Remember…• At Intermediate level in EOI you

are asked to write two tasks at the exams.

• A short one of about 100 words, and a longer one of about 170-200 words.

Types of writing

•  Notes (apologizing, excusing, thanking, etc), blog comments and short messages…

• • Giving instructions (how to get to a place, a cooking recipe, how a machine works, etc)

• • Postcards.• • Informal or friendly letters or emails.• • Formal letters or emails ( applying for a job, complaining

about a bad service, etc)• • Descriptive compositions (about people, places, objects…).• • Stories or narrative compositions (about real or imaginary

events).• • Discursive essays (Opinion essays or ‘for and against’

essays).• • Reports ( about news; Reviews about a book, a film, a

restaurant, etc).

Before you start to write any type of composition:

• Make sure you know which type of writing it is (formal or informal)

• Make sure you have read and understood what you must write about well.

Then:• Think about the topic.

• Make a list of the main points and ideas.

• Organize your ideas.

• Think of the vocabulary you can use.

• Think of examples to back up your points.

ALSO… Make sure you use (whenever possible) the language used so far this year:

• Passive voice• Relative clauses• Reported speech• Conditionals• Verbs +-ing/

infinitive• Etc

Vocabulary about• Work• Shopping & fashion• Health & medicine• Cinema• Crime• Environment…

YOU CAN’T…

• …MAKE MISTAKES in the language studied in previous years, i.e >BASIC mistakes

• Present tenses (3rd person singular)• Past tenses• Future• Modal verbs, etc

After you finish writing, check:

•  That the format is correct ( an email is different from an opinion essay or a book review).

• That all you have been asked to write about is included in your composition.

• That you have separated paragraphs, when you present a new idea or point.

•  That you have linked your ideas using the correct linking words (and, also, but, On the other hand, therefore, although, after that, when,  so, before. In spite of, instead of, such as…).

• • That you have left margin… >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Also check:•  That you have no spelling mistakes and the punctuation is correct.

• That you have not made grammar mistakes (verb tenses, prepositions, correct use of modal verbs, articles, etc)

• That you’ve made a wide use of the vocabulary studied, especially that which is related to the topic.

•  That your ideas follow a logical order.

• That it is easy to understand by anybody (especially the teacher), because it’s clean and clear. Thus, no re-reading is necessary…

• FIND THE TIME to read your work before giving it in. • You’ve done it before, so you’ll do it next time!

A presentation by Dulce Rosales