how to write an article b1 level

Are you a learner at B1 English level (intermediate) ? This section offers writing practice to help you write simple connected text on familiar topics that are of personal interest. Texts include forum posts, reviews, messages, short essays and emails.   

Each lesson has a preparation task, a model text with writing tips and three tasks to check your understanding and to practise a variety of writing skills. Make a start today.

Choose a writing lesson

A class forum

Learn how to write a post on a class forum.

• Read more about A class forum
• Log in or register to post comments

A professional profile

Learn how to write a professional profile.

• Read more about A professional profile

A report on a student meeting

Learn how to write a report.

• Read more about A report on a student meeting

A restaurant review

Learn how to write a restaurant review.

• Read more about A restaurant review

A thank-you message

Learn how to write a thank-you message to a colleague.

• Read more about A thank-you message

An email giving holiday advice

Learn how to write an email to give holiday advice.

• Read more about An email giving holiday advice

An email to explain an accommodation problem

Learn how to write an email to explain a problem with your accommodation.

• Read more about An email to explain an accommodation problem

An email to invite someone to a job interview

Learn how to write an email to invite someone to a job interview.

• Read more about An email to invite someone to a job interview

Describing a bar chart

Learn how to write about trends in a bar chart.

• Read more about Describing a bar chart

Describing charts

Learn how to write about charts.

• Read more about Describing charts

New Year's resolutions

Learn how to write about your New Year's resolutions.

• Read more about New Year's resolutions

Reflective writing

Learn how to write a reflective text about a learning experience.

• Read more about Reflective writing

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Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET): How to write an article in 2021

• Mandatory task: no
• Word count: around 100 words
• Main characteristics: title, interesting/engaging language
• Structure: introduction, main paragraphs, ending
• Language: interesting adjectives & adverbs, questions

Home or cinema – How do you watch your favourite films? I know many people who love animated or romantic films, but for me, there is nothing better than an amazing drama or adventure movie like ‘Indiana Jones’ because I’m a big fan of stories with a fascinating plot. In my opinion, watching a film at home isn’t the same as going to the cinema to enjoy a great movie on a huge screen with popcorn and cola. If it wasn’t so expensive, I would go every week. So, if you want to give me some money to go to the cinema more often, or to tell me which you prefer – the cinema or the TV screen, leave a comment.

Introduction

In the PET exam you always have to write an email, but you can choose if you want to write an article or a story.

In an article task you get the topic from a website or magazine and there is some information or questions that you have to write about. Also, your language should normally be between neutral and informal.

>>> Find out how to write an amazing email for PET here. <<<

>>> For great information on PET story writing click here. <<<

What does a typical article task look like?

In every writing task in the PET exam there are a few things you have to analyse before you can start to put your pen to paper.

• What is the situation?
• What do I have to include in my article?
• Who is going to read my article?

It is really important and helpful to answer these question first because you get a lot of useful information so writing the article becomes easier from the beginning.

A typical article task might look like the one below:

Now that we have a task, let’s answer the questions from earlier.

Firstly, your article needs to be about films and secondly, there are two main questions that you have to answer in your text (films you enjoy [1] and if you prefer going to the cinema or watching films at home with reasons [2]).

Last but not least, the readers of the English-language website are the people you write your article for. That means your language should be neutral to informal because it is not for your friends, but neither for your boss or teacher.

In neutral English you can use contractions like ‘I’m’ or ‘she’s’, phrasal verbs or informal punctuation (e.g. ‘!’), but no slang words or anything that is not in the dictionary.

How to organise your article

You can always organise your articles in a similar way. This makes it a lot easier for you because you will know how to complete this kind of writing task step by step.

In the last part we saw that there are normally two main questions that you have to cover. In our example the two questions are:

• What kind of films do you enjoy?
• Do you prefer watching them at the cinema or at home? Why?

As there are two main points it is probably a good idea to have two main paragraphs in your article. In addition, you should always have an title and a final sentence so we get to four parts in total :

Final sentence

This works for every article writing task so you can relax and really focus on what you want to say instead of worrying about the structure of your text.

Always make a plan

It happens too often that students have bad writing tasks or make unnecessary mistakes because they just start to write instead of taking just a few minutes to think about their article first.

If you plan your article, you can save a lot of time because you know exactly what the different parts of your text are and what you want to include.

Don’t make the same mistake. Plan your writing tasks and be ready.

The different parts of an article

In this part I’m going to show you examples of the different parts of a PET article. As I said before, every article uses a similar structure so you just have to adapt it to the topic of your specific task.

Look at the task again and remember what we have to do. With this in mind, are you ready?

