How can I do a writing task?

When we need to do a writing task, I’m sure that many times you have experienced the sensation of being blocked in front of a piece of paper or in front of a Word document. Not all cases are like that. Sometimes you feel creative and you’re willing to write, however, your draft is not very connected with the topic. Here you have some keys which can help you with this task!

You have a topic to write about, then think about the general idea you want to talk and the secondary ideas you want to show in your writing. If you’re in your GCSE or A-level exams, make sure you understand the bullet points. According to the type of writing (essay, description…), you will develop your ideas (1) using comparisons or (2) descriptions, (3) giving reasons, (4) examples … Then you can write a draft about your main argument and secondary ideas and check that they are related to the title of the writing and the bullet points. Don’t be afraid of spending a few minutes planning out your answer! You will be happy to use this time at the end of your writing!

Remember the importance of (5) paragraphs and I advise you to expose one (maximum two) argument per paragraph. Of course, (6) linkers are essential here. Make sure you use (6.a) order linkers (en primer lugar, primeramente, a continuación, después, seguidamente, para concluir, finalmente…), (6.b) explanation linkers (puesto que, porque, dado que, debido a que…), contrast linkers (sin embargo, no obstante, pero…), (6.c) addition linkers (además, del mismo modo…), (6.d) consequence linkers (entonces, por esto…) …

Try to use a (7) wide range of vocabulary. For example, if you want to use contrast sentences, you write more contrast linkers than pero (but). Or if you want to say many times “high school”, synonyms should be your friends: instituto, escuela secundaria or centro de educación secundaria.

Be aware of (8) levels of formality, I mean, if you want to refer to “my classmates” in a formal way, I am pretty sure you will not write “these guys”, right? So you have to use the appropriate style and words. Don’t forget that!

Finally, if you’re writing an (9) argumentative text, I would recommend you starting with a short introduction to set the question in context and ending with a conclusion. The ideas you include in the conclusion must be explained in previous paragraphs. No, it is not ideal at all to introduce new ideas in the conclusion. If you do that, what’s the point of the “conclusion”?

I hope it can help you! Let me know if it has been useful, please! An don’t forget to share the post if you consider it can be useful! Finally, you can leave a comment below or send me an email to: belriesco@outlook.com .

Thanks for reading me! I see you soon!

Letras en Español – Ms. Riesco Almeida©