HOW TO ACHIEVE BAND 8+ ON YOUR WRITING

Section A: GRAMMAR

As you know, there are 4 criteria in scoring your writing, and grammar is one of the aspects.
There are 2 points: range and accuracy. Let consider the example below:

People often suffer from sickness. This is often caused by stress. This essay will discuss the
main causes of stress-related sickness. These include longer working hours and increased job
pressures. This essay will also suggest solutions to these problems, such as improving one’s work-
life balance and diet.

Although the paragraph is perfectly written with no grammatical errors, the maximum score
can be given here is only 4. Because, the paragraph only consists of simple sentences, the range of
grammar here is limited, and hence a score of 4.

In short, accuracy is 9, but range is 4. Therefore, the maximum score here is 4 in grammar.
To avoid this, let look at the different types of sentences in English.

▪ Simple sentence
▪ Compound sentence
▪ Complex sentence
▪ Passive
▪ Question or reported speech
▪ Conditional clauses
▪ Nominal subject clauses

To achieve a band 8 in your essay, a ‘wide variety” of these sentences must be written in your
essay. Let consider. Prompt: the government should tax sugary drinks.

I. Simple sentence = 1 idea

1. Sugar makes people unhealthy.
2. People gain weight from sugar.
II. Compound sentence = 1 idea + 1 idea
1. Sugar makes people unhealthy and it harms their teeth.
• To create a compound sentence, we join 2 or more simple sentence. (example 1)
• The name we given to “joining words” is called conjunctions.
FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

Either … or; neither … nor; not only … but (also/as well/too).

• There are different uses of conjunctions:

Addition (and) The obese should do more exercise and eat a healthier diet.

Continuation (and then) The figure went up and then leveled off to 8 million.

Contrast (but, yet) She sold her house, but/yet she can’t help regretting it.

Choice (or) You can park this on this sidewalk or along that wall.

Result (so) The law has been passed, so there is nothing you can do about it.

Reason (for) After the regression, people lost their houses, for they can’t afford it

• We do not usually put a comma in front of “and”, but we often put one in front of other
conjunctions.

He washed his car and polished it.

He washed his car, but his dad did not polish it.

• We usually repeat the subject after “so”.

He could not find his pen, so he wrote in pencil.

• We always repeat the subject after “for”. For is more usual in written language and we do
not use it at the beginning of the sentence.

After the regression, people lost their houses, for they can’t afford it
III. Complex sentences = 2 or more ideas
1. While some people will support the tax, others will be against it.
• To make a complex sentence, we join 2 or more simple sentences.
• We can use many kinds of “joining words” (or conjunctions) to make complex sentences
(table below)
• In a complex sentence there is one “main” idea and one or more “subordinate” ideas.

The main idea (or clause) out of the sentence so that it stands on its own.

1. You can tell me all about the film after I’ve seen it myself.
2. When you ‘ve finished cleaning the car, you can help with the dishes.
3. You didn’t tell me that you were going to invite so many friends.

After Once Until

Although Provided that When

As Rather than Whenever

Because Since Whereas

Before So that Who

Even if Then Whether

Even though That While

If Though Which

In order that unless

❖ Write 4 sentences with word in the box

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Challenge yourself: write 4 complex sentences with the given Prompt.

Prompt: the government should tax sugary drinks.

1. Although ___________________________, _______________________________.

2. _________________________________ so that ____________________________.
3. Because _____________________, ______________________________________.
4. Provided that __________________________, ______________________________.
IV. Different types of complex sentences
a) The complex sentence: Noun clause from sentence
• A noun clause work as a noun. It answers the questions Who? And What?
• We introduced noun clause wins with “that”:
1. It is obvious that he's going to be late
2. it is a pity that he's going to be late
3. I know that he's going to be late
• We often use noun clause after “reporting verbs” like say, tell, think and know. We can
sometimes often omit “that”.
• This is often used in introductions of the essay especially in a thesis statement or the general
sentence
1. General statement: It is believed that sugary drinks is responsible for the high
number of obese people in the USA.
2. Thesis statement: Personally, as the supporter of fitness and health, I believe that
sugary drinks should be heavily taxed.
b) The complex sentence: relative pronouns and clauses
• Although there are many relative pronouns, we only focus on the use of who(m), which,
and that.
• “Who” is used to replace a person noun in a sentence.
• “Which and that” is used to replace an animal, thing, object, definition in a sentence.
 c) The complex sentence: time, place, manner

Adverbial clause of time

When referring to the past: When, after, as, as soon as, before, by the time, once, since, until/till,
while.

• When referring to the future: after, as soon as, before, by the time, directly, immediately,
the moment, till/until, when.

