The Timed Writing Prompt
You must set a 30-minute B2 Writing task. Option A: an argumentative essay, 'Should social media be banned for under-16s?', 250 words. Option B: an email to a landlord reporting a broken heater and requesting repair, 150 words. The exam blueprint says the task must test 'organising information and expressing a viewpoint.' Your class has spent three weeks on opinion essays. Several learners are weak at formal register and email conventions. You have limited marking time: 25 scripts.
1. Which option better fits the blueprint while addressing the class's weaknesses? Defend your choice against the time constraint.
Read the worked answer
Option B (email) fits the blueprint and the class profile better.
Blueprint check: 'Organising information' = stating the problem, giving details, sequencing the request. 'Expressing a viewpoint' = the tenant's position ('this is unacceptable / I request...'). The email covers both.
Class weakness check: The class is weak on formal register and email conventions - an essay task would not address this at all; the email targets it directly.
Countering the time objection: A 150-word email is faster to mark than a 250-word essay, especially with a short analytic checklist (greeting, statement of problem, request, closing, register). 25 scripts at ~3 minutes each is feasible; 25 essays at 250 words is not.
Conclusion: Option B wins on blueprint fit, needs analysis, and marking load simultaneously.
2. Write the marking checklist you would use for Option B, with 4 criteria and how each is evidenced.
Read the worked answer
Marking checklist (Option B, B2, 150 words):
- Task achievement (problem + request clearly stated). Evidence: the email names the broken heater and makes an explicit request for repair. Missing request = cap at half marks.
- Organisation and cohesion. Evidence: logical order (greeting → problem → details → request → closing); use of linkers ('therefore', 'I would appreciate').
- Register and convention. Evidence: appropriate salutation ('Dear Mr/Ms X'), no contractions in formal register, polite modal requests ('Could you please...'), signed off correctly.
- Language range and accuracy. Evidence: correct present perfect for the ongoing problem ('has been broken since...'), controlled errors that don't impede meaning.
Use: score each 0–2 (total 8), with a note on the single most important improvement per script to keep feedback actionable within the time budget.