B2 Mock Writing Paper

Thursday, 25th May 2017

(Monolingua B2)

WRITING PAPER

What follows is how I carried out the tasks during a simulation of Cambridge English: First (FCE) test, to be precise the writing paper.

Part 1: Essay

Well, Part 1 is compulsory. Candidates are given input in the form of an essay title to respond to. (In my case, as you can realise, I went off at a tangent, because the question regards national and international news).

A significant number of people complain about the fact that there are so few international and national events, especially in small towns. I believe that this opinion is not totally true and depends on the fact that local news is not detailed enough. Here, I will discuss my point of view taking as an example my town, Arezzo.
The major events, such as the medieval joust Saracino or the choral Polifonico, are massively promoted by media. Instead we do not find a line about Mengo festival, which is a series of  concerts with relevant underground bands and singers. Currently, newspapers columns are occupied by gossip about VIPs in whom nobody is  interested.
Moreover neither local nor national policy seems to be particularly keen on the artistic and cultural interests of citizens, and it should change its approach to the matter.
Finally, I believe that there is also a problem in people's perception: we generally have enough events, but we are unaware of these.
All things considered, since it is important follow this kind of events, we should read carefully the news because: something special might happen outside your door without knowing it.

PART 2: Informal Letter

In Part 2 candidates choose one from a choice of three questions. They are expected to be able to write text types such as an article, a formal or informal letter/email, a review or a report. Personally, I chose the informal letter. (In hindsight, it was not a good idea, because this type of text requires a naturally easygoing register, whereas my English, as a learnt foreign language, sounds sometimes muddled).

Dear Lou,
I'm over the moon that you are coming here! When I got your e-mail, I was so happy that I really can't put it into words. Don't worry about the accomodation, 'cause my girlfriend and I will be happy to put you up.
To answer your question, well, honestly my towns has not changed really much: I mean, some shops close and some new one opened (sure, there are more sushi-bars than in the past), but nothing has deeply varied its aspect. The life-style too has remained relaxing and – trust me – you'll chill out too during your vacation here!
Anyway, as promised, I'll take you for a tour around the historical centre, where a lots of impressive buildings medieval, worthy of being photographed, are located.  Of course, I'll explain to you everything you want.

Keep in touch,
Marco