These ten questions cover the five skills in articles and reviews: openings, separating description from judgement, supporting opinions, keeping a steady reader address and finishing with a recommendation. All the subjects are invented, and every answer is written by us.
Write your own answer on paper first, then open the explanation. Questions run from easier to harder. After the set, record each wrong answer in the mistake log and retest queue, and use the summary selection and paraphrase studio or the writing revision compare view to revise your own drafts.
Questions
1. Which opening suits a school magazine article about the invented Night Kite Festival? (a) “Here I am going to write about the Night Kite Festival.” (b) “Imagine a beach at dusk, and a hundred kites glowing above it like slow fireworks.”
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(b). It opens with a picture a stranger can imagine and does not announce the task. Option (a) speaks to the examiner and gives the reader nothing to be curious about. See writing an opening for a public audience.
2. What is wrong with this opening? “Hello teacher, here is my review of the Night Kite Festival.”
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It addresses a teacher instead of the magazine’s readers and announces the task. A better version begins with the subject and an attitude: “The Night Kite Festival proves that a cheap piece of paper can still steal an evening.” See L01.
3. Label each sentence D (description) or J (judgement). (a) The festival takes place on the beach every March. (b) The lantern parade was too short to enjoy properly. (c) Families bring their own kites, and volunteers sell paper ones. (d) The glowing tails made the sky feel alive.
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(a) D, (b) J, (c) D, (d) J. Sentences (b) and (d) contain evaluations: too short, feel alive. Sentences (a) and (c) state facts a reader could check. See separating description and judgement.
4. Split this into a description sentence and a judgement sentence: “The festival is a colourful event with hundreds of kites, and it is far too crowded.”
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Description: The festival is an event on the beach where families fly hundreds of kites. Judgement: It is far too crowded, so moving between the stalls takes patience. The second sentence adds a reason. See L02.
5. Improve this sentence: “The food stalls were good.”
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One example: “The food stalls were the festival’s best surprise because each one sold only a single dish, so the queues moved quickly and everything tasted fresh.” It has a point, a reason and an effect. Other answers are fine if they give a reason and a detail. See supporting an opinion.
6. Which reason is circular, and why? (a) “The show was boring because it was not interesting.” (b) “The show was boring because the same song was repeated four times.”
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(a) is circular: not interesting only repeats boring. Option (b) gives a checkable detail, the repeated song. See L03.
7. Find the shifts of address: “If you come to the festival, you will enjoy the lights. One should bring a jacket, because visitors can get cold, and we recommend sitting near the stage.”
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The address moves from you to one to visitors to we. A consistent version: “If you come to the festival, you will enjoy the lights. Bring a jacket, because you can get cold, and sit near the stage.” See keeping a consistent reader address.
8. Which pair mixes register? (a) “Please keep the walkway clear. Kites can block the exits.” (b) “Visitors are respectfully advised to refrain from flying kites near the stage. Just don’t do it, guys.”
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(b). The first sentence is very formal and the second is casual. Option (a) stays at one polite, friendly level. See L04.
9. Write a two-sentence recommendation for a reader who dislikes crowds, about the Night Kite Festival.
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One example: “If crowds tire you out, go early on the first evening, when the beach is half empty and the kites are already up. You will still see the lights without waiting in a queue.” It names the reader, gives a condition and is relevant to the earlier complaint. See finishing with a relevant recommendation.
10. What is weak about this ending? “That is all I wanted to say. Thank you for reading. Bye!”
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It says nothing about the festival, gives no advice and does not show who it suits. The endings to avoid are thanks, goodbyes and announcements about the piece. Replace it with a decision, for example: “Go if you love bright, busy evenings, and bring a friend to carry the kite.” See L05.
If you got these wrong
Use the table to decide what to revise first.
| Error type | Revise this lesson |
|---|---|
| Announced the task or wrote to the examiner | Opening for a public audience |
| Opinions inside factual sentences, or plot retold at length | Description and judgement |
| Opinion words such as good or nice with no reason or detail | Supporting an opinion |
| Switched between you, one, people or we, or mixed formal and casual | Consistent reader address |
| Ended with thanks, a new topic or no advice | Relevant recommendation |
After revising, try the same question type on a new subject of your own, then compare your two attempts in the writing revision compare view. Some students find the error pattern easier to see with a teacher reading alongside, which online one-to-one English as a Second Language tuition can provide.