Writing
Writing assesses whether you can organise a message, choose register, link ideas, and control grammar and vocabulary. Tasks commonly include a short email or letter, a description, and an opinion essay. Marks usually come from task achievement, coherence, lexical range, and accuracy, not from length alone.
Core rules
- Underline the task words: who you are writing to, why, and what must be included.
- Plan briefly: a thesis or purpose, two or three supporting points, and a closing.
- Use one idea per paragraph; start with a topic sentence, then explain or illustrate.
- Match register: formal writing avoids contractions and uses polite formulas; informal writing allows contractions and direct address.
- Use cohesive devices accurately: “however” contrasts, “therefore” concludes, “for instance” illustrates.
- Reserve time to check agreement, tense consistency, spelling, and punctuation.
Worked example
Task: Write an email to a language school asking about course dates and fees. Weak opening: “Hey, tell me about your courses.” Reasoning: the reader is an institution, not a friend, and the purpose is a polite request. Better: “Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to enquire about the dates and fees for your summer courses.” This fixes register, states the purpose, and uses the collocation “enquire about”.
Traps
- A memorised template that does not answer the exact prompt.
- No paragraphing, so cohesion is invisible.
- Contractions and slang in a formal letter.
- Overlong sentences that lose subject–verb agreement.