useful phrases for writing b1

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• christopherianwils
• Jul 28, 2023

How to Write an Email for B1 Preliminary (PET)

In order to know the steps to write an email for this B1 exam , we first need to find out what the instructions are like and know what you’re expected to do.

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 asked to respond in about 100 words . This email contains annotations that help you identify exactly what to respond to.

On the other hand, the topics are 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…

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.

Email structure

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 follow 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 especially 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:

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 that 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.

Saying goodbye

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

Best wishes,

All my love,

Lots of love,

See you soon,

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!

Top 5 Tips for Writing an Email for B1 Preliminary

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 things 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, and be conservative in the exam .

Homework is the best chance to be creative and experiment with 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 .

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10 Email Writing Topics | B1 Preliminary (PET)

Below is a sample list of email B1 writing topics for Preliminary level students. You can use them to practice writing English essays or to prepare for the Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) exam.

B1 Preliminary (PET) Email: Writing Topics

Example of B1 writing topics that may appear in the exam:

B1 Email Topic / Question 1 | Preliminary (PET)

Write your email to Jane using all the notes.

B1 Email Topic / Question 2 | Preliminary (PET)

Write your email to John using all the notes.

B1 Email Topic / Question 3 | Preliminary (PET)

Write your email to Ben using all the notes.

B1 Email Topic / Question 4 | Preliminary (PET)

Write your email to Kate using all the notes.

B1 Email Topic / Question 5 | Preliminary (PET)

Write your email to Tim using all the notes.

FCE, CAE, PET

Practice, write & improve, b1 email topic / question 6 | preliminary (pet).

Write your email to Mrs Snow using all the notes.

B1 Email Topic / Question 7 | Preliminary (PET)

Write your email to Jack using all the notes.

B1 Email Topic / Question 8 | Preliminary (PET)

Write your email to Susan using all the notes.

B1 Email Topic / Question 9 | Preliminary (PET)

Write your email to Brenda using all the notes.

B1 Email Topic / Question 10 | Preliminary (PET)

Write your email to Nicola using all the notes.

See more B1 writing topics: PET Writing Part 1

B1 Preliminary (PET) Email: Writing Topics Download PDF

Here you will find 10 sample B1 writing topics , similar ones may appear in the B1 Preliminary (PET) exam:

• B1 Preliminary (PET) Email Writing Topic: Olivia’s party (PDF)
• B1 Preliminary (PET) Email Writing Topic: Your visit (PDF)
• B1 Preliminary (PET) Email Writing Topic: Summer time (PDF)
• B1 Preliminary (PET) Email Writing Topic: School (PDF)
• B1 Preliminary (PET) Email Writing Topic: Visit (PDF)
• B1 Preliminary (PET) Email Writing Topic: Party (PDF)
• B1 Preliminary (PET) Email Writing Topic: Birthday Plans (PDF)
• B1 Preliminary (PET) Email Writing Topic: Holiday (PDF)
• B1 Preliminary (PET) Email Writing Topic: New flat (PDF)
• B1 Preliminary (PET) Email Writing Topic: Birthday invitation (PDF)

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B1 Preliminary (PET) Writing Part 2: Short Message

Luis @ kse academy.

• noviembre 16, 2019

One of the writing tasks we encounter in Cambridge Assessment English’s B1 Preliminary (PET) Writing is a short message ; this is Writing Part 2 . If you’d like to know all the different parts of Cambridge English: Preliminary before carrying on, check out an outline here  or go to the official Cambridge English website to read more about the exam.

In the writing paper you will find the following 3 parts:

• Sentence transformation
• Short message

But in this particular post we will focus on part 2: short messages.

Farewell expressions

In January 2020 this information will become outdated. Please, click the button below to see the new updated Writing for B1 Preliminary.

B1 Writing Part 2: Sample Task

In this part you have to answer a task by writing a short message to a friend or relative. The message must be 35-45 words and has to answer a specific set of writing prompts. Here’s an example:

As you can see in the task above, you are given:

• a situation:  Your friend, Chris, has invited you to a special party…
• a task:  Write an email to Chris.
• prompts or subtasks:  accept the invitation, suggest how…, ask Chris…
• number of words:  Write 35-45 words…

And all of the above are essential when writing your answer.

