Practice makes perfect!
The best way to get ready for your writing test is to practice writing everyday! Follow this link for some interesting writing prompts - one for each day!
thinkwritten.com
As we have mentioned in class, writing skills can only be improved with daily practice, but you do not need to write a composition every day. Journaling is a more interesting way to practise writing. You can use the writing prompts to help you practise the skills you learn in class.
Let's take the first writing prompt as an example:
1. Outside the Window: What’s the weather outside your window doing right now? If that’s not inspiring, what’s the weather like somewhere you wish you could be?
We are in sunny Singapore, so it should usually be sunny and hot. Sometimes, it rains. You are also given a choice to write on a 'more inspiring weather', so you can choose to talk about something that you may not be experiencing outside your window now. It may be a snow that you have experienced before on a trip, or a typhoon or hail that you have seen on news or read in a book. Use your imagination! You may want to use this writing prompt to practise describing different weathers! Write as long as you want and on as many different kinds of weather as you wish. The sky is the limit!
Here is an example of my journal on the above prompt that allows me to put into practice the 'show-not-tell' skill we talked about in class:
"The first rays of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds and lit up the sky. There is no telling of how things would turn out later - will the light breeze that is swaying the leaves on the trees now turn into a stronger wind later and blow the clouds away to give us a sunny day, or will the heat from the Sun increase the humidity so much that the heavy clouds have no choice but to shed some rain onto the ground to relieve their load? Either way it goes, I will welcome it. A sunny day will bring chirpy birds and laughing children to the trees and the playground just outside my block, which never fails to brighten my day. On the other hand, a little shower can take away some heat and make the year-round summer on this tropical island more bearable. I look forward to find out how today's weather will become."
It took me less than 15 minutes and it is a great way to get your mind thinking!
How would you write your journal? Try it now!
About the Writer
Ms Vivien Wu is the founder of The Pedagogy Domain, a provider of small-group home-based language workshop for young learners. As an experienced teacher, trainer and facilitator, she is dedicated to improve learners' command of language through interactive, personal and fun workshops. Read more about her here.
If you are keen to join our PSLE English Preparatory Class, see here for details!