B1 Writing: Email, Article & Story Guide for PET

The B1 Preliminary Writing paper lasts 45 minutes and has two parts. Part 1 asks you to write an email of about 100 words in response to a prompt and notes. Part 2 gives you a choice, normally between an article and a story, again around 100 words.

At B1, the winning strategy is not to sound advanced. It is to answer the task clearly, organise ideas, use appropriate everyday vocabulary and show enough grammatical range without losing control.

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What does a strong B1 Writing answer need?

Before thinking about impressive phrases, check four practical questions:

1. Did I answer every point in the task?
2. Is the style right for the reader?
3. Are the ideas easy to follow?
4. Is my grammar accurate enough to communicate clearly?

A candidate can write grammatically good sentences and still lose marks by forgetting one of the prompt points. That is why task analysis comes first.

Part 1: how should you plan the email?

The task gives you an email and notes or prompts that you must respond to. Turn those notes into a checklist before writing.

Imagine the email asks you to:

• say whether you can attend a party;
• suggest what food to bring;
• ask about transport.

Your plan can be only three lines:

• yes, can attend + reason/excitement;
• offer to bring dessert;
• ask whether someone can pick me up.

Now every paragraph has a job.

After writing, tick all three. This takes seconds and prevents the common error of answering the topic generally while missing a required point.

What tone should a B1 email use?

Most B1 Preliminary email tasks use an informal or friendly context. Natural contractions are appropriate: I'm, don't, we'll. You can use friendly openings and endings, but do not spend 30 words on them.

Useful flexible phrases include:

• Thanks for your email.
• I'd love to...
• Why don't we...?
• How about...?
• Could you tell me...?
• Let me know what you think.
• See you soon.

Learn functions rather than a complete memorised template. If you memorise an entire model email, it may not fit the next prompt.

How should you organise a B1 email?

Short paragraphs help. A simple structure is:

Opening: respond to the situation.

Middle: cover the main task points.

Final line: ask the required question or close naturally.

You do not need a paragraph for every sentence. Group related information together.

Use linking words you can control: and, but, because, so, although, also, then, after that. Clear connections are better than forcing formal linkers into a friendly email.

Part 2: what makes a good B1 article?

An article should be easy and interesting to read. Start with the topic quickly. You can use a short question or direct statement to engage the reader.

If the task asks for your favourite way to spend a weekend, a useful structure is:

• short opening: what you enjoy;
• paragraph 1: what you do and where;
• paragraph 2: why you enjoy it / who you do it with;
• ending: recommendation or final opinion.

Give specific detail. I like going outside because it is fun is understandable but weak. I usually cycle along the river with two friends because the route is quiet and we can stop for a picnic gives the reader a clearer picture.

Part 2: how should you write a story?

A B1 story needs a clear sequence and an ending. Do not introduce ten characters or a complicated plot in about 100 words.

Use a simple three-stage structure:

1. situation — where and when does it begin?
2. event/problem — what changes?
3. result — how does it finish?

Useful sequencing language includes at first, while, suddenly, a few minutes later, in the end. Use past simple for key events and past continuous for background when appropriate.

Example pattern: I was waiting for the bus when I noticed... This immediately creates background + event.

How do you avoid running out of time?

Forty-five minutes for two texts is tight but manageable if you plan.

One possible split:

• 3 minutes: read and plan Task 1;
• 15–16 minutes: write Task 1;
• 2–3 minutes: check;
• 3 minutes: plan Task 2;
• 15–16 minutes: write Task 2;
• final minutes: check both.

Do not spend 30 minutes trying to perfect the first email. The second task carries important marks too.

What should you check at the end?

Use separate checks instead of rereading vaguely.

Content check

Did you cover every note or question?

Verb check

Underline main verbs. Are past events really in the past? Did you use an auxiliary correctly in questions?

Small-word check

Look for articles, prepositions and plurals.

Spelling check

Check words you know you often miss, especially days, months, common verbs and topic vocabulary.

Repetition check

If you used nice or good four times, replace one or two with a more precise familiar word such as friendly, useful, enjoyable, comfortable.

Which grammar is most useful in B1 Writing?

Use grammar that helps you communicate:

• present simple for routines/opinions;
• present continuous for current plans or temporary situations;
• past simple and past continuous for stories;
• present perfect for experience or recent events;
• going to/will for plans and predictions;
• first conditional for realistic future results;
• modal verbs for suggestions and advice;
• relative clauses for adding detail;
• comparatives for recommendations.

If the same grammar error appears in several drafts, repair it in B1 Grammar and then rewrite the sentence in a new context.

What vocabulary should you prepare?

Build vocabulary around likely B1 themes, but focus on phrases you can use naturally.

For emails: invitations, plans, travel arrangements, apologies, suggestions.

For articles: hobbies, places, food, study, technology, health, entertainment.

For stories: movement, feelings, weather, surprise, sequence.

Learn useful combinations such as make plans, catch a bus, spend time, have a great time, feel worried, get lost, arrive late. These are safer and more useful than unusual synonyms.

How should you use feedback?

Do not correct everything and move on. Choose the two most important problems.

Example:

Problem 1: missed a task point.

Repair: underline and tick prompt notes before/after the next email.

Problem 2: repeated past tense errors in story.

Repair: rewrite the story's five main verbs, then write a new 60-word mini-story.

The next task should test whether the repair transferred.

A practical B1 Writing training cycle

Session 1

Plan five email tasks without writing them. Focus on identifying content points.

Session 2

Write one email in 18 minutes, then check it with the four-question checklist.

Session 3

Plan two articles and two stories. Choose the one you can develop most clearly.

Session 4

Write a story with a strict beginning–event–ending structure.

Session 5

Write both exam tasks within 45 minutes.

Session 6

Rewrite the weaker task instead of starting a new one.

This develops decision-making as well as language.

Common B1 Writing mistakes

• forgetting one prompt point;
• writing too much introduction and not enough task content;
• using formal phrases in a friendly email;
• writing an article as a list of disconnected sentences;
• writing a story with no clear ending;
• changing tense randomly in narratives;
• forcing difficult vocabulary from a translator;
• spending almost all the time on Task 1;
• checking spelling but not content.

Final takeaway

B1 Writing is a test of clear communication. Analyse the task, plan briefly, answer every point, organise the text and use grammar you can control. Then review the draft by purpose rather than hunting randomly for mistakes. A simple accurate response that fully answers the prompt is stronger than an ambitious text that loses control.