A short checklist lets you revise a response in about three minutes. Read it once for each item, and fix only that one thing on each pass.
This lesson is part of the SPM subjects and learning resources collection for Iban Language.
The five-point checklist
- Task: does it answer exactly what was asked, for the right reader?
- Order: do the ideas follow a clear sequence, such as opening, details, closing?
- Sentences: are they complete and of a length you can control?
- Spelling and words: are the words and spellings ones you are sure of?
- Tone: does it suit the reader, such as friendly for a friend or polite for a teacher?
Keep the checklist on a card. Work through it in order.
Worked example: a fictional message
This task is invented. The question asks for a short message inviting a classmate to a school cultural event on Saturday morning, giving the time, the place and one thing to bring. The example is described in English, because the aim is to show the revision process. Do the same steps on your own Iban text.
First draft, described: The student wrote five sentences.
- Sentence 1 greets the classmate, using the greeting for a teacher.
- Sentence 2 gives the place.
- Sentence 3 talks about what happened last week at school.
- Sentence 4 gives the time.
- Sentence 5 says goodbye.
The student forgot to say what to bring. Two sentences were very long, and one word was spelled two different ways.
Applying the checklist:
| Item | What the check finds | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Task | The “what to bring” detail is missing | Add one sentence asking the classmate to bring a water bottle |
| Order | The sentence about last week interrupts the invitation | Delete it, or move it after the details |
| Sentences | Two sentences are too long | Split each into two shorter ones |
| Spelling | One word is spelled in two ways | Check it and use one spelling throughout |
| Tone | The greeting suits a teacher, not a classmate | Use a friendly greeting |
Revised draft, described: Greeting suited to a friend, then the event, then the time and place in two short sentences, then the item to bring, then a short closing. The message now has six sentences, all on task.
Each change matches one checklist item, so you know why you made it.
Why one thing at a time
Reading for everything at once makes you miss things. When you check spelling, your eyes jump past a missing detail because you are looking at letters.
Five quick passes are faster than one careful pass and catch more.
The mistake that costs marks
The slip is fixing spelling and stopping. The task item matters most, because a missing detail costs content marks, and a spelling slip usually costs less.
Always start with the task. Underline what the question asks for, then tick each part in your response.
Keeping a revision log
After each practice response, write down which checklist item found a problem. After four or five responses you will see a pattern, such as missing details or long sentences.
Give that item extra attention in your next response, and bring the pattern to your teacher.
Check yourself
A fictional response to the same task has these features: it includes time, place and what to bring, it has four short sentences, but the closing sentence is angry in tone. Which checklist item fails, and what do you do?
Answer
Tone fails, since an angry closing does not suit an invitation to a classmate.
Replace the last sentence with a friendly one, such as hoping to see the classmate there, written in Iban in your own words.
Task, order, sentences and spelling pass, so they need no change.
What to study next
Read supporting a reading answer with relevant evidence to build the reading side of your skills, then review your writing with the structured-answer self-review tool.
Assessment arrangements stay with your school. If you want a teacher to go through your Iban writing with you, see online one-to-one Iban Language tuition.