FCE / CAE / CPE

CRAM OR DIE
YOU WILL BE HEAVILY PENALIZED IF
YOUR ESSAY DOES NOT FEATURE:
1. FCE, CAE, CPE: CONTENT THAT IS RELEVANT TO THE
TOPIC. YOUR ENGLISH CAN BE AKIN TO SHAKESPEARES;
BUT, IF IT IS IRRELEVANT, DOES NOT ADDRESS THE
TOPIC OR IS INCOHERENT, YOU WILL FAIL.
2. FCE, CAE, CPE: A TOPIC SENTENCE IN EACH AND

EVERY PARAGRAPH. THIS WILL BE BETTER EXPLAINED

SOME SLIDES AHEAD.
3. CAE, CPE: AN INVERSION (NEVER BEFORE HAS AN

ISSUE BEEN IN THE LIMELIGHT FOR SO LONG NOR HAS

IT CAUGHT THE EYE OF THE PUBLIC IN SUCH AN
IMPRESSIVE WAY).
4. CAE, CPE: ADVANCED CONJUNCTIONS

(NEVERTHELESS, MOREOVER, INASMUCH AS,

THEREFORE, WHEREAS, WHILST, THEREBY, HENCE, ETC).
4.1 FCE (BASIC CONJUNTIONS)
 5. FCE, CAE, CPE: A PASSIVE VOICE, NEVER IN THE
CONCLUSION, THOUGH: (IT IS OFTEN SAID THAT / THE YOUTH
IS ADMITTEDLY BELIEVED TO FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF
THEIR ROLE MODELS / IT IS STRONGLY BELIEVED THAT, ETC).
6. CAE, CPE: A PARTICIPLE CLAUSE: (HAVING GAINED
CONSIDERABLE KNOWLEDGE IN THEIR FIELD OF EXPERTISE,
SCIENTISTS FOUND THEMSELVES MORE THAN PREPARED TO
FACE THE DAILY BATTLES OF THE ACADEMIC WORLD).
7. FCE, CAE, CPE: A DOUBLE COMPARATIVE: (THEREFORE,
HAVING ESTABLISHED BOUNDARIES AND SET LIMITS, ADULTS
BECOME EMPOWERED OF THEIR OWN ACCORD. THE MORE
CONTROL ADULTS HAVE IN THEIR HANDS THE BETTER
GUIDANCE THEY WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE YOUNGER
ONES WITH).
8. FCE, CAE, CPE: ADVERBS/ADJECTIVES COLLOCATIONS,

THE CORRECT ONES (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, STRONGLY

BELIEVED, STAUNCHLY OPPOSED, WIDELY ACCEPTED,
CONSIDERABLY ANYTHING, UTTERLY ANYTHING VERY BAD,
BITTERLY DISAPPOINTED, ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY,
INHERENTLY UNACCEPTABLE, GENERALLY KNOWN, ETC).
 9. CAE, CPE: A CLEFT SENTENCE: (WHAT REALLY MATTERS
IN THIS ISSUE IS / THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, ETC).
10. CAE, CPE: AN INVERTED CONDITIONAL: (WERE WE TO

ASSUME ALL ADULTS ARE MATTER OF FACTLY ROLE

MODELS FOR THE YOUTH, IT WOULD BE ONLY FAIR TO
IMPLY THAT EVEN THOSE WHO MAKE POOR DECISIONS IN
LIFE WOULD ALSO TAKE THE LEAD. NEEDLESS TO SAY,
WERE THIS PREPOSTEROUS SCENARIO TO BECOME
REALITY, CHAOS WOULD BE THE RULE, AND NOT AN
EXCEPTION).

