Recommended Reading
You know the score. You sit and anxiously wait to be told that it’s time to turn over the paper and begin the exam. You have one hour to write an essay on a question of your choice. The girl at the desk next to you has chosen her question and has already started scribbling frantically. All around you heads are down and pencils are scratching. It’s a race against the clock. During a practice paper you did just that. A question jumped out at you at being the ideal question and eager to get something of worth down on the paper you didn’t stop to think about the structure of your essay. It ended up a big muddle of non-coherent ideas that didn’t flow in a clear argument and you weren’t awarded the grade that you deserved. So what is the answer to writing an essay that is going to tap the reader on the shoulder and make them sit up?
Structure. A well-thought out, structured response is the key in helping you reach those top grades. So how do you structure your essay in the little time that you have?
It is imperative that you spend 5-10 minutes planning your response. Don’t panic that this is eating up valuable writing time – after all what you put down on the paper after this time will be a lot more thought out and will show a clear flow of rational ideas that link. Spend a few moments bullet-pointing what it is you want to say, ensuring that you take a minute to remember all of the assessment objectives you need to tick off. Here is a recommended structure for a timed essay:
Introduction:
- Briefly summarise your response to the question you have chosen.
- In one sentence you can clearly sum up what it is that you are going to say in the remainder of the essay. For example;
‘Taking a close look at the poems of Ted Hughes, it becomes clear that a number of poetic techniques have been used to effectively convey a sense of desperation and despair.’
- Avoid retelling the story of the text you are studying or explaining in too much detail what is happening in the poem. The examiner wants to read YOUR response to the text and will already know the material about which you are writing.
Following Paragraphs:
- The layout of your essay is key. Dividing what you want to say into paragraphs shows that you are thinking about the question in an intelligent, mature and rational way. For each new idea, begin a new paragraph. It’s easy to forget – especially in timed conditions!
- Be concise in your writing and ALWAYS back up your ideas with quotations or ideas from the text. My advice is always thus:
- Make a point or express an opinion, find an example in the text to back up your idea and then briefly explain how this supports your argument and response to the question. Always refer back to the question.
- In following paragraphs you may wish to discuss some of the following:
∙ What poetic techniques can I see that help convey meaning?
∙ Are there metaphors, similies, use of personification etc that help to create a sense of something. Can I find any examples?
∙ How is the language being used? What does the syntax and structure of the text suggest? How does it add to the meaning of the text?
∙ What is the target audience meant to feel or experience whilst reading?
∙ What images, messages and emotions exist behind the text. What feeling does this help to create?
∙ What is your opinion? Examiners always want to hear YOUR thoughts and YOUR voice come through the essay.
Conclusion:
Sum up your main argument and what you have shown in your response to the question. Again, keep this brief.
- Perhaps you can link this to a wider issue, or compare it to other work or texts you have studied.
- What would you find interesting if you took this idea further? Close your essay with something for the reader to ponder or digest.
In short – keep it concise, and PLAN what you are going to write in the first 5 minutes of your time. Don’t panic, you know all there is to know and you have the text in the exam to guide you. Simply take a moment to stop, breathe and gather your thoughts before you begin. Good luck!
