One of the main problems with the Writing Section is that students don’t read the question and identify what they are asked to do; as a result the responses are normally off track. You can’t get over a 5 band score if you don’t respond to the question. Make sure you cover all the elements of the question; the question may ask you to respond to minimum two things or maximum four. Another important factor is timing. You are only given 40 minutes for writing task 2 and 20 minutes for task 1. You can beat the time by planning what you want to write. Take at least two to three minutes to do so. After planning Organize your thoughts into the number of words and sentences you have to write in each paragraph. Plan it first before you write it.
General rule of thumb is to have ten words per sentence. How many sentences are you going to write in your first, second and third paragraph and how many for your conclusion. Now that you have planned and organized what to write, begin Writing. However, you must make sure that each paragraph has a strong topic sentence. This is important as it sends a direct message to the reader as to what exactly you are writing about and that you know the subject well. Follow it up with supporting sentences for the topic sentence. Once you have finished writing, it is vital that you read your writing and evaluate yourself by checking for any errors that you may have made. Finally, redraft your essay by correcting your mistakes.
Another significant tip is to refrain from repeating the same set of words or sentences. Use synonyms instead to convey your information and practice paraphrasing ideas. For instance, the word increase can also be written as rise, go up or to rocket; the synonyms for decrease are decline, plunge, or plummet; for the word business you could use company or corporation. When you take your test, it is essential that you take the test seriously and pen down your thoughts effectively. This includes keeping in mind the criteria of the exam, know what you are expected to do and meet that expectation as best as you can. One of the four criteria is Task Response – are your ideas relevant to the topic and have you explained your ideas by placing one idea in one body paragraph. Second is the range of vocabulary you use as discussed above, followed by coherence and cohesion which is the logical connection of your ideas with the use of transitional words. The last criterion is the right use of grammatical structures; it is imperative that you use not only simple sentences but also complex sentences.
To sum up, answer all parts of the question, plan your time and organize your structure before you start writing, start each paragraph with a topic sentence, use synonyms instead of repeating the words and paraphrase the ideas. Moreover, it is significant to cultivate a reading habit in order to become a good writer. Remember, the more you read the better writer you become. At Option Training Institute we not only teach you these essential techniques to help you raise your score but also correct your writing and provide you with useful feedbacks.