CAEL Sample Writing
For a CAEL sample writing question like you will see in the Academic Units on the test, please scroll to the bottom of this page.
Academic Unit A – Extended Writing Response
In Academic Unit A, you will have to complete one long reading passage with 11 to 15 comprehension questions.
You will then hear one long listening passage on the same topic, with 11 to 15 comprehension questions.
Finally, you will have a writing question requiring an extended response. You should use material from both the long reading passage and the long listening passage in your essay response.
You should write at least 250 words.
You will be given 60 to 70 minutes to complete Academic Unit A; 35 minutes of the total time is allocated to the extended essay response.
Academic Unit B – Short Writing Response
Academic Unit B consists of two parts, like Academic Unit A.
However, you will only need to write a brief response of approximately 100 words for this part of the test.
This part of the exam lasts for 40 to 45 minutes; 10 minutes of the total time is allocated to the short writing response.
CAEL Sample Writing Question
Here is a CAEL sample writing question like the one you might see on Academic Unit A of your CAEL exam:
You have 35 minutes to write an essay agreeing or disagreeing with the following statement:
Describe the arguments before and against genetic engineering, and comment on whether any compromise on its use might be possible.
Use the information from the readings and the lecture to help you organize and plan your essay.
Please write at least 250 words.
DO NOT COPY DIRECTLY FROM THE READING ARTICLES. If you wish to use one or two sentences, please use quotation marks (“…”).
You are advised to spend 10 minutes planning your essay and 25 minutes writing.
When you buy the CAEL practice test download, you will see a sample essay here.
CAEL Writing Page