Writing - C1 Proposal
Essential strategies and common pitfalls to help you ace the Proposal for Cambridge C1 Writing exam.
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How to write a C1 Proposal
A proposal may be written for colleagues or club members, or for a boss or a college principal. It should provide suggestions for a future project or event in order to persuade the reader to take some form of action.
- It starts with the relevant title and purpose of the proposal.
- The main content should be divided into sections with a headings and describe a situation (here you can include some imaginary questionnaires or surveys that you have carried out to prove your point.)
- It ends with recommendations which are going to persuade the reader and try to prove that you are right.
Proposals always deal with something in the present/future. The focus of a proposal is always on evaluating a situation as well as making a suggestion or recommendation for the future.
C1 Advanced (CAE) Proposal: Structure
| 1. Title + Introduction | The aims of this proposal are to... |
| 2. Main content | Subheading 1 Paragraph 1: Describe the current situation Subheading 2 Paragraph 2: Describe the current situation |
| 3. Final Recommendations | Make your recommendations /persuade the reader Write at least 2-3 sentences |
C1 Advanced (CAE) Proposal: Writing Guide
Step 1: Find the topic points & topic
The first question you should ask yourself is what topic do I have to write about in your proposal? Knowing the topic always gives you a general idea as well as some inspiration for possible vocabulary that you might want to include in your text.
The second question should be what exactly do I have to include in my text? Here we try to filter out the specific topic points which we need to address in our writing.
There are plans to demolish an old and unused building in the town where you are student. You feel that the building should be saved. (topic: old building that the city wants to demolish and you want to save it)
You decide to write a proposal for the town council(target reader) explaining why you think the building should be preserved, what could be done to modernise and how the building could benefit the local people.(topic points)
Topic:
old building that the city wants to demolish and you want to save it
Main key points:
- why you think the building should be preserved
- what could be done to modernise
- how the building could benefit the local people
Finally, you should always check who’s going to read your text. Knowing the reader helps you choose the most appropriate style and register — in our example we are writing to the city council as these people are city officials we should use a formal style for our proposal.
Target reader:
town council
As soon as we’ve analyzed the task and extracted all the information that we need we can start building our structure and writing a proposal.
Step 2: Title + Introduction
The title doesn’t have to be anything special but it is important that you include one as this is a typical feature of a proposal and it could be something like:
- Proposal to.... and then you write the topic of what you’re reporting.
- or you can write the topic and end it with the phrase : a proposal
In this way, the title will have an appropriately formal connotation. See both examples below:
Example:
Title: Proposal to modernise the old brewery
Title: Old brewery modernisation: a proposal
The introduction must contain three main things that you should include:
- Purpose of your proposal in which you should explain your purpose for writing
The proposal is intended to..... - You should restate the topic of the task (see step 1)
- The three main key points that you discovered (see step 1)
See sample introduction & title:
Example:
Title: Old brewery modernisation: a proposal
This proposal is intended to (appropriate beginning) outline why the old brewery on ABC Street should not be demolished (topic) and is worth protecting, (point 1) how it could be turned into a valuable asset (point 2) for the town and n what ways it could be of use (point 3) for the residents of the town.
TIP: Note that a proposal is written in the future tense or with reference to the future in that it differs from a report.
Step 3: Body Paragraphs
Group your ideas under headings for each section of your proposal. Remember to answer all the questions that you were asked (see step 1). You’re going to use some formal or semi-formal language and also some passive structures such as “it is advisable that...” or “it is recommended that...”
Main key points (see step 1):
- Why you think the building should be preserved
- What could be done to modernise
- HJow the building could benefit the local people
See the example main content below, with additional annotations you may find useful:
The brewery as an opportunity. – add headings / simple, informative, formal
The old brewery building with its central location at ABC Street and unique architecture is still considered a focal point of the town centre by the vast majority of people. While it has not been in use for some years, it has great sentimental value as indicated in conversations with local residents. Therefore, it would be an unrecoverable loss to demolish the building when there are other possibilities for using the facility.
[describes first point – why the building should be preserved]
Modernization – add headings / simple, informative, formal
According to city conservators, (rely on sources, stats and experts) the modernisation of a building this old can be a challenge as everything from the ground up needs renovation. However, some local architects would be willing to work together and develop a design that takes into account the financial constraints of the public budget as well as environmental factors. To illustrate, the initial estimated costs for modernization are $300,000 and 6 months (add figures) of construction and design works.
It is strongly recommended(use passive voice) to turn the brewery into a co-working space so the rent will offset 15–20% of the costs in order to give the town a modern touch on a historic site.
[describes first point – what could be done to modernise]
Future benefits – add headings / simple, informative, formal
Considering all of the above,if the following suggestions were taken, (use conditionals)there would be great benefits for everybody involved. Moreover, the town would create another source of income, the space would attract creative professionals and not only would it benefit them, but local residents would also be able to keep their brewery in the town centre.
