Reflection: Elements of Successful Writing

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Hanoi University of Science and

Technology
School of Foreign Languages
Student’s name: Hoang Le Anh Minh Class: IPE 02
ID: HUST 20204216 MAJON 20204672
Reflective Essay’s title: Discussing what elements of good writing are and what you should to in order to
improve your writing skills.
WRITING REFLECTIVE PAPER
Task description:
- Home assignment
- Weighting: 40% of the overall module mark
- Word length: 500-600 words
Reflective writing prompt:
Search on Majon’s library and/or the Internet at least THREE articles/documents about elements of good
writing. Then use the information you have learned from these materials to write a reflective paper of 500-
600 words discussing what elements of good writing are and what you should to in order to improve your
writing skills.

Marking criteria Score
Excellent Very Good Satisfact-ory Adequate Poor (F) Pts
(A) (B) (C) (D) 39-0%
100-85% 84-70% 69-55% 54-40%
1. Evidence of a personal response
which demonstrates your
understanding of the issue (40%) /40
2. Fluent and logical progression of

ideas with a clear and well-organized /20
structure (20%)
3. Clear and coherent language use

with few errors interfering with /40
comprehension (30%)
4. Correct citations and
referencing (10%)

Total score : ………../100
Assessor: (Signature and Full name) Date:

REFLECTION: ELEMENTS OF SUCCESSFUL WRITING
It is widely said that everybody is a native speaker, but nobody is a native writer.
Writing is always a hurdle for everyone, including Vietnamese with Vietnamese language or
British with English. For me, whose native language is not English, it is even more challenging
to create compelling English writing. This essay reflects what makes a successful article, based
on what I have learned from my improvement process on the essentials, including determining
the writing topic, creating solid structure, and using intelligent vocabularies.
First and foremost, determine the correct requirements of the article topic. This step is the
most critical but the easiest overlooked; do this step wrong is creating the whole wrong article. I
made this mistake on my first academic paper. The topic was “benefits of AI technology in
learning,” but my theme revolved around “developing educational tools based on AI
technology.” I submitted my first draft and the teacher pointed out my mistake. I asked for her
advice and searched for more tips from educational websites. I received a helpful piece from
Miss. William of WriterHouse (2018) that before embarking on an article, read and research
thoroughly about what the topic asks. My mentor also asked me to note down groups of
vocabularies in the subject to prevent digression. Their guidances are precious to me. I always
used those methods and never made the same mistake again.
Secondly, create a solid structure. Having a transparent structure is also an essential
element that I have neglected times over the years. The structure of a successful paper is
coherence. To improve this aspect, I have rigidly followed three principles from the book Great
Sentences to Great Paragraphs: logical order, repetition of key words, transitional words and
phrases. Logical order for the reader to grasp the information conveyed; keywords repetition
emphasizes content and purpose; transitions make the texts smoother. In addition, before
embarking on any article, I always take some time to thoroughly inquiry information, related
sources and build an outline from basic to detailed. I also always prepare for myself a pocket list
of transition words. My instructors have appreciated this approach, and indeed, my writing as
well.
Last but not least, the clever use of vocabulary. Months ago, I attached great attention to
wording choices; I found it cool to use flowery language with long and rarely used words.
However, after receiving a final review with a horrible score mainly due to my spelling mistakes,
I immediately sought to improve this weakness and came across the KISS principle. According
to TheFreeDictionary.com, there are 43 possible explanations for this term, all in favor of
simplification, with my favorite being “Keep it Simple Smart.” In writing, it recommends the
writer to avoid using rarely used words (Rooks, 2017), e.g., “utilize” instead of “use.” Initially, I
was distracted by the suggestion that KISS contained the potential risk of boredom it could
cause. But this principle doesn’t work that way; it restricts writers from forcing themselves to
look for “fancy” words that make the writing seem unnatural and lengthy. Since applying the
rule, my writing has improved a lot; there are no more spelling mistakes, my grades have also
improved markedly.
Above are three particular elements that I have worked hard on to improve my writing
skills. However, successful writing does not stop there, and it requires writers to explore and
understand many other aspects. In conclusion, I am satisfied with my improvements, and at the
same time, I know that I need more work to become an everyday better writer.
Words count: 589

References
Folse, K. S., Vokoun, A. M., & Solomon, E. V. (n.d.). From Great Sentences to Great
Paragraphs 1 (4th ed.). National Geographic Learning.
KISS. (n.d.). TheFreeDictionary.Com. Retrieved June 23, 2021, from
https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/KISS
Rooks, S. (2020, December 5). The KISS Principle - My Way. Grammar Goddess
Communication. https://grammargoddess.com/the-kiss-principle-my-way/
Williams, V. (2018, July 2). The Power of Digression | WriterHouse. Writer House.
https://writerhouse.org/the-power-of-digression/

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.

2. Fluent and logical progression of

3. Clear and coherent language use

Assessor: (Signature and Full name) Date:

learning,” but my theme revolved around “developing educational tools based on AI

Secondly, create a solid structure. Having a transparent structure is also an essential

Words count: 589

Paragraphs 1 (4th ed.). National Geographic Learning.

KISS. (n.d.). TheFreeDictionary.Com. Retrieved June 23, 2021, from

Rooks, S. (2020, December 5). The KISS Principle - My Way. Grammar Goddess

Williams, V. (2018, July 2). The Power of Digression | WriterHouse. Writer House.

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