Explanation
Exercises
B2 Pre-Advanced Writing · Lesson 2

Describe a Difficult Situation and How You Handled It

Writing about difficulty at B2 means showing not only the problem, but the decisions you made under pressure and how you judge them afterwards.

B2 Pre-AdvancedProblem-response reflective narrative35 min170–180 words
Lesson progress
Explanation · 1 / 4
Study the model carefully: both practice exercises ask questions about this exact text.
Learning objective

You will learn to frame a difficult situation, sequence concrete responses, explain their consequences, and evaluate what the experience taught you about problem solving.

Model text

Last spring, I was helping to organise a public talk at a community centre when the electricity failed twenty minutes before the audience arrived. The speaker had prepared a visual presentation, the microphone was unusable, and our emergency lights only covered part of the room. My first reaction was panic because cancelling seemed inevitable. However, I asked the team to separate the problems we could solve from the ones we could not. We moved the chairs closer to the front, opened the blinds to use the remaining daylight, and printed the speaker’s key images at a nearby copy shop. I also greeted people at the entrance and explained that the talk would start fifteen minutes late. The speaker adapted quickly and turned the event into a more informal discussion. Surprisingly, several visitors later said they preferred being able to ask more questions. The situation taught me that handling a problem well does not always mean restoring the original plan. Sometimes the better response is to protect the main purpose, communicate clearly, and redesign the details around what is still possible.

How to write

1
Set up the difficult situation and explain why it mattered
2
Show your immediate reaction without stopping the story there
3
Separate controllable problems from uncontrollable ones
4
Describe several concrete actions you took
5
Finish by evaluating what the experience taught you about handling problems

Useful language

when... failedMy first reaction was...However,...We moved... and...Surprisingly,...The situation taught me that...

B2 Pre-Advanced focus: Develop ideas with specific evidence, varied linking, precise vocabulary, and a register appropriate to the text type.

Exercises:
1
2
3
Exercise 1 · Language in the model text

Describe a Difficult Situation and How You Handled It

Read the model text closely. Analyse the exact grammar, vocabulary, linking, stance, and register choices.

Answer questions about this lesson’s unique model text.
Exercise 1 · 2 / 4
You need at least 5 correct answers out of 6.
What does “when the electricity failed twenty minutes before the audience arrived” achieve in the opening?
Why does the writer use “because” after “My first reaction was panic”?
What is the writing function of “However” before the writer’s response?
Which phrase best shows problem-solving rather than simple description?
Why is “Surprisingly” appropriate before the visitors’ reaction?
Which sentence most clearly evaluates the experience rather than narrating it?
Exercise 2 · Structure and development

Describe a Difficult Situation and How You Handled It

Read the model text closely. Analyse how its ideas are ordered, developed, connected, and concluded.

Answer questions about this lesson’s unique model text.
Exercise 2 · 3 / 4
You need at least 5 correct answers out of 6.
Why are the technical problems listed together near the beginning?
What structural role does “My first reaction was panic” play?
Why does the model describe several actions rather than saying simply “we solved the problem”?
Where does the narrative move from action to outcome?
Why is the positive visitor feedback important to the conclusion?
Which organisation best matches the model?
Exercise 3 · Independent writing

Describe a Difficult Situation and How You Handled It

Apply the writing skills you analysed in this lesson’s model text.

Complete the writing task independently.
Exercise 3 · 4 / 4
Write 170–180 words. Up to 190 words is accepted.
Your task

Describe a difficult situation, explain how you responded, and evaluate why your response worked or what you learned. Use your own ideas and examples; do not copy the model text.

  • Establish the past situation and your starting view clearly
  • Develop several connected past events or actions
  • Use varied sequence, contrast, or cause-and-effect linking
  • Include specific details that develop the turning point or problem
  • Show reflection, reinterpretation, or a change in understanding
  • Connect the experience to a lesson, later behaviour, or broader meaning
when... failedMy first reaction was...However,...We moved... and...Surprisingly,...The situation taught me that...
Your writing
0 words · Target: 170–180

Your draft is saved automatically on this device.

Quick check
•Write about 170–180 words
•Establish the past situation and your starting view clearly
•Develop several connected past events or actions
•Use varied sequence, contrast, or cause-and-effect linking
•Include specific details that develop the turning point or problem
•Show reflection, reinterpretation, or a change in understanding
•Connect the experience to a lesson, later behaviour, or broader meaning
•Use at least 8 clear sentences
AI feedback

Pass the lesson check first, then get detailed B2 feedback.