Present the essay topic in your own words.
writing a professional essay
Practice, write & improve, b2 first (fce) essay: how to write an essay (guide).
It is always an essay written for your teacher, and the start of the question wording is always the same:
In your English class you have been talking about [topic]. Now, your English teacher has asked you to write an essay. Write your essay using all the notes and giving reasons for your point of view.
We will use the example question below in our writing essay advice:
In your English class, you have been talking about society. Write an essay using all the notes and giving reasons for your point of view.
University should be free for everyone. Do you agree or disagree?
Write about: 1. Taxes 2. Opportunity 3. …………………… (your own idea)
Before you start writing your essay at B2 First exam you need to ask three questions:
If you look at our example task you will notice that we are going to write about society .
In your English class, you have been talking about society . Write an essay using all the notes and giving reasons for your point of view.
Knowing this, you can quickly prepare in your head all the words that you associate with this topic or even write them down.
As you can see there are three points included in the task there are two that are already given in our example
Write about: 1. Taxes 2. Opportunity 3. …………………… ( your own idea) <= you have to come up with this one yourself
The first point is taxes , the second is opportunity , and the third one is something you must come up with yourself!
We decided that the third point we would comment on would be economics
In the FCE essay, it’s always your English teacher. It means that you need to write with respect because she is a person with authority, therefore essay has to be written in a formal style.
Formal language is professional and serious rather than relaxed and friendly and is used especially in official situations. It is usually reserved for essays and academic settings, while informal writing is used for more casual settings, like friendly text messages and creative writing.
Below are listed the biggest differences between formal and informal writing styles:
It is advised to avoid contractions (shortened versions of words) in formal language, but they’re acceptable in informal language.
Unfortunately, the team could not replicate the results. (Formal)
Unfortunately, the team couldn’t replicate the results. (Informal)
Formal language is also marked by an absence of colloquial phrases and slang (words or phrases that are common only in everyday speech), but are typically used in informal language.
Everyone was disappointed . (Formal)
Everyone was bummed . (Informal)
Generally, first-person pronouns (like I and we ) are avoided when writing with formal language . However, it’s accepted (and expected) in informal language.
The students were asked to fill out the questionnaire. (Formal) We asked the students to fill out the questionnaire. (Informal)
When using formal language in your B2 writing, it is also recommended to replace phrasal verbs (proper verbs that are followed by one or more prepositions and act as a single verb).
It was something the protestors could endure . (Formal) It was something the protestors could put up with . (Informal)
Formal language tends to use longer, more complex vocabulary. Sometimes it is not recommended to use this type of vocabulary with informal language (depending on what you’re writing) because it can confuse or distract your audience.
They needed assistance while recovering from the outcomes of the hurricane. (Formal) They needed help while recovering from the effects of the hurricane. (Informal)
The purpose of the introduction is simply to tell the reader what the essay is about.
You can start your essay by referring to the question that was asked “ University should be free for everyone. Do you agree or disagree? ” and writing it in your own words . It is also worth mentioning the three points you are going to describe.
Introduction : There are many factors to consider when deciding if the university should be free or not. Among these are taxes, equality of opportunity, and the economy.
You can use phrases such as:
This essay will discuss … This essay will focus on … In order to discuss …, I will analyse …
Main body paragraphs are the most important part of your essay so they should be the longest and one paragraph should comment on one point. See below:
Write about: 1. Taxes – the first paragraph should comment on “ taxes” 2. Opportunity – the second paragraph should comment on “ opportunity “ 3. …………………… (your own idea) – the third paragraph should comment on “economy”
In addition, every paragraph should start with a topic sentence, which is like an introduction to the paragraph and it tells the reader what exactly the paragraph is going to discuss.
Also, a good idea is to include different linking words/expressions to make sure that your ideas are well connected and in a logical order.
A topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph (which is also the most important )
A topic sentence essentially tells readers about the rest of the paragraph . If the topic sentence says “ Cats are very good pets for several reasons” , then every sentence after that needs to describe that subject.
For example:
Cats are very good pets for several reasons . (<=topic sentence / every sentence after it describes that subject =>) They are naturally good caregivers because they take care of their kittens, so they want to take care of their owners as well. Cats are quite clean, and if you train them to use a litter box, they require almost no cleanup in their areas.
These are words and expressions that help the text flow logically . These words act as signposts, helping the reader easily move from one idea to the next and see connections between sentences or paragraphs.
Linking words is especially useful when you want to indicate that you are going to explain something, provide an example use a time sequence, or present a contrasting point of view.
Between paragraphs:
To begin with, I would like to put forward […] The first possible action is, to improve physical education …[…] A second option would be. … competitive attitudes that […]
Within a paragraph:
[…] which activity is better than the others. Another reason for not financing sports […]
You can see a model answer below:
First paragraph comment on “Taxes” Paragraph 1: Firstly , a majority of people believe that a significant part of taxes should go to education. Opponents might say if someone can afford university, then he/she should pay for it. However , people with higher education have better wages and therefore pay higher income tax after graduation .
Second paragraph comment on “Opportunity ” Paragraph 2: Secondly, making university free for all, creates more opportunities for those from low-income backgrounds . Although they may still have difficulty meeting other costs such as accommodation , it makes the playing field more level.
