Tips for band 8 essay writing

Take JAPAN for example, it is widely known that the JAPANESE are …

 

16. Take wise decision:

Task 2 is worth TWICE task 1. One idea is to do task 2 before task 1, just to ensure you finish the essay.

 

17. Summarise the ideas in your conclusion:

The writing is slightly different here, you need to review what you have written in previous paragraphs then mention the most important parts in the conclusion. Be crystal clear, direct, and relate the last two sentences to the original question.

 

18. Try to write faster:

Actually practise writing essays with no time limit, then gradually aim for 40 minutes. Take a few hours to get everything in order, perfect the process, separate the reading, the thinking, the planning and the writing. Speed should be the final skill to perfect.

 

19. Revise again what you wrote:

The reality of exam essays is that you only have one chance to get it right. You don’t have time to write it once and then improve it – as you would with a piece of real academic writing. So it is important to check what you write. When you check, look for YOUR PERSONAL MISTAKES i.e., mistakes you have made in previous essays. The most common are:

- Articles (the / a) -this is the number one pain point for students.

- Third person singular (S).

- Plural singular agreement (is / are).