Cambridge writing: what examiners are really looking for

After preparing thousands of candidates for Cambridge writing papers, the same patterns emerge. Strong candidates lose marks not on grammar or vocabulary but on task achievement — answering a slightly different question than the one in front of them.

The fix is unglamorous. Read the question twice. Underline the verb. Plan for two minutes before you write. The mechanical things matter more than any clever turn of phrase, because the band descriptors reward them first.