How Not to Write a CAE Essay: Common Mistakes to Avoid
1 Introduction
Under exam pressure, even well-prepared students can produce substandard writing. However, understanding common mistakes helps avoid them. Today, we’ll examine a CAE essay that demonstrates typical errors in academic register, coherence, and task fulfillment. Writing Coach Jenny will guide us through Maria’s attempt at a CAE essay about social media’s impact on young people.
Key Terms
- substandard
- below the required quality or level
- academic register
- formal language style appropriate for academic writing
- coherence
- logical connection between ideas and paragraphs
- task fulfillment
- meeting all requirements of the writing task
2 Poor Writing Example
In my opinion, social media is really bad for young people these days. Like, it makes them totally addicted and stuff. I think Instagram and TikTok are the worst culprits because kids spend way too much time on them.
Firstly, social media is super time-consuming and kids waste loads of time scrolling through their feeds instead of doing homework or hanging out with real friends. Also, it gives them unrealistic expectations about life because everything looks perfect on social media.
Secondly, cyberbullying is a thing that happens a lot on social media and it makes kids feel bad about themselves. Plus, there’s lots of fake news and wrong information that people share without checking if it’s true or not.
To sum up, I think social media should be banned for anyone under 18 because it’s just too dangerous and addictive. That’s what I think about this issue.
Key Terms
- culprits
- persons or things responsible for causing problems
- cyberbullying
- the use of electronic communication to bully someone
3 How Many Errors Did You Spot?
Before we analyze this essay in detail, take a moment to identify the problems you notice. Consider issues with formality, structure, argumentation, and use of cohesive devices. How many serious errors can you spot that would affect the CAE score?
Key Terms
- formality
- appropriate level of formal language and tone
- structure
- organization and arrangement of ideas
- argumentation
- presentation of logical reasoning and evidence
- cohesive devices
- words and phrases that connect ideas and paragraphs