An essay question on an examination can be stressful. This makes it difficult to come up with a good solution. You can improve your essay-answering skills by understanding the question, forming an answer and staying focused. You will need to put in some effort and time if you want to improve your essay exam answers.
Understanding the question
- To help you stay focused on answering the question, underline or highlight the most important words or phrases in the question. You can highlight or underline important words and phrases to help you remain focused.
- Identify keywords. Teachers and professors communicate their expectations through certain words in essay questions. If you are asked to "describe" a problem, it will be very different from if you were asked to "argue". You should identify each keyword that appears in the essay questions you read. Keywords include:
- Include pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses, etc. Include strengths and weakness, pros and con, etc.
- Compare: Discuss similarities and differences. Do not forget to explain the purpose of your comparison.
- Contrast: Compare and contrast two or three things. Don't hesitate to explain what the contrast means.
- Define something: Explain what it means, is, does, or achieves.
- List or describe characteristics and traits. You might also be asked to summarize something. For example, a prompt asking "Describe the main events that led up to the American Revolution."
- Discussion: This requires more analysis. You describe something first, and then you present arguments for and against it. You might need to evaluate the pros and cons of your topic.
- Provide the positives, negatives, and pros of a given subject. You might be asked whether a given statement is logically supported or if an argument has weaknesses.
- Explain: Justify or explain your position about something.
- Prove: Reserved for essays that are more objective or scientific. You might be asked to provide evidence or research to support your position, set of hypotheses, etc.
- This usually means listing the main themes or ideas of a subject. You could be asked to briefly summarize the key ideas before going into more detail. The majority of essay questions do not require a simple summary.
- If you are unsure about anything, ask questions. Ask your professor or teacher if you don't understand the question or aren't sure what the key words mean. Answer the question only after you have fully understood what is expected of you. You could give the wrong answer. [3]
- Raising your hands, you can wait for a teacher to come and ask your question or go to the desk. You will not disturb other test-takers if you do this.
What to Do When You Are Not Sure?
- Follow instructions. Use instructions to decide what to include. Don't improvise and don't include unnecessary information. Some professors attribute poor performance on essay questions to students not following instructions. [4]
- Structure your answer. Your answer's organization is very important. If your question specifies an order in which you should answer, your answer must follow this structure.
- Think about your organization and then write your answer. What information comes first, second or third? ?
- The traditional five-paragraph essay format is often effective. Start with an introduction paragraph, then explain the different points in 3 paragraphs. Finally, finish the essay with a final paragraph.
- A quick outline is also very useful to have before starting your essay.
- Select facts and figures that are relevant to your article.
It is important to provide a meaningful answer that demonstrates your understanding of the topic. Use the information you've learned to help you achieve your goal.
- Make a note of all the figures and facts you'd like to include. You can then refer to the list when writing your essay.
- If you have a lot of important ideas or topics, write them down before you start writing your response. You can then check to see if you missed anything.
- Your answer should begin with a rephrased essay question. You can start your essay with a statement that rephrases the question. The professor will be able to tell that you've read the question and understand it if you start your essay with a statement. You can also stay focused by rephrasing the original question.
- Imagine that you are asked to write an essay on the following topic: "Should FIFA World Cups go to countries who violate human rights?" Explain and justify your answer."
- This could be stated as "Countries that violate human rights should not receive the FIFA World Cup, because it rewards nations for their poor treatment of citizens." With examples and explanations, you'll support your thesis.
- Be sure to make your point clear in the answer. Even if you're writing a compare/contrast essay, your argument must be clear. [7]
- The argument of the other side is important to understand. It is important to make it clear what your position on the issue is.
- Oft, the essay question will say something like: "There is a great deal of similarity and difference between X & Y." This lacks clarity and can cause a lower grade.
- Grammar and punctuation are important. You can get a lower grade for poor grammar or punctuation. As you write, make sure to use correct punctuation and grammar. You might not have time later to proofread. Proofread what you've written if you still have some time.
- Make sure your handwriting looks neat and legible. If they can't read your answer, some professors will deduct marks.
Staying calm and focused
- If you start to feel anxious, take some deep breaths and then stop. You must remain calm while taking a written exam. You may forget important information if you become flustered.
- You can take a deep breathe and close your eyes if you find yourself feeling too stressed to concentrate during an exam. Stretch your arm and pretend that you're somewhere pleasant for several moments. You can resume your exam after you finish this short exercise.
- Use your time wisely. Some exams give you time limits or suggestions on how much time should be spent on each question. You can budget your time better if you have suggestions or limits. If the time limit for each question is not specified in your exam, you can create your own budget before the exam.
- For example, plan on spending no more than twenty minutes per question if there is an exam period of one hour.
- You should also consider the weighted questions, if any. Spend more time on an essay than a short answer. Avoid spending too much time developing short-answers.
- Write quickly. Remember that time is of the essence.
Plan your answer and then write it as fast as possible.
- This strategy will be even more critical if your exam contains multiple essay-style questions. You may not be able to finish the rest of the questions if you spend too much time answering the first question.
- Keep your topic on track If you are writing a formal essay, it is okay to let your mind wander a bit. However, when writing an exam response for an essay exam question, your entire argument should relate back to your main thesis statement. When writing an essay in a formal setting, it's okay to allow your mind to wander. However, when answering the essay question you must stay focused. You could lose marks for providing irrelevant information.
- Reread the question if you feel you have strayed from it. Also, review your notes to guide you. Continue writing your response after you have refocused.
- Spend some time going back to your work and re-adjusting the connections. Few well-placed connections can improve your grade.