Adverbial clause of place

• To say where something happens or happened, we use conjunctions like where, wherever
anywhere and everywhere.
Adverbial clause of manner

• To say how something happens or happened we use these conjunctions: As, (in) the way
that (in) the same way, as if/as though (especially after verb be, seem, fell, …).
1. The figure dropped to nearly 0 at 2000 as no one bought these products anymore.
2. Type this again in the same way I showed you.
3. I feel as if/as though I am flying.
d) The complex sentence: reason and contrast

Adverbial clauses of reason

• Answer the question Why? We often give reasons by using because, as, seeing (that), and
since.
• If we use as or since, we usually put it at the beginning of the sentence.

Adverbial clauses of contrast

• We can introduce contrast with conjunctions like although, considering (that), though,
even though, even if, much as, while and whereas
• We can also contrast with however + adjective or adverb: e.g. however small, however
much.
• No matter: e.g. no matter how much, no matter where, no matter how (slow, slowly).
1. Though the difficulty in driving test has gone up, the number of accidents is still
rising.
2. I am going to buy that albums however much it costs.
3. They will find him no matter where he is finding.
e) The complex sentence: purpose, result and comparison

Adverbial clauses of purpose

• We can express purpose with so that and in order that; sometimes it is simpler to use
to-infinitive
1. I spent a year in Germany so that I could learn the language.
2. I spent a year in Germany to learn its language.
• In case means “so as to be on the safe side” and refers to the future. We use simple
present of should after in case
1. Take an umbrella with you in case it rains.

Adverbial clauses of result

• We can describe results with so + adjective that or such + noun (that).

Adverbial clauses of comparison

1. He plays the piano as well as I do.

2. You did not finish the crossword as fast as I did.
 f) The complex sentence: present participle constructions

Joining sentences with present participles (‘-ing)

• The present participle is the -ing form of a verb: find – finding.

• We can use the present participle in place of and, so, etc. to join 2 simple sentences:
1. I found the door locked. I went back for the key
2. I found the door locked and went back for the key.
3. Finding the door locked, I wen back for the key.
• To make a negative, we put not in front of the -ing form:
1. Not knowing his phone number, I was not able to ring him.
• We can use being in place of is or was.
1. I was short of money, I could not afford to buy it
2. Being short of money, I could not afford to buy it.

The present participle in place of adverbial clauses

• We often use the present participle after a “joining word” or conjunction.

1. Since we arrived here, we have made many new friends.
2. Since arriving here, we have made many new friends.
The present participle in place of relative clauses

• We can sometimes omit which/who + be + V-ing or which/who + V

1. The man who is serving at the counter is very helpful
2. The man serving at the counter is very helpful
3. The job will suit students who want to work during holidays.
4. The job will suit students wanting to work during holidays.
 g) The complex sentence: perfect/past participle constructions

“being” and “having been”

• We sometimes use being in place of is, are, was or were, though this is often formal
1. I was lost, so I had to ask someone the way.
2. Being lost, I had to ask someone the way.
3. I’ve been abroad, so I missed the elections
4. Have been abroad, I missed the elections

“it being” and “there being”

• We sometimes use it being in place of it is or it was; there being in place of there is or

there was.
• We can use it being and there being after without (formal)
1. It was Sunday, so it was hard to find a garage
2. It being Sunday, it was har to find a garage
3. There was so much noise, I could not sleep.
4. There being so much noise, I could not sleep.
5. They often dig up the road without it being necessary.

Agreement between present participle and subject

• We must be very careful to make the participle agree with the subject of both verbs.
1. Turning the corner, I saw an old friend (= I turn … and I saw) = correct
2. Turning the corner, the tile fell off the roof (the tile turned and fell) = nonsense
Past participle constructions

• The past participle is the third form of the verb.

• We sometimes use the participle instead of the passive:
1. Viewed from a distance, it resembled a cloud
2. Although built years ago, the build still stood strong
3. If accepted for the job, you will be informed soon
• We can omit who and which in the sentence
1. The system (which is used) used here is very successful.
V. Passive
• In the active voice, the subject of the verb either persons altering that does the action
• In the passive voice, the action is not to the subject
1. John burnt the dinner last night
2. The dinner was burnt by John last night
• Basic tense forms are a tense of be + past participle
1. He writes – it is written
2. He wrote – it was written
3. He has/had written – it has/had been written
4. He can write – it can be written
• We use the passive mainly in three ways:
❖ When we don't want to take responsibility for something
1. The matter will be dealt with soon
❖ When we want to focus on a happening, not who are what did it
2. Our roof was damaged in the last night storm (we’re concerned about the
roof)
❖ when we want to avoid vague subjects like one, someone, they, …
3. The form has been signed
VI. Question or reported speech
• We tend to use the past tenses in indirect speech because we are reporting past events.
• The tense is one step backward: e.g. present – past; past - past perfect
• Pronoun and adverb are also changed.
• In indirect yes/no questions, we use weather or if to replace Do/did/have word and the
inversion of the word order doesn't happen
VII. Conditional clauses
VIII. Nominal clauses