Third paragraph comment on “….…… (your own idea)” : economy Paragraph 3: In addition , having an educated workforce is proven to help the economy grow. Namely , the more highly educated people there are, the higher the standard of living for everyone. Consequently , more people will be able to pay taxes to fund the education of future generations.
– topic sentence
– linking words/expressions
– interesting/topical vocabulary
Remember, you don’t have to tell the truth! The examiners won’t know, so if you don’t have experience or an opinion you can make something up!
The conclusion comes at the end of your essay, it summarizes the main idea of the essay. You need to write a clear, justified conclusion. You can’t just say, ‘I agree’, or ‘I disagree.’ Think of it like this: you need to convince the examiner that your conclusion is correct.
In conclusion, a university should be free for everyone. It makes economic sense and ultimately benefits all members of society.
– linking words/expressions
Make sure your paragraphs are connected to your conclusion!
There are many factors to consider when deciding if the university should be free or not. Among these are taxes, equality of opportunity, and the economy.
Firstly, a majority of people believe that a significant part of taxes should go to education. Opponents might say if someone can afford university, then he/she should pay for it. However, people with higher education have better wages and therefore pay higher income tax after graduation.
Secondly, making university free for all, creates more opportunities for those from low-income backgrounds. Although they may still have difficulty meeting other costs such as accommodation, it makes the playing field more level.
In addition, having an educated workforce is proven to help the economy grow. Namely, the more highly educated people there are, the higher the standard of living for everyone. Consequently, more people will be able to pay taxes to fund the education of future generations.
B2 first (fce) essay: example essays, fce essay sample 1.
In your English class you have been talking about the environment. Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons for your point of view.
Every country in the world has problems with pollution and damage to the environment. Do you think these problems can be solved?
Write about: 1. transport 2. rivers and seas 3. ………………………… (your own idea)
DEVELOPMENT VS ENVIRONMENT
If we surf the web looking for pollution and environmental catastrophes, we will find out that every country in the world suffers them. This is a natural consequence of the struggle between development and environment.
If a country decided to live isolated from the rest of the world, living on what it can naturally grow and produce, it surely wouldn’t be highly polluted. But we all want exotic food and technological items from all over the world, so we have to pay the price.
Investing on electrical transport would benefit the environment a lot. Even more if this electricity came from a natural source of energy like wind, rivers and solar boards. It’s difficult to achieve this because petrol companies will fight against these actions.
We also have to take care of our rivers and seas. We all have heard about factories throwing highly toxic substances to rivers, without minimizing their poisoning effects. A really strict law should be applied to fine these factories and make them change their policy.
But what about ourselves? We also can do a lot! If, when possible, we bought larger packs of food, we would be producing less rubbish. And this is only an example!
In your English class you have been talking about the fashion industry. Write an essay using all the notes and giving reasons for your point of view.
Some people say the fashion industry has a bad effect on people’s lives. Do you agree?
Write about: 1. whether people’s appearance is important 2. the price of clothes 3. …………………… (your own idea)
The society we live today is characterised by technology in constant development, fast speed processes, information travelling and getting to people at a blink of an eye and a complex web of social networking. In this context, the fashion industry is becoming increasingly important and having a more and more paramount role in our lives.
On one hand, the fashion industry is undeniably a source of profit and income. It hires millions of people all over the world and generates millions of dollars every year. Furthermore, such profitable business is also believed to be able to spread and make known the culture of a people, encouraging and enhancing a better understanding of each other.
Nevertheless, for those who are neither impressed nor motivated by numbers and figures, the fashion industry is seen as one which segregates people, isolating those who not fit their laws and commands. It is stated that people place too much importance on appearance and the material, world, sadly true, and the fashion industry just spurs on such situation. Moreover, not only are the costs of fashion item unrealistically high, it is thought to be a money better spent on more pressing issues, such as poverty and hunger.
I do believe that the fashion industry, as it is today, has a harmful effect, because it values a minority of people in detriment to the majority. However, it has such a wide reach that, it put into a good use, it can save lives.
Fce example topic 1.
Your teacher has asked you to write your response to the following statement taken from a recent newspaper article:
Is it true that we help the environment when we plant a tree?
Write about:
Nowadays children are suffering from obesity, that was once considered to be meant for adults only. What are its causes and what solutions can be offered?
Is it better to be the oldest or the youngest in a family?
B2 first (fce) essay: tips.
How long should a b2 essay be.
You need to answer the question with between 140-190 words.
If an answer is too long, you may get a lower score. If you write 200 words, it’s not a problem. However, if you write 300 words, it’s a problem.
Yes! You must make a plan to organise your essay writing . On the day of the exam, you will be stressed and feel pressure. A plan is your way of organising you text and your thoughts.
Nothing… Well, almost nothing. In the past for every 5 words extra, they took away a point, however, now they do not. It is not good to go over 190 words because of time, but you can. I wouldn´t write more than 200 words because they will probably lower the mark they give you for content. They will determine some of it to be unnecessary.
You MUST use complex language at B2 level . You must use attention-grabbing vocabulary and a variety of grammar structures. The passive voice, relative clauses, modal verbs, conditionals, reported speech and inversions all count as COMPLEX grammar forms and you must use them. Otherwise, you can address academic experts and pay someone to write your paper if you need help to write an essay for you.
Introduction.
