A2 Key writing practice: short message, email and story
A2 Key writing asks for very little text and marks it carefully. A note of about twenty-five words and a short email or story of about thirty-five are enough to pass or fail on, because every content point you miss costs you directly. These five pages show you what each task wants, how to plan it in two minutes and how to check it in one.
What this paper asks of you
- Answering every part of the instructions, because each bullet point carries marks.
- Writing the right length: too short loses content, too long creates mistakes.
- Using the right tone for the reader, a friend rather than a stranger.
- Organising a short answer so it has a beginning, a middle and an end.
- Joining simple sentences with and, but, because and so.
- Using past simple accurately in a story and present or future in a message.
- Spelling everyday words correctly and using capital letters and full stops.
- Planning in two minutes and checking in one, inside a tight time limit.
- Writing clearly enough that an examiner never has to guess what you meant.
Task types, one page each
- The short messageA2 Key short message practice: write a 25-word note that answers all three points, with 40 original questions on content, tone, length and checking.40 questions
- The email replyA2 Key email practice: reply to a friend’s email, answer every question asked and end it properly, with 40 original questions on content and language.40 questions
- The story from picturesA2 Key story practice: turn three pictures into a short past-tense story with a beginning, middle and end. 40 original questions on tense, order and detail.40 questions
- Spelling and punctuationA2 Key spelling and punctuation practice: the everyday words candidates get wrong, capital letters, apostrophes and full stops, in 40 original questions.40 questions
- Planning a short answerA2 Key writing planning practice: turn instructions into content points, plan in two minutes, write in six and check in one. 40 original questions.40 questions
Note
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