Essay Writing
Planning an exam essay in three or four minutes, the introduction-body-conclusion shape, topic sentences and linking words, staying on the prompt, and a worked plan with an annotated opening paragraph.
What you will be able to do
- Produce a one-line plan — thesis, two or three points, a counter-point, conclusion — in three or four minutes.
- Build each body paragraph around a topic sentence that supports the thesis.
- Keep the essay on the exact prompt, including the balanced view a 'discuss' prompt asks for.
- Judge a thesis, a supporting point or an out-of-place sentence against the prompt.
What is inside this lesson
- 1The task
- 2Planning in three or four minutes
- 3Introduction, body, conclusion
- 4Staying on the prompt
- 5Worked example: plan and opening
- 6Common faults
- 7Quick revision
- 8Practice
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The task
The essay prompt gives a topic and a word range, usually 200 to 300 words. It may ask you to discuss, to give your view, to weigh advantages and disadvantages, or to consider causes and solutions. The wording tells you the shape the answer must take.
In about twenty minutes you cannot write a great essay, but you can write a clear one: a stated position, a few ordered reasons with an example each, a fair nod to the other side, and a short conclusion. Clarity and structure score; length and vocabulary do not rescue a shapeless answer.
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