WRITING Part 2: B1 - The Story

In Part 2, you can choose to write a STORY or an ARTICLE.  You must write ca.100 words.  As in all stories, you need a beginning, a development (main events), and an ending. The first sentence of your story will be given to you. Add another sentence or two to this beginning and then move on. 

• Be organized: THINK before you write!
• Be careful about punctuation;
• Use interesting adjectives and adverbs to set the scene and describe characters;
• Give background information (any information the reader needs to know that helps explain the character or the context);
• Use direct speech to express the character's mood and feelings ("Stop following me!" )
• Use past tenses: 
• past simple to describe the main events
• past continuous to describe something that is happening at the same time as another event  (I was studying while my brother was playing video games.) OR interrupted (I was getting into bed when the doorbell rang.)
• past perfect to describe an event that came before another (I was very tired because I hadn't slept at all.
• time expressions:

Expressions such as these below can give higher marks.

Here is an example from a past exam. Think about what you would change or do to make this a better story.

Sustainable fabrics; Recycling fabrics and clothes

What are your clothes made of?

do you recycle your clothes?

Which fabrics are natural and which are synthetic? 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of both? 

Do you use eco-frienly clothes?

Article:     Nordicìs biggest textile recycling center opens in Finland

                                                                         Recycle with H&M 

Canale Rifiutile di Geopop (in Italiano). How fabrics and clothes are recycled.

Fruit Leather: Mangos 

Cactus Leather

What are HUMAN RIGHTS?

the Universal Human Rights logo

National Human Rights is celebrated on December 10.
The 75th anniversary of the document was celebrated last December 2023. 

Check out the Youth for Human Rights website and watch this video:
WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS? Video - Human Rights Definition: Youth For Human Rights Video 

The UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Dec. 10, 1948): "The power of the Universal Declaration is the power of ideas to change the world. It inspires us to continue working to ensure all people can gain freedom, equality and dignity."  

Unfortunately, this declaration is not enforced by law.

UN website

 Some Famous Human Rights quotations  

“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.” – Nelson Mandela

“A right delayed is a right denied.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights or keep them. Our strength is our unity of purpose. To that high concept there can be no end save victory.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt (US President 1933-1945)

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. … Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.” – Eleanor Roosevelt (First Lady)

“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” – John F. Kennedy (US President, 1961-1963)

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” – Elie Wiesel, human rights activist who wrote books about his experience during the Holocaust. 

“We declare that human rights are for all of us, all the time: whoever we are and wherever we are from; no matter our class, our opinions, our sexual orientation.” – Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (2007-2016, from S. Korea)

“Our hopes for a more just, safe, and peaceful world can only be achieved when there is universal respect for the inherent dignity and equal rights of all members of the human family.” – UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (2013-2021, from S. Africa)

“There can be no peace without development, no development without peace, and no lasting peace or sustainable development without respect for human rights and the rule of law.” – Former UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson (2012-2016, from Sweden)

"When you deprive people of their right to live in dignity, to hope for a better future, to have control over their lives, when you deprive them of that choice, then you expect them to fight for these rights."  Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan

Another interesting, less famous, quotation from Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan:  "Social media are a catalyst for the advancement of everyone's rights. It's where we're reminded that we're all human and equal It's where people can find and fight for a cause, global or local, popular or specialized, even when there are hundreds of miles between them."

WRITING B1: the ARTICLE

In Part 2 of the WRITING test, you must choose to write an ARTICLE or a story of ca. 100 words.  An article is a text that expresses your opinion and knowledge.  

Remember the 3 parts to writing:
The introduction should catch the attention of your reader. You can ask a question or give a general opinion. 
The body is where you develop your ideas and relate them to personal experiences and opinions.
The conclusion is a recommendation and a summary of the main points. Readers should feel they have learned something. 

Before writing, ask yourself:
1) What do I have to write about?
2) Who is going to read my article?

Look at this exam task. 

You see this notice on an English-language website for young people. Write your answer in about 100 words on the answer sheet. (Remember that it's better to write at least 100 words; better more than less.)

