In last week's grammar lesson on my member site I highlighted some key mistakes in a student's task 1 answer. The most important mistake involved the student's use of the word 'while'.
The student wrote something like this:
- Spending on salaries rose. While, spending on resources fell.
(Note: the student used 'while' incorrectly between two simple sentences)
The correct version would be this:
- Spending on salaries rose, while spending on resources fell.
(Note: the correct version is a complex sentence)
The student made three similar mistakes with the word 'while', and I gave the answer a band 6 for grammar. If the student had written three correct 'while' sentences, I would have given a 7 for grammar.
I call this type of mistake a 'sticking point' because it keeps you stuck on a lower band. In this case, the 'while' mistake is important because the student missed the opportunity to create three complex sentences.
Ask a teacher to help you to look for 'sticking points' in your writing. Getting past these sticking points could be the fastest route to a higher score.
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