how to write good essays in exams

9 tips for writing essays in exams

Lauren Condon

Marketing Specialist at Atomi

Essay writing is enough of a struggle when there isn’t any time pressure. Add in a 40 minute limit and that’s pretty much breaking point for a lot of us 🙃 . Well don't stress too much because we're going to help out here with some tricks and tips for writing exam essays* that will actually show the HSC marker all of our killer ideas and skills. This might end up being a pretty hefty post so let’s get cracking straightaway.

* This basically works for things like speeches and long responses as well...

1. Pinpoint the instructions in the question

Before you even start writing, you need to be reading each word of that essay question super carefully. Make sure you’re following instructions and paying attention to the little things that are actually... big things. Do they want you to write a speech or an essay? Do they specify that you need ONE, at least ONE or TWO or more related texts? No excuses for skipping this step because you can just do it during reading time.

2. Draft a quick plan of the structure

Always, always, always plan your essays in an exam. Like… always. The kick of pure fear adrenaline when you start an exam can make it pretty tempting to get writing asap but save yourself a world of pain and take a few minutes to plan. You want to basically write down your thesis (probably one you’ve prepared earlier but tailor it to the specific question) and the structure of your body paragraphs. We go into a bit more detail on planning over here if you’re keen 👍 .

3. Manage your time in writing the essay and the whole exam

Two tips here (lucky you) but basically you need to manage your time in writing the essay and manage your whole exam time. So firstly, you have to leave yourself enough of the exam time to do your essay. If the exam is something like English Paper 1, you know that a third of the (two hour long) exam is an essay so you should be starting that essay with at least 40mins to go.

Hot tip: a lot of top students try to move through the first two sections of that exam fairly quickly so they have more time for a banging essay 💯.

When it comes to writing the essay, the structure you planned out will let you know if you’re on track or not. 40 minutes to write an essay and you have an intro, conclusion and four body paragraphs? Sweet. Well then it’s pretty clear that you should get your intro and the first two paragraphs done in 20 minutes. If you kind of messed up the timing of the whole exam and you don’t have your full 40 minutes then pick up the pace and if you can’t do that, time to make some quick decisions about what to cut.

4. Write out your evidence first so you don’t forget it

This isn’t a must but can be seriously helpful. Every essay needs evidence. It might be quotes, it might be dates, it might be stats. Even though you’ve definitely memorised these perfectly by the HSC (lol), it’s worth having a strategy for making sure you put all your evidence in. My personal tactic was, before starting to write the essay, to scribble that evidence (or just a keyword to jog my memory) down at the top of my planning paper or scribble it under the plan I wrote. That way, if I had a total mind blank when I got to writing a certain paragraph, I didn’t have to leave the evidence out or waste time trying to remember it.

5. Keep it structured

This one is pretty closely related to the point about planning but hey, can’t push it enough. The pressure of writing essays in exams makes it sooooo easy to start rambling and just chucking idea after idea after idea onto the page. Make a structure during your planning and be really strict about sticking to it to keep your essay as clear and strong as possible. Keep your paragraphs to a regular structure like PEEL/PEAL (point, example, explanation/analysis, link) so you have a clear idea of when you’ve written enough in each paragraph and when it’s time to just move on.

6. Have some potential theses and essay structures prepared

Memorising essays gets a little controversial but I think we all agree that you need to, at least, have a few ideas and potential essay structures going into that exam room. Some of us will try to remember whole essays word-for-word which isn’t officially recommended but as long as you are prepared to ( and know how to ) adapt it to the question then it shouldn’t be too bad. It’s really about finding out what approach works best for you but having some possible essays structures and flexible thesis ideas up your sleeve will make sure that you can write an impressive essay in just 40 minutes.

7. If you get stuck, your best bet is to pause for a second

Having a mind blank during an exam is not a good feeling because the clock is literally ticking and there isn’t a way you can magically force yourself to remember a quote or come up with an idea. It will feel pretty stressful but your best bet here is actually to pause and think instead of continuing to waffle on.

Waffling affects the clarity of your essay and the marking criteria about the ‘composing’ of your response. It also might affect how well the marker thinks you understand your argument so it’s always better to pause, give yourself a few seconds to try and reach a solution. If you can’t, either move on and try to come back later or just cut your losses, conclude that point and move on.

8. Don’t forget to anchor your essay with the keyword and source material

Not every essay will give you source material (a picture or quote that you have to refer to) but you will always have a verb or keyword in the question that tells you how to position your argument. When it comes to unexpected source material, here are some tricks and tips and when it comes to the keyword, let’s start by having a look at three questions pulled from the 2016 Advanced English Paper 2 .

• Discuss means you need to pinpoint the issues raised by that statement and provide examples and analysis for and/or against each of those issue.

• How means you need to be providing really solid examples of contrast in Yeats poetry and explaining what that contrast says about personal concerns, political concerns and the relationship between the two.

• To what extent means you need to making a judgement call about how much the themes and ideas in your texts support (or do not support) that statement. This doesn't have to be black and white, you can always say that the texts support that statement in some ways and challenge it in other ways as long as you provide good evidence and analysis to back it up.

All those instructing verbs and keywords came from just one paper so brush on up exactly what they mean and how to use them to anchor your essay . Addressing the keyword and source material really well will show your marker than you are actually answering the exam question, not just chucking out a pre-prepared response.

9. Remind yourself of what the markers are looking for

The overall best tip for writing essays in exams is to remind yourself what your markers are looking for. And no, that doesn't mean you just try to tell your mysterious, probably middle-aged NESA marker what you think they want to hear.

Instead, think about your essay sensibly. Your marker wants to see how well you understand the texts and how the authors communicated those ideas. They want to see how well you understand the concept of Discovery and all its nuances (hint: they’re written out here ). And they want to see how well you can bring all these ideas together and communicate them in a logical, cohesive manner. Don’t get too caught up in fancy language or insanely obscure techniques - you’ve got this.

Writing essays in exams really comes down to being as prepared as possible and having a good strategy for the exam itself. Make sure you’re managing your time and keeping calm enough to write the killer essay you’d be able to come up with outside of the exam room. Happy essay writing… 😬

Published on

October 5, 2017

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9 Tips to Ace That Timed Essay

Exams are almost upon us, and a familiar sense of foreboding has settled over the campus. One exam element that can be particularly intimidating for some students is the timed essay: an exam question which demands a full essay on a topic that is typically revealed for the first time during the test. While these kinds of questions may seem scary, there are plenty of ways to make them easy for yourself. Read on for tips about how to prepare in advance of the exam and how to approach timed essays before, during, and after the writing process.

While Preparing for the Exam: Become familiar with the course content. If the professor hasn’t told you in advance what a timed essay prompt will be, it can be intimidating to think that you will have to write about a subject you’ve never seen before. However, this thinking process does not reflect the reality of the situation. In fact, even if your teacher hasn’t given you any hints about the essay question, you do know what it will be about: the concepts and ideas you’ve discussed in the course. Therefore, if you take the time to review your notes and ensure you understand everything that was discussed, it should be difficult for the essay question to catch you off guard. As soon as you read the question, relevant course concepts will start popping into your head, and you’ll just have to organize them into a coherent essay. Start planning if you can. Although the situation described above sometimes occurs, it’s also very common for professors to give their students a fairly detailed idea of what an essay question will involve in advance of the test day. (After all, professors want to mark high-quality essays written by well-prepared students!) This heads-up gives you a great chance to prepare for the exam. If you have the time, consider mapping out a possible essay in point form before the day of the exam arrives. Consider practicing writing under time pressure. You’ve probably written dozens of essays before--the only thing that sets a timed essay apart is that it’s timed. Students often struggle to complete the full essay within the time constraints, particularly if they have to write longhand when they’re accustomed to working on the computer. For this reason, it can be helpful to simulate the conditions of a timed exam before the actual day: pick a practice question, find some lined paper, set a stopwatch, and see how you do! Before You Start Writing: Read the question carefully. The most critical part of the essay-writing process actually happens before you write your first word. When you flip to the essay question, make sure you read it as carefully as you can, noting the difference between words such as ‘contrast’ and ‘analyze’ and highlighting any details which the professor specifically instructs you to include. It’s not uncommon for excellent essays to receive low marks because the student answered a question other than the one that was asked. Make a clear and specific plan. Some students react to the time pressure of essay exams by scribbling down their introduction as soon as they’ve read the question and figuring out their points as they go. While it might seem counter-intuitive, taking five or ten minutes before you start writing in order to draw up a plan will be an enormous time saver. Decide on your thesis, the topic of each paragraph, and the arguments which you intend to cover, then jot down some quick point-form notes. This process won’t take long, and, once you complete it, all that’s left will be to expand those notes into a well-organized essay. Without a clear plan, you run the risk of realizing partway through that you’ve drifted off topic or written yourself into a corner, and fixing these mistakes will consume a ton of extra time. Schedule a set time for each paragraph. On the topic of planning, it’s important to sketch out an idea of how long you want to spend on each section of your essay. (If you know the number of paragraphs you’ll need to write ahead of time, you can do this before the exam even starts!) Take note of the amount of time allotted for the exam and split it into reasonably-sized segments, leaving some time at the end for revision if possible. Without a schedule to follow, it’s easy to become too focused on a single paragraph and run out of time to finish the essay. While You’re Writing: Write clearly and double-space. This tip may seem basic, but it’s easy to forget and it can make a big difference. Both these measures won’t just make it easier for the marker to read your paper; they'll also help you write it. If you have time left at the end of the exam for review, having the ability to skim quickly through your work and write revisions in blank spaces will be incredibly helpful.

Keep yourself on schedule.  Remember the paragraph-based schedule we discussed above? It’ll be useless if you don’t do regular check-ins during the exam. Keep an eye on the clock to ensure you’re always on track. If you realize that you’re falling dangerously behind schedule, it might be necessary to cut some arguments or examples you planned to include. Although making these omissions can be painful, it’s better to leave out a few points from one section than to leave out an entire paragraph because you ran out of time. Don’t worry too much about editing and revision before you finish. When composing essays, many students stop and read over each paragraph once they finish it, making sure that it’s well-written and free of errors before advancing to the next one. This approach is entirely logical when there’s no time pressure involved, but it can actually work against you during an exam. Perfecting paragraphs is a time-consuming process, and, if you spend too much time editing before the essay is finished, you might have to rush through the last few sections or leave them out entirely. For this reason, it’s best to focus on producing a complete first draft before you worry about edits and revisions.

After You’ve Finished Writing: Re-read the question and ensure you’ve addressed all parts. The most important part of writing an essay exam is ensuring that you’re answering the question was posed. Even if you made sure you were interpreting everything correctly before you began, you may have forgotten to address a subquestion or integrate an example as you were writing. Before you submit, read the prompt again and make sure your completed essay matches up! Edit if you have time. If you have enough time left over, read your essay again and make corrections. When you’re working under time pressure, it’s easy to make grammar mistakes or produce hard-to-follow sentences; the final few minutes are your chance to clean up those errors. Unless if you finished way ahead of schedule, don’t worry about major revisions like reorganizing the structure of the essay--it’s better to hand in an essay with an imperfect structure than a paper that’s impossible to follow because you had to stop halfway through the revision process.

Remember to have the right perspective. Once you hand your exam to the professor, relax! It’s easy to work yourself up after an essay exam when you didn’t get the chance to read your work over or you feel like your arguments were weak. However, it’s important to keep in mind that your professor understands the circumstances under which the essay was written. They’re fully aware of the time pressure you were dealing with, and they will judge your work far differently than they would judge a typical essay with a deadline set weeks after the assignment date. If you did your best to write a complete, clear, and insightful essay within the time allotted, you should have nothing to worry about. Best of luck during the upcoming exam season!

Source: Quick Meme  

• outlining ,
• preparation ,
• writing process

TSI Essay Guide

One challenging component of the TSI test is the essay question. You will be asked to write a persuasive essay on a controversial issue or an issue of current interest. The TSI essay will be evaluated on your organization, focus, development and support, sentence structure, and mechanical conventions. Fortunately, your essay is only required to be 300-600 words in length. A simple 5 paragraph essay will be more than sufficient. Scores on the essay section range from 1 to 8, with 8 being the highest.

An essay that is too short to be evaluated, written on a topic other than the one presented, or written in a language other than English, will be given a score of zero. The biggest differences between the low-scoring and high-scoring essays is LENGTH and CLARITY. Aim to achieve multiple paragraphs with good organization, and this essay should be fairly easy!

TSI Essay Tips and Strategies

• Understand that the TSI Essay will NOT require any outside knowledge. You are not expected to have any specific technical know-how or understanding of specific books or authors. The essay will be based off a provided prompt meant to spark your creativity. Everything you need to answer the question will be part of the prompt!
• Select one side only. Unlike real life where most of our opinions are a mix of gray, the TSI essay requires you to take a strong stand on one side and one side ONLY of the issue. You won’t be able to adequately argue a middle-of-the-road approach, and you risk appearing indecisive and muddling your essay.
• Remember that you will not be scored on your opinion. Don’t worry if you feel you are choosing a less commonly held position on the topic. The reader will NOT give you a lower score based on personal bias.
• Don’t change your position mid-essay. Even if you feel you’re running out of steam and you’re regretting your position on the topic, stay strong and finish the essay anyway. Don’t waffle, and don’t try to take a “middle of the road” approach. You don’t have time to go back and re-write the whole thing.
• No example is “too” specific. As long as you can argue logically that it supports your thesis, no example is “too” specific. Most essays are way too general. Aim to make the reader think, “wow, what extreme detail!” as they read. If you are using an example from personal experience, using some names, dates, places, and other concrete details can go a long way. Replace abstracts with absolutes.
• Incorporate the opposing side. A great way to strengthen your own argument is to acknowledge that there is in fact complexity to the issue. However, if you bring up and describe the opposing side, make sure to criticize it effectively and reiterate that your side is the only one that is valid. This is a great tool to use in your conclusion, although many students include it in an additional body paragraph.
• Keep the introduction and conclusion brief . Don’t take forever to get to the topic. The function of an introductory paragraph is to introduce the reader to the topic in the prompt, and then to clearly and forcefully state your position on it. More than 3-4 sentences is too long. In the conclusion, 1-2 sentences is great to reiterate your position and leave the essay with a closing idea. Save your writing-time for your body paragraphs!
• Use Transition Words . Scroll down to the bottom of this article to see a good list of common transition words. Be sure to use these words as you move between paragraphs! Always make sure the reader will understand why you are moving from one paragraph to the next paragraph!

TSI Essay Template

This is a sample outline for the TSI Essay. Notice we are aiming for 5 paragraphs total. You may opt for a shorter 4 paragraph version if 5 paragraphs are too many for you to write, but aim for 5 paragraphs if you can. If you have trouble completing 5 paragraphs, see if you can streamline your body paragraphs. They can often be bloated with unnecessary wordiness. Keep the introduction and the conclusion short and sweet.

Paragraph 1 — Introduction (3–4 sentences)

You will want to begin your essay with one of the following: a generalization about the topic, a quotation, a short anecdote to set-up the correctness of your position, a historical framework, or a piece of news illustrating the contemporariness of the issue. Admit the complexity of the issue.

You have two goals in the beginning part of the essay: to introduce the topic, and to express your opinion on it. Be sure to place your thesis as the final sentence in your introduction.

Paragraph 2 — First Example (4–6 sentences)

Start with your most-powerful or relevant example. Be specific. Your example can be from history, science, politics, business, entertainment, pop culture, current events, personal experience, etc. Anything can be an example, but choose ONE only for each paragraph. It needs to be something you are knowledgeable about and also something that you believe strongly supports your thesis. You have three tasks in your body paragraphs:

• Introduce your example.
• Describe it.
• Explain how it fully supports your thesis.

You should spend the majority of your body paragraph accomplishing the third step: explaining how it fully supports your thesis . Aim to convince the reader through very concrete details how your position on the issue is correct.

Paragraph 3 — Second Example (4–6 sentences)

Use a transition phrase to introduce the second example. Describe it, and explain again how it fully supports your thesis. You may refer to your first example if you need to, but prioritize a focus on your new example. Don’t mention your third example until you get to the third paragraph.

Paragraph 4 — Third Example (4–6 sentences)

Use a transition phrase again in the first topic sentence. Describe the example. Explain how it supports. Make sure you are elucidating for the reader how each example relates to the topic.

Paragraph 5 — Conclusion (2–4 sentences)

In your conclusion, introduce the opposing side. Explain their position in general terms. Refute their position. Then reinforce the correctness of your own thesis. This takes care of having to come up with a conclusion—you’ll already know what to do! Here’s how it might look:

Although ________ is demonstrably correct, some have argued that _______, believing that ________. However, this viewpoint on the present issue is negated by ________. Rather, __________. Therefore, in the long run,

TSI Essay Practice

Be sure to write at least 2–3 sample essays before your exam so you are comfortable with the format. Have a teacher, friend, or trusted relative read through your essay and give you feedback. You may want to start with our TSI Practice Test Essay .