The trend nowadays is towards …. Over the past ten years or so the media have frequently carried reports of …. Recent research indicates that …. Hardly a week goes by without another report of ……….. appearing in the media. This raises the issue of whether …… Although most people would generally agree that ………… few would deny that ….
As I see it, It seems to me that ………… I would also say that …. I am convinced that …………… I am inclined to believe that ……………… There is no doubt in my mind that ……………… One of the drawbacks of ……. is ………. However, one of the benefits is that ………… Changing topic As regards the causes for this, ………….. Concerning the causes for this, ……… As for the causes, ………..
One justification is often given for ……….. is that…………….. Advocates/Proponents would claim that ……………… Those who object to …………….. often argue that ………………. Another objection is that …… However, it should not be forgotten that ………….. ……….. are opposed to ……………. on the grounds that …………….. From the point of view of …………….. According to ………………..
One factor which has led to ………… is ………….. One of the factors which has brought this about is ……… The problem often stems from ……………….. The situation has been exacerbated by ……………. ………….. has only made the situation worse. One consequence of ……………. is …………….
As regards the most appropriate response to this situation, one suggestion would be to ……… The first step to be taken would be to …….. To alleviate the situation people should ……….. In addition they ought to …………… To begin to tackle this situation society/individuals/the government need/s to This can only be dealt with if ………… To overcome this problem, ………….. Were the government to ……………, the situation would doubtless improve. Individuals can do a great deal to ………… The burden of responsiblity lies in the hands of …….. It is vitally important that ……… Legislation should be introduced to control …………….. It would be a grave error if we ……………..
All in all it seems to me that ……….. The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that ………………….. All things considered, …………. On balance, I tend to believe that ………… The world would surely be a better place to live in if ………….. If people stopped ….ing, we would have/ we could look forward to a …………… The prospects for the future will be bleak/grim unless ……………….
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Taking an essay exam.
You may often be asked in college to take essay exams. In certain ways, the same principles for writing good out-of-class essays apply to writing good in-class essays as well. For example, both kinds of essays are more successful when you take into consideration your purpose, audience and information; when you develop a thesis with support; when you prove your assertions with evidence; when you guide your readers with transitions, etc.
However, there are some differences to keep in mind as you prepare to write. The most important one is the purpose for writing. Usually you write a research paper, for example, to learn more about your selected topic; however, you write essay exams to demonstrate your knowledge. You are not only conveying information, but also proving to your audience--the examiner--that you have mastered the information and can work with it. In other words, your purpose is both informative and persuasive. Keeping this purpose in mind will help you both prepare for and write the essay.
Study connections between ideas. Your instructor is not looking for a collection of unrelated pieces of information. Rather, he or she wants to see that you understand the whole picture, i.e., how the generalizations or concepts create the framework for the specific facts, and how the examples or details fill in the gaps. So, when you're studying, try to think about how the information fits together.
Prepare practice questions. Try to prepare for questions that are likely to be asked. If your instructor has given you the questions themselves or a study sheet in advance, practice answering those questions. Otherwise, try to anticipate questions your instructor is likely to ask and practice those. At the very least, outline how you would answer the test questions; however, it's better to actually write out the answers. That way, you will know where you need to study more.
Again, while you're taking the exam, remember that it's not simply what you say or how much you say, but HOW you say it that's important. You want to show your instructor that you have mastered the material.
Plan your time. Although you will be working under pressure, take a few minutes to plan your time. Determine how many minutes you can devote to each answer. You will want to devote most of your time to the questions that are worth the most points, perhaps answering those questions first. On the other hand, you might want to answer first the questions that you are best prepared for.
Read the questions thoroughly. Take a few minutes before writing your essay to read the question carefully in order to determine exactly what you are being asked to do. Most essay exam questions, or "prompts," are carefully worded and contain specific instructions about WHAT you are to write about as well as HOW you should organize your answer. The prompt may use one or more of the following terms. If you see one of these terms, try to organize your essay to respond to the question or questions indicated.
classify: Into what general category/categories does this idea belong? compare: What are the similarities among these ideas? What are the differences? contrast: What are the differences between these ideas? critique: What are the strengths and weaknesses of this idea? define: What does this word or phrase mean? describe: What are the important characteristics or features of this idea? evaluate: What are the arguments for and against this idea? Which arguments are stronger? explain: Why is this the case? identify: What is this idea? What is its name? interpret: What does this idea mean? Why is it important? justify: Why is this correct? Why is this true? outline: What are the main points and essential details? summarize: Briefly, what are the important ideas? trace: What is the sequence of ideas or order of events?
Plan your answer. Jot down the main points you intend to make as you think through your answer. Then, you can use your list to help you stick to the topic. In an exam situation, it's easy to forget points if you don't write them down.
Write out your essay, using good writing techniques. As was said earlier, essay exams are like other essays, so use the same good writing strategies you use for other kinds of writing. Keep in mind that your purpose is to persuade your reader—the examiner—that you know the material.
First, create a thesis for your essay that you can defend. Often, you can turn the questions stated or implied on the exam into an answer and use it as your thesis. This sentence also functions as an introduction.
For example, suppose you are given the following prompt in your psychology class:
Define "procedural knowledge" and describe its relationship to the results of studies of amnesic patients.
The implied question is:
What is "procedural knowledge" and how is it related to the results of studies of amnesic patients?
