Problem: a bank of 50 full writing papers can look like 50 ways to repeat yourself — same essay frame, same three Part 2 types, similar topics returning again and again. Answer in brief: volume only helps when each set trains something different, so rotate deliberately: diagnose your weakest criterion first, then cycle through essay, article, letter and review in turn, compare each attempt against the book’s Band 5 model using the four official criteria, and rewrite one paragraph before moving on. This guide shows you that rotation method with short exact excerpts from Cambridge B2 First Writing Skills Development with 50 Sets (Jobin Thomas) and three complete new model answers with exact word counts.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this article you will be able to: plan a compulsory Part 1 essay that covers both printed notes plus your own third idea; choose the Part 2 task type that suits your strengths and shape article, letter and review differently for their readers; hold every answer inside 140–190 words; compare your writing against a Band 5 model criterion by criterion; and run a multi-week rotation through parallel practice sets without repeating the same mistakes.
- Turn a large bank of near-parallel sets into deliberate practice instead of repetition.
- Write the three Part 2 types this book trains — lively article, friendly letter, balanced review — each in its own register and structure.
- Check finished past events, active-versus-passive choices and any figures you cite before you stop writing.
- Mark your own scripts against Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language.
What the exam asks — and what this book contains
The official B2 First format gives Writing 1 hour 20 minutes and two equally weighted parts: a compulsory essay in Part 1 and one task of your choice in Part 2, each answer 140–190 words. Every script is assessed against four subscales — Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language. Those facts are paraphrased from the official format page and handbook linked under Sources below; how you split the 80 minutes between the two answers is your own tactical decision, not an official rule.
The source book, Cambridge B2 First Writing Skills Development with 50 Sets (Jobin Thomas, ©2025), trains this paper through sheer well-organised volume. After a short introduction covering the timing, the two parts, the word limit and the four marking criteria, it presents 50 complete exam sets. Each set follows the same shape: one compulsory Part 1 essay with two printed notes plus your own idea, then a Part 2 choice of three tasks — always an article, a letter and a review in that order — and finally an answer key with four sample answers, one per task. Every sample carries a stated word count (the labels across the key run from 154 to 179 words, all inside the 140–190 band), a short commentary under the four criteria headings, and a Band 5 label.
Three honest notes about this edition, each with practical consequences. First, the introduction says Part 2 options may include a report or an email, but every one of the 50 sets offers article, letter and review only — so use the book’s letter models for register training and check the current paper if you specifically want report practice. Second, topics recur across the 50 sets in variant forms: team versus individual sports, online versus high-street shopping, tablets versus textbooks, part-time jobs, indoor versus outdoor free time. Treat that as a feature, not a flaw: the second time a topic appears, you must argue it with fresh points, which is exactly what the exam rewards. Third, all 200 samples are labelled Band 5. Read them as strong study models showing what full-criteria coverage looks like, not as a promise about any particular score.
The rotation method: four passes through every set
Working Sets 1 to 50 in order, writing each answer once and glancing at the key, produces familiarity without progress. The rotation method below turns the same bank into training. It has four passes; a single study session uses one set and all four passes take about 80 minutes, matching the real paper.
| Pass | Time | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Attempt | 40 minutes | Write the Part 1 essay closed-book; plan 8–10 minutes, draft, keep 5 minutes for checking |
| 2. Compare | 15 minutes | Read the book’s sample against the four criteria; list exactly where yours differs |
| 3. Rotate | 20 minutes | Write one Part 2 answer, cycling article, letter, review across sessions |
| 4. Rewrite | 5 minutes | Rewrite your weakest paragraph only, applying one lesson from the comparison |
Two rules keep the rotation honest. First, the Part 2 cycle is fixed: Set 1 article, Set 2 letter, Set 3 review, Set 4 article, and so on — never the type you find easiest three times running. Second, the rewrite pass is limited to one paragraph. Rewriting everything teaches drafting; rewriting the weakest paragraph teaches editing, which is where most candidates actually gain marks. Keep a one-line log per set — date, task type, weakest criterion, one fix applied — so recurring topics become visible as second chances rather than boring repeats.
