July 9th marks Fashion Day, making it the perfect opportunity to explore a topic that almost everyone has an opinion about. Whether your students enjoy keeping up with the latest trends or prefer a more practical wardrobe, fashion naturally sparks discussion and debate. That’s exactly what makes it such a suitable theme for this fashion-themed FCE lesson, designed to prepare learners for Cambridge B2 First Writing Part 1.
My inspiration to create Cambridge lesson plans comes in waves, depending on the students and their upcoming exams. One of my B2 students is taking her FCE exam at the beginning of March, which motivates me to craft lessons for her and ensure that she gets the highest score possible. I thought that this week we could review and tackle Writing Part 1. As this part is obligatory, it is essential to be well-prepared and ready to write the best essay possible while following and having a deep understanding of the writing assessment criteria.
Scroll until the end of the post to get the fashion-themed FCE lesson worksheet with the teacher’s notes, and the presentation in case you teach online (like I do!). This lesson material can also be found in B2 Sample Paper 2, and all the example essays are taken from B2 First Handbook. Need another lesson plan about this topic? Have a look at A2 – My Perfect Outfit: Seasonal Clothing.
Warmer: Describing Personal Style
The lesson begins with a simple speaking activity. Students think of three adjectives that best describe their personal style and write them down without showing anyone else. The teacher collects the answers, reads them aloud and the class guesses which student each description belongs to. Next, students look at five different outfits and rank them from the most to the least fashionable.
Speaking: Does Fashion Have a Positive or Negative Effect?
Introduce the writing task by showing the thesis of the essay – Some people say the fashion industry has a bad effect on people’s lives. Divide students into two groups. Group A thinks about reasons that support this statement. The other group thinks of reasons against this point. Once groups have a few ideas, put one student A with one student B, so they can debate each other’s points and reach a final decision.
Reading: Analysing a Model Essay
Students read an authentic Cambridge sample essay and check whether any of their own ideas appear in the text. They then identify the main arguments and examine how the writer develops each point throughout the essay. The lesson also introduces the exam task itself. Students compare the essay with the task, identify where each required point is addressed and discuss how the four-paragraph structure helps organise the writer’s ideas.
- Paragraph 1: Introduction
- Paragraph 2: Points supporting the thesis (job creation)
- Paragraph 3: Points against the thesis (judging appearance and the price of clothes)
- Paragraph 4: Conclusion
Assessment Criteria: Understanding What the Examiners Want
Once students are familiar with the essay, it’s time to look at it from the examiner’s perspective. Learners read the official examiner’s commentary and discuss whether they agree with the awarded score. This activity introduces the four Cambridge assessment criteria (Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language) and helps students understand what examiners actually look for. One of the biggest misconceptions among candidates is that grammar alone determines the final score. This stage shows that successful writing depends just as much on organisation, task completion and appropriate register.
Time to Assess: Becoming the Examiner
Once they understand the criteria, it’s time to put on the examiner’s hat. Show two essays answering the same task as before. Give some time to read the answers and discuss which of the two is better and why. It’s obvious that the second one is way better, but students may already start justifying their decisions using the writing assessment criteria. Put students into pairs and ask them to score the two answers. Look at everyone’s answers and compare them with the actual scores and explanations. Discuss if any of the scores surprised them.
Writing: Planning and Producing an Essay
The lesson finishes with students planning and writing their own response to the same exam task. Before they begin, encourage them to spend a few minutes organising their ideas and deciding how each paragraph will support their argument. Even a short planning stage often results in more coherent and better-structured essays. If class time is limited, students can complete the essay for homework using the planning notes they prepared during the lesson.
Hope you enjoyed this instalment of fashion-themed FCE lesson! Click the files below to get the fashion-themed FCE lesson presentation and the worksheet with the teacher’s notes.
If you had to write this essay yourself, would you agree that the fashion industry has a bad effect on people’s lives?
2 thoughts on “Cambridge FCE Writing Part 1 (essay): The Effects of Fashion on People’s Lives”