Notice that there are 2 questions that must be answered. 
Read this sample answer:

Has the student answered both questions correctly? 
Does he give examples and opinions?
What could be done to improve this article? 
When YOU write YOUR article, use your own words.  Try not to use the same words as the text. 
Try substituting the underlined words with similar meanings from the list below.

    teenagers             make                find out about           willing       
    goes online           try to find        details                        searching for

Like the email, the examiners are judging:

• Content –  Have you done what you were asked to do?

• Communicative Achievement – How appropriate is your writing style and tone for the task, and its intended audience? Was it easy to understand?

• Organization – Does it have a logical order and paragraphing? Do you express your ideas clearly?

• Language – How good and accurate are your vocabulary and grammar? 

Grammer to Use;
Passive - The internet is considered the best place to find information.

Modal verbs - It might be best to stay home.
Conditional - If I were you, I'd stay home and study. 
Relative clauses - I know someone who speaks four languages fluently. 
Wish -  I wish I could travel more often. 

Phrases to involve the reader:

• Have you ever thought about…?
• How would you feel if …?
• What would you think of…?
• Are you one of those people who …?
• If the answer is …, you should….
• What would life be like if…
• Just think for a moment…
• Just imagine…

Use extreme adjectives instead of intensifiers: 
very good =  awesome, excellent, fantastic, marvelous
very bad   =  awful, terrible, horrible

big = huge, enormous, gigantic

cold = freezing

angry = furious

Use adverbs  importantly, surprisingly, absolutely, suddenly

Develop your points 
Another advantage of ...
On top of that…
What is more, …
Above all,,,
The reason I think this is…
The reason I feel this way is…
Let’s start with …

Some expressions for giving your opinion (SPEAKING or WRITING)
In my opinion, …
As far as I am concerned, …
Speaking personally, …
From my point of view, …
As for me, …
My view / opinion / belief / impression / conviction is that …
I hold the view that …
I would say that …
It seems to me that …   /  It is my impression that....
I am of the opinion that …
I am (was) under the impression that …
I have the feeling that …
My feeling on the subject is that …
I have no doubt that …
I am sure / I am certain that …
I think / consider / find / feel / believe / suppose / presume / assume / guess / reckon that 
I bet that ….
It goes without saying that …

Justifying opinions 
because…
due to the fact that ...
the reason is… / the main reason is...  /  that's the reason why ...
the reason I believe that is…
the facts suggest…
the evidence shows…
taking into account what I have seen…
seeing as how....
on account of....
In view/light  of the fact that....

Making recommendations and suggestions: 
it would be a good idea to…
Wouldn’t it be better to…?
Why don’t we…?
What / How about… ?
Shouldn’t we… ?
Let’s consider…
Why not… ?    

For more expressions click on this link to LBA Life 

WRITING PART 1- B1- EMAIL

The EMAIL is a MANDATORY task in the Cambridge Preliminary Test

1. You must write ca. 100 words. If you write too many words, you may have included irrelevant information, which could lower your score. If you write <100 words, you may lose points because you may not have included all the required information or used an adequate range of language.

2. Every email is different. You will usually write to a friend or teacher. Choose the correct tone: formal, informal, or neutral. NEUTRAL means you can use contractions (I'm, can't, doesn't, wouldn't) and phrasal verbs, but NO SLANG or words not found in a traditional dictionary.

3. Pay attention to the
    a. STRUCTURE: the correct layout, salutations, and paragraphing. 
    b. LANGUAGE and GRAMMAR.  Know the phrases to use when agreeing/disagreeing; giving your opinion; offering to do something; explaining something.

Below is an example from a past test. 
Your teacher, Mrs. Lake, has written to you about ideas for a class party she would like to organize.

BEFORE writing your email, ask yourself these questions: 

A. WHO am I writing to?

        You are writing to your teacher, so the tone can be neutral. 

B. What is the situation? 

C. What are the 4 things I need to include in my email?
        In this case: 1) react to the news that there is a party

                           2) explain your preference (classroom or park?)

                           3) suggest possible games/activities

                           4) give your opinion about which food should be served

Respond in the same format the teacher used in her email.

