Advice on improving your writing skills You will see that this advice will not only prepare

you for the test, but will be useful in improving your language skills for your academic and professional life more generally. 1) Request that your fellow students and your professors mark your language errors in your work, and create your personal editing guide Your fellow students are an excellent resource. Having your written work PROOFREAD (not written or re-written) by a fellow student is not cheating; in fact, it should be obligatory for anything you have written that is really important. Create your proofreading network right away! In addition, professors are often very encouraging and accommodating if they know that you are paying special attention to your language. From the feedback you receive, create your own personal editing guide. Make a list of the common errors you tend to make in your writing, and make sure to check your writing against this list in your final proofread. Another way to add to your editing guide is to review lists of common errors in English, such as the most common grammar errors in writing, commonly misspelled words, and commonly misused words. If you are a French native speaker, look at common Gallicisms ( false friends between French and English). Last but not least, make sure you are using punctuation marks correctly (especially the comma). 2) Increase your academic vocabulary Increasing your vocabulary, especially the type of vocabulary needed in university settings, is essential to your success. This is true of native AND non-native speakers of English. One common complaint among university professors (and from cooperating teachers during student teaching) is that students write (and speak) with language that isnt always appropriate to university or professional settings. It is very useful to be aware of your registerthe way your communication will change levels depending on your audience and the situation. Successful university students are able to move fluently from one register to the next depending on the situation, and increasing your academic vocabulary is an excellent way to improve this skill. Ways to increase your academic vocabulary: Non-native speakers: Create a personal dictionary. A small pocket address/phone book is ideal for this, as there are already separate pages by letter. Write down new words or words that you understand but never use yourself. Then write example sentences, translations, synonyms, definitionsanything that will personally help you feel more comfortable with using the word yourself. Review it regularly. Native AND Non-native Speakers: On-line Vocabulary Quizzes: http://www.wordsandtools.com/vocdemo/index_uk.htm Use the resources at www.lextutor.ca. Here, search the Tutorial section for information and quizzes to test your knowledge of high-frequency, lower frequency, and academic/university words. See the complete academic wordlist. Research has shown that you need to know about 90% of the words on that list to understand university level texts without difficulty.

3) Take a class. Even PhD students take writing classes. Everyone can benefit from writing classes there is no real end to improving your ability to communicate effectively. McGill offers a wide variety of classes designed to improve the types of writing you need for academic and professional success. Here are two places to start: The Centre for the Study and Teaching of Writing (Faculty of Education) http://www.mcgill.ca/writing/ English and French Language Centre (academic English for native speakers and for non-native speakers) http://www.mcgill.ca/eflc/

Other Helpful Links http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/advise.html Advice on academic writing plus links to dozens of other sites. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ Advice on proofreading for common errors, the academic writing process and many other resources. http://www.clt.astate.edu/composition/common_errors.htm Common errors in academic writing and how to fix them http://www.learnenglish.de/mistakes/CommonMistakes.htm Commonly confused words http://www.common-mistakes.net/ Interactive quiz--Better suited to non-native English speakers http://www.angelfire.com/wi3/englishcorner/vocabulary/vocabulary.html A treasure trove of vocabulary development activities! http://web.uvic.ca/~gluton/awl/index.htm Describes the academic wordlist, why you should learn it, and has exercises