Note how you can turn the answer to that implied question into the thesis of your exam essay. This paragraph might serve as your introduction.
"Procedural knowledge" is knowing how to perform a task, such as tying a shoe or driving a car, and studies of amnesia have shown that this type of knowledge or memory is often retained by amnesic patients. Even in amnesic patients who have lost most of their declarative memory capacity, the ability to form new procedural memories is often intact...
Then, proceed immediately to explain, develop, and support your thesis, drawing upon materials from text(s), lectures, and class discussions. Be sure to support any and all generalizations with concrete evidence, relevant facts, and specific details that will convince your reader that your thesis is valid. Make your main points stand out by writing distinct paragraphs, and indicate the relationship between them with transitions.
For example, in response to this prompt from a social work class,
Identify and give an example of four alternative solutions available in cases of family conflict.
a student wrote the following paragraph. Note the transition phrase and the generalization supported by specific evidence.
. . . The fourth alternative open in cases of family conflict is violence, and this is not an uncommon response. 25% of all homicides in the U.S. involve one family member killing another; half of these are spouse homicides. Violence usually takes one of two forms: explosive or coercive. Explosive violence is not premeditated. When the son takes and crashes the family car, for instance, the father may explode and beat him. Coercive violence, on the other hand, is pointed and intentional; it has the goal of producing compliance or obedience. Thus, a blow delivered with a threat not to repeat certain behaviors would be coercive. . . .
Finally, sum up your argument with a brief conclusion that lends your essay a clear sense of closure.
Proofread your answer. Reserve a few minutes after completing your essay to proofread it carefully. First, make sure you stick to the question. Always answer exactly the question asked without digressing. If you find you have digressed, neatly cross out the words or paragraphs. It's better to cross out a paragraph that is irrelevant (and to replace it with a relevant one if you have time) than to allow it to stand. In this context at least, quality is always preferable to quantity. Also check sentence structure, spelling and punctuation.
Produced by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Essay exams test you on “the big picture”-- relationships between major concepts and themes in the course. Here are some suggestions on how to prepare for and write these exams.
Learn the material with the exam format in mind.
Read carefully.
For more information on exam preparation and writing strategies, see our Exams pages.
Some suggestions in this handout were adapted from “ Fastfacts – Short-Answer and Essay Exams” on the University of Guelph Library web site; “Resources – Exam Strategies” on the St. Francis Xavier University Writing Centre web site; and “Writing Tips – In-Class Essay Exams” and “Writing Tips – Standardized Test Essay Exams” on the Center for Writing Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign web site
Last Updated: April 20, 2023
This article was co-authored by Michelle Golden, PhD . Michelle Golden is an English teacher in Athens, Georgia. She received her MA in Language Arts Teacher Education in 2008 and received her PhD in English from Georgia State University in 2015. This article has been viewed 137,980 times.
The dreaded essay exam. Whether you like it or not, at some point in your life you are certain to encounter an exam composed entirely of essays. In the days leading up to the exam you may feel anxious or downright sick to your stomach. Fortunately, with a little bit of preparation and practice, you can turn any pre-exam jitters into a feeling of confidence, which will allow you to successfully tackle any essay exam.
If you’re worried about an upcoming essay exam, start reviewing your class notes by topic. One helpful way to prepare for your essay exam is to create a potential outline for each theme. For example, if you’re studying Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, you might come up with an essay outline about the themes of the play. Once you have a few of these outlines, do practice essays at home under timed conditions, using old exams or questions you can see from your outline. Additionally, make it easier to prepare for future exams by attending all classes, doing the assigned readings and taking clear notes. Keep reading for more tips, including how to understand what the essay questions are asking of you. Did this summary help you? Yes No
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Exams are almost upon us, and a familiar sense of foreboding has settled over the campus. One exam element that can be particularly intimidating for some students is the timed essay: an exam question which demands a full essay on a topic that is typically revealed for the first time during the test. While these kinds of questions may seem scary, there are plenty of ways to make them easy for yourself. Read on for tips about how to prepare in advance of the exam and how to approach timed essays before, during, and after the writing process.
