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CAE Key Word Transformation

Formal Structures (Including Conditionals)

For Questions 1-6, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and six words, including the words given.

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Created with Hot Potatoes by Half-Baked Software, registered to Flo-Joe.

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CAE Key Word Transformation: Formal Structures (Including Conditionals)

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For Questions 1-6, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and six words, including the words given.

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The aim of this article is to answer all your questions about proposals, to make you feel more comfortable about writing a proposal in the CAE exam, and to show you how to plan and write one with examples from a teacher and a student.

Contents

- Questions About Proposals
- Andrew Writes a Proposal
- A Student Writes a Proposal
- Links to More Resources

Questions About Proposals

Where do proposals come in the exam?

Proposals are (half the time) one of the options in part 2 of the writing test.

What's the Word count?

You need to smash out 220-260 words. Write fewer words and you probably haven't completed the task, write more and you've probably included some irrelevant info.

Do I *have to* learn this?

A lot of my students don't like doing proposals because they seem scary and business-y. That's a shame because sometimes the proposal topic in the exam is one they want to write about. So I recommend trying to learn how to write a proposal for CAE even if you don't like the idea of writing proposals.

By the way, proposals aren't that hard.

What exactly is a proposal?

A proposal starts by describing the situation in a business, school, club, or other organisation you might be part of. For example, you might have to talk about the computer room in your college or the state of the canteen in your office. Sounds like a report, doesn't it? Well so far it's pretty similar.

The difference between a report and a proposal is that in the latter we have to give recommendations on improving the situation.

You have to persuade whoever is reading the proposal to make the changes you think are best.

So:

I don't know about you, but to me that doesn't sound boring. I like telling people how to do things better. That's why I made this website.

Who's going to read it?

As you'd expect, sometimes the proposals in CAE are set in the business world, and sometimes in the academic world. In these cases you'll be writing in quite a formal style. Another common scenario is that you're in a club and want to propose some changes - if you're writing to the other members of the club you can be a bit less formal but you should still be polite.

Note that you can use a lot of phrasal verbs - they are quite common in all kinds of English. I have an online course where you can learn 70 phrasal verbs. It's the most fun you can have at a computer.

Are there any special rules?

You should use headings, and have an intro and conclusion. You CAN use bullet points but I tell my students to write in full sentences. It's a writing test not a bullet point test. Bullet points can help people read something efficiently, but they are often used by writers who are too lazy/scared to write complete sentences. Use them with care!

Oh, and it's not a letter so don't start with 'Dear Sir.'

What was that free writing software you mentioned before?

Have you made a funny video explaining proposals in your delightful, charming British way?

No, I've been too busy. But I have to say this video is pretty good:

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How to Write a CAE Proposal - CAE Exam Tips

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In this article I teach you how to write a CAE proposal - what is important, what is not, and show you examples of how to do it.

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1. Introduction

You have 90 minutes to write two texts. Each text should be about 220-260 words long (see the Questions section at the bottom if you have concerns about the word count). Part 1 is always an essay, while in part 2 you have a choice of 3 tasks (letter/email; proposal; report; review).

The examiners assess you on 4 elements:

Content - Did you do the task you were asked to do?

Communicative achievement - Did you use the right tone and level of formality?

Organisation - Did you link paragraphs together? Is there a logical flow?

Language - Did you show off your sparkling vocabulary or did you merely use First Certificate words? Did you make lots of grammar mistakes?

Before you continue with this guide, I strongly recommend you read about this free tool that will help you with your writing:

You have 90 minutes to write 2 texts. Both texts will be about the same length, and are worth the same number of points. Obviously, you should spend the same amount of time on each! Personally, I'd spend as much time planning as possible, since it makes everything else easier. The exact time split will depend on how fast you write, but try something like this:

3. You can't cook without a recipe

A lot of students hate planning and think it's a waste of valuable exam time. But do chefs walk into a kitchen and just start cooking? Of course not - they lay out their ingredients, make sure their utensils are clean, and have their recipe nearby.

Your plan is the recipe you'll use to cook up a great piece of writing. Think about how many paragraphs you want then get some ideas about the content of each. But even at this early stage you should start planning the language you want to use. Ask yourself questions like:

Where can I use a passive form?

Where can I use an inversion?

