Common CAE Report Writing Mistakes – Learning from Poor Examples
1 Introduction
Under exam pressure, even well-prepared students can produce writing that falls short of CAE standards. This is particularly true for reports, which require a specific formal structure and register. Today we’ll examine a response from Maria, who demonstrates several common pitfalls in report writing, including inappropriate informality and poor task fulfillment.
Key Terms
- register
- the level of formality and style used in writing or speaking
- task fulfillment
- meeting all the requirements of an exam writing task
2 Cambridge CAE Report – Poor Writing Example
To: Mr Johnson
From: Maria Santos
Subject: Problems in office building
Hi! I wanted to tell you about some stuff that’s not good in our office building. First of all the air conditioning is totally broken and everyone is complaining because it’s so hot! Also the bathrooms are really gross and dirty and nobody likes using them.
The kitchen is also a big mess – the microwave doesn’t work properly and there’s never any coffee or tea available. Plus the chairs in the meeting room are old and uncomfortable.
I think you should fix all these things ASAP because people are getting angry. Maybe you could buy new furniture and hire better cleaners? That would be great!
Thanks a lot!
Maria
Key Terms
- infrastructure
- the basic physical systems of a building or organization
- amenities
- useful features or facilities of a building
3 How Many Errors Did You Spot?
Before we analyze this report in detail, take a moment to identify the problems. Consider these areas:
– Format and structure
– Level of formality
– Organization of information
– Language choice
– Recommendations style
How many specific errors can you find? Make notes before continuing.
Key Terms
- format
- the way content is arranged and presented
- recommendations
- suggestions for future actions or improvements