While Preparing for the Exam: Become familiar with the course content. If the professor hasn’t told you in advance what a timed essay prompt will be, it can be intimidating to think that you will have to write about a subject you’ve never seen before. However, this thinking process does not reflect the reality of the situation. In fact, even if your teacher hasn’t given you any hints about the essay question, you do know what it will be about: the concepts and ideas you’ve discussed in the course. Therefore, if you take the time to review your notes and ensure you understand everything that was discussed, it should be difficult for the essay question to catch you off guard. As soon as you read the question, relevant course concepts will start popping into your head, and you’ll just have to organize them into a coherent essay. Start planning if you can. Although the situation described above sometimes occurs, it’s also very common for professors to give their students a fairly detailed idea of what an essay question will involve in advance of the test day. (After all, professors want to mark high-quality essays written by well-prepared students!) This heads-up gives you a great chance to prepare for the exam. If you have the time, consider mapping out a possible essay in point form before the day of the exam arrives. Consider practicing writing under time pressure. You’ve probably written dozens of essays before--the only thing that sets a timed essay apart is that it’s timed. Students often struggle to complete the full essay within the time constraints, particularly if they have to write longhand when they’re accustomed to working on the computer. For this reason, it can be helpful to simulate the conditions of a timed exam before the actual day: pick a practice question, find some lined paper, set a stopwatch, and see how you do! Before You Start Writing: Read the question carefully. The most critical part of the essay-writing process actually happens before you write your first word. When you flip to the essay question, make sure you read it as carefully as you can, noting the difference between words such as ‘contrast’ and ‘analyze’ and highlighting any details which the professor specifically instructs you to include. It’s not uncommon for excellent essays to receive low marks because the student answered a question other than the one that was asked. Make a clear and specific plan. Some students react to the time pressure of essay exams by scribbling down their introduction as soon as they’ve read the question and figuring out their points as they go. While it might seem counter-intuitive, taking five or ten minutes before you start writing in order to draw up a plan will be an enormous time saver. Decide on your thesis, the topic of each paragraph, and the arguments which you intend to cover, then jot down some quick point-form notes. This process won’t take long, and, once you complete it, all that’s left will be to expand those notes into a well-organized essay. Without a clear plan, you run the risk of realizing partway through that you’ve drifted off topic or written yourself into a corner, and fixing these mistakes will consume a ton of extra time. Schedule a set time for each paragraph. On the topic of planning, it’s important to sketch out an idea of how long you want to spend on each section of your essay. (If you know the number of paragraphs you’ll need to write ahead of time, you can do this before the exam even starts!) Take note of the amount of time allotted for the exam and split it into reasonably-sized segments, leaving some time at the end for revision if possible. Without a schedule to follow, it’s easy to become too focused on a single paragraph and run out of time to finish the essay. While You’re Writing: Write clearly and double-space. This tip may seem basic, but it’s easy to forget and it can make a big difference. Both these measures won’t just make it easier for the marker to read your paper; they'll also help you write it. If you have time left at the end of the exam for review, having the ability to skim quickly through your work and write revisions in blank spaces will be incredibly helpful.
Keep yourself on schedule. Remember the paragraph-based schedule we discussed above? It’ll be useless if you don’t do regular check-ins during the exam. Keep an eye on the clock to ensure you’re always on track. If you realize that you’re falling dangerously behind schedule, it might be necessary to cut some arguments or examples you planned to include. Although making these omissions can be painful, it’s better to leave out a few points from one section than to leave out an entire paragraph because you ran out of time. Don’t worry too much about editing and revision before you finish. When composing essays, many students stop and read over each paragraph once they finish it, making sure that it’s well-written and free of errors before advancing to the next one. This approach is entirely logical when there’s no time pressure involved, but it can actually work against you during an exam. Perfecting paragraphs is a time-consuming process, and, if you spend too much time editing before the essay is finished, you might have to rush through the last few sections or leave them out entirely. For this reason, it’s best to focus on producing a complete first draft before you worry about edits and revisions.
After You’ve Finished Writing: Re-read the question and ensure you’ve addressed all parts. The most important part of writing an essay exam is ensuring that you’re answering the question was posed. Even if you made sure you were interpreting everything correctly before you began, you may have forgotten to address a subquestion or integrate an example as you were writing. Before you submit, read the prompt again and make sure your completed essay matches up! Edit if you have time. If you have enough time left over, read your essay again and make corrections. When you’re working under time pressure, it’s easy to make grammar mistakes or produce hard-to-follow sentences; the final few minutes are your chance to clean up those errors. Unless if you finished way ahead of schedule, don’t worry about major revisions like reorganizing the structure of the essay--it’s better to hand in an essay with an imperfect structure than a paper that’s impossible to follow because you had to stop halfway through the revision process.
Remember to have the right perspective. Once you hand your exam to the professor, relax! It’s easy to work yourself up after an essay exam when you didn’t get the chance to read your work over or you feel like your arguments were weak. However, it’s important to keep in mind that your professor understands the circumstances under which the essay was written. They’re fully aware of the time pressure you were dealing with, and they will judge your work far differently than they would judge a typical essay with a deadline set weeks after the assignment date. If you did your best to write a complete, clear, and insightful essay within the time allotted, you should have nothing to worry about. Best of luck during the upcoming exam season!
Source: Quick Meme
Last Updated: July 9, 2024 Fact Checked
This article was co-authored by Tristen Bonacci . Tristen Bonacci is a Licensed English Teacher with more than 20 years of experience. Tristen has taught in both the United States and overseas. She specializes in teaching in a secondary education environment and sharing wisdom with others, no matter the environment. Tristen holds a BA in English Literature from The University of Colorado and an MEd from The University of Phoenix. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 651,051 times.
Answering essay questions on an exam can be difficult and stressful, which can make it hard to provide a good answer. However, you can improve your ability to answer essay questions by learning how to understand the questions, form an answer, and stay focused. Developing your ability to give excellent answers on essay exams will take time and effort, but you can learn some good essay question practices and start improving your answers.
To write a good answer to an exam essay question, read the question carefully to find what it's asking, and follow the instructions for the essay closely. Begin your essay by rephrasing the question into a statement with your answer in the statement. Include supplemental facts and figures if necessary, or do textual analysis from a provided piece to support your argument. Make sure your writing is clear and to the point, and don't include extra information unless it supports your argument. For tips from our academic reviewer on understanding essay questions and dealing with testing nerves, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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Yes, you can! Many students mistakenly think that, because essay exams focus on analysis rather than memorization, they cannot really “study” for an essay exam. However, essay exams generally require you to pull together information from different parts of the course to create a coherent answer and to support an interpretation with specific examples. That is pretty hard to do well if you haven’t studied the course material! Indeed, there are a number of study strategies that are well-suited to preparing for an essay exam.
