FCE (B2 First) Writing Exam - 5 Steps to Write a Great Essay

Hi, I’m Kasia.

大家好，我是卡莎

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

欢迎来到 Oxford Online English!

In this lesson you can learn how to write an essay for the Cambridge FCE exam, step

在本次课程中，你将学习如何一步步写作一篇剑桥FCE级别考试文章

by step.

You’ll see exactly what to do at each stage and how to get the best possible score.

你将会学到每个阶段到底需要做什么，以及如何获得最佳分数

There are four steps to the writing process.

写作过程共分为四个步骤

You’ll see what to do at each step, then you’ll learn how the writing is assessed.

你会看到每一步都要做什么，也将知晓其评判标准

I said there were four steps to the process.

我说过程共有四个步骤

So what’s first? First, you need to read the task and identify exactly what needs to

那么首先是什么？

首先，你需要阅读题目并确定要写的内容

be included.

Let’s look at a sample question: You've recently had a discussion in English class about society.

让我来举个例子

你最近在英语课上讨论过社会问题

Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay.

现在你的老师要你写一篇文章

Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons for your point of view.

请用相关内容写一篇文章，并给出观点理由

University should be free for everyone.

大学应该对每个人都是免费

Do you agree or disagree?

你是否同意这个观点

Notes

说明

税

Taxes

机会

Opportunity

Your own idea Okay, so what do you need to do?

你的个人想法

那么你需要做什么？

Most importantly, you need to say if you agree or disagree that university should be free

最重要的是，你要首先说明你是否同意大学应对所有人免费

for everyone.

You also need to use all the notes and give reasons for your point of view.

您还需要使用所有注释并解释说明你的观点

That means your essay needs to include three central ideas: taxes, opportunity, and one

这意味着你的文章需要包括三个核心思想

税收，机会和其他

other.

It also means that you need to reach a clear, justified conclusion.

这也意味着你需要得出一个清晰合理的结论

You can’t just say, ‘I agree’, or ‘I disagree.’

你不能只说“我同意”或“我不同意”

Think of it like this: you need to convince the examiner that your conclusion is correct.

你需要这样想

你需要说服阅卷人你的结论是正确的

You might think at this point, ‘yeah, obvious, thanks for the help, Kasia!’

你可能已经知晓这一点，”是的，确实如此，谢谢你的帮助，卡莎“

Trust me; it’s harder than it sounds.

相信我，它做起来比听起来难上很多倍

Many FCE essays that we see don’t get these basic things right.

我们看到的许多FCE论文都没有把这些基本的东西弄好

It’s very easy to leave something out, or to go in the wrong direction.

很容易就会漏掉一些内容或者写跑题

Next, you’re writing this answer for your teacher so what style do you think it will

接下来，你正在为老师作答

你认为的作答必要格式是什么

be in?

Formal or informal?

正式还是非正式？

An essay should be formal.

一篇文章当然应该是正式的

What does that mean?

那是什么意思？

Formal writing doesn’t use contractions, like ‘I’d’, ‘you’re’ or ‘don’t’.

正式写作不使用缩写

比如 I'd, your 或者 don't

请写出完整表达形式

Write the full forms.

You should also avoid using slang, colloquial vocabulary, or anything which sounds very

您还应该避免使用俚语，大白话以及一些非常口语化的言语方式

conversational.

Next, think: what do you need to include?

接下来想一想：你需要包含什么内容

You need to talk about taxes, opportunity, and you also need to add your own idea.

你需要谈论税收，机会，你还需要添加自己的想法

Even the ideas which are given to you—taxes and opportunity—are quite vague.

甚至给你的税收和机会的讨论方向本身也是很模糊的

That means you need to decide exactly what to talk about.

这意味着你需要自己决断具体要讨论的内容

You also need to think about how to connect your ideas.

您还需要考虑如何串联这些想法

For example, with taxes you could say that if you pay taxes, then this should go back

例如，对于税收，您可以说如果你纳税

那么这些税收应该回归社会，去造福每个人

into society to benefit everyone.

