So, if the task says ‘Say why you found the website useful…’, you could answer by saying ‘I found the website useful because...’. But to showcase your skill in paraphrasing an alternative, such as ‘The benefits of this website became clear when…’, will allow you to demonstrate alternative language.

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?

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?
Are there any spelling errors?

It’s a good idea to make your own checklist while you prepare for the C2 Proficiency 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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