Shadowing Practice: Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET): How to Write an Email - Learn English Speaking with Video

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if you are interested in how to write a really really good email in b1 preliminary you need to keep watching

hi and welcome to teacher phil where i help people like you pass their cambridge exams

make sure you subscribe to the channel and like the video

and also check out the full article the link is in the description box below

and with all

that being said let's get started emails are the only mandatory task in B1 preliminary writing

that means you don't have a choice you have to write

an email as you will see however writing a good email is really a lot easier than you might think also Also,

you have to write around a hundred words.

But I always tell my students to write a little bit more than a hundred words.

So between a hundred and a hundred and twenty is usually a good idea to be on the safe side.

You usually write an email in B1 preliminary to a friend

or a teacher or another person

that you know in every task you get the context of the email

that you have to write as well as the person you are writing to

and four content points

that you need to address in your text you need to

be familiar with the right language to address these different content

points for example you You have to know how to start and end an email.

But you also have to be able to show how to agree or disagree with something, how to give your opinion,

how to suggest things, how to apologize or how to explain something.

These are just some examples and there might be other functions that you have to fulfill

in your email but let's have a look at an example in a little bit more detail

so when you write an email for B1 preliminary there are three main areas

that you always need to keep in mind first of all

you have to choose the correct layout for an email

that means there needs to be a clear beginning and ending

and you need to address all the different topic points in the task second of all as i've just mentioned before

you also need to use the right language in order to address the different content points

and last but not least you also need to use the right style of language in an email

that is normally neutral English to informal English but we will talk about that a little bit more in a second

instead of just sitting down

and starting to write your email it makes a lot of sense to first of all look at the task

and analyze it carefully if you invest just two minutes you get a lot of information

that can help you when you start writing

and it can also save you a lot of time later

because once you get into time trouble it is always good to have a plan with all the information you need.

So here is an example task for an email in B1 preliminary.

When you look at it at first it might be a little bit confusing

but if you look at it with a system and

if you ask the right questions there shouldn't be any problem at all the first thing

you should always find out in your task analysis is the topic of your email the topic can help you

choose some nice words and expressions

that you could include in your email looking back at our example task we can see

that your teacher wants to organize a party at the end of the school year now

that we know the topic of the email we need to look at what exactly we have to include

and this is where we need to look at these different content points

they give us the details that we need to fill our email with the most important information

so let's have a look again at the example task from before you can see

that there are the four topic

or content points on the side of your teacher's email

and there are only some little notes that are connected to the text with straight lines.

The four content points in our example are that you need to show that you think it's great that there's a party.

You have to explain if you prefer the party to be in the classroom

or if you would like to go to the park.

You also need to suggest some activities and last

but not least you should tell your teacher about food you would like to eat at the party the third

and last question of every good task analysis is to check

who's going to read your email as i've mentioned earlier emails in b1 preliminary are usually written to your teacher

friend or some other person that you know.

So that means that you don't have to use formal language.

You already know the person so you don't have to be too polite.

So in most emails we can use neutral or informal language

and you have to check which one is the best option in each individual task.

Here because we are writing to our teacher, we shouldn't make it too informal and keep it more on the neutral side.

Once we finish our task analysis and we have all the information we need,

the last thing to get ready is to think about the structure of our email.

Luckily every email in b1 preliminary looks exactly the same we start the text with an opening formula

after which we address the different content points

and at the end of our email we also write a closing formula you might think now okay

that all sounds nice and quite easy but what exactly is an opening formula

and a closing formula and how can i write a good topic paragraph

so that's what we're going to look at next let's have a look at an example email in detail

and let's go through it step by step together

let's start at the beginning every good email starts with some kind of greeting and an opening formula.

Here we simply want to say hello to the person we're writing to

but once again we need to be careful

if we have to use an informal opening or maybe something that is a little bit more neutral or formal.

If you want to write to a friend we can choose something informal.

For example we could say hi Phil.

However if you remember in our example we write to our teacher Mrs. Lake.

So we should be a little bit more respectful and formal.

So a good option to do that would be to say something like Dear Mrs. Lake.

This is nice and respectful and not too informal so it's perfect for our email.

Next we are going to write our topic paragraphs.

The topic Topic paragraphs are the most important parts of your email because they contain the different content points from the task.

Each topic paragraph can be only one or two sentences.

They don't have to be long because remember, you only write between 100 and 120 words in total,

which means that you don't have a lot of words available for each of these topic paragraphs.

You also need to be careful

that you use the right functional language in each of these paragraphs to show the examiner

that you understand exactly what you have to do with each of the content points.

So let's look at an example email that I've written for this specific task.

You can see the rather formal greeting at the top where I say Dear Mrs. Lake.

and then you can see

my four topic paragraphs in each paragraph i use specific language

to express exactly what the task asks me to do you

can see the language in the different colored boxes in the text you can also see

that each topic paragraph is basically just one sentence once again we don't have

100

that many words to spare

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so we try to get to the point as quickly as possible

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and keep our sentences nice and short like the ones in my example last

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but not least we want to end our email with a

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nice closing formula here we can write one final sentence where we end the email in a nice way

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and then we use some kind of salutation in the end to say goodbye.

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Once again all we need to do is to be careful with formal,

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neutral and informal language so we make sure that we show the person the right level of respect.

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So here you can see that my example is not too formal but it is also not completely informal.

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i didn't use any slang words the only thing i did was to say thanks again

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and see you in class phil

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you see how easy it can be to write a good email for the b1 preliminary writing exam

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every email works more or less in the same way simply remember

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that you can always use the same structure as in the example

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and you just need to be careful with the right functional

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language as well as the most appropriate style formal neutral

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or informal thank you very much for watching the video as

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i mentioned at the beginning you can check out the full

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article in the description box below where there is a long list of useful language

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and functional language that you can use in your own writing please also check out my other services

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that you can find on my website

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and don't forget to follow me on social media so take care and I'll see you next time

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Master B1 Preliminary Email Writing: Key Tips for Success

If you’re prepping for the Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) exam, nailing the email writing task is non-negotiable—it’s the only mandatory writing section. The video breaks down how to craft a strong email that meets all requirements, making the process simpler than you might think. With a target of 100–120 words, focus on clarity, structure, and addressing all content points to stand out.

Essential Components of a B1 Email

The video emphasizes three core areas: layout, language functions, and style. A clear layout includes a proper beginning and ending, while language functions like suggesting, apologizing, or explaining ensure you cover all task points. Style-wise, aim for neutral to informal English, fitting the context of writing to a friend, teacher, or acquaintance.

Step-by-Step Task Analysis

Before writing, spend 2 minutes analyzing the task. Start by identifying the topic—this guides your vocabulary choices. Next, pinpoint the four content points; these are the details you must include. For example, if the task is about organizing a school party, your email should address points like date, activities, or supplies. This planning saves time and ensures you don’t miss key information.

Practice Like a Pro: Apply the Tips

To reinforce these skills, use the shadowing technique with the video’s example emails. Repeat sentences aloud to mimic structure and tone—this boosts your ability to apply the tips naturally. Pair this with an English speaking practice routine, and consider using a shadowing app to refine your flow. By combining task analysis with deliberate practice, you’ll build confidence and write emails that meet Cambridge’s standards.

Remember, the B1 email task is manageable with the right strategy. Focus on structure, content, and style, and practice regularly using the video’s insights. With these tools, you’ll be ready to write a standout email on exam day.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	i've just mentioned · i've mentioned · I've written
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	being said · are connected · are usually written
Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea	shouldn't be · should always find · should tell
Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain	might think · might be

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET): How to Write an Email - Learn English Speaking with Video

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