Essay exams require you to interpret a complex and often lengthy question, develop a coherent thesis statement that addresses this question, and write an essay that provides specific evidence to develop and support this thesis. And, it requires you to do all of this under time pressure.
Meeting these challenges will require that you study in ways that will allow you to recognize both the major themes and ideas of the course as well as the specific facts, events, authors, or examples that are associated with those themes.
Essay exams require you to show connections between details, to gather up the specifics and tie them together with the major themes of the course. One of the best ways to prepare for this is to create a study guide.
A study guide is a document that attempts to identify the major themes and synthesize information from different units or weeks of the course. In a study guide, you list information from different units together under thematic categories. Here are some tips on creating a good study guide.
Step 1 : Read through lecture notes and reading notes and list the main themes of the class. This is not a list of facts, dates, events or authors, but of themes and ideas. For example, in your History 1500, this would NOT be a list of events or dates. It would be themes: terror and the state, religion and terror, technology and terror. In English 1000, your list would NOT be a list of authors or books that you have read. Instead, it would be a list of themes that are common to them: literary techniques, self and society, gender etc.
Step 2 : Now go back and read through your notes again. This time, you are looking for details such as authors, key terms, events, and examples. Use these details to flesh out your study guide and to show how the details build your understanding of the themes.
Sample Study Guide for History 1500
Theme: Religion and Terror
Module: Witch Craze
Module: Crusades – List relevant examples
When professors write essay questions, they usually review the material they have covered and try to choose topics that will require students to bring together the major themes of the course. By guessing the questions that will be on the exam, you will engage in the same process. Look through your syllabus, lecture and reading notes, and study guide. What concepts or themes have been developed throughout the term? What questions would you ask if you were the professor?
While you are guessing the questions and preparing for an essay exam, it can be very helpful to consult previous exams in the course. While it is unlikely that a professor would use exactly the same questions again on your exam, it can be helpful to get a sense of the types of questions that have been asked in the past. Some professors share old exams with their classes. However, in classes where this is not the case, you can seek out sample questions from your textbook, syllabus, or assignment instructions. There are great online sources of sample questions from textbook publishers, but take caution when searching online. Some sites that crowdsource student work encourage acts of academic dishonesty; students should never share old exam questions or answers.
Trying to identify what questions might be on the exam is, of course, only one part of studying for the exam. You also need to try to create answers to these questions. You can do this by outlining answers. Begin with a clear thesis that addresses the question, and then create a section of the outline that develops each part of your thesis. Finally, add in specific examples that you would use to support your ideas in the appropriate section.
You can also write full answers to the essay questions you devise as you study. The act of writing will help you to remember the material, and although the identical question may not appear on the exam, you will usually be able to employ the connections and supporting details in a response that addresses similar issues.
One of the best ways to learn material is to talk about it with others. As you do, you deepen your understanding not only by having to explain concepts or themes to others but also by hearing their perspective on the central issues of the course.
While you will ultimately take an exam, and thus need to know course information, on your own, study groups can be a great supplement to independent study activities. Each group member could come prepared with one or two potential exam questions, and then other group members could try to answer them. Or, the entire group could review the course syllabus together and identify central themes or particularly challenging material. Through the process of discussing the information with others, you will increase your understanding and thus be studying for your essay exam.
I was an English teacher for many years, both at GCSE and A Level , and I found that students did best when they knew exactly what examiners wanted (and crucially, didn’t want) to see in any English essay. This guide will give you some of my top tips for success when it comes to achieving the top grade in any GCSE English Literature paper.
English Senior Content Creator
22 January 2024
Whichever exam board you are studying as part of your GCSE English Literature (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas or WJEC), or if you’re studying for an IGCSE (Edexcel or CIE), you will be required to write a long essay on at least one type of text. These texts could include a Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel, a modern text, or poetry, either from an anthology or unseen. Because some of these essay questions can be worth up to 40 marks (and therefore a huge chunk of your overall GCSE mark), it is vital that you have a good grounding in essay writing to get the top marks in your English Literature exam.
My experience also working as an examiner means that I have first-hand knowledge of the conversations that exam boards have with their individual examiners. The first thing to say is that examiners always want to give students credit: GCSE exams are “positively” marked, which means that they don’t deduct marks for mistakes. Instead, they start from the top of the mark scheme and fit students into a level, working down until they find a “best fit” between the student and a level.
So what? I hear you cry. Well, this means that if you - as a student - understand the English Literature mark scheme, and the assessment objectives, then you know exactly what you have to do to succeed. I always talked to my students about “thinking like an examiner”. The best way to do this is to look at the mark scheme on your exam board’s website. Even better, here at SME we have created student-friendly mark schemes, where we have “translated” them into everyday language. Here’s one for the Shakespeare essay question for AQA Paper 1.