What CAE-level vocabulary do I know about this topic, and where can I use it?

How do I link from one paragraph to the next?

Thinking about solutions before you start writing is the easiest way to solve problems!

4. Grading: Content

Part 1

The first thing you're assessed on is your content. That basically means reading the task carefully and doing what you are told to do! In part 1 you are given three bullet points but are asked to talk about TWO of them. (You're also given some opinions on the topic that you can use if you want, but you don't have to.) Here's an example of the three bullet points and a task:

If I were planning my answer, I'd probably choose 'giving rules' and 'setting an example' as my two points because I feel like I have more to say about those topics. ( How much would I write about 'offering advice'? Nothing! Because I should only write about two things!)

Another important point is to say which is more effective. I'd probably write one paragraph about 'giving rules', and the next paragraph would be about 'setting an example' - I would be sure to give reasons why it was a more effective way to influence younger people.

Part 2

What about part 2? Again, it's important to read the question carefully and make sure you include everything it tells you to.

Here's the kind of task that will come up:

Here's an outline you could follow:

Not very imaginative, but you'd be guaranteed to get full marks in terms of content!

5. Grading: Communicative Achievement

Tone

Which is better English:

1. Wasssssssup?!

or

2. Dear Sir or Madam

Well, it depends who you're talking to! If your task is to write a report for your 'serious' organisation you should use a formal tone. If you're writing a magazine article for teenagers you can be more informal.

This is a HUGE topic and there's not enough space to go into it in detail here. I'll list a few external resources that might help, but a good coursebook will give you lots of guidance.

The main tip is to be consistent - students often write a report that is 95% formal, and then throw in some exclamation points, slang, contractions, and informal vocabulary. That's bad! It suggest you don't have control over your tone.

Learn more about formal vs informal English:

Task types

You should invest some time making sure you know the difference between a letter and an essay, and between a report and a proposal. Here are a few quick tips:
Essay
You need to give your opinion in an interesting way. CAE essays are often academic in tone, so practice of formal writing will be helpful.
Letter/email
Write an email with the same opening/closing as a letter. In these you write about your personal experiences. Your writing will have a purpose, like responding to a newspaper article you don't agree with.
Report/Proposal
Use headings for each paragraph. The task will tell you some of the content you need to include and you'll be able to use your imagination to add some more ideas. You may be asked to evaluate if some goal has been achieved and/or to suggest alternative courses of action. A proposal will have more scope for making suggestions and more need for polite persuasive language.

6. Grading: Organisation

Cambridge love linking words and cohesive devices. These are bits of text like 'firstly', 'whereas', 'in addition', 'however', and so on. Properly used, they will make your writing flow and make your text easier to read. You can't do well in CAE without using these phrases.

Here's a page with some ideas about cohesive devices - try to include them in your writing. Here's another one with tips for the IELTS exam.

7. Grading: Language

Organising a text, using linking words, and getting all the content points is a great start, but for a high grade you'll need to use advanced vocabulary and more difficult sentence structures.

In the planning stage of the exam think about which high-level words you know for that topic and think in which paragraph you can use them. For example, if the topic is about transport you might use phrases like 'mass transit system', 'to commute', 'congestion,' and 'pressed for time'.

Then you need to use a variety of structures - passives, inversions, cleft sentences, questions, sentences with semi-colons. The more variety the better!

Also a variety of sentence lengths. This picture explains what I mean:

So instead of writing like this:
A lot of politicians say they will improve bus and train services. Having trains is good for people who have to go to work. It means they don't have to take the car to work. It is probably faster. If everyone takes a train to work there won't be any traffic jams.
You can produce this:
Why do progressive politicians pledge to provide mass transit systems in their cities? The answer is clear: Not only do pressed-for-time commuters benefit, but there is also less pollution. Let congestion be a thing of the past; let flowers bloom next to every tram stop.
In those three sentences there is one question; one colon; one semi-colon; one 'not only but also'; one imperative. Not bad, right? You can write like this if you practice and if you're not afraid to make some mistakes along the way.

8. How to write a CAE essay/letter/report/proposal

Essays

9. Our Videos about CAE Writing

10. Common Mistakes in CAE Writing

Grammar Mistakes

Most CAE students don't make obvious, basic mistakes like your/you're or its/it's. But they do struggle with things like:
Relative clauses
You need to learn the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses. Your non-defining clauses need commas, while your defining clauses shouldn't have commas.

