Writing a Composition

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