Tips for teenage writers grappling with tough essays in exams
Writing a good essay in an exam. A tall task indeed. The trick lies in your prep. Preparation involves a lot of reading for knowledge of course but a thorough analysis the writing approach. Reading a variety of texts enables a student to analyze different approaches and decipher as readers what worked and what didn't. Everyone of us would be familiar with instances where in we lose interest in a reading a piece of writing as it is just too wordy and the writer simply doesn't get to the point soon enough.
How to avoid the mistake of writing lengthy introductions?
We tend to dwell on beautiful introductions. We tell ourselves that the introduction needs to be good. If not the reader will not read any further. While that is true, Leora Freedman and Jerry Plotnick, University College Writing Centre in their article, Introductions and Conclusions   caution students from elaborating too much right at the beginning. They point out that this approach often leads students to completely off topic. "Get to the point soon."
Word Limit Pressure
As students write essays, they frequently monitor their word count to ensure they do not exceed specified limits. This focus can lead to a tendency to rush through the more substantial parts of their essays, particularly the body where the main arguments are developed. When students realize they are nearing the word limit, they may prioritize brevity over depth, resulting in a less elaborate discussion of critical points.
Tip 1: Keep 1/3rd of the word limit for introduction, 1/3 for the core content, 1/3 for the conclusion.
Tip 2: The purpose of an introductory paragraph is to:
give the reader a hook, an incentive to read further.
provide context to the essay topic
establish the essay topic
Stick to this list to prevent going off on a tangent.
Time Management Challenges
In many cases, students misjudge how much content they can include within the word limit, leading to a last-minute scramble to condense their ideas. This time pressure can cause them to cut important details or nuanced arguments from the crux of their essays, undermining the overall quality of their writing. Instead of fully developing their main ideas, they may settle for superficial treatment of topics just to fit within the constraints.
Tip 1: Create outlines to begin with. Insert thoughts/ideas/points in each division- introduction, core content and conclusion. It may help even more to add a good choice of words too in the outline. This is incredibly useful especially when you have little time to write. It enables a good choice of words in your writing to convey the intended message impactfully.
Tip 2: This may not be intuitive but could be effective. Spending more time on the outline, planning the essay could result better and faster writing of the final essay. Having the plan as reference and writing the essay is likely to be faster as the student will not pause to think what to write and how to write it.
Anxiety and Performance Pressure
The anxiety associated with adhering to word limits can also impact students' writing quality. The fear of exceeding limits may lead them to truncate essential arguments or examples that could enhance their essays. This is compounded by the competitive nature of academic environments where performance is often evaluated based on adherence to guidelines rather than the richness of content.
Tip: practice writing essays as often as you can in response to a variety of writing prompts. Even better have them evaluated if possible. Such mock essay tests will help in identifying problem areas and strategizing better to tackle them well.
Enjoy the Writing process
Plan well. Write with the intention of conveying an impactful message to the writer. That should take care of grades most of the time! Don't sweat the small stuff when your writing is not upto the mark when you prepare. Keep writing regularly. All that hardwork will pay off.
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