Proficiency exam sample article

Task: You have been asked to write an article for an international environmental magazine on the topic: Crisis, what crisis? 300-350 words

The crisis we can stop

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the environment has been seriously damaged, whether or nor we are still in time to do something about it is yet to be discovered.

Denying things like Global Warming or a probable future lack of natural resources seems nowadays absurd. Nevertheless most people fail to realise the innumerable ways in which they can contribute to a future crisis by contaminating the world on a daily basis. I say it is high time we analyse our own lifestyles and embrace a new more environmentally-friendly style of living.

There are simple things we can start doing that would really make a difference. I myself have recently taken up cycling as a way to both save energy and avoid polluting the air with exhaust fumes. I have also begun to recycle plastic bottles and paper and to turn off the lights whenever I am not at home.

There are some other activities that require a bit more organisation but that can be done by universities, schools or members of any other communities. Some ideas on what to do include picking up rubbish from natural areas such as beaches or parks, reforesting or planting new trees and launching educational campaigns on how to save the planet.

Last week my sister and I took a group of children from our neighbourhood to a trip organised by our local school. We camped by a beautiful crystal-blue lake in the outskirts of town. Sadly, though, we discovered that other groups of campers had been there before and dropped their litter litterally everywhere but in the dustbins. Great was our surprise when two of the youngest kids voluntarily started cleaning a spot near our tent. Soon we followed in their footsteps inspired by them.

Is it too late to turn things round and make things better? Can we help prevent future wars for oil and water just by teaching our sons to take better care of the existing resources? I may be an optimist but I certainly hope so.

Gustavo Albarracín 

Are you ready for CAE/ CPE? Try this "Phrasal verbs with DO quiz" to find out !

What do these phrasal verbs mean?


1. Do sb in.
Example "The mugger threatened to do me in if I didn´t give him my wallet."

A. Rob
B. Kill
C. Hit

2. Do sth up.
Example "We are doing up an old house we bought in the outskirts of town".

A. Repair
B. Sell
C. Rent

3. Do with sth.
Example "Are you busy? I could do with some help here, if you are free".

A.Relate
B. Demand
C. Need

Answers


1. B

2. A

3. C

Writing Sample: A Review

Bewitch, also known by its French name "Ma sorciere bien-aimée", is a successful sitcom which was produced in the 1960s in the USA and aired in more than 30 countries. It stars actress Elizabeth Montgomery, who plays Samantha, a very attractive young witch who falls in love and marries a red-blooded very typical and at times dull mortal man.

This absolutely hilarious story begins with the couple´s wedding night when Samantha decides to come out of the broom closet and confess Darrin (Dick York), the mortal husband, that he has married a spell-casting cauldron-stirring one-hundred-percent American witch. This of course leaves Darrin baffled for a while but he ends up accepting Samantha´s "difference" with the condition that she promises to do her best to quit witchcraft and become a totally normal dinner-making, house-cleaning  ( very-1950s)  housewife.

Such promise, however, proves impossible to honour, as Samantha´s eccentric and extravagant relatives appear in her house chapter after chapter to mess up with her peaceful domestic life and force her to use her magic.

It is actually these secondary characters which have made the tv show immortal. Perhaps the most memorable one being Endora (Agnes Moorehead), Samantha´s mother, who is a kind of super witch with extraordinary powers, which she uses to torture and make fun of her son-in-low, Darrin. With a twitch of her nose and a tiny bit of magic Samantha saves her beloved husband´s life night after night to the delight of the show´s audience.

Even though this is an old tv programme, it is still available on the Internet via Youtube, and I thoroughly recommend watching it. I think everyone will enjoy the fantasy of this comedy.

Gustavo Albarracín


Writing sample: A film review, click here.

Idioms Idioms Idioms... Can you guess what these idioms mean?

1. To know someone or something like the back of your hand.

2. To learn something by heart.

3. To go in one ear and out the other.

4. To have something on the tip of your tongue.

5. To pull somebody' s leg.


Answers

1. If you know someone or something like the back of your hand, you know it very well.

2. To learn something by heart means to memorise it.

3. If something goes in one ear and out the other, you listen to it but you really don´t pay any attention to it.

4. If you have something on the tip of your tongue, you can´t really remember it and you are just about to say it but the words just don´t come to mind.

