"A Life That Illuminates an Era" is a C2 Proficiency Writing practice task (review). 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.
Plan the review 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.
A history magazine is looking for reviews of biographies that make a wider period understandable. Write a review of a biography you have read. Outline the subject’s significance, evaluate the author’s approach, and explain whether the book succeeds as both a life story and a work of history. Write 280–320 words.
Word limit: 280 words