report writing b2 examples

• How To Write a Report: Cambridge B2 First

• Posted on 20/01/2021
• Categories: Blog
• Tags: B2 First , Cambridge Exams , Cambridge FCE First Certificate of English , FCE , Writing

Imagine the scene. It’s exam day. You’re nearly at the end of your Cambridge English B2 First exam . You’ve just finished writing Part 1 – the essay , and now it’s time to start Part 2. So you turn over the page to find three options:

– A review you know

– An article you’ve seen before

– But what’s this? A report??*

Don’t be intimidated. A report is another formal writing task. And it’s actually quite formulaic, which makes it a popular choice for students in Writing Part 2. It’s also a great opportunity to show you can communicate factual information, in a formal tone with clear organisation.

Excited to learn how to write a first-rate report? Good. We’re here to help you every step of the way and make sure you leave that exam full of confidence that you’ve passed.

*Remember you only need to choose one question to answer. Other titles may include an informal or formal email, and at B2 First for Schools there is a story option instead of a report.

Three steps to writing a report for Cambridge B2 First

Let’s begin by taking a look at a typical question for the report.

Step One: Make a plan

Before you put pen to paper and start your report, hold your horses . A plan is the best chance you have for success. Start by asking these two questions:

1. Who is the report for?

Take a look at the reader of your report. It’s normally a teacher, a superior or a peer group like the members of a book club. In this case your audience is a group leader . That means you should keep the tone nice and formal . Try to avoid contractions, colloquial language and keep it polite.

2. What do you have to do?

Look at the question and underline all the key parts. This will help focus your attention on the task in hand and decide how to organise your report.

There’ll normally be two or three things they want you to do and you’ll always be asked to give a recommendation or suggestion.

The structure is the bones of your report. It’s so important because it holds everything together. Here’s one way to organise your report but perhaps you have another idea?

1. Introduction

2. How technology is used in subject X

3. How technology is used in subject Y

4. Your recommendation for which lesson the teacher should watch

The trick is to keep the structure nice and simple. And always check you’re answering the question.

Brainstorm:

Now you have a clear outline, consider the main topic paragraphs and what you want to include. If you get stuck , think about your own real life experiences. How is technology used in your own lessons at school? Make some notes on your ideas.

Step Two: Write it

If you haven’t skipped the planning stage, writing your report should be easy. An important thing to add here is that reports often contain subheadings. In fact, in the B2 First exam they are strongly encouraged!

Introduction

Remember that a report is a document that presents information in a clear and organised way. Think about science reports or statistical reports. They have strong introductions that clearly state their aims.

Useful language:

• The aim / purpose / intention of this report is to…
• In this report I will look at…
• This report is based on…
• This report is intended to…

Here’s what a clearly defined report intro might look like…

Just make sure you don’t copy words from the question exactly, and instead try to paraphrase .

Main body of report

This is where we get to the main body of the report. Again, we want to keep it really clear and organised and one way to do that is with bullet points or numbering .

However, don’t overdo it. If you use bullets and numbering in one section, avoid using them in the next. You want to show off that you can write well in English and use a wide range of vocabulary and structures. You also want to use some fancy, formal sounding linkers to connect your ideas.

• Currently…
• To begin with…
• Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly…
• It appears that…
• According to…
• One way…
• Another way…
• Furthermore / In addition…

Now move on to your second paragraph. Try to stay general and avoid personal anecdotes. Don’t start talking about what you like to do at school in your technology classes or what you had for dinner last night. Instead, keep things relevant to the task.

A good way to do this is by using passive reporting verbs:

• It is generally believed that…
• It is thought that…
• One way in which technology is used…
• X is considered to be…

Remember to expand on your points giving reasons for your ideas. And if you do everything right, your second paragraph may look something like this.

Recommendations

Here’s the fun part! This is where you can look back at your ideas and give your own opinion. Make sure you mention the ideas from the previous paragraphs and don’t forget to give reasons why.

• All things considered…
• I would recommend / suggest + ing…
• I would recommend / suggest + object + infinitive (no to)…
• Based on all the findings…
• Although both… , I think that…
• It would seem that……

Let’s look at this sample answer.

If you run out of things to say – remember you can mention the weaknesses of the other option.

Step Three: Check it

Now hopefully you’ve written a report to be proud of. The only thing left to do is to refine it before the time is up !

Make sure you’ve:

• answered all parts of the question, including making a recommendation/suggestion
• used formal language and no contractions like I’m, It’s, haven’t etc.
• written subheadings for each paragraph
• used correct spelling and punctuation
• linked your sentences with connectors eg. However, Because, Although, Furthermore, etc .

