Whilst the levels of English are
very good in many students, their ability to reproduce it can be a big
challenge. Furthermore, if the exercise entails presenting complex ideas, the
student may become overwhelmed, causing him to lose vital marks; which means
that his level of English is not adequately measured.
The solution to this issue is simple;
writing is like decorating a room. If you look at a room that needs decorating,
every aspect of the task is done in stages. First two parts is assessing what
needs to be done and then preparation: making
the surfaces workable, clean, without holes and cracks etc. Then the first coat
of paint is applied to form a good foundation of the surface. After this, the
main colour is applied, first to the fittings (skirting board, door, door
frames, etc.) then the walls. Now the room is finished and all that is needed
is the final touches, the lamp shades, the curtains, the door handles, etc.,
and ready, the perfect room.
Writing is very similar to
decorating a room. The key to understanding what information needs to be
written is in understanding the question. Followed closely with writing bullet
points of the answer that needs to be given, just so that you know what you are
going to write about. After this first part, write short sentences related to
the written bullet points. Now that the surface is ready for the first coat of
paint, begin writing those sentences in a more coherent manner. This following
stage is where the text really shines: at this point the text is built. All the
sentences are moved, changed or modified to make a more coherent and strong
argument for the writing, where all the sentences are placed together, joined
and linked to make a beautiful sea of words that flow together from idea to
idea. The final touch is to replace the words for better words, see if the
sentence structure can be improved to offer greater description, ensure that
the question has been answered, and that is it! You have a top composition.
So the stages for writing are
simple, first understand the question and then explore what is being asked. If
necessary, break down the question into an order easier to understand. Second
write the ideas related to the different parts of the questions. After this,
see how the answers relate to each other. Once the answers relate to each
other, write full sentences for each. Assemble the sentences ensuring that they
all flow and are coherent. Check the work and see that: they answer the
original question(s), the best vocabulary being used, the best sentence
structure is being used and it makes sense in English instead of Spanish.
© Pablo Martínez Ansaldo, Santiago,
2014
