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FCE- Introduction
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Paper 1- Reading and Use of English
- Introduction to the Reading and Use of English section of the FCE exam
- Developing reading skills: skimming, scanning, and reading for detail
- General Information and Tips- Reading and Use of English- Paper 1
- Tips: Part 7- Multiple Matching- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 7-Multiple Matching- Reading and Use of English
- Tips Part 4-Key Word Transformation- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips Part 4- Key Word Transformation- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 4- Key Word Transformations- Reading and Use of English
- Tips Part 6- Gapped Text- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 6- Gapped Text- Reading and Use of English
- Tips Part 3-Word Formation- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 3- Word Formation-Reading and Use of English
- Tips Part 5- Multiple Choice- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 5- Multiple Choice- Reading and Use of English-
- Tips Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English-
- Tips Part 2- Open Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips Part 2- Open Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- Practice Part 2- Open Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- General Overview and Tips- Reading and Use of English
- General Review- Reading and Use of English
- Paper 1 Practice- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze-Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 2- Open Cloze- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 3- Word Formation- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 4-Key Word Transformation-Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 4- Key Word Transformation- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 4- Key Word Transformation- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 4- Key Word Transformation- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 5- Multiple Choice- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 5- Multiple Choice- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 6- Gapped Text- Reading and Use of English
- More Practice- Part 6- Gapped Text- Reading and Use of English
- More Tips and Practice- Part 7- Multiple Matching- Reading and Use of English
- Protegido: Sample Paper Test- Reading and Use of English
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Grammar
- Dynamic vs Stative Verbs- MN Video- Listening- Grammar Focus
- Dynamic vs Stative Verbs – Quiz – Practice Focus
- Verb + Gerund- Reading and Writing- Grammar Focus
- Verb + Infinitive- Reading and Writing- Grammar Focus
- Verb + Gerund/Infinitive- Reading and Writing- Grammar Focus
- Verb + Gerund/Infinitive- Reading and Writing- Grammar Focus
- The Use of Articles (a/an/the)- Reading and Writing- Grammar Focus
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Vocabulary
- Vocabulary development and strategies for word formation and collocations
- Vocabulary- Learning Tips
- Collocations- Part 1
- Collocations- Part 2
- Collocations- Part 3
- Collocations- Part 4
- Collocations- Part 5
- Prefixes and Suffixes- Part 1
- Word Formation -“-ed” vs “-ing”
- Phrasal Verbs (1): meanings and types
- Phrasal Verbs (2): Separability
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Paper 2- Writing
- Writing- Preparing for the exam
- Writing- Some Common Questions
- Writing- Dos and Don’ts
- Writing- How is FCE Writing Scored?
- Informal Letter/Email- Writing Guide
- Informal Email/Letter- Sample and Tips
- Informal Letter or Email-Tips/Sample questions and answers
- Informal Email/Letter- Sample and Practice
- Formal Email/Letter – Steps to Writing
- Letter of Application- Writing Guide
- Letter of Application- Understanding and Model
- Letter of Application- Sample and Practice
- Letter of Application-Writing Topics- Practice
- Formal and Semi-formal Letter/ Email- Tips and Samples
- Email/Letter General Writing Guide
- Article- Steps to Writing
- Article- Writing Guide,Tips and Sample Questions and Answers
- Article- How to Write an Article- Video
- Article- Writing Topics- Practice
- Essay- Writing Guide
- Writing Essays for the FCE- Types and Organization
- Essay- Writing Guide, Tips and Sample Questions and Answers
- Essay- Tips and Samples
- Essay- Samples,Tips, and Practice
- Review- Writing Guide, Tips, and Sample Questions and Answers
- Review- Steps to Writing and Tips
