The Overlong Email and the Shrinking Clock
A candidate sits the timed writing section with 45 minutes for two tasks. Task 1 asks for an email of 120–150 words to a language-school coordinator: confirm attendance at an orientation, ask about the placement test, and request a campus map. Task 2 is a short opinion response worth the same marks. At the 27-minute mark the candidate has written 214 words for Task 1. The email is accurate and polite but includes a long paragraph describing a previous course and a second paragraph apologising twice for 'bothering' the coordinator. Only 18 minutes remain. The candidate believes cutting text will look less impressive and is considering skipping the closing request for the map to save time. The rubric rewards task fulfilment, organisation, range, and accuracy; length itself is not a criterion.
1. What is the most serious risk in the candidate's plan, and what should they do in the next five minutes? Explain your reasoning rather than just naming a revision.
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The most serious risk is not the 214-word length; it is losing a required content point and leaving too little time for Task 2.
- Task fulfilment comes first. Skipping the map request removes one of the three stated purposes. A shorter email that answers all three points will usually score better than a longer, polished email that omits one.
- Length is indirect. 214 words is over the suggested range, but the rubric named in the setup does not award marks for length. The real cost is time and the two low-value paragraphs, which weaken focus.
- Next five minutes: delete the previous-course paragraph, remove the second apology, compress the opening to one sentence, and keep the map request. That should bring the email close to range without gutting useful content. Then spend at least 12 minutes on Task 2.
Reasoning: the candidate should optimise for complete task fulfilment and balanced time allocation, not for an impression of effort.
2. How should the candidate decide which sentences to cut? Give a rule and apply it to two specific sentences or paragraphs from the setup.
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Rule: keep sentences that satisfy a required point, establish necessary context, or perform one clear act of politeness; cut sentences that repeat, digress, or mainly express anxiety.
Application:
- The paragraph about a previous course is a digression. It does not confirm attendance, ask about the placement test, or request a map. Unless it explains a special placement request - which the setup does not say - cut it.
- The second apology repeats the first and shifts the email from professional to deferential. Keep one brief apology or thanks, then move to the request. 'I am sorry to bother you' can stay once if the candidate wants a softer tone, but 'I am sorry again' adds no information.
Do not cut the map request or the placement-test question; those are task requirements. Also do not cut all politeness: one clear polite frame is enough. The test is whether each sentence earns its place, not whether the email sounds impressive.