B1 Writing Part 2: Sample Answer

Below you can see a sample answer to the task in the previous section:

As you can see in the sample answer, we:

• greet our friend:  Hi Chris!
• thank him:  Thanks a lot for…
• suggest how to help him:  Shall I give you a hand…?
• ask him for ideas:  …what could I get for the teacher as a present?
• say goodbye:  Write back soon,…

And all of the above is what you have to do in virtually any short message you may have to write for Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET), except that the writing prompts will change.

Language to use in your Writing

What follows is a list of expressions you should use when writing these short messages. For your convenience, they are divided into  greeting   expressions (saying hello),  language functions (thanking, suggesting, asking, reminding, etc.) and  farewell expressions .

Greeting expressions

In order to start a short message of this type, it’s important to bear in mind that we are writing to a friend or relative, so we have to adapt our language. In this case, it is a good idea to say:

• Hi … ,  or  Hi … !
• Hello  … ,  or Hello  … !
• Hey … !
• Dear … , 

While  Hi  and  Hello are appropriate for every kind of addressee in this task,  Hey is kind of informal, so it should only be used with friends. On the other hand,  Dear could be okay to use with friends, but it sounds a little stiff and stilted. Therefore, I recommend using it when we write to a relative older than us, such as our aunt/uncle or grandparents.

Language functions

In this section I have gathered plenty of expressions to use when answering the different writing prompts. For this reason, they are divided into what you could be asked to say in your short message:

• Would you like to come over…?
• Do you want to…?
• I’d like to you come…
• Why don’t you come…
• Remember that…
• Don’t forget about/that…
• It’s important to remember sth./that…
• It’s essential that you do/bring…

Congratulations

• Congratulations on…!
• Congratulations! It’s great that you…
• Well done with…!

Apologising

• I’m really sorry about…
• I’m sorry that I…
• Forgive me for…
• Please, forgive me!
• Why don’t we…?
• How about…?
• What about…?
• Shall we…?
• Let’s…,
• Let’s…, shall we?
• It could be a good idea to…

Arranging meetings

• Let’s meet at…
• I’ll see you … at …, okay?
• Is it okay if we meet at…?
• Shall I…?
• Can I help you with…?
• I can give you a hand with…, if you want.
• I’ll …. , if you want.
• Let me know if you need any help with…

Saying «yes» / accepting

• Of course I’ll go  (to…).
• I’m more than happy to…
• I’m glad to…
• Great! I’d really like to…

Saying «no» / refusing

• I’m sorry, but I can’t…
• (Thanks, but ) I’m afraid I can’t…
• Sorry, but it’s impossible for me to…
• I’d like to, but I can’t…
• What happened was that…
• The thing is that…

Asking for information

• Could you tell me…?
• Can you tell me…?
• Is it true that…?
• Do you know (if…) …?
• Please, let me know (if…) …?

Expressing preference

• I would prefer to…  (if that’s okay).
• I’d rather…
• I like …. better.
• What I’d like/love is to…

Wish good things

• Good luck (with…)!
• All the best (with…)!
• Hope you enjoy …!
• Enjoy yourself!
• Have fun (at/in…)!
• Have a good time (at/in…)!
• You’ll have no problems with…!
• You can do it! 

Asking for advice

• What could/can I do (about/with…)?
• Do you think I should…?
• Should I…?
• What would you do?

Saying what you liked/disliked

• What I really enjoyed/liked/loved/hated was…
• I really enjoyed/liked/loved/hated…
• What I liked/enjoyed/… most was…
• My favourite (part of the…) was…
• The best thing (about…) was…
• Be careful with…
• Be careful not to…
• Remember (not) to…
• It’s not a good idea to…
• I wouldn’t… if I were you.

There are many ways to say goodbye in an email or a letter. However, given the word limit we have in these short messages, we must keep it short and simple, so try to avoid long sentences like  I’m looking forward to… unless you have some leeway. Some expressions you could use are the following:

• Bye for now!
• All the best,
• Best wishes,
• See you soon!

Another example

Just so you see another example, here’s another task:

And here’s a sample answer:

Again, we are answering the task in the following way:

• greeting our friend:  Hi James!
• thank him:  Thank you very much for the party!
• saying what we liked best:  What I enjoyed most was the music. 
• suggest meeting again and when:  How about meeting again next Saturday?
• saying goodbye:  Best, …

So, in theory, if you become familiar with the expressions provided in this post, I wouldn’t say that passing this part of the test is hard. Of course, you need to have appropriate grammatical and vocabulary levels. But if you already do have that, simply study the information in this post and practise as much as possible.

