The Essay That Misses Half the Task
Diego's Writing Part 1 essays are 250–280 words and take 40 minutes. His grammar is accurate and his vocabulary is range-appropriate, but in three timed essays he has addressed only one of the two content points, omitted a conclusion, and devoted 90 words to a personal anecdote. He has not used a planning phase in any of the three. He believes he is 'losing marks for style'. His teacher has two lessons before the exam and needs to improve his score quickly without damaging his confidence.
1. What is the most likely scoring risk in Diego's essays, and why is 'style' the wrong diagnosis?
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The likely risk is in content and communicative achievement, with a secondary risk in organisation. Part 1 requires the candidate to address both content points and develop them; an essay that handles one point, spends 90 words on anecdote, and has no conclusion is under-delivering the task even if the sentences are accurate.
'Style' is the wrong diagnosis because his language resources are already adequate. Style would matter if the content were complete and the register were wrong. Here the more probable loss is for leaving a required point undeveloped and for weak paragraph structure. The judgement call is to resist correcting every language slip: doing so would consume the two lessons and leave the actual task-completion problem untouched.
2. What feedback should the teacher give first, and what should be avoided?
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Give feedback first on task completion, using a visible checklist:
- Underline the two content points in the prompt.
- Ask Diego to mark, in his own essay, where each point is addressed.
- Show how the anecdote could be cut to 30 words and converted into support for the missing point.
- Require a 7-minute plan: point 1, point 2, example/evidence, conclusion.
Avoid a red-pen language correction of the full essay. It would confirm his belief that the problem is 'style' and would not transfer to the next timed piece. In lesson 1, he should rewrite only the plan and the missing paragraph. In lesson 2, he should write one full essay under time with the checklist on the desk. Praise the accurate language explicitly, but do not let it become the focus of feedback.