writing essay b2 exercises

B2 First - Writing Practice

First certificate in english (fce).

• B2 First quick links:
• Use Of English
• Back to the B2 First main page

On this page, you will find example writing tests to help you prepare for the Writing part of the First Certificate exam.

The speaking section is divided into two parts and involves many types of writing: essay, email, review, report and article.

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test One Essay / Report / Review / Email Exercise Number: FCE115

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Two Essay / Email / Report / Article Exercise Number: FCE116

• Try to choose questions that require you to write about something that is interesting to you.
• Always write a brief plan before each of the compositions.
• Think about the target reader and write in a suitable register and tone.

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Three Essay / Review / Article / Email Exercise Number: FCE117

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Four Essay / Review / Article / Report Exercise Number: FCE118

• Ensure all your points and paragraphs link together well.
• Avoid repeating phrases. Learn expressions that will help you write more naturally.
• Leave enough time at the end to re-read each composition and check for errors.

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Five Essay / Report / Email / Article Exercise Number: FCE119

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Six Essay / Review / Article / Report Exercise Number: FCE120

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Seven Essay / Email / Article / Review Exercise Number: FCE121

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Eight Essay / Email / Report / Review Exercise Number: FCE122

Best B2 First Certificate Books For Students

Use of English: Ten practice tests for the Cambridge B2 First | See in UK

FCE Writing Masterclass (Writing B2: FCE Cambridge) | See in UK

Listening First: Ten practice tests for the Cambridge B2 First | See in UK

Cambridge English Qualifications: B2 First Volume 1 Practice Tests Plus with key | See in UK

Cambridge English First 1 for Revised Exam - Student's Book with Answers: Authentic Examination Papers | See in UK

Reading and Use of English for First (FCE) | See in UK

Common Mistakes at First Certificate and How to Avoid Them | See in UK

Gold Experience 2nd Edition Exam Practice: Cambridge English First for Schools (B2) | See in UK

• iOS/Android App
• First Words
• Grammar Guide
• Pre-Intermediate
• Intermediate
• Grammar Exercises

Reading Exercises

Listening exercises.

• Business English

Vocabulary Exercises

• Picture Quizzes
• NEW B1 Preliminary
• C1 Advanced
• C2 Proficiency
• Phrasal Verbs
• Phrasal Verbs Definitions

Pronunciation

• Pronunciation Exercises

Español / Castellano

• Aprender Español
• Learn Spanish

• B1 Preliminary (PET)
• B2 First (FCE)
• C1 Advanced (CAE)
• C2 Proficient (CPE)

Not a member yet?

• Part 1 0 / 30
• Part 5 0 / 25
• Part 6 0 / 25
• Part 7 0 / 20
• Part 2 0 / 30
• Part 3 0 / 30
• Part 4 0 / 20
• Part 1 NEW 0 / 25
• Part 2 NEW 0 / 25
• Part 3 NEW 0 / 25
• Part 4 NEW 0 / 25
• Part 1 0 / 25
• Part 2 0 / 25
• Part 1 0 / 10
• Part 2 0 / 10
• Part 3 0 / 10
• Part 4 0 / 10

Get unlimited access from as little as 2.60 € / per month. *One-time payment, no subscription.

Your teacher has asked you to write an essay on the dangers of social media, and how people can protect themselves.

Your teacher has asked you to write an essay on the importance of learning foreign languages.

• New account

Login into your account...

Not a memeber yet? Create an account.

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive mail with link to set new password.

Back to login

Breakout English

B2 First (FCE) Writing Part 1 – Improve an Essay

Writing is the part of any English exam where you should aim to get a high score and B2 First FCE Writing Part 1, an obligatory essay, is no different. It’s also the most trainable part of the exam in a classroom. While other skills often take lots of time, effort and practice, writing can be taught through models, which learners can then take and replicate. Of course, it’s important to write your own material, but the format and many expressions are transferable for essays regardless of the topic. With this material, we aim to demonstrate areas where B2 First candidates often go wrong with writing an essay. With a few tweaks, you should be able to reproduce a high quality essay every time.

Essays may not be fun, but they are important. The Cambridge B2 essay might be the first time you need to write an essay for an exam, but it won’t be the last. This task continues to be obligatory at C1 and C2 levels. If you are doing a Trinity or IELTS exam, you’ll also need to write an essay. Basically, there is no escape. You either learn to write a good essay or you don’t pass your writing exam (I recommend learning it).

