Extended Writing: Composition and Discursive or Persuasive Essays
What you must know
Extended writing is marked on content, organisation and technical accuracy. Before writing, decode the task: audience, purpose, form and tone. A composition needs a controlled shape, with an opening that grips, developed paragraphs each carrying one central idea, and an ending that resolves rather than repeats. A discursive or persuasive essay needs a clear position, topic sentences, evidence or examples, acknowledged counterarguments, and a conclusion that weighs up. Vary sentence length, punctuate deliberately, and choose precise vocabulary instead of memorised chunks that do not fit the prompt.
Traps
The biggest trap is writing the wrong genre: a story when an article was requested, or a one-sided rant when balance was asked. Other losses come from unsupported assertions such as 'social media is bad' with no example, weak links between paragraphs, and conclusions that merely restate the introduction. Ignoring the bullet points in a prompt usually means missing content marks.
Worked example
For a persuasive paragraph on school start times: claim, 'Later starts would improve attendance'; evidence, 'Teenage sleep cycles shift by up to two hours'; explanation, 'A 7:30 bell therefore forces students to learn while biologically asleep'; link, 'Attendance, then, is a matter of biology, not discipline.' Four sentences, one idea, fully developed.
Rule of thumb
Plan for two minutes and write for twenty: a short outline saves more marks than extra sentences.