You could add to this by pointing out that having equal opportunities also benefits society.

你可以从而引出拥有平等机会也有益于社会

And for your own idea, you could talk about how people with higher education are more

而对于你自己的想法，你可以谈论受过高等教育的人是如何

likely to be economically productive.

可能更多的产生经济效益的

This is just one example, of course!

当然，这只是一个例子

There are many paths you could take.

您可以选择更多方式

Let’s talk about that in more detail.

让我们更详细地讨论这一点

Here’s what you need to do when you plan your essay.

这是你在设计论文提纲时需要做的事情

First, you need to decide what your conclusion is going to be.

首先，你需要决定你的结论将会是什么

Are you going to agree or disagree that university should be free for everyone?

你是否同意或不同意大学应该对所有人免费？

Decide your conclusion first, because everything else in your essay needs to lead to it.

首先确定你的结论，因为你的文章中其他内容都需要契合它

Secondly, you need to plan how many paragraphs you’re going to have, and what you’ll

其次，你需要计划你要写多少段文字

put in each one.

并且每段文字写什么

Thirdly, you need to make sure your paragraphs are connected to your conclusion.

第三，你需要确保你的段落和结论相关联

Let’s see an example: Pause the video if you want some more time

让我们看一个例子

如果你想要更多时间去观看整个文章提纲，可以选择暂停视频

to read the plan.

You can see that we use the key idea of ‘education’ in the notes for each paragraph.

你可以看到我们在每个段落的注释中都使用了“教育”这一核心概念

Doing this can help you to stay focused and on-topic, because you’re connecting each

这样做可以帮助你保持专注和切题

因为你的每一段内容都能合乎主旨内容

paragraph back to the main idea of the question.

When you plan, make sure that each paragraph has a clear focus.

在列提纲时，请确保每个段落都有明确的观点

Do you know what every good paragraph starts with?

你知道一个好的段落开头是什么样的吗？

A topic sentence.

一个中心句

What’s a topic sentence?

什么是中心句？

A topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph.

中心句是段落的第一句

It summarises the main point of the paragraph.

它总结了该段的整个核心思想

The sentences which follow are called supporting sentences.

随后的句子称为支撑句

These include reasons and examples to support your topic sentence.

这里包括用以支持中心句的原因和示例

A good exercise during planning is to take a paragraph and think to yourself: “What’s

在列提纲时候的好习惯是对于每一段文字的自我思考

这一段究竟要讲述什么内容

this paragraph about?”

If you can answer that question in one simple sentence, then that’s a good sign.

如果你能用一个简单句子回答这个问题，这就很不错了

Hopefully, your plan is clear.

希望你能制定清晰的提纲

However, if you can’t answer that question, that shows that your plan isn’t totally

但是，如果你不能回答这个问题

这表明你你的脑袋中没有勾勒出完整的规划

clear in your head.

一旦你完成了你的提纲设计，就可以准备写答案了

Once you’ve finished your plan, you’re ready to write your answer!

In your candidate answer book, you will now write your essay.

在你的答题纸上，你要开始写文章了

Let’s look at a model answer:

让我们来看一个标准答案：

Pause the video to read, and start again when you’re ready.

当你阅读时请暂停视频，读完后请再播放

First question: have we answered the question?

第一个问题：我们回答了这个问题吗？

Yes: the conclusion states that free university benefits all members of society.

是的，结论表明免费大学使社会所有成员受益

This shows that we agree that university should be free for everyone.

这表明我们赞同大学对每个人都应该免费

Next: have we used topic sentences?

下一个问题：我们使用过主题中心句吗？

Yes, we have.

是的，我们有

The first sentence of the essay tells you what the entire essay will be about.

文章的第一句话告诉你整篇文章的内容

Then, each paragraph’s topic sentence contains a key word from our plan.

然后，每个段落的中心句都包含我们计划中的关键词

We have ‘taxes, ‘opportunities’ and ‘economy’.

