Basic Steps to Getting an A on an English Paper1. The topic

In this section you will hear a talk. You will hear the talk ONCE ONLY. While listening, you may look at ANSWER SHEET ONE and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. Make sure the word(s)you fill in is(are)both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may use the blank sheet for note-taking.
    You have THIRTY seconds to preview the gap-filling task.
     (a thirty-second interval)
    Now listen to the talk. When it is over, you will be given TWO minutes to complete your work.
Basic Steps to Getting an A on an English Paper
    Good morning, everyone. In today’s lecture, I’m going to discuss with you about how to write an excellent English paper. And how to get an A on an English paper is many students’ dream. The following steps may help you in shaping your papers.
Step 1
    You should pick a topic. If your teacher assigns a specific theme, you will have to use that. If not, pick a topic that interests you and with which you are familiar. This will make it easier for you to research and write your paper.
Step 2
    You should write an outline. Generally speaking, a paper needs an introduction, a main body of text, and a conclusion. The main body of text may need to include subsection. An outline will help you organize your paper and will help you determine when you need to focus your research.
Step 3
    You should research the topic. The most important step to attaining an A on an English paper is having enough research to sustain the topic. Usually there will be a required amount of sources to ensure that you do enough research. You should collect as many materials as possible on the topic. This step is generally called literature review, which is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. Besides enlarging your knowledge about the topic, writing a literature review lets you gain and demonstrate skills in two areas:
    The first area is information seeking. It is the ability to scan the literature efficiently, using manual or computerized methods, to identify a set of useful articles and books.
    The second area is critical appraisal: the ability to apply principles of analysis to identify unbiased and valid studies.
Step 4
    You should begin with an introduction. The introduction needs to catch the readers’ attention. It also needs to list what information will be in the main body of text and in what order the information will be presented.
Step 5
    You should compose the main body of text. The main body of text is the area where you formulate your research into organized information for the reader. Follow the outline to keep the paper focused. You should begin each section with a mini-introduction if you have subdivided the main body into sections. This will allow for a smooth transition from one section into the next.
Step 6
    Conclude the paper. The conclusion should recap what information you have shared with the readers. If possible, refer back to me introduction to frame the paper.
Step 7
    Document any sources. You will need to follow the correct guidelines for documenting sources. Most English papers will use MLA guidelines. Double check that notations for sources within the text are correct. This is an essential part of getting an A on a paper.
    However, following the above steps is not enough to turn out an A-level paper. You should do the following to secure the A: Analyze the topic, revise the paper by reading it carefully and locating any unclear ideas or errors, and if possible, have an English professor to review the paper.
    This brings our lecture to the end. In today’s lecture, we have reviewed some basic steps to getting an A on an English paper. I hope this lecture will help you a lot in constructing your English papers. Thanks for your time.