VSTEP Grammar Essentials: 6 Points That Raise Your Writing and Speaking Score
1. Use the core tenses correctly
Present simple (habits, facts), present perfect (experience, change up to now), past simple (finished events) and the future with will / be going to. A common mistake is using the past simple for general experience: "I visited Da Nang many times" instead of "I have visited Da Nang many times".
2. The passive voice
Very useful in essays: "Many trees are cut down every year", "More parks should be built". The passive makes writing more objective and formal.
3. Conditionals
First conditional for real possibilities ("If the government invests more, traffic will improve"), second conditional for hypotheses ("If I had more time, I would learn another language"). They come naturally in Speaking Parts 2 and 3.
4. Relative clauses
Combine two short sentences into one complex sentence: "My hometown, which is in the north, is famous for its food." It is the quickest way to show "complex sentences" in the marking criteria.
5. Comparisons
Comparatives, superlatives and "the more…, the more…" are especially handy when discussing pros and cons or choosing a solution in Speaking Part 2.
6. Linking words
- Adding: moreover, in addition, furthermore.
- Contrast: however, although, whereas.
- Cause and effect: because of, as a result, therefore.
- Examples and conclusion: for instance, in conclusion, overall.
See also: VSTEP Writing marking criteria.