Composition: essay and paragraph writing
Composition: essay and paragraph writing
This domain tests sustained writing: a focused essay or a unified paragraph. Examiners look for a clear central idea, logical order, specific support, and control of sentence variety, rather than decorative language or memorised chunks.
Core rules
- Decide the mode demanded: argument, exposition, description, narrative, or reflection.
- Write a thesis or controlling idea in one sentence before drafting.
- Build each paragraph around one topic sentence; support it with example, reason, or detail.
- Use transitions that show real relationships: 'however', 'therefore', 'for instance', 'by contrast'.
- Keep tense and pronoun reference stable.
- End with a conclusion that advances the idea, not a repetition of the introduction.
Worked example
Topic: 'Should school libraries replace printed books with tablets?' Reasoning: A weak essay lists advantages and disadvantages without a position. A strong thesis might be: 'Tablets widen access, but a school library should retain printed books because deep reading and shared attention depend on them.' The first body paragraph could concede the access argument, then the second could analyse distraction and comprehension. Each paragraph needs a topic sentence and evidence, not an anecdote alone.
Traps
- Writing a narrative when the question asks for an argument.
- Opening with a dictionary definition as a substitute for a thesis.
- Piling up adjectives instead of giving reasons.
- Shifting from 'we' to 'you' to 'one' without control.
- Exceeding the word limit so that the conclusion is cut off.