Sample report questions

Now you’re a master in report writing, why not put everything you’ve learnt into practice? Try one of these sample report questions.

Glossary for language learners:

hold your horses (exp): used to tell someone to stop and consider carefully their decision or opinion about something.

the bones of sth. (n): the structure or main idea of something.

get stuck (v): to be in a position where you’re unable to move.

skipped (v): missed out to move on to the next thing.

paraphrase (n): to say something in a different way but so it means the same.

overdo (v): to do too much of something.

show off (pv): to show your abilities and accomplishments.

expand on (v): to develop an idea.

run out of (pv): to deplete / to be used up.

time is up (exp): the time allowed is finished.

exp = expression

pv = phrasal verb

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• By: oxfordadmin
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Breakout English

How to write a report

Are you planning to take an English exam like Cambridge B2 First, C1 Advanced or the Trinity ISE exams and feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of writing a report? Let’s discuss the style and purpose of a report, the suggested format when you write a report for an exam, and useful phrases for reports. Finally, we’ve got some free downloadable materials to learn useful phrases for reports and sample writings to practise at home.

Style and purpose of a report

The style of a report should be formal and objective, presenting information in a clear, concise, and logical way. The purpose of a report is to communicate important information, findings, and recommendations to a specific audience in a structured and organised format. A report should also provide evidence to support its claims, such as statistics, data, and expert opinions.

Reports in English exams are mini-replicas of what you would be expected to write in a professional context. These may be written for a company, a government organisation, or for a university/school setting.

How to write a report with paragraph headings

A report typically follows a specific format with paragraph headings that make it easier for the reader to navigate the content. In the real world, a report would probably be several pages long, with multiple sections, and packed full of data, graphs and conclusion based on those. Obviously, in 150-250 words (depending on the exam) you can’t do that, but it’s good to keep paragraph headings to split up the text into sections. This leaves you with a four paragraph plan, much like we have for many other writings.

• Introduction : This sets the context and outlines the purpose of the report.
• Main body 1 : This contains the findings and analysis related to the topic.
• Main body 2 : This contains further analysis and recommendations.
• Conclusion : This summarises the key points made in the report and a call to action for the main recommendations.

Paragraph headings should be descriptive and focussed on the content of each section. Both Introduction and Conclusion can be the headings of your first and last paragraphs, while the central ones can often be taken directly from the question. What headings would you use for this sample question?

Remember to include a title in your report as well. It doesn’t have to be exciting or engaging like an article, but it should describe what the report is about.

Seeing samples is a good way to learn how to write a report. This example is the answer to the question above.

Useful phrases for reports

To write a successful report, it’s essential to use appropriate phrases that convey your ideas clearly. There are often many ways to do this, but you will want to learn several of them for exam day. The useful phrases we recommend considering include:

• The aim of this report is to…
• This report considers several aspects of [topic] in order to…
• The findings of this report/survey are outlined below.
• One issue is that…
• The current situation is unacceptable because…
• According to several students/employees/clients…
• It was suggested that…
• The vast majority of students/employees/clients believe…
• I would therefore strongly recommend…
• Based on the above, the best course of action would be…

These phrases are all part of our downloadable materials below, so if you want more practice, check them out. With practice and dedication, you can write a successful report that impresses your examiners and earns high marks.

The materials

These materials can be used in class or individually. First, you’ll discuss the purpose of reports and some details. Then there is a quick task to learn some useful phrases for reports. Finally, you can test if you know how to write a report by trying one or both of the practice questions. Both questions include sample answers.

Cambridge B2 First (FCE): How to Write a Report

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Introduction

A report is usually written for a superior (e.g. a teacher) or a peer group (e.g. members of an English club). Candidates are expected to give some factual information and make suggestions or recommendations. A report should be clearly organised and may include headings. from: Cambridge English First Handbook for Teachers

Reports are part of the second section of the FCE writing exam. While you have to write an essay in the first section you can decide if you want to write a report or choose one of the other options which could be an article, a review, a letter/email or a story (Stories are an option only if you take the FCE for Schools exam, but there you don’t write reports).

Don’t be scared of reports

Writing a report is better (and easier) than you might think. The requirements are not very complicated and my students don’t usually complain too much when we practise in class.

As with all the other writing tasks, reports follow a specific structure and they are normally quite similar, which means that if you know the most common characteristics, you can become very good at it in a very short time and, therefore, score really high marks.

So, in this post we are going to find out what reports look like, all you need to know about their typical structure and language and things you should be careful with in order to avoid easy mistakes. With all that being said, let’s get right into it.

