Writing (Composition): Position, Support, and Control
Writing (Composition) asks you to produce a short, coherent English text, not a list of memorized sentences. Fukushima Entrance English composition tasks reward a clear position, relevant support, and control of basic sentence structure. The reader should be able to state your main idea after one reading.
Core rules
- Answer the prompt exactly. Underline the task word: describe, explain, agree/disagree, or give advice. A good essay on the wrong task scores poorly.
- State a thesis in the first two sentences. For opinion prompts, take one side even if you mention the other.
- Use two developed reasons, each with a concrete example or consequence. One reason with detail beats three reasons without support.
- Link paragraphs with meaning, not decoration: 'For example', 'As a result', 'However' must show a real relationship.
- Control the sentence you can finish. Short correct sentences outscore long broken ones; check subject-verb agreement and articles last.
Worked example
Prompt: Should high school students have part-time jobs? Weak: 'I think part-time jobs are good. Many students work. It is good experience.' Stronger: 'High school students should be allowed to have part-time jobs because work teaches responsibility that classrooms cannot easily replicate. For example, a student who must arrive on time and handle customers learns to manage commitments. However, schools should limit working hours so study time is protected.'
Reasoning: The stronger version has a thesis, one developed reason, an example, and a qualification. It does not list unrelated ideas. The qualification shows control without weakening the position.
Traps
- Copying a memorized template that does not answer the prompt.
- Giving a list of reasons with no example.
- Using advanced vocabulary incorrectly; one wrong collocation can distort meaning.
- Forgetting a conclusion that restates the position.
- Ignoring the expected length and writing either a fragment or an overlong response.