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Impress your teachers with these really effective writing tips and write an A* composition in no time!

Written by Grace Tan, Principal-Founder, Learning Journey Education Centre

An award-winning enrichment centre, featured in The Straits Times

Flowery phrases, bombastic words, cliché openings don’t really impress teachers at times. So how exactly should you write in order to score that A* for compositions?

From my experience coaching students (from top classes in their schools) who make the cut and get the nod from their very strict HOD teachers, here are some simple methods that you can adopt to clinch that A*. We are assuming here that you are already writing in grammatically correct and spelling error-free sentences with a decent storyline.

1. Be original– This means no copying of model compositions wholesale! Imagine watching a blockbuster movie and the storyline is just like any other movie you had watched previously. How impressed will you be? Teachers spend time reading your compositions and if your storyline is exactly the same as the 99 other compositions she had read previously, why should she give you anything above 35 marks? Spin your own original stories, get inspiration from reading other students’ compositions but come out with one that has difference from the rest. This comes with experience and top story writers will always try to make their next story better than the last one! My personal recommendation? Try reading local news on STOMP and watching Korean dramas for ideas on “interesting” storylines.
2. Start with a hook and end with a blast! The first five minutes of watching a movie will determine if you decide to change your TV channel and go play Pokémon Go. That said, make sure your story starter creates enough suspense and excitement that your teacher really wants to continue to read your story!
3. End with an unexpected twist– Start with a hook, end with a twist! This is my advice for students who want to get 35 marks and above for their compositions. Teachers will be impressed with your creative storylines and the more unpredictable your story is, the higher the chances your teacher would be impressed! That said, please do not twist your storyline in such a way that you go OUT OF POINT! Writing a satisfying ending is extremely crucial to seal the deal and convince your teacher to give you the marks you deserve!
4. Humour works! After three cups of coffee and marking hundreds of boring compositions, teachers are practically dying to read a witty, funny composition that will brighten up their day. Make sure you write a composition that works better than their next cup of coffee! However, a word of caution- please do not try this without testing your idea first on someone who is brutally honest about their opinion (like your best friend or your mum). They will tell you if the idea you have is really funny, or not? The last thing you want is for your jokes to backfire, and honestly speaking, not everyone can be a joker.
5. Flaunt your language prowess suitably. We are not asking you to dump bombastic words and plaster your story with superfluous words at every available opportunity. You will definitely NOT get your A*. I can guarantee that. What I am suggesting is master a few “power words” and learn to use them suitably at appropriate junctures in your story. For example, you can consider words like “contemplating” instead of “thinking”, “conceive a devious plan” instead of “come up with an evil plan”. Well, you get the idea right?

In our Super Writers™ composition writing classes, any idea can be moulded into a good idea and we respect our students’ original ideas. We do not give “outlines” or “guidelines” on how a composition should be written, because we respect each student’s ideas and we work with the student to bring out the super writer in them. We have turned countless students have failed their composition tests and who “hate/dread to write compositions.” Eventually, these students are the ones who tell us, “Teacher, do you want to see the compositions I have written for you since I joined your classes last year? I have volume 1, 2 & 3, which would you like?”

Or students who tell us, “Teacher, can I write more compositions for you to mark?”

Our teachers will be more than happy to oblige!

“You write, we will mark, but make sure you write an A* composition!”

PS: By the way…Our 2023 classes are filling up, limited priority slots are left, do sign up soon! 

Book your classes here: https://www.learningjourney.edu.sg/tuition/2023classschedules/