What a typical report task looks like

As mentioned above, report tasks always look similar and once you know what to search for, you will see that there are patterns which you can take advantage of. A typical task might be like the one below:

With all the different writing tasks in the FCE exam you have to check two things when you read the information given:

• What do you have to include in your report?
• Who is going to read it?

Read the task carefully and underline the key information to find the answers to the two questions above. Because I’m a nice person I’ve already done it for you:

So, what do you have to include? In almost every writing task in the FCE exam you will find that there are three main points . In this example, you have to include the best (1) and the worst (2) aspects of the club as well as your suggestions for new facilities (3).

Making a suggestion/recommendation is the one piece of content that we can see in every single report because, after all, reports are usually written to make a suggestion, aren’t they? To sum up, while each task talks about a different topic there are clear similarities for you to benefit from, especially making a suggestion.

The other question was about the reader of your report. As you can see above, the manager of the club is going to be the person you are going to write to.

You might ask yourself why this bit of information is important. The short answer is: register. When we speak or write in English there are different levels of politeness and/or formality and in the FCE writing exam you have to be careful to choose an appropriate tone depending on your target reader.

Because the manager of the club has authority we should be polite and use formal to semi-formal language. This means you shouldn’t use contractions like ‘I’m’, but instead write ‘I am’ nor colloquial expressions like ‘Cheers!’, but rather ‘Thank you’. This also includes phrasal verbs so try to avoid those too. (I am going to give you some useful expressions for report writing further below in this post so just continue reading 😉 .)

How to organise your report

OK, now that we know what to include and how formal/polite we have to be we can start organising our report. Luckily, reports can always be organised in a similar way because most tasks ask you to do the same (just with a different topic).

If you remember, there are three main points we have to include in our report:

• The good aspects of the club
• The bad aspects of the club
• Your suggestions for new facilities

It probably makes sense to give each of these main topic points an extra paragraph so we’ve already got three. Let’s add a title and an introduction to this so we get to four main sections, which work in almost every single report:

• Title and introduction
• First topic point (The good aspects of the club)
• Second topic point (The bad aspects of the club)
• Your suggestions/recommendations (Your suggestions for new facilities)

In a report we also give each section a heading so your text will look like my post here clearly separated in different parts so it becomes easier for the reader to find a specific piece of information.

You’re welcome 🙂 .

Plan before you start writing

There is one mistake that I see so often that I can’t even count it anymore, but way too many students practise and practise the different writing tasks and feel confident going into the exam, but then they simply forget this super important step and mess up their test.

Of course, I’m talking about planning what you are going to write. It is so easy to do, takes only 3-4 minutes and saves you so much time and frustration. Please, always make a plan before you start writing. Just make a list with the different paragraphs like the one above and add just a few notes to each section . This way, you know the structure of your text, what you want to include and I promise you will feel more relaxed once you begin.

The different parts of a report

Using our example task from above we are now going to go through each part of an FCE report so you know exactly what is expected and what mistakes you need to avoid. Please note that these are general guidelines for report writing and you will have to adjust a little bit from task to task, but I’m going to try and help you with some general advice and useful language.

A report is always based on facts (even though you will normally have to invent those ‘facts’) so it is not so much about making it sensational, but to be very clear and to the point. In your introduction, therefore, you should clearly state why you are writing the report and what is going to be included . Also, try not to repeat the words as you find them in the task, but instead paraphrase and use your own words. You can also say where you got the information from, but this point is optional.

Useful phrases to start your report with include:

• The purpose/aim of this report is to …
• The report is intended to show/discuss/suggest/outline …
• In this report I will …

Keeping all of this in mind, the introduction to our example task could look like this:

Introduction The purpose of this report is to outline the best and worst parts of our club, which I gathered speaking to other members, as well as to recommend improvements to the facilities.

And that’s it. Focus on the task and state very clearly what your report intends to do…nice and easy.

Topic paragraphs

The topic paragraphs are where you give most of the information of your report. Again, it shouldn’t sound like a great story, but be factual and clear. In the example we have to describe the best and worst aspects of the leisure club. From this information we will later make our recommendations so we want to tie everything together nicely.

Of course, there are always things to be careful with:

• Only write about things related to the task.
• Support your points with reasons and examples.
• Don’t write from your personal perspective, but rather from the group’s point of view.
• In general, …
• Generally speaking, …
• Most (members) seem to …
• It appears that …
• According to …
• Passive voice (be + past participle)

OK, let’s see what Teacher Phill came up with:

The best aspects of the club Most members seem to enjoy the swimming pool with it’s daily water exercise classes and the opportunity to swim in 50-metre lanes. It also appears that offering a child care programme is appreciated by the majority of our members since many of them have families, but still would like to use the facilities of the club.   The worst aspects of the club According to most of the members I have spoken to, the café does not meet their expectations with below-average food and slow service. Another problem is the state of the gymnasium which, in general, is avoided by many because of broken equipment and a lack of staff during peak times.

