The Overlong Email
In the Writing section, a candidate has 50 minutes for two tasks. Task 1 is an email to an English-speaking friend about a recent visit, 100–120 words. Task 2 is an article for a college magazine on whether students should do unpaid work experience, 150–180 words. After 28 minutes, the candidate has written 190 words for Task 1. The email includes a long anecdote about a delayed train and two questions to the friend. The candidate has 22 minutes left. They know that Task 2 needs a clear argument, examples, and a conclusion. They also know that underlength answers can lose marks, but they are unsure whether an overlong Task 1 is penalised in the same way. They have not started Task 2.
1. What should the candidate do with the remaining 22 minutes? Give a concrete time plan and justify it.
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Plan: 5 minutes trimming Task 1, 15 minutes on Task 2, 2 minutes checking.
Reasoning:
- Task 2 is untouched. An incomplete second task is a bigger problem than an overlong first task because it removes the chance to show argument, organisation, and range.
- The email's train anecdote and one of the two questions are not essential. Cut them to bring Task 1 close to 100–120 words while keeping the purpose, key information, and one engaging detail.
- Task 2 needs planning, a clear position, examples, and a conclusion. Fifteen minutes is tight but workable if the candidate writes a short plan first.
Do not spend 10 minutes polishing Task 1. The word limit is a signal of scope: an overlong answer often contains irrelevant content, and it steals time from a whole task.
2. The candidate worries that cutting the train anecdote will make the email less interesting. How should they decide what to cut?
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Cut by function, not by length alone. The train anecdote may be interesting, but it does not help the email do its job: updating a friend and asking questions. Keep:
- the reason for writing;
- the key details the friend needs;
- one or two direct questions;
- a natural opening and closing.
Remove:
- background that does not change the message;
- repeated adjectives;
- a second anecdote or a second question if one is enough.
In exam writing, relevance and clarity score better than extra content. An interesting detail that pushes the answer far over the word limit and delays Task 2 is not a good trade.