The challenge with essays is not only the style, which should be formal and academic. Exam candidates also often have issues with content in First (FCE) Writing Part 1. The B2 essay question is always the same, and it’s not particularly complex, but sometimes it still causes issues regarding what content points to include. At the same time, an uninspiring question can easily lead to an uninspired answer. That becomes a problem when your essay isn’t interesting to read. Keep in mind that whoever corrects your essay has probably read 95 other essays on the same topic, so it a good idea to stand out!

The Materials

With this activity, you analyse a sample essay contrasting living in a city vs the countryside. To use it in the classroom, have students discuss the issues with the essay in pairs. You can even have them use the Cambridge writing scales to give it a mark. Then, feedback in open class and finish with your students writing their own improved version. I like to do this task just after receiving a round of previously assigned essays from students as a sort of extended test-teach-test activity.

Check here for more First Certificate essay questions to use in class.

EXAM PART: First (FCE) Writing Part 1 – Essay

EXAM SKILLS: Improving content and communicative achievement in essay writing

TOPIC:  Lifestyle (living in the city vs living in the countryside)

TIME: 30 minutes + 45 minutes writing (in-class or for homework)

PREPARATION: One copy of the worksheet per student

Not a member yet?

• Part 1 (0-30)
• Part 5 (0-25)
• Part 6 (0-25)
• Part 7 (0-20)
• Part 2 (0-30)
• Part 3 (0-30)
• Part 4 (0-17)
• Part 1 NEW (0-30)
• Part 2 NEW (0-30)
• Part 3 NEW (0-30)
• Part 4 NEW (0-30)
• Part 1 (0-22)
• Part 2 (0-22)
• Part 1 (0-10)
• Part 2 (0-10)
• Part 3 (0-10)
• Part 4 (0-10)

Get unlimited access from only 5.99 € 9.00 € . *One-time payment, no subscription.

Your teacher has asked you to write an essay on the dangers of social media, and how people can protect themselves.

Your teacher has asked you to write an essay on the importance of learning foreign languages.

• New account

Login into your account...

Not a memeber yet? Create an account.

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive mail with link to set new password.

Back to login

How to Write an Essay for B2 First (FCE) Writing

Luis @ kse academy.

• noviembre 24, 2019

As you probably know already, Cambridge English exams usually have some or all of the following parts: Reading, Writing, Use of English and Listening. In this post I am going to talk about the FCE Writing B2 part and, more specifically, about how to write an essay for FCE Writing . We will see a good example of an essay for FCE and you can check out a full FCE Writing Guide where you can find more examples of emails , letters and other types of writings.

Essay Sample Answer

Este artículo también está disponible en castellano.

What are the parts of the FCE Writing?

The First (FCE) Writing has only two parts. For each part, you must write a composition which will depend on the instructions you receive for each task. For the  first part , you will always be asked to  write an essay , as it is the only option provided. However, in the  second part , they allow you to choose one out of 3 options. These include  different types of writing , which are : letters/emails ,  articles ,  reviews and  reports . Each piece of writing must have between 140 and 190 words , approximately.

Since they are different types of writing , the language and structures to use will also differ. But that’s what I’m here for, to explain to you exactly how to write each part. And today, I’m starting with  how to write an essay .

How to Write an Essay for FCE Writing

An  essay is an opinion writing with which we analyse a topic , a situation or an issue from different points of view , providing different arguments and expressing our opinion about it. For this reason, an  essay must have the following features:

• Purpose: What we usually do with an essay is to analyse and assess a topic, situation or issue which, in some way, is interesting or controversial. It is normally set as a writing task after a class debate. In the exam, you have to imagine the debate, obviously.
• Tone and style: Given that you’re writing about a  serious or controversial issue , an essay is written in a formal style, so we must stick to an objective tone and style . Our language must be formal, thus avoiding words that are simply too common or generic (E.g.:  things, stuff, get,   etc.) and contractions (E.g.:  can’t, don’t, won’t,  etc.).
• Structure: Like every piece of writing,  an essay must present a defined structure . For starters, we can choose either to give it a title or not. Personally, I would say that it is more appropriate to have an essay with title . Then, the body must be divided into introduction, idea 1, idea 2, idea 3 and conclusion. This means that, in general,  essays must have 5 paragraphs ,   although it is not entirely necessary.
• Opinion:  There are countless ways of expressing your opinion in an essay, so you must choose the one that suits you best. However,  it is advisable to remain impartial throughout your writing and give your opinion only in the last paragraph , as a conclusion. But, as I say, it is optional. The most important thing is that you justify everything you say in your essay.
• Coherence: Coherence is essential in every type of writing, but especially in an essay. As it tends to be an argumentative text, you must avoid writing incoherent paragraphs that have nothing to do with one another. Your ideas must  follow a logical order and be well connected with appropriate linkers .