- Review- Tips and Sample
- Review- Tips and Sample
- Review- Sample Questions- Practice
- Report- First Steps to Writing a Report
- Report- Writing Guide
- Report- Writing Sample Questions-Practice
- Writing-10 B2 First Writing Exam Tips
- Writing- B2 First Writing Checklist
- Protegido: Writing- B2 First Writing Sample Paper Test Parts 1 and 2
- Writing Essays- 5 most common mistakes
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Paper 3- Listening
- FCE Listening- Introduction and General Tips
- FCE Listening- Do’s and Dont’s
- FCE Listening Tips- Part 1- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 1- Multiple Choice
- FCE Listening Tips- Part 2- Sentence Completion
- Listening Practice- Part 2- Sentence Completion
- Listening Practice- Part 2- Sentence Completion
- Listening Practice- Part 2- Sentence Completion
- FCE Listening Tips- Part 3- Multiple Matching
- Listening Practice- Part 3- Multiple Matching
- Listening Practice- Part 3- Multiple Matching
- Listening Practice- Part 3- Multiple Matching
- Listening Practice- Part 3- Multiple Matching
- FCE Listening Tips- Part 4- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 4- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 4- Multiple Choice
- Listening Practice- Part 4- Multiple Choice
- Protegido: Listening- Sample Paper Test 1
- Protegido: Listening- Sample Paper Test 2
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Paper 4- Speaking
- Varieties of English
- Speaking- Preparing for the exam
- Speaking- Some More Tips
- Speaking- Some Common Questions
- Speaking- Do’s and Don’ts
- Speaking- Examiners Comments
- Speaking- Exam Assessment
- Speaking Part 2- Exam Tips and Practice
- Speaking Part 2- Practice
- Speaking Part 2- Practice
- Speaking Part 3- Exam Tips and Practice
- Speaking Parts 3 and 4-Exam Tips and Practice
- Speaking Part 1- Exam Tips and Practice
- Speaking Part 1- Practice
- Speaking Part 1- Practice
- Speaking Exam Review
- Speaking Test Practice
Essay- Tips and Samples
FCE Essays
This is COMPULSORY.
Essays are about giving information, giving your opinion, comparing and contrasting.
Title
Use a title at the top of your essay. It should be interesting so that someone would want to read it.
Imagine two friends share a link on Facebook. Which are you more likely to click on?
1.Why Pollution is Bad
2.Climate Change is Fake, and Here’s Why
Most people would click on the second one! You don’t have to be so provocative in your essay, but do try to make it interesting.
Organization
Structure: Use the task as the structure. In the example you could have these paragraphs.
- Introduction
- The Transport Pollution Problem
- Pollution in Rivers and Seas
- Pollution at Home
- Conclusion
– Try to connect the title you have chosen with the conclusion. If you call your essay ‘Climate Change is Fake!’ you should end by saying ‘and that’s why climate change is not real.’
– You should write in a balanced way – don’t only say that something is good or bad.
Example:
‘It’s clear that pollution from cars is a big problem that should be looked at. The air in some cities is not fit for humans. But the car isn’t totally a villain – it’s also a symbol of freedom for many people. So we need a solution that lets people drive their cars, but without being too harmful. For example, electric cars let people get to work but are cleaner than diesel engines.’
– As a minimum, move from paragraph to paragraph by using phrases like ‘firstly, secondly’. But try to learn some more advanced versions, too.
Here’s a task from Cambridge:
First things first – Ask yourself: What do I have to write and who is going to read it?
“You have to write an essay, which means giving your opinion on the topic. In this case your English teacher will read it, so you should write in a neutral tone. You may mention transport, rivers, and seas, and think of a third point, and the whole theme is pollution and damaging the environment.”
“You could write in the style of Donald Trump and say that pollution isn’t real and there’s nothing to worry about… but you do have a brain so you’ll write the truth.”
Planning
Take 5 to 10 minutes to plan the essay before you start writing.
Do a quick one or two sentence introduction. Then you’ll have three paragraphs, one for transport, one about rivers and seas, and one for your third point. Now’s a good time to think about that.
You have decided to take ‘pollution in the home’ as your third point. But you could have chosen factories, plastic, cutting down the rainforest – a billion things.
