I always advise my students to prepare a "not only...but" structure (Examiners love seeing negative inversions). All students have to do is think of two benefits to their proposal and combine them, so it's a structure you can always use. For example, if you are asked for a proposal to redevelop a building you could say "Not only will building a sports centre create jobs in the short term, but it will also provide a focal point and meeting place for kids in the long term."
My notes on the video (Tom, you're saving me - I can't thank you enough register you're using > Depending on the context, you can be more or less formal. Structure > It must have subheadings, not normal paragraphs (otherwise you'll lose points). > It's about how you connect ideas. Is it coherent? Language Avoid repetition Verbs: > suggest, propose, to put forward [the idea of/the suggestion of (st)] > study -EN Verbs (weaken, strengthen, widen, lengthen, sharpen...) > increase/decrease > improve, to make an improvement, to be an improvement on > to be beneficial, to be of benefit to (st) Grammar: Modal Modal passives 2nd conditional (something unreal, something you hope to happen in the future) Comparative/Superlative Conjunctions/Connectors Tips: 1. Intro - the aim of the proposal, put forward suggestions about x and explain the benefits of it in 2 lines. Do it fast. 2. Concentrate on the central part of the proposal. 3. The conclusion should be a couple of lines also. You can write something like ''If this proposal is implemented, then will see benefits in the local town as described above.''
Hi could I ask you what format between proposal, review and report is the easiest to write? With this I mean to imply that it is has a simple structure where one couldn’t go wrong quickly.
Probably the report. It’s quite a mechanical process and doesn’t require much creativity. Introduction, introduce information, make recommendations. Of course you can make it more complicated but if you want you can keep it simple and still pass.
Hello and thanks for taking the time to comment! For CAE there is an obligatory essay in part 1 and then in part 2 you choose between a report, proposal, review, letter/email. Best of luck with your studies and thanks for the support!
Dear Mr. Davidson, I am so grateful to you for this exhaustive account of CAE proposal writing! It compares favourably with many materials I have found so far :) It definitely requires a lot of effort to prepare such a video. I would like to ask you a question concerning the beginning of the proposal. You mention that it should be as concise as possible, something like "The aim of this proposal is to...". I wonder, however, whether it could be considered as "too abrupt" and whether I should start from some background information outlining the situation to make it "smoother". What do you think? And there is another question that is torturing me. If in Part 2 I opt for a formal writing AGAIN (after a compulsory Part 1 formal essay) instead of a personal letter, will I be given less points because of not demonstrating my "versatility" and adhering to a formal style? I just feel I know more formal vocabulary to show off and therefore prefer formal writing in CAE :) Will I be "punished" for being "narrow-minded"? :) Your online project looks very promising indeed and I wish you all the best from snowy Yekaterinburg in Russia!
Hello and thanks for getting in touch! Regarding your introduction you could add another sentence if you wanted but I would still recommend focusing on the actual content. Imagine you are the reader - you want a proposal to get to the heart of the question as quickly as possible. You have quite a restrictive word limit so make sure most of your efforts go into developing your arguments rather than setting a context. As for your second question, each writing is assessed independently so don’t worry if you do two formal pieces. Just concentrate on content, communicative achievement, structure and language. If these criteria are met then you will get a good mark. Best of luck to you in your studies!
Thanks for taking the time to comment! Some ideas for grammar points to include are mentioned towards the end of the video. I also have a mini series on the channel that explains six key grammar points to use in CAE. Check it out!
I always advise my students to prepare a "not only...but" structure (Examiners love seeing negative inversions). All students have to do is think of two benefits to their proposal and combine them, so it's a structure you can always use. For example, if you are asked for a proposal to redevelop a building you could say "Not only will building a sports centre create jobs in the short term, but it will also provide a focal point and meeting place for kids in the long term."
Excellent advice!
My notes on the video (Tom, you're saving me - I can't thank you enough register you're using
> Depending on the context, you can be more or less formal.
