Chapter 21: Making the Grade: Handling Exam Classes 309
When it comes to structure, the introduction, body and conclusion should
stand out at a glance. So, for example, even if the body of the composition is
excellent, students are likely to lose marks if they don’t have a conclusion.
Train your students to include at least one final sentence which sums up or
restates the ideas raised in the introduction.Examiners have very limited time for marking each paper so they won’t waste
time trying to decipher poor handwriting. When students do homework they
should avoid using a computer unless they will be using one in the exam. You
need to check that their handwriting is legible and that the punctuation and
spelling is accurate.An additional reason to practise handwriting is to do with word counts.
There is no time to count every word in the exam so students need to be able
to see what the appropriate number of words looks like for them. Is it half a
page or a page and a half, for example? The quickest way to count is to see
how many words you write in one line and then count the lines. And never go
beyond the word count by much. It’s a waste of time which would be better
spent checking accuracy. The reality is that the more you write, the more
mistakes you make.English exams don’t require complex arguments. Students just need to present
a few appropriate points in logical order. The points need to be linked together
with expressions such as ‘however’, ‘in addition’, ‘alternatively’ etc.Many students are repetitious in their writing so flag this when you mark
homework. Repetition of ideas reveals poor planning and repetition of words
and phrases reveals poor vocabulary.One overused word is ‘say’. Devote a lesson to using alternatives such as
state, utter, complain, suggest and so on.Writing lessons ought to include information on:✓ Opening and closing salutations for letters/emails
✓ Saying what the communication is about
✓ Apologising
✓ Requesting
✓ Thanking
✓ Giving details
✓ Arguing for and against