C2 writing activities: argument, critique and precise summary
Writers at this level can write complex, elegant prose that summarises, evaluates and argues with precision.
Formal letters
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Letter to the Editor: Phones in the Classroom
A newspaper wants every school phone ban to become law. Write a letter to the editor that takes a clear position and answers the strongest argument on the other side.
Stories
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Story: The Last Day of the Bookshop
Write a story about the last day of a small bookshop before it closes for good. Show the characters' feelings through detail and dialogue rather than stating them.
Essays
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Is Nostalgia an Obstacle to Progress?
Write an argumentative essay on whether societies' love of the past holds them back, with a precise, well-supported thesis.
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Privacy or Convenience: What Are We Really Trading?
Write an essay examining whether people knowingly trade privacy for convenience, using precise argument and carefully chosen examples.
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Essay: Should Museums Send Objects Home?
Discuss whether museums should return objects taken from other countries in the past, weighing ownership, access and preservation, and reach a nuanced conclusion.
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C2 Proficiency Part 1: Essay on a Four-Day Working Week
Summarise and evaluate the key points of two short texts about a four-day working week, then give your own view.
Reviews
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C2 Proficiency Part 2: Review of a Book That Changed Your Mind
Review a book that changed your opinion about something, evaluating its style and argument for a literary website.
Articles
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Article: A Language Disappears Every Few Weeks
Write a thoughtful feature article for a quality magazine on endangered languages, combining fact, reflection and a clear point of view.
Reports
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Report: Was the Late-Night Library Trial Worth It?
Evaluate a four-week trial in which the city library stayed open until midnight, using the figures and comments provided, and recommend whether it should become permanent.
Proposals
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Proposal: Turning the Old Railway Line Into a Green Corridor
A disused railway line runs through your town. Write a proposal to the council for turning it into a green corridor, anticipating objections and explaining how the plan would be funded.
Summaries
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Summary: The Hidden Work of City Trees
Read a dense article about urban trees and write a precise summary for a council briefing, reducing it to under a third of its length.
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Summary: Why Multitasking Doesn't Work
Read a short text about multitasking and write a precise summary in your own words, then add a brief evaluation.
Reading responses
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Two Views on Tourism: A Critical Response
Read two short opinion pieces with opposing views on mass tourism, then write a critical response that evaluates both arguments.
About writing at C2
C2 writing is about precision and control. Writers summarise complex texts accurately, evaluate arguments, qualify their claims and write with a confident, natural style. Ideas matter, but so does the exact choice of every word.
Focus at this level: compression and paraphrase, evaluating assumptions, qualified theses, stylistic range.
Questions people ask
What does C2 writing look like?
Clear, precise and flexible: a writer at C2 can summarise and critique complex texts and argue a nuanced position in a style suitable for the reader.
How do I practise critical response writing?
Read two texts with different views, identify each one's claim, evidence and assumptions, then evaluate them and give a reasoned position.
How long are C2 writing tasks?
In C2 Proficiency, answers are 240–280 words (Part 1) and 280–320 words (Part 2). Our tasks use similar lengths.