Writing: Short Answers and Messages
The Writing section asks you to produce short texts: filling in a form, writing a short message or email, and writing a longer piece such as a description or opinion. Marks come from task completion, range of grammar and vocabulary, and accuracy. You do not need long answers; you need clear, correct, relevant ones.
What to master
- Answering every part of the prompt. If it asks for where, when and why, include all three.
- Register. A message to a friend can be informal (Hi Sam, thanks for...); an email to a club or teacher needs a greeting, a clear purpose and a closing.
- Linking words. Use because, so, although, then, also to connect ideas and raise your score.
- Sentence variety. Mix short and longer sentences; include one complex sentence with because or if.
Traps to watch
- Writing a lot but missing one required point.
- Copying the prompt word for word instead of answering it.
- Forgetting a greeting or closing in an email task.
- Long, tangled sentences that lose control of grammar.
Rule of thumb
Spend the first thirty seconds underlining the bullet points in the prompt, then write one sentence per bullet plus a greeting and closing. Check verbs and word order last.
Worked example
Prompt: Write a message to a friend inviting them to a film. Say which film, when, and where to meet. A strong answer: Hi Alex, do you want to see the new superhero film on Saturday? It starts at six, so let's meet outside the cinema at five forty-five. Text me if you can come! It covers all three points and uses a question, so and if.