We have also provided some more TSI essay prompts in the list below. You can use these TSI essay topics to write additional practice essays. Try to utilize the template that we have provided in order to structure your response.

TSI Essay Topics

1) Do works of art have the power to change people’s lives? Some people say a book or a movie has the power to do just that. Are they exaggerating, or can art have such a large impact of individuals?

2) Is an education a requirement for a successful career? Explain the topic and either agree or disagree with the statement, offering support for your position.

3) Scientists and politicians argue over whether global warming and climate control present a real threat to human welfare. Take a position on this issue and explain whether or not you believe this to be a serious problem for humanity.

Transition Words List

Agreement Words

• in the first place
• not only … but also
• as a matter of fact
• in like manner
• in addition
• coupled with
• in the same fashion / way
• first, second, third
• in the light of

Opposition Words

• in contrast
• different from
• of course …, but
• on the other hand
• on the contrary
• at the same time
• in spite of
• (and) still

Causation Words

• in the event that
• for the purpose of
• with this intention
• with this in mind
• in the hope that
• in order to

Example Words

• in other words
• to put it differently
• for one thing
• as an illustration
• in this case
• for this reason
• to put it another way
• that is to say
• with attention to

TSI Practice Test Essay >>

How to Write Good Essays in Exams (And Reduce Stress)

Blog , Pedagogy July 18, 2023

An  essay  is a piece of writing that presents a focused argument or explores a specific topic in a structured and coherent manner. Students often write essays in exams to assess 1) their understanding of a subject matter. 2) Their ability to analyse and interpret information, and 3) their skills in constructing coherent arguments. However, acing essays for exams requires careful planning, effective time management, and strong writing skills. With that, here is my list of top ten strategies (and additional tips) to help you write good essays in exams (and reduce stress).

Writing good essays during exams can be daunting for students, but less so with the right strategies. With ten years of experience setting exam questions and marking essays, here are my top ten strategies to help you write good essays in exams and reduce stress.

Top Ten Strategies for Writing Good Essays in Exams

1. read instructions carefully.

First, check you understand any restrictions or limitations mentioned in the instructions, such as word count, time limit, and how many questions to answer.

2. Decipher What’s Asked

Next, read through the exam paper once and then re-read each question. You might think a topic you’ve revised hasn’t come up when it is there, but the wording is unusual. Moreover, the question might be obtuse, and you do not understand it.

3. Pick Your Questions Wisely

Mark any questions you might answer, and then check that you fully understand them. Ask yourself, “Do I have relevant knowledge, ideas, and evidence for the essays you plan to write?”

4. Grasp the Gist

Before you start writing, take time to read and understand the question. Underline or highlight the key points and requirements. Additionally, look for any keywords or phrases that indicate what you need to do, such as “explain,” “compare,” “contrast,” “define,” or “justify.”

5. Decide Your Question Order

Some people like to start answering the question they know best to give them a good start. Others prefer to answer their best question second because, with one essay written, they can relax, expand on their best ideas and hopefully gain a higher grade. Therefore, choose a strategy that’s best for you.

6. Plan Your Essay

Remember, the stress of writing good essays for exams can make all your preparation disappear. So, take a few minutes to brainstorm and organise your thoughts. Identify the main topic and discussion areas. Choose a few points or arguments about which you can write. Then, make a mini-plan that puts your points/arguments in order before you start writing. Overall, a plan will serve as a roadmap for your writing and help you stay focused.

7. Manage Your Time

Good time management is necessary when writing good essays under timed conditions. Thus, ensure you allocate enough time for answering each essay and stick to the time limit. Achieve this by dividing your time according to the number of essays or sections left to write. Then, allocate time for each essay/section, including planning, writing, and proofreading. Sticking to this schedule will ensure enough time for all the necessary tasks.

8. Write With Impact

When writing time-constrained essays for exams, express your ideas clearly and concisely. So, avoid long, rambling sentences and focus on making your points clearly and concisely. Avoid using overly complex language or jargon that might confuse the reader. Additionally, use specific and descriptive language to convey your ideas effectively.

9. Proofread and Edit

Near the end of the exam, take a few minutes to review your work. Check for any grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors. Ensure you present ideas clearly and logically. If time permits, read your work and identify any awkward phrasing or unclear sentences. Equally important, take a few minutes to edit your work. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes, and make sure your essay flows logically.

10. Stay Calm and Focused

Stay relaxed and focused during the exam by reading the instructions/questions carefully, managing your time wisely, and answering the questions to the best of your ability.

Write Good Essays in Exams: Structure Your Work

A well-structured essay will make it easier for the reader to follow your arguments and understand the ideas presented. Therefore, students should follow some basic guidelines to write good essays by ensuring they are concise and effectively convey their knowledge and understanding of the subject/topic.

Here are some tips to help you structure your essay:

• Start with a Strong Introduction : To write good essays in exams, begin your essay with a compelling introduction that grabs the reader’s attention. Clearly state your thesis or main argument. Additionally, provide a brief overview of the points you will discuss. A strong introduction shows the reader how you understand the question and how you will answer it.
• Develop Coherent Body Paragraphs : Each body paragraph should focus on a single main idea that supports your thesis. Start each section with a sentence that introduces the main point and provides evidence or an example to support it. Use clear and logical transitions between paragraphs to maintain a smooth flow of ideas. Importantly, develop your story!
• Provide Evidence : Support your claims with relevant evidence such as examples, statistics, or references to authoritative sources. Make sure your evidence is accurate and supports your arguments effectively. This strategy is evident in a good essay, helping students achieve a higher grade.
• Address Counterarguments : Acknowledge and address counterarguments or opposing viewpoints by considering different perspectives (with evidence). Evidencing counterarguments will make a good essay.
• Conclude Effectively : Summarise your main points in the conclusion and restate your thesis. Avoid introducing new information, and end with a strong closing statement that leaves a lasting impression.

How to Write Good Essays in Exams if Your Mind Goes Blank

Most students fear this happening. If it does—put your pen down, take a deep breath, sit back, and relax for a moment. If you’re in the middle of an answer, read through what you have written so far—what happens next? Lastly, if you can’t progress with your writing, then leave a gap! Your thoughts will probably return once you are less anxious.

What to Do if You Are Running Out of Time

Don’t panic! Look at the questions left to answer (or essay sections left to write) and divide your remaining time to cover all the outstanding parts. Write economically by making your point, support it with evidence, and then move on to the next one. However, if you can’t finish on time, briefly list the points you want to make—they could pick up a few marks.

Write Good Essays in Exams: Include Citations

Including in-text citations in essays demonstrates current knowledge, understanding, and evidence of reading. So, refer by name to the theorists and researchers, also giving the year of their major works—the best you can given the time you have!

Note. A reference list is not necessary for in-person exams because they are typically shorter in duration than open-book assessments. This requirement helps students focus on writing when time is at a premium.

Key Points – How to Write Good Essays in Exams

• Knowledge & Understanding : Provide insightful analysis, draw relevant connections, and make your points effectively. Strong knowledge and understanding of the subject is the foundation of a good essay.
• Analysis : Evaluate evidence, consider various perspectives, and offer original insights. Demonstrating critical thinking skills is essential for writing a good essay.
• Reading & Referencing : Good essays are well-informed and credible. Thus, show thorough reading and support your arguments with evidence by proper referencing.
• Essay structure : Guide readers through your essay by including an introduction that sets the stage for the discussion, body paragraphs that develop main points with supporting evidence, and a conclusion that summarises the main arguments and highlights their significance. Good essays are clear and well-organised, making it easier for readers to follow and understand.
• Use correct language : Use correct language to ensure your ideas are conveyed accurately and professionally. A good essay uses proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary.

In brief, writing a good essay under exam conditions can be daunting and stressful. However, you can write good essays in exams by analysing, interpreting, and synthesising the information you have learned, thus demonstrating your understanding of the subject matter.

Good luck with your exams!

Want to get the most out of your degree? Then check out my other  pedagogy  articles!

Did you find this  study guide  helpful? Spread the word. Thank you!

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Exam Writing Tips: How to Answer Exam Questions

This is what it all comes down to. It’s gig time.  You are sitting in the exam hall, waiting to get your hands on that anticipated piece of paper. You have jammed a tonne of information into your brain. Your fingernails are non-existent.  It’s time to get down to business!

Yes the exam environment may be different across disciplines. Computing students will sit some tests in front of a computer with their fingers poised to code. A practical element will contribute to science-student’s final grade. It doesn’t matter if you’re studying English, Economics, Psychology or History, every exam can be approached in much the same way with these exam writing tips.

We’re here to give you some help answering and writing exam questions that will show your knowledge to the person who reads your paper.

How to Answer Exam Questions

Pay attention! These quick tips should be common sense but many students who are under exam stress fail to see their mistakes. We’re going to help you avoid a major exam disaster by pointing you in the right direction.

Here’s our top exam writing tips to help you understand how to answer exam questions:

1. Practice Past Papers

There really is no better way to get exam ready than by attempting past papers. Most exam bodies should have past papers available online but your teacher will get you started on these in class.

This process isn’t just about preparing an answer for a specific question, it’s about understanding how you approach a question in an exam, how to structure your answer, the timings you should assign and what information will get marks.

If you want to create an easy way to test yourself with past papers, try the GoConqr online quiz maker:

Create Online Quizzes

Sign up to GoConqr for free and you’ll have access to the best quiz creator tool out there plus thousands of available quizzes created by teachers and students all over the world!

2. Read All Questions Carefully

The stress of the situation can cause you to misread a question, plan your answer out, start writing your response and then realise you made a mistake and wasted vital time. Even though you generally won’t be writing answers to every question on the paper, reading all questions thoroughly will ensure you make the right choices and can highlight how much you know about the topic.

Don’t forget to attempt all questions that you have selected. However, be careful of MCQ questions with negative marking. If you’re not sure of the answer you could cost yourself some valuable marks.

3. Manage Your Time

This is where you need to be strict on yourself. Once you have assigned a time limit for each question, you MUST move on once you hit it or you won’t be able to give the next question your full attention.

Remember to leave yourself some time at the end to go back over your answers and add in little notes or pieces of information about the topic. You never know, this could help bump you up a grade!

4. Structure Your Answer

Most essays should have an introduction, three main points and a conclusion. A lot of students see a conclusion as a final sentence to finish the piece off. A strong conclusion give an A grade student the chance to shine by bringing everything together and fortifying their opinion.

5. Explore Both Sides of an Argument

Building your argument in the main body of your exam answer will give your overall opinion credibility. English language questions, for example, encourage you to explore both sides of an argument and then conclude with a critical analysis of your answer.

Many questions you approach will look as though they seek a straightforward answer but in reality they want you to fully outline a structured essay. Don’t fall into the trap of providing a one-sided view, get your hands dirty and open your mind to other possibilities.

6. Review Your Answers Thoroughly

Smart students can still make the mistake of handing their answer book in without checking through what they have written. Proofread your answers as much as you can to correct any spelling mistakes and add any extra comments you think are worth mentioning.

You will be surprised what you can spot in those last few minutes. This is your last chance to throw in that quotation, list other relevant points or even draw a quick diagram . Now is not the time to drop your game, show the examiner what you’re made of!

Remember, the exams are not designed to trick you. Don’t panic on the day of your exam or this brain freeze could mean that you get a lower grade that you truly deserve. Convince yourself that you know how to answer exam questions and your almost there.

Are there any exam tips that helped you? Leave a comment below!

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• Essay Exams

How to write an essay under exam conditions

This is a full analytical essay, which is written under exam conditions. In this kind of task, you will be required to give a response to a question or statement, using sources provided by your teacher.

You will be required to demonstrate a whole gamut of skills. You will need to:

• respond to stimulus provided for the exam
• use the sources to create a hypothesis in response to the key question /statement
• plan and write a complete essay within the exam time limit
• quote from a wide range of sources
• analyse and evaluate the sources you've used
• correctly reference all sources quoted in your essay

Whilst this seems like a lot to complete in an exam, planning will help accomplish most of this.

Most essay exams provide you with 10 minutes of perusal time. Use this time to plan out your hypothesis , topic sentences and what quotes from the sources you are going to use in each of your body paragraphs.

If you use this time well, your essay writing will remain clearly structured.

Understand the Key Question/Statement

The question or statement will not be provided before the test (therefore, the question is ‘unseen’).

Therefore, it is imperative that you take the time to read and understand what the statement or question is asking you to do before you begin planning your response.

Essay questions use a variety of terms and it is essential you understand what each of these mean if you are to answer properly. Here is a list of the most common terms and what they mean: 

An Example Planning Structure

Introduction

Your three main points that your body paragraphs will focus on

Paragraph 1

Topic Sentence

Sources chosen

Analysis and evaluation of sources

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3

Restate hypothesis

Restate three main points that your body paragraphs focused on

Essay paragraph writing advice

How to write an Introductory Paragraph

This page explains the purpose of an introduction, how to structure one and provides examples for you to read.

How to write a Conclusion

This page explains the purpose of conclusions, how to structure them and provides examples for you to read.

How to write Body Paragraphs

This page explains the purpose of body paragraphs, how to structure them and provides examples for you to read.

Time Management

Managing the use of your time in an exam is crucial to doing well. Divide the time to make sure you have enough time to write each paragraph.

However, make sure you give yourself time at the end to check your work and proofread your writing.

For example:

If you have a 100-minute exam:

10 mins planning

10 mins for Intro

20 mins for each three Body Paragraphs

10 mins for Conclusion

10 mins proofreading.

Additional Resources

What do you need help with, download ready-to-use digital learning resources.

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• Improving Your Writing

How to Write Faster

Last Updated: May 3, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Bryce Warwick, JD . Bryce Warwick is currently the President of Warwick Strategies, an organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area offering premium, personalized private tutoring for the GMAT, LSAT and GRE. Bryce has a JD from the George Washington University Law School. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,083,923 times.

If you want to improve your writing speed, there are several steps that you can take to improve your efficiency and get assignments done faster. First, you'll want to do all of your research and organize your thoughts in an outline form. From there, you can set realistic goals for yourself and continue to practice until you improve. If you're struggling with the act of writing with a pen and paper, you should make sure that you're comfortable and have the right writing tools. With the right amount of practice and repetition, you can improve your writing speed.

Improving Your Handwriting Speed

• A mechanical pencil requires less force to write with than a traditional pencil.
• You can purchase a pencil or pen grip to make your writing tool thicker.

Tip: A gel pen may be easier to write with than a ballpoint pen.

• The traditional way to hold a pen or pencil is to support the pen in between your index finger and thumb while the pen rests on your middle finger.
• Angling the paper in a different way may also feel more comfortable for you.

• Whenever you feel yourself slouching, adjust your posture so you’re sitting correctly.
• If your chair is too low or your desk is too high, you may need to purchase new furniture.

Note: Maintaining good posture is also beneficial for your back and hips.

• Keep in mind that these shorthand methods aren’t known by everyone and can’t be used for assignments or on tests.
• It may take several weeks or even months to master these shorthand methods.

• If you still aren't improving after trying everything, just talk to a teacher and see if they have any techniques that may help you.

Note: If your hand cramps up or you feel fatigued, take a break and come back to writing later.

Finishing Writing Assignments Quicker

• Even if you’re a night owl, you may still be more productive in the morning. Write during different parts of the day to see what works best for you.

Tip: You can write during your productive times and go back and edit your work during your less productive times.

• For example, the main points of your article could be something like, "Describing circuits" and "Powering Electronics." "Describing circuits" could include points like "Explaining a simple circuit" and "Completing a circuit."
• Researching things in the middle of writing wastes valuable time.
• Include your sources in your outline to save time, especially if you have to make citations later. If you’re using electronic sources, bookmark them on your computer. Include notes in your outline about how you’re going to use your sources and what information you hope to take from them.

Bryce Warwick, JD

Our Expert Agrees: You will write faster and easier when you know what to put down before you get started instead of making it up as you go along. If you have 30 minutes to write an essay, try giving yourself seven to eight minutes of planning time.

• Wasting time on smaller details can drain time and make the entire writing process much longer.
• If you find yourself stuck in a section, move past it and revisit it later with a fresh mind.

• Clearing the clutter off your writing desk may also minimize distractions and improve your efficiency.
• If you can, put away your phone, tablet, or other devices you might be tempted to use to check social media or browse the web. You can also use productivity apps or extensions (like StayFocused) that temporarily cut off your access to time-wasting websites.

