Tips for an A* in Spanish Writing?

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Be clear about what the examiners will be looking for. For example, to get a grade A, you must be able to write an accurate account in the past tense. You must also be able to give and justify ideas and points of view. There are a number of other grade criteria that an "A" candidate has to meet.

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Be sure that your teacher has given you the criteria for writing that match the grade you are trying to achieve.

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Make sure that you have a vocabulary book/record that covers each area of the syllabus.

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Build up your personal vocabulary by learning a small number of new words every day.

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Be clear about which aspects of grammar you need to revise. For example, you will need to be able to use verbs in the present, perfect and future tenses if you are aiming for a grade C or above. You will also be expected to use the imperfect tense in the higher tier exam.

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If you are doing the writing exam, rather than the coursework, use the notes you prepared for the speaking test as part of your revision for writing. They are certain to contain a lot of useful words, phrases and ideas.

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Get plenty of regular practice. Use past papers. Use this website - both the Revision Bites and the TestBites.

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Make sure you practise the different types of task that could occur at your level. Popular foundation tasks are lists, diary entries, postcards, short letters, messages and forms to fill in. Popular higher tasks are formal letters, factual or imaginative narratives, articles and job applications.

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Do some practice tasks under exam conditions.

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Go carefully over all old work that has been corrected by your teacher. Try to understand where you went wrong so that you can avoid making the same mistakes again. Then write your work up as a fair copy with no mistakes. It is easier and more effective to revise from perfect copies of your own work.

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Have a good look at model answers that can show you, for example, what a grade A essay looks like. Many of the Revision Bites and Test Bites in this website contain models.

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If you are doing coursework, be sure that you know the rules of your exam board in relation to drafting and redrafting, as well as the use of support materials such as text books, grammar books, vocabulary lists and word processing.