In the minds of ESL exam candidates, e ssay writing is one of the most daunting tasks they are required to complete, regardless of the level of the exam, the administering body or the ease with which they themselves use the language. The same applies to students who are asked to write an essay by their teachers at school. In the previous sample essays posted on the blog, the main point I stress is the need to become acquainted with this form of writing (as opposed to writing a letter, review or report, for instance), to get a feel of what authorial voice is and how to organize and progressively express the arguments you wish to make in a coherent manner. Unfortunately, the best way to prepare for exam writing or learn how to write good essays for school is to read as many essays from as many sources as possible, then write as
Please read the first two paragraphs from Grammar: The Subjunctive by way of introduction to this series of blog posts regarding grammar. Using a causative construction demonstrates a better knowledge of English, which is why it is taught to students preparing for a B2, C 1 or C2 level English examination (IELTS, ECPE, ECCE, ESB, LRN, MS U-CELP, MSU-CE LC, TOEFL, TOEIC, ALCE, to name a few) . The reason why we use the causative voi ce is because we want to say that we didn't do something on our own, but