Writing Tip: Vocabulary in Homework

Make sure your vocabulary in your homework is showing you can talk about the topic. Identify the topic(s) in the question, then use your coursebook.


Find the chapter(s) in your coursebook that refer to the topic(s) and look out some useful words. At FCE aim for six-plus, ideally a mix fo verbs, nouns and, best of all, some combinations and, if the formality is right, a phrasal verb or two are very wise.


At CAE it's similar, but you're probably looking for ten words/phrases or more. Check your formality carefully, and be on the look out for synonyms at all times.

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Writing Tip: Vocabulary in Homework

Make sure your vocabulary in your homework is showing you can talk about the topic. Identify the topic(s) in the question, then use your coursebook.


Find the chapter(s) in your coursebook that refer to the topic(s) and look out some useful words. At FCE aim for six-plus, ideally a mix fo verbs, nouns and, best of all, some combinations and, if the formality is right, a phrasal verb or two are very wise.


At CAE it's similar, but you're probably looking for ten words/phrases or more. Check your formality carefully, and be on the look out for synonyms at all times.

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A8: A Question from a Student

An incoming email from a student this week:

I was just choosing the writing for next week when a doubt came up to my mind, how many kind of writings are there? A contribution to a leaflet, an essay, an article, a report, a letter, a review, any else?

Our reply:

Roughly (and from memory!) -

Review, proposal/report, contribution, information sheet/leaflet, competition entry, formal email/letter, essay

Some of those overlap, and some are not precisely defined. "Competition Entry" in particular seems to offer lots of flexibility in format, it's the functions, formality and vocabulary that seem to be the key there.

One other: Informal email could be in the list as some of the questions (Compeition Entry, perhaps for obe) could be answered with one, depending on the formality implied or asked for in the question.

And for anyone else in doubt:

Use this blogspot post to check and we'd strongly recommen a tutorial if you're still in doubt.

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First Application Letters

Go to the Prospects UK website for some very useful language to give your application impact. Add all the good stuff to your list and be sure to use this page when doing any formal writing homeowrk in the future.

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FCE Weekly Activity 2.6: Application Letters

Go to the Prospects UK website for some very useful language to give your application impact. Add all the good stuff to your list and be sure to use this page when doing any formal writing homeowrk in the future.

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Our Advice on Writing

Five Key points

- read the question very carefully and identify necessary functions to perform

- list language to achieve functions identified above (in the appropriate formality)

- work out the vocab topic(s) and list expressions/words you know you are going to use

- decide how many paragraphs and sum up their contents in two or three words (eg - what function does each one perform?)

- have a checklist for error correction and proofreading

- allocate 5 minutes to this

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Our Advice on Writing

Five Key points

- read the question very carefully and identify necessary functions to perform

- list language to achieve functions identified above (in the appropriate formality)

- work out the vocab topic(s) and list expressions/words you know you are going to use

- decide how many paragraphs and sum up their contents in two or three words (eg - what function does each one perform?)

- have a checklist for error correction and proofreading

- allocate 5 minutes to this

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