FCE Writing Essay Example

Now that we are familiar with the  characteristics of an essay for First (FCE) Writing , let’s take a look at an  example of an essay at B2 level , both at the task and at a sample answer.

Instructions of an Essay

In the following image you can see the instructions of an essay which involves a typical topic, that of the environment:

In these instructions, we must pay attention to the following:

• The  first paragraph introduces the topic: … different ways in which you can protect the environment.
• The  second sentence is usually the same in every task:  Write an essay using  all the notes…
• In the box , you are given the main topic as a question and they give you something to talk about:  recycle, using bicycles and walking, your own idea . As you can see, you have to come up with the third idea, something connected to the topic which is not provided in the exam task.

Given the model task above, each paragraph will correspond to a different idea, apart from the introduction and conclusion. Again, it is only natural to have 5 paragraphs. So, the best way to know how to write an essay for FCE Writing is to take a look at an  example of an actual essay for FCE Writing :

At first sight, the essay has  a title and 5 paragraphs (introduction + idea 1 + idea 2 + idea 3 + conclusion). And if we stop to read the essay more carefully, we’ll notice the following things:

• The paragraphs are visual and well defined , which is very important.
• The title summarises the topic  of the essay. Another option is to use the question ( What can people do to help protect the environment? ) as title. However, it usually tends to be too long, so I prefer to summarise it into a shorter heading.
• Introduction: it introduces the topic in a general way and it leads to the second paragraph (first idea).
• Paragraph 2: it deals with idea 1.
• Paragraph 3: it deals with idea 2.
• Paragraph 4: it deals with idea 3.
• Conclusion: we express our opinion to conclude and summarise the essay.
• It uses connectors to define the development of the essay:  firstly, second, finally, etc.
• It doesn’t use many contractions or pet words.
• One of the things that
• In the last few decades,
• For this reason,
• First, / Second, / Third,
• By doing so,
• For example,
• In conclusion,

This is a good example of an essay for FCE Writing . By the way, you must bear in mind that it has been written to simulate a strong B2 level, without reaching C1.

FAQ: Do I get penalised for writing over 190 words?

This is the most typical question in this part of the exam and the answer is « yes and no «. Let me explain myself. Cambridge English examiners don’t count the number of words and penalise you based upon that fact alone. There’s a rumour going around among teachers and pupils that says that for every 10 words over 190, they take «this many» points off, but it is not true. However, think about this: if you’ve written 50 or 100 words more than asked, you are probably including irrelevant information to the task , right? Now that’s a reason for losing points. In the same way that if you  write under 140 words you are probably missing essential information , don’t you think?

For this reason, I always recommend writing up to 10 or 20 words over the limit. In this way, you won’t lose any points for including irrelevant information.

FCE Writing Guide with examples (pdf)

Although I intend to write more posts on how to do each piece of writing for FCE, if you don’t want to wait any more, simply download the official KSE Academy FCE Writing Guide . In this guide you will learn:

• How to write an essay  and 3 examples.
• How to write an article  and 3 examples.
• How to write a review  and 3 examples.
• How to write a report  and 3 examples.
• How to write an email or letter  and 3 examples.
• Over 300 useful expressions for every FCE Writing .

Would you like to see a sample of this guide? Here it is!

Did you find this useful?  Why not share it with other teachers and students of English? Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, y YouTube. 🙂

• Clases privadas
• Prueba de nivel
• Condiciones
• Política de privacidad

Cambridge English

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

Blog de inglés

• Gramática inglesa
• Phrasal Verbs
• Diferencias
• Enviar mensaje
• 958 964 684
• Calle Arabial 4, 18004 Granada
• Lista de espera

Comienza a escribir y presiona Intro para buscar

Search form

A for and against essay about the internet.

