Techniques to Improve Your Writing Skills in English

Writing is one of the four basic English skills. As a student of this language, it is a priority that you dedicate special attention to it since it is one of the two ways you will be able to communicate with native speakers and other students (the other is through speaking), regardless of the context. 

In addition, the main certification exams, such as IELTS, have special sections for grading written expression. For all this, here you will find a series of tips and valuable information to improve your writing.

Different types of writing

A WhatsApp message, a school essay, an academic text, and a work report have their characteristics. Writing a diary or personal blog is not the same as writing a text for a certification test. Before writing, stop for a moment and answer these two questions: What am I writing, and what am I writing it for?

To whom are you writing it? It is another key question that helps you define the tone and style of your writing. You can write to your boss, to a colleague, to your child, to your mother, etc. With each of these people, you will use different words and expressions and even use different tones. If you write a letter to your child, you can be joking and funny, but you should write serious and formal texts with your boss or clients. 

The three golden rules to improve your writing

Good writing in English is the product of a combination of the following three rules or practices:

Read

It is as simple as that. Before writing, you should read other people. Why? Because it gives you vocabulary, structures, examples of what you want to write. Do you have to write a letter of recommendation for an ex-collaborator? Read examples on the Internet. Want to write an epic poem? Check out poems written by other people. Reading is the food for writing.

Write

It seems obvious, but you have to practice and get it wrong to have perfect English writing. Write whenever you can, whether it's on a napkin while waiting for your food in a restaurant or on a note on your cell phone while you're in line at the supermarket. Face the blank page and beat it.

Seek feedback

If you write a personal diary where you keep your secrets, you can become your proofreader. Mark in red the mistakes you find, the misspelled words, the incorrectly conjugated verbs, the things that are not understood. But if you're writing something that someone else will read, whether it's a social media post or a research report that took you five years, share it with others research writers, paper writers, with people who you like their writing style, etc. The goal is not to discourage you but to know your mistakes and correct them.

Tips to keep in mind for any writing

Regardless of what you will write and who will read it, there are times when your mind may go blank, do not worry, it is normal, and there are exercises to overcome these moments. Below you will find techniques to improve your writing and creativity in your texts.  

Maintain coherence and consistency. Coherence is that the text connects, that there is logic in all the writing. Consistency is that the length, tone, and objectives of the writing are clear to the reader. These elements are important so that the reader does not abandon the reading or find it tedious and, above all, so that he/she understands what was intended to be said.

Make sure your text is simple and easy to read. Do not think that "simple" is a bad thing. On the contrary, sometimes your texts have to be very concrete to get to the point immediately. What does this simplicity consist of? Avoid information or examples that are not relevant, and that may confuse the reader. Use vocabulary that your reader will understand, and write short sentences with good punctuation.

Avoid long sentences. One of the skills of writing is knowing how long your sentences and paragraphs should be. Here think again about what you are writing about and for whom. In general, it is best to write short sentences and avoid writing paragraphs of five or more lines without even a comma or period. Don't use commas for the sake of commas either; remember the rules of punctuation.

Learn and use connectors. English has connectors of all types, levels, forms, and uses. For example, to join ideas (moreover, in addition), to give examples (for example), to contrast points of view (on the contrary, however), among others. There are dozens of them so that you always write and, on the other hand, and moreover. A text that is pleasant to read is a text with verbal richness, but...

Don't overdo it with these words. While verbal richness is essential, your text should remain natural. Don't use words just to show off your vocabulary, don't use terms whose meaning you don't know, and avoid words that are out of use and that you found in a dictionary.

Check your mistakes. You should check your writing as often as you can and correct mistakes. In case you have time, let your texts rest and save them and review them another day. It will help you to find mistakes in writing and grammar that you didn't see at first. 

Read aloud. By reading aloud your texts, you can identify alliterations (constantly repeated sounds) and changes in rhythm that you may need to correct. This recommendation becomes essential if the text you are writing will be presented orally, for example, in a lecture.

What about writing for exams like IELTS?

Writing tests in certification exams are very particular because specific questions, such as vocabulary or possible grammar mistakes, are reviewed. 

So, keep in mind:

You have to write about specific topics. If you are asked to write a text about climate change, you will have to write about it. And what's more, you have to do it for a certain amount of time, so you have to study and practice a lot writing about different topics.

Practice different writing styles. In the exams, you will have to write on a specific topic and in a particular manner. That's why you need to get your formal and informal writing in shape. On the other hand, practice different genres such as opinion articles, essays, chronicles, etc. Each of these shows different writing skills.

Know and make lists of the vocabulary for the topics. Each of the topics will require you to use a specific vocabulary. For example, you can use key terms such as carbon sink, upcycling or green economy for the climate change topic. Another topic would be censorship, where words like freedom of speech, mass media, and self-censorship would be helpful. It shows that you not only know how to write but that you know the subject matter.

Review past exams, mock exams, or exercises. Also, on the internet, there are examples for writing practice exams for different certifications. Most of them even grade your exercises using artificial intelligence and give you tips to improve your texts.

Write with a stopwatch. One of the essential features of certification writing is that you have a time limit. It could be an element that can break your concentration at the exam, so you should get used to writing with a stopwatch.

Ask for expert help. If you are preparing to take an English test, you can approach experts to help you meet your goals. English courses specifically for this purpose contemplate all of the above points, give you examples, teach you valuable techniques, and provide feedback.  

So, we hope our article was helpful for you and will help you upgrade your English writing skills.

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