Writing
Pick a piece.
Each prompt is exam-style. Hit the target length, submit, get a B2 score and three specific upgrades back in seconds.
Only have three minutes? Try a Sprint instead.
- opinion piece10 min · 220 words
01Phones in school
Should mobile phones be banned during lessons in Austrian secondary schools? Write an opinion piece arguing your view. Give at least two reasons, address one counter-argument, and finish with a clear conclusion.
- formal complaint letter9 min · 180 words
02Broken swimming watch
You ordered a sports watch from a British online shop to track your swimming. It arrived with a cracked screen and the heart-rate sensor doesn't work. Write a formal complaint letter to the customer services department. Describe the problem, state what you want done about it, and give a deadline.
- magazine article10 min · 220 words
03Life as a competitive swimmer
Write an article for your school magazine titled 'My life as a competitive swimmer'. Describe what a typical week looks like, what's hard about it, and what keeps you going. Address the reader directly at least once.
- informal email8 min · 180 words
04Email to a British friend
You met a British exchange student last summer at a swimming camp. Write them an email describing your training routine this term, ask about their life, and suggest meeting up during the Easter holidays.
- film review10 min · 220 words
05Harry Potter film review
Write a review of any Harry Potter film for an international student magazine. Briefly summarise the story (without spoilers), say what works and what doesn't, and recommend whether someone learning English at B2 level should watch it — and why.
- opinion piece10 min · 220 words
06Social media under 16?
Some European governments are considering banning social media for under-16s. Write an opinion piece arguing for or against. Include at least one concrete example from your own life and address one counter-argument.
- opinion piece10 min · 220 words
07Sport until graduation?
Should sport (any sport) be mandatory in Austrian Gymnasiums all the way to Matura, including the final year? Argue your view. As a competitive swimmer you have a stake in this — use that.
- formal complaint letter9 min · 200 words
08Delayed flight + lost luggage
Your direct flight from London to Vienna was delayed by 8 hours, and your luggage arrived 3 days late — with one item damaged. Write a formal complaint letter to the airline's customer relations team demanding compensation. Be polite but firm.
- magazine article10 min · 220 words
09A typical week in my life
Write an article for your school magazine: 'A typical week in my life as a competitive swimmer at Gymnasium.' Cover the routine, the hardest day, and what keeps you going. Address the reader directly at least once.
- informal email8 min · 160 words
010Apology to your British friend
You missed your British friend's 17th birthday party because you had to swim a regional meet on the same day. Write an email apologising and proposing how to make it up. Casual but heartfelt.
- restaurant review9 min · 200 words
011Local restaurant review
Write a review of a restaurant for a school food magazine. Pick a real place you've eaten at (or invent one). Cover atmosphere, food, service, and value, and end with a clear recommendation and star rating.
- personal story10 min · 220 words
012School trip that didn't go to plan
Write a 220-word personal story about a school trip where something went unexpectedly wrong (or surprisingly right). Set the scene, build to the moment, and end with a reflection on what you took from it.
- extended essay25 min · 300 words
013What this school year taught you
Write a 300-word reflective essay on what this school year — including the B2 exam itself — actually taught you. Not what the syllabus claimed; what you discovered. Be specific about moments, people, surprises. Honest, not performative.
- extended essay30 min · 350 words
014Who you're becoming
Write a 350-word essay on the shift between 16-year-old you and 17-year-old you. What's changed? What hasn't? What surprised you? Forbidden phrases: 'find yourself', 'be true to who you are', 'on a journey'.
- extended essay25 min · 300 words
015How not to burn out
Write a 300-word piece arguing what young athletes (and high-performers more broadly) should learn about burnout BEFORE they hit it. You have a stake in this — write from there. Include one concrete habit and one belief you'd push back on.
- extended essay25 min · 300 words
016Sleep — the most underrated habit
Argue in 300 words that sleep is the single most underrated habit for 17-year-olds. Use evidence (data or specific examples), one personal moment, and address one common counter-claim. No 'experts say' filler.
- extended essay25 min · 300 words
017The attention economy
Write a 300-word essay on what's at stake when apps are designed to harvest your attention. Use one specific app's mechanic as a concrete example. Avoid both moral panic and 'it's fine, just be balanced'.
- extended essay25 min · 300 words
018Individual vs systemic — climate action
Write a 300-word piece on whether individual climate action matters when systemic change is what's needed. Take a clear position. Address the 'why bother' argument and the 'governments must act' argument with equal seriousness.
- extended essay25 min · 300 words
019What makes art valuable?
Write a 300-word essay on what actually makes a piece of art (a film, a book, a song, a painting) valuable — beyond 'it's good' or 'people like it'. Use one specific work you know well as evidence.
- extended essay25 min · 300 words
020What does democracy ask of you?
You'll be 18 next year, with the right to vote. Write a 300-word essay on what democracy actually asks of you as a citizen — beyond ticking a box every few years. Specific obligations, not vague civic feelings.
- letter30 min · 350 words
021Letter to your 25-year-old self
Write a 350-word letter to yourself at 25. What do you want him to remember about now? What do you predict you'll have got wrong? What do you ask of him? Treat this as a real letter — open and close it properly.