What the exam task looks like
In A2 Key and A2 Key for Schools Reading and Writing Part 6, you read a situation with three points and write 25 words or more. A task in the same style, written for this guide:
- “Your English friend Sam is coming to stay for the weekend. Write an email to Sam.”
- “Describe your home.”
- “Say where Sam will sleep.”
- “Say what you can do together.”
- “Write 25 words or more.”
Point 1: describe your home with there is and there are
Start with one general sentence, then add a detail that matters to a guest. Use “There’s” for one thing and “There are” for more than one; use “some” in positive sentences and “any” in most negatives and questions.
- General: “We live in a flat on the third floor.”
- One thing: “There’s a big kitchen.”
- More than one: “There are some shops near our building.”
- Not there: “There isn’t a lift.” / “There aren’t any shops in our street.”
Place words that make the picture clear
Learn these five, plus in, on and under:
- “next to”: “The bathroom is next to your room.”
- “opposite” (facing it, often across a road): “There’s a park opposite our flat.”
- “between”: “The sofa is between the window and the door.”
- “behind”: “There’s a garden behind the house.”
- “in front of” (close to the front of it): “There’s a bus stop in front of our building.”
Points 2 and 3: where your friend sleeps and what you can do
The sleeping point is easy to forget: it is a plan, not a description. You sleep “in” a bed or a room, but “on” a sofa or the floor.
For the activity, use “can” + verb, without “to”. Many activities use “go” + -ing: go swimming, go shopping.
- “You can sleep in my room. I can sleep on the sofa.”
- “We can play basketball in the park opposite.”
- “We can go swimming. There’s a pool next to my school.”
A model email, line by line
Each line is shown with its job. The whole email is about 50 words.
- “Hi Sam, I’m so happy you’re coming!” → greeting and a friendly start.
- “We live in a small flat with two bedrooms and a balcony.” → point 1: your home.
- “You can sleep in my room, and I can sleep on the sofa.” → point 2: where Sam will sleep.
- “There’s a pool opposite our building, so we can go swimming.” → point 3: what you can do.
- “See you on Saturday! Deniz” → ending and your name.
Describing a room out loud
You need the same language when you speak. Here two friends, Zara and Theo, compare their bedrooms. Listen for “There are some”, “Is there a …? Yes, there is.”, “behind” and “next to”.
Zara Where's your desk, Theo? I can't see it.
Theo It's there, behind those plants. There are some papers on it.
Zara And is there a lamp?
Theo Yes, there is. It's on the floor, next to the bed.
Typical mistakes and how to fix them
Look for these when you check (mistake, then fix). Also make sure you said where your friend will sleep.
- “There is two bedrooms.” → “There are two bedrooms.”
- “In my room is a desk.” → “There’s a desk in my room.”
- “There aren’t some shops.” → “There aren’t any shops.”
- “We have a lot of furnitures.” → “We have a lot of furniture.”
- “You can sleep in the sofa.” → “You can sleep on the sofa.”
Your 10-minute exam routine
Plan for one minute (home, bed, activity), write for six and check for three. For speaking, describe a room at home in five sentences while someone draws it.
- “Your English cousin is coming to stay for a week. Write an email. Say what your bedroom is like, where your cousin can put their clothes and what you can do in your town. Write 25 words or more.”
- Check: a sentence for each point, and a place word?
- Check: “There’s” for one, “There are” for more? 25 words or more, and your name?
What comes next
Next, practise short messages that make a suggestion and give a reason with “because”. At B1 Preliminary, the email grows to about 100 words and answers four notes.