Bac writing: plan and check a 150-word paragraph

The writing task is worth a quarter of the Bac English paper (see the paper section by section). Most students lose marks on it for three avoidable reasons: they drift away from the topic, they write long sentences they cannot control, and they never read their text again. A fixed method fixes all three.

The five steps

1. Read the task and underline the question (30 seconds). What exactly are you asked? Give an opinion, describe, compare, advise? Write the answer to that question, not to the general theme.
2. Choose your position (30 seconds). Decide your answer in one short phrase before you plan anything else.
3. Plan two reasons and one example each (1 minute). Jot down keywords only, not sentences.
4. Write (about 15 to 20 minutes). Topic sentence, two reasons, one short counter-point, conclusion.
5. Check (3 to 5 minutes). Read once for meaning, once for the five errors you make most often.

These timings are a practice suggestion, not an official rule. Adjust them after your first two timed attempts.

A marked model paragraph

This model (130 words; aim for about 150 in the exam) was written for this guide, to show a structure. It is not taken from an official paper. The task: "Do young people spend too much time on their phones? Give your opinion."

(1) Young people spend too much time on their phones, and I believe this harms their studies. (2) First, students who check notifications all evening find it hard to concentrate on their homework. (3) For example, a pupil who stops every five minutes to answer a message needs much longer to finish one exercise. (4) Second, long hours online replace sleep. (5) Many teenagers go to bed late because they are watching videos, so they arrive at school tired. (6) Of course, phones can also help us learn, because we can look up words or watch lessons online. (7) However, this only works when we use them for a clear purpose and for a short time. (8) In conclusion, young people should set limits on their screen time, so that technology supports their studies instead of replacing them.

Notice that every sentence is short enough to control, and the linking words (First, For example, Second, so, Of course, However, In conclusion) do the organising.

Mistakes that cost points most often

• Answering the theme, not the question. Re-read the task before the conclusion.
• Copying whole sentences from the reading text. Use the text for ideas and vocabulary, then write in your own words.
• Subject and verb agreement: people are (not people is), he thinks (not he think).
• Wrong verb after "agree": I agree (not I am agree).
• Comparatives: easier (not more easy) and more difficult (not difficulter).
• Missing the past: if the task is about last year or a past event, check every verb.
• No final check. Even two minutes catches missing -s, capital letters and full stops.

How to practise this week

Take one task, plan it in the first two minutes, then write it in 20. Mark your own paragraph with the table above: which sentence has no job? Which linking word is missing? Keep a list of your own errors and read it before the next attempt. A teacher marking your list once will usually show you the two or three habits that cost you the most.

Want feedback on your own writing? Take the free level assessment, then see how Bac preparation courses can give you marked practice.