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B2 First for Schools study materials
B2 First for Schools study resources

B2 First for Schools: Writing: Two Tasks, Four Criteria

B2 First for Schools · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

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Writing: Two Tasks, Four Criteria

Writing is Paper 2 of B2 First for Schools. It lasts 1 hour 20 minutes, contains two tasks and is worth 20% of the total score. Part 1 is compulsory: an email or letter of 140–190 words responding to a prompt with notes. Part 2 offers a choice of article, essay, letter/email, review or story. Each task is marked on four criteria - Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language - each scored 0–5, and both tasks carry equal weight.

Core rules

  • Answer the exact task. In Part 1, every note must be addressed and developed, not merely mentioned in one word.
  • Match register to the target reader. An email to a friend uses contractions and direct questions; a letter to a principal uses polite, formal phrasing.
  • Organise visibly. Use paragraphs, a clear opening and closing, and linking devices that show the relationship between ideas.
  • Follow genre conventions. An article needs a title and an engaging angle; a review needs evaluation and a recommendation; a story needs a clear narrative arc.
  • Respect the word range. 140–190 words is the target; a very short response cannot develop the content fully.

Worked example

Part 1 prompt: Your English friend Alex is visiting your town next month. Write an email telling Alex which day is best, what you can do together, and what food to try. Notes: which day / activity / food.

A strong plan is: greeting and context; Saturday is best because the market is on; suggest the market and a bike ride; recommend the local noodle stall; closing question. Each note gets its own sentence and a reason or detail. The tone is informal: Hi Alex, contractions such as I’m, and a direct question at the end. The reasoning is that Content rewards full development of all three notes, while Communicative Achievement rewards a natural email that would actually hold the reader’s attention.

Traps that cost marks

  • Copying the prompt wording instead of turning the notes into natural sentences.
  • Leaving one note undeveloped, which limits the Content score even if the English is accurate.
  • Writing a memorised essay that does not answer the specific question.
  • A review with no recommendation, or a story with description but no complication or resolution.
  • Ignoring the target reader, for example using slang in a formal letter.