NOW, CAMBRIDGE COULDNT CARE LESS HOW YOULL

REMEMBER ALL THIS. AN ACRONYM, PERHAPS...? AT ANY
RATE, DO USE AS MANY OF THESE ELEMENTS AS POSSIBLE,
IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE A KILLER GRADE.
1. WHAT IS A TOPIC SENTENCE?
IT IS SIMPLY THE SENTENCE THAT EXPRESSES AND INTRODUCES
THE MAIN IDEA OF THE PARAGRAPH IN WHICH IT OCCURS. IN
BRITISH AND AMERICAN SCHOOLS, THE CORE WRITING SYSTEM IS
BASED ON TOPIC SENTENCES AND THESIS. FORTUNATELY, WE
WILL ONLY HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE EASY PART HERE, THE TOPIC
SENTENCE. LETS CALL IT TS.

2. WHERE DO I NEED A TS?

IN EVERY SINGLE PARAGRAPH.

3.WHERE EXACTLY IN THE PARAGRAPH?

IN THE VERY BEGINNING.

4. WHAT IF MY PARAGRAPH HAS MORE THAN ONE IDEA?

YOU WILL SEPARATE THE FIRST TOPIC WITH A FULL STOP (.).
THEN , YOU WILL WRITE THE NEW TS. THEN, YOU WILL START
YOUR ARGUMENTATION.

5. CAN I ONLY WRITE MY TSs AND THATS IT?

 NO, NOT IN A MILLION YEARS. THE TS IS
ESSENTIAL, COMPULSORY, BUT IT IS THERE ONLY
TO INTRODUCE THE TOPIC OF THAT PARAGRAPH.
AFTER THE TS, WE JUSTIFY OUR IDEAS BY
MAKING A POINT OR USING EXAMPLES TO
SUPPORT OUR OPINIONS AND VIEWS, FOR
EXAMPLE. WE CAN REPHRASE (NOT REPEAT, NOT
STALL), BY REINFORCING OUR POINT, IN OTHER
WORDS. REMEMBER: OUR GOAL IS TO CONVINCE
THE EXAMINER. A KILLER ESSAY IS THE ONE
THAT NEEDS READING JUST ONCE. YOU HAVE
MADE YOUR POINT, THE EXAMINER GETS IT.
EXPLAIN E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. YOURE THE WRITER.
YOU IMPLY. YOU MIGHT LET THEM INFER, BUT
NEVER LET THEM WONDER.

The English and Americans are schooled to write in justified

paragraphs. These words you have just read are the topic sentence. So now
you know what I will be talking about. Here comes my argumentation: Having
learned to write and read this way, Cambridge examiners might find it
incredibly confusing, not to mention annoying, to read essays, letters,
reviews, reports and proposals in the Brazilian or French ways, for
example, with a blank gap on the left at every paragraph and no line
skipping.

For this reason, Brazilian applicants, as well as those of all

nationalities, are highly recommended to write in justified
paragraphs, skiping a line in between paragraphs. Thats another TS for
you. Like I said, you need one for each paragraph. What comes now? Yes!
Argumentation.. It goes without saying that for candidates whose
handwriting borders unsustainable reading or utter illegibility,
capital letters are compulsory.

Paragraphs whose topic sentences are not clearly stated or, God
forbid, not stated at all, tend to confuse (and infuriate) the examiner.
Besides, old habits die hard, if ever, and you cannot teach an old (English) dog
new tricks, so, do not try to be smart. Play it by the book, write straightforward
topic statements for each paragraph and write in justified paragraphs,
skipping a line in between paragraphs.
 NEVER WRITE THING, GOOD, BAD, PEOPLE
(UNLESS THERES ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER OPTION).
WHEN YOU USE PRONOUNS THEY, THEM, HIM
MAKE SURE YOU EXPLAIN WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE
AND WHY THEY ARE RELEVANT TO THE ESSAY.
DO NOT USE CONTRACTIONS;

DO NOT USE QUESTION MARKS OR EXCLAMATION

MARKS (THIS IS AN ESSAY, NOT AN ARTICLE);
DO NOT WRITE THE THIRD PARAGRAPH AS IF IT
WERE ON MARS AND THE SECOND PARAGRAPH ON
PLUTO. THEY MUST BE CONNECTED SOMEHOW,
COUNTERBALANCED (BECAUSE YOU MUST CHOOSE

ONE TOPIC IN THE CONCLUSION).

