Writing and Composition
Writing and Composition
The composition section is marked on content, organisation, expression and mechanics. A piece that answers the question but is shapeless, or is stylish but off-task, loses heavily; the safest route is a clear plan that fits the audience, purpose and form named in the prompt.
Core rules
- Decode the prompt before writing: topic (what), purpose (describe, narrate, argue, inform, persuade), audience (peer, principal, newspaper editor) and form (letter, speech, report, article, story). A letter without a salutation, or a report without headings, loses format marks regardless of style.
- Build paragraphs on a controlling idea: one topic sentence, two or three sentences of development (example, cause, consequence), and a closing link.
- Use cohesive devices deliberately - pronouns, synonyms, time markers, contrast signals - but do not open every sentence with 'Furthermore' or 'Moreover'.
- Vary sentence length and opening. A short sentence after two long ones lands a point; a string of simple sentences reads as a list.
- Argue with reasons plus evidence, and concede one counterpoint before answering it; this is what separates a persuasive essay from a rant.
- Reserve three to four minutes to proofread for agreement, tense, apostrophes and comma splices.
Worked example
Prompt: 'Write a letter to the editor arguing that the school's new no-phone rule should be kept.' Weak opening: 'I am writing to talk about phones. Phones are a big problem today.' Revision: 'As a fourth-former who watched three classmates' grades slide last term, I support the no-phone rule and urge the board not to reverse it.' Reasoning: the revision states a position, supplies credibility, names a consequence and signals the letter's purpose in one sentence. It also establishes the register an editor expects.
Traps
- Retelling a story when the prompt asked for an argument.
- Writing a memorised introduction that never mentions the task.
- Ending with 'In conclusion' followed by a brand-new idea.
- Sacrificing the final paragraph to keep writing instead of stopping to edit.