Here is my response:

Dear Mrs. Lake,

I think a class party is a great idea!  (9)

I would prefer to have the party at the park since we spend so much time in the classroom. (19)

 

Although there are badminton nets and a basketball court at the park, I would suggest organizing some traditional team competitions like sack and egg races, bobbing for apples, and a treasure hunt. (32)

The park has several grills, so in my opinion, we should have a picnic and barbecue. The students can bring the meat and vegetables they like. We can also ask them to bring chips, bread, drinks, and desserts. (38)

I hope I was helpful. See you in class. (9) Ellie

(107 body)                          

VOCABULARY you should know for the CAMBRIDGE PET for SCHOOLS (B1) certification

 The first section is in alphabetical order. You can go to p. 40 for the division into topics.  You can download the list by clicking HERE.

ERASMUS THEATER's presentation of The Blues Brothers

John Belushi (1949-1982) and Dan Aykroyd (1952) were two actors who performed on Saturday Night Live (SNL), an American late-night television comedy show, now in its 48th season. They made their first performance as the Blues Brothers, Jake and Elwood, on SNL on April 22, 1978, performing the songs "Hey Bartender" and "I don't know" with their full band. They became such a hit, that they made the movie, The Blues Brothers in 1980. Although today you must pay to see the original sketch, the video below with the famous song, "Soul Man", is from season 4 of the same year, 1978. 

Here's a scene with the famous singer, Aretha Franklin

a scene with Ray Charles

Matching: Vocabulary words you should know

 

You can join the challenge by going to https://game.educaplay.com/ and using the pin 304677

🎄🎅 Christmas Commercials in the UK 🤶🎄

 🎄🎅These have been voted the best Christmas commercials in the UK for 2022, although some have considered them the most annoying. Which ones do you like (or dislike) the most? 🎄🎅

                       

        

    

Which Christmas commercials do you think are good this year? 

Which can't you stand or are tired of seeing? 

A Christmas Carol vs How the Grinch Stole Christmas

 How do the two stories compare?      

                                    A Christmas Carol 

 by Charles Dickens (Feb. 7, 1812 - June 9, 1870)  The story  is about an elderly miser named Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and the Yet to Come. Their visits transform Scrooge into a kinder, gentler man.     

The book was first published on December 19, 1843, with the first edition sold out by Christmas Eve. By 1844, the novella had gone through 13 printings and continues to be a big seller today.  For more on Charles Dickens, click HERE 

 A Christmas Carol 

Click on the title to go to YouTube. The story has been divided into 8 videos, for a total of about 30 minutes.

      How the Grinch Stole Christmas   

 (by Dr. Seuss, published   in December 1957) is a   story about the Grinch, a   grouchy, solitary creature   who tries to cancel     Christmas by stealing     Christmas gifts and     decorations from the   homes of the nearby town of Whoville on Christmas Eve.   Miraculously, the Grinch realizes that Christmas is not all   about money and presents.  The story is narrated by Boris   Karloff, a British actor, most famous for his roles in horror   films, especially as the Frankenstein monster. 

For more information on Dr. Seuss, see post below or click HERE

For more on Boris Karloff, click HERE

Click on the title above to see all 6 parts.

     

                      

 What themes are common to both stories? 

 How are the Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge similar? 
 What about Bob Cratchit and the Grinch's pup, Max? 

 How the Grinch Stole Christmas is not the only film based  on or influenced by A Christmas Carol.  What other movies  can you think of?  

You can write your answers in the comments section below.  

Some Christmas Fun - Dr. Seuss

 and the classic, 

How The Grinch Stole Christmas 
First, let's learn about Dr. Seuss

The author, Theodor Seuss Geisel, wrote more than 60 books for children. His stories are famous for their nonsense words, wild rhymes, and amusing drawings of unusual creatures. 

         

We have been mispronouncing his name.  It should be pronounced Zoice (rhyming with voice).  A friend, Alexander Liang, wrote this poem about how people incorrectly pronounced Seuss. 

                            You're wrong as the deuce
                            And you shouldn't rejoice
                            If you're calling him Seuss.
                            He pronounces it Soice (or Zoice).

Everyone knows him as Dr. Seuss (Zeus), so if you were to call him Dr. "Zoice", no one would know who you were talking about. 

To read more about Dr. Seuss click HERE.
For a more detailed biography, click HERE

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Click on the title to be redirected to YouTube or start watching the video below and
the each part. 

Part 2   Part 3   Part 4     Part 5     Part 6