DO NOT TRY TO BE THE NEXT SHAKESPEARE,
KIDDO, NOT HERE, NOT NOW.
TAKE THE CHECKLIST SERIOUSLY, PUT IT UP ON
YOUR BEDROOM WALL, MEMORIZE AS MANY
STRUCTURES AS YOU CAN, COME UP WITH A
TEMPLATE THAT YOUR TEACHER SAYS IS A KILLER
AND STICK TO IT. YOU WILL BE TIMED UP ON THE
BIG DAY. THERE WILL BE NO TIME FOR YOU TO
PLAY BAUDELAIRE. FIVE LETTERS:

W R I T E
 FCE STYLE
Essay about how adults can have a good influence on younger people

Nowadays, everyone knows the importance of adults for

children and teenagers, and how they can have a positive
influence on their lives. One of the most important adults in our
lives are our parents. We copy them in everything they do and say.
They are the first adults to show us the world, explain how it works
and its rules. They are also the people who tell us we must obey
these rules and that there are consequences if we do not.

Note the two topic sentences. Why did I choose to place the second topic
sentence at the very end of the paragraph?
 CAE STYLE
Essay about how adults can have a good influence on younger people

It is common knowledge that youngsters are directly

influenced by adults who are part of their lives. Such
influence is even stronger when the adults in question are
the teenagers own parents. Fathers and mothers are every
human beings first contact with the world, and it is their
full responsibility to teach the young ones that much
of what it means to be here concerns following rules,
as well as much of what comprises this life depends
on the consequences of not following them.

Note the two topic sentences. Why did I choose to place the
second topic sentence at the very end of the paragraph?
 CPE STYLE
Essay about how adults can have a good influence on younger people

The youth is widely known to be directly influenced by

adults surrouding them, especially so when it comes to
their own parents. A newborn will naturally mirror their
parents in every aspect of their being, for it is those adults who
will teach them what that new world is all about and, more
importantly, how it works in terms of rules and how
obviously crucial it is to follow them. Not only will the
young ones be taught about the values and morality that
rules bear , but also and primarily, about the
accountability they entail along with insubordinance.

Note the two topic sentences. What functional language (the stuff
from the checklist) have I used so far? Why did I choose to place
the second topic sentence at the very end of the paragraph?
 FCE STYLE

Firstly, parents can be a good influence on their

children by creating rules in their homes and
forcing them to folllow these rules. This is an
effective way to influence younger generations because
they will see rules as something normal, something
that they have in their own houses. Besides, the
parents can come up with some forms of
pushiment for the children who disobey the
rules. So, the younger people will feel scared because
they do not want to be punished and will obey the
rules. This is a very good influence.
 CAE STYLE
One prime example of adult influence on
youngsters are the classic house rules. When
parents create house rules for children to follow at
their earliest age, the whole process of having limits
and obeying regulations becomes natural, practically
inherent to the childs environment. Besides, there
is another beneficial aspect in parent rule-
making: should the child disobey one of the long
established and mutually agreed upon house
rules, the adult can administer some sort of
punisment, bringing the young one back on the
right track, which would surely guarantee that
he/she benefit from this positive influence.
 CPE STYLE
One effective way a parent can use to teach their

offspring about regulations and the utmost importance

of complying with them is by setting rules themselves.
There is no better tool for a child or a teenager to learn
about respect and obedience than witnessing the birth
of law and order, so to speak, in their very home. Besides,
having drawn the line and not crossed it themselves, adults are
the living proof that regulations are not top down; they impose
them, but they also obey them. In this respect, the logic is quite
simple: Firstly, adults create rules at home. Then, children
follow them and learn to conceive of them as a natural part of
the world. As a consequence, society outside will host fully
developed, law-abiding individuals. On top of that, there is
always the additional advantage of punishment for the
recalcitrant one. Parents might start playing it parentally
correct with a light as a feather slap on the wrist, but they will
most certainly not have failed to admonish their heir against
juvenile deliquency. Better safe and grounded, than sorry.
 FCE STYLE
Secondly, there are parents who prefer to give

