Archive for October, 2014
Task A Essay Structure
If this exam is important to you, you should try to leave nothing to chance. Excessive creative freedom can be a liability. You never know what your brain is going to come up with when you open that test booklet.
For this reason it’s important to have a premade essay structure which you can build around. Here is a very simple one which can help you channel your thoughts and get full marks.
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Preparations:
- From the 5 comments given on the paper, pick one you understand.
- Make it your title.
- Agree with it (It’s easier. If you can’t agree then you don’t understand. Pick another.)
- Spend some time planning your argument before you start writing. The faster your handwriting the more time you can spend thinking. I personally spend 15 minutes planning and 15 writing, but don’t get hung up on this.
How To Choose An Essay Title
I always advocate choosing an essay title based on one of the five given comments. Choose one and make it your essay title. Which one do you choose? The one you understand the best.
All the big marks on the exam go for three things:
- Showing you understand the quote you are responding to
- Demonstrating that you’ve thought deeply about it
- Communicating those thoughts in a clear and structured manner
Taking one of the given quotes to be your essay title forces you to respond to it directly. It infuses your writing with this specific focus and prevents you from losing marks for wandering off topic.
Below is an essay sent in by a student. Have a read of it, and afterwards I will explain how it could be improved by further developing the principles I just explained. More…