B1 Preliminary Writing: email, article and story
B1 Preliminary Writing asks for two pieces of around 100 words each: a reply to an email, and then either an article or a story. The marks go to candidates who answer every point in the task, organise it into paragraphs and leave two minutes to check. These five lessons cover both tasks and the habits around them.
What this paper asks of you
- Covering every point the task gives you — a missed point costs more than a grammar slip.
- Choosing a register that matches the reader: a friend, a teacher, a magazine audience.
- Organising 100 words into a clear opening, two middle paragraphs and a close.
- Using a range of tenses and linkers rather than a safe string of simple sentences.
- Planning in one minute so the writing itself runs without stopping.
- Checking for the four errors you personally repeat, rather than reading for general quality.
- Writing to length: near 100 words, not 50 and not 200.
- Opening and closing an email naturally, without formulas copied from a business letter.
- Telling a short story that has a beginning, a problem and an ending in the space available.
Task types, one page each
- The emailB1 Preliminary (PET) Writing Part 1 practice: reply to a friend’s email, cover all four notes and use natural opening and closing phrases. 40 questions.40 questions
- The articleB1 Preliminary (PET) Writing article practice: answer both questions in the task, write for real readers and learn the phrases that carry an article. 40 questions.40 questions
- The storyB1 Preliminary (PET) Writing story practice: continue a given first sentence with past tenses, a clear problem and a real ending. 40 questions.40 questions
- Planning and structureB1 Preliminary (PET) Writing practice: plan in one minute, organise 100 words into paragraphs and link them without sounding memorised. 40 questions.40 questions
- Checking and correctingB1 Preliminary (PET) Writing practice: find and fix the errors candidates repeat — verb endings, articles, prepositions and spelling. 40 questions.40 questions
Note
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