C1 Advanced Part 1: Essay on Protecting Local Shops
Write a C1 Advanced Part 1 essay discussing two of three ways to support local shops and decide which is more effective.
- Time
- 45 min
- Length
- 220-260 words
Writadia · C1 · Essays
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The situation
Your class has listened to a radio discussion about the decline of small independent shops in town centres. You have made the notes below.
Ways to support local shops:
- lower business rents and taxes
- encouraging people to "shop local"
- turning streets into pedestrian zones
Some opinions expressed in the discussion:
- "Small shops can't compete when their rent goes up every year."
- "People say they love local shops, then buy everything online."
- "Nobody wants to shop on a street full of traffic."
Your task
Write an essay discussing two of the ways in your notes. You should explain which way would be more effective, giving reasons to support your opinion. You may, if you wish, make use of the opinions expressed in the discussion, but use your own words as far as possible.
Write 220–260 words in an appropriate style.
Writing toolkit
Open these only when you need them. Try the first draft on your own.
Plan it in steps
- Choose the two points you can say most about.
- Introduction: context + what you will evaluate.
- One paragraph per point: how it would help, and its limits.
- Conclusion: compare and decide.
- Paraphrase the opinions; don't quote them directly.
Useful phrases
Introduction
Evaluating
Comparing
Tap a phrase to add it to your text. Gaps (…) are selected so you can type over them.
Vocabulary
- independent shop
- a shop not owned by a big chainIndependent shops give a town character.
- footfall
- number of people walking past/into shopsPedestrian zones can increase footfall.
- compete
- try to be more successful than othersSmall shops can't compete on price.
- sustainable
- able to continue for a long timea sustainable business model
Model answer (228 words)
Read it after you’ve written your own version. Notice the highlighted parts. The numbers explain why they work.
In recent years, rows of empty shop windows have become a familiar sight in many town centres. This essay considers two possible responses: reducing the rents and taxes paid by small businesses, and encouraging residents to shop locally.1
The case for lower rents and taxes is straightforward. Many small shopkeepers operate on very thin margins, and a sharp increase in rent can close a business that has served a street for decades.2 If councils offered reduced business rates to independent shops, or capped rent increases in the high street, owners would have time to adapt to changing habits. The difficulty, however, is that this costs public money and does not, in itself, bring customers through the door.
Campaigns urging people to "shop local" address that second problem, but their impact would depend largely on whether attitudes turn into habits.3 As the radio discussion suggested, many people value local shops in principle yet still buy most things online because it is cheaper and more convenient. Without practical incentives, such as loyalty schemes shared between shops, goodwill alone rarely changes behaviour.
Of the two measures, financial support seems more likely to make a lasting difference, since a shop that cannot pay its rent will close regardless of public sympathy. Ideally, though, lower costs would buy time for local campaigns to build the regular custom that independent shops need to survive.4
- Introduction naming the two chosen points.
- Point 1: why it would help.
- Point 2 with its limitation.
- Comparison and clear decision.
Teacher notes
Exam format: C1 Advanced Writing Part 1 is a compulsory essay of 220–260 words; candidates choose two of three points and say which is more important or effective. The paper lasts 90 minutes.
Extra challenge
Rewrite the conclusion choosing the other point as more effective.
Lesson plan
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 10 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: independent shop, footfall, compete, sustainable.
- 12 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “In recent years, ... has become a familiar sight in many towns.”, “This essay considers two possible responses: ...”, “The case for ... is straightforward: ...”.
- 38 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (220-260 words)
- 10 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 5 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
Assessment rubric
| Criterion | 5 | 3–4 | 1–2 | 0 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content | All content relevant; reader fully informed. | Minor omissions or irrelevances. | Important omissions; reader partly informed. | Content irrelevant. | |
| Communicative Achievement | Genre and register fully suit the reader; holds attention. | Register mostly appropriate; ideas clear. | Inconsistent register; message sometimes unclear. | Not suited to the reader. | |
| Organisation | Well organised; varied cohesive devices. | Generally connected; limited linking. | Disjointed; basic linkers only. | No organisation. | |
| Language | Good range of vocabulary and grammar; errors do not impede. | Everyday vocabulary and structures used adequately; some errors. | Basic vocabulary and forms; errors affect meaning. | Not understandable. | |
| Total | / 20 | ||||
The four subscales are Cambridge’s official subscales, each marked 0–5 (total 20). Descriptors are classroom summaries.
Task checklist
- I discussed exactly two points.
- I said which is more effective and why.
- I paraphrased the opinions.
- I wrote 220–260 words.
Teacher comment
Peer-review sheet
Students swap texts and give each other feedback with this sheet.
Before you finish
Before you finish
- I discussed exactly two points.
- I said which is more effective and why.
- I paraphrased the opinions.
- I wrote 220–260 words.
Writadia · C1 · Essays
Assessment rubric: C1 Advanced Part 1: Essay on Protecting Local Shops
| Criterion | 5 | 3–4 | 1–2 | 0 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content | All content relevant; reader fully informed. | Minor omissions or irrelevances. | Important omissions; reader partly informed. | Content irrelevant. | |
| Communicative Achievement | Genre and register fully suit the reader; holds attention. | Register mostly appropriate; ideas clear. | Inconsistent register; message sometimes unclear. | Not suited to the reader. | |
| Organisation | Well organised; varied cohesive devices. | Generally connected; limited linking. | Disjointed; basic linkers only. | No organisation. | |
| Language | Good range of vocabulary and grammar; errors do not impede. | Everyday vocabulary and structures used adequately; some errors. | Basic vocabulary and forms; errors affect meaning. | Not understandable. | |
| Total | / 20 | ||||
The four subscales are Cambridge’s official subscales, each marked 0–5 (total 20). Descriptors are classroom summaries.
Task checklist
- I discussed exactly two points.
- I said which is more effective and why.
- I paraphrased the opinions.
- I wrote 220–260 words.
Teacher comment
Writadia · C1 · Essays
Peer-review sheet: C1 Advanced Part 1: Essay on Protecting Local Shops
WriterReviewer
Read your partner’s text carefully. Be kind and specific: say why, not just “good”.
Task checklist
| Yes | Partly | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I discussed exactly two points. | |||
| I said which is more effective and why. | |||
| I paraphrased the opinions. | |||
| I wrote 220–260 words. |
Questions
- Does the text cover every point in the task?
- Are there paragraphs? What is each one about?
- Write two linking words the writer used.
- Is there a sentence you had to read twice?
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Writadia · C1 · Essays
Lesson plan: C1 Advanced Part 1: Essay on Protecting Local Shops
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 10 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: independent shop, footfall, compete, sustainable.
- 12 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “In recent years, ... has become a familiar sight in many towns.”, “This essay considers two possible responses: ...”, “The case for ... is straightforward: ...”.
- 38 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (220-260 words)
- 10 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 5 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
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