Creating texts in Japanese: structure, cohesion and accuracy
What this domain asks of you
You will produce written Japanese - a message, letter, email, diary entry, short opinion piece or description - usually 200–400 characters, aimed at a specified reader. Marks come from task fulfilment, organisation, range of language and accuracy, so a simple text that answers the prompt fully beats an ambitious one that drifts.
Concepts you must command
- Genre conventions: emails need 件名, a greeting (〜さん、お元気ですか。), body, closing (よろしくお願いします) and signature. Opinion pieces need a clear 意見 followed by 理由 and 例.
- Paragraphing with connectives: まず, 次に, また, しかし, そのため, このように. Each paragraph should carry one idea.
- Sentence variety: mix short and long sentences; use 〜て form chaining, 〜ので for reason, 〜が for contrast, 〜たら／〜れば for condition.
- Script control: consistent use of kanji you know, correct okurigana, long-vowel marks in katakana (コーヒー), and small っ／ゃ／ょ.
- Register consistency across the whole text - do not slide from です・ます into plain form mid-paragraph unless the genre allows it (diary, blog).
Traps
- Answering only part of the prompt - if it asks for two reasons and a suggestion, count them off.
- English-shaped sentences - 私は〜が好きです is fine, but stacking 私 repeatedly is unnatural; drop the subject once established.
- Mixing registers in the same paragraph.
- Punctuation - Japanese uses 。and 、, not . and ,.
- Over-reliance on one pattern - repeating 〜と思います five times limits your range score.
Rule of thumb
Plan in three boxes before writing: Purpose (why am I writing?), Content (two or three points), Closing (what do I want the reader to do?). Then write one paragraph per box and check verb endings last.