Idea — Linking words (however, therefore, in addition) signal logical relationships between ideas. Discourse markers (right, anyway, so) organise speech. Both are often memorised incorrectly — learners need meaning, not just a word list. Example…
Idea — Cohesion is the surface-level linking of sentences (pronouns, connectors, lexical chains). Coherence is the underlying logical flow of ideas. Both are needed; you can have cohesion without coherence. Example — Cohesive but not…
Idea — A paragraph in academic or formal writing typically opens with a topic sentence (the main idea), followed by supporting sentences (evidence, example, detail). Teaching this pattern explicitly reduces disorganised writing. Example — ‘Urban…
Idea — Every real piece of writing has a writer, a reader, a purpose, and a context. Classroom writing tasks that specify all four produce more purposeful, better-organised work than open prompts. Example — ‘Write…
Idea — Free writing gives learners a topic and minimal constraints. It is the writing equivalent of a fluency task: quantity over accuracy, ideas over form. Timed free writing removes the blank-page paralysis many learners…
Idea — Guided writing sits between controlled and free. Sentence frames, partial texts, and model analysis give learners structural support while allowing some choice of content. It works well at A2–B1. Example — ‘I am…
Idea — Controlled writing tasks limit what learners can write: copy a model, complete gaps in a text, unscramble sentences. They build accuracy and familiarity with form before free production is expected. Example — Learners…
Idea — Process writing treats the written text as the result of stages: brainstorm → plan → draft → revise → edit. Focusing only on the final product skips the thinking that produces good writing.…
Idea — Elicitation is prompting a learner to produce the correct form themselves rather than supplying it. A raised eyebrow, a repeated word with rising intonation, or a direct prompt all work. Self-correction is more…
Idea — Reformulation means you restate what a learner said — correctly — without explicitly flagging the error. It is low-threat. Research suggests learners who notice the reformulation acquire the form faster than those who…