5. To pull somebody´s leg means to joke or to be kidding.

Example sentences

1. "I don´t really need to study for the exam. I know the lesson like the back of my hand."

2. "When I was at school there were several things we had to learn by heart, like the names of the planets and the multiplication table."

3. "He did tell me when he was coming to town but I didn´t really pay attention, sorry. It went in one ear and out the other."

4. "I wanted to say hi but I just couldn´t remember her name. And the worst part of it is that I had it on the tip of my tongue..."

5. "What? You won the lottery? I don´t believe you. You are pulling my leg, aren´t you?."



Would you like to learn more idioms? Click here.

CPE/CAE Writing to impress the examiner

When it comes to the CPE and CAE writing exams, showing off your high level of English by using a wide range of vocabulary and the most complicated grammar structures you learnt at school is not only ok but a have-to-do. No time nor place for being simple and humble, really! You need to demonstrate how good you are and how much you deserve to pass the exam by doing your very best.

Here there are some tips on how to enhance your text and make an excellent impression on the examiner:


1. Avoid using plain common adjectives like "nice" or "interesting" when writing a book/film review.

Instead of writing "It is an interesting book with a nice argument." Try something like "It is a riveting book, with a gripping plot and an unpreddictable ending."


2. Use idioms, especially when writing articles, informal letters or stories.

Instead of:
"She told me the dress had been expensive but I didn´t believe her. I thought maybe she was joking."

Try:
"She told me the dress had been expensive but I didn´t believe her. I thought she was pulling my leg."

*pulling someone´s leg = joking


3 Use inversions when writing stories to make them more sophisticated and dramatic.

For example:

Little did I know of was about to happen that dark and stormy night...

Had I listened to my heart, I would have known that...( he was not a good man...)

Set Texts for the Cambridge English Exams 2013

For the Proficiency in English Exam ( CPE )




- The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd (2002)

- The Birthday Party, by Harold Pinter (1958)











For the Certificate in Advanced English ( CAE )

- Lord of The Flies, by William Golding  

- The Lighthouse, by PD James





* Note:  Reading these books is not compulsory for taking the Cambridge exams, but it will help you to prep. Besides, there will be an optional piece of writing connected to one of them in Part 2 of the Writing Exam.

A letter to the editor (Proficiency exam)

Need help with the writing section in the Proficiency in English exam? Take a look at this "letter to the editor."


Dear Sir

I am writing in response to the article in last Wednesday´s edition of your paper regarding the proposal of increasing nursery provisions across the country to encourage women back into the worklife after having a baby. I would like to comment on the points that were raised.

First of all I would like to say that I totally agree with the statement that providing greater nursery provisions will allow women to return to work as soon as possible. Improvements in childcare programmes will definitely contribute to this, and I think they are a wonderful idea. As I see it women should be able to have children without having to worry about losing their jobs, simply because it is their natural right to do so.  

Secondly, I would like to mention that the fear some companies have that this pro-children policy will encourage women to have too many children and therefore cause them serious economic problems, is irrational. Women of these days are career-oriented and are likely to choose to have just one or two children. Not having to worry about leaving the company will just make them more committed to their work and more motivated to contribute to the enterprise´s success. 

I also would like to add some ideas to your comments: "a greater nursery provision provides an ideal opportunity to introduce a national programme of pre-school learning". I think it is true that we do not have an adequate nursery programme, specially for six-month babies and toddlers. We have seen education as a right for anyone older than three years old without considering the younger population. I fully expect to see a change in such an important aspect of education in our country.

To sum up, women do not need to risk their careers when deciding to have a baby. It is the government´s job to ensure that children are secure in their first years as well as to create an appropriate national education programme and to encourage companies to provide nursery facilities.

I look forward to hearing other readers´ views on the subject.

Yours faithfully
Gustavo Albarracín

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My top five favourite idioms

1. It´s not my cup of tea.

What does it mean when somebody says something is not their cup of tea? It simply means that they are not fond of it.