• Set incrementally higher goals for yourself rather than taking on too much too fast.
• If you haven’t written a lot in the past, you won’t be able to write quickly without practice. However, once you practice writing a lot, you will be able to write at a quicker pace.
• For instance, you can set a goal that you’ll have a certain number of pages or words completed within a day. If you’re still working on building speed, daily goals can feel more manageable than more short-term ones (such as hourly goals).

• Don’t let the timer stress you out. It’s merely there to remind you of how much time you’re spending on an assignment.

Tip: Take 3-5 minute breaks every 30 minutes to an hour so that you don’t burn yourself out.

Practice Exercises to Increase Writing Speed

Community Q&A

• Listening to music while you write can help you focus and write faster. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Write on smooth paper instead of rough paper. This can help you write faster and more smoothly.
• Doing finger exercises to strengthen your muscles can help you write faster.

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://effectiviology.com/how-to-easily-improve-handwriting-speed/
• ↑ https://omniglot.com/writing/shorthand.htm
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-write-faster
• ↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/outlining
• ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/writingforsuccess/chapter/8-4-revising-and-editing/
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/faster-writer/

About This Article

To write faster by hand, use keywords instead of writing things word for word and use symbols like the plus sign, "@" symbol, and ampersand. Try learning a shorthand system and practice the techniques that work for you as much as possible. To write articles or essays more quickly, get all your research done first and create a rough outline. Focus on writing your ideas clearly and don't worry about making it sound perfect. Work somewhere you can concentrate and turn your phone off to minimize distractions. For tips on staying on track and more shorthand techniques, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Tips for Writing Essays in a Competitive Examination

Every individual, at one stage or the other, has had to appear for some competitive examinations. These competitive examinations rather act as an elimination procedure to select the best candidates for a particular position (in case of examination to fill in some specific vacancies) or a particular seat (in case of some academic program). The candidates, thus, are tested on various parameters such as their logical reasoning, their critical analysis, their thought process, and most obviously on their writing abilities. The writing abilities and the structuring of their thought process are tested mainly with the use of Essays. Candidates, therefore, might require some essay writing tips for competitive examinations.

Exam Essay Topics

Competitive examinations are directed towards achieving some particular objective, mostly in terms of selecting a candidate for a particular position or selecting students for a particular study program. Therefore essay topics for selecting the right candidate need to fulfill the basic criteria of such examination. An example of this would be in case the position requires testing the candidate on good judgmental capabilities or analytical capabilities, the relevant exam essay topic would certainly be an open ended question which needs to be justified, clarified, and analyzed according to their understanding and depth of knowledge. Mostly, the candidates are given relevant current affairs based topic which has relevance in the current context and the candidate would most likely be aware of such a topic.

English Essays for Competitive Exams

Competitive examinations are held in order to test different attitudes and aptitudes of the candidate. Thus on one hand they are being tested for analytical abilities and on the other they are being tested on their understanding of the current affairs. However, among all the questions, essay based questions serve two purposes. On one hand such question tests the awareness and understanding of a particular issue (mostly related to current affairs or related to their subject area) and on the other hand the fluency in English as a subject of communication too is being tested through these essays. The candidate appearing for such English essays in competitive examination thus need to focus on their writing styles, grammar, and flow of content while presenting their depth of knowledge.

Read – [ Some English Gk Questions and Answers ]

Certification Questions

A competitive examination tests the candidate on almost all parameters. While the essay questions test their English language capabilities, the certification questions test their subject knowledge and certify their aptitude and understanding of the subject.

Read – [ Important Certifications Questions and Answers ]

15 essay writing tips for competitive exams

Focusing more on the essay questions given in competitive examinations, the candidates surely need some handy essay writing tips for appearing and becoming successful in competitive exams. Essays require a good amount of information which needs to be logically and factually presented in the structured format within the stipulated time period, that too without the help of any secondary sources, especially the internet. Therefore, the following list of tips would surely be handy for the candidates:

Before the Examination:

• The candidate should identify the recent affairs happening within the global space, at least the most important one.
• The candidate should gather as much information about these events and affairs as possible which should include key definitions, brief description of the issue, brief sequence of events, comparing and contrasting any views available on such events, among others.
• The candidate should memorize such information to the best of their abilities.
• The candidate should practice writing essays on such events and topics incorporating as much information as possible.
• The candidate can even take short notes of such key information and revise the same whenever possible so that important points are not left out.

During the Examination:

• The candidate should read the question carefully.
• The candidate needs to understand the question and the context in which such a question has been designed.
• In case the candidate gets the topic or similar topic which he or she has been practicing, then create a “memory dump” and write down all the memorized information in short notes style.
• Then elaborate on the points mentioned in such memory dump one at a time while concentrating on the flow of text and idea in such a case.
• While writing such an informed essay start by formulating a thesis which would answer the entire question asked. The candidate can take help of the wording from the question to formulate the thesis. This should be done in the very first paragraph of the essay.
• Along with the thesis statement, a brief introduction to the topic of the question and at least a brief hint of the argument which would be supported in the essay should also be provided in the first paragraph of the essay.
• The candidate should try to provide as many supporting arguments and evidences as possible. This would make the essay strong and convincing.
• The candidate should try to make a persuasive argument (mostly the question of the essay does not have close ended answers of right or wrong) in order to sound convincing to the evaluator.
• In case the candidate gets a topic which he/she has not practiced, it is best not to panic. At best, the candidate needs to think with an open mind and try to logically remember any hint of such a subject or at least derive some logic from the question in order to write something on the topic in a logical manner such that at least the evaluator is impressed by the writing style.
• Leaving out the essay is not a good option since it not only carries a good weightage of number but also is important in evaluating your writing skills. While logic does not support, it is best to at least have a convincing write up which can portray one’s writing and communicating powers.

While good preparation is the key to success for any competitive examination, such essay writing tips for competitive exams would certainly come in handy at the precious moments of preparation and attending the competitive examination.

Center for Teaching

Writing good multiple choice test questions.

Constructing an Effective Stem

Constructing effective alternatives.

• Additional Guidelines for Multiple Choice Questions

Considerations for Writing Multiple Choice Items that Test Higher-order Thinking

Additional resources.

Multiple choice test questions, also known as items, can be an effective and efficient way to assess learning outcomes. Multiple choice test items have several potential advantages:

Reliability: Reliability is defined as the degree to which a test consistently measures a learning outcome. Multiple choice test items are less susceptible to guessing than true/false questions, making them a more reliable means of assessment. The reliability is enhanced when the number of MC items focused on a single learning objective is increased. In addition, the objective scoring associated with multiple choice test items frees them from problems with scorer inconsistency that can plague scoring of essay questions.

Validity: Validity is the degree to which a test measures the learning outcomes it purports to measure. Because students can typically answer a multiple choice item much more quickly than an essay question, tests based on multiple choice items can typically focus on a relatively broad representation of course material, thus increasing the validity of the assessment.

The key to taking advantage of these strengths, however, is construction of good multiple choice items.

A multiple choice item consists of a problem, known as the stem, and a list of suggested solutions, known as alternatives. The alternatives consist of one correct or best alternative, which is the answer, and incorrect or inferior alternatives, known as distractors.

1. The stem should be meaningful by itself and should present a definite problem. A stem that presents a definite problem allows a focus on the learning outcome. A stem that does not present a clear problem, however, may test students’ ability to draw inferences from vague descriptions rather serving as a more direct test of students’ achievement of the learning outcome.

2. The stem should not contain irrelevant material , which can decrease the reliability and the validity of the test scores (Haldyna and Downing 1989).

3. The stem should be negatively stated only when significant learning outcomes require it. Students often have difficulty understanding items with negative phrasing (Rodriguez 1997). If a significant learning outcome requires negative phrasing, such as identification of dangerous laboratory or clinical practices, the negative element should be emphasized with italics or capitalization.

4. The stem should be a question or a partial sentence. A question stem is preferable because it allows the student to focus on answering the question rather than holding the partial sentence in working memory and sequentially completing it with each alternative (Statman 1988). The cognitive load is increased when the stem is constructed with an initial or interior blank, so this construction should be avoided.

1. All alternatives should be plausible. The function of the incorrect alternatives is to serve as distractors,which should be selected by students who did not achieve the learning outcome but ignored by students who did achieve the learning outcome. Alternatives that are implausible don’t serve as functional distractors and thus should not be used. Common student errors provide the best source of distractors.

2. Alternatives should be stated clearly and concisely. Items that are excessively wordy assess students’ reading ability rather than their attainment of the learning objective

3. Alternatives should be mutually exclusive. Alternatives with overlapping content may be considered “trick” items by test-takers, excessive use of which can erode trust and respect for the testing process.

4. Alternatives should be homogenous in content. Alternatives that are heterogeneous in content can provide cues to student about the correct answer.

5. Alternatives should be free from clues about which response is correct. Sophisticated test-takers are alert to inadvertent clues to the correct answer, such differences in grammar, length, formatting, and language choice in the alternatives. It’s therefore important that alternatives

• have grammar consistent with the stem.
• are parallel in form.
• are similar in length.
• use similar language (e.g., all unlike textbook language or all like textbook language).

6. The alternatives “all of the above” and “none of the above” should not be used. When “all of the above” is used as an answer, test-takers who can identify more than one alternative as correct can select the correct answer even if unsure about other alternative(s). When “none of the above” is used as an alternative, test-takers who can eliminate a single option can thereby eliminate a second option. In either case, students can use partial knowledge to arrive at a correct answer.

7. The alternatives should be presented in a logical order (e.g., alphabetical or numerical) to avoid a bias toward certain positions.

8. The number of alternatives can vary among items as long as all alternatives are plausible. Plausible alternatives serve as functional distractors, which are those chosen by students that have not achieved the objective but ignored by students that have achieved the objective. There is little difference in difficulty, discrimination, and test score reliability among items containing two, three, and four distractors.

Additional Guidelines

1. Avoid complex multiple choice items , in which some or all of the alternatives consist of different combinations of options. As with “all of the above” answers, a sophisticated test-taker can use partial knowledge to achieve a correct answer.

2. Keep the specific content of items independent of one another. Savvy test-takers can use information in one question to answer another question, reducing the validity of the test.

When writing multiple choice items to test higher-order thinking, design questions that focus on higher levels of cognition as defined by Bloom’s taxonomy . A stem that presents a problem that requires application of course principles, analysis of a problem, or evaluation of alternatives is focused on higher-order thinking and thus tests students’ ability to do such thinking. In constructing multiple choice items to test higher order thinking, it can also be helpful to design problems that require multilogical thinking, where multilogical thinking is defined as “thinking that requires knowledge of more than one fact to logically and systematically apply concepts to a …problem” (Morrison and Free, 2001, page 20). Finally, designing alternatives that require a high level of discrimination can also contribute to multiple choice items that test higher-order thinking.

• Burton, Steven J., Sudweeks, Richard R., Merrill, Paul F., and Wood, Bud. How to Prepare Better Multiple Choice Test Items: Guidelines for University Faculty, 1991.
• Cheung, Derek and Bucat, Robert. How can we construct good multiple-choice items? Presented at the Science and Technology Education Conference, Hong Kong, June 20-21, 2002.
• Haladyna, Thomas M. Developing and validating multiple-choice test items, 2 nd edition. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999.
• Haladyna, Thomas M. and Downing, S. M.. Validity of a taxonomy of multiple-choice item-writing rules. Applied Measurement in Education , 2(1), 51-78, 1989.
• Morrison, Susan and Free, Kathleen. Writing multiple-choice test items that promote and measure critical thinking. Journal of Nursing Education 40: 17-24, 2001.

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How to Tackle Essay Writing on the Bar Exam

One skill that is expected to be cultivated and refined during law school is the ability to write well. This makes sense, since good writing will be essential for many legal careers. You will likely need to write memos, client letters, motions, petitions, briefs and other legal documents— so good writing is important! Consequently, the bar exam takes note of this and makes writing an essential component of it. 

Whether you’re taking the Multistate Essay Exam or a state-specific bar exam , you will be writing lots of essays during the bar exam and in your preparation for it. So here’s what you need to know about essay writing on the bar exam and strategies you can implement to improve your score.

Check out the most important bar exam essay writing tips below!

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Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) Jurisdictions

Most states use the Multistate Essay Exam. If you’ll be testing in one of these states, here are the basics you need to know:

There are 6 essay questions in total . This part of the test is 3 hours, so you have 30 minutes per question. Also, the subjects for this portion of the test cover:

• Partnerships
• Corporations and limited liability companies
• Civil procedure
• Conflict of laws
• Constitutional law
• Criminal law and procedure
• Real property
• Secured transactions
• Trusts and future interests
• Wills and estates

While any of these topics are fair game, these particular topics make up the majority of the MEE:

• Corporations and LLCs
• Family law and trusts
• Future interests

Consequently, you may want to spend extra time preparing for these areas of the law while also studying for the other subjects. 

The good news is that there are guides you can use to determine the most highly tested essay rules. These bar exam study resources will identify these rules and teach you additional rules of law. 

Here’s another important tip: focus your time on these major rules instead of wasting too much energy on nuanced rules that are less likely to be tested. 

Keep reading for more important study tips to help you pass the MEE:

Bar Essays Studying Tips 

The first part of learning how to tackle the essay writing portion of the bar exam is to develop a solid study plan . Your plan should incorporate the following: 

Learn More About the IRAC Method and Format

You may have used a variety of writing styles in law school, such as IRAC, CRAC or CREAC. However, the IRAC structure is the most commonly used one on the bar exam, and is what bar examiners will expect. Hence, you need to be familiar with this writing system:

• I – Issue
• R – Rule
• A – Analysis
• C – Conclusion

This system ensures that you write concisely and only include the necessary information. It’s not flowery and won’t contain a lot of excess content— which is a good thing, since you’re on such a constrained time limit!

As you practice, read through your answers and label each sentence with an I,R,A, or C . if a sentence cannot be labeled under one of these letters, it probably does not belong.

Practice Essay Writing Each Week

When you spend so much time studying for the bar exam , it may feel tempting to skip practicing the lengthy essay portion of the test. However, this is one of the biggest mistakes made by most test takers. 

Bar essays are an essential component of the test; they can often help leverage a higher score if you don’t do as well on some of the other test portions. Furthermore, while reviewing the rules of law is important, writing about them can show you understand them and know how they apply. 

Basically, don’t leave practicing these essays until the end of your preparation. Instead, make practicing essays part of your weekly study plan!

Practice Under Timed Conditions

When you first begin practicing the essay portion of the bar exam, you may not want to time yourself so that you can be sure you are spotting all the issues and honing your writing style . However, toward the middle of your study time, you will want to start practicing under timed conditions. 

It is not enough to know how to write a good essay. You need to know how to write a good essay quickly . You need to be able to quickly discuss the most important issues and know when not to elaborate on others.

The best way to study for these questions is to find previous MEE questions and practice them under timed conditions. Then, review the analysis to determine how you did.

Review Rules the Last Two Weeks of Your Study

Focus on memorizing as many rules of law as possible during your last two weeks of studying. You’ll need to be able to recall these basic rules as part of your essay writing without hesitation, so be sure that you can recite rules of law without even thinking about them.

Learn More About The BAR Exam

• Take These Steps To Pass The Bar Exam!
• How To Crush The Essay Portion Of The Bar Exam
• How To Study For The BAR While Working Full Time!
• How To Pass The BAR After Failing The First Time
• How To Become A Lawyer

Tips for the Day of the Bar Exam 

Okay, so now it’s the day of the bar exam— you need to know how to truly tackle these questions in the moment of truth. Here’s what you need to do:

Plan The Time You Have for Writing Essays 

Before beginning this portion of the test, you should have a plan on how you will manage your time, such as:

• First 10 minutes: Read the essay prompt. Maybe read it multiple times. Don’t rush this part; your ability to recall this information will be essential to answering the question. Also, outline your answer as you read through the prompt.
• Next 15 – 17 minutes: Write your answer.
• Last 3 to 5 minutes: Review your answer to check for competition and to make necessary edits.

Stick to this timeline for every question. If you start going over 5 minutes on every question, you won’t have enough time to tackle the last question. Ultimately, it’s far better to get out an analysis of all the questions than to answer one question perfectly and not even address another.

Make an Outline

Making an outline can help you organize your thoughts and create a plan on what you will be writing about. Mark up the prompt as you go— you may want to highlight or underline certain information to help your recall later. 

Try to make this outline clear, such as making a bullet list of items related to the prompt. If you run low on time, you can always copy and paste this information to provide a semi-answer to the prompt. Write your rule statement and list the relevant facts that will support your analysis. Also, consider how much time you will need to discuss each subpart of the answer. 

Apply the IRAC Structure

Now it’s time for you to apply what you’ve learned. Use IRAC to fully answer the question. 

Briefly state the issue in a bolded heading. Issues are usually clearly stated on bar exam essay questions rather than hidden in a fact pattern, so this should be an easy way to pick up points. Restate the issue and move onto the next part of your answer. 