Every good article has a title . When you read a newspaper, magazine or website you always find titles (and sometimes even subheadings) at the top of an article.

Try to make the title interesting so the reader wants to see what you have to say. For example, in our task from earlier we could choose one of the following ideas:

• Films I like (and how I watch them)
• How to best watch the films you love
• Home or cinema – How do you watch your favourite films?

You can see that the topic is clear and it creates some interest for the reader. However, don’t feel stressed. If you just use the title “Films”, you won’t lose any marks . It is more important to give your article some kind of title.

Main paragraphs

The main paragraphs are the most important pieces of your article and you should always think about these two things:

• Does the paragraph talk about about one of the main questions in the task?
• Do I use good language (neutral/informal, linking words, good grammar and interesting vocabulary)?

One of the most important things in the PET Writing exam is that you have to answer the questions in the task very clearly. Don’t talk about things that are unrelated, but focus on the topic . An example for one of the main paragraphs could look like this:

I know many people who love animated or romantic films, but for me, there is nothing better than an amazing drama or adventure movie like ‘Indiana Jones’ because I’m a big fan of stories with a fascinating plot. In my opinion, watching a film at home isn’t the same as going to the cinema to enjoy a great movie on a huge screen with popcorn and cola. If it wasn’t so expensive, I would go every week.

You can see that I answered the question about what films I enjoy. I only focused on the question and gave some examples .

In the first paragraph I talk about film genres (animated, romantic, drama, adventure) as well as one specific film (Indiana Jones). I also tried to include some interesting grammar (I know many people who…, nothing better than) and vocabulary (amazing drama, I’m a big fan of…, fascinating plot). On top of that, I used different linking words to connect my ideas (who, but, because).

In the second paragraph I say how I prefer watching a film (going to the cinema) and I explain why (huge screen, popcorn and cola). I also included a conditional sentence for good grammar (If it wasn’t so expensive, I would go every week.).

This sounds like a lot of information, but is you practise regularly, it will become easier and easier for you to do the same.

As soon as you finish your main paragraphs, you should end your article with a nice final sentence. It can be a little bit funny or surprising, but you can also just summarise your article. Remember, the more interesting your article is, the better it is for your marks .

So, if you want to give me some money to go to the cinema more often, or to tell me which you prefer – the cinema or the TV screen, leave a comment.

In my final sentence I try to be funny (I’m not a very good comedian 🙂 ) and I speak directly to the reader . This is a good way of making your article more interesting because the reader feels as if they are part of the text.

Before we finish this post, think about the other parts of B1 Preliminary as well. Apart from Writing, one of the most difficult papers is Reading. I have written posts for each task and I definitely recommend having a look at them too. Just check the pictures below.

Start to practise today

Don’t wait until the last minute to practise your writing skills. Start today and practise as much as you can. Use the information in this article to help you improve yours.

Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think about writing articles.

Lots of love,

Teacher Phill 🙂

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24 Comments

Your tips have always helped me to prepare myself for a session in a very effective way. Thank you!

Hi Zameena,

You’re very welcome. 🙂

Please keep giving teachers this supprt!

Thank you so much for such a useful post) you really have a talent of giving clear and simple explanations)

Really useful . Often use your blog to prepare for my lessons. Thanks

Thanks for your feedback. I’m always happy to help my fellow teachers. 🙂

Comments are closed.

Writing an article

Topic outline.

The purpose of an article is often to inform and persuade the reader. 

Articles give the reader information about a certain topic, bringing together and discussing different perspectives to provide a balanced argument which lets the reader make up their own mind about the topic. 

Articles can also be used to persuade the reader that a certain viewpoint is correct. For example, articles in newspapers or magazines might express a particular viewpoint or perspective; this may be positive or negative depending on the topic. 

The ways you use language and organise your ideas when writing an article will depend on the audience and the purpose you are writing for.