There you have it. I included formal language and expressions to generalise as well as some passive structures (is appreciated, is avoided), which helps to make the report sound more formal and also moves it away from my personal perspective. I focused only on the task and expanded a little bit on each point that I made.

So far so good, but we still have one last part to look at so let’s go!

Your suggestion/recommendation

Last but not least, we need to finish off our report with our suggestions to improve the clubs facilities. You should always base your recommendations on the things you wrote in the previous paragraphs to make sure that your report as a whole makes sense.

You can do this by using some specific language:

• Based on the findings of this report I recommend/suggest +ing
• I (would) recommend/suggest that …
• The following (improvements) are recommended: …
• The best ideas/solutions seem to be …
• It would be (highly) advisable to …
• If it is decided to follow my recommendations, …

One last time, check out my idea for a nice final paragraph:

Suggestions to improve the club’s facilities Based on the findings of this report the best solutions seem to be to improve the quality of the menu and the service at the café as well as the maintenance schedule and number of staff at the gymnasium. If it is decided to follow my recommendations, I am sure that the experience for our members can be improved even more.

As you can see, my suggestions are well connected to the two topic paragraphs (problems with the café and the gym). I also used specific language (Based on the findings …, If it is decided to follow my recommendations, …) and some passive voice to keep the report formal until the end.

If you take my advice and put all the parts together, your report will be well connected with lots of useful language and the right tone for a report. Examiners will love it. 🙂

How your report is marked

Marking FCE writing tasks is like a science and for a lot of students it feels as if there is this big mystery and nobody really knows how it works. Actually, there are very clear rules that the examiners have to follow and the criteria are publicly available.

While it is possible to find all the information on your own I thought it would be a good idea to put everything together in an article for you. Check out how your writing tasks are marked by clicking  here .

Get ready to practise

Reports are one of the easier writing tasks in the FCE exam. Don’t let formal language or specific requirements make you feel stressed. Take my advice and become a report writing champion.

Please don’t forget to leave a comment with your suggestion so teacherphill.com can become even better.

Lots of love,

Teacher Phill 🙂

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Someone should make you a statue. lots of love, Sofia.

Haha, I didn’t know teachers can get statues nowadays. 😀

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B2 First - Writing Practice

First certificate in english (fce).

• B2 First quick links:
• Use Of English
• Back to the B2 First main page

On this page, you will find example writing tests to help you prepare for the Writing part of the First Certificate exam.

The speaking section is divided into two parts and involves many types of writing: essay, email, review, report and article.

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test One Essay / Report / Review / Email Exercise Number: FCE115

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Two Essay / Email / Report / Article Exercise Number: FCE116

• Try to choose questions that require you to write about something that is interesting to you.
• Always write a brief plan before each of the compositions.
• Think about the target reader and write in a suitable register and tone.

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Three Essay / Review / Article / Email Exercise Number: FCE117

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Four Essay / Review / Article / Report Exercise Number: FCE118

• Ensure all your points and paragraphs link together well.
• Avoid repeating phrases. Learn expressions that will help you write more naturally.
• Leave enough time at the end to re-read each composition and check for errors.

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Five Essay / Report / Email / Article Exercise Number: FCE119

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Six Essay / Review / Article / Report Exercise Number: FCE120

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Seven Essay / Email / Article / Review Exercise Number: FCE121

Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Writing - Example Test Eight Essay / Email / Report / Review Exercise Number: FCE122

Best B2 First Certificate Books For Students

Use of English: Ten practice tests for the Cambridge B2 First | See in UK

FCE Writing Masterclass (Writing B2: FCE Cambridge) | See in UK

Listening First: Ten practice tests for the Cambridge B2 First | See in UK

Cambridge English Qualifications: B2 First Volume 1 Practice Tests Plus with key | See in UK

Cambridge English First 1 for Revised Exam - Student's Book with Answers: Authentic Examination Papers | See in UK

Reading and Use of English for First (FCE) | See in UK

Common Mistakes at First Certificate and How to Avoid Them | See in UK

Gold Experience 2nd Edition Exam Practice: Cambridge English First for Schools (B2) | See in UK

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English Writing Exercises for B2 – A report

English Writing Exercises for B2

Preparation

1. read the task and the report below. how many measures does the writer:.

a   assess? …..

b   suggest? …..

