CPE/CAE Writing to impress the examiner

When it comes to the CPE and CAE writing exams, showing off your high level of English by using a wide range of vocabulary and the most complicated grammar structures you learnt at school is not only ok but a have-to-do. No time nor place for being simple and humble, really! You need to demonstrate how good you are and how much you deserve to pass the exam by doing your very best.

Here there are some tips on how to enhance your text and make an excellent impression on the examiner:


1. Avoid using plain common adjectives like "nice" or "interesting" when writing a book/film review.

Instead of writing "It is an interesting book with a nice argument." Try something like "It is a riveting book, with a gripping plot and an unpredictable ending."


2. Use idioms, especially when writing articles, informal letters or stories.

Instead of:
"She told me the dress had been expensive but I didn´t believe her. I thought maybe she was joking."

Try:
"She told me the dress had been expensive but I didn´t believe her. I thought she was pulling my leg."

*pulling someone´s leg = joking


3 Use inversions when writing stories to make them more sophisticated and dramatic.

For example:

Little did I know of was about to happen that dark and stormy night...

Had I listened to my heart, I would have known that...( he was not a good man...)