Tips on How to Answer Essay Type Questions

- Prof. Noel Corpuz

I know essay writing is not for everyone. Most people have trouble expressing what they want to say
and this is made even more difficult when you are asked by professors to write it in English. However,
what you should understand is that essay writing is a very good evaluation tool for learners.

Here are some reasons why essay writing is better that other types of questions.

1. The learner show that he/she actually understood the topics. It is a good feedback tool since
not everyone will be given a chance to speak in a face to face classroom discussion, much more
on a google class meet.

2. You can say so much more in essays. During recitation, you are only given a few seconds of
preparation and delivery time. On an essay, you can explore and mention other elements as
long as related to the topic. For take home essays, you can research more materials too.

3. Memorization is a low form of learning. Everybody can memorize, but that doesn’t mean that
you understood what it means. Much like memorizing a foreign song, it doesn’t mean that you
know the meaning of the words that you are singing.

4. Essays prove you understood the topic because you cannot copy your classmate’s work.
Remember that an essay is you explaining a topic from your point of view. Each student has a
different personality and a simple review can easily identify if your work is a copy of someone
else’s. The problem with copying is grammar consistency across all your answers. You can’t
have a high - level grammar construction on answer number one, then have a poorly
constructed answer to number two.

5. You will always have an answer. An essay is just asking for your opinion on something. Feel free
to say what ever you want, as long as in the boundaries of your professor’s style of thinking.

However, the disadvantages are:

1. Essays shouldn’t be graded solely on grammar. There are still teachers (the person checking
your essay) that are grammar Nazis. Although I am not very strict in grammar, I still encourage
you to avoid using Tagalog words on a formal test paper. Usually, this may influence the checker
to deduct a couple of points from your score. I know not everyone is comfortable with English,
but you have to understand that YOU CANNOT AVOID ENGLISH. It is everywhere and it will
bother you everyday when you become professionals. The good news is that familiarity with
English is a developed skill. If you practice your English, you can be fluent in no time.

2. The professors have different levels of standards. The problem with essays is that scores will
vary from checker to checker. Some professors will have high standards and expect professional
answers. This mean that they have a tendency to give lower scores for mediocre answers. The
 good news is I understand that most of you are still unfamiliar to certain things in life, so I base
my scores not only on the level of learning you show in your answers, but also if I see that you
exerted effort in answering. I can’t give you 10 points for an answer of one sentence if I asked
you to give me at least two paragraphs.

So how do we write essays then? An essay gives you freedom to construct your explanations but there is
an ideal way to express your answers. Your answer should look a little something like this order:

1. Define the main topic first. This provides the base for the rest of your explanation. If the teacher
asks “What is the Importance of Electricity?”, you shouldn’t start with “Ma’am, for example…”.
Examples are for later. Rather, define first what electricity is.

2. Explain the definition you have given in your own words. After giving a definition, translate
that definition into an explanation that is more to the tune of you explaining something in
layman’s terms to another person with no idea on the subject.

3. Discuss the importance of the main topic. After giving a textbook definition of Electricity, a
simplified discussion of what it is, the next part should be discussing why it is important. Why is
electricity important to you, your family, your work, your community, your country, even why
electricity is important to the history of mankind on this Earth.

4. Give examples. Now you can give examples on the uses of electricity.

5. Create a closing statement. Here, you can wrap everything up, similar to a summary of a
chapter in a book. Say something about how the topic will affect the future, since learning is a
never ending story.

Other things you can insert in an essay:

1. Advantages and Disadvantages. What are the good and bad things about Electricity?

2. Historical Data. What is the historical evolution of Electricity?

3. Relevant Literature. Did you research writings, articles or studies related to the topic?

4. Important people or establishments. Who are the important people in the field? Can you give
sayings or quotes from famous people that are related to the topic?