• think about the audience that the article is for – w hen writing an article, you do not usually know your readers personally and so you will need to think about their likely interests and experience before you write
• how you expect, or want, your audience to react – re member that the tone of most articles should be semi-formal, so before deciding on your tone imagine your article being read out loud and how that might sound to your reader. For example, an article reviewing a film may be humorous, even sarcastic, but that would not work well for more serious readers or topics
• the purpose for the article – is th e purpose, or reason, for writing your article to persuade your readers to agree with you or to invite your readers to think about different points of view and decide for themselves? For example, do you need to sound reliable and well informed, or choose words that strongly convey a particular emotion?
• how to keep your readers interest – ima gine how boring it would be for your reader if you used the same kind of sentences and simple repetitive vocabulary all the way through your article. Try to include a range of grammatical structures and relevant vocabulary to make sure that your reader wants to keep reading.
• Plan a route through your article before you start writing it – th e structure of an article is usually in three parts. For example:
• An introduction – engage your reader’s interest and introduce your argument or the main points of the topic to be discussed.
• A middle – develop relevant and interesting points about the topic to interest and/or convince your readers to think about a particular perspective.
• An end – d raw your points together and leave your reader with a clear impression of the argument you want them to believe or the viewpoints you would like them to consider.
• Organise your ideas into paragraphs as appropriate – this will help you to develop and support your points convincingly, to build your argument and/or offer a full explanation of a particular point of view.
• Show your reader at a glance what your article is about – articles usually have a suitable headline to attract their readers’ attention and you can choose to use subheadings (a bit like mini headlines) to help break your article up and move your reader on. Do not overdo these, but well-chosen subheadings can help to catch and keep your reader’s attention, as well as sum up the main points you are making.
• Show the connections between ideas in sentences and paragraphs – for example, where a new point or idea follows on from what you have already said you might use linking words or phrases such as, 'in addition’, ‘likewise’ or ‘similarly’.
• Example of an article

• Aurelia Colta
• March 18, 2022
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How to do the Writing in the B1 Preliminary Cambridge Exam

The key to your success in the Writing paper of the B1 Preliminary Cambridge exam lies in the following top-five writing tips:

• Know what types of texts and questions are required in the exam.
• Know what each of these texts must include.
• Practise writing using exam tasks. 
• Always proofread your work: correct, add, replace or make other changes to your final writing.
• Be ambitious. 

In our previous article, Insights Into B1 Preliminary Writing , we have said  that there are three kinds of texts that B1 Preliminary candidates must be familiar with:

• An article and 

The Writing paper consists of two parts and three questions:

• Answer a friend’s email and include the notes that are provided.

This part is compulsory.

• Write an article by answering the questions, and
• Write a story which must start with the sentence provided in the question.

In this part, from these two, you choose one question.

The writing process looks like cooking. You cannot start preparing any dish unless you know what ingredients are necessary, can you? So, before you go on to practise writing, let’s find out which the essential parts are in each of the three above-mentioned writings.

• Start in a friendly way
• React to the news
• Use informal language, e.g.  wanna, ’cause, well , etc
• Ask questions, e.g. “You’ll visit us this summer, won’t you?”
• Use linkers: because, besides, also, but, however, though, so, etc
• Close in a friendly way

Model Answer

Read this email from your English-speaking friend Elisabeth and the notes you have made. Write your email using all the notes. Write your answer in about 100 words.

From: Elisabeth

How are you? I hope you’re having a great holiday. I went bird watching in the mountains last week, and it was amazing! → (1) Respond to this news.

Do you want to come and visit me next weekend? I could take you to the national park. It’s a great place. → (2) Refuse and say why.

Maybe you prefer to do something during summer holidays, too. I have lots of free time. I’d be nice to see you! → (3) Yes! Invite Elisabeth to my home.

By the way, I know it’s your birthday the day after tomorrow, so I sent you something! You should get it tomorrow. I hope the post arrives on time. → (4) Thank her .

Have a great day!

Hi Elisabeth, 

You’ve been birdwatching! Wow, I’m sure it was incredible! I know how much you like spending time outdoors. I’m glad you had fun. What a pity I couldn’t join you.

Thanks a lot for the invitation. I’m afraid I can’t. Next Monday, I’ve got a job interview. Wish me good luck! Besides, my grandparents’re going to  visit me, so, I must prepare the guest’s room. Maybe the following weekend. Have you got any plans?

Wait, I’ve got an idea! Summer is coming, and you said you’d be free. What about coming to my place? We’ve got plenty of things to do around here. We could spend some days together and catch up a little. Tell me what you think about it.

Thanks for sending me a birthday present. So kind of you! Can’t wait to get it!

I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon!

• Write a catchy title
• Write 1-2 rhetoric questions, e.g. “Have you ever wondered what life without smartphones is?”  
• Give your opinion: For me, I think …, In my opinion, I would say that …, etc
• Use adjectives
• Use linkers: because, so, as, since, since, That’s why, besides, and, also, as well, too, but, however, although,  etc

You see this notice on an English language website:

Articles wanted!

My favourite city

What’s your favourite city? What’s so special about this city? What city would you love to travel to in the future? Tell us what you think!

Write an article answering these questions, and we will publish the most interesting ones on our website.

A city for everyone

My favourite city is London. It is unique for me because it is so beautiful and fascinating. It is also full of amazing sights every tourist would like to visit.