我们有税收，机会和经济

Also, the topic sentences and paragraphs all reference the idea of ‘education’, either

此外，主题句和段落都参考了“教育”的概念

directly or indirectly.

直接或间接地

This shows that our points are relevant and connected to the task.

这表明我们的观点是相互关联且切题的

So, now you’re finished, right?

那么，现在你已经完成了，对吧？

No--there’s one more step. This answer is not bad, but it could be better.

并没有， 还有一步

这个答案虽然不错，但可以更好

The final step is to check your answer.

最后一步是检查答案

What type of things do you think you should look for?

你认为你应该寻找什么类型的东西？

Grammar, of course, but what else?

语法当然是其中之一，但还有什么？

Check for spelling mistakes.

检查拼写错误

Check for style—have you used any conversational language which doesn’t fit the tone of an

检查语言风格

你是否使用了不符合文章语境的口语化语言

essay like this?

Check your use of linking words and phrases.

检查连接词和短语的使用

Many students overuse them; don’t use a linking word like nevertheless unless you’re

许多学生过度使用它们

请不要使用类似Nevertheless类的连接词

除非你真能确定它是适合的

sure it fits.

Check for repetition of vocabulary.

检查重复词汇

Could you replace any simple vocabulary with something more advanced?

你能用更高级词汇取代简单词汇吗

Look at our model answer again:

请再看看我们的规范答案

The underlined parts are either mistakes, or they could be improved somehow.

带下划线的部分要么是有错误，要么可以进行某些程度的改进

How would you improve this?

你会如何改善这一点？

Pause the video while you read and decide.

在你阅读和决定如何更改前请暂停视频

The first problem is with grammar.

第一个问题是语法

Unless you’re talking about one specific university, you don’t use 'the'.

除非你在谈论某个特定的大学，否则请不要使用'the'

Okay, what’s wrong with doesn’t?

好吧，那doesn't这里又有什么问题

We’ve used a contraction!

我们用了缩写

Don’t use contractions in your essay.

不要在你的文章中使用缩写

So, it should be does not.

所以，这里应该改成does not

The next problem is a spelling mistake.

下一个问题是拼写错误

When a word ends in ‘y’, it changes to ‘ies’ in the plural.

当一个单词以'y'结尾时，复数形式结尾应该变成'ies'

Next is a punctuation mistake.

接下来是标点错误

There’s a comma missing.

丢了一个逗号

There are two clauses in this sentence and they need to be separated by a comma.

这句话有两个不同子句，需要用逗号分隔

There’s nothing wrong with people with degrees but it’s quite basic.

使用“people with degrees”并没有问题，但是有些过于基础

What else could you say?

你可以用其他什么代替

You could say educated people, or even highly-educated people, either of which is slightly more elegant.

你可以说“educated people"或者甚至“highly educated people”

这样听起来似乎更加优雅

So is not a mistake, but we used ‘so’ in the second paragraph already.

这里使用“so”并没有问题，但我们已经在第二段中已经使用过了

You want to show the examiner your range of language, so here you could use something

你想向考官展示你的语言广度

所以这里你可以用一些更加精确的词汇 比如：consequently

more precise like consequently.

Our conclusion is only one sentence, so let’s add an extra point.

我们的结论只有一个句子，所以让我们额外加一条

We’re still under the maximum word count.

我们的字数还没有写超

Let’s change it to: In conclusion, free university should be free for everyone.

让我们把尾句改为：总之，大学对每个人都应该是免费的

It makes economic sense and ultimately benefits all members of society.

它具有经济意义，最终使所有社会成员受益

At this point, it’s looking good!

在这一点上，它看起来不错

Next, let’s focus on what you can do to produce a good FCE essay which will get a

接下来，让我们谈谈你可以做的写出很好的FCE论文的方法

high score in your exam.

从而使你的测验拿到高分

Your essay score is made up of four parts.

您的文章分数由四部分组成

For each part, you get a score from zero to five.

