Writing: Email/Message Response and Opinion-Based Essay
Pre-2 writing contains two productive tasks. The first is an email or message reply of about 40 English words to a short incoming message that asks you two questions. The second is an opinion task of roughly 50–60 words on a familiar topic, where you state a view and support it. Both are scored on content (did you answer everything?), organization, vocabulary, and grammar, so a simple, complete answer beats an ambitious, broken one. Follow the word count printed in the prompt.
Email reply: a four-move structure
- Greeting plus a one-line reaction ("Hi Emma, thanks for your message.")
- Answer question 1 with one detail.
- Answer question 2 with one detail.
- Closing line ("See you Saturday!") Both questions must be answered. One sentence per question is enough; add a reason or example to fill the count naturally.
Opinion task: state, support, close
Sentence 1 gives a clear position: "I think students should have more free time at school." Then give two reasons, each with because or for example. Finish with a short concluding sentence. Do not copy the prompt's wording; paraphrase it.
Control the grammar you use
Present tense, can, want to, because, when, and if will carry almost any Pre-2 answer. A correct simple sentence scores higher than a failed relative clause. Check subject–verb agreement and plural -s before you finish.
Worked example
Incoming message: "I'm coming to your town next Saturday afternoon. What should we do? What should I bring?" Model answer (about 40 words): "Hi Emma, I'm glad you're coming. In the afternoon we can visit the science museum near the station, because it's free and not crowded. Please bring comfortable shoes, since we'll walk a lot. See you Saturday! Yuki" Reasoning: the message asks two questions, so there are exactly two content sentences, each with a supporting detail (free and not crowded; we'll walk a lot). The greeting and closing are present, the register is friendly, and the sentence patterns are ones the writer controls. Nothing is copied from the prompt.
Traps that cost marks
- Answering only one of the two questions.
- Finishing far below the word count, which leaves no content to score.
- Copying phrases from the prompt instead of producing your own.
- Writing noun lists without verbs ("Museum. Free. Shoes.").
- Giving reasons but no opinion sentence in the second task.
- Switching to Japanese, or forgetting a greeting or closing in the email.