Look at the essay and do the exercises to improve your writing skills.

Instructions

Do the preparation exercise first. Then read the text and do the other exercises.

Preparation

Check your writing: grouping - ideas

Check your writing: gap fill - useful phrases, worksheets and downloads.

What's your opinion? Do you think the internet is bad for young people?

Sign up to our newsletter for LearnEnglish Teens

We will process your data to send you our newsletter and updates based on your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of every email. Read our privacy policy for more information.

Learn Vocabulary

Learn English Vocabulary Through Pictures with 150 Topics

Vocabulary Exercises A1

English Vocabulary Exercises for A1 with Answers.

Vocabulary Exercises A2

English Vocabulary Exercises for A2 with Answers.

Vocabulary Exercises B1

English Vocabulary Exercises for B1 with Answers.

Vocabulary Exercises B2

English Vocabulary Exercises for B2 with Answers.

FULL Grammar Exercises

FULL English Grammar Exercises with Answers

Verbs and Tenses Exercises

English Verbs and Tenses Exercises with Answers and Explanations

Grammar Exercises A1

English Grammar Exercises for A1 with Answers

Grammar Exercises A2

English Grammar Exercises for A2 with Answers

Grammar Exercises B1

English Grammar Exercises for B1 with Answers

Grammar Exercises B2

English Grammar Exercises for B2 with Answers

Listening Exercises Beginner

English Listening Exercises for Beginner with Answers

Listening Exercises A1

English Listening Exercises for A1 with Answers

Listening Exercises A2

English Listening Exercises for A2 with Answers

Listening Exercises B1

English Listening Exercises for B1 with Answers

Listening Exercises B2

English Listening Exercises for B2 with Answers

Listening Tests A1

Practice Listening Tests for A1 with Answers & Transcripts

Listening Tests A2

Practice Listening Tests for A2 with Answers & Transcripts

Listening Tests B1

Practice Listening Tests for B1 with Answers & Transcripts

Listening Tests B2

Practice Listening Tests for B2 with Answers & Transcripts

Word Skills Exercises A1

English Word Skills Exercises for A1 with Answers

Word Skills Exercises A2

English Word Skills Exercises for A2 with Answers

Word Skills Exercises B1

English Word Skills Exercises for B1 with Answers

Word Skills Exercises B2

English Word Skills Exercises for B2 with Answers

Reading Exercises A1

English Reading Exercises for A1 with Answers

Reading ExercisesC A2

English Reading Exercises for A2 with Answers

Reading Exercises B1

English Reading Exercises for B1 with Answers

Reading Exercises B2

English Reading Exercises for B2 with Answers

Speaking Exercises A1

English Speaking Exercises for A1 with Answers

Speaking Exercises A2

English Speaking Exercises for A2 with Answers

Speaking Exercises B1

English Speaking Exercises for B1 with Answers

Speaking Exercises B2

English Speaking Exercises for B2 with Answers

Writing Exercises A1

English Writing Exercises for A1 with Answers

Writing Exercises A2

English Writing Exercises for A2 with Answers

Writing Exercises B1

English Writing Exercises for B1 with Answers

Writing Exercises B2

English Writing Exercises for B2 with Answers

Business Listening A1

Business English Listening Exercises for A1 with Answers

Business Listening A2

Business English Listening Exercises for A2 with Answers

Business Listening B1

Business English Listening Exercises for B1 with Answers

Article Level 1

Improve your ability to speak English

Article Level 2

Article level 3, article level 4, conversations.

Listening Practice Through Dictation with Transcripts

English Writing Exercises for B2 – An opinion essay

English Writing Exercises for B2

Preparation

‘A friend in need is a friend indeed.’ This saying means that a real friend is there for you in times of trouble. Write an essay in which you give your own opinion of this view, taking into consideration the way we make friends these days and situations where you can recognise real friends.

1. Read the task above. How many elements are there to cover?

Three elements:

1 Give your opinion of the view

2 Describe how we make friends these days

3 List situations where you can recognise real friends

2. Read the essay. In which paragraphs does the writer cover each element of the task?

[ A ]   I find that the saying ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’ is a true one and I wholeheartedly agree with it. I do think that a true friend is one who is always there for you, no matter what.

