Writing: The Writing Process
B2 Lesson 3: Revising for Clarity and Impact
Model: From First Draft to Revised Draft ✍️
Revising means looking at the "big picture" of your writing. Let's see how a first draft can be revised to be much stronger and more convincing.
The internet is very important for students. Students use it to do research for their homework. They can find information easily. This is better than a library because the internet is faster.
Unquestionably, the internet has revolutionized education for the modern student. Primarily, it serves as an invaluable tool for research. Instead of spending hours searching through books in a library, a student can access a vast range of international journals and articles in just a few seconds. This instant access to global information allows for a much deeper and more comprehensive understanding of any topic.
Breaking Down the Revisions
Why is the revised draft better? It's not just about grammar; the ideas and style are stronger.
Your Writer's Toolkit 🛠️
Revising (Big Picture) vs. Editing (Small Details)
| Revising (Do this first!) | Editing (Do this last!) |
|---|---|
| Are my ideas clear and logical? | Are my sentences grammatically correct? |
| Is my argument well-supported with evidence? | Is the spelling correct? |
| Is the organization effective? | Is the punctuation correct? |
B2 Revising Checklist
- Clarity & Coherence: Is my main argument clear in every paragraph? Does my text flow logically?
- Organization: Is my introduction engaging and my conclusion effective?
- Content & Development: Have I provided strong enough evidence and examples?
- Style & Word Choice: Could I replace "boring" words (like 'good', 'bad') with more vivid vocabulary?
Practice Your Revision Skills 🎯
Quiz: Identify the Weakness
Read the short paragraph below. What is its biggest weakness that needs to be fixed during revision?
In my opinion, owning a car in Phnom Penh is a bad idea. Cars are expensive. The traffic is bad. Finding a parking space is difficult.
- The spelling is incorrect.
- The paragraph is not well-developed and lacks detailed explanation.
- The topic sentence is unclear.
→ Answer: B. The paragraph is just a list of points. A good revision would add evidence and explanation to make the argument more convincing.
Your Writing Mission ⭐
Writing Task: Revise Your Own Work
It's time to become a critical reader of your own writing. Take a paragraph you have written recently.
Your Task: Read your draft carefully using the B2 Revising Checklist. Rewrite the paragraph to make it stronger. You could:
- Add a better example or stronger evidence.
- Add more detailed explanation to make your point more convincing.
- Combine sentences or change your vocabulary to improve the style and flow.
Key Vocabulary
- To revise To re-examine and make changes to a text to improve its ideas, organization, and clarity.
- To edit To check for and correct errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
- Clarity The quality of being easy to understand.
- Style The way a writer uses language; their choice of words and sentence structure.