You do the writing test at the same time as the reading test. First you do the reading, and then you go straight on to the writing. The time of both tests together is 90 minutes. You can decide how long you want to spend on each test. The listening and reading together make up half the points in the exam (50 points - 25 points for each test). The writing is in three parts.
- Grammar
- Task note
- Essay
Part 1. Grammar.
In this part there are five sentences.
The usual form for this exercise is that underneath each of the five sentences another sentence has been started. You have to finish the sentence so that it means the same as the sentence above it. This is to check if you understand things like passives, changes in tense, or different constructions with the same meaning.
Usually the sentences are all about the same subject. (A person, a restaurant, a holiday, etc.) There are sometimes two or three correct answers to each question. On this practice disk we have given the best answers, but some others are possible. If you are not sure, check with a teacher.
Part 2. Task note.
Here you are given some information that you have to pass to someone in a note of 35-40 words. Usually there are three parts to the note - for example you might have to ask someone when you are meeting them, ask for directions to the place, and apologise for not meeting them on a previous occasion. Sometimes you are asked to write this as an e-mail, but you don't need the technical parts of the e-mail!
Part 3. Essay.
This is about 100 words. You lose marks if you write too little. Usually you get two choices of what you can write ( either part 7 or part 8). You can choose whether to write an informal letter or tell a story.
Usually you will have to describe something (like an exciting day), discuss something (for example why exercise is important), explain something, or arrange something.
If the examiner can't read what you have written you will not get any points.