Last year, your town council took measures to make your town cleaner and greener. The council would like to hear your views on the measures they have taken and also any suggestions for future improvements.

Introduction

The aim of this report is to assess the measures taken by the council and to put forward recommendations for further action.

Benefits of the measures taken

According to most residents, the new pedestrian zone is a great success. It was also thought that the bike lanes improved road safety. The coach park on the outskirts of the town has also met with approval, as coaches no longer drive into the centre where the streets are very narrow.

Disadvantages of the measures

The increase in parking charges has discouraged people from driving into town, but local shops and businesses are suffering because fewer people come into town to shop. What is more, it would seem that these charges adversely affect disabled people and elderly people who rely on their cars.

Suggestions for future improvements

The majority of residents are of the opinions that there are not enough open green spaces. In my opinion, it would therefore be worth creating a new park on the wasteland near the station. I would suggest that more free parking places for disabled and elderly people are created. In conclusion, the council has made a good start, but a lot more could be done.

Write your report.

a 4   (new pedestrian zone, bike lanes, new coach park, increase in parking charges)

b 2   (create a new park, more free parking for disabled and elderly people)

2. KEY PHRASES    Put the phrases in the correct groups. Which are in the article?

It is recommended that …      It was reported that …

It was thought that …      On balance, …

Taking all the points into consideration, …

This report is intended to …

The aim of this report is to …

The report is based on / draws on …

1 ……………………………………………………

Reporting views

It would seem that …

According to …

(People) were of the opinion that …

2 ……………………………………………………

3 ……………………………………………………

Summing up / Giving your opinion

In conclusion, …     To conclude, …     To sum up, …

4 ……………………………………………………

5 ……………………………………………………

Recommending / Suggesting

I would suggest …

In my opinion, it would be worth …

6 ……………………………………………………

1   This report is intended to …

2   It was thought that … / It was reported that …

3    It was reported that … / It was thought that …

4   On balance, … / Taking all the points into consideration, …

5   Taking all the points into consideration, … / On balance, …

6    It is recommended that …

Writing Guide

Writing Strategy

When writing a report:

–  think carefully about the target reader and write in an appropriate style and tone.

–  state the purpose of the report in the first paragraph and any recommendations and suggestions in the final paragraph.

–  consider using headings where appropriate to give the report a clear structure.

3. Read the Writing Strategy and the task below. Make notes under the headings.

Last year, your school took measures to make it cleaner and greener. The head teacher would like to hear your views on the measures they have taken and also any suggestions for future improvements.

Your opinion of measures taken

1   …………………………………………….

     …………………………………………….

2   …………………………………………….

3   …………………………………………….

     …………………………………………….

Suggestions for further improvements

1   …………………………………………….

2   …………………………………………….

your own answers

4. Write your report.

Extra exercises.

In an opinion essay, you need to use linking expressions to connect and extend your ideas. Not all linking expressions are used in the same position in a sentence.

1. Read the Strategy. Choose the correct answers.

1    Participating in a campaign can be rewarding. Besides / Too , you can make new friends.

2    Petitions are a useful means of gathering support for a cause. Demonstrations can attract many followers also / as well .

3   Social media posts can sometimes attract unwelcome responses. Our posts can be shared on other people’s timelines in addition / too .

4    Selecting the appropriate security settings is important. Furthermore / As well , it is advisable to check who might be able to view and to share our posts.

1 Besides   2 as well   3 too   4 Furthermore

2. Read the task below and write your essay.

Some people use their social media accounts to express and publicise their political views. Is this a good idea? Write an essay in which you express your opinion, taking into consideration what effect it may have on the people writing the posts and people responding to them.

Related Posts

• English Writing Exercises for B2 – A letter to a newspaper
• English Writing Exercises for B2 – A story
• English Writing Exercises for B2 – An article
• English Writing Exercises for B2 – An opinion essay
• English Writing Exercises for B2 – A letter of complaint
• English Writing Exercises for B2 – A blog post

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How to Write an Essay for B2 First (FCE) Writing

Luis @ kse academy.

• noviembre 24, 2019

As you probably know already, Cambridge English exams usually have some or all of the following parts: Reading, Writing, Use of English and Listening. In this post I am going to talk about the FCE Writing B2 part and, more specifically, about how to write an essay for FCE Writing . We will see a good example of an essay for FCE and you can check out a full FCE Writing Guide where you can find more examples of emails , letters and other types of writings.

Essay Sample Answer

Este artículo también está disponible en castellano.

What are the parts of the FCE Writing?