Worked essay: Set 1 on music while studying
Set 1 opens the bank with a gentle topic, which makes it ideal for learning the comparison pass. Here is the exact task, a short exact excerpt of the key’s sample, and what the comparison should teach you.
The exact Set 1 essay task
Exact excerpt from the source book. “In your English class you have been discussing music. Your teacher has asked you to write an essay. Write an essay using all the notes and giving reasons for your point of view. Is listening to music while studying helpful? Write about: Concentration, Relaxation, … (your own idea). Write your essay in 140–190 words.”
What the Band 5 sample does
Exact short excerpt from the source book’s sample answer. “I believe listening to music while studying can be helpful, although it depends on the situation.”
The full sample (stated at 170 words) then gives one paragraph each to concentration, relaxation and a third idea of its own — enjoyment — closing with a balanced conclusion. The book’s commentary credits full Content coverage, a formal balanced style, an introduction–three-points–conclusion shape, and accurate vocabulary such as distractions and atmosphere. Notice the two moves worth copying in every essay you write. The opening sentence takes a position but hedges it (“can be helpful, although it depends”), so the essay can discuss both sides without contradicting itself. And the writer’s own idea, enjoyment, is genuinely distinct from the two printed notes rather than a restatement of relaxation — examiners notice when the “own idea” merely repeats a printed point, and Content is capped when it does.
How to run the comparison pass on this set
After writing your own attempt, place it beside the sample and ask four questions in order. Content: did I cover concentration, relaxation and a distinct third idea, each with a reason? Communicative Achievement: is my register consistently formal — no chatty asides to the reader, no exclamation marks? Organisation: does each paragraph open the point it actually discusses? Language: did I hedge general claims (“some students”, “may reduce”) instead of stating absolutes? Write down the single weakest answer and let that choose your rewrite paragraph. If Content failed, rewrite a thin body paragraph with a fresh reason and detail; if Language failed, rewrite the introduction with a hedged stance sentence modelled on the sample’s opening.
One set, three choices: article, letter and review compared
The book’s fixed Part 2 trio — article, letter, review in every set — is its most useful teaching device, because the same student must write for three different readers. Set 1’s three tasks show the differences compactly.
The three exact Set 1 Part 2 tasks (summarised faithfully)
- Article (exact topic from the book). The school magazine asks for articles on “The most useful app I discovered”: describe the app, explain why it is useful, and encourage others to try it.
- Letter (exact situation from the book). You borrowed a friend’s bicycle; thank them, describe how you used it, and say how you will return it.
- Review (exact situation from the book). You watched a new science-fiction series; describe it, say what you liked and disliked, and recommend whether others should watch it.
Each task demands all of its bullet points — the Content test is identical — but everything else changes. The article writes for unknown magazine readers, so it needs a title, an engaging opening and direct encouragement (“I encourage everyone to try apps like this”, in the book’s sample). The letter writes for one known friend, so it needs warmth, thanks that sound personal, and a concrete return arrangement with a date. The review writes for undecided readers, so it needs description balanced with judgement: what worked, what did not, and a recommendation that follows from the evidence rather than contradicting it.
Register is the fastest way to tell them apart
Read the first lines of the book’s three Set 1 samples and the difference is audible. The article opens with a flat announcement of its subject; the letter opens with direct thanks to a named person; the review opens by placing the series in time (“Last month I watched…”) and giving an immediate verdict. A common failure is writing all three in the same neutral school-essay voice. Before drafting any Part 2 answer, write the reader’s name or group at the top of your plan — “magazine readers who never met me”, “my friend Mark”, “someone deciding whether to watch” — and check every paragraph against it. If a sentence would suit all three readers equally, it probably suits none of them.
Structure follows the reader too
The book’s commentaries quietly show three different skeletons. Article: hook and subject, personal experience, encouragement to act. Letter: thanks, news (how you used the thing), arrangement (return, plus a friendly offer). Review: context, description, likes set against dislikes, recommendation. Learn these as three separate frames rather than one generic “introduction, body, conclusion” — when the exam offers its own choice, reaching for the right frame is the first five marks of Organisation.