Important considerations

In this part of the Preliminary (PET) exam, it is important to take the following ideas into account:

• Your message is supposed to be understood without difficulty .
• You are not expected to be 100% accurate in your grammar, spelling, etc. It’s okay to make some minor mistakes, as long as your message is clear.
• It’s important to stick to the word limit , although Cambridge English says you wouldn’t be penalised for exceeding it. The problem is that if you exceed it too much (or not reach it) you’re probably using information that is irrelevant to the task, so you might be penalised for that. On the other hand, if you don’t reach the word limit, it’s likely that you’re missing some essential information.
• Read everything several times in order to spot silly mistakes and improve your task.
• Risk it in class, but not in the exam . Before the test, try to do as many tasks as you can, using a variety of language in order to boost your writing skills. However, don’t take any risks in the exam unless you are absolutely forced to do so. In the exam, you should keep it simple.

If you liked this post, please leave a comment and follow KSE Academy on Facebook , Twitter and YouTube. And don’t forget to keep smiling!

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

• Mandatory task: yes
• Word count: around 100 words
• Main characteristics: Typical layout, functional language (agreeing/disagreeing, giving your opinion, offering to do something, explaining something)
• Structure: opening formula & paragraph, topic paragraphs, closing paragraph & formula
• Language: specific phrases to start/end an email, agreeing/disagreeing, giving your opinion, offering to do something, explaining something

Dear Mrs Lake, Thank you for your email. I think it’d be a great idea to have a party with the whole class. I think we should have our party at the park because we’re in the classroom all the time so this would be a nice change. At the park there are some ping pong tables and I can bring my football so why don’t we make teams and have a tournament of different sports? In my opinion, we should have a barbecue. We can bring what we like, for example, meat and some drinks like Coca Cola and everyone will be happy. Thanks again and see you in class. Phill

Introduction

You always write an email in PET in response to an email or notice (ca. 100 words) you have received from someone else. Every situation is different and you have adapt your email to this. You also need to choose the correct language and tone (informal/neutral) for your text. You normally write to a friend, teacher or someone else you know.

The email task is the one text that you have to do in the PET exam. You can’t choose to do it or not so it is very important to know exactly what the requirements are.

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

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

What does a typical email task look like?

When you look at a writing task in the PET exam, there are always some questions that you have to ask yourself.

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

It is essential for you to think about these questions before you start to write your email because they give you a lot of useful information and make the task much easier. So, let’s look at a typical email writing task:

A typical email task looks like the one above. You read a short email (100-120 words) with four prompts which are connected to the text with lines. So, let’s have a look at our questions from earlier.

First of all, the situation is about organising an end-of-year party with your class and your teacher , Mrs Lake, is asking you for a few ideas.

You always have to include four main things in your emails . In this case, you (1) have to react to the news that there is a party, (2) explain if the party should be in the classroom or the park, (3) make a suggestion about possible games and activities and (4) tell Mrs Lake what kind of food you would like to eat at the party.

It is very important for you to know exactly what you have to include because you have to use specific language for each of the four points .

Last but not least, your teacher is going to read your email so you can’t use the same informal language you would use with a friend, but it also doesn’t have to be super formal. Somewhere in between the two (neutral) is probably the best option.

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

How to organise you email

Emails can always be organised in the same way. If you follow my recommendations in this article, you will get good results every time you sit down to write an email.

In the last section you learned that in every task there are four main things that you have to include in your text.

• React to the news that there is a party.
• Explain if the party should be in the classroom or the park and why.
• Make a suggestion about possible games and activities.
• Tell your teacher what kind of food you would like to eat.

Because there are four main points it is a good idea to make four paragraphs in your email, one for each main point. In addition to that, we always have to include an opening and closing formula to start and finish our email the right way.

So, a typical PET email looks like this:

• opening formula
• four main topic paragraphs
• closing formula

This works just fine so you don’t have to worry too much about the organisation of your emails any more.

Don’t forget to make a plan

Unfortunately, many students forget to plan their email before they start to write. As a result, they make mistakes with the organisation of their text and they often forget important details.

