CUNY's Guide to the CPE: Messages



If you’re worried about your writing skills, I’m here to help! I have plenty of advice to help you write great, effective essays. Plus, I’ve also prepared a handy writing guide for the CPE, which you can find under the “Resources” tab below.	I’m here to help you understand how the CPE is graded and what we look for in a good response. I’ll also tell you the most common mistakes students make so that you can avoid making the same mistakes yourself. I’ve donated my Task 1 grading chart to the “Resources” section below, so you can access it at any time.	I took the CPE last semester and did fine. Because I’ve gone through the process, myself, I can tell you what did and did not work for me.
You should only use the authors’ full names the first time you reference them. After that, only use their last names. And make sure you don’t misspell them!	Don’t get confused here. Your summary should only include an abbreviated description of the sections of the long reading that are relevant to the specified topic. It should not include your personal opinions or any mention of the second reading.	When preparing for the exam, I found it helpful to make an outline of the long reading selection on one of the blank pages in my booklet. Then, next to each major topic subdivision, I noted my relevant knowledge and experience. This made it easier for me to remember my ideas for each topic when I got to the exam.
A good summary should include all the major points the author used to discuss the topic. It should be considerably shorter than the original – probably around one paragraph – and it should be expressed in your own words.	One mistake that students often make on their essay is not comparing and contrasting the specific topic given in the directions. If the directions ask you to draw a relationship between the readings, regarding “how and why Americans avoid confronting chronic social problems” and you write on something other than “how and why Americans avoid confronting chronic social problems,” then you will lose a lot of points.	I wrote short summaries of each topic as I was preparing for the exam. It was really helpful (though none of my practice summaries were exactly like the one I had to write during my exam). Another thing that helped me was using different colored highlighters to color-code each topic in the reading. This made it easier for me to find material for each topic during the exam.
When you reference the texts, make sure you write the names of the articles correctly and use quotation marks to set them off from the rest of your sentence.	One of the most common problems I see with Task 1 responses is that the students’ personal ideas and experiences are off-target. Make sure you respond to the topic given in the directions.	I didn’t have personal experience with all the topics in my long reading, so I did some research on the Internet. I learned a lot more about the subject matter and was able to apply this new information when writing my essay.
The way you quote the authors is very important. If you feel uncomfortable using quotes in your essay, check out my Task 1 Writing Guide in the “Resources” section for all the do’s and don’ts of quoting.	If you can do well in part A (developing an essay that is focused and complete), then you are likely to do well on the entire essay.	You have to write in pen when you take the CPE, which means it can be hard to make changes. When I took the CPE, I double spaced my essay. That gave me extra space to go back and make changes when I was editing my work.
	No one will see the notes you make in your booklet. The graders only read what you write in your responses.	Before starting my essay, I used this structure to draft a quick outline of what I wanted to write. Under each section, I jotted down what I wanted to include. It helped me focus and stay on track as I was writing.
	Use page numbers when referring to material in the texts. It makes it easier for your graders to understand where you are getting your information.	Don’t feel bad if the person next to you is writing a lot. It doesn’t mean she’s going to get a higher grade than you. Just focus on what you’re doing and you’ll be fine.
	The benefit of this approach is that it is very easy for your graders to read. Having all the parts logically ordered leaves no doubt for your graders that you fully completed the assignment.
	If you misread a figure and respond to inaccurate information, you probably will not do well on Task 2. The figures are usually fairly simple, but you should take time to review them carefully to avoid making a mistake.
	Because wrong answers do not count against you, you may find it beneficial to use each figure several times. At the very least, you must use each figure once to have a good score on the task. To be safe, though, it’s a good plan to use each figure twice.
	Not fully explaining why the figure supports or contradicts the claim is the number one error students make on Task 2. Don’t make this mistake yourself. Make sure that you fully explain why the figure supports or contradicts the claim, even if the reason seems obvious to you.
	Your performance on Task 2 is totally independent from your performance on Task 1. The two tasks are graded separately and what or how you phrase your response for Task 2 will not affect your score on Task 1. Therefore, don’t feel like you have to spend a lot of time making your answers on Task 2 sound overly eloquent.
	Many people who fail the CPE do so because of Task 2. This is usually because they do not understand what is expected of them on Task 2 or because they fail to follow directions.
	When grading Task 2 responses, we usually read over one hundred of them in a day! The easier it is for us to understand what you’re saying in your response, the better.

