An Overview of ICFE Writing
Format
The Test of Writing contains two parts. Candidates are required to complete two compulsory tasks: one in Part 1 and one in Part 2. Part 1 is always a letter. Part 2 is always a report. Candidates write their answers on the question paper.
Timing
1 hour 15 minutes
Marks
Part 1 carries 40% of the total marks available. Part 2 carries 60% of the total marks available. For a more detailed look at the marking process, look at Focus on Assessment.
Part |
Task Type |
Number of Tasks and Length |
Format and Focus |
1 |
A contextualised writing task. Candidates are required to produce a letter based on instructions, an input letter and five content points. The points allow candidates to expand on the information given and demonstrate their language range within the word limit given. |
1 compulsory task 120 -180 words in total |
Expressing opinions, advising, explaining, suggesting, persuading, justifying etc. The focus in Part 1 is on concise expression, accuracy of language, organisation of content and appropriacy. Range of vocabulary and structure will be defined by the task. |
2 |
A contextualised writing task. Candidates are required to produce a report based on a question including four content points. They are expected to develop finance-related topics and discuss finance-related issues in a non-technical way in their answers. |
1 compulsory task 200 – 250 words in total | Presenting and developing arguments, evaluating ideas, expressing and supporting opinions etc. The focus in Part 2 is on range of vocabulary and structure and grammatical accuracy. There is more scope for candidates to display their linguistic competence in Part 2 as there is more flexibility in content than in Part 1. |