Nouns name things, ideas, problems and phenomena. They are important because they make your writing precise and structured.

For example:

• pressure
• freedom
• responsibility
• inequality
• awareness
• alienation

These are useful abstract nouns. A single noun can express a big idea very quickly. This is helpful when you only have about 1300 characters.

Why nouns are useful

A good noun can replace a long explanation.

Instead of writing:

• the feeling of being left outside and disconnected from others

you may write:

• alienation

That saves space and sounds more mature.

The problem with nouns

Too many nouns can make your writing sound heavy, cold or abstract. A text full of nouns may define things, but it may not really move forward.

Compare:

Weaker:

• There is a need for improvement in the area of communication.

Better:

• People need to communicate more openly.

The first version sounds formal, but the second one is more direct and natural.

Good advice

Use nouns to name the issue clearly, but do not build the whole essay on abstract nouns alone. Nouns need strong verbs.

Adjectives are easy in English because they do not really change their form. That is why students often use them a lot.

Common adjectives:

• good
• bad
• important
• difficult
• big
• serious
• nice

These are not wrong. But they are often too general.

The problem with adjectives

An adjective can sometimes mean slightly different things to different readers. If you call something good, harmful or important, the reader may still ask:
In what way? Why?

Compare:

Weaker:

• It is an important issue.

Better:

• It is a morally complex issue.

Weaker:

• This is a bad development.

Better:

• This is a worrying development.

Weaker:

• They need a good solution.

Better:

• They need a practical solution.

The better versions are more exact. They do not sound “fancier” just for the sake of it. They simply say more.

Be careful

Do not pile up adjectives.

Too much:

• a highly complicated, deeply controversial and socially harmful phenomenon

This may sound forced. One precise adjective is often enough.

Good advice

Avoid filling your essay with general adjectives. Choose a more specific adjective when it really helps the meaning.

Verbs are often the most important words in the whole essay.

A strong verb can:

• replace a long explanation
• make the sentence more precise
• make your text more dynamic
• help your argument move forward

This is why verbs are often the best form of Power English.

Common weak verbs

Students often overuse verbs like:

• is
• are
• have
• do
• get
• make
• show

These verbs are useful, but if your whole essay depends on them, the text may feel flat and static.

Stronger verbs

More precise verbs include:

• create
• increase
• reduce
• strengthen
• weaken
• reflect
• reveal
• encourage
• discourage
• shape
• challenge
• undermine
• lead to
• result in
• expose

Compare:

Weaker:

• Social media is a big problem for teenagers.

Better:

• Social media often increases pressure on teenagers.

Weaker:

• This has a bad effect on people.

Better:

• This weakens people’s confidence.

Weaker:

• School gives students many things.

Better:

• School equips students with useful skills.

Notice how the stronger verb carries more meaning.

Why verbs matter so much

Verbs make the sentence move. Nouns name things, but verbs show what happens, what changes, what causes what.

That is why strong verbs often make writing sound more mature than difficult adjectives or abstract nouns do.

Good advice

If you want to improve an essay quickly, improve the verbs first.

Many students think that good English means using advanced vocabulary in every sentence. That is not true.

Even demanding texts in the real world are not full of difficult words all the time. Good writing is usually:

• mostly clear
• mostly natural
• sometimes especially precise

That is exactly what students should aim for.

A useful rule:

Do not try to sound advanced all the time. Try to sound clear all the time and precise in the important places.

That is a much better target for an 18-year-old student with ten years of English studies behind them.

Usually, not very much.

In a matriculation essay, the text under the title is already understood to be your own thinking, your own arguments and your own opinions. Because of that, you do not need to keep reminding the reader that these are your thoughts.

Too much “I”

If your essay often says:

• I think
• I believe
• In my opinion
• I feel that

the text may start to sound uncertain, repetitive or too conversational.

Compare:

Weaker:

• I think social media can be harmful.

Better:

• Social media can be harmful, especially when it encourages constant comparison.

The second version is stronger and more confident.

When “I” is fine

“I” is fine if:

• the task is clearly personal
• you are asked to write about your own experiences
• your personal example truly supports the point

Example:

• In my own experience, students learn faster when they are not afraid of making mistakes.

That sounds natural because the sentence is genuinely about personal experience.

Good advice

Do not make yourself the centre of the essay unless the task clearly invites that. In most school essays, it is better to let the ideas take centre stage.

A weak essay often stays too vague. It circles around the topic but does not really say anything clear.

Typical vague sentences:

• There are many sides to this issue.
• This topic can be viewed from different perspectives.
• Everyone has their own opinion.
• This is a complicated matter.

These sentences are not wrong, but they do not move the text forward very much.

The opposite problem: sweeping statements

A student may also write something too broad and too strong without enough support:

• Social media ruins young people.
• Technology makes people stupid.
• School is useless.

These are too extreme unless they are very carefully explained.

The best option

A strong essay makes a clear but controlled claim and supports it.

Compare:

Too vague:

• Social media has both good and bad sides.

Too extreme:

• Social media destroys young people’s lives.

Better:

• Social media is not harmful in itself, but it can become damaging when young people begin to base their self-worth on online attention.

This version is clear, balanced and well argued.

Good advice

Avoid:

• endless hesitation
• empty pondering
• huge unsupported claims

Aim for:

• a clear point
• a short justification
• perhaps one concrete example

That is enough in a short essay.

Because the text is short, every sentence must do useful work.

A sentence should:

• introduce a point
• explain it
• justify it
• give an example
• or conclude something

There is no room for long warm-up sentences or for repeating the same idea in different words.

In short:

• a good noun saves space
• a good adjective sharpens meaning
• a good verb drives the whole sentence forward

And among these, the verb is often the most powerful tool.

Example 1

Weaker:

• I think that climate change is a very serious problem and people should do something about it.

Better:

• Climate change demands urgent action because its effects are already visible in everyday life.

Why better?
It avoids unnecessary I think, uses a stronger verb (demands), and sounds more focused.

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Example 2

Weaker:

• There are many different opinions about school uniforms.

Better:

• School uniforms may reduce visible inequality, but they cannot solve deeper social divisions.

Why better?
It says something real instead of only announcing that opinions exist.

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Example 3

Weaker:

• Technology is important in modern society.

Better:

• Technology shapes modern society by changing how people work, learn and communicate.

Why better?
The verb shapes gives the sentence direction and content.

A strong matriculation essay is not built on constant cleverness. It is built on control.

Good writers:

• name things clearly
• choose specific words when needed
• rely on strong verbs
• avoid unnecessary “I think” phrases
• make clear claims
• support those claims briefly but convincingly

Most of your essay can be written in clear general English. What matters is that the key points are expressed precisely and naturally.

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Mini-checklist for students

Before you finish, ask yourself:

• Does each sentence actually move the text forward?

• Have I used too many vague adjectives like good, bad, important?

• Could I replace a weak verb with a more precise one?

• Am I saying something clear, or only circling around the topic?

• Have I avoided too much I think / in my opinion?