State the rules that apply to the case. This is where rote memorization comes into play, since you need to be able to state the proper rule that applies to the question. Bold key terms to show that you know what rules and terms apply. This will get you the points you need on this section.

The summary of rules should be clear and concise and should demonstrate that you understand what is involved. Only address those rules that actually apply to this case and address the specific question. 

Show how the rule applies, given the particular fact pattern. This will be the longest portion of your answer. However, your analysis should still be shorter than your analysis in your legal writing class. You can pick up (or lose) a lot of points in this portion of the answer! You need to demonstrate that you know how to apply the law to the facts. Generally speaking, the more facts you’re able to explain, the higher your score will be.

Most of the facts in the fact pattern will be there for a reason— and you need to explain why these facts matter in your analysis. Provide a step-by-step analysis of how the facts support your conclusion. You may be able to score extra points by identifying counter-arguments or a majority and minority view. 

Conclusion 

End with a brief conclusion. One sentence is fine here. Perhaps unlike law school exams, there is usually a “right” conclusion. Some writing structures will use a conclusion first and then end with a conclusion, but this is not recommended on the bar exam. If you start with the wrong conclusion, the grader will look for ways to prove why you are wrong while grading your answer; therefore, save your conclusion for the end!

Organize Your Content 

Make your essay simple to read by taking advantage of all the tools at your disposal. Use paragraph breaks to organize your content, creating a clear I, R, A , and C section. Additionally, bold and underline key words and principles of law. Many essay graders will be scanning your work, so make it easy to identify that you understood the legal issues involved by drawing their attention to these key terms.

Also, use transitional words to qualify certain statements and to explain where you are going with your answer. This makes it easier for the grader to follow your analysis, as well as helps you to stay on track.

Answer the Question

Seems obvious, right? Listen:

While it seems simple to just answer the question you are asked, many bar exam essay questions include numerous fact patterns, potential rules of law that apply, and even some red herrings. Be sure that you only answer the question that is asked; don’t go off on a tangent that will not score you any extra points! 

Read over the instructions to the question and follow these instructions, even if that means ignoring something or assuming certain facts are true. Any time you devote to issues that are not relevant to the instructions takes away from time that can score you more points.

Manage Your Time 

Now that you’re in the middle of your answers, keep a close eye on time. It can be tempting to take just a few more minutes to feel you completed a question, but this can come back to haunt you by taking away necessary time from another question. Set alarms if you need to — and are permitted to — so that you know when time is up for each section. Also, you may want to set a reminder a few minutes before your allotted time so that you can quickly wrap up the question before moving on to the next one. 

With that being said, avoid writing a partial essay and then moving onto another one. It can take several minutes to regain your bearings and remember what the essay was about when you switch back and forth. Instead, finish each question in the allotted time and then move onto the next.

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Quick tips for essay writing.

Here’s a quick round-up of tips to keep you on track when preparing your bar exam essays:

• Read the facts more than once. Don’t rush this part!
• Don’t write a lengthy, historical background of the law. Instead, make it concise.
• Don’t write a long analysis regarding policy if the question does not ask for it.
• Present counter-arguments but spend less time on them than arguments
• Provide a clear and decisive conclusion.
• Pace yourself. The two-day bar exam is a marathon, not a sprint. Approach each question with patience and don’t try to rush it.
• Don’t talk to anyone about your answers. This will undoubtedly make you doubt yourself; you don’t need a hit to your self-confidence at this time!
• Have a fun plan for what to do after the bar exam to have something to look forward to.

So, there you have it— a plan to help you tackle the essay portion of the bar exam. Use these strategies to help boost your score and you will soon be a licensed attorney!

Thanks for reading and good luck on your exam!

Frequently Asked Questions About Bar Essays

How do you write an essay for the bar exam.

There’s a specific structure that bar examiners expect when you write answers to essay questions. This structure is called IRAC, which is short for “Issue, Rule, Analysis, and Conclusion.” When writing a bar essay, try and structure all of your sentences around these four subjects in a way that makes sense.

How many essays are on the bar exam?

The essay portion of the bar exam is called the Multistate Essay Exam, or MEE for short. It is made up of six different essay questions that you must write answers to over the course of three hours. The subjects can vary depending on what test you take, but all are related to the legal field and will require excellent logical reasoning and critical thinking to earn a high score.

How long should bar exam essays be?

Although there may not be a set word limit for your bar exam essay, a good rule of thumb is to write at least 1,000 words for each answer. However, you should avoid padding out your article’s word count with excessively detailed descriptions of legal concepts; stick to the IRAC format and ensure each word in each sentence has a purpose.

Is it better to write or type the bar exam?

There’s no universal answer to this question, since some students will prefer to write by hand and others will prefer typing. However, there are significant benefits to typing your bar exam essay questions over using a pen and paper, such as easy erasing and the ability to copy and paste. However, power issues on rare occasions have forced essay writers to resort to pen and paper, and it makes it impossible to lose progress due to a software error.

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Valerie Keene is an experienced lawyer and legal writer. Valerie’s litigation successes have included wins for cases involving contract disputes, real property disputes, and consumer issues. She has also assisted countless families with estate planning, guardianship issues, divorce and other family law matters. She provides clients with solid legal advice and representation.

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How to write good essays for ICSE Class 10 (Samples, Books, Topics)

April 14, 2018 by studymumbai Leave a Comment

As part of ICSE Class 10 board exams, students are required to write a composition (essay) of around 300 to 350 words from a choice of subjects. The idea is to see how well students can describe, explain, present ideas coherently, arrive at conclusions and suggest solutions. Here are more tips and suggestions to help ICSE students master the art of answering/writing essay questions.

How to Write a Good Essay for ICSE Class X

Lot of students look for sample essays that can come in the for class 10 ICSE exam. However, instead of trying to guess, which topics come, a better approach is to learn how to structure an essay, and so some general reading on current topics.

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Here’s how to write a good essay for ICSE. Here are some hints on how to prepare for important essay topics:

• Read newspaper headlines. Usually, the Essays seem to be based on current hot topics/burning issues
• Have some information about current incidents, in politics, sports etc
• Learn how to structure an essay.

Read: How to write essay in Competitive Exams

• You would be given multiple options of essay topics. Take some time reading those topics and pick the one you’re most comfortable with.
• You can also buy ‘last 10 years question paper’ book and go through all the essays and letters to understand the style of writing, the way introduction and conclusion should be written.

With this approach, you will surely be able to write on any topic.

Essay Topics for Class X Exam

The ICSE Class X English language exam normally provides five essay topics. Pick the topic you are most comfortable with and you think you know more about.

If you take a look at the past question papers, you will see that the Essay topics are not usually repeated. It means you don’t have to by-heart any particular essay.

What they are looking for is a decent structure, they are not keen to know whether you have a mastery of the topic.

Having said that, be aware of current incidents and controversies in India, which could be one of the essay topics.

Possible topics for ICSE Class X (just have some basic idea about these and maybe practice writing on a few of these):

In the past ‘Science and Technology in Modern Society’ or ‘Comparison of various education systems’ have been hot topics. Other likely topics include demonetization in India, world peace, democracy, advent of selfies, human rights, etc.

Here are some more topics:

Artificial intelligence -job creator or job destroyer

Feminization of agriculture

Women empowerment-men have to walk extra mile

Globalisation and climate change cause or effective

Water scarcity where the buck stops.

Appo deepo bhavo

Rule of law or human rights -which comes first

Science and ethics -antagonism or synergy.

Judicial activism overeach or under performance of other two wings

Media and rule of law -two means to an end.

Fight against poverty, pollution, terrorism

Tiger, an endangered species

Child labour

Memorable day in school

Importance of sports in school life

My favourite pet

Global warming

Importance of reading

Your ambition in life

Swachchh bharat/Plastic bags/ Hygiene

Views on Fashion or show-off

Corporal punishment in school

Views on animal cruelty in circuses

Role of mother in life

TV/Computer/Mobile-boon or bane?

Nuisance by animals in public places

Interviewing a famous person

One day experience as your favourite fictional character

Trip to a hill station

A day visit to an orphanage/old age home

Story on ‘every cloud has a silver lining’

Detective story on a stolen antique

Women empowerment(with reference to Beti Bachao Beti Padhao)

Story titled ‘The gift’.

Good Books on Writing Essays

Here are a few good books on essay writing that can give your more ideas on how to write good essays, and help you to practice better.

• CBD’s ICSE Model English Essays (by Dr A.K.Mukherjee)
• Essay writing for high school -Essay writing for high school
• Cracking the English Essays For ICSE Class 10 Board Exams (by Madhuri Shukla)

StudyMumbai.com is an educational resource for students, parents, and teachers, with special focus on Mumbai. Our staff includes educators with several years of experience. Our mission is to simplify learning and to provide free education. Read more about us .

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How to Write a GCSE English Literature Essay

I was an English teacher for many years, both at GCSE and A Level , and I found that students did best when they knew exactly what examiners wanted (and crucially, didn’t want) to see in any English essay. This guide will give you some of my top tips for success when it comes to achieving the top grade in any GCSE English Literature paper.

English Senior Content Creator

22 January 2024

• 1 . What do examiners want to see in any English essay at GCSE? 
• 2 . How long should a GCSE English Literature essay be?
• 3 . Planning the GCSE English Literature essay
• 4 . How do you structure an English Literature essay?
• 5 . How do you write a GCSE English Literature essay conclusion?
• 6 . GCSE English Literature essay examples

Whichever exam board you are studying as part of your GCSE English Literature (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas or WJEC), or if you’re studying for an IGCSE (Edexcel or CIE), you will be required to write a long essay on at least one type of text. These texts could include a Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel, a modern text, or poetry, either from an anthology or unseen. Because some of these essay questions can be worth up to 40 marks (and therefore a huge chunk of your overall GCSE mark), it is vital that you have a good grounding in essay writing to get the top marks in your English Literature exam. 

What do examiners want to see in any English essay at GCSE? 

My experience also working as an examiner means that I have first-hand knowledge of the conversations that exam boards have with their individual examiners. The first thing to say is that examiners always want to give students credit: GCSE exams are “positively” marked, which means that they don’t deduct marks for mistakes. Instead, they start from the top of the mark scheme and fit students into a level, working down until they find a “best fit” between the student and a level.

So what? I hear you cry. Well, this means that if you - as a student - understand the English Literature mark scheme, and the assessment objectives, then you know exactly what you have to do to succeed. I always talked to my students about “thinking like an examiner”. The best way to do this is to look at the mark scheme on your exam board’s website. Even better, here at SME we have created student-friendly mark schemes, where we have “translated” them into everyday language. Here’s one for the Shakespeare essay question for AQA Paper 1.

How long should a GCSE English Literature essay be?

This is a great question, and one my students always asked me! The simple answer is: not as long as you might think. A “good essay” is certainly not the same as a long essay. In fact, I drummed into my students a favourite phrase of mine: “write less, plan more”. Much like the writing questions in the GCSE English Language paper, it is a much better idea to write a shorter, well-planned essay than including everything you can possibly remember about the character or theme that has come up in the exam question. In fact, when I was an examiner, I was often instructed to mark an essay down a level if it was too long, because inevitably these hyper-long pieces of writing lost focus and became unstructured. A shorter essay, focused throughout on the exam question, will always do better than a 10-page mega-essay that includes as many points as a student can remember in the timeframe. I have seen a whole essay that is only four sides of A4 achieve full marks. As a result, it can be a good idea to spend at least 20-30% of your allocated time on planning your answer.

Planning the GCSE English Literature essay

As already mentioned, planning can be the key to unlocking the very highest marks at GCSE. At SME, we have detailed, step by step guides on how to plan essays for Shakespeare , and also for the AQA GCSE English Literature 19-century novel (including A Christmas Carol ) and modern text (including An Inspector Calls ). However, before you start writing your essay, some great tips include:

Make sure you understand the exam question. Underline the key words of the question

Annotate the exam paper (this is especially great if you are answering an essay question that also includes an extract)

Establish your own argument, or viewpoint, based on the key words of the question

Write down your overarching argument (this is often called a “thesis statement”) at the top of your page

Select evidence that backs up your thesis statement (if you have been given an extract, try to select evidence from elsewhere in the text as well)

Based on your selected evidence, organise your argument into two or three main points (these will form your paragraphs)

How do you structure an English Literature essay?

A lot of schools and colleges teach students very specific paragraph structures, such as PEE, or PETAL. Although this can be a great way to learn how to write essay paragraphs, for the very highest marks at GCSE these rigid structures can be limiting. Exam boards say that they would prefer students to move away from PEE-style structures, because this allows students the space to be more “exploratory” and “conceptualised”: both of these words really mean that they want a lot more of that second “E” in PEE: explanation. 

Overall, I always asked my students to follow this broad structure for any essay:

Introduction: for the very highest marks, this must include a thesis statement, or a summary of your overall argument

Paragraph 1: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence

Paragraph 2: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence

Paragraph 3: This would include a topic sentence, which sets out the main point of the paragraph, and then uses various pieces of evidence to back up the argument made in the topic sentence. Depending on the exam board, and question, this could include a counter-argument

Conclusion: This would make the case that the argument, as set out in the introduction, has been proved

How do you write a GCSE English Literature essay conclusion?

Conclusions are tricky. Lots of English teachers have slightly different opinions on how to write conclusions for a GCSE English Literature essay. Some teachers might even say that it is not necessary to write a conclusion, but here at SME we always think it’s a great idea. This is because it really helps create what examiners call a “coherent response”: an argument that is focused all the way through, right to the end. Here are my top tips for writing a conclusion for a GCSE English Literature essay:

A conclusion should only summarise the proof you have provided for your argument

It only needs to be two or three sentences long

It should include the words of the question and your thesis statement

Remember, you do not get rewarded for including the same information twice, so try to be brief when summarising the points you made in the main body of your essay

GCSE English Literature essay examples

At SME, we have lots of annotated model answers for GCSE English Literature questions, including one for Macbeth , and another for A Christmas Carol.

Here is an excerpt from our model answer on whether Lady Macbeth is a character who changes throughout the play:

Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a female character who changes dramatically over the course of the play: she changes from a ruthless, remorseless woman who is able to manipulate her husband, to one that is side-lined by Macbeth and, ultimately, totally consumed by guilt. Shakespeare is perhaps suggesting that unchecked ambition and hubris, particularly for women, have fatal consequences.

Here’s an excerpt from our model answer for A Christmas Carol on how Dickens presents the suffering of the poor:

In this extract, Dickens uses the two characters, Ignorance and Want, as an allegory, as they are symbolic of society’s cruelty towards the suffering of the poor. Dickens uses these two characters to expose the consequences of society’s greed and avarice. The children are first depicted as emerging from the spirit’s robe which underscores Dickens’s message of how poverty, and its devastating consequences, remain largely shrouded, unseen and ignored by society. Furthermore, Dickens’s imagery depicts the children as emaciated and wretched which induces both horror and pity in the reader.

For lots more model answers, tips and step by step guides, please do visit the GCSE English Literature pages of SME. 

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Written by Nick Redgrove

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

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Writing Effective Test Questions

Writing test questions is a critically important and challenging skill. Unfortunately, few instructors have been taught how to design assessments or write test questions.

Well written tests motivate students, reinforce learning, and assess content mastery. A good test provides feedback on teaching and helps identify poorly communicated information or critical bottlenecks. Sadly, poorly written tests not only frustrate students, they can actually be a learning detriment as students may focus on the wrong content or ineffective, short-term study strategies.

As you construct your tests, consider what types of questions are most appropriate for your content. The idea is to test the students’ mastery of content, not how well they can take a test. Each type of question has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Tips on Testing

• Fairness: Content mastery should be measured in a way that does not give advantages to irrelevant factors. Test questions should reflect the learning objectives that were clearly communicated to students. Point values should be determined before the test is given.
• Accuracy: Never use a test written by someone else without checking it for accuracy. Publisher questions may save time, but they can be poorly written and answers may be incorrect. Always proofread. Even a small mistake, like misnumbering the questions, can cause big headaches when grading.
• Objectivity: No test can be truly objective. Thinking that one type of question is automatically objective and another is undoubtedly subjective is a false assumption. Bias can creep into any type of test question.
• Frequency: Frequent testing leads to better learning. The retrieval effect (aka the testing effect) means that the more often students are required to remember something, the better they know it. Frequent testing also provides multiple data sources and helps minimize the effects of an off day.
• Reliability: The more items a test has, the more reliable it is. In a short test, a few incorrect answers can have significant impact while a few incorrect answers in a long test makes minimal difference in the outcome.  
• Mixed methods: A test with a mix of types of questions minimizes student weakness with a particular method of testing.
• Instructions: Provide clear, concise written instructions. It is often helpful to provide an example of an exemplary answer.
• Accommodations: Think ahead about any accommodations you may be required to give for students with learning or physical disabilities. Consider what accommodations are reasonable. These might include giving extra time, allowing the use of tools like dictionaries or calculators, providing a separate testing location, etc.

