TEN KEYS TO WRITING THE
ESSAY
Key 1: Budget your time carefully.
You have only a half hour in which to complete your work. You
should use your time more or less as shown below:
Reading and thinking about the topic 2-3 minutes
Planning and taking notes 2-3
minutes
Writing the essay 20
minutes
Checking the essay 3-5
minutes
Key 2: Read the question carefully.
You must write on the topic exactly as it is given, so be
sure that you understand it. If you write about another topic, you won’t
receive a score at all. If you don’t completely address the topic, you will
receive a lower score.
Key 3: Brainstorm.
Before you begin to write, spend a minute or two
“brainstorming”. Think about the topic and the best way to approach it.
Remember: There is no “correct” answer for the writing section question. You
can choose to support any position as long as you can adequately support your
choice. Jot down any ideas you have while you’re brainstorming.
Specific examples are given to make the thesis statement seem
stronger and more believable to the reader. The conclusion evaluates and
summarizes the material that is in the body. It provides the reader with a
sense of closure – the feeling that the essay is really finished, not that the
writer simply ran out of time.
Key 4: Plan your essay before you write.
You don’t have to write out a formal outline with Roman
numerals, capital letters, and so on. However, you should make some notes. By
following your notes, you can organize your essay before you write, leaving you
free to concentrate on the task of writing.
When making notes, don’t worry about writing complete,
grammatical sentences; use abbreviations if possible. The point of taking notes
is to simply get your ideas down on paper as quickly as possible.
Key 5: Be sure your handwriting is as clear and legible as possible.
Handwriting that is hard to read may unconsciously prejudice
the readers who are grading your essay. Be sure your handwriting is not too
small or too large. The exact plan of organization you use depends on the type
of topic you are given. The following patterns could be used for the two main
types of topic commonly given. Of course, these are not the only patterns that
could be used in writing essays, but they are effective plans for organizing your
ideas.
Key 6: Follow a clear, logical organization.
All essays should consist of three basic parts: an
introductory paragraphs, a body that consists of two or three paragraph. You
need to include all of these elements in your essay. The introduction states
the main idea of the essay in one sentence called the thesis statement and may
provide some background about that idea. The body develops the main idea
brought up in the introduction.
TOPIC TYPE A:
CONTRAST/ OPINION
Introduction: Paragraph 1: Present the two sides of the
issue; give a brief amount of background information.
Body: Paragraph 2: Discuss the negative side
of the issue; give examples.
Paragraph 3: Discuss the positive side
of the issue; give examples.
Conclusion: Paragraph
4: Express your own opinion about the issue; give specific reasons for your
decision.
TOPIC B: EXPLAIN THE
IMPORTTANCE OF A DEVELOPMENT, INVENTION OR PHENOMENON.
Introduction: Paragraph 1: Explain what development you have
chosen to write about and why.
Body: Paragraph 2: Discuss one aspect pf why
this development is important; give examples.
Paragraph 3: Discuss another aspect of why this development is
important; give examples.
Conclusion: Paragraph
4: Summarize the points made in Paragraphs 2 and 3.
Key 7: Use concrete examples and specific reasons.
Whenever you make a general statement, you should support it
with specific examples. Don’t just say, “Computers are important to modern
business.” Give specific examples of how computers can benefit businesses. If
you state an opinion, give reasons. Don’t just say, “I believe television is
harmful to children.” Explain exactly why you think television hurts children.
Key 8: Use signal words to indicate transitions.
Signal words can be used to join paragraph and sentence to
sentence. These words make your essay clearer and easier to follow. Some of
these expressions and their meanings are given below.
Expressions Used to List Points, Examples,
or reasons
First example or reason
First…
The first example is …
The first reason it …
To show contrast
However,…
On the other hand,…
Nevertheless,…
To show a conclusion
Therefore,…
Consequently,…
To show similarity
Likewise,…
Similarly,…
To begin a concluding paragraph
In
conclusion,…
In summary, …
Examples of the Use of Signal Words
I agree with the idea of stricter gun
control for a number of reasons. First, statistics show that guns are not very
effective in preventing crime. Second, accidents involving guns occur
frequently. Finally, guns can be stolen and later used in crimes.
I believe that a good salary is an important
consideration when looking for a career. However, the nature of the work is
more important to me. Thus, I would not accept a job that I did not find
rewarding.
Foe me, the reasons for living in an urban
area are stronger than the reasons for living in a rural community. Therefore,
I agree with those people.
Additional examples or reasons
Second,… (Third, Fourth)
A second (third, fourth)
example is that…
Another example is…
Another reason is…
In addition,…
Furthermore,…
Moreover,…
Final examples or reasons
Finally,…
To give individual examples
For
example,..
For
instance,…
To
give a specific example,…
X
is an example of Y,…
You should also vary sentence structures.
Begin some sentences with prepositional phrases or subordinate clauses.
Examples of various sentence types
Instead of…
I
agree with this idea for several reasons.
Try…
For
several reason, I agree with idea.
Instead of…
I
support idea A even though idea B has some positive attributes.
Try…
Even
though idea B has some positive attributes, I support idea A
Who believe it is an advantage to live in a
big city.
Key 9: Use a variety of sentence types.
Good writing in English consists of a more
or less equal balance between short, simple sentences consisting of only one
clause and longer sentences containing two or more clauses. Therefore, make an
effort to use sentences of various lengths.
Key 10: Check your essay for errors.
Allow a few minutes to proofread the essay.
However, don’t make any major changes at this time. Don’t cross out long
sections or try to add a lot of new material. Look for obvious errors in
punctuation, spelling, and capitalization as well as common grammatical
mistakes: subject-verb agreement, wrong tense, incorrect use of plurals,
incorrect word forms, and so on.. if you have ever taken a writing class in
English, look at the corrections the teacher made on your papers to see what
types of mistakes you commonly make, and look for these.