Sample essays should be broken into explainable diagnostic evidence.

What to confirm first

Mark question type, position, two topic sentences, and the function of examples first.

How to revise the next version

Imitate only one structural move, such as thesis or reason-example-so what.

• Whether the sample answers the prompt
• Whether examples support the claim
• Whether sentences are transferable

How to read a sample essay: recover decisions, not sentences

The value of a Band 7+ sample is not its sentences but the chain of decisions behind them: why this position instead of the easier one? Why does paragraph two explain the mechanism before the example? Why does the concession only concede halfway? Memorising sentences carries none of these decisions, so the next new prompt starts from zero again. Annotate each paragraph with "what the writer did here and why" — worth more than copying ten nice sentences.

Worked example: four functional sentences in a Band 7 body paragraph

"Remote work reduces urban congestion. (claim: supports the position) When employees commute only twice a week, peak-hour traffic drops measurably. (mechanism: why the claim holds) Amsterdam recorded a 15% fall in rush-hour volume after flexible-work policies spread. (evidence: one is enough) This directly addresses the overcrowding that critics of city growth worry about. (link back to the prompt)" Each sentence has one job; none is decoration. Most Band 6 paragraphs jump from claim straight to example — the missing mechanism sentence is exactly what "underdeveloped ideas" means.

Three things a sample essay cannot do for you

A sample cannot give you: the ability to generate a position for a new prompt, the ability to chain your own ideas into mechanisms, or awareness of your own recurring grammar habits. All three can only be trained on your own writing. The efficient loop: dissect one sample for decisions, write your own essay, then diagnose which decision failed to happen.

• Position: can you commit to a defensible stance in 5 minutes
• Mechanism: is there an explaining sentence between claim and example
• Habit errors: does the same grammar slip appear three essays in a row

Four self-check questions against any sample

Put your essay beside a same-prompt sample and ask only four questions: which sentence carries the position in each? How many ideas per body paragraph in each? What follows the example in the sample — and is your example the dead end of the paragraph? What does the sample conclusion do — and does yours just repeat the opening? These four map onto the most common Band 6-to-7 boundaries across the four criteria.