This is a great question, and one my students always asked me! The simple answer is: not as long as you might think. A “good essay” is certainly not the same as a long essay. In fact, I drummed into my students a favourite phrase of mine: “write less, plan more”. Much like the writing questions in the GCSE English Language paper, it is a much better idea to write a shorter, well-planned essay than including everything you can possibly remember about the character or theme that has come up in the exam question. In fact, when I was an examiner, I was often instructed to mark an essay down a level if it was too long, because inevitably these hyper-long pieces of writing lost focus and became unstructured. A shorter essay, focused throughout on the exam question, will always do better than a 10-page mega-essay that includes as many points as a student can remember in the timeframe. I have seen a whole essay that is only four sides of A4 achieve full marks. As a result, it can be a good idea to spend at least 20-30% of your allocated time on planning your answer.
As already mentioned, planning can be the key to unlocking the very highest marks at GCSE. At SME, we have detailed, step by step guides on how to plan essays for Shakespeare , and also for the AQA GCSE English Literature 19-century novel (including A Christmas Carol ) and modern text (including An Inspector Calls ). However, before you start writing your essay, some great tips include:
Make sure you understand the exam question. Underline the key words of the question
Annotate the exam paper (this is especially great if you are answering an essay question that also includes an extract)
Establish your own argument, or viewpoint, based on the key words of the question
Write down your overarching argument (this is often called a “thesis statement”) at the top of your page
Select evidence that backs up your thesis statement (if you have been given an extract, try to select evidence from elsewhere in the text as well)
Based on your selected evidence, organise your argument into two or three main points (these will form your paragraphs)
A lot of schools and colleges teach students very specific paragraph structures, such as PEE, or PETAL. Although this can be a great way to learn how to write essay paragraphs, for the very highest marks at GCSE these rigid structures can be limiting. Exam boards say that they would prefer students to move away from PEE-style structures, because this allows students the space to be more “exploratory” and “conceptualised”: both of these words really mean that they want a lot more of that second “E” in PEE: explanation.
Overall, I always asked my students to follow this broad structure for any essay:
Introduction: for the very highest marks, this must include a thesis statement, or a summary of your overall argument
Paragraph 1: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence
Paragraph 2: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence
Paragraph 3: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence. Depending on the exam board, and question, this could include a counter-argument
Conclusion: This would make the case that the argument, as set out in the introduction, has been proved
Conclusions are tricky. Lots of English teachers have slightly different opinions on how to write conclusions for a GCSE English Literature essay. Some teachers might even say that it is not necessary to write a conclusion, but here at SME we always think it’s a great idea. This is because it really helps create what examiners call a “coherent response”: an argument that is focused all the way through, right to the end. Here are my top tips for writing a conclusion for a GCSE English Literature essay:
A conclusion should only summarise the proof you have provided for your argument
It only needs to be two or three sentences long
It should include the words of the question and your thesis statement
Remember, you do not get rewarded for including the same information twice, so try to be brief when summarising the points you made in the main body of your essay
At SME, we have lots of annotated model answers for GCSE English Literature questions, including one for Macbeth , and another for A Christmas Carol.
Here is an excerpt from our model answer on whether Lady Macbeth is a character who changes throughout the play:
Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a female character who changes dramatically over the course of the play: she changes from a ruthless, remorseless woman who is able to manipulate her husband, to one that is side-lined by Macbeth and, ultimately, totally consumed by guilt. Shakespeare is perhaps suggesting that unchecked ambition and hubris, particularly for women, have fatal consequences.
Here’s an excerpt from our model answer for A Christmas Carol on how Dickens presents the suffering of the poor:
In this extract, Dickens uses the two characters, Ignorance and Want, as an allegory, as they are symbolic of society’s cruelty towards the suffering of the poor. Dickens uses these two characters to expose the consequences of society’s greed and avarice. The children are first depicted as emerging from the spirit’s robe which underscores Dickens’s message of how poverty, and its devastating consequences, remain largely shrouded, unseen and ignored by society. Furthermore, Dickens’s imagery depicts the children as emaciated and wretched which induces both horror and pity in the reader.
For lots more model answers, tips and step by step guides, please do visit the GCSE English Literature pages of SME.
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Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.
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Cbse class 12 report writing format with examples: check format of report writing for cbse class 12 english. download cbse practice questions for report writing with marking scheme for cbse board exam 2025..
♦ Captures the reader’s attention with an interesting title [0.50 marks]
♦ Expresses the main topic with a strong sense of purpose [0.50 marks]
♦ Answers the questions 'what', 'why', 'when', 'who' and 'where' for the information required [1 marks]
♦ Uses a formal tone and appropriate vocabulary that is relevant to the context [0.50 marks]
♦ Fulfils the word count requirement [0.50 marks]
Award the full allotted marks for each criteria that meets the stated expectations.
Award half of the allotted marks for each criteria that needs improvement.
Award 0 marks for each criteria that does not meet the stated expectations.
Organisation
♦ Follows the correct format for a report (title, reporting place and date, introductory paragraph, descriptive paragraph and concluding paragraph) [0.50 marks]
♦ Presents information with the most important details appearing first [0.50 marks]
Language Mechanics
♦ Uses correct grammar, spelling and other language mechanics
Award the full allotted marks if there are only one or two minor errors.
Award half of the allotted marks if there is one major error.
Award 0 marks if there is more than one major error
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2. Draft a quick plan of the structure. Always, always, always plan your essays in an exam. Like… always. The kick of pure fear adrenaline when you start an exam can make it pretty tempting to get writing asap but save yourself a world of pain and take a few minutes to plan. You want to basically write down your thesis (probably one you've ...