So, take 3-4 minutes at the beginning and think about what you want to put in which part of your writing task. I have already given you an idea how to organise your email so you just have to add some ideas and then you’re ready to go.

You will see that writing becomes a lot easier and you will feel calmer and more relaxed when you are in the exam.

The different parts of an email

In this part we are going to find out what the different `parts of an email look like. Remember, in an email for B1 Preliminary you can always follow the same structure so there are some things that you can do in every single email task.

Opening formula

In an email we always start by saying hello to the person we are writing to. There are different ways to do this, but generally, there are two main options.

• Dear Mr Smith,

The first option is better for informal emails , for example to a friend or classmate. We use ‘hi’ as informal way to say hello and the first name of the person.

We use the second salutation in formal writing to a teacher, manager or someone similar to that. ‘Dear’ is a polite option to say hello and we use ‘Mr’ or ‘Ms’ plus the family name to be extra polite.

Always check in the task who is going to read your email because your salutation depends on formal or informal English .

Main paragraphs

In your main paragraphs there are two things you need to focus on. You want to talk about all the main topic points and use good language .

Remember what the four topic points are:

You can make one short paragraph for each idea because that’s what Mrs Lake did in her email to you.

Now, you only have to think about what good language you can use to say what you should say in each of these paragraphs . In this part I will only give you an example of a paragraph, but if you keep reading, you will find useful examples for all the different types of language you might have to use in email writing task.

An example paragraph could look like this:

Dear Mrs Lake, Thank you for your email. I think it’d be a great idea to have a party with the whole class.

You can see that you don’t have to write a lot to react to good news. First of all, I thanked Mrs Lake for writing and then reacted to the good news. If you do something similar with the other main topic points, you will pass the email task easily.

Closing formula

Finishing an email is just as easy as starting it. There are some expressions that we can always use. Just be careful because you need to check who you are writing to so your closing formula is not too personal or informal. Here, is a possible closing formula for our example task:

Thanks again and see you in class. Phill

Again, you don’t have to write a lot in your closing formula. Keep it simple and you’ll be fine.

Useful language for emails

In a PET email writing task you can use a lot of good language to get high marks. You have to think about an opening and closing formula as well as expressions to talk about the main topic points.

Most of the time you have to do some of these things:

• React to a piece of news
• Agree / Disagree
• Explain something
• Offer to do something
• Give your opinion
• Apologise for something
• Make a suggestion
• Make a recommendation

This seems to be a lot, but with a little bit of practice it will become much easier. So, let’s have a look at some useful expressions.

Time to practise

The best way to get better at writing is to practise. Don’t be afraid. If you work hard, you can become very good quickly. I hope my article will help you and if you like it or have some ideas for me, please leave a comment.

Lots of love,

Teacher Phill

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Hi Phill. Thanks for your recommendations and suggestions, I will put them in practice in my engilsh. Regards from Colombia 🙂

Dear Phill,

Thank you, this is very useful. I used your videos in class last year and I will again this year.

However, it would be great to have a downloadable PDF file of this to share with my students.

Thanks again,

Comments are closed.

Breakout English

B1 fixed phrases, dependent prepositions and collocations

Often the difference between a pass and a fail in B1 exams is the minor details such as choosing the right words in B1 fixed phrases, dependent prepositions and collocations. These can be challenging because you have to notice the individual words. You may understand the phrase perfectly when reading or listening, but when it comes to a challenging B1 Reading Part 5 or 6 exercise, the details can cause problems. This is especially true in Cambridge exams, and it won’t stop as you advance in levels. Cambridge specifically includes this type of vocabulary in their B1 exams because it prepares students for the Use of English paper that first appears at the subsequent B2 level.

What is a fixed phrase?

A fixed phrase refers to a group of words used together with a specific meaning. These expressions help enhance communication skills and make people sound more natural, especially when speaking.

Examples of fixed phrases:

• be keen on – She’s really keen on learning to play the drums.
• by the way – I saw your sister yesterday, by the way.
• in general – In general, people are kind.
• on purpose – I didn’t break the vase on purpose. It was an accident.
• to be fond of – I am fond of animals, especially cats.

Knowing fixed phrases is important for B1 level candidates as it not only shows their ability to navigate real-life scenarios, but also contributes to a more fluent and natural communication style. In the B1 Preliminary Cambridge exam, fixed phrases can come up in Reading Parts 5 and 6, where your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary is tested.

