If your child didn’t do that well in the English mid-year exam, don’t fret. Tap on these expert tips to help improve his composition skills during the June school holidays.
The mid-year examination results are out, and Junior didn’t do as well as he’d hoped for his English composition paper.
With English being a core subject, it’s understandable that you’d be worried about how he is coping with the language. After all, English is not the easiest language to master, especially if your child doesn’t speak it very much at home.
What makes an outstanding composition?
Being able to compose a piece of writing is one thing, but does he know how to create a story that draws readers in, stimulates their imagination, engages them and makes them want to read more?
According to Duncan Rose, the British Council’s head of schools, there are many differences between a great composition and an average one.
“A strong piece of writing stands out for its clarity and uses a range of expression and grammatical structure,” he explains.
“A good writer also knows how to experiment with interesting uses of the language, explore stylistic devices, such as the ‘five senses’, the ‘rule of three’, and ‘flashback’, and utilise figurative language, like similes and metaphors.
“An excellent piece of writing is also organised and features clear, supported arguments with a recognisable structure – that is, it makes a point, the point is elaborated on, an example is given to illustrate the point, and the example is linked to the story.”
Common writing challenges Writing a good composition can be a challenge. Duncan says that many pupils struggle with generating strong ideas for a story.
Even if they do have solid ideas, they may not know how to flesh them out with extra details or support the ideas with clear evidential points.
They may also have difficulty linking their ideas back to the main angle of their essay.
Many children are also at a loss as to how to make their compositions sound more interesting. They may not know how to use expressions or literary techniques in a naturalistic way – that is, they tend to regurgitate phrases that they’ve memorised, instead of coming up with original expressions and phrases.
And then there are problems when it comes to structuring the piece.
“Planning is very important in creating a good composition,” says Duncan.
“Many children don’t know how to organise their ideas so that they flow naturally and are coherent.
This can certainly make it hard for a child to complete his composition within the allocated time during the exams.”
How to help your child write better Fortunately, Duncan says that there is a lot you can do to help your child improve his language and writing skills.
To begin with, it’s important to remember that practice makes perfect, so encourage Junior to write his own stories as often as possible.
The more he does this, the more comfortable he will feel with generating ideas and using the language, and the more confident he will become.
It’s also a good idea to experiment with a new style or device in each composition, says Duncan.
So, for example, if your child decides to use the “flashback” device in a piece of writing, he will have to learn how to bring the story from the present back to the past – this stylistic device is not only engaging, but it also works to give the reader background information that’s relevant to the story.
And you cannot underestimate the usefulness of reading widely. Duncan suggests exposing your child to a range of text types – not just novels or text-heavy books, but comics, newspapers and magazines, too.
As he reads, he should absorb whatever he’s reading and note down the different techniques and expressions that he comes across. This will help him improve his own work.
“Get Junior to start a vocabulary notebook and a system for recording new words, expressions and techniques,” Duncan adds.
