7.7. Writing at Band 8
Find the last marks, which are rarely about vocabulary.
The short version
Band 8 is not more formal words.
A precise claim, a clear limit, almost no wasted sentences.
Hedge: claim only as much as you can defend.
Will solve invites a counter-example. Is likely to reduce does not.
Precision, not vocabulary
Band 8 is not more formal words. It is a precise claim, a clear limit, and almost no wasted sentences.
Part of that precision is hedging: claiming only as much as you can defend. Will solve invites the reader to find the counter-example; is likely to reduce, where… does not.
Hedging: claim only what you can defend
Banning cars will solve congestion in every city.
A weekday ban is likely to reduce peak congestion in cities that already run a frequent bus or tram.
Same position, less waste
It is widely acknowledged that in this day and age a ban on private cars is extremely vital and governments should definitely always invest huge amounts of money in it.
A weekday car ban in the centre only works if a bus or tram already runs in the same hour.
Quiz time1 question
Check
Choose the Band 8 habit.
What should you do at Band 8?
Recap
Make the claim precise, then say where it applies.
Hedge anything you could not defend if challenged.
Cut the sentences that add no new meaning.
Next: the habits that carry into the exam room.