FCE Essay Writing: Common Mistakes to Avoid

1 Introduction

Under exam pressure, many students make fundamental mistakes in their writing that could easily be avoided with proper preparation. Writing Coach Jenny will analyze a typical example of poor essay writing from her student Maria, highlighting common errors in task fulfillment, cohesion, and register that often occur when students are unprepared for the FCE writing exam.

2 FCE Essay – Poor Writing Example

Your class has had a discussion about social media and teenagers. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay.

Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons for your point of view.

Is social media having a negative effect on teenagers?

Notes:
– Time management
– Mental health
– Online safety

Write your essay in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.

Maria’s Response:

In my opinion, social media is very very bad for teenagers these days. First, they spend too much time on their phones and don’t do nothing else. Second, they only care about likes and followers which makes them sad.

I think parents should stop their kids using social media because its dangerous. Kids can talk to bad people online and also they might see bad things. Also they don’t study good because they are always on Instagram and TikTok.

To conclude, I think social media is the worst thing for teenagers and they shouldn’t use it at all because its too dangerous and makes them addicted. Parents need to take away their phones and make them do other stuff instead.

3 How Many Errors Did You Spot?

Before we analyze Maria’s essay in detail, take a moment to identify the problems you notice. Look for issues with:
– Academic tone
– Supporting evidence
– Paragraph structure
– Grammar and vocabulary
– Coherence between ideas