How to Write a Timed Essay
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Transcript How to Write a Timed Essay
How to Write a Timed Essay
By Mr RJ Huggins
www.SchoolHistory.co.uk
The Scenario
You have 45 minutes in which to write a timed
essay.
Half way through you start to run out of ideas.
You forget about that brilliant point that you were
going to make.
You read through your essay and you get that
horrible sick feeling that you haven’t answered the
question properly.
The Solution
Spend 5 to 10 minutes planning your
answer.
But …
I need all the time I have to get my
ideas onto paper
WRONG
Steps to planning a Successful Essay
Spend 5 minutes brainstorming your ideas.
Spend at least 4 minutes organising the
results of your brainstorm. Make sure that
your answer is balanced.
Structure your essay with a clear
introduction, main body and conclusion.
The main body should consist of around 3
or 4 paragraphs that weigh up the arguments
to support your answer.
How to Brainstorm an answer:
Cross out any ideas that
you know are not relevant
Make sure
that you
have
enough
ideas for a
balanced
answer
Draw up a list or a
spider graph
Brainstorming a
Timed Essay
Number your ideas in
order to prioritise them
Write down as
many relevant
facts that you
can remember
The Introduction
Define the key words or
phrases in the title.
Briefly state the argument
you are going to follow in
the main body.
Give a brief outline of
what you are going to
write about using the
words of the title.
Main Body of your Timed Essay
You must avoid superficial
statements or trying to tell
a story.
Each paragraph needs a
balance of evidence and
analysis.
Remember to keep
referring back to the words
of the title and relate
everything to the question
set.
Warning
Avoid the phrase ‘I Think’
Your essay is your point of view.
Conclusion
Restate your argument using the words of
the title.
Briefly summarise the main points again in
one sentence.
Finish with a contemporary example or
quote.
Finally
Spend five minutes checking your answer.
5% of your marks is awarded for SPG.
If you run out of time go into note form and
refer to your brainstorm.
Examiners will refer to the brainstorm or
your plan if the essay is incomplete.