writing a proposal - CAE practise - New building

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Writing part 2 Task 1: Proposal

WHAT EXACTLY IS A PROPOSAL? 

A proposal starts by describing the situation in a business, school, club, or other organisation you might be part of. For example, you might have to talk about the computer room in your college or the state of the canteen in your office. 

You have to persuade whoever is reading the proposal to make the changes you think are best.

A proposal has a lot in common with a report.

The difference between a report and a proposal is that a proposal is written before a project or event starts and a report is written afterwards.

so: 

describe a situation

say how you think it could be better

try to convince someone you are right

WHO'S GOING TO READ IT?

As you'd expect, sometimes the proposals in CAE are set in the business world, and sometimes in the academic world. In these cases you'll be writing in quite a formal style. Another common scenario is that you're in a club and want to propose some changes - if you're writing to the other members of the club you can be a bit less formal but you should still be polite.

ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL RULES?

You should use headings, and have an intro and conclusion. You CAN use bullet points but I think it is better to  write in full sentences. It's a writing test not a bullet point test. Bullet points can help people read something efficiently, but they are often used by writers who are too lazy/scared to write complete sentences. Use them with care!

It's not a letter so don't start with 'Dear Sir.'

Planning

In a CAE proposal, you're expected to give factual information and make suggestions which will be followed by your readers.

Sample Assignment Proposal

Your school has been awarded a large sum of money to rebuild the school. The headmaster has asked the Cambridge class to write a proposal explaining which are the most imprtant things to spend the money on and why.

Write your proposal in 220-260 words in an appropriate style

Remember:

• Use impersonal semi-formal language
  
• Use sub-headings
• Do not use shortened forms - such as I am (I'm) / he is (he's) do not (don't) / cannot (can't)
• You need an introduction and a conclusion
• You can use bullet points (not too many!)
• Do not use Dear Sir - To whom it may concern. 

This is a sample of a proposal

Proposal

Proposed expenditure for the new building

Introduction

The aim of this proposal is to set out and evaluate some of the options for the new building.

Swimming pool                                

 One idea put forward is to build a swimming pool in the new building. After carrying out a survey, we were surprised at how much enthusiasm there was for swimming lessons during PE. However, having done a cost analysis, perhaps the most effective way to use the money is to provide the Werenfridus students with free use of the Waterhoorn for weekly swimming sessions. 

Separate brugklas area for the breaks      

Another suggestion is to include a separate area for the brugklas students. This has certain advantages as it provides a safe environment for the new students to get used to secondary school. In fact the school has always had a separate area for new students and if the room is available in the new building the general view seems to be that this would be a good thing to include in the plans for the new school. 

Beanbags to replace conventional seating                         

A third idea is to introduce beanbags as seating, this has certain advantages. Students would be able to relax more and it would give a more contemporary feel to the building. However, one possible drawback could be that students may be too relaxed and fall asleep in them. 

Conclusion                                        

To sum up, I think that the swimming pool is not the best way to use the money and it would be better to use the existing facilities at the local pool. I strongly recommend that the plans include space for a separate brugklas area for the breaks due to the large number of students at the school.  The beanbags could be a very successful idea but needs further evaluation. 

I hope that the plans outlined in this proposal meet with your approval

Assignment Proposal

• Work in couples

• Choose one of the tasks on page 122
• Bring a paper copy of the assignment to the next lesson
• Prepare a presentation of you proposal