Improve Your Chances of Getting Into a Big Publication By Editing Like a Cambridge Exam Student

Consider content, communicative achievement, organization, and language to increase your odds

In less than two months of writing on Medium, I’ve been published several times in three major publications: The Writing Cooperative, The Ascent, and P.S. I Love You.

You may think it’s because I have an innate talent, but that’s not the case; I’m not even a native English speaker.

I am, though, an English teacher specialized in the Cambridge exams. Following the official rubric, I’ve corrected hundreds of student essays, letters, reports, proposals, reviews, and articles. Considering four points — content, communicative achievement, organization, and language — I’ve helped countless learners achieve their goals.

And mine.

Using the same rubric, I’ve edited my stories on Medium to great success. By considering Cambridge’s four points, I’ve ensured my written pieces are relevant, appropriate to the publication, pleasurable to read, and grammatically correct.

Though I’ve received my fair share of rejections, my odds of success have steadily increased the more I’ve relied on my English teaching experience. Hopefully, these tips will also help you get into your desired publications.

Content

Suppose the Cambridge exam’s instructions ask a learner to summarize and evaluate two texts on advertising, yet the student’s essay has no mention of the texts. In that case, the examiners will grade it poorly.

Likewise, if you’d clicked on this story and found no mention of the Cambridge exam’s evaluation criteria, you’d be rightfully mad.

That is content — delivering on your promise.

In the case of a student, to ace the content category, they must answer the task and do so in a comprehensible way. In the case of a writer, the story’s message must be aligned with the headline.

To ensure your content is relevant, ask yourself these questions:

• Have you developed the topic on the headline and provided details? If not, brainstorm ways to elaborate.
• What will the reader take away from the story? Is this aligned with the promise made in the headline? If not, consider changing the headline or adapting the story.
• Can you boil down the message of your story to one or two sentences? If you can’t, work on clarifying the point you’re trying to make. Once you have a clear premise, work on expanding it.
• If you show it to someone else — highly recommended before submitting — were they confused by the structure or a specific phrase? Do they feel there was too much or too little information? Do they feel like something’s off? Hint: Like Neil Gaiman says, “when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.” In other words, instead of defending your story until you’re out of breath, acknowledge your weaknesses, consider — a bit — the suggestions of improvement, and find your own solutions.

Communicative achievement

Isn’t it frustrating when you ask for something at a restaurant and they bring something else? (sigh.) Let me introduce you to communicative achievement, the plain ol’ art of following the submission guidelines.

In the student’s case, they receive a stellar grade when their written piece boasts the appropriate style for an essay or whatever they’re writing. In your case, to ensure your story is suitable for a specific publication, ask yourself these questions:

• Did you read — not skim through — the submission guidelines? If not, please read.
• Did you read — again, not skim through — at least three other stories of the publication? If not, you already know what to do. Pay special attention to the formatting and style of the titles, subtitles, paragraphs, and images, as well as the overall length.
• If you show your story and another two of the publication to someone else, will they think they have matching styles? If not, reread the submission guidelines and stories, looking for patterns.

Organization

Which of these two short paragraphs read better?

- Without help, Mila goes to her litter box and licks herself clean. When you’re sad, she cuddles next to you. Mila is a great domestic cat because she is independent and sweet.

- Mila is a great domestic cat because she is independent and sweet. Without help, she goes to her litter box and licks herself clean, and, when you’re sad, she cuddles next to you.

In the first case, you were probably confused as to what the paragraph’s purpose was until the end, whereas in the second, the main idea is made clear at the start. Though both are grammatically correct, the second paragraph reads smoother because the ideas go from general to specific.

This smooth flow is what Cambridge examiners define as “organization”. To ensure your story is pleasurable to read, consider these questions:

• Did you read your story out loud? If not, please do so. You’ll be amazed by how this method can help you spot clunky areas in your writing. Whenever you make an unnatural pause, highlight the text. That sentence or paragraph needs work.
• If you’re writing a listicle, is your text balanced? Have you given equal weight to the discussed issues? If not, consider rebalancing. For example, in this story, I’ve included the definition and guiding questions for each evaluation criteria. The story would feel incomplete if I’d forgotten the questions for the content category.
• Have you organized the information according to the audience’s expectations? For example, based on this story’s headline and subtitle, you probably expected the structure to follow an introduction, an explanation for each of the four Cambridge evaluation criteria, and a conclusion. Anything else would’ve left you feeling disconcerted.

Language

Language refers to grammar and spelling. However, it’s not only about correctness. A word may be correct yet inappropriate for what you’re trying to say.

Moreover, language also considers clarity and specificity. Your sentences may be error-free, yet hard-to-read or verbose, which can make your reader disengage.

To avoid falling into any of these traps, ask yourself these questions:

• Did you use an editor program such as Grammarly? These online tools will help you tackle the most glaring problems, ensuring your text is error-free. Moreover, if you have the premium version, it makes your sentences sharper and less wordy.
• Did you read your story in a different format? For example, if you wrote your story on your computer, did you read it on your phone or print it out? If not, consider doing so. Any mistakes the online editor might’ve overlooked will most likely stand out.
• Have you used vague words such as “something” or “thing”? If so, try to find a more specific word or phrase to convey your meaning.
• Have you used weak verbs such as “to have” and “to be” too much? If so, try to upgrade them with stronger options. For example, instead of saying “the mist is like a blanket over the valley”, go for “the mist blankets the valley.”
• Is there any repetition of phrases, expressions, or words which can be paraphrased? Redundancy makes stories dull unless used for rhythm. Try to limit it as much as possible.
• Is there a variety of sentence structures? Another reason a reader might stop reading is that the text comes off as monotonous. Consider varying sentence length and structure to spice it up.

Conclusion

When editing, most people focus only on spelling and grammar. However, though important, this point is just a quarter of what a Cambridge examiner would evaluate. Don’t consider your story ready to submit just because you have no language issues.

To increase your odds of getting into a major publication, review the content, communicative achievement, organization, and language. With a holistic revision of your text, you’ll finally receive your most desired “yes!”