Structure
> It must have subheadings, not normal paragraphs (otherwise you'll lose points).
> It's about how you connect ideas. Is it coherent?
Language
Avoid repetition
Verbs:
> suggest, propose, to put forward [the idea of/the suggestion of (st)]
> study -EN Verbs (weaken, strengthen, widen, lengthen, sharpen...)
> increase/decrease
> improve, to make an improvement, to be an improvement on
> to be beneficial, to be of benefit to (st)
Grammar:
Modal
Modal passives
2nd conditional (something unreal, something you hope to happen in the future)
Comparative/Superlative
Conjunctions/Connectors
Tips:
1. Intro - the aim of the proposal, put forward suggestions about x and explain the benefits of it in 2 lines. Do it fast.
2. Concentrate on the central part of the proposal.
3. The conclusion should be a couple of lines also. You can write something like ''If this proposal is implemented, then will see benefits in the local town as described above.''
Fantastic summary! Thank you for taking the time to do it! I’m very happy that this material has been of use to you!
Good video. Definitely useful content. Keep on going! Many thanks.Cheers,Ábel
great video man, thanks for sharing. Cheers from Buenos Aires, Argentina!
Thanks for the support! Good luck to you if you’re doing the exam!
Great video. Thanks for sharing.👍
Many thanks! Hope it’s of use!
Thank you so much!
A pleasure! Good luck with your studies!
Thank you! It was very helpful
Thanks! I appreciate the support!
Hi, i got a question: is it allowed to not paraphrase the text of the task?
Hi could I ask you what format between proposal, review and report is the easiest to write? With this I mean to imply that it is has a simple structure where one couldn’t go wrong quickly.
Probably the report. It’s quite a mechanical process and doesn’t require much creativity. Introduction, introduce information, make recommendations. Of course you can make it more complicated but if you want you can keep it simple and still pass.
Open Door English - Tom Davidson Okay thank you!
Thanks! This really helped me
My pleasure! Good luck with your studies!
Great video, you really helped me ;)!!! Which other writing options are there on the CAE exam?
Hello and thanks for taking the time to comment! For CAE there is an obligatory essay in part 1 and then in part 2 you choose between a report, proposal, review, letter/email.
Best of luck with your studies and thanks for the support!
Dear Mr. Davidson,
I am so grateful to you for this exhaustive account of CAE proposal writing! It compares favourably with many materials I have found so far :) It definitely requires a lot of effort to prepare such a video.
I would like to ask you a question concerning the beginning of the proposal. You mention that it should be as concise as possible, something like "The aim of this proposal is to...". I wonder, however, whether it could be considered as "too abrupt" and whether I should start from some background information outlining the situation to make it "smoother". What do you think?
And there is another question that is torturing me. If in Part 2 I opt for a formal writing AGAIN (after a compulsory Part 1 formal essay) instead of a personal letter, will I be given less points because of not demonstrating my "versatility" and adhering to a formal style? I just feel I know more formal vocabulary to show off and therefore prefer formal writing in CAE :) Will I be "punished" for being "narrow-minded"? :)
Your online project looks very promising indeed and I wish you all the best from snowy Yekaterinburg in Russia!
Hello and thanks for getting in touch!
Regarding your introduction you could add another sentence if you wanted but I would still recommend focusing on the actual content. Imagine you are the reader - you want a proposal to get to the heart of the question as quickly as possible. You have quite a restrictive word limit so make sure most of your efforts go into developing your arguments rather than setting a context.
As for your second question, each writing is assessed independently so don’t worry if you do two formal pieces. Just concentrate on content, communicative achievement, structure and language. If these criteria are met then you will get a good mark.
Best of luck to you in your studies!
@@OpenDoorEnglish thank you for your quick response! I will follow your advice!
Though the mentioned grammar list is absent If I am not mistaken.
Thanks for taking the time to comment! Some ideas for grammar points to include are mentioned towards the end of the video. I also have a mini series on the channel that explains six key grammar points to use in CAE. Check it out!