I have taught English in South Korea for about 9 years. I use Word it Write to drill students on grammar for SAT preparation. It is great for keeping track of weaknesses. It reduces the amount of time I spend grading work and checking that a student has understood something, because I can just check the progress charts to see whether the student is improving.

I needed a way to improve my SAT writing scores. My grammar was inconsistent and I struggled to get all of my ideas onto the page within the time limit. My teachers gave us practice prompts and feedback, but I felt like I was always making the same mistakes. My teacher gave 5 or 6 key pieces of feedback on each piece of writing, but we only finished 6 pieces. When I started using Word it Write, I was surprised at how many questions were in the diagnostic, but it started to make sense after finishing a full cycle. I could see how my weaknesses were being targeted. It was a lot of effort, but the repeated grammar questions really helped. I would recommend starting with grammar and then doing either logic or rhetoric, because grammar is the easiest.

I have used the site with students and it works very well. I have had students who find it challenging at first, especially the diagnostic test, but they soon realize that they are saving time by systematically addressing their weaknesses. Of course, students still need to actually apply the skills they learn by writing, but I have encouraged my students to submit pieces to the NWQ journal associated with the site and this motivates them. It can be difficult as a teacher to check the progress of individual students, so it is great that the site exploits the strengths of an automatic system to keep students focused on key weaknesses. The material starts at quite a high level and quickly increases in depth and detail. I’m constantly being reminded of things I have forgotten and even learning a few new things – especially through the examples.

I am using the site to improve my essay writing. I have never really enjoyed writing, like some of my friends, who keep journals etc. I really just need to get my writing to a highly functional level for college and employment. I like the no-nonsense approach of the material. There are no unnecessary bits and it doesn’t try to make everything easy or quick just to make you feel better about yourself. It is actually pretty difficult to pass the tests, but when I do pass I know I have fixed a weakness and can move onto the next.

Try the site. It is a fantastic learning tool. I wondered why it was so inexpensive at first but don’t be fooled by the price. It really is superb. Save the money you would spend on private writing tuition. This site is all you need.

I love the immediate feedback of the Word it Write system. It makes it so much easier to see where I’m making mistakes and what my weaknesses are. The examples used in the system were tough to understand at first because a lot of them come from older sources, but I realized this improved my writing and reading. When I just used regular material, I didn’t really have to work hard to understand it so it became boring. The examples and descriptions in the Word it Write system are more like puzzles. You have to understand the clues and solve the meaning. I could spend hours on it.

I used Word it Write as a replacement for out of class assignments. It gave the students a feeling that their learning was cumulative rather than arbitrary. They could see exactly why they were studying something because Word it Write told them it was a weakness and should be prioritized. The students could also see that their learning was individualized. It is nearly impossible to monitor writing and give feedback to individual students in classes over an extended period of time. What I especially liked about Word it Write was the focus on functional and aesthetic skills. Showing the students how someone like Shakespeare used rhetorical devices helps give purpose to their study.