Handling Essay Questions
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009Writing an essay in an exam is very different from writing an essay for a class assignment or a coursework. When you sit for an exam you do not have the privilege to research and choose an essay topic of your interest and potential. You are required to produce an A level essay within a time limit without the leisure of writing and rewriting various drafts. This makes the task of essay writing a challenging experience, which can be handled with care if you are adept at handling essay questions.
You can make your nightmare of writing an exam essay vanish if you are aware of the basic strategies that are required to write a good exam essay.
Follow the Instructions Carefully: You will have different types of essay questions choice in your exam. You must read the instructions carefully as choices may not necessarily be to the point. There might be internal choices, or external choice with a compulsory question or any other criteria of choice. Many students get panicked with the shortage of time and miss important aspects that govern their
Choose the right essay question: Choosing the right essay topic from the array of essay choice is also another important determinant in your grading and effective essay writing. Sometimes choices are easy as you can pick questions you are prepared with, but that must not be the only determinant factor. Read the question carefully deciding whether or not is it time consuming, too general for a given space or too specific for your knowledge. Double check your essay choices before you begin writing.
Extract the Key word in the question: Do not dash into writing the moment you see a topic your are familiar and comfortable with. Often you may come across aspects from a well known topic that you may be only vaguely familiar of. Also, examine the question for its keyword. You must know if the question asks for a descriptive essay, an analytical essay or an argument essay. The keywords of these questions are: examine, elaborate, comment, criticize.
Make a rough Essay outline: write the keywords that triggers your writing process and keep it in the required direction. An essay outline is a must when writing an exam essay as you will have very little time to retrieve information at the right time. An essay outline helps you organize your jumbled thoughts which can be elaborated in your essay when required.
Writing your essay: When writing your essay bear in mind that your first draft is your final. keep your handwriting legible. Avoid using colloquial language, jargon and shorthand for names etc.You must be careful with the choice of words, tone and language in your essay as exam essay have little scope of editing and proofreading.
