There are no examples of learners using linguistic techniques to draw the listener’s or reader’s attention to something at the A1 level. However, once the A2 level is achieved, learners use prepositional phrases in the front position for focus.
In the morning, I go to the beach. (Cambridge English: Key for Schools; Spanish - Latin American)
In my country, the most popular food is Paella, which is a kind of rice with seafood, really tasty. (Skills for Life: Entry 2; Portuguese)
From your house, take the first turning on your left after the roundabout. (Cambridge English: Key; French)
Once the B1 level is achieved, learners use adverbs in the front position for focus.
That’s my diary, the dearest thing I had. Here, I wrote how I felt, what I did, who I met and all my problems. (Cambridge English: Preliminary; Italian)
Quickly I opened the envelope, took out a white piece of paper and started to read. (Cambridge English: Preliminary; German)
Suddenly, the door opened. (Cambridge English: Preliminary; Portuguese)
Outside, it wasn’t a sunny day any longer. It was raining a lot. (Cambridge English: Preliminary; Portuguese)
B1 level learners are also able to use the pattern it + be + adjective + that-clause for focus.
It’s great that you have got a new job! (Cambridge English: Preliminary; Spanish - European)
It’s important that you are happy. (Cambridge English: Preliminary; German)
It is really sad that you have to move to a different area. (Cambridge English: Preliminary; Czech)
By B2 level, learners can use the thing / fact / point / problem / reason + is (that) for focus.
The thing is, Alison is an eleven-year-old girl who has been, together with her father, left behind by her mother when she was just three. (Cambridge English: First; Portuguese)
The fact is that not all animals are able to deal with this. (Cambridge English: First; Danish)
The problem is I know myself. I am always late when I have to leave my house so I need a car to go faster. (Cambridge English: First; Arabic - Gulf)
B2 level learners can also use the more complex pattern the reason (that) / the place (which) + clause as subject + be for focus.
The reason that I never continued taking lessons is that my schoolwork became too heavy and the costs of lessons were too expensive for me as a student. (Cambridge English: First; Swedish)
The reason I like children is I have experience of looking after disabled people and I like to do things like volunteering. (Cambridge English: First; Japanese)
The place which has impressed me most of all in my life is Abastumani. (Cambridge English: First; Russian)
The place you need is called “Academiuta”. (Cambridge English: First; Italian)
So, between the A2 and B2 levels, learners move from using prepositional phrases and adverbs to using complex patterns in an effort to provide focus to their writing. Learners continue to develop their use of key patterns to provide focus as they move on to the C1 and C2 levels.
