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.