Three stages of learning to write for exams: use them wisely

In exam preparation, there are three main stages of learning to write - and all of them address different needs.

1. Introduction

This stage is the first step you take right after you learn how to write a certain task type. You think your writing is awful. You have lots of questions. You get a lot of comments of all shapes and sizes.

At this stage, make your peace with the fact that the first two-three writing answers will be roadkill - they hurt to look at, but you can’t save them, keep moving.

There are two important things to keep in mind here:

- These two-three awkward first answers are probably inevitable - you can’t really jump directly to smooth and beautiful ones. But you need to go through writing those first awkward ones simply to get used to the tasks.

- The awkward first answers are the case for any new type of writing. In IELTS prep, you will have two-three awkward line graphs answers, then two-three awkward agree-disagree essays, then two-three awkward bar charts answers etc. What I am driving at is that, depending on the exam, the sheer number of writing that needs to be done only to introduce yourself to the format can be staggering.

In brief, the introduction stage is when you will simply master the format so that your writing looks more or less the way it should. This stage can last for two-three months.

2. Growth

At this stage, you are not distracted by the format any more and can write an OK text. But now you are wondering how to take your writing to the next level. And this is where the boring, agonizing, meticulous work begins.

Oh, this stage can hurt. Because this is when you need to face your weaknesses and fix them one by one. This stage contains a lot of boring work - writing and rewriting the same sentence or paragraph many times, deliberately trying to use a new structure or technique, checking and double checking lexis in dictionaries.

At this stage, you might find yourself spending four hours on one piece. Or one hour on writing but three hours on reading and collecting information (grammar, lexical items, style guidelines, or whatever is applicable). And then there is editing based on your teacher's comments (the step that can be repeated multiple times for the same piece).

Curiously, this is the stage when many people give up because this work is tedious, slow, and painful. This, however, is only the case if you are going through this stage for wrong reasons, like hubris or fashion, and are not driven by the passion for writing from within.

In brief, this is the stage when you can really take your writing to the next level. Depending on your goal and your starting point, it can take years.

3. Exam

At this stage, you write your piece in one sitting without resorting to any resources and observing the time limit - as if you were sitting in the exam room.

However much you improved in the previous stage, these improvements must be completely automated because writing during the test still has two crucial components you didn’t pay attention to before - the time limit and the nerves. So what you do is simply write exam tasks in the exam format in the allocated time.

In brief, this is the stage which will help you automate everything you worked on in the previous stages and feel confident during the test. This stage should start about two-three months before the test.

Which one do you need? 

None of these stages are good or bad in themselves - they simply address different needs.

1. The introduction stage will suffice if your exam is in two months. It will allow you to be familiar with all types of tasks and feel confident during the test. That’s what you need. And that’s enough.

2. The growth stage is the stage you need if you want to go up a level or two. Without this stage, you’ll be treading water and writing OK essays forever.

3. The exam stage is inevitable too if you want to actually take the test - what use is your impeccable essay if it takes you four hours to produce? You don’t have that luxury in the exam room. (Please note - I mean what use is in terms of taking the test. Your impeccable essay might have other applications - it can be a model answer for others.)

Writing is a highly complex skill that takes a long time to master. Most likely, improving your writing skills will be a marathon, not a sprint, which will consist of at least these three stages and probably even more sub-stages.


Image credit: Photo by Tony Hand on Unsplash