Practice bank: three tasks with full new models
Attempt each task closed-book in about 40 minutes before opening its model. All names, places and dates below are fictional practice data. Each model states its exact word count, verified by script recount of the model block.
Practice 1 — Part 1 essay (adapted from the book’s Set 2 task)
Task (adapted; same situation, reworded). Your teacher has asked you to write an essay on this question: is playing individual sports better than team sports? Write about: 1. skills 2. friendship 3. … (your own idea). Give reasons for your point of view in 140–190 words in a neutral essay style.
Reveal the new suggested model (155 words) and commentary
Team and individual sports both have supporters, but I believe team sports give young people more. Skills, friendship and motivation all grow faster when players train together.
Firstly, team sports teach skills that solo training cannot. A footballer must communicate, share decisions and accept responsibility for mistakes. These habits help at school and later at work, not only on the pitch.
Secondly, friendship grows naturally in a team. Training twice a week and travelling to matches together builds trust, and shy players often make their closest friends there. An individual runner may improve discipline, yet long sessions alone can feel lonely.
Finally, my own point is motivation. When training feels hard, teammates encourage each other to continue, so fewer players quit. A tired cyclist training alone may simply go home early.
In conclusion, both types keep people fit, but teams add communication, friendship and shared effort. For most young people, that combination is worth more.
Commentary. Content: both notes plus a distinct third idea (motivation), each with a reason and a concrete detail, and the question answered in the first and last lines. Communicative Achievement: neutral essay register throughout, hedged where claims are broad (“often”, “may”, “most”). Organisation: stance-and-map introduction, three signposted paragraphs, conclusion with judgement. Language: a relative clause (“that solo training cannot”), contrast (“yet”), and present tenses kept simple because every claim is general, not dated history.
Practice 2 — Part 2 letter (newly written practice question)
Task (new). You missed your English friend Sofia’s birthday party last Saturday because your train was cancelled. Write a letter to Sofia apologising, explaining what happened, and suggesting how you will make it up to her. Write 140–190 words in a warm informal style.
Reveal the new suggested model (149 words) and commentary
Hi Sofia,
I am so sorry I missed your birthday party on Saturday — I had promised to come, and I feel terrible about letting you down.
On Saturday morning my train was cancelled, and by the time the next one left, the party had already started. I waited at the station for almost an hour, then went home because I would have arrived after midnight.
I have kept your gift, a book of short stories, and I would love to give it to you in person. Could we meet at the riverside café next Sunday afternoon? The hot chocolate there is excellent, and we could talk properly for once. I chose the book because you said you wanted to read more this year, and short stories fit easily into busy evenings.
Please forgive me — and tell your brother his playlist kept my evening cheerful even from home.
Love,
Anna
Commentary. Content: apology, explanation and a concrete make-up plan, each fully developed. Communicative Achievement: warm informal register — contractions, direct address, exclamation-free but personal lines. Organisation: apology first, events in order, future arrangement, affectionate close. Language: past simple for finished events (“was cancelled”, “waited”) with past perfect only where the earlier event needs marking (“had promised”, “had already started”) — finished history stays in past tenses, never present perfect.
Practice 3 — Part 2 article (newly written practice question)
Task (new). Your school magazine has asked for articles on “A skill I would like to learn”. Describe the skill, explain why you want to learn it, and encourage other students to try something new. Write 140–190 words in a lively style for magazine readers.
Reveal the new suggested model (153 words) and commentary
Through the Lens: The Skill I Want to Learn
Have you ever looked at a photograph and wished you had taken it? That is exactly how I feel about photography, and this year I plan to learn it properly.
First, I want to understand the basics: light, framing and timing. A good photo needs all three, and my phone pictures usually miss at least one. Evening classes at the community centre teach these steps slowly, which suits beginners like me.
Second, photography would change my weekends. Instead of staying indoors, I could walk through the old town with my camera and notice details I normally pass. A cracked doorway or a crowded market can tell a story.
So why not join me? Bring any camera, even an old one, and learn beside me. Beginners are welcome, and the first class is free. Our pictures may even hang in the school exhibition one spring!