London has got everything for everyone. It has a lot of old historic buildings and museums for people who are interested in culture and history, but it also feels modern and young people love it. So, this city attracts everyone. You can visit expensive designer shops or small, traditional markets. There are hundreds of restaurants and cafés which serve English food, or different dishes from around the world. You can meet all kinds of people, too, such as street artists and even famous singers. I am sure London has got something to impress you as well, hasn’t it?

I think I would love to travel to Los Angeles in the future since I’ve seen this city in so many films, also on the postcards my best friend from the USA has sent me. I’d be so happy to see its skyscrapers in real life. It would be amazing, wouldn’t it? 

• Give your story a name.
• Start with the sentence given in the task.
• Organize the story into three parts: beginning, middle and ending.
• Use time adverbials: first, then …, next, later, while/as …, before …, an hour later, right at that moment, the next day, finally, etc.
• Use past, narrative tenses: past simple, past continuous and past perfect (simple and continuous).
• Add direct speech, e.g.  “Shall we go out?”, she said. “Brilliant idea!” replied Katy.
• Add strong adjectives to describe people, places, feelings, etc, e.g. huge, tiny, delighted, terrified, miserable, etc
• Add adverbs to describe actions and adjectives, e.g. luckily, carefully, angrily, happily, etc.
• Give a clear ending, e.g. In the end …, I realized that …, I’ll never forget what happened. After a great day …, etc.

Your English teacher has asked you to write a story. Your story must begin with this sentence:

The message began, “Congratulations! You’ve won first prize!”

Write your story.

The Email story

The message began, “Congratulations! You’ve won first prize!”.

Neither John nor Mary knew that their son, Chris, had taken part in a writing competition the previous week. He had written an autobiography and had sent it, hoping he could win. Chris had anxiously been looking forward to the result of the competition.

“Again, look at this sort of email we were telling our sons about yesterday at dinner time,” John said to Mary, “They cannot open such emails!”, Mary angrily continued. Both looked nervously at the PC screen. “Don’t worry,” Mary added, “I will delete it and there will be no harm for anybody”, Mary said. The email was in the bin with one click. Then another click and it disappeared forever.

Just then, Chris came into his parents’ bedroom. “Mom,” he said, “I forgot to tell you that I had entered a competition, but I had used your email address. Have you received any email about it?”  His parents looked at each other speechless.

Finally, after a moment that seemed an eternity to Chris, his dad said, “Let’s write an email and ask about it. I am sure you have won! Which is the email address?”. The next day they got the email. Christ was delighted by the news; however, his parents will never forget how they have deleted such an important email.

It is essential to remember that like in any recipe, there are some main ingredients we can’t do without, such salt and oil, aren’t they?

Here are the “staple foods” for a B1 Preliminary writing:

• Answer to all the questions,
• Write a minimum 100 words, and
• Use varied vocabulary, appropriate for the topic of the question.

Hands-on Activity

Now, I’d like to invite you to do a hands-on activity. You should see in which writing types a list of key points are necessary.

Print the PDF on the left. Then check your answers by opening the PDF on the right. 

In a nutshell, you know what the three writing tasks in the B1 Preliminary Cambridge exam are, don’t you? You are also familiar with the checklist for each of these writing types, aren’t you? What’s next? Practise and again practise. The more you write, the better at writing you become. Next, proofread every single time you’ve got your answer. I beg you to avoid repetition as much as possible. Use synonyms. Show how well you control both the grammar structures and the topic vocabulary. Last but not least, be ambitious in your writing. Play with language chunks. It will pay off!

Stay tuned for more words of advice and handy material!

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B1 level articles

In this section, read articles about a wide variety of topics. The articles are written for intermediate (CEFR level B1) learners.

You will improve your reading comprehension and develop your vocabulary on a diverse range of  topics. Each article has a set of  exercises to help you understand and use the language.

Choose a topic

Africa is Losing the Climate Change Race

At the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland in 2019, the famous English naturalist, Sir David Attenborough warned political and business leaders that the world’s greatest problem is climate change...

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Africa turns air into water

Drought is a big problem in many parts of Africa. In The Sahel region water is difficult to find. Why?...

Bend it like Bassira

Aminata was five years old when her parents died. She was taken to her aunt’s house in a nearby village. The little girl was in shock...

Going Local – African solutions

Changes in exchange rates and uncertainty in global markets can make it difficult to rely on international brands. As a result, some people are going local...

Independent Energy Providers in Africa

Across Africa approximately 600 million people still use candles to light their homes at night. Many live in rural areas...

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Type: Article

You see this notice on your school’s notice board:

Write your article .

Type: Story

Your English teacher has asked you to write a story.

Your story must begin with this sentence:

‘When Jenny looked out of the window, she couldn’t believe her eyes’

Write your story .