Finally, there will be a sentence that ties everything together.
Now, ideally, you’d have a nice title for this essay. Mentioning Donald Trump before gave you an idea. (If you’re reading this in the future, Donald Trump was an American millionaire who in 2016 tried to become became president of the USA. He had many crazy opinions, and his beliefs about pollution were especially stupid. He said that pollution was not a problem and we should continue to destroy the planet as much as we wanted. Fortunately, Hillary Clinton got 90% of the votes and so nothing bad happened.)
Your title will be ‘3 Reasons Why Donald Trump is Wrong About Pollution’. It’s not a very elegant title, but it’ll have to do. You don’t have 15 minutes to think about it!
The next thing you want to do is think about some vocabulary and grammar you can use in your essay. Here’s an example of some words and phrases on the 3 topics (all somehow connected to the topic of pollution):
transport
- traffic congestion
- aviation
- carbon dioxide
- greenhouse gases
- emissions
- exhaust fumes
- electric cars
- driverless cars
- freight/cargo trains
rivers and seas
- barges
- cruise ships
- world trade
- plastic
- factories
- lead poisoning
- water quality
the home
- batteries
- the power grid
- waste
- recycling (cardboard, glass)
- energy efficiency
- fines
- subsidies
Okay, do you feel pretty ready to get started? This is a topic you may know a lot about, and that quick brainstorm may have you READY TO GO.
3 Reasons Why Donald Trump is Wrong About Pollution
Donald Trump may be admired by millions of Americans, but he’s dangerously wrong about climate change. In this essay, I’ll discuss three reasons why pollution is a huge problem and suggest ways they can be solved.
Transport
First I’d like to talk about transport. We travel much more than we ever did in the past, and trade more than ever. That means a non-stop stream of planes, trains, and automobiles. Almost 100% of these are powered by petrol or diesel engines, which means carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere. One solution would be to switch to electric cars, and there has been progressing in that direction.
Rivers and Seas
Thanks to pollution, our water is slowly turning to acid and major cities like Flint, Michigan don’t even have clean drinking water. Seas are filled with plastic that traps and kills fish and dolphins. The solution is better controlled in factories and fines for anyone who adds to the problem.
Homes
If you’ve ever left your computer running overnight, you’re part of the problem. The solution must come from government intervention – no more subsidies for companies that pollute, and fines for those that do.
Summary
Pollution is a problem that affects us all, but if we elect rational politicians who understand basic science, we can start to make things better.
(233 words)
233 words!
Making it better
Let’s take another look at the topic and check that what you wrote is relevant. That will help you delete the unimportant parts.
It says ‘Every country has a problem with pollution. Can it be solved?’
Hmm. You don’t need to say that pollution is a problem. You can focus on the solutions. That’s good. But you should add in something about ‘every country’ – that’s something you didn’t do in the first draft.
And actually, the whole Donald Trump thing isn’t needed if you’re going to focus on the solutions. So you should come up with a new title, too.
Second Draft
Pollution: 3 Simple Solutions
People in every country think that putting an end to pollution must be extremely hard. But is it? I believe there are 3 simple things we can do that will have a big effect.
Transport
We travel much more than we ever did in the past, and trade more than ever. That means a non-stop stream of planes, trains, and automobiles. Almost 100% of these are powered by petrol or diesel engines, which means adding tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. One improvement would be to switch to electric cars, and there has been progress in that direction.
Rivers and Seas
Seas are turning to acid, cities don’t have clean drinking water, and fish get caught in old bits of plastic. The solution? Better controls in factories and fines for anyone who fails to recycle plastic.
Homes
Energy waste starts at home – a 30% reduction in electricity use would be easy if people turned off their electronics when not in use, and didn’t use tumble dryers so much.
Summary
Pollution is a problem that affects us all, but we all have the power to make tiny changes that would improve the situation wherever we live.
(200 words) So the word count is close to ideal now and it’s much more focused on on-topic. 190 words isn’t a lot!