CAE essays

You should use the opinions provided in the essay question.

• No, all your ideas should be original

• Yes, just copy and paste them

• You can, but paraphrase them

How many points do you have to choose in the essay question?

• 1

• 2

• 3

How many paragraphs do we recommend your essay should be? (including the introduction and conclusion)

• 4

• 5

• 6

Your essay should make it clear which point you think is more important/effective/influential.

• No, your essay must be completely neutral

• Yes, and we think the best place to do that is in the introduction

• Yes, and we think the best place to do that is in the conclusion

Which of these words are you less likely to find in an essay?

• lots of

• consider

• improve

• such as

Which of these content points is not relevant to this topic sentence “While having a balanced diet is important to staying healthy, another important factor is exercise.”

• How exercise can help you lose weight

• The benefits of building muscle

• The best gyms in your area

Many people find it difficult to lose weight _______________ eating healthily.

• in spite of

• although

• despite the fact

• whereas

Aside from using linking words like ´furthermore´and ´however´´, you should also connect your essay using…

• adjectives

• Pronouns (it, their, this, they)

• phrasal verbs

Regarding first and second person pronouns like ‘I, me, my, you, your, we’…

• You should use them all the time

• Cambridge don't approve of them

• Cambridge don't have a problem with them, but your writing is better when you avoid them

• They are unacceptable in C1 writing