Band 6 → Band 7
The six issues that hold most candidates at Band 6. Diagnose, then fix.
Topic sentences that restate the question or list two ideas leave the paragraph unfocused.
"There are many reasons people work from home and it has good and bad sides."
"The most important benefit of working from home is the recovery of commuting time."
- State ONE clear idea per paragraph.
- Avoid 'There are many...' openings.
- Use abstract nouns: 'flexibility', 'access', 'demand'.
Ideas are stated but never explained, exemplified, or linked back.
"Online learning is convenient. Students like it. It is also cheap."
"Online learning is convenient because students can study around their work. A nurse on shift work, for example, can attend recorded lectures at night — something a campus course rarely allows."
- Use the TSEEC template for every body paragraph.
- Always add an example AND explain it.
- Aim for 4–6 sentences per paragraph.
Repeated nouns and linkers cap Lexical Resource and Cohesion at Band 6.
"Technology is important. Technology helps people. Technology also has problems."
"Technology has become central to daily life. While it offers clear benefits, it also brings new challenges that did not exist a generation ago."
- Replace the second use of any noun with a pronoun or synonym.
- Vary your linkers — do not start every paragraph with 'Firstly / Secondly / In conclusion'.
- Read each paragraph aloud; rewrite any word used 3+ times.
Contractions, slang and casual phrasing are penalised in academic Task 2.
"Kids these days don't read books a lot. It's because phones are way more fun."
"Young people today read fewer books than previous generations, largely because mobile devices provide more immediate entertainment."
- No contractions: 'do not' / 'it is' / 'cannot'.
- No 'kids', 'stuff', 'things', 'a lot'.
- Prefer 'many', 'several', 'a number of', 'substantial'.
Generic or hypothetical examples sound thin. Specific examples lift the whole paragraph.
"For example, some people are very busy."
"A junior doctor working twelve-hour shifts, for instance, may have only one evening a week free for study."
- Name a person, place, or situation.
- Add a detail: time, number, role, location.
- One developed example beats three vague ones.
Conclusions that introduce new ideas or repeat the introduction word-for-word lose marks.
"In conclusion, working from home has good and bad sides and people should think about it."
"In conclusion, although remote work can weaken team bonds, the gains in time and productivity make it the better option for most office-based roles."
- Restate your position in different words.
- Summarise your two main reasons in one sentence.
- Do not introduce a new argument.
Teacher notesShow
Run a 'six-issue diagnostic' on each student's first essay. Tag every paragraph with the issue(s) present, then assign the matching fix card as homework before the rewrite.