Guide to Writing In-Class Essays. If allowed, bring a watch or clock so that you can keep track of how much time you have to complete the exam. Don't rely on the instructor or proctor to keep time for you, or depend on a clock being present in the testing room. If you are allowed to use notes or texts during the test, make annotations, margin ...
Most essay questions will have one or more "key words" that indicate which organizational pattern you should use in your answer. The six most common organizational patterns for essay exams are definition, analysis, cause and effect, comparison/contrast, process analysis, and thesis-support. Definition. Typical questions.
Come up with a thesis. Create an essay outline. Write the introduction. Write the main body, organized into paragraphs. Write the conclusion. Evaluate the overall organization. Revise the content of each paragraph. Proofread your essay or use a Grammar Checker for language errors. Use a plagiarism checker.
You must be realistic about the time constraints of an essay exam. If you write one dazzling answer on an exam with three equally-weighted required questions, you earn only 33 points—not enough to pass at most colleges. This may seem unfair, but keep in mind that instructors plan exams to be reasonably comprehensive.
Brainstorming and organizing. Turn to the last two pages of the blue book and sketch out your main idea and supporting points. Look for a central question in the prompt, and make sure the answer is clear in your thesis or main idea. Support that idea with information from the course such as names, dates, or facts, or use quotes.
Step 2: Have a clear structure. Think about this while you're planning: your essay is like an argument or a speech. It needs to have a logical structure, with all your points coming together to answer the question. Start with the basics! It's best to choose a few major points which will become your main paragraphs.
8. Proofread & Edit. After writing your essays, don't overlook the importance of proofreading and editing. Conduct a comprehensive review of your work to pinpoint any grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Effective editing ensures that your essays are clear, and error-free, and convey your ideas effectively. 9.
There are three main stages to writing an essay: preparation, writing and revision. In just 4 minutes, this video will walk you through each stage of an acad...
An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates. In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills. Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence ...
Follow the simple exam essay technique steps below to plan and write a clear, structured essay, even under time pressure. Your exam essay plan. Your exam essay plan is a key first step is to give your essay a clear structure and arrange your main points into a logical order, but it is important not to spend more than 10 minutes on it as it ...
Planning 1: Address the question. If you are writing for a class assignment or an exam, it is crucial that you address the question given. Adequate planning (five minutes is better than nothing) will keep you on track. Start by breaking the question down into its parts. There will usually be two or three aspects to the question.
B2 First (FCE) Essay: Tips. Plan your essay before you write. Make sure you know how to comment on all the points that are asked. Invent information if you don't have any ideas. Divide the essay into paragraphs - put one answer in one paragraph. Use advanced vocabulary when you can and formal language.
Finishing the Exam. Proofread your answer. Reserve a few minutes after completing your essay to proofread it carefully. First, make sure you stick to the question. Always answer exactly the question asked without digressing. If you find you have digressed, neatly cross out the words or paragraphs.
Plan the essay first. Use the first 1/10 to 1/5 of time for a question to make an outline or concept map. Organize the plan around a central thesis statement. Order your subtopics as logically as possible, making for easier transitions in the essay. To avoid going off topic, stick to the outline as you write. Hand in the outline.
A good essay should have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. 2. Outline your answers. Keeping your topics in mind (from the review stage), draft an outline to potential essay questions. Try to come up with a topic sentence and then arrange your supporting material, underneath, using bullet points.
Take note of the amount of time allotted for the exam and split it into reasonably-sized segments, leaving some time at the end for revision if possible. Without a schedule to follow, it's easy to become too focused on a single paragraph and run out of time to finish the essay. Write clearly and double-space.
Contains some 30 IDs & 6 Essay Questions for study in advance: Students are assured that all Examination IDs and the Essay are on the Study Sheet. The Examination Format (Bring a Blue-Book): Part I: 4 of 7 IDs: 5 Minutes each = 20 minutes: 10 pts each = 40%. Part II: Essay (1 of 1): 30 Minutes = 60 pts = 60%.
Start with an introductory paragraph, use 3 paragraphs in the body of the article to explain different points, and finish with a concluding paragraph. It can also be really helpful to draft a quick outline of your essay before you start writing. 3. Choose relevant facts and figures to include.
In this lesson you can learn how to write an essay for the Cambridge FCE exam, step by step.You'll see exactly what to do at each stage and how to get the be...
Your pen should be ideally held between your thumb, index and middle fingers. If you are gripping too tightly, or in an unusual position, then this is going to give you hand cramp. The best way to improve your writing technique and increase your handwriting speed in timed conditions is by practising writing your answers within a set time limit ...
Can you study for an essay exam? The challenge of essay exams. Study Strategy 1: Create a study guide. Study Strategy 2: Try to guess the questions. Study Strategy 3: Study from old exams. Study Strategy 4: Outline or write possible answers. Study Strategy 5: Study in a group.
Make sure you understand the exam question. Underline the key words of the question. Annotate the exam paper (this is especially great if you are answering an essay question that also includes an extract) Establish your own argument, or viewpoint, based on the key words of the question. Write down your overarching argument (this is often called ...
Report Writing Questions for CBSE Class 12: Report writing in CBSE Class 12 is an important part of the English syllabus under the writing skills section.It tests students' ability to describe ...