What is a dependent preposition?

A dependent preposition is a preposition that is fixed to a specific word without changing the meaning of the word. These shouldn’t be confused with phrasal verbs , where the meaning does change. Dependent prepositions can follow (and sometimes precede) adjectives, nouns or verbs.

Examples of dependent prepositions:

• apologise for – I want to apologise for being late to the meeting.
• curious about – I’m curious about different cultures around the world.
• good / bad at – She is good at playing the piano but bad at playing the guitar.
• interested in – I’m interested in learning new languages.
• proud of – I am proud of my sister for graduating.

Dependent prepositions are especially significant for the Cambridge Preliminary B1 exam. In Reading Part 5, you must choose the correct option of four to fill a gap. If a preposition follows the gap, it can tell you the correct answer. In Reading Part 6, you must fill a gap with one word, which could easily be a dependent preposition because there wouldn’t be any other option that would make sense in the sentence.

Part 5 : The Parker brothers have always been _____ in classic cars, but it wasn’t until 2020 that they bought one.

A – excited B – fascinated C – interested D – curious

answer – C – interested – Only this adjective can be followed by in

Part 6 : The Parker brothers have always been interested _____ classic cars, but it wasn’t until 2020 that they bought one.

answer – in – This preposition must follow interested

What is a collocation?

A collocation is a predictable combination of words which are frequently used in combination with each other. This frequency occurs more often than by chance. There are degrees of collocation. Strong collocations are found together very frequently, whereas weak collocations are less commonly combined.

Examples of collocations:

• cause problems – Talking loudly during the film can cause problems for others.
• do exercise – It’s important to do exercise regularly for a healthy lifestyle.
• keep fit – To be healthy, it’s important to keep fit.
• make a decision – He finally made a decision about his future career.
• take a break – After hours of work, it’s important to take a break and relax.

These types of verb-noun collocations are typical for B1 level, forming very frequently used verb phrases. Expect them to come up throughout the Reading tasks and also in Listening.

The materials

Because we love a good list at Breakout English, we’ve made a short list of what we consider to be essential fixed phrases, dependent prepositions and collocations for B1 learners. This list isn’t exhaustive and it could be a lot longer. However, it’s a good start and a manageable amount to learn and memorise.

This list is available as a QUIZLET SET for students to practise, play and test themselves with.

We’ve also designed a worksheet to introduce these phrases and practice them in a B1 Preliminary style speaking task, describing pictures.

EXAM PART : B1 Preliminary Reading Parts 5 & 6, Speaking Part 2 – Appropriate for B1 Preliminary for Schools

EXAM SKILLS : Knowledge of vocabulary items

TOPIC: School and education

TIME:  30-45 minutes

PREPARATION:  One copy of the worksheet per student

• TEST students ability and knowledge by completing a Cambridge Preliminary style Speaking Part 2 task.
• TEACH students about fixed phrases, dependent prepositions and collocations using the brief text.
• EXPAND students’ vocabulary using the Quizlet cards.
• TEST students again by practising several Speaking Part 2 tasks.

100+ Useful Words and Phrases to Write a Great Essay

By: Author Sophia

Posted on Last updated: October 25, 2023

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How to Write a Great Essay in English! This lesson provides 100+ useful words, transition words and expressions used in writing an essay. Let’s take a look!

The secret to a successful essay doesn’t just lie in the clever things you talk about and the way you structure your points.

Useful Words and Phrases to Write a Great Essay

Overview of an essay.

Useful Phrases for Proficiency Essays

Developing the argument

• The first aspect to point out is that…
• Let us start by considering the facts.
• The novel portrays, deals with, revolves around…
• Central to the novel is…
• The character of xxx embodies/ epitomizes…

The other side of the argument

• It would also be interesting to see…
• One should, nevertheless, consider the problem from another angle.
• Equally relevant to the issue are the questions of…
• The arguments we have presented… suggest that…/ prove that…/ would indicate that…
• From these arguments one must…/ could…/ might… conclude that…
• All of this points to the conclusion that…
• To conclude…

Ordering elements

• Firstly,…/ Secondly,…/ Finally,… (note the comma after all these introductory words.)
• As a final point…
• On the one hand, …. on the other hand…
• If on the one hand it can be said that… the same is not true for…
• The first argument suggests that… whilst the second suggests that…
• There are at least xxx points to highlight.

