Writing and Composition
Writing and Composition assesses a produced text against the task: does it do what was asked, is it organised so a reader can follow it, and is the language accurate and varied enough for the level? Marks are lost first to task failure and weak organisation, and only then to grammar.
Understand the task before writing
Identify the genre (essay, letter, report, summary), the reader, and the specific instruction - discuss both views, describe and recommend, summarise the argument. A pre-learned template that ignores the instruction reads as off-task even when the English is correct.
Build the paragraph, not the sentence
A reliable body paragraph has a topic sentence stating a claim, one or two sentences of support (reason, example, or data), and a closing sentence linking back to the question. Two well-developed paragraphs beat five undeveloped ones.
Cohesion without connector spam
Use referencing (this trend, such measures, the former), lexical substitution, and one connector per logical relation. Moreover at the head of every sentence signals a list, not an argument. Signal contrast once - Although X, Y - never Although X, but Y.
Range and accuracy
- Vary sentence length: a short sentence after a long one creates emphasis.
- Mix simple, compound, and complex structures; include at most one relative clause, one conditional, and one participle phrase per paragraph.
- Keep register consistent: no contractions or slang in a formal essay.
- Check the errors that recur at this level: articles, subject–verb agreement, plurals, and prepositions after verbs.
Worked example
Prompt: Some believe remote work harms young employees. To what extent do you agree? Weak thesis: Remote work is a controversial topic today. It says nothing. Strong thesis: Remote work lowers costs for employers but, for employees in their first job, it removes the informal mentoring that builds competence fastest. Reasoning: the thesis takes a position, limits it (first-job employees), and predicts the structure - a cost paragraph, a mentoring paragraph, a qualification. Each body paragraph can then open with a claim rather than a definition.
Traps that cost marks
- Memorised introductory formulas that do not answer the prompt.
- Assertion without example or evidence.
- Ignoring the word limit in either direction; under-length answers cannot show range.
- A conclusion that repeats the introduction word for word.
- Sudden register shifts or an unmarked change of topic.