If you’re worried about your writing skills, I’m here to help! I have plenty of advice to help you write great, effective essays. Plus, I’ve also prepared a handy writing guide for the CPE, which you can find under the “Resources” tab below.

I’m here to help you understand how the CPE is graded and what we look for in a good response. I’ll also tell you the most common mistakes students make so that you can avoid making the same mistakes yourself. I’ve donated my Task 1 grading chart to the “Resources” section below, so you can access it at any time.

I took the CPE last semester and did fine. Because I’ve gone through the process, myself, I can tell you what did and did not work for me.

You should only use the authors’ full names the first time you reference them. After that, only use their last names. And make sure you don’t misspell them!

Don’t get confused here. Your summary should only include an abbreviated description of the sections of the long reading that are relevant to the specified topic. It should not include your personal opinions or any mention of the second reading.

When preparing for the exam, I found it helpful to make an outline of the long reading selection on one of the blank pages in my booklet. Then, next to each major topic subdivision, I noted my relevant knowledge and experience. This made it easier for me to remember my ideas for each topic when I got to the exam.

A good summary should include all the major points the author used to discuss the topic. It should be considerably shorter than the original – probably around one paragraph – and it should be expressed in your own words.

One mistake that students often make on their essay is not comparing and contrasting the specific topic given in the directions. If the directions ask you to draw a relationship between the readings, regarding “how and why Americans avoid confronting chronic social problems” and you write on something other than “how and why Americans avoid confronting chronic social problems,” then you will lose a lot of points.

I wrote short summaries of each topic as I was preparing for the exam. It was really helpful (though none of my practice summaries were exactly like the one I had to write during my exam).

Another thing that helped me was using different colored highlighters to color-code each topic in the reading. This made it easier for me to find material for each topic during the exam.

When you reference the texts, make sure you write the names of the articles correctly and use quotation marks to set them off from the rest of your sentence.

One of the most common problems I see with Task 1 responses is that the students’ personal ideas and experiences are off-target. Make sure you respond to the topic given in the directions.

I didn’t have personal experience with all the topics in my long reading, so I did some research on the Internet. I learned a lot more about the subject matter and was able to apply this new information when writing my essay.

The way you quote the authors is very important. If you feel uncomfortable using quotes in your essay, check out my Task 1 Writing Guide in the “Resources” section for all the do’s and don’ts of quoting.

If you can do well in part A (developing an essay that is focused and complete), then you are likely to do well on the entire essay.

You have to write in pen when you take the CPE, which means it can be hard to make changes. When I took the CPE, I double spaced my essay. That gave me extra space to go back and make changes when I was editing my work.

No one will see the notes you make in your booklet. The graders only read what you write in your responses.

Before starting my essay, I used this structure to draft a quick outline of what I wanted to write. Under each section, I jotted down what I wanted to include. It helped me focus and stay on track as I was writing.

Use page numbers when referring to material in the texts. It makes it easier for your graders to understand where you are getting your information.

Don’t feel bad if the person next to you is writing a lot. It doesn’t mean she’s going to get a higher grade than you. Just focus on what you’re doing and you’ll be fine.

The benefit of this approach is that it is very easy for your graders to read. Having all the parts logically ordered leaves no doubt for your graders that you fully completed the assignment.

If you misread a figure and respond to inaccurate information, you probably will not do well on Task 2. The figures are usually fairly simple, but you should take time to review them carefully to avoid making a mistake.

Because wrong answers do not count against you, you may find it beneficial to use each figure several times. At the very least, you must use each figure once to have a good score on the task. To be safe, though, it’s a good plan to use each figure twice.

Not fully explaining why the figure supports or contradicts the claim is the number one error students make on Task 2. Don’t make this mistake yourself. Make sure that you fully explain why the figure supports or contradicts the claim, even if the reason seems obvious to you.

Your performance on Task 2 is totally independent from your performance on Task 1. The two tasks are graded separately and what or how you phrase your response for Task 2 will not affect your score on Task 1. Therefore, don’t feel like you have to spend a lot of time making your answers on Task 2 sound overly eloquent.

Many people who fail the CPE do so because of Task 2. This is usually because they do not understand what is expected of them on Task 2 or because they fail to follow directions.

When grading Task 2 responses, we usually read over one hundred of them in a day! The easier it is for us to understand what you’re saying in your response, the better.