How to write a good essay in exam conditions PLEASE HELP!

This is something I'm really struggling with at the moment. I know the material: it's just forming an essay that is coherent and says enough. If anyone can give me any essay writing tips I'd be really grateful. It seems that as soon as I write on paper I lose my mind! lol. I've got into the habbit of planning but I can't say it's helping massively. My problem is more how to structure what I say. I'm aware of the PEE thing but I'm okay with that element (I think)...

Are there any general rules or any advice that can help? I'd like to take a few basic tips into the exam with me.

English is really important to me. I'm resiting in January and I've done a lot of work to try to prepare: I'm just not up to standard on my essays. It's a bit 'hit and miss' lol. I seem to go from high A to low C. Please can someone help?

Thanks in advance :smile:

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Reply 1

princessnemo

well, ive got the same problem, but my teachers have been helping a lot. Basically when you read the question highlight what the examiner is asking and keep relating to it... like Q) Describe the conditions in which the chimney sweeper is surviving in ''Nurse's Song''.

What i would do is start for example talking about the conditions of the people at the time, then go on talking about the chimney sweeper specifically, giving quotes where apropriate and at the end of every paragraph stating how it relates to the CONDITIONS of the CHIMNEY sweeper.

hope thats helped

Reply 2

Ywiss

1. Read the question three billion times.

2. Try and break it down into separate parts. This will help you get a structure for your question. E.g. if the question is "Analyse the presentation and importance of Uncle Peter in Frayn's "Spies"", then you know you have to split your essay into two parts: presentation and importance.

3. Think of 4 or 5 key ideas and write them down.

4. Try and order the ideas so that your strongest idea is at the beginning, then your 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc, and finally your 2nd strongest at the end. This is to ensure that your essay ends with a bang, but that you've also got your strongest idea in there should you happen to run out of time.

5. Now it's time to write your introduction. It's a good idea to think of a rough outline for how you're going to introduce your essay before the exam actually starts. Try and sum up the novel/play/poem in a couple of sentences. Then, basically say how brilliant the question is. If it's a theme, say how wonderful a theme it is, because it has such great importance in the novel/play/poem. If it's a character, he or she is also very important. If an extract, how this extract is so important because it introduces/explores/summarises (depending on whether it's taken from the beginning/middle/end) the main themes of the text/what the author is trying to say.

6. Then begin each paragraph with an opening sentence. Something like, "The author develops the theme of blah through striking imagery."

7. Now, recite after me: Make a point, prove the point (through a quotation), relate the point to the question. Repeat.

8. At the end of the paragraph, simply summarise what you've been saying in that paragraph: "In this way, it can be seen that the theme of blah is developed through the powerful images of birds and trees."

9. Now, rinse and repeat for your other four or five points.

10. Then for your conclusion, sum up by saying something like "Therefore this theme is very important, as it illuminates blah, contributes to blah, and helps to develop several key ideas." Finally, try and say something general about the whole text - something like, "The theme of blah makes the text very evocative and powerful."

11. Put down your pen. Smile smugly.

:biggrin:

Hope this helps!
xxx

Reply 3

sdawood

I always find that I learn things better when I see them done, so I will walk through my approach with a question. Writing, however, is incredibly stylistic and I find that the best way to improve ones writing is to practice. A lot. This example is also based on a take-home essay rather than an exam essay, but many, if not all principles, still stand.

Let us suppose you have an essay along the lines of 'Discuss the importance of setting in [work xyz]'

Understand the Question: What is the focus of the argument?
The importance of Setting.

Plan
Spend some time thinking about what you are going to say. Take the question, and think about the key terms in it and how they are presented in the work. What is interesting about setting in the work? How does it affect the characters? Where is it? And so on. In an exam, it is important to trust yourself and stick to your plan.

Illustrate your understanding by defining anything technical: the simplest term has multiple meanings. Define anything relavant to keep your writing tight.
Define setting: metaphysical setting, physical setting, spiritual setting? It is up to you.

Introduce the idea: only say what is necessary to introduce
You can open with a quote, give a tiny blurb that states the question within it (one liner, such as 'setting is integral but what importance does it hold blah blah'), then state you view on the argument.