Writing Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple choice questions are versatile because they can test factual recall as well as levels of understanding, synthesis, analysis, and application of learning. Multiple choice questions, however, are also one of the most difficult types of questions to write.

A multiple choice question is constructed from a problem or question, known as the stem, and list of suggested answer choices, known as alternatives. The alternatives include one correct or best alternative, which is the answer, and incorrect or inferior alternatives, known as distractors ( Clay, 2001 ). Since questions and alternatives can sometimes be misleading, consider having a colleague take the test before your students do.

One way to construct multiple choice questions that require deeper level of thinking is to create a scenario. Provide a description of a situation, a series of graphs or other data that would be appropriate to your discipline. Then, develop a series of questions that relate back to that material. These questions can require students to apply concepts, combine data, make a prediciton or diagnosis, analyze relationships between data or synthesize information.

Writing an Effective Stem

• The stem must be clear and unambiguous. Any vague terms, like normally, usually, possibly, may, should be avoided.
• State the stem as a direct question rather than an incomplete statement. The stem should be meaningful by itself. Avoid stems such as: Which of the following is a true statement?
• Eliminate unnecessary information or excessive verbiage in the stem.
• Include in the stem any words that are repeated in every alternative.
• All alternatives should be plausible. The purpose distractors is to assess which students have achieved the learning. Implausible alternatives do not accomplish that goal.  
• Use at least four alternatives to reduce the impact of guessing, but no more than six. Eliminate complex choices such as: “A and B” “B and C” “C if A is false” etc.
• Alternatives should be mutually exclusive . Watch out for overlapping categories like: "A.1-2” “B. 2-4” etc. If the answer is 2, which selection is correct? A or B?
• Randomly distribute the correct answer among the positions throughout the test. There are testing software programs that will do this automatically.
• Avoid use of all of the above or none of the above. If you do use them, do not make them the correct response all of the time.
• Be cautious in using negative terms in the stem or choices. If you use a negative, capitalize the word for emphasis. For example: Which of the following is NOT an indication of osteoporosis?
• Make alternatives roughly equivalent in length and in a similar format (i.e., phrases, sentences, etc.). Ensure your alternatives are free from clues for the correct answer.

Writing Effective Alternatives

Use questions which encourage evaluation of “higher order” thinking such as interpretation, analysis and synthesis, not just simple recall of medical facts ( Loo, 2017 ).

Example of a recall question of a medical fact: 

Which of the following types of cells lack functioning mitochondria?

• erythrocyte
• myocardiocyte

Example of a question that requires an explanation or interpretation:

The absence of which of the following is the most likely explanation for why a mature red block cell (RBC) is unable to carry out beta-oxidation of fatty acids?

• mitochondria
• endoplasmic reticulum
• Golgi apparatus
• intracellular oxygen

The use of tables and figures facilitates “higher order” thinking questions ( Loo, 2017 ).

Example of a question requiring integration and synthesis:

Which of the following pulmonary function tests is most consistent with a patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)?

FEV 1 = Forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FVC = Forced vital capacity; TLC = Total lung capacity;  DL CO = Diffusion lung capacity for carbon monoxide

Writing Essay or Short-Answer Questions

Essay or short-answer questions are the easiest to write, but the most time consuming to grade. Use these types of questions when you want to assess the students’ ability to organize knowledge, give an opinion, or use original thinking.

• Construct the question so the approach you want students to take is clear. Words like discuss or explain are vague and open to wildly different interpretation.  
• Avoid giving a selection of questions. This reduces reliability. If students answer different questions, they are actually taking a completely different test. To score students accurately, they all must perform the same tasks.  
• Write questions which are comprehensive, rather than focusing on small units of content.
• To test the depth of background knowledge, require students to provide supporting evidence for claims and assertions.
• Communicate how you will respond to technical errors such as misspellings, grammar, etc.
• Identify the relative value of each question.

Writing True/False Questions

Due to the high probability of guessing, true/false questions are not reliable and not recommended (Case & Swanson, 2002). They are also surprisingly difficult to write because they must be phrased in absolute terms.

• Case, S. M., & Swanson, D. B. (2002). Constructing written test questions for the basic and clinical sciences. National Board of Medical Examiners. Retrieved from http://www.nbme.org/PDF/ItemWriting_2003/2003IWGwhole.pdf
• Clay, B. (2001, October). Is this a trick question? A short guide to writing effective test questions. Kansas Curriculum Center. Retrieved from https://www.k-state.edu/ksde/alp/resources/Handout-Module6.pdf
• Loo, L. (2017, February 19). Guidelines for well written MCQ (multiple-choice questions).

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How to Improve Your SAT Writing Score with Effective Revision

The SAT Writing and Language section can be challenging, but with the right strategies and effective revision, you can significantly improve your score. Whether you’re aiming for a perfect score or just looking to boost your current performance, understanding how to revise your work is key. This article will guide you through essential tips and techniques to enhance your SAT Writing score through effective revision.

Key Areas to Focus on During Revision in SAT Writing Section

When revising for the SAT Writing section, focus on the following key areas:

• Grammar and Usage: Ensure that you have a strong understanding of grammar rules. Common issues include subject-verb agreement, verb tense consistency, pronoun usage, and parallel structure. Revising these areas can help you avoid frequent errors.
• Sentence Structure: Pay attention to sentence structure and variety. Avoid run-on sentences and fragments. Ensure that your sentences are clear and logically organized. Revising for sentence structure can improve the flow and readability of your writing.
• Punctuation: Proper punctuation is essential for clarity. Review the rules for using commas, semicolons, colons, and apostrophes. Correct punctuation errors can enhance the precision of your writing.
• Word Choice: Choose words that convey your message clearly and accurately. Avoid using overly complex words that might confuse the reader. Revising for word choice can help you express your ideas more effectively.
• Clarity and Conciseness: Ensure that your writing is clear and to the point. Avoid unnecessary words or overly complex sentences. Revising for clarity and conciseness can make your writing more impactful.

Effective Revision Techniques for the SAT Writing Section

Now that you know what to focus on, here are some effective revision techniques to improve your SAT Writing score:

Practice with Official SAT Questions

One of the best ways to revise is by practicing with official SAT Writing questions. The College Board provides sample questions and practice tests that closely mirror the actual exam. Practicing with these questions helps you familiarize yourself with the test format and identify areas where you need improvement.

Review Common SAT Writing Errors

Certain errors are commonly tested in the SAT Writing section. These include issues like misplaced modifiers, faulty parallelism, and incorrect verb forms. By reviewing these common errors, you can learn to spot them quickly and avoid making similar mistakes on test day.

Use the Process of Elimination

When revising your answers, use the process of elimination to narrow down your choices. Identify the incorrect answers first, which can help you focus on the correct option. This technique is particularly useful for questions where multiple answers seem plausible.

Time Yourself

Effective revision also involves practicing under timed conditions. The SAT Writing and Language section is time-limited, so it’s important to manage your time effectively. Practice completing questions within the allotted time to build your speed and accuracy.

Analyze Your Mistakes

After completing practice questions or tests, take the time to analyze your mistakes. Understand why you got a question wrong and how you can avoid similar errors in the future. This reflective practice can be one of the most powerful revision tools.

Seek Feedback

If possible, seek feedback on your writing from teachers, tutors, or peers. They can provide valuable insights into areas where you might need improvement. Constructive feedback can help you refine your revision strategy and focus on your weak points.

Use Revision Checklists

Create a revision checklist based on the common errors and areas you need to work on. As you revise, tick off each item on the list to ensure that you’ve covered all the important aspects of your writing. Checklists can help you stay organized and focused during revision.

Incorporate Reading into Your Revision

Reading high-quality writing, such as editorials, articles, and literature, can indirectly improve your SAT Writing score. Exposure to well-written material can help you develop a stronger sense of grammar, sentence structure, and style, which you can apply to your own writing.

Revise Regularly

Consistent revision is key to improvement. Set aside dedicated time each week to revise for the SAT Writing section. Regular practice will reinforce your learning and help you retain important concepts.

Additional Tips for Last-Minute Revision

If you’re close to your test date, here are some last-minute revision tips to help you maximize your score:

Focus on Your Weakest Areas

In the final days leading up to the exam, concentrate on revising your weakest areas. Whether it’s grammar rules or sentence structure, targeting these areas can help you make the most significant improvements in a short time.

Use Flashcards for Quick Revision

Create flashcards with key grammar rules, common errors, and tips for improving writing clarity. Review these flashcards in the days before your exam for a quick refresher.

Practice with Timed Tests

Take at least one full-length, timed practice test in the days before your exam. This will help you gauge your timing and identify any last-minute areas that need attention.

Stay Calm and Focused

Finally, it’s important to stay calm and focused during your revision. Stress can hinder your ability to retain information and perform well on the test. Practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or meditation, to keep your mind clear and focused.

Also Read: Recent 100+ SAT Exam Math Questions 2024: Download Free Practice Test Top 10 SAT Tips to Help You Study and Ace the Exam in 2024 SAT Math Formulas You MUST Know Lowest SAT Score Accepted 2024 | Minimum SAT Score Requirements for Top Colleges

Improving your SAT Writing score is achievable with the right approach to revision. By focusing on key areas like grammar, sentence structure, and clarity, and by employing effective revision techniques, you can enhance your writing skills and perform better on test day. Remember that consistent practice and reflection on your mistakes are essential to your progress. With these strategies in hand, you’ll be well-equipped to boost your SAT Writing score and achieve your target.

How to Improve Your SAT Writing Score-FAQs

How can i improve my sat essay score.

1: State Your Thesis Clearly. 2: Don’t Forget to Include a Conclusion and an Introduction. 3: Make Sensible Word and Language Choices. 4: Utilize Only Details Found in the Passage. 5: Concentrate on Important Information in Your Essay. 6: Before reading the passage, read the prompt.

Is it possible to get 800 in SAT English?

Additionally, the separate Reading and Writing test scores are combined to create the single 800 Reading + Writing score on the SAT. Strictly speaking, the 800 Reading and Writing score requires a flawless 40/40 exam result, which is what I mean when I talk about a perfect Reading test score.

What is a good SAT writing score?

It’s safe to say that if you score a 3 or below, your essay score is definitely lower than average; if you score a 4-6, your score is pretty average; and if you score a 7 or above, your score is significantly higher than average because so many people score in the middle on the SAT Essay Reading and Writing exam.

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8 Tips for Writing Effective Test Questions

Tests, quizzes, and exams are conducted to evaluate the participants based on the knowledge they gained, their recollection abilities, and critical thinking skills. It helps teachers, trainers, and HRs assess the participants for a pre-defined purpose. The marketing teams also use quizzes and questions to get feedback from customers. 

It’s no surprise that the questions you create determine the results. If you want valid information from respondents, you need to provide them with accurate questions. This makes writing test questions an important part of the process. The right question will elicit the expected response from the person. 

So, how to write good test questions that serve your purpose? How can you ensure your questions are accurate, reliable, and fair? 

Let’s find out in this blog, along with some good examples.

How to Write Questions for a Test? 

Before you write the questions for a test or quiz, it is important to understand the five-point checklist. Make sure your test paper aligns with the below elements. 

The first factor to consider when creating test questions is the purpose. Why are you conducting this test? What do you want to achieve from this? 

The next element is impact. How high or low are the stakes for you and the participants? How will the results impact both parties? 

The intent of conducting a test is to gather data for assessments and to arrive at a decision. So, which types of questions will give you the right result? How should you validate the answers? 

Reliability

The test results should be based on the real knowledge of participants and not due to cheating or dishonesty. How can you ensure the questions will measure responders’ knowledge accurately? 

Is the test paper (questions, difficulty level, duration, marking, etc.) realistic enough to give a proper result? Does it create a level playing field for the participants?

What is the best way to write a test? Here are a few useful tips to follow when creating a test paper. 

1. Be Fair and Unbiased 

The test questions should be relevant to the chosen topic and should not give some participants an advantage over others due to external factors. 

2. Aim for Accuracy 

Prepare the test questions yourself, if it is your domain. Don’t use existing test papers without checking them thoroughly and making the necessary changes. 

3. Use an AI Test Generator 

Save time by using an AI question generator for teachers like PrepAI. This is a comprehensive test maker for teachers, students, trainers, etc., and can convert different types of input content into MCQs, true/ false, fillups, and descriptive questions . It is built on Bloom’s Taxonomy framework to generate questions that test higher-order thinking skills and abilities. 

4. Mix Question Types

Mixing question types is useful when done correctly. How to create test questions of different types? You can use an AI quiz generator for this. Make sure questions of each time are clubbed together to make the test paper uniform and better structured. 

5. Avoid Grammatical Errors 

Triple check the questions to ensure there are no typos or grammatical errors. This can lead to confusion and other issues. Students may be disappointed or protest about unfairness. 

6. Don’t Use Double Negatives 

Double negatives make a positive. However, it is not always straightforward. Avoid complicated questions. Instead of saying ‘ why should you not avoid anti-tetanus injections ’, simply say ‘ why get a tetanus vaccine ’. 

7. Stick to One Idea Per Question 

Don’t combine different ideas or topics in the same question, even if they are related. Separate them into two or more questions. Make sure each question has a single focus area. 

8. Provide Clear Instructions 

The question should give all the instructions to students in clear words. Don’t assume they will interpret vague statements. Use words like ‘what, when, why, how, discuss, explain’ to state what you want them to do. If there are any additional instructions, mention them below the question (for example- include a diagram, write the formula, etc.). 

How to Structure Test Questions? 

The structuring process depends on the type of test questions you use. For example, multiple choice questions are framed differently from true or false questions or descriptive questions. 

Moreover, the overall structuring or formatting of the test paper should also be considered. It is recommended to be clear, transparent, and specific. Sprinkle hard questions between easy ones. However, follow a set order for question types – questions of the same type should be together and not scattered throughout. 

Good Test Questions Examples

There are different advantages and disadvantages of question types. For example, true or false questions are great for assessing surface-level knowledge but are not suitable to determine whether the participant really knows the answer or if it was guesswork. 

You can minimize the disadvantages if you follow this short guide on how to write good test questions for teachers:

Multiple Choice Questions 

Multiple choice questions (MCQs) can test factual knowledge as well as analytical abilities. The statement or question is called stem, while the answers are divided into one correct answer and 2-4 distractors. However, writing a good MCQ can be tricky. Let’s see, how to write a good multiple choice question? 

A good stem would be clear, straightforward, and to the point. The language has to be simple and without fluff. The negatives in the questions should be highlighted in bold or capital letters. The keywords in the stem can be repeated in all the options listed for it. The distractors should be relevant to the topic and seem to be plausible solutions. 

The options should be mutually exclusive and appear uniform in length and size. Opt for 3-5 choices (not more). Don’t include complex choices like ‘A and C’ or ‘B and A’. Options like ‘All the Above’ or ‘None of the Above’ should also be limited, and these should not be the right answers every time.

Improper/Inaccurate example – 

There are 200 different cells in the human body, which are grouped into four categories and form the fundamental tissues. These affect growth, metabolism, reproduction, and other provides a response to stimuli. What are these four types of cells? 

• Muscle, connective, nerve, and epithelial 
• Bone, blood, internal organs, and cavities 
• Stem, muscle, sperm, and nerve 
• All the above 
• None of the above 
• A and C 

(Here, the question is too long and contains unwanted information, which confuses the students. There are many options to choose and can create a lot more confusion during an exam than necessary. Options B and C contain elements from option A, which means they are not mutually exclusive even if option A is the correct answer.)

Better example – 

What are the four basic cell types in the human body?

• Endocrine, nervous, and circulatory 
• Cytoplasm, lysosomes, plasma, and mitochondria
• Digestive, circulatory, musculoskeletal, and integumentary 

This is how you write quiz questions to enhance clarity for participants and increase the reliability of the test.

True or False Questions 

How to write good exam questions for true or false options? With true or false, students can guess the possible answer despite the lack of knowledge. However, the phrasing must be absolute to avoid confusion. Don’t write grammatically tricky questions with multiple interpretations.

The liver is a major organ in the human body. It produces insulin and bile juice. 

(Here, half the statements are true – the liver is one of the major organs. It produces bile. The pancreas produces insulin.) 

Better example –

The liver is one of the major organs in the human body and secretes bile juice.

Short Answer Questions 

Descriptive questions for short answers are easy to create manually or using online tools like test maker for teachers . However, ensure the question is clear, to the point, and deals with a single theme or idea. 

The human heart is a complex organ that rests between the two lungs. How many chambers are there for different purposes? Name these chambers and their roles, along with details like which has the thickest wall and the location of nodes. 

