Writing — Essay (Part 1) for the CPE Exam

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

• !Using C1-level templates that sound formulaic rather than authentic and sophisticated
• !Overusing discourse markers mechanically ("Firstly... Secondly... Thirdly...") instead of developing an organic argument
• !Missing the evaluative depth expected at C2 — describing rather than critically analysing

Study tips

• 1Write like a quality editorial writer: use embedded clauses, parenthetical asides, and varied sentence lengths.
• 2Develop three to four distinct vocabulary registers for different essay topics and practise switching between them.
• 3Read CPE model essays and identify what makes them C2: note specific phrases, grammatical constructions, and reasoning techniques.

Sample CPE Writing — Essay (Part 1) questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real CPE questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

1. 1

   A CPE essay task asks: "Some argue that economic growth must be prioritised over environmental protection. Discuss." A C2-level thesis states:

   • A"Economic growth is important, but so is the environment."
   • B"I think both economy and environment are important."
   • C"The framing of this debate as a binary choice between economic growth and environmental preservation fundamentally misrepresents the relationship between the two, which are, in fact, deeply interdependent."Correct
   • D"We need to balance the economy and the environment for future generations."
   Why this answer?

   Option C challenges the premise of the question itself (a hallmark of sophisticated argumentation), uses complex vocabulary (framing, binary choice, fundamentally misrepresents, deeply interdependent), and demonstrates C2 critical thinking. It is also fully grammatical and stylistically distinctive. Options A, B, and D state truisms without intellectual depth.