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Exam English ✓

• B1 Preliminary for Schools
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Free Practice Tests for learners of English

In the writing section of the B1 Preliminaryfor Schools English test there are two parts. In part 2 you have to write either an article or a story.

You see this announcement on an English language website.

Write your answer in about 100 words

B1 Preliminary for Schools Writing part 2 (article)

Articles wanted, how do you learn.

Write an article telling us about how you learnt to do something. Why was this a good way to learn? Do you need a teacher to learn something well? The best articles will be published on our website.

B1 Preliminary for Schools Writing

• part 1, email
• part 2, article
• part 2, story

2021 © Exam English Ltd. ALL Rights Reserved. Home | Terms of Use | Privacy policy Cookie preferences. -->

This is an example of how to write an article about shopping. It provides practice for the writing section of  the Cambridge English B1 Preliminary exam.  

B1 Preliminary Writing Part 2 Article: Shopping

More exercises available:

• Reading Part 1 & 2
• Reading Part 3 & 4
• Reading Part 5 & 6
• Writing Part 1
• Writing Part 2

Part 1 - Read five real-world notices, messages and other short texts for the main message.

• Notices and Messages How to Video
• Notices and Messages Set 1
• Notices and Messages Set 2
• Notices and Messages Set 3
• Notices and Messages Set 4
• Notices and Messages Set 5
• Notices and Messages Set 6
• Notices and Messages Set 7
• Notices and Messages Set 8

Part 2 - Match five descriptions of people to eight short texts on a particular topic, showing detailed comprehension.

• Films at the Cinema
• Summer Camps
• Trip to London

Part 3 - Read a longer text for detailed comprehension, gist, inference and global meaning, as well as writer’s attitude and opinion.

• Being Special
• Night Shift Work
• Procedures for Part 3
• Rock climbing
• The Zookeeper

Part 4 - Read a longer text from which five sentences have been removed. Show understanding of how a coherent and well-structured text is formed.

• Keep on Running
• Student Budget
• The Olympic Flame
• The Puzzle Maker

Part 5 - Read a shorter text and choose the correct vocabulary items to complete gaps.

• Book Recommendation
• Mountain Climbing
• Playing Computer Games
• Popular Website
• Saving a Tree
• Single or Mixed-gender Schools
• Work of Art

Part 6 - Read a shorter text and complete six gaps using one word for each gap.

• Hometown Changes
• Music Preferences
• New Year’s Day
• Party Invitation
• Special Bike
• Subject Choices
• The First Day of Spring
• The Oldest University in the World

Write about 100 words, answering the email and notes provided.

• Birthday Money
• Learning a language
• New Cooking Club

Write about 100 words, either an article or story.

• Being Healthy
• Festival in Thailand
• Learning and the Internet
• Music Lover
• Playing Games

Short Stories

• A Broken Train
• A Phone Call
• Surprised Teacher
• Weather Warning
• Woke up late
• Part 3 - Listening
• Part 4 - Listening

Part 3 - Gap-Filled Exercise

• Competition
• Shopping Centre Visit

Part 4 - Multiple Choice Exercise

• A Coach Trip
• Fashion Designer
• Talking about a Journey

The B1 Preliminary Speaking test has four parts and you take it together with another candidate. There are two examiners. One of the examiners talks to you and the other examiner listens.

