In the FCE writing test you will be expected to write a general (non-technical) text for a specific purpose. This means writing an article, an email, an essay, a letter, a report, a review or a story to meet the requirements of the question. As always, to prepare for the FCE writing test, the best advice is practice.
Know the FCE writing questions
Become familiar with the test and the types of questions that will be asked. There really is a very limited scope of questions and the more you are exposed to past questions, the more comfortable you will be in answering them.
Know the answers to the FCE writing test 🙂
Look at sample answers. When you are looking at sample answers, the common mistake is to try to use words and phrases that you are not familiar with and using them the wrong way. Learning a language is all about making mistakes and learning from them so take all new phrases and make those mistakes with your teacher rather than in the test. I recommend noting new words and phrases that you come across, writing some practice sentences using these and doing a class with a Live English teacher who can help to ensure that you are using the language correctly.
Know how it is marked
Your writing will be marked based on content, communicative achievement, organization and language used.
Content refers to how well you have done what you were asked to do.
Communicative Achievement refers to whether you have used the appropriate level of formality.
Organisation refers to how well you put together the piece of writing; is it logical and structured?
Language refers to the vocabulary and grammar that you used. Is it accurate and varied?
Know what resources you have available
Keep in mind that you are not the only person doing this test and the internet provides a way of sharing notes and samples with others so don’t forget to Google to find out what others are sharing about the test.
Good luck and remember, practice makes perfect.