The First (FCE) Writing has only two parts. For each part, you must write a composition which will depend on the instructions you receive for each task. For the  first part , you will always be asked to  write an essay , as it is the only option provided. However, in the  second part , they allow you to choose one out of 3 options. These include  different types of writing , which are : letters/emails ,  articles ,  reviews and  reports . Each piece of writing must have between 140 and 190 words , approximately.

Since they are different types of writing , the language and structures to use will also differ. But that’s what I’m here for, to explain to you exactly how to write each part. And today, I’m starting with  how to write an essay .

How to Write an Essay for FCE Writing

An  essay is an opinion writing with which we analyse a topic , a situation or an issue from different points of view , providing different arguments and expressing our opinion about it. For this reason, an  essay must have the following features:

• Purpose: What we usually do with an essay is to analyse and assess a topic, situation or issue which, in some way, is interesting or controversial. It is normally set as a writing task after a class debate. In the exam, you have to imagine the debate, obviously.
• Tone and style: Given that you’re writing about a  serious or controversial issue , an essay is written in a formal style, so we must stick to an objective tone and style . Our language must be formal, thus avoiding words that are simply too common or generic (E.g.:  things, stuff, get,   etc.) and contractions (E.g.:  can’t, don’t, won’t,  etc.).
• Structure: Like every piece of writing,  an essay must present a defined structure . For starters, we can choose either to give it a title or not. Personally, I would say that it is more appropriate to have an essay with title . Then, the body must be divided into introduction, idea 1, idea 2, idea 3 and conclusion. This means that, in general,  essays must have 5 paragraphs ,   although it is not entirely necessary.
• Opinion:  There are countless ways of expressing your opinion in an essay, so you must choose the one that suits you best. However,  it is advisable to remain impartial throughout your writing and give your opinion only in the last paragraph , as a conclusion. But, as I say, it is optional. The most important thing is that you justify everything you say in your essay.
• Coherence: Coherence is essential in every type of writing, but especially in an essay. As it tends to be an argumentative text, you must avoid writing incoherent paragraphs that have nothing to do with one another. Your ideas must  follow a logical order and be well connected with appropriate linkers .

FCE Writing Essay Example

Now that we are familiar with the  characteristics of an essay for First (FCE) Writing , let’s take a look at an  example of an essay at B2 level , both at the task and at a sample answer.

Instructions of an Essay

In the following image you can see the instructions of an essay which involves a typical topic, that of the environment:

In these instructions, we must pay attention to the following:

• The  first paragraph introduces the topic: … different ways in which you can protect the environment.
• The  second sentence is usually the same in every task:  Write an essay using  all the notes…
• In the box , you are given the main topic as a question and they give you something to talk about:  recycle, using bicycles and walking, your own idea . As you can see, you have to come up with the third idea, something connected to the topic which is not provided in the exam task.

Given the model task above, each paragraph will correspond to a different idea, apart from the introduction and conclusion. Again, it is only natural to have 5 paragraphs. So, the best way to know how to write an essay for FCE Writing is to take a look at an  example of an actual essay for FCE Writing :

At first sight, the essay has  a title and 5 paragraphs (introduction + idea 1 + idea 2 + idea 3 + conclusion). And if we stop to read the essay more carefully, we’ll notice the following things:

• The paragraphs are visual and well defined , which is very important.
• The title summarises the topic  of the essay. Another option is to use the question ( What can people do to help protect the environment? ) as title. However, it usually tends to be too long, so I prefer to summarise it into a shorter heading.
• Introduction: it introduces the topic in a general way and it leads to the second paragraph (first idea).
• Paragraph 2: it deals with idea 1.
• Paragraph 3: it deals with idea 2.
• Paragraph 4: it deals with idea 3.
• Conclusion: we express our opinion to conclude and summarise the essay.
• It uses connectors to define the development of the essay:  firstly, second, finally, etc.
• It doesn’t use many contractions or pet words.
• One of the things that
• In the last few decades,
• For this reason,
• First, / Second, / Third,
• By doing so,
• For example,
• In conclusion,

This is a good example of an essay for FCE Writing . By the way, you must bear in mind that it has been written to simulate a strong B2 level, without reaching C1.

FAQ: Do I get penalised for writing over 190 words?

This is the most typical question in this part of the exam and the answer is « yes and no «. Let me explain myself. Cambridge English examiners don’t count the number of words and penalise you based upon that fact alone. There’s a rumour going around among teachers and pupils that says that for every 10 words over 190, they take «this many» points off, but it is not true. However, think about this: if you’ve written 50 or 100 words more than asked, you are probably including irrelevant information to the task , right? Now that’s a reason for losing points. In the same way that if you  write under 140 words you are probably missing essential information , don’t you think?