 And we use it like this:

"I don´t really like reggaeton music." = "Reggaeton music is not my cup of tea."





2. To have a whale of a time

If you have a whale of a time it means that you have a jolly good time with your friends.

- "So, how was Mexico?"
- "It was great! I had a whale of a time with my friends."

Click here for other phrases with time.



3. Mum's the word


This is a very popular idiom. According to wikipedia "mum" is a Middle English word meaning "silent."

" I´m getting married in September, but mum´s the word, nobody knows it yet."






4. Once in a blue moon

This is one I use frequently, and it means that you don´t do something very often (or that something doesn´t happen very often).

- "How often do you do exercise outdoors?"
- "Once in a blue moon, to be honest."




5. Sour grapes


Do you know this one?
The picture helps. It´s a lot like the children´ story. We use it when there is something that we desire but can not have it, and we simply deny wanting it.

"I said I didn´t really love her anyway, but it was sour grapes."



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Useful phrases for CPE/ CAE/ FCE and IELTS essays

Essays are academic documents written for a university/college class on a serious topic, such as "global warming" or "the impact of new technologies on our society". Therefore they are formal in style, contain advanced/specialised vocabulary and use a wide variety of grammatical structures.


Writing an essay for an international exam like CPE, CAE, FCE or IELTS, is usually perceived by students as a real challenge. But it shouldn´t be such a daunting task, having had the right amount of practice and counting with a couple of useful expressions up your sleeve. This post intends to provide you with some help.

Guide to write an essay: Click here!
What´s the difference between an essay and an article?
Click here!


Useful phrases for writing essays:

The following is a list of phrases that can be used when writing an essay. Notice that they have a formal style and that they do not contain contractions.

Establishing the purpose of the essay (introduction)
This essay critically examines...
The paper will review the research conducted on...
The aim of this paper is to examine...
The essay seeks to...

Giving opinions/stating facts
It is vitally important to...
I would like to point out that...
It is doubtful that...
Without a doubt...
It would be infinitely preferable to...

Giving somebody else´s opinion
It has recently been suggested that...
According to Dr...

Giving examples
In the case of...
This is an example of...
For instance...

Presenting arguments in order
Firstly...
Secondly...
In addition to what has already been mentioned...

Summarising your opinion
In the end,...
All in all,...
In conclusion,...


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How to write an article for an international exam (CPE, CAE, FCE, IELTS,...)

When taking CPE, CAE, FCE, IELTS or any other international examination, you are often asked to write an article. This can be either formal or informal and on a wide variety of topics. There are a number of things you should take into consideration before you write, while you write and after you´ve finished writing...


1. Before you write

Take a minute to read the task(instructions) carefully and decide what to write and in which style.

Ask yourself the following questions

What do I have to write about? (Content/ check task)

Who is the article for? A newspaper, a formal magazine/ a blog...? (To decide on style/check task)

How many paragraphs am I going to write? (Organisation)

What kind of language should I use? (Language/grammar I am expected to use/ check task)

2. While you write

Have into consideration that articles have two main purposes, to inform and to entertain/interest the reader. Ideally after going through your text, your readers should have the feeling that they have learnt something or at least that they have had a good time.

It is always a good idea to start the article with an inviting title and a riveting introduction. Something that makes your public continue reading. It could be a question (that they will only be able to answer after reading the text), or something intended to caputure the reader´s imagination. You are free to be creative when choosing a title but make sure it reflects what the text is about.

As you write remember to stick to your plan, check that you are truly answering the task questions and that you have clear well-organised coherent paragraphs (You shouldn´t start writing about A and end up writing about Z.)

At CAE and CPE level it is also of vital importance to include some advanced examples of the use of grammar as well as lexis (idioms, collocations, sayings.) So instead of saying something like "I had a lot of fun although I don´t normally enjoy jazz concerts" say something like " I had a whale of a time although jazz concerts are not my cup of tea" (idioms: have a whale of a time; not my cup of tea.)

3 After you write

Take your time to proofread. Check for spelling mistakes and see if you have to make any corrections. Make sure that you have used a wide variety of words and if you find one that has been used more than once, replace it for a synonym.