The evidence: support everything.
Make a claim, support it with evidence from the text. Then, expand on how the evidence supports the claim, which then supports your arguments. Rinse and Repeat.

Conclusion(s)
Not only should you wrap up your ideas and argument here, but you should look at the bigger picture. What does this all say about setting? Think outside the box: you can make those wild claims here if you have the evidence to support it. Think of it as connecting the dots: everything links together to create a bigger idea, perhaps something such as 'the setting in this work illustrates the power of nature and it's influance on man, but moreover, it gives light to man's resistance to change.' This section of your essay is important: it is the difference between a good essay, and a phenomenal essay.

Stylistic things to do during the process:

•

Avoid sweeping generalizations (ex. chivalry is dead)

•

Avoid filler content (ex. very good, test of time)

•

Use varied diction and grammar

Of course, this can all be done by proof reading your essay when you are done.

Good Luck.

Reply 4

Aimai

Thanks ever so much for these replies! This is really helpful. :-) If you have any more tips at all it would be really apprechiated. :biggrin:

Thanks again! xxx

Reply 5

desmondmac

Hey one of you guys said somethign about listing five main points, my problem is that i never have THAT many points i can think of. I normally have one instant reaction to the question, start with that, and then i find something comes to me as a i write. To get good grades do you have to have a large number of points. In timed essays I have only ever managed 4 paragraphs...Intro..point 1..point 2..conclusion.

Reply 6

Ywiss

desmondmac

Well, it depends how deep and profound your points are, to be honest. If they're the most amazing points ever thought of in the history of mankind, with many different layers, branching off into different aspects, then that's brill. If not, well, you might want to consider thinking of perhaps just one more point? Just to make it three, if you can - it just seems better - as if you have more ideas.

But to be honest, if you write coherently and grammatically, with reference to the question, referring all the time to brief quotations from the text, have a logical structure, cover all the main plot areas of the text and generally display an enjoyment and interest in the text, you'll be fine. Everyone's different :biggrin:

Reply 7

desmondmac

Yeh i do tend to go to town with those two points lol...assessing alternatives meanings and what not. Despite only having two points i do write like 4 pages, i just wonder if they want a range of things discussed, even if the depth analysis gets slightly shallow? But yeh thanks I'll try for more, i guess it would depend on the question.

Reply 8

kellywood_5

Read the question carefully several times and underline/highlight key words. Make a plan and find some quotes. In the introduction, briefly answer the question. Have a paragraph for each main point that's backed up by quotes and related back to the question in some way. Try to link your paragraphs so your essay flows nicely. In the conclusion, try to find a way of summing up your main arguments without just repeating yourself.

Reply 9

Kidders

I always find that plans seem to waste my time in an exam! That's not to say i don't do a really, really basic one...

So if i had a question like, "Look again at 'The Oven Bird', with careful reference to this poem from Section 1 of the Anthology, show how Robert Frost writes about time and change." Consider How the language used conveys Frost's ideas and Frost's use of structure and organisation (AQA website)

I would jot down a plan something like this:

. Intro - describe briefly Oven bird poem and the second poem i choose.
. Ideas conveyed in OB
. " " 2nd poem
. Language used in OB
. " " 2nd poem
. Structure and organisation in OB
. " " 2ND POEM
.Conclusion

I end up with 8 paragraphs, no idea what i'm going to write until i put it onto paper but slightly more time! lol! I am really umprepared for my exam on Thursday :frown:

Reply 10

Aimai

candy_foss

I always find that plans seem to waste my time in an exam! That's not to say i don't do a really, really basic one...
I am really umprepared for my exam on Thursday :frown:

Heya,

I never used to really plan, other than to jot down a few random ideas but recently I've been told to plan. What I'm finding is sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't! lol.

Good luck with your exam on Thursday. Mine's Wednesday (next week) so are you taking something different? (lol I'm curious). Sometimes you can be too prepared, which is how I feel. I think I knew it and now I've kind of ruined how I write.