For this reason, I always recommend writing up to 10 or 20 words over the limit. In this way, you won’t lose any points for including irrelevant information.

FCE Writing Guide with examples (pdf)

Although I intend to write more posts on how to do each piece of writing for FCE, if you don’t want to wait any more, simply download the official KSE Academy FCE Writing Guide . In this guide you will learn:

• How to write an essay  and 3 examples.
• How to write an article  and 3 examples.
• How to write a review  and 3 examples.
• How to write a report  and 3 examples.
• How to write an email or letter  and 3 examples.
• Over 300 useful expressions for every FCE Writing .

Would you like to see a sample of this guide? Here it is!

Did you find this useful?  Why not share it with other teachers and students of English? Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, y YouTube. 🙂

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Cómo hacer un report B2 First (FCE): guía con ejemplo paso a paso

Como tal vez ya sabes, tu examen Cambridge B2 (antiguo FCE) tiene dos partes: en la primera debes escribir un essay ; en la segunda debes elegir una de tres tareas: estas pueden ser un article, un email o letter, una review o un report. En esta entrada vamos a escribir paso a paso un ejemplo de   report B2 de Cambridge .

Esta entrada también te interesa si quieres aprender cómo escribir el report B2 de la EOI (Escuela de Idiomas) o del Trinity ISE II (B2): en ambos puede caer este tipo de escrito.

En esta entrada encontrarás

La extensión de tu report cambridge b2 first (fce) y el tiempo que te dan para escribir.

En primer lugar, para escribir nuestro ejemplo de report B2 Cambridge debemos tener en cuenta su extensión (140 -190 palabras) y el tiempo del que vamos a disponer para escribirlo (80 minutos para las dos tareas del writing, con lo cual tienes 40 minutos para tu report) .

Ahora bien, ¿te penalizan por exceder las 190 palabras? No, de ninguna manera. No obstante, cuando sobrepasas ese límite por un margen amplio, inevitablemente terminas escribiendo sobre cosas que no son relevantes para la tarea, y eso sí lo penalizan. Por otro lado, si te enrollas demasiado, el tiempo no te alcanzará. Los diseñadores de la prueba lo tienen todo muy bien calculado.

Pasos para escribir este ejemplo de report del Cambridge B2 First (FCE)

Una vez sé el tiempo y la extensión de los que dispongo, surgen las dudas: ¿cómo empezar mi report ?, ¿qué frases debo usar?, ¿tono formal o informal? Vamos a escribir un ejemplo de report B2 paso a paso para responder a estas y otras preguntas.

Paso 1: lee bien el enunciado

Parece una obviedad, pero muchos candidatos pierden puntos por no leer bien el enunciado de la tarea. Así que, antes que nada, tómate el tiempo para leerlo y entenderlo antes de escribir tu report B2. Vamos a ver este ejemplo del libro de Cambridge English First 1 :

El siguiente paso es elegir la attraction sobre la que quieres escribir. No te lo pienses demasiado: te recuerdo que tienes 40 minutos y no deberías tardar más de 5-7 minutos en planificar. Por lo tanto, da igual que no conozcas bien la attraction (tu fidelidad a la verdad no será evaluada): podrás inventarte algún dato si no lo recuerdas de memoria.

Paso 2: responde a las preguntas del enunciado

El siguiente paso para escribir este ejemplo de report B2 es responder a las preguntas que te han hecho. Importante: en este paso no te fijes en errores gramaticales o léxicos, ortografía o conectores. Esto te hará dudar y perder tiempo corrigiendo frases que igual tendrás que cambiar en los pasos 4 y 5, duplicando el trabajo innecesariamente. Ahora céntrate en tener las ideas en orden.

Aquí tienes mi esquema (outline) en el que respondo a las preguntas del enunciado:

Si, ya sé que has pillado un error de vocabulario. ¿Pero qué te he dicho? Que no te fijes en los errores; ya nos ocuparemos de ellos en el paso 5. Tú adelante.

Paso 3: desarrollar y dar formato a tu report B2

A continuación, debes redactar tu report a partir del esquema anterior. Para ello, simplemente convierte cada respuesta a las preguntas del enunciado en un párrafo. Después, añade un párrafo más para la introducción (en la que escribes el propósito del report) y otro para la conclusión (que en este caso será una o dos frases que resuman lo que has dicho anteriormente). 

Por último, escribe un encabezado para cada párrafo.  

Report B2 example : primer borrador

Si, ya sé que hay unos cuantos errores. Pero insisto: no te preocupes por ellos. Simplemente controla que

• cada párrafo responda a una pregunta;
• no repites información (mira lo que he tachado) ;
• tengas una introducción y una conclusión;
• haya encabezados.

