The ability to competently and intelligibly convey their thoughts in the format of an essay is checked during the exam. What criteria should the texts meet? Is there a difference in the structure and content of the ordinary essay and the exam paper? We are going to answer these questions.
How to write an exam essay
The exam essay is a creative work that students write to show their writing skills. Limited time is allotted for work. Usually, there are no restrictions on the maximum volume for the exam essay, but the minimum is limited: the text should not be less than 250 words. If the student does not reach the lower threshold, they will receive a low grade.
If you want to be well-prepared for the exam essay, it is advisable to get acquainted with samples. They can serve as perfect essay help because they will show you how to deal with writing correctly. You will see how to structure your paper, cite courses, and what theses and arguments to use in your writing.
The composition of the exam essay:
- Introduction (3-4 sentences).
- Argument #1 (100 words/6-8 sentences).
- Argument #2 (100 words/6-8 sentences).
- Conclusion (75 words/3-5 sentences).
Criteria for evaluating the exam essay
There are five of them; the first two criteria are the main ones. If the paper does not correspond to these two mandatory points, a student doesn’t get a good grade.
- Compliance with the topic of the direction.
It is necessary to write strictly on the topic and not go sideways in your reasoning. Arguments are given in support of the prompt that you have chosen. This criterion aims at checking the content of the essay. The student must discuss the proposed topic, choosing the way of its disclosure.
- Argumentation with the involvement of material.
The meaning of an essay is to confirm one’s statements, using reliable sources as examples. The student must build reasoning on the topic, involving at least two sources for argumentation and choosing their own way of using the material.
- Composition and logic of reasoning.
The criterion implies compliance with the semantic division into paragraphs, the logical sequence of the presentation of thoughts, as well as a constructive proof of one’s opinion. The student must argue the expressed thoughts, trying to maintain the relationship between the thesis and evidence.
- The quality of writing.
In the exam essay, you need to use a variety of grammatically, syntactically, and lexically correctly built speech constructions. The student must accurately express thoughts, using a variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures; if necessary, it is appropriate to use terms and avoid speech clichés.
- Literacy.
You won’t get a high grade if you make a lot of mistakes. Speech errors are not taken into account in this criterion. The grade as a whole for the entire exam essay is given if the result is positive according to the first two mandatory criteria and at least one of the other three.
Directions and topics of the exam essay
Each year, new directions are approved. They are open and published on the colleges’ and universities’ websites with explanations of what to write about on topics that will be proposed within each of the areas. Students receive prompts during the exam. The participant of the exam can choose from several options.
The topic may look different:
- as a statement with which one must agree or refute it;
- like a question to be answered.
The algorithm for writing the exam essay
- Read the proposed topics and choose one of them, underlining the keywords.
- Immediately think over your position and two examples that reveal the keywords of the topic and argue your opinion.
- If you chose not a question, but a quote, then you can remake it into a question that will be convenient to answer.
- Explain the key concepts and formulate the answer to the question posed.
- Select arguments for your opinion and write conclusions for each argument.
- Write a general conclusion on the topic based on all of the above.
- Check your essay for errors:
- spelling;
- punctuation;
- factual errors (names, dates, titles, etc.);
- lexical repetitions;
- other speech errors;
- grammatical errors;
Writing any essay requires knowledge of the discipline and the absence of unnecessary information in the text. The narrative should be specific. To pass exams and get a high grade, you must study the structure well and work out essays in various areas in practice.
