How to Write An Essay in English for Exam Purposes

To write an essay in English for exam purposes, you need to do the following.

  • Start with an interesting introduction.
  • Be consistent with your stance on the issue you are writing about.
  • Sound coherent
  • Each point you make must be relevant to the topic under discussion.
  • Illustrate and develop your points fully.
  • Respect the rules of good paragraphing.
  • Show that you have sufficient knowledge of your subject matter.
  • Your English must be standard enough.
  • Write good grammar.
  • Bring the essay to a close with a great concluding paragraph.

The above are the major requirements for a good essay in an exam.

I am now going to explain further these best tips for writing college essays and high school essays. So if you happen to fall under any of the following categories I invite you to continue reading.

  • Undergraduate or graduate student
  • Senior High School student
  • External examination candidate. Example: IGCSE, GCSE, GCE, WASSCE, ABCE, DBS, SAT, JAMB, College Entrance Examination, University Entrance Examination for Mature Applicants.

1. Start with a good introduction.

Start an essay in English for your next exam with a clear, interesting introduction and thesis statement.

A thesis statement is usually a single sentence stating what you intend to do in the essay or what will form the subject matter of your essay.

Example: In this article, I will discuss four major causes of social conflicts and recommend measures that can be taken to minimize them. 

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2. Stay consistent throughout.

A high-grade essay maintains focus on one central issue, argument, or opinion. Your position must remain unchanged right from the beginning to the end. Do not stray unnecessarily from one side to the other.

3. Maintain a coherent flow of your thoughts.

You must learn to write an essay that flows seamlessly from one point to the next. Arrange your ideas in a logical order. Also, use linking words and expressions to connect each succeeding point to the previous one.

4. Produce relevant material only.

Moreover, make sure that your essay contains ideas, perspectives, and arguments that are relevant to the question. Whether you are writing an essay for your WAEC/WASSCE English Language paper or any other, avoid any form of irrelevant material. Irrelevant material here refers to the kind of subject matter that the question has not asked for.

5. Develop your points sufficiently.

Do not just state the points and leave them hanging. Develop each point fully with explanations, examples and supporting ideas.

6. Organize the essay in paragraphs.

Again, in order to write a good essay in an exam, you must follow the standard rules of effective paragraphing.

Show a clear separation between the various units of ideas. In other words, devote each major idea to a separate paragraph. For a secondary school-level English essay, this should be enough.

Make sure to begin each paragraph with a topic sentence. This refers to a clear statement of the main idea to be discussed.

Then quickly follow your topic sentence with as many supporting ideas as possible.

A good paragraph usually ends with a clincher sentence. Avoid packing more than one major idea into a single paragraph.

7. Know your subject matter.

One other important step to coming up with a good English essay in an exam is for you to display a thorough knowledge of your subject matter.

The way you mention names, quote figures, cite examples, and explain peculiar ideas and terms will suggest to the examiner that you know exactly what you are talking about.

8. Write in standard English.

Every high-quality essay complies with the conventions of Standard English. These are practices in English language usage universally accepted for any kind of academic writing.

Here, have a look at some key attributes of the kind of English found in a good essay.

  • Easy-to-comprehend sentences
  • Varied sentence structure
  • Appropriate and effective vocabulary
  • Effective subordination and coordination

9. Strictly obey the rules of grammar.

Any high school essay that is written in standard English, will show signs of excellent editing and proofreading.

So make sure to take care of most, if not all, issues relating to tense, concord, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

10. Use the necessary formal features.

Present your exam essay in the appropriate format.

An article for publication in the news media, for example, will have a format totally different from a school report or a speech to be delivered to a particular kind of audience.

11. Conclusion

Finally, end your English essay for any exam properly. This means you need to write a very good concluding paragraph

In this last paragraph, remember to make a final statement of all the key points.

Final word

For you to write an essay in English and get an excellent grade on any exam, you need to consider the above tips for writing college essays and high school essays.

Do not forget that a good performance in the essay section will help you to get a grade A in English.

Did you find this information helpful? Then share it on your favourite social media platform for the benefit of others you care about. Thank you!

1 thought on “How to Write An Essay in English for Exam Purposes”

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