• Kenza and Mohammed
• Roberto and Simone
• Crosswords Puzzles
• Word Searches
• Word Puzzles
• Air Travel Crossword
• Computer Crossword
• Crime Crossword
• Entertainment Crossword
• Financial Language Crossword
• Food Crossword
• Health Crossword
• Home Crossword
• Language Crossword
• Leisure Crossword
• Money Crossword
• Natural World Crossword
• Places Crossword
• Shopping Crossword
• Sports Crossword
• Technology Crossword
• Texting Crossword
• Time Crossword
• Transport Crossword
• Travel Crossword
• Work and Jobs Crossword
• Adjectives with -ing Word Search
• Art Word Search
• Bonfire Night Word Search
• Buildings Word Search
• Classical Music Word Search
• Countryside Word Search
• Drama Word Search
• Education Word Search
• Entertainment Word Search
• Fast Food Word Search
• Feelings Word Search
• Food and Drink Word Search
• Football Word Search
• Gambling Word Search
• Haunted House Word Search
• Health Word Search
• Home Word Search
• Internet Word Search
• Language Word Search
• Leisure Word Search
• Natural World Word Search
• Shopping Word Search
• Sports Facilities Word Search
• Sports Word Search
• Sushi Word Search
• Technology Word Search
• Time Word Search
• Town and City Word Search
• Travel Word Search
• Weather Word Search
• Work Word Search
• Clothes Word Puzzle
• Color Word Puzzle
• Communication Word Puzzle
• Easter Word Puzzle
• Education Word Puzzle
• Entertainment Word Puzzle
• Environment Word Puzzle
• Food Word Puzzle
• Health Word Puzzle
• Hobbies Word Puzzle
• Language Word Puzzle
• Medicine Word Puzzle
• Natural World Word Puzzle
• Technology Word Puzzle
• Time Word Puzzle
• Weather Word Puzzle
• Vocabulary Skills
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• Chinese New Year
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• Easter (A2 – B1 Levels)
• Entertainment
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• Environmental Issues
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• Places and Buildings
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• Work and Jobs
• Phrasal Verbs
• Past Simple
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• Blog Post – A New Life in Japan
• Article – The Countryside
• Email – Holiday Plans
• Article – Schools for Boys and Girls
• Short Story – Computer Problems
• Book Review – The Call
• Article – Work of Art
• Report – Features of Glaciers
• Email – New School
• Email – Subject Choices
• Speech – Course Introduction
• News Report – Bank Robbery
• Email – Visiting a relative
• Email – Saving Energy
• Email – Party Invitation
• Email – Barbecue Invitation
• Article – Being Famous
• Email – Summer School
• Email – Borrowing
• Email – Holiday in Thailand
• Email – School Holidays
• Email – Computer Games
• Email – Favourite Film
• Short Story – Art Competition
• Article – The Cardboard Bike
• Short Story – The Angel
• Letter – Most Important Time
• Movie Review – Ted
• Email – about University
• Short Story – In Free Fall
• Short Story – Talent Contest
• Report – Eating out in Berlin
• French words using [Ch]

Cambridge English exams are designed for learners at all levels from the pre-intermediate level Cambridge English: Key (KET) to the very advanced level Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE). These exams give candidates proof of their ability to use English in a wide variety of contexts, relevant to work, study and leisure activities.

A2 Key | B1 Preliminary | B2 First

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Writing the Perfect Email for B1 Preliminary (PET)

Luis @ kse academy.

• noviembre 14, 2019

As we’ve already seen in the B1 Writing Guide (in Spanish), updated for the 2020 changes , the Writing component consists of 2 parts. The first one is an email whereas the second one is a story or an article, as you can choose which to do. For this reason, in this post I’m going to teach you how to write an email at B1 level for your Preliminary (PET) exam .

Email structure

Saying goodbye.

Este artículo también está disponible en castellano.

How to Write an Email for B1 Preliminary (PET)

In order to know the steps to write an email for this B1 exam , the first thing we need to do is to find out what the instructions are like and know what you’re expected to do. And even though we saw this in the B1 Writing guide (in Spanish), we will now go over it again and dive in even deeper.

Instructions for Writing B1 Preliminary Part 1: Email

In this part of the test, you are given an email from an English friend or relative, and you are asked to respond to it in about 100 words . This email contains annotations which help you identify exactly what you need to respond to.

As regards the topics, they’re usually not very difficult, as you’re expected to write at an intermediate level, about topics you are familiar with: sports, hobbies, TV programmes, the weather, your town/city, etc. Here’s an example taken from Cambridge English sample papers :

As you can see in the example above, taken from Cambridge’s official website, we have received an email from a person so-called Sandy , who is a friend of ours. In addition, we have made some annotations, which are the points we need to address in your email:

• Say which I prefer
• No, because…
• Ask Sandy…

In this sense, Cambridge is making this task easier, as we definitely won’t go blank and they are pointing out the structure that our email should have , which we will see in the following section.

The first thing you need to know is the different parts of an email , and these are:

• Greetings:  we greet  the other person (i.e. say «hi» or «hello»).
• Opening paragraph:  we react to the other person’s news and ask them how they are feeling and whatever else you feel is appropriate.
• Main paragraph 1:  in this paragraph we deal with the first important point, which we can identify in the instructions.
• Main paragraph 2: if there is a different point to deal with, this paragraph will do so.
• (We might have more main paragraphs, depending on the task.)
• Closing paragraph: in this paragraph we «start» to say goodbye by wishing the other person well and asking them to reply to your email.
• Goodbye: we use a short expression to say goodbye.
• Signature:  we sign the email with our name.

In general, all emails must follow the same structure, and also, I recommend you following these two pieces of advice::

• Don’t write From: y To: , as it is completely unnecessary and Cambridge won’t penalise you. Also, you’re saving words which you can use in the body of your email.
• Don’t write a subject , for the same reason as before.

Now that we know the different parts of an email, we should see an example.

