Writing: Planning, Drafting, Revising & Editing (The Full Process) (B2) - Lesson 3: Revising for Clarity, Coherence, Organization, & Style
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Hello B2 Writers! 👋
You've completed your first draft – congratulations! But good writing rarely happens in just one go. The next essential step is revision. Revision means "to see again," and it's your chance to look at your draft with fresh eyes to improve its overall quality.
This is different from editing or proofreading (which focuses on smaller errors like spelling and grammar – we'll cover that next!). Revision is about the bigger picture: your ideas, how they are organized, if they are clear, and if your writing flows well.
In this lesson, you will:
- Understand the importance of revision in the writing process.
- Learn to revise for key areas: Clarity, Coherence, Organization, and Style (CCOS).
- Discover effective strategies for revising your work.
- Practice identifying areas for revision.
What is Revision? Why is it Different from Editing?
Revision is about re-examining and rethinking your draft to improve its content, organization, and clarity. You might add, remove, reorder, or rephrase larger sections of your text, like sentences or even whole paragraphs.
It's different from Editing/Proofreading:
- Revision (Big Picture): Focuses on ideas, argument, organization, support, clarity of message, overall flow, and style. You ask: "Is my message clear? Is it logical? Is it well-supported? Is it engaging?"
- Editing/Proofreading (Fine Details): Focuses on correcting surface-level errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and word choice. You ask: "Are there any mistakes in my sentences?"
It's usually best to revise first, then edit/proofread. There's no point perfecting the grammar of a sentence if you might delete or completely rewrite that sentence during revision!
Key Areas for Revision (CCOS)
When you revise, focus on these "big picture" elements. Think CCOS:
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Clarity:
- Is your main idea (thesis statement) clear and easy to understand?
- Are your topic sentences clear?
- Is your language precise? Are there any confusing sentences or ambiguous phrases?
- Will your intended audience understand your message?
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Coherence:
- Do your ideas flow logically from one point to the next?
- Are there smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs?
- Do all your paragraphs and supporting details clearly connect to and support your thesis statement?
- Is your viewpoint or argument consistent throughout the text?
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Organization:
- Is your text well-structured (introduction, body, conclusion)?
- Are your paragraphs logically ordered?
- Within each paragraph, are the topic sentence, supporting evidence, and explanations organized effectively (e.g., using P.E.E.)?
- Is any information in the wrong place?
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Style:
- Is the tone appropriate for your audience and purpose (e.g., formal, informal, persuasive, objective)?
- Is your writing engaging? Do you use varied sentence structures and lengths?
- Is your vocabulary precise and interesting? Have you avoided unnecessary repetition of words?
- Is your writing too wordy, or does it need more detail in places?
Effective Revision Strategies
- Take a Break: After finishing your first draft, step away from it for a few hours, or even a day if possible. This helps you see it with "fresh eyes."
- Read Aloud: Reading your text aloud helps you to hear awkward phrasing, poor flow, or areas where the meaning isn't clear. You might also catch run-on sentences or repetitive structures.
- Focus on "Big Picture" Issues First: Don't get distracted by small spelling or grammar errors during your first revision pass. Focus on organization, clarity of argument, and development of ideas.
- Revise in Stages: You might do one read-through focusing only on organization, another for clarity and support, and another for style.
- Use a Checklist: Refer to the CCOS areas (Clarity, Coherence, Organization, Style) or create your own checklist based on common issues you have.
- Get Feedback (Peer Review): If possible, ask a friend, classmate, or teacher to read your draft and give you constructive feedback. They might see issues you've missed.
- Be Willing to Make Big Changes: Revision isn't just about fixing a few words. It might mean rewriting whole sentences, reordering paragraphs, adding more information, or deleting parts that don't work.
- Check for Unity and Support: Ensure every paragraph supports the thesis statement, and every sentence in a paragraph supports its topic sentence.
Practice Revising!
Activity 1: Revision or Editing?
Decide if the following writing issues are usually addressed during Revision (big picture) or Editing/Proofreading (details/errors).
Activity 2: Identify Revision Needs in a Paragraph
Read the paragraph below. What is the main area that needs revision (Clarity, Coherence, Organization, or Style)?
✨ Key Takeaway ✨
Revision is where good writing becomes great writing! It's a thoughtful process of re-seeing and re-shaping your work to ensure your message is clear, well-organized, strongly supported, and engaging for your reader. Don't skip this important step!
Polishing Your Work! 🎉
By learning to revise effectively, you gain more control over your writing and can significantly improve its quality. The next step after revision is editing and proofreading for those smaller errors!