Writing

THE WRITING COMPONENT OF THE EXAM

In the exam you are asked to write a composition. The composition is worth 3 marks. Marks are awarded for contents and language.

Here we will keep a note of the different types of writing text we've looked at in class.


 * 1 DESCRIBING A PERSON **
 * TASK **

 Do you remember Jane? The girl whose description you read and corrected in class? Well here is a description of her boyfriend, Frank. Read the sentences and put them in the correct order to form a short description of Frank.

Paragraph 1: She and Frank talk to each other on skype every day and they see each other once a month. He studies Chemical Engineering at the university in Seville. Frank is Jane's boyfriend. He's German. It must be difficult for them living in separate countries. He and Jane met three years ago on summer holiday. Jane lives in London.

Paragraph 2: He plays the guitar and loves surfing. He speaks Spanish and English very well and he tells great jokes. He's tall and blonde and very funny. Last week I met Frank for the first time. He's a nice guy. We spent the day together on the beach.

Paragraph 3: I think they make a great couple. Jane looked really relaxed and happy in his company.

Suggested answer - but remember other answers could also be correct. (The answer is in white - run your cursor over the next 8 lines to see the text.)

Frank is Jane's boyfriend. He's German. He studies Chemical Engineering at the university in Seville. He and Jane met three years ago on summer holiday. Jane lives in London. She and Frank talk to each other on skype every day and they see each other once a month. It must be difficult for them living in separate countries.

Last week I met Frank for the first time He's a nice guy. He's tall and blonde and very funny. He plays the guitar and loves surfing. We spent the day together on the beach. He speaks Spanish and English very well and he tells great jokes.

Jane looked really relaxed and happy in his company. I think they make a great couple.

Match the paragraphs to the summaries.
 * TASK **

A) This paragraph is a short conclusion. It refers back to the opening paragraph. B) This paragraph introduced Frank and gives us some basic information about him. C) This paragraph talks about what he likes doing, and what he is like as a person.


 * TASK **

Write a short description of the boyfriend or girlfriend of a close friend of yours. Follow this paragrpah structure and write about 120 words.

paragraph 1: introduction and basic information paragraph 2: a more detailed description (could include likes/dislikes and personality) paragraph 3: conclusion - give your opinion about this person