Writing and Written Production
Writing and Written Production tests whether you can complete a communicative task in accurate, organized, and appropriately registered language. You may be asked for a short transactional text, such as an email or letter, and a longer opinion, discursive, or article-style text. The mark depends on task achievement, organization, range, and accuracy, not on length alone.
Planning that earns marks
Identify the reader, purpose, and required points. Underline the prompt’s instruction words: describe, compare, suggest, complain, persuade. Make a three-part plan: opening that states purpose, body paragraphs that each develop one idea, closing that performs the required function. For an opinion text, state a clear position in the introduction and defend it consistently.
Cohesion and register
Use linkers precisely: however for contrast, therefore for result, for instance for example, although for concession. Do not stack linkers at the start of every sentence. Match register to the task: contractions and friendly formulas suit an email to a friend; full forms and measured tone suit a formal letter or article.
Worked example
Prompt: “Your school is considering banning mobile phones during lessons. Write an article for the school magazine giving your opinion.” A weak opening is “Nowadays phones are very important in our life.” It wastes space and gives no position. A stronger plan is: (1) state the proposal and your view; (2) acknowledge one benefit of phones, such as emergency contact; (3) argue that classroom learning suffers from notifications and off-task use; (4) propose a sensible compromise, such as phones stored during lessons but available at breaks. Reasoning: the task asks for an opinion article, so the reader expects a position, support, and a conclusion. The compromise shows nuanced thinking without abandoning the main claim.
Traps that cost marks
- Copying the prompt instead of developing it.
- Including memorized phrases that do not answer the question.
- Writing one long paragraph with no clear progression.
- Mixing informal slang into a formal task or stiff academic formulas into a friendly email.
- Leaving required points out; check each bullet or instruction before finishing.
- Ignoring basic accuracy: subject-verb agreement, articles, punctuation, and sentence boundaries.
Reserve the final minutes for checking verb forms, plural endings, and whether every required point is covered.