Example Email for PET Writing Part 1

Let’s take a look at the following example of a Preliminary (PET) task answer for Writing Part 1 , where we can see an answer to the sample task we saw above:

In the example above, you can see the different parts of an email well defined. It’s important that your writing is visually appealing , apart from having good grammar and vocabulary. This means that the paragraphs should be well defined , with a space in between, and that you should know when to break lines. This is specially important after greetings, after opening and closing paragraphs, and after saying goodbye. This will make your text visually appealing, as it will look like a real email.

Expressions to use in your email

In this section, we are going to focus on different expressions you can use in the different parts of the email . While the main paragraphs will vary completely depending on the topic of your writing, most of the other parts in the email can be practised and memorised almost completely. Let’s take a look:

In order to start your email in Writing Part 1 for Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) , you can use different expressions, which are really typical and easy to remember. We have 3 basic ways to greet in this kind of writing, which is usually for a friend or family member:

• Hi John, 
• Hello John,

Notice how «hi» is less formal than «hello» or «dear». Also, don’t forget to write a comma (,) right after greeting your friend or relative. After greeting the addressee (i.e. the person who will read the email), you must start the opening paragraph in a new line .

Opening paragraph

The opening paragraph is the place to react to your friend’s or relative’s email . In order to do so, you can use a number of different expressions. Here we have some examples:

• It’s nice / great / good to hear from you. 
• It’s nice / great / good  to read your email. 
• I’m glad to hear your news. 
• I’m excited about…  (your news.)
• It’s great to hear that…
• I’m sorry to hear that…
• I’m really sorry to read your news. 
• Thanks a lot for writing!
• It was good to receive your email. 
• Thank you very much for your email. 

And many more. Also, it’s a good idea to ask your friend or relative how they are feeling , which you can do like this:

• Hope you are doing well. 
• How’s it going? 
• How are you (doing)?
• How are things (going)?

You can also add some information that you think is relevant or necessary, but don’t expand this paragraph very much, because the important information must go in the main paragraphs .

Main paragraphs

For the main paragraphs, there aren’t any fixed expressions which you must use, as it depends mostly on what you have to write about. However, you should try to make use of connectors and appropriate punctuation . So let’s take a look at  common useful connectors and the punctuation we use them with:

• … and… :  to connect two similar things or ideas.

I love reading and listening to music. My favourite meal is fish and chips.

• …, but… : to connect two contrasting ideas.

I love watching Tv , but I don’t have a favourite show. I am reading a book, but I don’t remember the title.

• . However, … : to connect contrasting ideas.

Last month, I went to the cinema . However, I didn’t enjoy the movie. I am a very big fan of this author . However, I haven’t read his last novel.

• Moreover, … : to add more information about something.
• … because… : to justify an opinion or idea.

My mum is the perfect cook because she knows a lot of recipes and has plenty of experience. Moreover, she experiments with different ingredients all the time.

• . Because of that, … : to justify an opinion, fact or idea.

My mum likes to cook using new ingredients all the time. Because of that, she creates original dishes every month.

• . As for…/ Regarding…  : to switch to a new topic. For instance, you can use this connector to start the second main paragraph.

As for/Regarding why I like this cookery show, I think it’s because it’s a great way to see new recipes.

• Time linkers: then, after that, yesterday, this morning, last summer, etc. 

Last night, I watched a very good action film.

With many connectors, we typically use a comma (,) after it when we start a sentence (e.g.: However, Last night, Moreover, etc. ).

Closing paragraph

As we mentioned earlier, a closing paragraph in this Writing part 3 is used to start saying goodbye to the addressee and to ask for a response to your email. So we can use the following expressions:

• Well, it’s time to say goodbye. 
• Anyway, I have to go now. 
• Well, it’s time to go. 
• Anyway, gotta go. 
• I really hope to hear from you soon. 
• I’m looking forward to hearing from you. 
• I hope you write back soon. 
• Make sure you write back soon. 

Also, if you still have to write more words, you can add a question for a subsequent email. This question should be related to the topic of your piece of writing.

There are many ways in English to close an informal email. The most frequently used ones are the following:

• Best wishes,
• Sincerely, 
• Take care, 
• All my love, 
• Lots of love, 
• See you soon, 
• Regards, 

Notice how there is a comma (,) after each of the phrases . Also, after writing any of these sentences, make sure you write your name on a different line . And write your name without a full stop!

Another example of an email at B1 level

Now that we know what expressions we should be using in our writing, we are going to take a look at another task and a sample answer. In this case, this is an example of an old task, but the email follows the same rules. Pay close attention to how it’s structured and how its paragraphs are well defined and separated:

Notice how the expressions in bold  are used. Whenever you write an email, you should think about this type of expressions and make sure you use them appropriately .

