This module is about the accuracy of your finished writing: word endings, punctuation that separates ideas, and a proofreading routine you can repeat. It supports every writing task in English as a Second Language, from emails to reports.
Accurate writing does not mean fancy writing. It means the reader never has to stop and guess what you meant. Check the current syllabus for your code (0510 or 0511) and exam year on the Cambridge pages linked below, because the mark scheme wording belongs to Cambridge.
What should you know before starting?
You should be able to write simple sentences with a subject and a verb, and recognise basic tenses. You do not need advanced grammar. If tense and agreement still feel shaky, look at grammar for clear meaning alongside this module.
Writing tasks from email communication and articles and reviews give you original drafts to proofread.
One orienting example
Read this short draft. It has four different kinds of problem.
Yesterday our class visit the science park, we learned how solar panels works. The guide was friendly however he spoke too fast.
Word endings: “visit” should be “visited”; “works” should be “work” because “panels” is plural.
Punctuation: “visit the science park, we learned” joins two complete ideas with only a comma. Use a full stop or a joining word such as “and”.
Punctuation again: “friendly however he” needs a semicolon before “however” and a comma after it.
Corrected: Yesterday our class visited the science park. We learned how solar panels work. The guide was friendly; however, he spoke too fast.
Notice that none of these errors changes the plan of the writing. They are all fixable in a calm final check, but only if you know what to look for.
In what order should you study the lessons?
- Check common word endings in context: start here because endings such as -ed, -s and -ly cause the most avoidable slips.
- Use punctuation to separate complete ideas: this removes run-on sentences and the comma splice.
- Distinguish a typing error from a knowledge gap: this tells you whether to revise a rule or simply slow down.
- Proofread one issue at a time: this turns the first three lessons into a routine.
- Create a personal correction list from original work: this keeps the routine working after the module ends.
What are the common traps?
- Reading for meaning only. You read what you intended, not what you wrote, so slips stay invisible.
- Changing correct words. Fixing a word you were unsure about can introduce a new error. Change only what you can justify.
- Fixing everything in one pass. Attention is limited. One issue per pass finds more.
- Copying a model. Write your own sentences. A correction list built from someone else’s errors teaches you little.
How should you use the practice set?
Do the spelling, punctuation and proofreading practice set after you have read at least three lessons. Mark your own answers, then log each error type in the mistake log and retest queue. The summary studio and writing revision compare view help you compare two drafts of your own work.
Some students understand every rule here but still lose accuracy when writing against the clock. Our teachers work on exactly that in online one-to-one English as a Second Language tuition.