TIPS

 IN  WRITING  AN  ESSAY  

 
• Always   remember   to   answer   the   question   given   to   you.   Never   veer   away   from   the  
question,  let  alone  change  the  question  given  to  you;  else,  you'll  receive  a  grade  of  ZERO  
for  that  matter.  
• Don't  start  your  essay  with  a  "Yes"  or  "No".  
• It  is  recommended  to  write  in  this  format  for  more  impressive  results:  
o Intro  -­‐  include  some  background  info,  and  state  the  premise  of  the  question:  The  
THESIS  STATEMENT.  One  recommendation  is  to  present  the  thesis  statement  as  
an  indirect  question.  
o Body  -­‐  must  include  the  following:  
§ Your  response  and  your  explanation  
§ Some  examples  and  further  explanation  to  support  your  arguments  
o Conclusion  -­‐   this   is   a   recap   of   your   previous   arguments,   worded   differently   from  
the  way  the  Body  is  written.  This  should  leave  an  impression  on  the  evaluator.  
• The  following  MUST  be  observed  VERY  CAREFULLY:  
o Proper  capitalization  of  letters  and  proper  usage  of  writing  symbols  
o Subject-­‐verb  agreement  and  pronoun-­‐antecedent  agreement  
o Consistency  in  logic  
o Proper  use  of  conjunctions  
o Parallelism  of  the  sentence  components  (consistency  in  the  structure  of  phrases  
and  clauses)  
• Watch  out  for  any  error  in  grammatical  structure,  including  misplaced  and/or  dangling  
modifiers.  Most  of  the  students  tend  to  overlook  such  errors.  
• REFRAIN   FROM   STARTING   A   SENTENCE   WITH   A   COORDINATING   CONJUCTION!!!   PRETTY  
PLEASE!  You're  not  writing  a  paper  for  a  creative  writing  class.  
o If   a   coordinating   conjunction   is   to   be   followed   by   an   independent   clause,   it   is  
implied   that   there   MUST   be   independent   clause   before   that   coordinating  
conjunction.  
• The   evaluators   will   show   no   mercy.   Don't   forget   EVEN   THE   BASICS   OF   YOUR   WRITING  
SKILLS!!  If  writing  sentences  with  all  letters  capitalized  is  your  style,  you're  in  SERIOUS  
TROUBLE!  
• Write  in  print.  AVOID  CURSIVE  WRITING!!!  
• Don't  use  the  pronouns  of  the  second  person  if  the  question  is  about  YOUR  OPINION.  
You   are   not   asked   to   tell   anything   directed   to   the   reader.   Use   the   first-­‐person  
perspective  (I,  we,  etc.)  
 
Exercise:  
1. Write  a  lie  about  yourself.  The  lie  MUST  be  believable.  
2. Prompt:  "A  little  inaccuracy  saves  a  world  of  explanation."  -­‐-­‐C.E.Ayers  
  Assignment:  
Is  it  always  essential  to  tell  the  truth,  or  are  there  circumstances  in   which  it  is  better  to  lie?  Plan  
your  response,  and  then  write  an  essay...