Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Level: B2 and C1

SURVIVAL GUIDE TO APTIS

WRITING
Four parts. 50 minutes

PART ONE FILL IN THE FORM

Basic personal information. 3 minutes
Remember:
Months are written with a CAPITAL LETTER: May,
October
Languages are written with a CAPITAL Letter: Bahasa,
Cantonese
Hobbies and interests should be somehow connected
with the general topic of your writing. If you are enrolling
at a sports club, gardening would not be a suitable
interest, would it? So read first what the form is about and
write three nouns or gerunds.
Contributed by: Alicja Bartosiewicz
The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Level: B2 and C1

PART TWO ANSWER THE

QUESTIONS
Two short informal texts. 20-30 words each. 7 minutes
total.

The questions are quite simple, but that doesnt mean you have
to give a simple answer. On the contrary, use complex
sentences and interesting vocabulary, but stay within the word
limit.
I decided to join because a friend of mine
recommended it to me and I badly need to brush up on my
computer skills.
Ive only just joined but I already like it very much. I
hope I can learn one or two useful things here.
I decided to join for a number of reasons. First of all, I
Contributed by: Alicja Bartosiewicz
The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Level: B2 and C1

need to slim down a bit. I also want to find activities which

would help me unwind at the end of the day.
Id like to take part in archery classes once or twice a
week.
Im looking forward to meeting like-minded people.
Im looking forward to trying out this new thing
everybody is talking about.

PART THREE THREE SHORT

RESPONSES
Social network. 30-40 words per answer. 10 minutes total.

Again, the questions are quite simple, but here you should
attempt even more interesting grammar and a range of
vocabulary. Please stay within the word limit.
Im afraid the language here is unpredictable, so go to a
wonderful website created by Jason Anderson, the British
Contributed by: Alicja Bartosiewicz
The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Level: B2 and C1

Council trainer for further practice

http://proelt.byethost7.com/

PART FOUR INFORMAL AND

FORMAL EMAILS
Informal email. About 50 words. 10 minutes. Short and simple, but
informal, personal, emotional.
Hi Mike,
Just to let you know that I read this letter from our book club.
Contributed by: Alicja Bartosiewicz
The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Level: B2 and C1

Have you heard about the price rise?

Just a quickish note to tell you that I got a letter from the club,
saying that the trips been cancelled.

What a rip-off!
Its ridiculous !
I was so infuriated when I read it.
Its a shame they didnt talk to us first.
What a nuisance!

Why cant they change the date?

Why dont they hire a new instructor?
I really dont understand why they didnt tell us about it earlier.
How do they expect us to pay so much?
They could have called off the trip and set a new date.

On top of that, they will charge us for using the place.

And another thing is, they will close for two weeks in December.

Really, I wouldnt have joined this club, if I had know it was going to
be like that.
Actually, Im thinking of finding a new place.
Why dont we write them a letter?
Anyway, do you think we can go and talk to them?

All the best,

Speak to you soon,
Cheers,
Alicja
Formal email. 120-150 words. Formal, impersonal, polite but
assertive. ONE PARAGRAPH = ONE IDEA. CLEAR DIVISION OF
PARAGRAPHS.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Contributed by: Alicja Bartosiewicz
The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Level: B2 and C1

PARAGRAPH ONE REASON FOR WRITING AND THE BACKGROUND

TO THE PROBLEM
I am writing to complain about a faulty printer I bought at your
shop on ..
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the service I
received ..
I am writing inform you about the error in the bill ..

I am writing with reference to the invoice number .

PARAGRAPH TWO - DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM IN DETAIL

Information: incorrect, misleading, inaccurate, outdated, insufficient
Food: a limited choice on offer, undercooked, served cold, inedible,
tasteless, insipid, unappetizing,
Behavior: aggressive, inappropriate, unreasonable, negative
attitude of the staff
Clothing: shrank in washing, the colour faded,
Equipment: damaged, faulty, defective, stopped functioning, the
battery does not charge,
Situation: it didnt meet the required standard, unacceptable,
unreasonable, unsatisfactory, unpleasant,
PARAGRAPH THREE (OPTIONAL) MORE DETAILS IF NECESSARY
I must also point out that the information on your website is
inaccurate.
I spent several wasted hours reading the manual.
Furthermore, I was disappointed with the negative attitude of your
staff.
PARAGRAPH FOUR ACTION!
I would suggest updating the website.
I suggest you look into this problem very seriously.
I believe this attitude will deter potential customers from using your
service
I expect to be fully compensated .
I would recommend that you retrain your staff ..
CLOSING
I hope that my suggestions are taken into consideration.
Contributed by: Alicja Bartosiewicz
The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Level: B2 and C1

Do not hesitate to contact me again if you require any further

information.
I look forward to receiving your response to my suggestions.
I look forward to your prompt reply.
Yours faithfully,

Contributed by: Alicja Bartosiewicz

The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)