In the minds of ESL exam candidates, e ssay writing is one of the most daunting tasks they are required to complete, regardless of the level of the exam, the administering body or the ease with which they themselves use the language. The same applies to students who are asked to write an essay by their teachers at school. In the previous sample essays posted on the blog, the main point I stress is the need to become acquainted with this form of writing (as opposed to writing a letter, review or report, for instance), to get a feel of what authorial voice is and how to organize and progressively express the arguments you wish to make in a coherent manner. Unfortunately, the best way to prepare for exam writing or learn how to write good essays for school is to read as many essays from as many sources as possible, then write as
Students of English who are preparing to sit an examination at C2 level often worry, amongst a million other things, about grammar. Whether the exam consists of a separate section that tests grammar or not, there is little doubt that the textbooks used in preparation for the exam include individual sections that explain a grammatical construct with subsequent exercises to consolidate a student's understanding.
The following list is one that should serve as a basis for candidates and teachers. If a C2 exam candidate is able to outline the rules that apply to each and every element on this list, then they will be able to
a) recognize the grammatical construct examined in a particular question of the exam (for instance, in the multiple choice questions of the grammar section of the ECPE or MSU-CELP, or in the Use of English section of the CPE)
b) use the 'best' C2 grammatical constructs, that is, ones that surpass B2 level due to their complexity. When such more complex structures are incorporated in the Speaking section of the exam (the oral component, in other words) or Writing section, then points will be awarded resulting in a higher mark.
This list should therefore serve as a checklist for students and teachers and specific sections need to be highlighted in particular. The aim is twofold: steer candidates away from pitfalls in the grammar section on the one hand, and encourage systematic usage of these highlighted sections in speaking and writing so that they become second nature.
As the blog grows, explanations and exercises for each of these points will be uploaded.
CPE / ECPE Grammar Checklist
1) Present tenses
2) Past tenses
3) Present perfect tenses
4) Past perfect tenses
5) Future tenses
6) Modals + modal perfect
7) gerunds – infinitives
8) passive voice
9) causatives
10) reported speech (indirect speech)
11) subjunctive
12) conditionals
13) wishes
14) temporals
15) would rather / would sooner / would prefer
16) it’s time / as if / imagine
17) word order
18) question tags
19) inversion
20) emphasis
21) relative clauses
22) participle clauses
23) connectors
24) adjectives
25) adverbs
26) comparatives / superlatives
27) nouns / articles
28) quantifiers