Thanks to all for help btw. I really apprechiate it :smile:

Reply 11

The best advice is to practise, practise, practise and then practise some more. Writing essays in exam conditions is not easy, it takes getting used to, you should aim to write 4 or 5 timed essays (without using notes) before the exam. Then you'll get used to the time constraints, organising your thoughts and writing the essay. Rather than write an essay plan i would write down the notes from my revision which were necessary to answer the question. As i'd been revising up until the point i went into the exam the quotes or lines of poetry were still fresh in my mind, by writing them down they not only remind you later of what you have to cover but also make sure you don't forget any quotes. It takes about 60 seconds to scribble down enough notes to get you through the exam and its well worth it. (I would generally write this down on the question paper, rather than leaving scruffy notes at the top of the answer paper).

Reply 12

Kidders

Aimai i'm doing AQA Lit and Lang paper unit 1 (resit) I don't really need to resit the exam as i got an A overal, but felt that i could (possibly) improve upon the C i got in this module (messed up in the exam and knew it)

I don't feel like i know all the texts well enough, i did last year but have now forgotten and needless to say they are the dullest texts in the anthology! I just can't bring myself to do a timed essay, i know i should but i can never do them properly at home, always get distracted some way or another!

I think my final bit of revision will be to read the texts (again) and then forget about them for a while! No point over stressing!! :redface:

Random question but someone might know.. Any idea when, roughly, i will find out the result of my resit?

Reply 13

kellywood_5

candy_foss

Random question but someone might know.. Any idea when, roughly, i will find out the result of my resit?

The results of January exams come out sometime in March and schools get the results a week before the official slips come through from the exam boards via EDI, but it's probably up to them whether or not you get them early.

Reply 14

Kidders

kellywood_5

March

That's ages away! lol! Oh well For some reason i thought it would be quicker for the resit papers because there are less people doing them?! Maybe? Oh well i guess March is far enough away for me not to worry over it then!

Reply 15

Marianne

If you are making plans ok and you can structure your essay but not your paragraphs ("My problem is more how to structure what I say") then it may help to do what I do.

I work to something that my English lecturer DRILLED into my head during two years of A level:

Statement- Quotation- Effect.

e.g.

The use of imagery in this passage is a dramatic device ("lightning ripped across the sky, highlighting the hollowed features of Jack's face") which echoes the tempestuous nature of Jack's personality and permits the audience a brief flash of insight into the character.

I don't know if this will be helpful to you but it's certainly something I struggled with at A level English.

Reply 16

o-frank-o

Could anyone perhaps help me out with the introduction of an essay, i always struggle to make these effective; usually stemming off to some stream of sentences i think sounds pretty 'nifty' and realising later, when my essay is handed back, it is rather pointless and also rather crap. hah.

I have read the above posts, and thankyou they were extremely helpful, but..
Just the typical structure for an introduction?

thank a lot
franky
xx

Reply 17

kellywood_5

If there are any key terms in the question, you could define them. Otherwise just briefly outline what your essay will include, but try not to make it sound too childish, eg 'In this essay, I am going to.....' You probably know this already, but avoid using 'I' in essays. You could perhaps use something like 'In order to answer the question, it will be necessary to examine....' instead.

Reply 18

Rosie_Fairy

If you know what texts you're going to be studying in the exam, i always have an introduction already plannmed, write it out repeatedly, and then am sorted, as i know it will take up far less time in the exam. (For me just getting started with an essay is the hardest bit!)

Introduction structure:
I always start by introducing the texts (e.g. for Tom Brown/Harry Potter) When they were written, who by and a basic (very basic) synopsis of the plot.

Example: Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone was written by J.K Rowling and was first published in 1997. It is the first in a series of seven novels chronicling the fictional tale of Harry Potter, a boy who attends a wizarding boarding school, Hogwarts. Tom Browns Schooldays was written by Thomas Hughes in 1857 and is a semi-autobiographical tale about Tom Brown, growing up in a public boarding school, Rugby. This theme of boarding schools is the first of many similarities between the two texts.....

(by having that last sentence it ensures the intro links to the rest of the essay and isn't a separate entity!)