Describe a trip you were looking forward to but was delayed. You should say: where you planned to go why you wanted to go there what caused the delay and explain how you felt about the delay
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The essay effectively addresses the prompt by detailing the planned trip to Japan, the reasons for wanting to go, the cause of the delay, and the emotional response to the situation. Key strengths include a clear narrative and a personal touch that engages the reader. However, critical areas for improvement include grammatical accuracy, particularly in verb forms and article usage, as well as enhancing cohesion with better transitions between ideas. Structural changes made include correcting grammatical errors, improving the clarity of sentences, and adding transitions for better flow. Suggestions for further improvements not implemented in the corrected version include providing more specific examples of Japanese culture that excited the writer and varying vocabulary to avoid repetition. The tone used is appropriate for a personal narrative, maintaining a conversational yet reflective style.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The essay generally flows well, with a logical progression of ideas. However, some transitions could be improved for better cohesion. For example, the shift from discussing the delay to the emotional response could be more clearly signposted. Using cohesive devices such as 'furthermore' or 'in addition' could enhance the clarity of connections between ideas.
How to improve:
- Use a clear paragraph structure
- Connect ideas with appropriate linking words
- Maintain logical progression
- Use referencing effectively
What this means:
The essay demonstrates a reasonable range of grammatical structures, but there are several grammatical errors, such as 'I wanted going there' (should be 'I wanted to go there') and 'there was problem' (should be 'there was a problem'). These errors affect the overall clarity. More complex sentence structures could also be employed to enhance the sophistication of the writing.
How to improve:
- Use complex sentence structures
- Maintain grammatical accuracy
- Use a variety of sentence patterns
- Check for common grammar errors
What this means:
The vocabulary used is appropriate and conveys the intended meaning, with some good expressions like 'big interest in Japanese culture' and 'old temples.' However, there are instances of repetition, such as 'delay' and 'trip,' which could be varied with synonyms. Additionally, phrases like 'good side of them' could be expressed more formally, such as 'positive aspects of the situation.'
How to improve:
- Use a wider range of vocabulary
- Demonstrate awareness of collocations
- Avoid word repetition
- Use more sophisticated vocabulary accurately
What this means:
The essay addresses the prompt effectively by describing the planned trip to Japan, the reasons for wanting to go, the cause of the delay, and the emotional response to the situation. However, it could benefit from more detailed examples and a clearer structure in the explanation of feelings regarding the delay. For instance, elaborating on specific aspects of Japanese culture that excited the writer would enhance the response.
How to improve:
- Address all parts of the task fully
- Support ideas with specific examples
- Develop each point thoroughly
- Stay relevant to the topic
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