Adding elements

• Furthermore, one should not forget that…
• In addition to…
• Moreover…
• It is important to add that…

Accepting other points of view

• Nevertheless, one should accept that…
• However, we also agree that…

Personal opinion

• We/I personally believe that…
• Our/My own point of view is that…
• It is my contention that…
• I am convinced that…
• My own opinion is…

Others’ opinions

• According to some critics… Critics:
• believe that
• suggest that
• are convinced that
• point out that
• emphasize that
• contend that
• go as far as to say that
• argue for this

Introducing examples

• For example…
• For instance…
• To illustrate this point…

Introducing facts

• It is… true that…/ clear that…/ noticeable that…
• One should note here that…

Saying what you think is true

• This leads us to believe that…
• It is very possible that…
• In view of these facts, it is quite likely that…
• Doubtless,…
• One cannot deny that…
• It is (very) clear from these observations that…
• All the same, it is possible that…
• It is difficult to believe that…

Accepting other points to a certain degree

• One can agree up to a certain point with…
• Certainly,… However,…
• It cannot be denied that…

Emphasizing particular points

• The last example highlights the fact that…
• Not only… but also…
• We would even go so far as to say that…

Moderating, agreeing, disagreeing

• By and large…
• Perhaps we should also point out the fact that…
• It would be unfair not to mention the fact that…
• One must admit that…
• We cannot ignore the fact that…
• One cannot possibly accept the fact that…

Consequences

• From these facts, one may conclude that…
• That is why, in our opinion, …
• Which seems to confirm the idea that…
• Thus,…/ Therefore,…
• Some critics suggest…, whereas others…
• Compared to…
• On the one hand, there is the firm belief that… On the other hand, many people are convinced that…

How to Write a Great Essay | Image 1

How to Write a Great Essay | Image 2

Phrases For Balanced Arguments

Introduction

• It is often said that…
• It is undeniable that…
• It is a well-known fact that…
• One of the most striking features of this text is…
• The first thing that needs to be said is…
• First of all, let us try to analyze…
• One argument in support of…
• We must distinguish carefully between…
• The second reason for…
• An important aspect of the text is…
• It is worth stating at this point that…
• On the other hand, we can observe that…
• The other side of the coin is, however, that…
• Another way of looking at this question is to…
• What conclusions can be drawn from all this?
• The most satisfactory conclusion that we can come to is…
• To sum up… we are convinced that…/ …we believe that…/ …we have to accept that…

How to Write a Great Essay | Image 3

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Nur Syuhadah Zainuddin

Friday 19th of August 2022

thank u so much its really usefull

12thSeahorse

Wednesday 3rd of August 2022

He or she who masters the English language rules the world!

Friday 25th of March 2022

Thank you so so much, this helped me in my essays with A+

Theophilus Muzvidziwa

Friday 11th of March 2022

Monday 21st of February 2022

B1 speaking

Are you a learner at B1 English level (intermediate) ? This section offers speaking practice to help you learn and practise useful phrases that will help you to speak English clearly and effectively. Each lesson has a preparation task and a video that introduces the language in context and gives you the opportunity to listen to and repeat the useful phrases. There are also tasks to check your understanding of the video and to practise the useful language. Make a start today.

Choose a video

Agreeing and disagreeing

In this video, Emir and Paul discuss a design for a client. Listen to the language they use for agreeing and disagreeing and practise saying the useful phrases.

• Read more about Agreeing and disagreeing
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Asking a favour

In this video, Noelia asks Paul for some help. Listen to the language Noelia uses to ask a favour and practise saying the useful phrases.

• Read more about Asking a favour

Keeping a conversation going

In this video, Noelia and Bob talk about Spain. Listen to the language they use for keeping a conversation going and practise saying the useful phrases.

• Read more about Keeping a conversation going

Meeting face-to-face

In this video, Noelia and Vanya meet each other for the first time. Listen to the language they use for meeting face-to-face and practise saying the useful phrases.

• Read more about Meeting face-to-face

Responding to news

In this video, Noelia gets good news and bad news. Listen to the language Yuna uses to respond to Noelia's news and practise saying the useful phrases.

• Read more about Responding to news

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