(Here, the question is too long. It provides many details and asks for more than one answer.) 

Discuss the chambers of the human heart with a diagram. 

(The question is simple and includes all elements without mentioning them.)

Conclusion  

This is a comprehensive guide to know how to write good test questions for different purposes and requirements. Whether you are a teacher, educator, trainer, or marketer, creating good questions is a prerequisite to getting the expected results. Thanks to technology, you can invest in an AI question generator tool like PrepAI to automate the process of creating high-quality questions for various tests, quizzes, and exams. The questions can be edited to ensure they align with your requirements and accurately assess the participants.

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How to End a College Essay: Six Strategies

Gina twardosz.

• Last Updated on August 22, 2024

Table of Contents

Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of your Common App personal statement…or you’re thinking about the end of your personal statement, and that’s still a cause for celebration. 

Consider your favorite show, film, or book—how did you feel when it ended? Perhaps you were sad because you had spent so much time with the characters that they felt like close friends, or maybe you were angry at a disappointing conclusion that left more questions than answers. 

Whether we like it or not, a conclusion, good or bad, can change how we feel about a piece of media. It’s just as important as your introduction, and maybe even more important since it’s the last thing your reader will read. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to end a college essay to make a lasting impression.

Why Is the Ending Important?

When friends ask me for book or movie recommendations, I always start with the ending. “You have to watch it, the ending was so heartwarming!” I say, or, more often than not, “Don’t watch it—the ending didn’t make any sense.” 

Endings have huge cultural staying power and can even change the audience’s perception of the entire work. You don’t want to unravel your tightly wound story with a loose ending! 

And they lived happily ever after. 

This ending may be unforgettable but for the wrong reasons. Your life is not a fairy tale, so your essay can’t have such a boring, basic conclusion. The ending to your college essay should be rich with nuance and insight. 

To make a lasting impression on the reader, your conclusion should push boundaries, following the reader long after they finish reading your college essay. The end of your college essay should satisfy the reader, tying up loose ends, but a good conclusion is also active, not passive. A good ending to your college essay asks and answers the question, “What’s the point?” Why did the reader just read a 650-word story about you?

Your conclusion is, in many ways, a gift to the reader. It’s the dessert after a long meal—it completes their reading experience and makes everything that came before it worth it. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Before we explore the different ways to end a college essay, let’s discuss what not to do. 

The biggest mistake students make when crafting an end to their college essay is not taking the conclusion seriously. 

In essays you’ve written for class, you may have been encouraged to restate your thesis in the conclusion. While that’s a good strategy for an informative essay, a college personal essay is very different. Your college essay may not even have a clear thesis statement, and that’s okay. 

You should not summarize your essay in your conclusion either. A pointed summary of all the main points of your college essay may seem memorable, but it lacks creativity and can seem as though you’re talking down to the reader. A good ending introduces a new part of the essay, so it should stand out while remaining cohesive. 

How to End a College Essay

If you want your essay to capture attention and resonate with the reader, follow these six strategies for ending a college essay. 

Reflect 

While you should be reflecting throughout your essay, a great way to tie together any themes or lessons learned is by reflecting on your values or beliefs at the end of the essay. Have they changed since the beginning of the story by growing stronger, maybe even weaker as you’ve gained more knowledge? 

It’s important to note that reflection is not summary—you’re introducing a new way of looking at your story in the conclusion. In a way, reflection is the analysis of your story.

Reflection is a great way to show maturity and growth. While you’ll likely grow and mature even more throughout college, reflecting on your experiences shows a thoughtfulness conducive to a college education. 

If you’ve ever seen a stand-up comedian perform, then you know that sometimes they reference earlier jokes later in the set. A “callback” can seem like an inside joke between the comedian and audience, creating familiarity between performer and spectator. 

Let’s look at the essay introduction imagined in the article, “ How to Write a Good Essay Hook. ”

“Yuck!” I yelled as the pigeon pooped on my head. 

It’s safe to assume this essay will be, in part, about overcoming challenges or adversity. So, how should it end? To match the humor of the introduction, a callback can be utilized to end this college essay. 

The best advice I ever received was to stay positive. Keep looking up, because if anything, you’ll see the pigeon before it poops! 

While this essay is very humorous, your essay doesn’t have to be funny to use a callback.

Rescue Your Cliffhanger

It may be self explanatory, but if you started your essay with a cliffhanger, you’ll have to return to it at the end, saving whatever you left dangling in a move that will leave the reader both relieved, satisfied, and maybe even a little surprised. 

Ending your essay in a scene is also an active way to leave a memorable impression on the reader.

You’ve experienced a lot so far, but there is still so much for you to discover. Readers of your essay know that your big journey is just beginning, so don’t be afraid to end your essay looking toward the future. Especially if your essay is about overcoming a challenge, you’ll want to end on a positive note as you look out toward your potential. 

Just as you’re reflecting inward, look outward at the world around you. What’s next for you? Show the reader that your story is only ending on paper. 

When writing the perfect college essay, the stakes can feel overwhelming. Applying to colleges is a serious undertaking, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t allow yourself to feel excited! You’re going to college, and you’re going to do big things when you’re there, and beyond.

While you’ll likely have a chance to write about your career aspirations in one of the many short answer supplemental essays colleges require, your college essay can be a great way for you to write about your hopes and dreams. Especially if you’re writing about your identity, background, or talents, ending on your dreams can leave the reader with a memorable and heartwarming message.  

Surprise Twist! 

M. Night Shyamalan: You either love his twist endings…or you loathe them. I won’t tell you how to watch movies, but when it comes to writing, I can assure you that a surprise twist can make your college essay impossible to forget. 

It should be said that this can be one of the hardest endings to get right, and it definitely depends upon the way you’ve structured your essay. But if your essay is pretty conventional, a surprise twist can take your college essay to the next level. 

Think of your twist ending as more of a pivot into a new direction. It’s important not to stray too far from the topic of the essay—you don’t want a disjointed essay—but surprise twists can be a great way to ensure your essay doesn’t fall victim to trope. 

For example, maybe your essay is about becoming a more adventurous cook, but in the end, you end up burning Thanksgiving dinner! Things didn’t go as expected, but through this journey, you learned what truly matters is family…and takeout food. 

Life is full of twists and turns, and if you can work one into your essay, you may just take the right path toward your dream school. 

While the end of a college essay is only one part of it, it has the ability to the define the essay, so it’s important to take it seriously and write a creative ending that satisfies the reader while leaving a lasting impression. It’s not enough to simply start the race, you have to finish strong to secure your victory. One of these six strategies can help you end your college essay, ensuring that your college essay is unforgettable.

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College essays matter. Here's how to write one that stands out | College Connection

Students facing the college application process typically dread one component: the Common App essay. 

Students are presented with six essay prompts, as well as a seventh option, which is “topic of your choice.” Students therefore have limitless possibilities for this essay which will be carefully reviewed by each college to which the student applies.

The goal of college admissions officers is to learn about the student who is applying: personal qualities, struggles, ambitions, priorities. On other parts of the application a student’s “data” is detailed. So, this is not the place to write about one’s SAT scores, GPA, or intended major, or to enumerate one’s activities. It is the place to write about an event, situation, or life circumstance that has influenced the student’s attitudes, goals, and perceptions of life.

The options are limitless. Students can write about life occurrences that impacted them: an illness, a learning disability, a relocation. They can use a sport, club, organization, or volunteer group as the overarching framework within which they learned important life lessons. 

More: The biggest key to college acceptance | College Connection

One student’s essay, which went viral after its author was accepted to a multitude of Ivy League schools, focused on lessons she learned from visits to Costco over the years. In short, students can write about anything that has impacted them – hopefully in a positive way.

Then, students face supplemental essays. Many colleges, including almost all the most competitive ones, require an essay that is specific to the school. Typically, the question is along the lines of, “Why do you want to attend this institution?” or “Why did you choose your particular major and how will our school prepare you to meet your future goals?”

More: These are the latest trends in college admissions | College Connection

Colleges are aware that students typically apply to 8 to 12 different schools, and they are trying to discern “demonstrated interest,” or, in other words, the likelihood of a student enrolling if accepted. So, students should utilize each supplemental essay as an opportunity to demonstrate their interest in the particular college, and should specifically state the courses, programs, study abroad options, internships, and any other characteristics that make the institution a perfect match for their college ambitions.

By showing enthusiasm for each school and sharing their attributes through the Common App and supplemental essays, students will greatly enhance their prospects of experiencing a successful college application process.   

Susan Alaimo is the founder & director of Collegebound Review, offering PSAT/SAT ® preparation & private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362 .

12 Tips for Answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Writing a strong personal essay is an essential component of the application process when you apply to Georgia College and State University (GCSU).  In the personal essay questions , the  themes of career goals, personal growth, and community service are often emphasised. The university asks the students to elaborate on why they are interested in a particular field of study or recount a challenging situation they went through and how they managed to resolve it. 

Students can demonstrate their skills, achievements, and values by using real-life experiences as examples. In addition, the university’s personal essay questions require students to strike a balance between self-reflection and storytelling. Students must also present clear knowledge of how their experiences and prospective goals relate to the institution’s values. 

However, some students do not have enough skills to effectively answer such questions while  applying to university. So, this guide is for such students. Here,  we will provide tips on  writing a personal statement and answering such essay questions in your university application. 

How to Answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions?

Georgia College aims to extend education outside of the classroom to support students' critical thinking abilities. Thus, they have incorporated such questions into the enrolment applications. Below are the 12 tips that will provide  assistance with your essay  questions and improve your chances of having your application accepted.

1. Know the Best Ideas for Your Essay

The personal essay questions Georgia College and State University are meant to add more insight into your application. In addition, the response to such personal essay topics helps the admission committee to know more about you. To write a strong essay, make sure that your thoughts are coherent and reflect your own experiences. 

Here, we are providing you with some tricks to come up with amazing ideas:

• Understand the prompt.
• Read the question carefully.
• Get the core ideas.

Ideas Brainstorming

• Recall life events that have shaped who you are today.
• Think about how your social, academic or cultural backgrounds have influenced you.
• Remember times when you overcame challenges or achieved milestones in life.
• Focus on strengths or areas of passion for you.

Your ideas must:

• Be relevant to the prompt.
• Be realistic.
• In line with what the university stands for.

2. Reflect on Your Experiences

As you prepare to apply to university, remember the experiences that have contributed to shaping you the way you are now. Your essay should show how these developments, interests, and objectives align with the university's mission and values.

Think about the following points while you reflect on your experiences:

Obstacles and Challenges

What barriers or hurdles have hindered your progress in the past, and what methods did you capitalise on to go beyond them? Which abilities were sharpened from these experiences? How did these experiences affect your outlook towards life and your goals?

Positions and Duties in Leadership

Retrace your steps and recount what you acquired. Restate lessons you learned from playing a leading role.

Academic Accomplishments and Interests

Reverse the positions, think about yourself, and concentrate on your various achievements in class. How did you develop an interest in these areas, and what have they done to help you reach your goals?

Development of the Self and Self-Awareness

Apart from considering one’s personal developments, consider the times when challenges or disappointments were faced and dealt with. When and how did you confront these challenges? What did you learn about yourself while doing so?

As you think about these events, think about the following questions:

• What skills did this encounter assist me in developing or improving?
• What changes has this encounter brought to my ambitions and goals?
• In what way does this experience relate to my aspirations and objectives?
• What values or principles did this experience instil or reinforce in me?
• What precise moments or stories can I draw on?

3. Don't Tell them a Story They Want; Tell them What You Want

When crafting your essays for applications, it is easy to get into the comfort zone of writing in a way that seems pleasant to the members of the admissions committee. This approach, however, often fails to showcase your point. Instead, it is advisable to be unapologetically bold and tell the story you want to tell, regardless of who it will appeal to. Understand that it is very important to be real in your essay.

When writing your personal statement, consider these points:

• Focus on how the engagement aspects of your essay have been drawn from your unique experiences. 
• Explain how being unique comes from expressing yourself on your own rather than what you believe the college would prefer to hear.
• Explain why authentic stories are more interesting as they are true and emotional.
• Argue that for your essay to capture attention, it is important to be free, vulnerable, and take risks in your narrative.
• Expressing your wishes reveals more about your true self, and that is what the college is looking for.

4. Be Authentic

Finding one’s values, beliefs, and passions is the heart of authenticity. This starts in the inner space where you try so hard to know yourself and decide which of your values are the most important. There is authenticity in overcoming the temptation to conform to other people’s expectations or remain true to one’s core beliefs. This offered a foundation of integrity and formed the basis of all other forms of honest living.

Here are some remarkable aspects of authenticity:

5. Keep it Concise

A well-developed statement is probably an important component of your university application. Therefore, this comprehensive guide is an opportunity to demonstrate your unique features, life history and aspirations to the admission committee.

Moreover, when it comes to providing an essay that stands out, there is a need to ensure that it is written interestingly and coherently and let it remain on topic. Here are some of the suggestions that can help you achieve this:

• Ensure that there is no room for ambiguity.
• Provide your readers with relevant examples.
• Avoid needless information.
• Choose simple and straight-to-the-point words.

6. Think Outside the Box!

Do not restrict yourself with commonly known details about yourself but be brave and include little more creativity in your paper.

Here are a few helpful hints that will assist you in doing so:

• Refusal may be miserable, but reluctantly tell the admissions committee your fabulous and unique achievements.
• In ways that are explosive to emotions or stretch one's imagination, draw a picture on the spare part of the essay and tell a story instead of better structuring it.

Most people approach the task of doing something different as a way of trying to succeed personally and professionally.

7. Use Proper Grammar and Spelling

In a personal statement, an applicant must pay attention to the structure of the essay, including spelling and grammatical conventions. To eliminate such mistakes, it is recommended to:

• Carry out a basic form to improve the writing of the essay.
• Utilise online resources for grammar and spell check.
• Seek feedback.

With these guidelines, students make sure that there will be no errors in answers to personal essay questions about grammar. It is also necessary to organise the document properly to be favourable to the admission board. In addition, you can also get samples from  legit essay writing firms in the UK   to understand the structure of personal essays for university applications. 

8. Revise Often and Edit

Here, we are going to look into the need to edit and revise the answers we have written for the personal essay questions. By following these strategies, you can make your essay stand out.

• Remove unnecessary elements and improve the organisation of your work.
• Make your arguments and their supporting evidence stronger.
• Improve grammatical errors and sentence fluency.
• Express more of who you are through words and speech.
• Rectify gaps and inconsistencies in your narratives.

Editing your essay requires you to also look at the spelling, grammar or punctuation of the essay. When doing so, particularly pay attention to grammar, punctuation, length of sentences, word choice, and consistency. 

How to start Editing your Essay?

Essay revision is checking the content, structure, and flow of the essay. While undertaking this process, take into consideration the following:

• Am I clear and focused in my thesis statement?
• Does the flow of my answers make sense?
• Do my anecdotes and examples of work support my points?
• Am I able to use the same voice/tone throughout the essay?
• Is there anything else that I could include to give more details?

9. Highlight Your Strengths

To stand out from other applicants, highlight your strengths in the essay. Before you put your pen on paper, spare a minute or two and try to recall particular events, achievements, and traits. To focus on your academic achievements, ask yourself:

• What are the specific achievements I have attained and the strong skills I possess in university?
• What are the objectives and aspirations I have about my career?
• What factors make me different from other people?

To highlight the strong points in your answer to personal essay questions, you can use examples and narratives. In addition, it is also advisable to highlight your soft skills and let your readers feel your passion and excitement.

10. Demonstrate Your Fit

A powerful piece detailing your personal experiences only works when you show how you fit into Georgia College and State University, its beliefs, and its aim. In addition, add the following salient features to your response to personal essay questions:

Background in Academia 

Talk about your academic history first, highlighting any academic projects that show your readiness for the school you are applying to. Give details of any awards, competitions, or activities that underscore your achievements in your area of study.

Experience That Matters

Mention any planned internships or previous work experience which is relevant to the degree or course you are looking for. Explain how these experiences shaped your career goals.

Link to the University

Why do you want to study at Georgia College and State University? Justify why you believe this particular university is the most suitable for you. Explain how you will be useful to the school community considering the faculty members, research facilities and university culture. 

Long-term Vision

Explain what the future is going to hold for you, particularly how you see the contribution you will make to the field of your choice after you finish the degree. Mention how your university education and experiences will create opportunities for you to achieve these goals and promote positive change as well. You may make arguments that positively reinforce yourself in terms of why you are a strong prospect for the program you are applying to. 

11. Get Started Early

It is very important to start dealing with the Georgia College and State University personal essay questions as soon as possible. If you plan early, you will have sufficient time to arrange and write the essay content and predictably proofread it. This is why it is necessary to commence at the earliest point.