I had lunch with my grandfather, who is 90 years old. (The second half of the sentence tells you more about my grandfather. It's bonus information, so there has to be a comma.)

I had lunch with my friend who lives in Prague. (I am very cool and popular - I have lots of friends. If I say 'I had lunch with my friend' you don't know which friend I mean. So the 'who lives in Prague' clause gives you essential information. Therefore, no comma!)

Note that non-defining pronouns cannot be changed to 'that', so you should never write a comma followed by 'that'. (This is especially a problem for German speakers because in German you HAVE to use a comma before 'that'.)
Gerund vs infinitive
Gerund means the -ing form of a verb. This is a tricky part of grammar because there are no rules and you have to learn every verb one by one. English! Argh! Anyway, make sure you know these structures:

I used to live in China (= I lived in China).

I'm used to hear ing German (= hearing German is normal for me).

I look forward to meet ing you.

I stopped smok ing (= I quit).

I stopped to smoke (= I stopped what I was doing because I wanted to have a cigarette).

I recommend buy ing new computer equipment. (Suggest and advise are also followed by gerunds.)

I recommend you buy new computer equipment.

Prepositions
So hard! So many prepositions! So many mistakes! Just learn as many as you can and remember, every single student who has ever taken the CAE exam has struggled with prepositions. You are not alone!
Conditionals
If I get the job I will move to Zurich. (The speaker is confident.)

If I got the job I would move to Zurich. (The speaker is not confident.)

If I had got the job I would have moved to Zurich. (But the speaker didn't get the job and didn't move to Zurich.)

Other Mistakes
Not taking risks
A lot of students always write the same, safe, things they always write. To master advanced vocabulary and structures you have to use advanced vocabulary and structures!
Being boring
It's hard enough to produce a well-structured piece of writing with good vocabulary that fits the content. But remember that the examiners read hundreds and hundreds of essays and most of them are very boring! If you make yours interesting (though the style, unexpectedly good vocabulary, maybe even a joke or two) the examiners will be VERY happy and you will be REWARDED.

11. Writing Correction Online

Students often ask if I offer a writing correction service. Well... to be honest I'm not very motivated to do that right now. You should find a teacher on italki instead. Click here to read about italki. (Watch the video with David to hear more about writing correction.)

12. Frequently Asked Questions

Q - Do I have to use British spelling?

A - No, it doesn't matter. But if you use American spelling, be consistent throughout your writing.

Q - How important is spelling and punctuation?

A - It's pretty important - If you make a trivial mistake it won't be a big deal. If the mistake stops the reader from understanding what you mean then you will lose points.

Q - How important is the word count? What happens if I write too many words?

A - The word count is a guide, not a rule. But if you do the task properly you will write about 220-260 words. If you write 300 words then you've probably written lots of stuff you don't need. If you write 200 words you've probably forgotten something.

DO NOT waste time in the exam counting how many words you have written! And never add or remove words just because of the word count - it'll turn out clumsy and weird.

All that said, when you are practicing for the writing section, I recommend you stick to the suggested word count.

Note that the computer-based exam will automatically count how many words you're using. Handy! See this article for more information about the computer-based CAE exam.

Q - I know I need to use complex sentences to get a good grade, but I'm worried about making mistakes. Is it better to have a simple text with no mistakes?

A - Cambridge says that students who make mistakes while trying to use complex structures will get credit for trying (as long as the mistake doesn't stop the reader from understanding).

Q - My handwriting is terrible! No-one can read it! Will I lose points?

A - No. Your handwriting is not very important. Just make sure it can be read. Also, you don't need to rewrite your text (and you don't have time to rewrite it) - if it's got lots of bits crossed out, don't worry. Every student's writing looks the same!

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CAE Writing Test Tips - Guaranteed to Improve Your Exam Score - CAE Exam Tips

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You have 90 minutes to write two texts. Each text should be about 220-260 words long (see the Questions section at the bottom if you have concerns about the word count). Part 1 is always an essay, while in part 2 you have a choice of 3 tasks (letter/email; proposal; report; review).

