Writing an essay with a strict time limit is tricky. Be sure you allot a certain amount of time to each stage of the writing process. This will allow you to keep track of the speed at which you need to be working and will help you to finish your essay before time is up. If you are given an hour to write your essay, give yourself 10 minutes to understand your topic, brainstorm ideas and briefly plan your essay, 5 minutes to write an introduction, 10 minutes to write each of the 3 body paragraphs, 5 minutes to write a conclusion and use the last 10 minutes to reread, edit and make improvements.
During your allotted time, consider these tips for your essay:
Be sure to answer the question.
Read the question carefully and be sure you are providing information in your essay which directly relates to your topic or the question being asked of you. To ensure you are on track to properly answering the question, refer back to the question throughout the answer.
A Good Introduction.
Give a short and concise summary of the main points which you will make. Be sure you do not go into too much detail and then end up repeating yourself in the main body of your essay. Consider beginning your essay with short sentences, instead of complex sentences in order to help you clearly express your thoughts.
Have a Plan.
Creating a plan for your essay will give you a chance to collect your thoughts and help you to not forget any key arguments you want to make. You need not get into too much detail when creating a plan; it is advisable to just write keywords and phrases in the planning stage.
Develop Your Argument.
Consider three main steps:
1. Come up with a basic statement or argument.
2. Explain your statement, while being sure to highlight its relation to the question. Even if you believe the explanation is obvious, you should still include it in your essay.
3. Elaborate on your point. Give specific examples, facts or quotes, or provide further explanation and details in order to develop your ideas.
End Strong.
In your conclusion you should summarize your main points and decide which is the most significant or the most relevant. Try not to repeat exactly what you have already stated in your essay, instead add something new. For example, in your conclusion you could state and justify why an idea is particularly strong.
How much should you write?
There is no easy answer to the proper length of your exam essay. Write as much as you can in the time you have to complete the essay, but be sure to only write the information which is relevant to your topic. In general, the more you write the better chance you have of getting more good points across to your reader. Don’t stop writing in the middle of developing a thought because you think you have written too much and don’t repeat what you have already said because you think you need to write more.
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This article was written for you by Mia, one of the tutors with Test Prep Academy.