Why, then, should you get started early? Here are some of the reasons:

• Stress is decreased when you start early!
• You'll generate more ideas if you give yourself more time to brainstorm!
• You may demonstrate to the admissions committee that you are serious about attending the university.  
• You are prepared to put in the time and effort to learn more about it by researching it and its core values.
• You'll have more time to proofread, edit, and refine your responses.

12. Seek Help When Needed

Assistance seeking is very important, particularly when responding to a personal essay question. One can feel immense pressure to perform well, and this is understandable. Furthermore, it’s important to recognise when you are stuck and need help. 

A teacher, mentor, or guidance counsellor offers support to craft a good paper. You can also  purchase your essay  from online resources that will lead to successful admission to your desired university. 

How to answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions?

Here are the tips for answering these question types;

• Do not be afraid of making your voice heard. 
• Structure a clear and interesting essay.
• Make use of the words and writing skills that you already have.
• Write about yourself. But don't try to encapsulate your whole life!
• Answer the question that has been asked.
• Read it over again!
• Write on the internet in a networked word processor.

What should be included in College and State University Personal Essay Questions?

It is best to talk about both positive and negative matters, a humiliating experience, or a quality or interest that exemplifies your values. If you are honest about the issue, character flaws, or sad childhood events, the reader will find it far more credible. 

In addition, it will exhibit your personal life experiences that the admission panel wants to know. So, by including all the information, you can fulfil the true objective of such essay types in application forms. 

The importance of the personal essay questions in the Georgia College and State University application process enables candidates to make the best impression and talk more about themselves. An effective essay can provide a student’s perspective to the admission committees, which are usually standardised, and help to distinguish them from everyone else. 

Moreover, students can show in their essays how well they will integrate themselves into the programs by spinning a good and well-organised narrative. Finally, submitting an excellent personal essay shows that the candidate is open and honest. In addition, the applicant understands what the university is all about and its values. 

Students who follow such practice can write a good manuscript, which allows them to develop their competencies and increase their chances of being accepted into university. Thus, they can begin their developmental, educational, and achievement-oriented journey and fulfil all their academic and career ambitions.

Chris Bates

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College Essay Prompts: What Admissions Officers Are Really Looking For

EssayEdge > Blog > College Essay Prompts: What Admissions Officers Are Really Looking For

The college admissions process is a real source of stress for college applicants, and essay writing is one of its most challenging aspects. These prompts are more than just writing assignments. They are an opportunity to get a glimpse into a student’s personality, interests, and potential.

College admission essay prompts are quite numerous, however, choosing one to reveal one’s personality is challenging and vague. Even though it may be your first time writing this type of application, it needs to be done perfectly to get into college. For elite colleges, this essay is often the deciding factor for getting an interview.

Source: ResearchGate

Your college admission essay can make a big difference in whether you get accepted. The admissions committee looks closely at your personality, which they find important in their decision.

So what’s important to a good essay? What is your admissions committee looking for in it?

Table of Contents:

What are Essay Prompts for College Admission ?

An admissions essay is a 250 to 650-word long text in which you answer a specific question. Most universities and colleges require one main essay. However, schools may also ask for additional ones, such as “Why did you choose our university?” or “Describe a time when you overcame a challenge.” Some selective colleges may require up to four or five essays on a variety of topics. 

College Admission Essay Prompts 2025

The overall college admission prompts for 2024-2025 remain unchanged: 

• Tell us about your unique characteristic: “Is there something in your life, like an experience, personal trait, hobby, or talent, that’s so important your application wouldn’t be complete without it? If so, share your story.”
• The impact of hardship on your path: “Important lessons often come from difficult situations. Describe an instance when you encountered a difficulty, setback, or problem. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?”
• Rethinking beliefs: “Recall a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to do so? What were the consequences of your rethinking?”
• Actions for which you are grateful: “Share a situation when someone did something for you that struck you as kind or unexpected. How did that feeling of gratitude affect or motivate you?”
• Personal growth and Insight: “Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that was the beginning of your personal growth and led to a new understanding of yourself or others.”
• An exciting topic or idea: “Describe a topic, idea, or concept that fascinates you so much that you lose track of time while engaged in it. Why does it fascinate you? What sources or people do you turn to when you want to learn more?”
• Essay on any topic: “Write an essay on any topic that interests you. It can be an essay you’ve already written, a response to another admission essay prompts for college , or a brand new paper of your choice.”

What does the admissions committee expect from you?

The committee wants to understand who you are as a person. It includes your values, beliefs, life priorities, and character. The application should show your uniqueness and what sets you apart from other applicants. Your life experiences, culture, background, and hobbies can play a key role in demonstrating your personality. It would seem that this is the end of it, but no. The essay requires you to address your experiences, culture, etc in some way, this information must have a purpose and opportunity to appear. What do we mean by that? 

The admissions committee wants to see you can analyze your past experiences, draw conclusions, and learn from them. This helps you grow and develop, not stand still, and adapt to different situations. Reflection allows the student to better understand their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the aspects of life that motivate them and shape them as a person. This approach is important as colleges strive to accept students who are capable of not only learning but also contributing to the community. 

Testing critical thinking is also quite important. Admission essay prompts that encourage candidates to analyze situations, problems, or solutions help reveal their ability to reason, consider different points of view, and formulate sound conclusions. 

Here is a very short example of such an essay: 

“In my sophomore year, I faced a belief that had long driven me: that perfect grades were the only path to success. When I failed a major math exam, it shook my world. I was overwhelmed with shame, convinced that I was a failure. However, this setback made me question the idea that academic excellence was the sole measure of my worth.

As I reflected, I realized my obsession with grades had drained the joy from learning. I decided to shift my focus—exploring subjects that genuinely interested me and engaging in activities outside of academics. This change not only rekindled my passion for learning but also taught me the importance of balance and self-compassion.

This experience has reshaped my understanding of success, which I now see as a blend of personal well-being, relationships, and growth, rather than just academic achievements.”

College Essay Admission Prompts : What to Focus On?

Writing such an essay is still difficult because you should keep many things in your mind simultaneously to succeed. Don’t forget that the essay should also include: 

• Clarity of goals and ambitions

It is important to show that you have specific academic and career goals. The committee wants to see how the college and program you have chosen will help you achieve these goals. It is a realization of why you have chosen this particular academic path and how it fits into your future.

• Academic Motivation and Interests

Your passion for learning and desire to learn should also be evident. The Board wants to see that you are genuinely passionate about your chosen subject and are willing to learn more and more. Tell us how you have shown interest in a subject outside the school and program and participated in projects, research, or other academic activities.

• Empathy and Social Responsibility

It is important to show your ability to interact with others, work in a team, and show empathy. Colleges are looking for students who can contribute positively to the campus community, treat others with respect, and actively participate in team life.

• Well-organized and Structured Text

Your application should be organized and logically presented. Structure, consistency of thought, and correct use of language are key. This not only demonstrates your communication skills but also your ability to think critically.

• Sincerity and Authenticity

The committee will immediately sense if your application is insincere or written to give a false impression. Your essay should reflect your genuine thoughts and feelings, don’t try to guess what they “want to hear”. It is better to be honest and sincere than to try to fit the stereotype of the perfect candidate.

You can find more successful examples of college admission essay prompts from us. 

Bottom Line 

The college application essay is essential to the final decision . Your grades play an important role, but your personality may hook the admissions officers so much that they will decide in your favor. 

It is quite a challenge and you will surely need help along the way. A person who can guide and support is invaluable at such times. EssayEditors of EssayEdge team can help you with overcoming difficulties. We don’t write essays for you but help you bring out your best sides so that others can appreciate your talent and willingness to learn instead. 

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Home / Book Writing / How to Plot a Novel: A Step-by-Step Guide for Writers

How to Plot a Novel: A Step-by-Step Guide for Writers

Plotting a novel can feel like an overwhelming task, especially for new writers. When I first decided to write a book, I had no idea where to begin with structuring a full-length narrative. Like most authors, I had plenty of ideas swimming around in my head, but no clue how to organize them into a cohesive story.

In this guide, I will help you plan your novel from start to finish, including coming up with ideas and outlining plot points . By the end, you'll feel equipped and excited to plot your own novel in a way that sets you up for success.

• The essential building blocks of a good plot
• How to brainstorm compelling story ideas
• Techniques for developing a strong premise
• Methods for structuring your plot using templates
• Tips for creating effective scenes

Table of contents

• Key Elements of Story Structure
• What Makes a Good Novel Plot?
• Supercharge Your Novel Writing with Atticus
• Step 1: Assemble Your Puzzle Pieces
• Step 2: Use a Story Structure
• Step 3: Layer in a Subplot
• Step 4: Develop Strong Character Arcs
• Step 5: Ensure Every Scene Has Conflict
• Alternative: The Snowflake Method
• How Long Does it Take to Plot a Novel?
• Additional Tips for Effective Novel Plotting

Understanding the Basics of Plot

To plot a novel effectively, it's important to first grasp the basic elements that form a story's structure . Think of your narrative as a house – the plot structure is the framework and foundation that holds everything together.

Most stories follow a similar basic blueprint, typically containing these key parts:

• Exposition : Introduce important background information, setting, protagonist, and other main characters.
• Inciting Incident : The event that hooks readers and disrupts the status quo, propelling your protagonist into the main action.
• Rising Action : Events that build tension, complicate the conflict, and raise stakes as the story progresses.
• Climax : The most intense moment in a story when the main character confronts their greatest challenge.
• Falling Action : Events showing the aftermath of the climax and its effects on the characters.
• Resolution : The conclusion addresses the remaining conflicts and reveals the protagonist's new status quo.

Having a solid grasp of these story structure elements will make plotting your novel much easier.

At its core, a good plot is one that engages readers and keeps them turning pages. Here are some hallmarks of an effective, well-constructed narrative plot:

• A compelling premise or hook
• Forward momentum
• Meaningful conflict
• Unpredictability
• Strong pacing
• Clear stakes
• A satisfying payoff

How to Plot a Novel: The Best Techniques

Ready to turn your plot into a polished manuscript? Atticus is our #1 recommended book writing and formatting software for authors. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, Atticus helps you:

• Organize your plot points and chapters effortlessly
• Track character arcs and subplots
• Set and monitor writing goals
• Format your book for publication with just a few clicks

Whether you're a plotter or a pantser, Atticus streamlines your writing process from first draft to final publication. Try Atticus today and experience the difference in your novel writing journey!

Learn More About Atticus

Now let's dive into how to actually plot a novel from start to finish. I'll walk you through my 5-step process that I've developed over years of writing and teaching other authors.

Before structuring your plot, gather the key elements you'll be working with:

• Protagonist
• Main supporting characters
• Thematic elements
• Core conflict
• Possible plot events

Don't worry about how these pieces fit together yet – just get clear on what you have to work with.

Now it's time to start arranging your elements into a coherent plot structure. I recommend starting with a basic three-act narrative arc:

Act 1 – Setup : Establish your protagonist, other central characters, setting, and status quo. Build toward the inciting incident.

Act 2 – Confrontation : Develop your rising action with increasingly difficult obstacles for your protagonist to overcome.

Act 3 – Resolution : Decide how your main character will face the climax and think of events that lead to a satisfying ending.

Once you have your main plot arc mapped out, weave in one or more subplots to add richness and complexity to the story. Some tips:

• Tie subplots thematically into your main arc
• Ensure they complement rather than complicate the main plot
• Use subplots to reveal additional aspects of your characters
• Interweave subplot events throughout your main plot arc for variety

As you plot out events, always keep one eye on how your protagonist and other key characters are evolving. Some tips for developing character arcs:

• Identify your protagonist's core flaw or wound they need to overcome
• Align external plot events with internal shifts
• Choose turning points that force your protagonist to grow
• Have side characters undergo change as well

Within each act of your plot, break the story down into individual scenes. Ensure every scene has some kind of conflict, tension, or obstacle driving it forward. Ask yourself:

• What is the purpose of this scene?
• What conflict are the characters facing?
• Is the conflict external, internal, or both?
• Does this advance the plot or character arcs?
• How does this set up the next scene or moment in the story?

If outlining your entire novel from the start feels too rigid, try the “snowflake method” popularized by Randy Ingermanson:

• Start with a one-sentence summary of your novel.
• Expand that into a full paragraph summarizing the story arc.
• Write character and setting descriptions for each main element.
• Outline each act in a paragraph.
• Write a 1-2 sentence summary of each planned scene .
• Continually expand on each sentence with more details.

This method allows you to gradually build out your plot, adding layers of depth as you go.

No one-size-fits-all answer exists because individual writers and story complexities influence plotting timelines. However, for most authors, especially indie authors, it usually ranges from a few days to about a month .

Be careful not to spend too long in the plotting phase. It's easy to say you want the perfect plot, but you might be wasting time because you're afraid to start writing. Sometimes, it's just time to begin.

With the rise of AI tools, brainstorming and other tasks can become easier. I once spent a day plotting my novel with AI as a brainstorming partner. It took me just one day, so these tools can be powerful time-savers.

Formatting Has Never Been Easier

Write and format professional books with ease.  Never before has creating formatted books been easier.

Here are some extra tips to help you improve your plotting skills:

• Use visual aids like index cards, whiteboards, or plot diagram worksheets to map out your story events.
• Read books and watch movies in your genre to study effective plot structures.
• Enlist beta readers to provide feedback on your plot outline before drafting.
• Be open to changing your outline if new ideas arise while writing.
• Keep track of any plot holes you notice in an editing file for easy reference later.
• Resist over-complicating – strive for the simplest version of your plot that still engages readers.
• Ensure cause-and-effect logic flows clearly from event to event.

Plotting a novel doesn't have to be an overwhelming task. You can write an interesting story by following simple steps. Use effective methods to keep readers engaged from beginning to end. Remember, there's no one “right” way to plot a novel – experiment with different methods to find what works best for you.

Now that you have the tools and knowledge to plot your novel effectively, it's time to put them into action. Start brainstorming your story ideas, outlining your plot points, and bringing your characters to life. Happy writing!

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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A Good Appetite

All Hail Farro, Queen of the Make-Ahead Salad

This colorful grain salad is laced with juicy stone fruit and milky burrata cheese.

By Melissa Clark

Melissa Clark contributed one of the first farro salads to New York Times Cooking in 2013. She’s been perfecting them every since.

Of all the grains you can use for salads, farro is the absolute queen. It is elegant, chewy and inherently complex, and that’s before you add any seasonings. It’s also simple and quick to cook, needing about 20 minutes, and the nubby grains stay separate rather than clumping like barley or couscous.

There was a time when farro was a seldom seen in North America, a rarity found mostly in gourmet shops and specialty Italian markets, but now it can be found in supermarkets rubbing shoulders with the quinoa and bulgur, and not a bit less regal for it.

All of this means that you can stop reserving your farro salads for parties, and put them into regular rotation. Healthful, hearty and ripe for variation, the farro salad is ready for weeknight prime time.

Recipe: Herby Farro Salad With Stone Fruit and Burrata

In this simple recipe, a colorful jumble of sliced stone fruit and herbs makes for an especially jubilant presentation. You can use any stone fruit you have, pristine or not; all of those wilting, weeping, less-than-perfect specimens are magnanimously invited to join the bowl.

Actually, let’s face it, the softer and gushier the better, because that tangy fruit nectar gives the dressing a sweet-tart depth. To bring out the most juice, the fruit is briefly marinated in lemon juice, salt and a pinch of sugar, which you can do while the farro cooks.

Then dress the grains immediately after draining so the warm farro can absorb as much flavor as possible, and fold in the fruit along with a handful of herbs for freshness and zip. Once assembled, the salad can sit for hours with no ill effects, making it perfect for picnics, potlucks or lunch at your desk the next day.

There is one more element that I sometimes like to add to this salad, which raises it from a side dish to a light summer meal. In the center of the farro, almost like an egg in a nest, I place a milky ball of burrata drizzled with more of the stone fruit juice, some good olive oil and a sprinkle of flaky salt. The burrata adds richness to the mix, and provides a mellow contrast to the lemony fruit. But in the end, a stately farro salad doesn’t really need that — or anything extra — to shine and to reign.

Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , TikTok and Pinterest . Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice .

Melissa Clark has been writing her column, A Good Appetite , for The Times’s Food section since 2007. She creates recipes for New York Times Cooking, makes videos and reports on food trends. She is the author of 45 cookbooks, and counting. More about Melissa Clark

31 Great Content Writing Examples, Tips, and Tools

• by Ann Gynn
• | Published: August 21, 2024
• | Content Creation

Great content writing must be powerful and effective to captivate your audience.

But accomplishing that with your content writing isn’t an easy task. Whether you craft words for B2B or B2C audiences, the challenges can be many.

To help, I’ve compiled web writing examples, tips, tools, and resources. The goal is to give you some insights and new tools to help address or minimize the creation stumbling blocks web and content writers face.