对于每个部分，您将获得从零到五的分数

First there’s ‘Content’.

首先是内容

The mark scheme says this “focuses on how well you have fulfilled the task”.

评分标注中说明“此分数体现了你完成整个工作的好坏”

In other words, have you done everything you were asked to do?

换言之，你按照题目做了你应做的一切了么

This corresponds to step one of our writing process.

这对应于我们写作过程的第一步

Analyse the task carefully and make sure you do everything it asks you to.

仔细分析任务，确保你做的一切都是被要求的

A good tip is to underline the key words in the task to help you identify what you need

一个好的建议是强调文章中的关键词

以帮助你确定你需要去做的内容

to do.

Next there’s ‘Communicative Achievement’.

接下来是交流完成度

This “focuses on how appropriate your writing is for the task”.

这个用于衡量你此次写作的适当程度

Have you used the correct register?

你的定位是否准确

Have you used contractions?

你有有使用过缩写式么

Basically: does your essay look and sound like an essay?

最基本的，你的文章看起来和听起来像一篇文章吗？

Then we have organisation.

然后下一步就是组织了

This looks at “how the writing is put together”.

这可以看作“如何将写的东西放在一起”

Is it logical and organised?

它是否合乎逻辑并且富有条理

By planning your writing correctly, it will already be organised.

通过正确规划写作，它已经被有条理的组织

Remember to plan your paragraphs carefully and write a clear topic sentence at the beginning

记住请仔细规划你的段落

并在每一段开头都要有明确的主题句子

of each paragraph.

You can also use linking words and phrases to make the connections between paragraphs

你还可以使用连接词或者短语

从而使得段落连接更加清晰

even clearer.

In our essay, we used many linking words, including firstly, secondly, in addition,

在我们的文章中，我们使用了很多连接词

包括：首先，其次，此外

although, consequently and in conclusion.

虽然，因此，总之

Look through the essay again, and note how the linking words and phrases are used.

再看一下这篇文章，并注意如何使用连接词和短语

Can you find any more examples of linking words in the essay?

你能找到文章中更多关于连接词的例子吗？

Finally, you have ‘Language’: vocabulary and grammar.

最后，就是语言了

词汇和语法

词汇和语法

The examiners will be looking for a range of language as well as how accurate it is.

批卷人将会寻找一系列语言并判断其准确性

In step four, you saw how checking your essay can improve your language.

在第四步中，你了解了如何检查论文并改善语言表达

Are you worried that making mistakes will affect your mark?

你是否担心犯这样的错会影响你的分数？

Of course, making a lot of mistakes will lower your mark, but remember this is only one part

当然，犯很多错误肯定会降低你的分数，

但是记住这只是四个得分审核项中的一个

of the score.

For B2 level, the Cambridge mark scheme says, ‘Occasional errors may be present but do

对于B2级别，剑桥考试大纲这样描述

偶尔的错误可能存在，但存在不要妨碍正常沟通

not impede communication.’

That means you can still score 5 from 5, even with some small mistakes.

这意味着即使犯了一些小错误，你仍然可以在这方面得满分

But, hopefully, you’ll catch most of them when you’re on step four – checking and

但是，希望你在第四步时能够抓住大部分

仔细检查和修缮你的答案

improving your answer.

You’ve seen how to write an essay for FCE, but you can use the same process for other

你已经看了如何写一篇FCE文章

但你可以在其他剑桥考试时使用相同的方法

Cambridge exams, including the CAE and CPE when you get that far.

包括CAE和CPE，如果你能答到那个层级

包括CAE和CPE，如果你能答到那个层级

If you enjoyed this lesson and would like more free lessons, you can visit our website:

如果你喜欢本课并希望获得更多免费课程，请访问我们的网站：

oxfordonlineenglish.com.

oxfordonlineenglish.com。

Good luck with your exam preparation and let us know when you pass!

祝你考试准备好，当你通过考试时请告诉我们

Thanks for watching!

谢谢观看！