CAEL Writing: data report plus argument
CAEL Writing lasts 60 minutes, is typed, and consists of two tasks on the same theme as the reading and listening material. You are assessed on task fulfilment, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. Both tasks count, so a brilliant essay cannot rescue an ignored chart.
Task 1 - data interpretation (about 150–200 words)
Describe and compare the information in a chart, graph, or table: the overall pattern, the key comparisons, and any clear exception. Do not speculate about causes unless the prompt invites it. Use present tense, approximating language, and grouped data rather than a bar-by-bar list.
Task 2 - argumentative essay (about 250–300 words)
Respond to a prompt, usually informed by a short reading or data set. State a clear position early, develop two or three reasons with examples, acknowledge a counter-argument, and close with a position that follows from what you actually wrote.
Structures that score
- Task 1: overview sentence → grouped comparisons → exception → one-line summary.
- Task 2: position → reason plus evidence → reason plus evidence → concession and rebuttal → conclusion.
- Link for meaning, not decoration: "however", "as a result", "this suggests" - not "last but not least".
Worked example
Task 1 prompt: a bar chart of household recycling rates in four provinces, from 34% to 61%. Model opening: "The chart compares household recycling rates across four provinces. Rates range from 34% in Province A to 61% in Province D, while the two middle provinces cluster close to 45%." Reasoning: that single sentence frames the chart, reports the range, groups the middle values instead of listing all four, and invents no cause. Grouping is what "select and report key features" means; reciting every bar is what costs task-fulfilment marks.
Traps that cost marks
- Task 1 explaining why the figures differ - over-interpretation.
- Task 2 ignoring the reading when the prompt clearly expects you to engage with it.
- Falling under the word minimum, which signals underdeveloped ideas.
- Forcing a memorised template that fights the actual prompt.
- Writing in one block so the rater cannot see your paragraphing.
- Spending 35 minutes on Task 1 and rushing the heavier Task 2.