[describes third point – how the building could benefit the local people]
Legend:
- Statistics, details, relevant detailed information, sources of information
- Persuasive language
- Transitional words, expressions and conjunctions, which link the sentences and make the text more fluid
Step 4: Final Recommendations
In the last section/paragraph of your proposal, we need to conclude our proposal and make our final suggestions (after all that’s the main reason for writing the proposal). Make sure that you include your final suggestions in this last paragraph as well as some persuasive language.
Example:
Conclusion - Add a heading
All things considered, the benefits and needs of the inhabitants speak for the preservation of the brewery and its modernization into a co-working space. On behalf of the residents, I strongly urge the council to consider this proposal.
Persuasive Language
See Full Proposal
Old brewery modernisation
This proposal is intended to outline why the old brewery on ABC Street should not be demolished and is worth protecting, how it could be turned into a valuable asset for the town and in what ways it could be of use for the residents of the town.
The brewery as an opportunity
The old brewery building with its central location at ABC Street and unique architecture is still considered a focal point of the town centre by the vast majority of people. While it has not been in use for some years, it has great sentimental value as indicated in conversations with local residents. Therefore, it would be an unrecoverable loss to demolish the building when there are other possibilities for using the facility.
Modernization
According to city conservators, the modernisation of a building this old can be a challenge as everything from the ground up needs renovation. However, some local architects would be willing to work together and develop a design that takes into account the financial constraints of the public budget as well as environmental factors. To illustrate, the initial estimated costs for modernization are $300,000 and 6 months of construction and design works.
It is strongly recommended to turn the brewery into a co-working space so the rent will offset 15–20% of the costs in order to give the town a modern touch on a historic site.
Future benefits
Considering all of the above, if the following suggestions were taken, there would be great benefits for everybody involved. Moreover, the town would create another source of income, the space would attract creative professionals and not only would it benefit them, but local residents would also be able to keep their brewery in the town centre.
C1 Advanced (CAE) Proposal: Writing Checklist
After writing your review, you can check it yourself using the writing checklist below.
Content
Communicative Achievement
Organisation
Language
C1 Advanced (CAE) Proposal: What to Focus On
The examiners are looking at the following criteria:
Language
But be careful with your spelling. Don’t misspell words like ‘Recommendation’ – it probably appears in the rubric anyway.
Learn some set phrases that can be used to preface your invented statistics – “According to the majority of the students in my class” etc.
Passive constructions are a more polite way to make recommendations than active sentences. “You should do this” is too strong – “These ideas should be taken under consideration” is much more appropriate.
Communication
The proposal should be fairly formal because the context is fairly formal – the writer is submitting a proposal to people who are in charge.
Don’t limit yourself to simple ideas. Always have at least one complex idea to talk about.
Use modals and conditionals to speculate about the effectiveness of your ideas, instead of using simple tenses.
Organization
The proposal should be appropriately organized in paragraphs or sections, which may each be given a heading.
Use linking words to show how your ideas fit together.
In formal language, remember that your sentences should tend to be quite long. But make them readable!
Content
By covering all of the content points in the rubric, and adding as much detail as possible, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t be able to get full marks here.
C1 Advanced (CAE) Proposal: Useful Phrases & Expressions
We'll wrap up with some useful vocabulary commonly used to organize ideas. While it might feel like taking a shortcut, learning a few key expressions for each paragraph type can help you produce a well-structured and cohesive text in your exam.
Stating the purpose of the proposal
The principal objectives of this proposal are to
The objective of this proposal is to...
The purpose of this proposal is to examine / evaluate / explain / describe / analyse / present...
This proposal aims to...
Rhetorical phrases
Have you ever...?
What do you think about...?
Are you one of those people who thinks that...?
Are you one of those people who...?
What would life be like if...?
Will the future bring us.... ?
Background information
At the present moment,...
Comments made at the end of the questionnaires suggest...
Following a survey among...
Concerned members of the local community were invited to attend...
A number of concerns with regard to XYZ were expressed by...
The following areas for improvement can be highlighted
Introducing your first point
Firstly
In the first place
First of all
The first thing to consider is
One thing to consider is
To begin with
Introducing more points
Secondly
Another consideration
Yet another consideration
Another thing to consider is
Added to that
Apart from that
In addition to this
Making recommendations and suggestions
A working group should be set up by...
There should be an enquiry into...
It would be advantageous to...
It is recommended that...
I recommend that a larger survey should be conducted before a final decision is reached...
Final recommendations
Implementation of the above ideas would result in...
A working group should be set up by...
There should be an enquiry into...
I recommend that a larger survey should be conducted before a final decision is reached...
The following actions ought to be performed with a view to (improving the quality of...)