Let’s get to it.

1. Go for the surprise

When you write something that’s unexpected, your audience will likely stop scrolling and take a moment to learn more. In the worst cases, this approach to content writing falls under the nefarious clickbait category. But in the best cases, it can delight and engage the viewer.

Nike is always a go-to source for the best content examples. The summer of 2024 didn’t disappoint with its Winning Isn’t for Everyone campaign.

With a debut in time for the global games, Nike featured the world’s greatest athletes (well, all the great Nike-sponsored athletes) talking about they are motivated by victory and that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to win. Writing those four words — winning isn’t for everyone — fosters a strong reaction. After all, there are far more people who don’t win than do. But audiences are also likely to watch more of the videos to learn what Nike is really talking about.

As you watch the video, note the repetition of the same question (“Am I a bad person?”) followed by short, staccato-paced statements. This approach creates a lyrical story. And it paid off, earning over 2.2 million views in two weeks.

2. Don’t forget text has a starring role in video

Words appear in blog posts or descriptions of product features and benefits. But writers can also shine in  video scripts, along with set designers, actors, and filmmakers. Writers can take any topic and help make it captivating.

J.P. Morgan used animation and strong scripts to explain finance-related concepts in its Unpacked series, a finalist in the Content Marketing Awards for best video. This 4.5-minute episode covers how private companies go public:

3. Tap into trends with simple writing prompts

I’m always a fan of Dove’s #KeepBeautyReal campaigns. Most recently, it created an example of powerful writing in this simple question, “ What kind of beauty do we want AI to learn?”

Capitalizing on the AI trend and interest, Dove illustrates the difference between AI-created images for prompts about “beautiful women” and “beautiful women according to Dove’s Real Beauty ads.” In the first three months of its debut, the video with few words has earned over 100K views on Dove’s YouTube channel and garnered mainstream and industry media attention.

4. Let your audience create great writing and video examples

Creativity can emerge in many ways. Sometimes, it’s a simple starting point that reflects the times, as Dove did in its content example.

It also may lead a brand to contribute to its own pop culture trend as The Stanley did with its Quencher Cup social media campaign in 2024 . Its influencer campaign prompted these fun user-generated examples of web writing and illustration in the form of memes and TikTok videos promoting the brand’s popular drinking vessel.

Hilarious Scales created this sample that’s been seen by over 10 million viewers:

@hilarious_scaless How yall be lookin with them Stanley Cups 🤣 #fypシ #fyp #stanleycup #stanleytumbler ♬ original sound – Hilarious_scales

Fans of hockey (that sport with the other Stanley Cup) also got into the action as Instagram account Daily Facebook shared this example:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by DailyFaceoff (@dailyfaceoff)

5. Nail down your headlines

I’ve said it often: Headlines are the powerhouse of your content writing. After all, if the headline isn’t a success, the content behind it will never be read.

A 2024 study published in Science Advance conducted over 30,000 field experiments with The Washington Post and Upworthy headlines. It found that readers prefer simpler headlines (more common words and more readable writing) over complex ones. They also paid more attention to and more deeply processed the simpler headlines.

The e-book headline in this example from OptinMonster is straightforward: 50 Smart Ways to Segment Your Email List. It uses a numeral (50), a helpful adjective (smart), and a second-person pronoun (your) to speak directly to the audience, all of which elevates the article’s value in the reader’s mind.

Image source

6. Analyze the potential impact of your content headlines

Size up headlines with the Advanced Marketing Institute’s Headline Analyzer , which reveals an emotional marketing value score.

This headline example — 14 Ways Marketing Automation Helps B2B Companies Succeed — earns an emotional marketing value (EMV) of 37.5%. Most professional copywriters’ headlines typically have a 30% to 40% EMV score.

The same headline in a similar tool, CoSchedule Blog Post Headline Analyzer , earns a score of 77 out of 100. This analysis looks at word balance, headline type, sentiment, reading grade level, clarity, and skimmability. It also identifies areas for improvement, such as the use of uncommon, emotional, and power words.

7. Adjust title formats with this content writing tool

Speed your formatting tasks with TitleCase . The tool converts your title into various circumstances — all caps, hyphen, etc., so you don’t have to rekey or reformat.

8. Write headlines with words that resonate

BuzzSumo research consistently identifies “how-to” or guidance-focused headlines that resonate far better with audiences than any other type.

It makes sense. Audiences are seeking information that will help them in their lives, and they have a lot of content from which to choose. By writing phrases like “how to” in a headline, you tell them clearly what they’re going to get.

Get more tips from CMI’s article How To Create Headlines That Are Good for Readers and Business .

9. Focus on clarity for web content

Explaining your product or service can get cumbersome, but it shouldn’t if you want the audience to quickly understand how your company can help solve their pain points.

In this example, Zendesk succinctly highlights three results gained by the enterprise clients of its customer service platform:

• Drive better conversations
• Maximize agent efficiency
• Adapt faster to change

The three- and four-word headlines are followed by short explanations (two sentences) and a link to the product’s relevant features for that category.

10. Write to win over readers

How does your content inspire readers or get them to care?

Some suggestions include:

• Focus on actionable content they could use right away.
• Establish instant credibility and expertise so they understand why you’re the go-to resource.
• Add value they wouldn’t see or find elsewhere.

This ad for the Content Marketing Institute newsletter works well as a sample of website content writing. It illustrates how to motivate the audience to see that the content is relevant for them. Its headline “Looking for Fresh Content Inspiration?” speaks directly to the reader. Its follow-up sentence explains in detail what the reader will get — expert advice, standout examples, and creative ideas.

11. Choose words that motivate actions

Sometimes, it’s a simple word or phrase that prompts someone to take the next step. Buffer offers a list of more than 150 words . These 19 words and phrases are examples of how to gain the audience’s trust:

• Bestselling
• Endorsed by
• Money-back guarantee
• No obligation
• No questions asked
• Recommended
• Transparent
• Try for free

In this web page example, OptinMonster opts for one of those words in its headline — How To Create a Fail-Proof Digital Marketing Plan in 5 Steps .

12. Keep it brief but convey a lot

Given your audience reads on screens, your web writing usually appears in a small space. Yet, it still must reflect a strong message.

For example, this American Express Business web copy uses five words to indicate that it gets the reader’s problem — “Don’t stress over seasonal surges.” Then, it uses another five words to indicate that it has a solution — “Help you keep your business thriving.” On the right, it shows the product name that will do all that (American Express business line of credit.)

13. Create compelling content with better words

Choosing a single word to convey the perfect sentiment makes the most of your available content space. To help, Jon Morrow of Smart Blogger offers a collection of words that can make a difference in your writing: 801+ Power Words That Make You Sound Smart . Here are 15 of them:

• Frightening

In this headline — Firefox Hacks for Everyone: From Cozy Gamers to Minimalists and Beyond — the Mozilla blog opted for one of the power words, “hack.”

 I’ll issue a caveat on this option: Power words can quickly become overused. “Hack” is coming close to saturation.

14. Length isn’t everything

I like to know content length rules and preferences. They give me guideposts for my web writing.

Google makes 30 characters available in its ad headlines, and it’s hard to go shorter than that. This simple sample — Best Enterprise CRM Platform — is 28 characters.

On social media, though, the character parameters are greater, and you could improve engagement by falling short of the upper limits.

Instagram is a perfect example of where writing content short of the 2,200-character maximum caption is a better decision. In fact, experts say the ideal length is 125 characters, which takes up the space visible before the viewer must click to read more.

Still, sometimes writing fewer than 125 characters can work well and draw attention in a crowded feed, as this sample from Grammarly shows. Its caption — “Learn actionable strategies for leveraging Gen AI to elevate your team’s productivity.” — totals just 88 characters.

Of course, exceptions exist. If your content’s primary goal is search engine optimization, longer content is almost always best. As a website ages, it may be able to get by with shorter pieces because it’s already established authority and has more pages, inbound links , etc. However, extended content often helps generate high rankings for targeted keyword phrases and similar words.

15. Choose short words for your web writing

You don’t need to use a lot of words to get your point across. Short ones can work in your favor. Consider these common examples of better choices:

• “Show,” not “indicate”
• “Get rid of,” not “eliminate”
• “Use,” not “utilize”
• “To,” not “in order to”
• “Help,” not “facilitate”
• “Get,” not “obtain”

16. Use a tool to keep track of word counts

Meet your word count goals and improve your word choice with the WordCounter tool. It also helps identify keywords and their appropriate frequency of use.

17. Recognize common writing mistakes

Grammar Girl , created by Mignon Fogarty, founder of Quick and Dirty Tips, outlines some common mistakes, such as this example on the use of that vs. which in writing.

“The simple rule is to use ‘that’ with a restrictive element and ‘which’ with a non-restrictive element … The cupcakes that have sprinkles are still in the fridge. The words “that have sprinkles” restrict the kind of cupcake we’re talking about. Without those words, the meaning of the sentence would change. Without them, we’d be saying that all the cupcakes are still in the fridge, not just the ones with sprinkles.”

18. Use parallel construction

Parallel construction organizes the text and relieves your readers of expending mental energy to piece together the thoughts.

• For example, this mish-mash list is not parallel because the sentence structures vary:
• It could be time to look over your business software contract.
• Consider the best products.
• If you want the product to benefit your company, include others’ points of view.

The list is parallel because every sentence starts the same way – with a verb .

• Review your business software contract.
• Shop for the best products based on features, costs, and support options.
• Ask key members of your team for their perspectives, including productivity barriers.

19. Know when to break the infinitive rule

Avoid splitting infinitives. However, sometimes you might need to bypass grammatically correct in favor of unawkward content.

Pro Writing Aid explains that split infinitives are nothing new — their use dates back to the 1300s. However, there is a time and place for them, as shown in this example from Northern Illinois University’s Effective Writing Practices Tutorial :

• Split infinitive but easily understood: It’s hard to completely follow his reasoning.
• No split infinitive, but awkwardly written: It’s hard to follow completely his reasoning.

20. Be conscious of pronouns

A conversational approach typically works best when you’re creating web content. Writing in the first or second person can accomplish this.

Embracing inclusivity also fosters a conversational atmosphere.

When you’re using pronouns, make sure it’s clear to what the pronoun refers. Given some people use they/them pronouns, ensuring pronoun clarity is especially important.

In those cases where the reader may be confused, explain the person’s use of the plural non-gendered pronoun in the text, for example, “Alex Alumino, who uses they/them pronouns …” Even better, just repeat their name in the sentence so there’s no need to explain and no misunderstanding.

21. Don’t overuse words

Redundancy bores. To figure out if you’re committing this sin, paste your text into the Word It Out tool. The word cloud reveals those used most often in your text.

We input a recent CMI article about user stories to create a word cloud for that content sample. It is no surprise that “user” shows up front and center, but it’s also an indicator for us to review the article to see if “user” is overused. “Katie” also shows up prominently in the word cloud as it’s the first name of the source for the article, and CMI uses first, instead of last names, on second and subsequent references. A review of the article could reveal it unnecessarily references the source too many times.

Similarly, WordCounter detects whether you’re using the same words too often. Use Thesaurus.com to find alternatives.

22. Try this content writing tool to replace jargon-like words

You need to speak your audience’s language, but that doesn’t mean you need to adopt the industry’s jargon. De-Jargonizer is designed to help analyze the jargon in scholarly articles, but the tool works just as well with your content writing.

In this example from a CMI article about building a social media plan , De-Jargonizer identifies four “rare” words — ebbs, inhospitable, clarifies, and actionable.

You can upload a file or paste your text to discover those rare words, aka potential jargon, in your content writing. Then, you can find more reader-friendly replacements.

23. Check your readability score

Even if readers can understand the jargon and complex sentences, they still don’t want to work hard to understand your content. To help understand if your writing is on the easier side, use a tool like Web FX’s Readability Test . It scores your content’s average reading ease and targeted readership age.

In this example, it evaluates the Fedex.com website and concludes it has a reading ease of 27.8 out of 100 and is targeted at 14- and 15-year-olds.

You can scroll down to see other readability scores, including Flesch Kincaid reading ease, Flesch Kincaid grade level, Gunning Fog, Smog Index, Coleman Liau, and Automated Readability Index.

The bottom of the evaluation includes the statistics about the evaluated text, including:

• Total sentences
• Total words
• Complex words
• Percent of complex words
• Average words per sentence
• Average syllables per word

Adjust your writing to meet the preferred readership level of your audience.

24. Evaluate sentence structure with the Hemingway App

Want more help to write content that’s easy to read? Consider tools like the Hemingway app, which provides immediate and detailed feedback on content structure, including sentence formatting. With the website version, you can replace the default text with your own.

The Hemingway app identifies potentially unnecessary adverbs, warns about passive voice, and triggers alerts to dull, complicated words.

In this web writing example from its home page, Hemingway App highlights one of the 13 sentences as very hard to read, one as hard to read, two weakener phrases, and one word with a simpler alternative.

25. Get web writing right with good grammar

Proper grammar is a necessity; you want to get everything correct to satisfy readers (and bosses). Try Grammarly .

Improve your writing with this cloud-based, AI editor. Grammarly automates grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks, often giving better, cleaner content options. The tool also alerts writers to passive voice, suggests opportunities to be concise, and assesses overall tone.

You also can save time and energy with ProWritingAid . It eliminates the need to reread to polish your content. This AI editing software offers more than grammar checks. It checks for vague wording, sentence length variation, and overuse of adverbs and passive voice. The tool also identifies complicated or run-on sentences. (“Content Writing Examples, Tips, and Resources”)

26. Read your web content in scanning mode

Here’s some sad news for content writers: Readers won’t consume every word in your content. They skip and scan a lot to see if the content is a good fit for them, and then they hope they can glean the relevant information without having to consume all the content.

As you write, think about how the text will look visually. Make it easy for readers to scan your content by including:

• Short paragraphs
• Bulleted lists
• Bolded text
• Words in color

27. Read aloud

If your content doesn’t flow as you speak it, it may not work for the reader . Pay attention to when you take too many pauses or pause in places where no comma exists. Adjust your text — add a comma or break the sentence into two.

Microsoft Word offers a read-aloud feature through its immersive reader tools, while Google Docs can use a Chrome extension to give a voice to the content .

28. Use plagiarism checkers

In recent years, advancements in artificial intelligence have prompted growth in automated plagiarism checkers. Microsoft Word embeds the feature option in its software as does Grammarly. You also can use tools dedicated to ensuring that the content writing isn’t a copycat (or being copycatted), including:

• Unicheck – Verify the originality of work with plagiarism detection. You can spot outright copying and minor text modifications in unscrupulous submissions.
• Copyscape – Protect your content and your reputation. Copyscape uncovers plagiarism in purchased content and detects plagiarism by others of your original work.

Of course, no plagiarism checker is 100% accurate, so before you accuse a content writer of plagiarism, triple-check the results (and add a human touch whenever appropriate).

29. Use a topic tool for writing inspiration

HubSpot’s Ideas Generator works well to get your creative content writing juices flowing. Just fill in the fields with three nouns to get some ideas.

For example, if you input the words car, truck, and SUV, HubSpot delivers these ideas along with the targeted keywords for the topic:

• Keyword: Top truck accessories
• Keyword: Comparing SUV models
• Keyword: Truck bed organization ideas

HubSpot’s topic generator also allows users to pick a title and have an outline created for that article.

You also could perform a similar exercise by writing the prompts in other generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Gemini .

NOTE: Always review the titles and accompanying data to ensure accuracy. In the HubSpot sample, the generator included a headline — Discover the Best SUVs for Families in 2021. Yet, it’s 2024.

30. Know SEO responsibilities in web writing

Sometimes writers create content with multiple purposes. They have the burden of blending SEO into the content . I frame it as a burden because it’s one more variable to deal with. If you have a knack for SEO and goals you can measure, it’s not a burden.

Unfortunately, you sometimes don’t know what realistic keywords to pursue. Aim too low and you use rarely searched keywords. Aspire for something too competitive, and the content won’t rank.

How are you evaluating keywords? Learn how to find your sweet spot with keyword selection (and how to appear on the first page of Google). Identify potential keywords by using tools like:

• Moz Keyword Explorer
• Google’s Keyword Planner
• Keyword Tool
• AnswerThePublic
• Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest

31. Monitor relevant topics to get ideas for your content

With Feedly , you can stay informed about what matters most and avoid information overload. This AI assistant learns your preferences, then culls and curates content from the internet that you want and need.

Share your favorite writing tricks

What content creation and copywriting productivity tools do you favor? What do you do each day to make your writing tasks just a little easier? Please tag CMI on social media using #CMWorld.

All tools mentioned in this article were suggested by the author. If you’d like to suggest a tool, share the article on social media with a comment.

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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute