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The Academic Essay

CPE discursive writing · 180–220 words · formal register · argumentation

The CPE academic essay

The CPE discursive essay demands a higher standard than the B2 FCE equivalent. At C2 you are expected to demonstrate a sophisticated argument, a wider range of cohesive devices, and complete register consistency.

Word target
180–220 words (longer than FCE — more space for argument development)
Register
Fully formal throughout: no contractions, no colloquial vocabulary, no personal register shifts
Argumentation
State, support, acknowledge, respond, conclude — a 5-move structure
C2 marker
Sophisticated cohesion, nominalisation, hedging, impersonal structures, varied sentence architecture

The C2 essay argument structure

Introduction
Frame the debate. Avoid taking a side immediately. Show the complexity.
Position 1 + evidence
First view, with specific example. Use: It could be argued that … / There is evidence to suggest …
Concession + Position 2
Acknowledge the other side — NOT dismiss it. Use: Notwithstanding this … / That said …
Position 2 + evidence
Develop the second view with its own specific, credible support.
Conclusion
Reasoned synthesis, not just repetition. On balance … / Taking all factors into account …

C2 language features in essays

Impersonal framing
It could be argued that … / It has been widely observed that … / There is growing evidence that …
Hedged modality
may well · would appear to · tends to · cannot be discounted
Concession connectors
notwithstanding this · that said · be that as it may · for all that
Nominalisation
the deterioration of … / widespread displacement / the erosion of privacy
Discourse meta-commentary
What is more … / What ultimately determines … / The question, then, is not … but …
At C2, the conclusion must do more than restate. It should offer a synthesis — a position that emerges from the tension between the two sides rather than simply choosing one. "On balance" means you have genuinely weighed up both.
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