Trying to fix every weakness at once can make revision confusing. Use three passes so each edit has a clear purpose. Always follow the instructions supplied with the task you are practising.
Pass one: check the message
For a summary, identify the central idea and the supporting relationships before deciding what to retain. For an essay, check that your position addresses the question. Remove an attractive sentence if it does not help communicate the required message.
Pass two: check the order
Read only the main ideas of your response. Does one lead naturally to the next? Move related ideas together. Add a connector only when you know the relationship it should express, such as contrast, cause or an example.
Pass three: check sentences
Review sentence boundaries, agreement, tense and word form. Long sentences are not automatically better. A shorter sentence that preserves the intended relationship can be easier to control.
Compare without copying
After making your own attempt, compare it with an example where one is provided. Look at how the writer selected and connected ideas. Copying a whole response is less useful than applying one technique to a new topic.
Record the edit that mattered most
Write down the change that most improved clarity. Was it removing a detail, moving an explanation or repairing a sentence? Use that finding to choose the next writing or grammar lesson.
Try it in your next practice session
Keep the first draft of one response. Make three copies and label them message, organisation and sentences. Limit each round of edits to its label, then compare the first and final versions.
Put the routine into practice
Compare these relevant course outlines and choose the topic set that meets your next goal.
Keep learning
Practical study guide
A practical grammar review routine for exam preparation
Use your own sentences to identify an error pattern, make a correction and test it in a new context.



