B2 First article example: the gadget I couldn't live without
This page has an original Part 2 article task about technology in daily life, a top answer (19/20) and a borderline answer (10/20), with feedback on all four criteria. It is part of our B2 First Writing guide; for article technique, see the FCE article guide.
By Eleanor BennettLast updated:
How to approach this task
Look carefully at the three questions: which gadget, why it matters, and whether you could manage without it for a week. The third question is easy to forget.
- Choose a gadget that gives you something interesting to say. A surprising choice can make your article stand out.
- Give two or three reasons, with a moment from your daily life.
- Answer the "one week" question honestly and specifically.
- End with a question to the reader.
Avoid writing a list of everything the gadget can do; choose the most interesting points and develop them.
Top answer (19/20)
The task
You see this announcement in an English-language magazine for young people.
The gadget I couldn't live without Which piece of technology is most important in your daily life, and why? Could you manage without it for a week?
The best articles will be published next month. Write your article in 140–190 words.
Top answer188 words · estimated 19/20
My Pocket Library
Ask most people my age which gadget they could not live without and they will say their phone. My answer might surprise you: it is a battered e-reader that my aunt gave me five years ago.
It is not exactly exciting to look at. The screen is grey, there are no apps, and it cannot even play music. Yet this simple device holds over three hundred books, weighs less than a sandwich and its battery lasts for weeks. On my long train journey to university every day, it turns forty wasted minutes into my favourite part of the day.
Strangely, its limitations are what I love most. Because there are no notifications, nothing interrupts me, and I can lose myself in a story in a way that is impossible on a phone.
So could I survive a week without it? Physically, of course. I would probably pick up a paperback instead. But I would miss the freedom of carrying an entire library in my coat pocket, and my commute would feel twice as long.
What about you? Which gadget would you refuse to give up?
Examiner-style comments
- Content5/5
- All three questions are answered: the gadget (an e-reader), why it matters (daily commute, no distractions) and a thoughtful answer to the 'one week' question.
- Communicative Achievement5/5
- The surprising choice and the contrast with phones make the article memorable. Humour ('weighs less than a sandwich') and the closing questions to the reader are exactly right for a youth magazine.
- Organisation5/5
- Tightly organised: each paragraph has one function, and 'Yet', 'Strangely' and 'So could I survive…?' create smooth transitions.
- Language4/5
- Accurate and natural ('battered', 'lose myself in a story', 'refuse to give up'), with a confident second conditional in the fourth paragraph. Range is good but not especially ambitious, so 4.
An original angle, fully answered, with an engaging style that suits the target reader perfectly.
Marks are our estimate using the public B2 First writing criteria, not an official Cambridge mark.
Borderline answer (10/20)
The task
You see this announcement in an English-language magazine for young people.
The gadget I couldn't live without Which piece of technology is most important in your daily life, and why? Could you manage without it for a week?
The best articles will be published next month. Write your article in 140–190 words.
Borderline181 words · estimated 10/20
The gadget I can't live without
Hello everybody! Today I want to talk about my smartphone because it is the gadget that I can't live without.
My smartphone is a Samsung and I have it since two years. I use it for everything: for talk with my friends, for listen music, for take photos, for play games and for study. Also I use the GPS when I go to places that I don't know and the calendar for remember my exams.
I think the smartphone is very important for the young people nowadays because all the communication is in the phone. If you don't have a phone you don't know what happens with your friends and you can't make plans. Also it is useful in emergency situations, for example if you have an accident.
Some people say that we use too much the smartphone and it is true, sometimes I am all the day with the phone and my mother is angry with me.
In conclusion, the smartphone is the best invention of the history and I can't live without it.
Examiner-style comments
- Content3/5
- The gadget and the reasons are covered, but the question about managing without it for a week is never answered directly; 'I can't live without it' is not a real answer. One content point is therefore missing.
- Communicative Achievement2/5
- 'Hello everybody! Today I want to talk about…' sounds like a spoken presentation or video, and 'In conclusion' sounds like an essay. The reader is informed but not engaged.
- Organisation3/5
- Paragraphs are clear and logically ordered, though the second paragraph is simply a list of uses and the fourth paragraph is a single loose sentence.
- Language2/5
- A repeated error pattern ('for talk', 'for listen', 'for take', 'for remember') and other mistakes: 'I have it since two years', 'we use too much the smartphone', 'the best invention of the history'. Vocabulary is basic.
Clear and on topic, but one question is ignored and frequent errors reduce the effect on the reader.
Marks are our estimate using the public B2 First writing criteria, not an official Cambridge mark.
What to copy from the top answer
- Answer every question in the task. The top answer gives the "one week" question its own paragraph.
- Be surprising. Choosing an e-reader instead of a phone immediately makes readers want to continue.
- Develop, don't list. One detailed reason (no notifications on the train) beats a list of ten uses.
- Fix purpose clauses. Use to + verb for purpose: "to talk to my friends", not "for talk".
Check your own answer
Write your own article for this prompt before you look at the answers again. Then go through the B2 First writing checklist and paste your draft into the writing checker and word counter to make sure you are between 140 and 190 words. More marked answers are in our FCE writing examples.
Questions about this task
Is it OK to write about a smartphone in this task?
Yes, but most candidates will choose a phone, so you need a fresh angle or very specific reasons to make your article stand out.
Can I start an article with 'Hello everybody'?
Better not. It sounds like a video or speech. Start with an interesting statement or a question to the reader instead.
Why does a missing question lower the Content mark?
The Content mark depends on whether you covered everything the task asked. Leaving out one question means the reader is not fully informed.
Should I use brand names in my article?
You can, but they don't add marks. Describing what makes the gadget special is far more useful than its brand or colour.