Hi Guys!!
It's John F - one of the tutors from Better English with a few tips on the TWE (test of written English)
Basically this is to test how well you can write an academic essay in 30 minutes!
But don't worry too much - as mentioned it IS a proficiency test; however the examiners know and will take this as a first draft essay, after all, that's what it is!
So here are a few things I hope will help!
1) They are testing you for your IDEAS. How do you think? Is it logical? Try and come up with as many logical and linked ideas as you can than will bond together your main argument
2) Organization. Is your essay well-planned? Does it move seamlessly from one idea to the next. Don't underestimate the value of good planning. There is nothing worse than reading really well-written work that goes no-where are ends up meaningless. You will be tested on the overall organization (that includes effective use of paragraphing) and how you link ideas together -phrases like...
on the other hand, therefore, to sum up....
3) Have you used evidence and supporting ideas? All arguments need support or they simply won't work. Always have at least 2 specific examples that will support your main argument.
4) Use the conventions of English. This is time to show off your English ability but not at the exepense of an error in each word! Leave time to proofread. The readers will be looking for your proficiency, it's easy to overlook silly mistakes or slip back into L1 (language 1) habits.
Hope this helps a little!
Cheers,
John F
