Email Reply

B1 Preliminary Part 1: reply to an email of about 100 words. Someone has written notes on the email you received, and those four notes are the four things your reply must do.

Where It Appears

Exam	Paper and part	Questions	Marks	Counts towards
B1 Preliminary	Writing, Part 1	Q1	20	Writing

What You See

You read an email from a friend, a teacher or a company, with four short handwritten notes next to it: Yes, I’d love to!, Suggest…, Tell her about…, Ask about…. Your reply covers all four in about 100 words. It is compulsory and worth 20 marks.

Worked Example

A complete email reply task at B1 Preliminary level. Work it with the answers closed, then open the key.

B1 Preliminary — River clean-up day

B1 PreliminaryWriting, Part 1

You must answer this question. Write your answer in about 100 words.

Question 1

Read this email from your English-speaking friend Jamie and the notes you have made.

From: Jamie

Subject: River clean-up day

Hi!

I’m organising a day to clean up the path along the river near my flat, and I really hope you can come!

We’re planning to do it on the first or the second Saturday of next month. Which would be better for you?

Afterwards, everyone’s going to have lunch together by the river. What kind of food should people bring?

I’d also like to tell more people about the day. What’s the best way to do that?

Thanks,

Jamie

Write your email to Jamie using all the notes.

Great!Say which and whySuggest …Tell Jamie

Write about 100 words.

Model answers

Model answer — Question 1 (email) (109 words, 19/20 marks)

Hi Jamie, Thanks for your email. Cleaning up the river path is a brilliant idea, and of course I’d love to help! The second Saturday would be better for me, because on the first one I’m going to my cousin’s wedding. For lunch, I think people should bring simple food that’s easy to share, like sandwiches, fruit or salads. Some cold drinks would be good too, as we’ll probably be thirsty after working all morning. The best way to tell people is to write a post on the town’s community website. You could also put up a few posters in the shops near the river. See you soon, Ana

Subscale	Band
Content	5 / 5
Communicative Achievement	5 / 5
Organisation	5 / 5
Language	4 / 5

All four notes are covered and developed, including a reason for choosing the second Saturday, so Jamie is fully informed. The friendly, enthusiastic tone suits an email to a friend. Each point has its own paragraph, joined with a variety of linking words (because, as, too, also). Everyday vocabulary is used well (easy to share, put up posters) with a range of simple and some complex forms such as “would be better” and “we’ll probably be”, although the language is safe rather than ambitious, which keeps Language at 4.

Weaker answer (band 3) — Question 1 (email) (97 words, 12/20 marks)

Hi Jamie, Thank you for you email. Yes I want to come, it is very good idea! I think the first Saturday is better for me. The second Saturday I can’t. For the lunch we can bring pizza and sandwichs and also some cakes. Everybody like pizza I think and it is not expensive. About tell more people, you can send message to your friends and they send to his friends also. I think many people will come because the river is very dirty and people don’t like. I hope we have a nice day. Bye, Carlos

Subscale	Band
Content	3 / 5
Communicative Achievement	3 / 5
Organisation	3 / 5
Language	3 / 5

All four notes are mentioned, but the second one is not fully dealt with: the writer says which Saturday but gives no reason, so the reader is only “on the whole informed”. The tone is suitably friendly. The email is organised in paragraphs with basic linking (and, because, also). Errors are noticeable (for you email, very good idea, sandwichs, Everybody like, About tell) and some vocabulary is repeated, but the meaning is always clear, which places Language at band 3.

Strategy

Turn each note into a sentence or two, in the order of the email.
Match the register of the email you received: informal to a friend, polite to a teacher or a company.
Use the functions the notes ask for: agreeing, suggesting, explaining, asking.
Paragraph: greeting and reaction, the notes, a closing line.

Common Mistakes

Leaving one note out.
Copying whole phrases from the input email.
Suggesting when the note says ask, or telling when it says explain.
Writing 60 words, or 180.

How to Practise

More practice at every level is on the Cambridge Writing samples page. The whole section in context is on the Cambridge Writing page, and how it is marked is on the scoring page.

Kirill O'Nayd, Cambridge English exams expert

Written by Kirill O'Nayd

English test expert and educator at TestSucceed. He has spent years preparing candidates for Cambridge English Qualifications from A2 Key to C2 Proficiency, and taking apart how each paper awards its marks. See all TestSucceed preparation materials.