Top 5 Tips for writing an Email for B1 Preliminary (PET)

• Learn and memorise a set of expressions . Make sure you already know a set of expressions to use in your greetings, opening and closing paragraphs, and to say goodbye. This will save you a lot of time while doing a task, and you will avoid making silly mistakes as you will already know the expressions by heart.
• Write a well-structured and visually-appealing email . One of the things Cambridge English examiners pay attention to is the organisation of your piece writing, so make sure not to write a messy email. Also, remember that  punctuation matters , so be sure to separate your sentences with stops and commas and don’t write excessively long sentences.
• Brainstorm, write, read and edit . Before starting to write your email, brainstorm a couple of things and write down some ideas. This can include vocabulary related to the topic. For example, if you have to write about TV shows, you can write down thinks like «contestants», «cookery show», «prize», etc. Then, write out your email. After that, read it and look for possible mistakes or opportunities for improvement (e.g.: adding descriptive adjectives, rephrasing sentences, etc.).
• Read carefully and identify the task . Don’t start writing right away. Make sure you read the task carefully and that you identify exactly what you are being asked. Sometimes, we don’t pay attention to the instructions and we end up writing about something different. This will mean losing points, in a very silly way, I must say.
• Experiment at home, be conservative in the exam . Homework is the best chance to be creative and experiment different ways to express yourself. So make sure you try your hardest to keep improving when you write at home. On the other hand, when you’re doing an exam, don’t risk trying out new words or expressions, as you may be making a terrible mistake. So be safe in your exam and stick to what you already know works .

Did you find this post useful? Did you? Well, don’t forget to comment and share. And if you love the English language, follow KSE Academy on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube! And don’t forget to subscribe to the blog!

Oh, and don’t forget to keep smiling!

44 comentarios en “Writing the Perfect Email for B1 Preliminary (PET)”

EXCELLENT HELP FOR THE NEW 2020 PET FORMAT. THANKS A LOT

Hi Liliana! Thanks a lot for your comment! Take care!

Grazie mille di tutto, saluti dall’ Italia

you are great Luis. Thanks a lot for your good work. Paqui Muñoz Mendoza

Thank you very much, Paqui. It’s great to receive comments like this from time to time.

Thanks Luis

Your help was so useful. Thanks.

Thanks for your comment, Rocío. Take care!

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much for sharing. It’s very useful and helpful.

Thank you! 🙂

Nice work, Luis! I’m continuing my classes online during the coronavirus, and this post provides a great, visually-appealing review of this part of the new test. I will be sending my students here next week to help with their homework!

Thank you very much for your comment. Hope your students find it useful. Take care!

The best email. that I found. Thanks.

Thank you, Angelines! 🙂

Super clear!!!! Thank you very much. Claudia

Thank you, Claudia! 🙂

EXCELLENT GUIDE!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING IT

Thank you for your comment, Paola. 🙂

You’re welcome! 🙂

Thank you soo much, im 12 and doing the test, this is the day before the test and your info was soo usfull, have a good evening

Hi, Cameron. Thanks a lot for your comment. Sorry for taking so long to reply. I hope you passed your test! 😀

Absolutely clear guidelines for Writing Part 1 Email Thanks a lot for sharing it!!!

Thank you so much for your comment! 🙂

Great work! Thank you for sharing

Thank you for reading, Susana! 🙂

Happy New Year! Useful tips, good job. Thanks!

Thank you so much for your feedback. Take care and Happy New Year to you too!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH MY DEARRRRRR. I’m having the Cambridge PET exam tomorrow and I’m really nervous… Wish me luck!

Hey, Camila! Hope your exam was fine! Don’t forget to come back here and let us know your score! 🙂

I love you Luis

Haha, thank you, Carlos! Love u too!

Precious guide and helpful insight, thank you.

Thank you very much! 🙂

Great post, thanks!

Thank you, Juliana! 🙂

As an exam coach myself, I really want to congratulate you for this wonderful and useful site. It’s great to see an updated B1 Preliminary writing guide; I’m using it right now with the candidates I teach. Keep up the great work!

Hey, Lenin. Thanks a lot for such a nice comment. I hope your students find it useful. If you ever have any feedback, let me know. Thanks again!

Extremely detailed and useful guidance for those who is taking the PET exams! Thanks a lot.

OLIVIA 15/1/2023 A LAS 11:49 Hello, happy new year.

As an exam preparation teacher myself, I would like to thank you for all your hard work. Yours is the best site I have found online with important tips and useful samples for our students. Keep up the great work! I really appreciate it!

Thank you very much for your comment, Tulia. 🙂

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