English Composition (Guided Writing)
The writing task gives a short prompt with conditions, often three: write a set number of sentences, use a particular word such as because, and include a specific detail. It rewards clear, correct, simple English far more than ambitious grammar.
Tick the conditions before you write
- Number each condition and check it off after drafting.
- Plan one opinion, one reason and one example. A reliable frame is: "I think ... because .... For example, ...."
- Use structures you can control; short sentences with a clear subject and verb beat long broken ones.
Edit for the marks that are actually checked
Tense consistency, third-person -s, plurals, articles, capital letters, spelling of frequent words such as because, friend and want, and the exact sentence count.
Worked example
Prompt: write two English sentences about what you want to do this summer; use because; write twelve words or more. Draft: "I want to visit my grandmother in Gifu this summer. I will help her in her garden because she lives alone." Reasoning: there are two sentences, because appears in the second, and the total is well over twelve words. Each sentence has a subject and a finite verb, and the tenses are consistent.
Traps that cost marks
- Writing one long sentence joined by and, then failing the two-sentence condition.
- Forgetting the required keyword after a good draft.
- Transferring Japanese word order: "I because she is kind like her."
- Spelling because as becouse, or writing every sentence starting with I.
- Leaving the draft uncounted when a minimum word count is given.