Paso 4: dar cohesión

El siguiente paso es dar cohesión a tu escrito. Para ello: 

• Emplea conectores;
• haz cambios en la estructura de tus oraciones;
• incluye algunas de las estructuras gramaticales que se esperan de un B2.

En mi ejemplo de report Cambridge B2 First (FCE), estos cambios están marcados en negrita:

Report B2 example : segundo borrador​ (con conectores)

Paso 5: corregir y pulir tu report

Por últmo, debes dejar unos cinco minutos para pulir tu report. Que es lo que voy a hacer en mi ejemplo de report para que no te sangren más los ojos con mis errores. (Las correcciones están marcadas en rojo) :

Report B2 example : borrador final

Fíjate en las cosas que he corregido:

• a Gothic construction from the 12th century (no from the 12 century)
• temporary exhibitions (no temporal expositions)
• … will enjoy discovering (no enjoy to discover)

Para conocer otros errores típicos en tu report o cualquier otro tipo de writing Cambridge B2 First (FCE) , suscríbete a mi newsletter y descarga mi guía. Y si ya estás suscrito, vuelve a mirarla e imprime la checklist que está al final.

¿Registro formal o informal en el report del Cambridge B2 First (FCE)?

Pero antes de terminar, te fijarás en que he hecho otros cambios (en azul): estos no se deben a errores sino a la necesidad de demostrar que domino el registro, la gramática y el léxico apropiados para mi report Cambridge B2 First (FCE) :

Al igual que los informes de la vida real, el report de tu examen es un escrito destinado a un superior jerárquico: el director de tu academia de inglés, la oficina de turismo local, tu profesor o profesora, etc. Por ello, el tono debe ser formal.

Estos cambios (menos el primero) son clave para dar ese tono formal a tu report.

Your takeaways

Para escribir tu report Cambridge B2 First (FCE) solo tienes 40 minutos. Por ello, es importante que no te entretengas y que no te pases de las 190 palabras.  

Y que sigas estos pasos:

• Lee bien las preguntas.
• Responde cada pregunta en un párrafo.
• Formato: cada párrafo es una sección de tu report y debe ir con un encabezado.
• Para dar cohesión, haz cambios en la estructura oracional y añade conectores.
• Corrige errores gramaticales y léxicos.
• un léxico formal
• voz pasiva en lugar de activa (donde sea posible)
• noun phrases en lugar de  verb phrases (donde sea posible)

Ahora manos a la obra: a escribir tus propios ejemplos de report Cambridge B2 First (FCE).

¿Te ha gustado esta entrada? ¿Te ha sido útil para escribir tus reports B2? 

¿Ves algún error o quieres hacerme una sugerencia?

Dímelo en los comentarios.

See you in my next blog entry!

8 thoughts on “Cómo hacer un <i>report</i> B2 First (FCE): guía con ejemplo paso a paso”

¡Súper útil! ¡Muchas gracias por poner orden en el caótico mundo de los writings!

Muchas gracias a ti por leer esta entrada, Lucía. Me alegra mucho que te sea útil: ¡para eso está! 🙂

It`s very useful. Thanks so much.

Thank you for reading, Vicky. I’m glad you’ve found it useful. Do try to apply what you have learnt here and let me know how it works. 🙂

Fantástico, me ha servido para captar muchas ideas. Por cierto en la parte de “Activities in the Cathedral´´ dices “Also worth admiring are cloister´´ no seria “IS´´ en vez de “are´´?

Many thanks for your feedback, Gabriel! Tu observación es muy pertinente: parecería que debiera ser ‘worth admiring is the cloister’, pero fíjate que es ‘the cloister and its temporary and permanent exhibitions’, con lo que tenemos tres cosas worth admiring: el claustro, las exposiciones temporales y las permanentes; por lo tanto, debemos usar el plural. Te felicito porque este es un desliz que podría cometer cualquier nativo, sea en inglés o en español. O sea que entiendes el texto lo bastante bien para entrar en estos detalles. Congrats!

Si me pidieran hacer recomendaciones , en lugar de conclusión pongo recomendaciones o acaso se tendría que poner recomendaciones y luego otro titulo con la conclusión?

Hola, Antuanet, y gracias por leer esta entrada.

Si el objetivo del report es hacer recomendaciones, estas van en el cuerpo del escrito. En caso de que las recomendaciones sean el resultado del análisis de una determinada situación, estas son parte de la conclusión. La clave está en leer bien las instrucciones y tener en cuenta la extensión que debe tener tu escrito.

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