Commentary. Content: skill described, reasons explained, encouragement given — every bullet answered. Communicative Achievement: lively magazine voice — title, direct questions, invitation, closing exclamation. Organisation: hook, two developed reasons, call to action. Language: natural processes in active verbs (“photography would change my weekends”, “a market can tell a story”) rather than passive throughout; conditionals used for plans (“I could walk”, “may hang”).
Error clinic: six faults and their fixes
These faults appear across learner scripts at this level. Each comes with a faulty version, a repair and the criterion it protects. Place names below are fictional.
1. Covering two points out of three
Fault: an essay on the Set 1 music task that discusses concentration for three paragraphs and mentions relaxation once, with no third idea. Fix: tick each bullet in the margin as you cover it; if enjoyment has only one sentence after drafting, stop and add a reason plus a detail (“Music makes dull revision lively, so students return to their desks willingly”). Required content can never be compensated by extra writing elsewhere. Protects Content.
2. Present perfect for finished history
Fault: “By 2019, the old riverside mill has been converted into a library.” The conversion is finished history with a past anchor, so the present perfect is wrong; the type of text never forces present perfect by itself. Fix: use past simple or past perfect for completed past events: “By 2019, the old riverside mill had been converted into a library.” Keep present perfect for links to the present (“The library has welcomed school groups since it opened”). Protects Language.
3. Passive in every sentence
Fault: “The lower fields were flooded by the river. Homes were damaged by the water. Roads were closed by the police.” Nothing is ungrammatical, but a whole paragraph of passives reads flat, and natural processes often sound better active. Fix: let active intransitive and transitive verbs carry events: “The river burst its banks and flooded the lower fields. The water damaged several homes, and the police closed two roads.” Use the passive for the one diplomatic line that needs it, not as the default. Protects Communicative Achievement and Language.
4. Inventing what the task never supplied
Fault: turning a simple review prompt into claims about exact dates, figures and trends the task never gave (“The series jumped from 2 million to 9 million viewers by March 2019, and industry forecasts prove a further rise…”). Fix: answer only what the task supplies. Describe, evaluate and recommend using the facts given; if you need an example, invent a clearly small-scale personal one (“My brother and I finished all six episodes in one weekend”) rather than statistics no prompt provided, and never dress a guess up as an official forecast. Protects Content and credibility.
5. Numbers that do not add up
Fault: “A survey of 40 classmates found 25 football fans, 20 music fans, 15 film fans and 10 readers — so football and music fans together exceed half the class twice over.” Check every figure: 25 + 20 + 15 + 10 is 70, not 40, and “both exceed 25” cannot be true when only one group reaches 25. Fix: make figures consistent before drafting — for example, groups of 15, 10, 9 and 6 total exactly 40 — and check each comparison separately: 15 is the largest single group but it is not a majority of 40, while 15 + 10 = 25 is a clear majority. Never state two numerical claims from one glance; verify each against the input. Protects Content and Language.
6. One voice for three readers
Fault: opening a magazine article with “Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to inform you…” or opening a friend’s letter with “Moreover, this essay will discuss…”. Fix: match the frame to the reader before writing: articles get a title and a hook for strangers; letters get a name, thanks and personal news; reviews get description plus judgement. Read the first and last lines aloud — if the article sounds like a letter or the letter sounds like an essay, rewrite those two lines first. Protects Communicative Achievement.
Independent timed task and self-check
Do this task closed-book in about 40 minutes, then mark it with the checklist. Task (adapted from the book’s Set 26 theme; same situation, reworded). Your teacher has asked you to write an essay on this question: should public transport be free for everyone? Write about: 1. cost 2. the environment 3. … (your own idea). Give reasons for your point of view in 140–190 words in a neutral essay style.
Reveal the answer guidance (no single correct text — check yours against these points)
- Content: cost and the environment each addressed with a cause and a consequence, plus a distinct third idea (for example, traffic levels or fairness for low-income passengers), with the “should it be free?” question answered.
- Communicative Achievement: neutral essay register throughout, clear opinion, no direct address to the reader and no letter-style openings.