[ B ]   In the internet age, people are more sociable than ever. It’s easy to make lots of friends online because no one makes any demands on you. Not that it isn’t good to have a wide circle of people to socialise with. Nevertheless, it is said that most of us can count our number of true friends on the fingers of one hand, and I personally think that it is in times of trouble that you find out who your real friends are.

[ C ]   I have known my closest friend Mina since primary school and she remains the nicest, gentlest person I know. We rarely have arguments. Not that we agree on everything, but we generally have a caring and supportive relationship. When my mum was very ill in hospital, she was the truest friend of all. She never once complained that I was bad company, like one or two of my other friends, and I could always talk to her about all my fears. This type of situation really shows you who your friends are.

[ D ]   So, in my view, although you may have lots of friends to have fun with, make sure you have at least one close friend who can support you when you need it most.

Element 1 A    Element 2 B    Element 3 C

Writing Strategy

Use a variety of grammatical structures and vocabulary instead of simple sentences. This will make your essay more interesting and more effective.

3. Read the Writing Strategy and underline an example of each of the structures below in the essay.

1   contrasting clause with but and although

2   an example of another linker

3   an example of preparatory it

4   a sentence starting with Not that …

5   an example of do / did for emphasis

1   Not that we agree on everything, but we generally have a caring and supportive relationship. (para C), … although you may have lots of friends to have fun with, make sure you have at least one close friend … (Para D)

2   Nevertheless (Para B)

3   It is said … (Para B)

4   Not that it isn’t good to have a wide circle of people to socialise with. (Para B)

5   I do think that a true friend is one who is always there for you … (Para A)

4. Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first.

1   She’s a good friend, but she can be a bit moody.

     Although …………………………………

2   People say that you must be a good friend to have a good friend.

     It …………………………………

3   Having true friends is important.

4   I tried talking to him, but he didn’t understand what I was saying.

     I tried talking to him, not that …………………………………

5   I try hard, but she won’t be friends with me.

     I try hard. However, …………………………………

1    Although she’s a good friend, she can be a bit moody.

2    It is said that you must be a good friend to have a good friend.

3   It is important to have true friends.

4   I tried talking to him, not that he understood what I was saying.

5    I try hard. However, she won’t be friends with me.

5. Rewrite the sentences using do/did for emphasis.

1   I liked her.

      ……………………………………..

2   ‘Why didn’t you tell him I was here?’ ‘I told him!’

3   Although she’s twice my age, we have a lot in common.

4   I think he is a good friend.

5   ‘You don’t support me enough.’ ‘I support you!’

      ……………………………………..

1   I did like her.

2   ‘Why didn’t you tell him I was here?’ ‘I did tell him!’

3   Although she’s twice my age, we do have a lot in common.

4   I do think he is a good friend.

5   ‘You don’t support me enough.’ ‘I do support you!’

Writing Guide

There is a saying ‘Age is no barrier to friendship.’ Write an essay in which you give your opinion of this view, taking into consideration the generation gap and different life experience.

6. Read the task above. Make some notes for your opinion and personal description.

7. Write your essay.

Related Posts

• English Writing Exercises for B2 – A letter to a newspaper
• English Writing Exercises for B2 – A report
• English Writing Exercises for B2 – A story
• English Writing Exercises for B2 – An article
• English Writing Exercises for B2 – A letter of complaint
• English Writing Exercises for B2 – A blog post

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Download World Class eBooks

Pin It on Pinterest

English Practice Downloadable PDF Grammar and Vocabulary Worksheets

Writing worksheets (b2).

This sections provides you with downloadable PDF writing tasks. Choose from the categories on your right.

New Writing Worksheets

• ESS003 - Essay : Vegetarianism
• ESS002 - Essay : Cyberbullying
• ESS001 - Essay : Ticket Touting
• Adjective - Adverb
• Gerund and Infinitive
• Modal Verbs
• Reported Speech
• Passive Voice
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Quantifiers
• Relative Clauses
• Prepositions
• Questions and Negations
• Question Tags
• Language in Use
• Word Formation
• General Vocabulary
• Topical Vocabulary
• Key Word Transformation

News Articles

• Letters and Emails
• Blog Posts and Comments
• Connectives and Linking Phrases
• Phrasal Verbs
• Collocations and Phrases

Listening Comprehension

Privacy policy.

Essay Writing

Loading ad...

Essay writing basics

• Google Classroom
• Microsoft Teams
• Download PDF