Writing: composition and guided writing
This domain, Writing: composition and guided writing, tests short connected writing: a self-introduction, a daily routine, a letter or email, or a guided paragraph using given cues. Markers look for task completion, correct です/ます style, logical order, appropriate particles, and script accuracy. A typical task is 200–300 characters, so every sentence must carry information.
Structure and conventions
- Use はじめ・なか・おわり: the opening sentence states the topic; the middle gives two or three details; the ending gives a comment or request.
- Keep one style: です/ます throughout. Do not switch to だ/である.
- Indent the first line of each paragraph by one square on genkō yōshi; put one character in one square; punctuation also takes one square.
- Use connectives: まず, そして, それから, でも, だから.
- Guided writing: turn each cue into one sentence; do not add unrelated content.
Worked example
Prompt: Write about your day using the cues 起きる→学校→日本語→友だち. Model: わたしは毎朝六時に起きます。それから、学校へ行きます。学校で日本語を勉強します。放課後、友だちと話します。 Reasoning: each cue becomes one ます-form sentence. に marks the time, へ marks direction, で marks the place of action, を marks the object, and と marks the companion. それから links the first two actions.
Traps
- Writing 学校に行きますで日本語を勉強します as one run-on sentence.
- Using Chinese punctuation (。，) instead of Japanese 、 and 。
- Forgetting the final です/ます or leaving a verb in dictionary form.
- Counting spaces rather than characters and missing the required length.