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(Nice flashcards and study aids)

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cae phrasal verbs Flashcards and Study Sets | Quizlet

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Learn cae phrasal verbs with free interactive flashcards. Choose from 5,000 different sets of cae phrasal verbs flashcards on Quizlet.

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Image credit: forevertwentysomethings.com

Follow me on twitter @RobbioDobbio

This is a worksheet for C1 students in which they learn 10 phrasal verbs and put them into practice in conversation. Download the worksheet and key below:
CAE Phrasal Verbs CAE Phrasal Verbs key Match the phrasal verbs in bold with the definitions below.

1. I told him to stop texting his ex-girlfriend but he didn't act on my advice and now his new girlfriend has found out!

2. Remember to all your important files on a pendrive so you don't lose them.

3. What you this weekend? The children are very quiet upstairs, they must

4. He the cake into 4 pieces and shared them out. The teacher ran down to the playground and the fight.

5. There are 100 protestors outside calling for the president's resignation.

6. The match has been called off due to the torrential rain.

7. I need to throw so much stuff away, I have tonnes of books cluttering up my room.

8. While I was cleaning out the attic I came across my old secondary school photo album, it's so funny.

9. I'm finding it hard to cope with the amount of homework they teacher keeps giving me.

a. Pay a quick visit

b. divide into parts/end/separate

c. demand

d. fill untidily

e. save a copy

f. follow a recommendation

g. cancel

h. deliver

i. find unexpectedly

j. do something (sometimes something you shouldn't do)

k. manage/deal with

Match the phrasal verbs above to the pictures. -pictures only show up on word doc :(- Complete the questions with one of the phrasal verbs and then ask them to your partner.

1. Do you usually ______ _______ your parents' advice? Why? Why not? Have you ever not _______ ______ some advice and regretted it later?

2. Is your room _________ ______ like the one in the picture above? If so what is it ___________ _____ with? Books? Clothes?

3. Do people ever ___________ __________to your house unannounced?

4. What's the best way to ________ ________ a fight? Have you ever done it?

5. How do you get to class? Do you travel alone or does someone _______ you ________ in a car?

6. Do you always ________ ________ important files? If so where do you keep them? Have you ever lost an important document or file?

7. When was the last time you ________ _________ something from your childhood that you hadn't seen for ages?

8. What does the political situation in your country at the moment _______ _______?

9. What _______ you _______ ________ this weekend? What bad things did you used to get ______ ______ when you were younger?

10. Can you ________ __________ the amount of work you have to do at the moment? What do you do to relieve stress?

Key
Definition Match

Picture Match

Gap-fill questions

Barcelona based English Teacher, blogger and sometime actor and director. View All Posts

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Image credit: forevertwentysomethings.com Follow me on twitter @RobbioDobbio This is a worksheet for C1 students in which they learn 10 phrasal verbs and put them into practice in conversation. Download the worksheet and key below: CAE Phrasal Verbs CAE Phrasal Verbs key Definition Match Match the phrasal verbs in bold with the definitions below.

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cae  exam practice english language elt efl grammar writing structure cambridge business exercises

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CAE Use of English Part 1 - free online practice test

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Cambridge Advanced Exam (CAE) - free English in Use and listening practice tests

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Relative Pronouns - Use of English Open Cloze

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Relative Pronouns - Use of English Open Cloze

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certificate in advanced english vocabulary

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Relative pronouns and the CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) Open Cloze task

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Try this quiz to see how relative pronouns are often tested in the CAE Open Cloze task

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Certificate in Advanced English exam corresponds to level C1 of the CEFR and has four papers: Writing, Reading and Use of English, Speaking and Listening. The Reading and Use of English is worth 40% of the marks, whereas Listening, Writing and Speaking each carry 20% of the marks. Paper 1 contains eight parts (56 questions) and takes 90 minutes. You are expected to be able to comprehend texts taken from a wide range of sources like magazines, novels, short stories, newspapers, reviews and internet articles. Use of English is about complex grammar with a particular focus on advanced-level vocabulary. More than 6000 business, educational institutions and government departments throughout the world accept the CAE. Why not try our free practice tests below.

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Certificate in Advanced English exam corresponds to level C1 of the CEFR and has four papers: Writing, Reading and Use of English, Speaking and Listening. The Reading and Use of English is worth 40% of the marks, whereas Listening, Writing and Speaking each carry 20% of the marks.