Writing Success: B2 First (FCE)
Philo and Sophia introduce the compulsory essay and the free choice of Part 2.
Writing paper: 1 hour 20 minutes
2 parts
Reading and Use of English is a separate paper — see our guide
Philo
Sophia, up to now Writing has meant emails, short articles, short stories. What changes at B2 First?
Sophia
The essay arrives, Philo — and it's compulsory. Part 1 is always an essay, built from a title and two given ideas, and it can no longer be avoided by choosing something easier. Part 2 keeps the element of choice, but the options are now article, letter or email, review, or report.
Philo
An essay is exactly what our Essay Writing Guide already teaches, isn't it?
Sophia
Exactly right — everything in that guide, from outlining to linking language, applies directly to Part 1 here. This page will show how the B2 First essay task itself is built, and our Essay Writing Guide will show how to write the essay well.
Part 1Compulsory essay: a title, two given ideas, plus your own — 140–190 words
Part 2Choice of one: article, email/letter, review, or report — 140–190 words
1 The Compulsory Essay
A short piece of input material sets an essay question, typically opinion-based ("Do you think...?"), along with two ideas that must be discussed. The task is to write an essay in 140–190 words that discusses both given ideas and adds one further idea of your own, before reaching a clear conclusion.
Example prompt
"Some people say that young people today spend too much time online. Do you agree?" — with the ideas
social media and
online learning given, plus a space for your own idea.
This is exactly what the Essay Writing Guide teaches.Rephrasing the question, building an outline, writing a clear thesis, structuring body paragraphs around the two given ideas plus your own, and reaching a firm conclusion — every step in our Essay Writing Guide maps directly onto this task.
Read that guide alongside this one before your first practice essay.
2 Choosing the Right Part 2 Task
Four task types can appear, and the paper will offer a choice among them (an article, an email or letter, a review, or a report — the exact combination varies by session), each in 140–190 words.
ArticleWritten for a magazine or website, more engaging and personal in tone, often answering a specific question posed to readers
Email or LetterWritten to a specific person for a specific purpose, with a register (formal or informal) that matches who is being addressed
ReviewAn opinion on a book, film, place, or product, aimed at helping the reader decide whether to try it themselves
ReportA structured, factual piece with clear headings, usually written for someone in authority, summarising findings or making recommendations
Strategy: Choose the task type whose register comes most naturally — a strong, confident letter almost always scores higher than an uncertain report written only because it seemed like the "safe" option.
How Writing Is Scored
Both parts are marked using the same four subscales, each out of 5: Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation, and Language. Writing contributes 20% of the total exam mark, split evenly between the two parts.
0–5Content
0–5Communicative Achievement
0–5Organisation
0–5Language