Essay Practice 1: Factors that influence career choice
Essay Practice 1 of a setIn Part 1 of the CAE Writing paper, you write a semi-formal discursive essay of 220-260 words. You are given a topic and three bullet points.
Four paragraphs: introduction → body on bullet A → body on bullet B → conclusion with a clear verdict. Two bullets developed in depth. Your opinion lives in how you evaluate each bullet (concession, comparison, qualifier) and is stated cleanly at the end. The structure card below has the word counts.
In your English class you have been discussing different factors that influence a person's career choice. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay on this topic.
Write an essay discussing TWO of the factors below. Explain which one you think has the most influence on career choice, giving reasons in support of your answer.
Some opinions expressed in the discussion:
Write your essay in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.
This is the structure Cambridge expects. Four paragraphs, two bullets developed in depth, opinion delivered through evaluation and verdict — not through a fourth invented idea.
Paraphrase the topic + name the two bullets you'll discuss + hint at your verdict.
Topic sentence + advantages + concession (limits/qualifier) + example. Develop in depth.
Topic sentence + evaluation + explicit comparison with Body 1 + your evaluative angle.
Clear verdict — which of the two bullets matters more, and why. No new arguments.
Which two of the three given bullets will you discuss? (The model below uses salary and personal interest.)
What OTHER factor influences career choice that isn't in the three bullets? Some possibilities (do not just pick one — think of your own):
From memory — no notes — jot down arguments for the two bullets you picked AND your own third factor.
Read carefully. Notice how the writer (1) discusses two of the three bullets, (2) adds a fresh point of their own, and (3) delivers a clear verdict. Highlighted phrases are the advanced structures examiners reward.
Total: 257 words ✓ (within 220-260)
Nominalisation (intro): "The question of what drives a person..." — turns a verb idea into an elegant noun phrase
Emphatic opener (Body 1): "It is undeniable that..." — concedes the obvious before qualifying
Concessive linker (Body 1): "That said,..." — pivots from advantage to limitation
Contrastive linker (Body 2): "by contrast" — signals the second bullet
Own-point signal (Body 3): "A further factor worth adding to the discussion is..." — the examiner IMMEDIATELY recognises independent thinking
Conditional inversion (Conclusion): "Were young people given richer contact..." — instead of "If young people were given..."
Concede-then-rebut (Conclusion): "Although salary cannot be dismissed, it is interest that..." — the examiner's favourite pattern.
Discuss TWO of: salary / personal interest / family expectations. Add your own point. Explain which has the most influence overall.
The question of what drives a person into a particular career has long divided opinion. While several forces are at play, this essay will focus on two of the most powerful — financial reward and genuine personal interest — before adding a further factor of my own. I will argue that interest ultimately wins out.
53 words
Evaluate it — show the advantage AND the limit. Examiners reward balanced judgement.
It is undeniable that earning potential carries significant weight, particularly for young people burdened with debt or family responsibilities. A well-paid role offers security, status and the freedom to shape one's life. That said, the pull of money tends to fade once basic needs are met; studies consistently show that pay rises beyond a certain threshold produce little lasting satisfaction.
61 words
Less scaffolding — you lead. Your job: contrast this bullet with Body 1, and hint at which is more influential.
Personal interest, by contrast, sustains engagement across decades rather than months. When people pursue work that genuinely fascinates them, they invest more effort and recover more quickly from setbacks. A doctor drawn to medicine by curiosity about the human body will almost certainly outperform one who chose the profession solely for its salary.
55 words
This paragraph is not required by Cambridge. Most candidates score better by developing the two bullets in depth and skipping this tab. Add a fourth body paragraph only if you (1) write naturally short and need help reaching 220 words, or (2) are confidently aiming for Band 5 and have spare word-count budget. If you add it, keep it to 45-55 words so the two main bullets still get full treatment.
This is the paragraph that lifts a good essay to a top-band one. You add a factor NOT in the three bullets — showing independent thinking. Keep it shorter than the others (45-55 words).
Any genuine factor that influences career choice but isn't "salary", "personal interest" or "family expectations". For this task, that could be: early exposure to role models, school and teachers, peer influence, the local economy, luck, personal values, the rise of social media careers, etc.
A further factor worth adding to the discussion is exposure to real role models in childhood. Young people who grow up seeing engineers, teachers or entrepreneurs at close range are far more likely to picture themselves in those roles — a quiet but powerful influence that often predates both salary calculations and personal taste.
54 words
Short and decisive. Name the winner — and, if you can, weave in your own point from Body 3. No new arguments.
In conclusion, although salary cannot be dismissed, it is interest — reinforced by early exposure to role models — that shapes a meaningful career. Were young people given richer contact with working professionals, workplaces would become far more motivated and resilient.
40 words
Read it as one piece. Do the five sections flow? Is your own point distinct from the two given bullets? Is the verdict clear?