Writing in five minutes
Answering fully, with detail, in a short time.
12 minutes · A free lesson from Writing
"Describe a skill you learned outside school. How did you learn it, and why is it important to you?"
Three parts: what the skill is, how you learned it, why it matters. The model answer covers all three in about 70 words.
Lesson quiz
Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Quick check: A prompt asks what, how and why. How many parts must you answer?
- Just the first
- Any one
- All three
Show the answer
C: All three — Prompts often ask two or three things. Answer every part.
Quick check: What makes a short answer stronger?
- Repeating the question
- Details and examples: names, places, reasons
- Very long words
Show the answer
B: Details and examples: names, places, reasons — Specific details show your range.
Quick check: Who reads the Writing Sample?
- People at the universities that receive it
- Only a computer
- Nobody
Show the answer
A: People at the universities that receive it — Write naturally, and make sure it answers the question.
Quick check: How long should you save at the end?
- No time at all
- Half of the time
- About 30 seconds to fix spelling and punctuation
Show the answer
C: About 30 seconds to fix spelling and punctuation — A quick check catches the mistakes that are easy to fix.
Marked as soon as you finish — free with an account.Practise now
Marked as soon as you finish — free with an account.Practise now