B: Hi, Toni. You look busy. Are you grading students' works?

T: Yes, Bill. I've got about 20 IELTS papers to check. I've done half of them, but I still have a lot to go.

B: How is it going so far?

T: Not so bad. I'm marking all of the writing sections first. Reports.

B: Any good?

T: Well, you know that's confidential information.

B: Reports are easy to write though. I would've thought that was what students found easiest. They are like narrative texts which you can't write if you don't have a vivid imagination.

T: Yes, I think you're right. But you'd be surprised at the silly mistakes students make sometimes.

B: For example?

T: Well, lots of people don't read the task carefully, so they end up writing a report about the wrong thing or they read the question too quickly, think they understand what they have to do, but miss out on a whole chunk of information.

B: Yeah, I know what you mean, my students do that in class. They don't realise how important it is just reading the task and thinking about it a bit. What it means, who the report is for, what style they should use. They are always in too much of a hurry to start writing.

T: Yes, I'm sure half the candidates hardly make an outline. It is easy to spot the ones who do. Their reports are much easier to follow, they include all the information and they are noticeably better written.

B: Really?

T: Yes, absolutely.

B: Is it OK if I share this tip with my students?

T: Of course. It should be obvious anyway. I'm sure you've told them before. And one more tip: I think it's a good idea to get your students used to be using some sort of a checklist after they had finished writing their repost. Or at least after they've written the first draft.

B: A checklist?

T: Yes, a list of things to check. Obvious things, but the ones which are often forgotten. Well, to check if the register is the right one, of course, so if the report is supposed to be formal, than it should be formal. No contraptions, no colloquial expressions. And then spelling and headings.

B: Yes, everyone makes spelling mistakes. And usually the same ones again and again. If you can identify your particular mistakes, then you can add them to your checklist.

T: Yes, that's true.

B: Thank you.