Formal letter: Do not use contractions.

Use a formal register : Dear Mr &

Mrs Smith (not Mister & Missus) I am writing for further information about I look forward to hearing from you, Yours sincerely,

Informal letter, for example to a friend: use contractions and a bit of

chit-chat to make the letter seem real (Hi, how are you? Hows your family? I havent seen them for ages!) but get to the point of the letter quickly. Be natural : Just thought Id drop you a line to tell you that/ to ask if you could../ to see what you think about./ Finish with an expression such as: Hope to hear from you soon/ Ill be in touch/ Can you let me know as soon as possible? Then: Love, (if you are a girl or VERY good friends) or Best regards, (men) Dont write kisses. If you want to express a kiss, do it like this: Love from Jenny, XXX

E-mails are semi-formal, somewhere between the two, even if it is about

business. Start with Dear --- & finish with Best regards or Kind regards. You can use contractions, but dont use text language. For example, dont write C U L8TER (see you later).

Story: You are often given a sentence to start or finish your story. Eg: It
was midnight and I was all alone in the house. Suddenly someone knocked loudly on the door. Or Without saying a word, John got up and walked out of the room. If you enjoy telling stories, then this is a good choice for you. If you have no imagination and you have never practised writing a story before, choose another option. You should be able to use the story telling tenses: simple past; past continuous; past perfect; past perfect continuous. There should also be plenty of descriptive adjectives .Use absolute adjectives where possible. For example, dont say big, say enormous; dont say dirty say absolutely filthy. You should also use adverbs: suddenly, amazingly, unbelievably

Essay: This is the classic piece of writing demanded by schools

everywhere. It should have an introduction, a clear development or discussion of the subject and a conclusion which gives your opinion. The essay should include your reasons for your opinion and you should give examples which can be from your own experience, from historical or scientific facts, from current affairs etc. Use a formal style, good linking words, make sure there is a logical progression and dont repeat yourself.

Article: If you enjoy reading magazines & newspapers and you have
noticed the journalistic style of writing, then this could be a good choice, but it is quite difficult to do well. Magazine articles use journalistic headlines and

sub-headings. They often use rhetorical questions. You must get the readers full attention and give some opinion or comment.

Report: This option usually demands factual information which you should
present in a clear, logical way. Use subheadings, dont use contractions and make sure you control your tenses. Is the report about something which happened in the past or which is going to happen at some future date? You can invent some data or statistics to make the report seem real (eg: the vast majority of students (85%) were in favour of .). Your personal recommendation can be given throughout the report or in conclusion at the end of the report.

Marking system:
When you understand how the exam is marked, you can get a better result. There are 5 bands. I have written a simplified version of what the examiners are looking for. The University of Cambridge examiners have a much more detailed list which is too long to publish here. Band 1:Lack of organization, lack of vocabulary, lack of control of grammar, irrelevant answer, question not understood, no understanding of register. Band 2: Although the task is attempted, communication is limited, many errors make it difficult to understand, poorly organized, register inconsistent. Band 3: All content points are included, ideas are properly organized, linking words used, correct register is attempted, errors will be present but will not stop the reader from understanding. Band 4: Ideas are clearly organized & linked together. All points are included, shows good range of vocabulary & structure, an understanding of the appropriate register is demonstrated and is consistent. Grammatical or spelling mistakes do not stop the reader from understanding. Band 5: The candidates writing full achieves the task. All points are included and expanded. Synonyms are used showing a wide range of structures and a rich vocabulary. Errors are few, do not stop understanding & are probably due to ambitious attempts at difficult structures. The register is consistent and appropriate to task.