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Exam guide & reading text

C2 Paper 07 — Essay: Read the two texts about personal health-tracking technology — Writing

"C2 Paper 07 — Essay: Read the two texts about personal health-tracking technology" is a C2 Proficiency Writing practice task (Essay). Cambridge assesses content, communicative achievement, organisation and language on a scale from 0 to 5 per criterion. Plan before you write: identify the target reader, the required register and the number of points you must address. At C2, examiners expect sophisticated vocabulary used accurately, varied sentence structures and clear paragraphing.

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How should I approach this C2 writing task?

Plan the Essay before writing, address every prompt point, keep the expected register, respect the word limit, and use feedback to improve content, organisation, grammar range, and vocabulary precision.

Task prompt

Write an essay summarising and evaluating the key points in both texts. Integrate the arguments rather than discussing the texts separately, and use your own ideas to evaluate when tracking supports informed self-knowledge and when it becomes counterproductive.

Word limit: 280 words

Input texts

Feedback That Makes Habits Visible

People often misjudge patterns in sleep, movement or concentration because memory highlights unusual days and ignores gradual change. Wearable devices can turn routine behaviour into visible feedback, helping users test whether intentions become habits and notice connections they would otherwise miss. The numbers are imperfect, but they need not be treated as medical conclusions to be useful. Problems arise when products present estimates with unjustified certainty or reward only what can be counted. Used critically, tracking can support reflection and more informed conversations, especially when individuals choose the questions rather than allowing the device to define success.

Measurement Changes the Experience

Continuous tracking does more than record behaviour; it can alter how people interpret their bodies and daily lives. A walk becomes disappointing if it fails to reach a target, rest feels unproductive, and normal variation may appear as evidence of decline. Commercial systems also collect intimate data while offering users little understanding of how predictions are made or shared. For some people, measurement encourages useful routines, but for others it creates anxiety and dependence on external approval. The central question is therefore not whether a device is accurate, but whether its presence improves judgement and well-being over time.

Assessment criteria

  • Content: All points addressed with relevant detail and examples.
  • Communicative achievement: Appropriate register and tone for the target reader.
  • Organisation: Clear paragraphing with cohesive devices linking ideas.
  • Language: Wide range of vocabulary and structures used with control and accuracy.