- Organisation: introduction paraphrasing the question with a stance, one paragraph per point, conclusion with a judgement.
- Language: hedging where claims are broad (“often”, “may”), at least one complex sentence (conditional or relative clause), finished past events in past tenses, total inside 140–190 words.
Condensed self-check, adapted from the book’s commentary headings. Did I answer every bullet plus a distinct own idea, with a reason and detail each? Does the first line match the required text type and reader? Is each paragraph one idea, opened with a genuine link? Is the register consistent (no contractions in the essay)? Are finished past events in past tenses, active verbs carrying natural processes, figures consistent, and the total inside 140–190 words?
Study sequence with the book
- Read the book’s introduction and copy the four marking criteria onto one card you keep beside you for every set.
- Work Sets 1–4 with the full four-pass routine (essay, compare, rotated Part 2, one-paragraph rewrite), cycling article, letter, review.
- Continue Sets 5–20 at two sets per week; log one line per set and watch recurring topics (sports, shopping, tablets, jobs) become second chances.
- Every fifth set, re-attempt an earlier essay topic from memory before comparing with both your first version and the book’s sample.
- Re-read the error clinic before every timed answer until no fault survives the checking pass.
- Finish with three full 80-minute sittings: a free choice of Part 2 type each time, marked with the self-check above.
FAQs
Must Part 1 always be an essay?
Yes. Part 1 is compulsory and always an essay for a teacher-like reader; Part 2 is where the choice appears. Prepare the essay skeleton until it is automatic.
Which Part 2 type should I choose in the exam?
Choose the type whose frame you can reproduce under pressure, not the topic that looks interesting. If your letters always hold their register but your reviews drift into essay voice, choose the letter. The book’s fixed trio lets you test all three honestly before deciding.
How strict is the 140–190 word band?
Answers far outside it are penalised indirectly: too short means underdeveloped content, too long means more room for error and often an unfinished ending. Plan for roughly 155–175 words so normal variation stays safe.
Can I use contractions in a formal essay?
No — write “I am”, “did not”, “cannot”. Contractions belong to informal letters, where avoiding them would sound stiff.
Is memorising the book’s model answers useful?
No. Examiners reward answers shaped to the actual prompt; a memorised paragraph on the wrong details damages Content. Memorise frames and linkers instead, and generate ideas fresh each time.
The introduction mentions reports and emails but the sets only offer articles, letters and reviews — am I missing pages?
No. All 50 sets in this edition offer the same three Part 2 choices: article, letter and review. The introduction describes the wider exam; use the book’s letter models for register training and check the current paper if you want report practice.
The matching book
Cambridge B2 First Writing Skills Development with 50 Sets by Jobin Thomas is the book this guide is grounded in: a short introduction to the paper’s timing, tasks, word limit and four marking criteria, followed by 50 complete practice sets — each with a compulsory essay, a choice of article, letter or review, and an answer key of four Band 5 samples with criterion-by-criterion commentaries. If you want the full bank behind the excerpts above, continue with the book itself: Cambridge B2 First Writing — Book 5.
Take this further with Cambridge B2 First Writing Skills Development with 50 Sets
If this guide helped, Cambridge B2 First Writing Skills Development with 50 Sets gives you the full training volume behind it: more practice, worked examples and step-by-step preparation. Get the book →
Sources and editorial note
Exam format facts are paraphrased from the official sources: B2 First exam format (Cambridge English) and the B2 First Handbook (PDF, Cambridge English), both checked September 2026. Source-book evidence: Cambridge B2 First Writing Skills Development with 50 Sets (Jobin Thomas, ©2025), read read-only from the EPUB edition; contents verified as introduction (timing, two parts, 140–190 words, four criteria), 50 numbered exam sets each with Part 1 essay, Part 2 article/letter/review choice and a four-sample answer key with commentaries and Band 5 labels, plus About the Author. Labels used honestly throughout: exact excerpts are quoted verbatim; adapted tasks keep the book’s requirements in reworded form; new tasks and all three full models are newly written for this article with exact word counts verified by script. All personal names, places and dates in practice material are fictional. No score guarantee is made, no search metrics are claimed, and no human review is implied.