Avoid repetition: Don´t say "I like history programmes, I also like music programmes."
Say: "I´m into history programmes and I also like music Tv shows."

Ask yourself the following questions:
- Have I completed the task? (Content)
- Is my article well-organised? (Organisation)
- Have I used a wide range of vocabulary? (Language)
- Have I used different grammar tenses? (Language)
- Is all the article writen in the same style? (Style)
- Is the article interesting enough? (Reader)

Take a look at some examples of articles:

Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3


Commonly asked questions:

1. How long should a piece of writing be?
It depends on the international examination. At CPE for example, it is between 250-350. It is important to read the instructions carefully, the expected number of words must be there.

2 What is the difference between an article and an essay?
As I see it, an essay is more academic, usually written for a university/college class. An article is usually for a magazine or a blog, they can be formal or informal, the topics can be serious or trivial, they are intented to inform and also to entertain.



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CPE Article: A fun way to learn English

Need help on how to write an article? Take a look at this  CPE sample article by our guest blogger from Spain, Elena Traviesa.













Task: " You are a student at an international college. Your tutor has asked you to write an article for the college website on ways students can improve language skills outside the classroom. In your article, you should suggest ways in which students can make contact with English-language speakers. You should also assess whether the most effective way of improving language skills is to make friends with speakers of the language"

               A fun way to learn English (give your article a title)

(State your main idea in the first paragraph)
In today's intercultural society, no one can deny the importance of learning a second language, especially English. In our college we believe that major action should be taken to guarantee that all of us, the students, are given the chance to practice this ability to communicate with for people from all over the world. This task will require working with a holistic approach and will imply the participation of a very committed group of people willing to help each other. So are you ready? (use a question to motivate readers)

(organise your text into paragraphs)

Our first idea is to use the Internet. For young people surfing the net is as easy as pie and we all have access to it. We suggest getting in touch with other students from around the world. Some highly recommendable sites include a wide range of social networks as Facebook and Twitter. It is also a good idea to encourage students to chat via Skype with people from English speaking countries.

A second idea is to organise reading or conversation clubs, which can have monthly gatherings in different spots in the city. Needless to say this will be a very effective way to learn while making friends and having a blast. There are several attractive places in town such as parks, art galleries, cafés, and social artistic venues where students and professionals can give a boost to their social and language skills.

A final idea is for the college to create a web page. With the support of this effective tool, our students can have blogs with a variety of engaging tasks and games. We can have fun getting familiar with collocations and structures that can be shared as part of an exercise on our creative website. It will definitely be highly engaging for students regardless of their backgrounds and specializations, they will find an enjoyable site where they can put language into practice, as they will be well-connected and comfortable with the cuttingedge technology.

By Elena Traviesa
Sociologist/English teacher/blogger from Bilbao, Spain.

#words: 325


Need more help? Try these links:

How to write an article 

Article sample 1  

Article sample 2                               

                                   

Reading and Mind-mapping to learn new vocabulary (LABCI 2013- presentation)

How to teach vocabulary using mind maps

The whole presentation at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=266646432&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

These are some power point shots of what was my presentation at LABCI 2013. Basically I was looking for ways to help my students improve their writing so I came up with the idea of using mind-maps. The idea soon became a very serious project which I presented at Cayetano University (Faculty of Education) and later at the Latin American British Culture Institutions Congress in Lima this year.

Phrases with time

It is important to use a wide variety of words and phrases in the writings at CPE level. Therefore I have decided to include a vocabulary section in this blog. Here there are some phrases with TIME.


The time is ripe.- It´s the perfect time to do something.

It´s high time to do something.- "It´s high time you stop thinking about your ex and move on with your life".

To be pressed for time.- Meaning to have very little time to do something. "We would have loved to visit the National museum but we were really pressed for time".




To do time.- To spend some time in prison.

To buy time.- To try to gain some extra time.

To be in time/ on time.- To be punctual.

To kill time. To spend time doing something not important while waiting for something else to happen.

For the time being. For a short period of time but not permanently.

To arrive in the nick of time. Just in time.


To have a whale of a time. It means to have a   good time. "We had a whale of a time in Mexico."