advice to their children, instead of creating rules or

force them to follow these rules and punish the
children if they do not obey them. Younger people love
advice because, to them, it feels like they are having a
natural conversation with a friend, for example, and not a
parent. But, sometimes, they might just pretend to be
listening to their parents advice and ignore it later,
and this could be a disadvantage, because, in that
case, there would have been no influence at all,
neither good, nor bad.

Notice how I make it clear to the examiner, NOW, which

side Ill be on. You MUST do this in your essays. The third
paragraph MUST be, somehow, CONNECTED to the
second one.
 CAE STYLE
For every parent who believes in rules and
boundaries, there is one who believes in the power of
advising their children.The closer the bond made
between parent and child, the more trust and reliability
there is in this relationship, or so it is believed. This way,
adults would be a good influence on youngsters
because they would listen to the voice of experience
and learn from their mistakes, without necessarily
having to make any themselves. Nevertheless, advice is
extremely flexible and, teenagers, impossibly disobedient,
not to mention adventurous. Besides, not having the
threat of punishment to slow fast and furious
teenagers down, they might disregard the good
advice at the drop of a hat and do anything but good.
Notice how I make it clear to the examiner, NOW, which side
Ill be on. You MUST do this in your essays. The third
paragraph MUST be, somehow, CONNECTED to the second
one.
 CPE STYLE
It is also argued, and frequently so, that adults who advise

the young are equally contributing to their social and

psychological development in a positive fashion. As a
matter of fact, not until this centurys generation have parental
counseling and all its therapeutic liberalism been held in such
high regard. Needless to say, the healthier advice an adult
can offer, the more beneficial it will be to the youth.
However, advice alone, bendable as it is, might backfire,
regardless of a parents best intentions. The inescapable truth is:
teenagers can, do and will vary in many ways, too many to keep
score. But if there is one trait they all have in common this would
be unequivocally defiance, also known as disobedience.
Disregarding a word of advice is one thing; breaking a
rule, though, does tip the balance, and it is not in a
favorable fashion.

Notice how I make it clear to the examiner, NOW, which side Ill
be on. You MUST do this in your essays. The third paragraph
MUST be, somehow, CONNECTED to the second one.
 FCE STYLE
A third way to influence young people positively is
when parents are the example of what they want
their children to be like. If my parents, who are my role
models, set the examples and act exactly the way they
want me to act, it will be much easier and more natural
for me to understand them and to follow their model. This
would be the perfect influence for me and for my life.

All in all, it is clear to see that there are many ways

in which adults can influence younger people
positively, although I personally do not believe that
advice, alone, can make much of a difference. However, it
is my opinion that the best way to make a good
impact on young people is for parents to set
examples and act the way they want their children
to act.
 CAE STYLE
In summary, this essay has presented house rules /
punishment and advice as methods adults can or might
use to influence young people positively. Although I
deferentially recognize the value of advice in this social
process and do believe it might work for some families, I
am of the opinion that house rules, along with
punishment, will prove to be more beneficial as far
as an adult influence goes at the end of a childs
life, as he/she grows into adulthood. The world is a
place limited by boundaries and dictated by rules.
Therefore, I do not see much room for advice alone
here.
 CPE STYLE
In summary, even though I do acknowledge the fact that
adults advice might play a considerable role in younger
peoples upbringing better yet, conscientious younger
people I feel more strongly about the creation and
enforcement of rules, primarily by parents, in the
childrens home. Words of advice can be followed in the
best case scenario, but might as well fall on deaf ears
and lead to deliquency, in a more pessimistic point of
view. House rules and strict punishment to those
who break them, however, will always do the trick
in this particular case.