What would my advice be?
Sounding fluent:
§ Do not shy away from using idioms because they enrich your language! The appropriate use of idioms will make you sound more fluent and will help you leave a great impression!
§ Make sure to use phrasal verbs: They're a key ingredient to writing informal letters! Now's not the time to use fancy and complicated synonyms! Simple is best!
§ Use contractions! You're writing to a friend, not the president!
§ Now's the time to use all sorts of punctuation! Full stops, exclamation marks, question marks, everything! Show emotion!
§ Caution with idioms & phrases! It's really easy to slip and end up using teenage slang. Do not do that! 'Informal' does not mean 'bad grammar'!
About the word count...
§ Always keep the word count in mind!
§ Remember, contractions should always be considered when counting words! That means 'it's' is technically 2 words since it's a contraction of 'it is'.
Lifehack?
§ Luckily for all of us, the first and last paragraphs can basically be memorized and learned by heart and you won't have to make a lot of changes, regardless of the topic! You shouldn't waste too much time on those, though!
§ It's really easy to slip in an idiom and a bunch of phrasal words in the first and last paragraphs!
You do you!
§ There are no set rules as to how you should structure the main bodies! You get to decide: You could either have 2 bigger paragraphs and group 2 of the 3 points together or you could have 3 separate main bodies, each addressing a point!
§ I personally prefer having 2 paragraphs most of the time because I think it's more practical. I've noticed that the first 2 points are often linked to the same 'event'. For example, you might be writing about a party. The first point would be describing the place/event and the second one would be describing how you personally helped with organization. The third point would be having to write about your feelings/opinion/impressions of the event that had taken place.
Chill!
§ Do not stress over having to include all components or trying to write the most perfect piece of literary work published in the 21st century. You're writing a 200-word letter to a friend. Not a PhD thesis.
§ Getting an A* is much easier than most students would think!
§ Depending on the topic you're given, it'd be impossible to incorporate everything that you'd read about in the following pages. You absolutely do not need to have your letter stacked with 2000 idioms and 5 phrasal words per line. There's no need for a linking word in every sentence. Do not exaggerate!
§ Go easy on yourself!
§ Make the best of your time!
...And have fun writing!
YOU ARE READING
English as a Second Language: Pass All Your Exams!
RandomThe title basically says it all: This book includes all my notes copy-pasted into chapters. Here you'll find: ▪︎notes, ▪︎personal advice, ▪︎ideas, ▪︎guides and ▪︎templates ... and you'll learn how to write: ▪︎Informal Letters(Emails), ▪︎Formal Artic...
