Reading your draft repeatedly can leave the same errors unnoticed. A clearer review purpose helps: check one type of problem at a time instead of hoping that everything will stand out.
The good-writing guidance in The Ultimate Cambridge B2 First Writing Workbook stresses planning, appropriate tone and final correction. Here is an original proofreading routine built around those priorities.
First check whether the message is complete
Return to the prompt. Mark where your response addresses each required point. A grammatically accurate sentence about the wrong subject will not become relevant through a spelling correction.
Then examine sentence boundaries
Read each sentence as a unit. Look for two complete clauses joined only by a comma, a missing main verb or a dependent clause that has been left on its own.
Original editing practice
Draft: “The room was small, it had enough chairs for the group.”
Possible revision: “The room was small, but it had enough chairs for the group.”
The conjunction expresses the contrast and connects the clauses clearly.
Repair the fragment
Draft: “Although the journey was long. We arrived before the session.”
Revision: “Although the journey was long, we arrived before the session.”
The opening clause now has a main clause to complete the relationship.
Finish with your own recurring errors
Use a short personal list: perhaps missing articles, past-tense forms or a few frequently misspelled words. A focused list is easier to apply than a catalogue of every grammar rule.
Do not replace clear vocabulary with unfamiliar expressions merely to make the final draft look more advanced. A revision should improve the message or its accuracy. Keep a copy of the earlier sentence so you can explain what changed.
Practise the routine on a short paragraph first, then apply it to a complete response. Allow review time in your own practice plan, while following the timing instructions supplied for the task.
Explore Cambridge B2 First Writing — Course 3 to see the course outline, current availability and enrolment options. Use the worked exercise above to identify a skill you would like to practise next.
Your next step
Cambridge B2 First Writing — Course 3
Explore the complete course outline and related practice topics.
Source: 3 B2 First writing.epub, Jobins Training. Examples labelled original or illustrative were written for this article. Independent exam preparation; no affiliation with or endorsement by the examining body. Practice does not predict an official score.