ANSWER:  We suggest you try “The Writing-Go-Round”, a group writing activity which works well in  Exam-Preparation classes to help ease the tension and make writing fun!

PREPARATION:  The teacher prints out strips, each with writing task instructions.  Sources for these tasks can be coursebooks or past exam papers.  Here are three examples of B1-level writing task instructions:

Strip A: "Write an essay about a celebration in a country you know. Remember to:

 - give examples of what happens at this celebration, and

 - explain why this celebration is important."

Strip B:   "Write an essay about why you need to keep fit and healthy and how you can do it."

Strip C:  "Write an article for your school magazine about why more students should  learn foreign languages."

PROCEDURE:

In groups of 3 or 4, each learner is given a strip with a different set of task instructions (See examples below).

The Teacher is the time keeper.

1.  Each learner reads the writing task instructions carefully. 

2.  When T says BEGIN, all learners write a sentence to start. 

3.  After approximately 1-2 minutes T says CHANGE, all learners pass the strip with the task instructions AND their paper to the person on their right. (T can say: "Complete the sentence you are writing right now and then, stop writing and pass your papers.)

4.  Learners are told to read both the task instructions and what the person on their left has written.  T instructs them to write a continuation of it.

5.  Again, when T says CHANGE the learners need to stop and pass papers to the right

Steps 3 and 4 can be repeated as many times as the teacher sees fit.

Once the 'Writing-go-round" is finished, the papers are returned to their original owners with task instructions.  For homework, each learner can edit what was written and complete the composition.  Of course, the learners have two options: either they can re-write, omitting what their peers contributed,  or they can use all or some of the peers' sentences in their composition.

RATIONALE:

This is a practical group activity designed to provide average learners with practice in brainstorming, generating ideas and writing fluency.  It fosters cooperation and affords opportunities for peer teaching and editing.   

Suzanne Antonaros - Lilika Couri,  

April 2016