Description: First Class Honors English / Creative writing tutor, Claire, shares her thoughts on how to best prepare for an Essay-Based exam question.
When it comes to essay writing, it feels impossible to over-stress the importance of good preparation.
Even for someone who writes essays for fun, proper preparation is what ensures the ability to stay on topic, on track and on time.
It boosts confidence, too.
Even the most intimidating of exam essays can be approached as manageable sections that you can tackle one by one.
Before the Exam
Exam season can be a stressful and demanding time.
Despite this, it is vital that you don’t neglect your health in an attempt to prepare.
Being well-rested will always allow you to focus better than pulling all-nighters.
Taking breaks to stretch, exercise, eat and hydrate is essential.
When you sit down to create a study timetable, keep this in mind.
Study Timetables
When it comes to creating a study timetable, a trap many people fall into is considering past paper practice the “final step” after revising all of their notes.
In my experience, past papers can be used at every step of revision, and I encourage students to do so.
You can structure this by using your notes to outline answers. Then try aiming to check your notes less and less with every question.
Working in steps like this can ease you into the final step, which should be practising under exam conditions.
Timed Conditions
It’s a good aim to practice at least two full essays under exam conditions.
Time yourself, and do your best to avoid any distractions.
In the past, I would ask someone to choose a random past paper question for me so that I could get used to the feeling of not knowing what was coming at me.
If that’s something in particular that stresses you out about the exam setting, then give it a go.
Mark Scheme
Making use of the mark scheme is the other half of past paper practice.
Reading through the mark scheme for your chosen question will not only give you an idea of how well you’ve done in your practice, but it will also give you an understanding of what the examiners are looking for in general.
Another valuable resource is examiner reports.
It will give a more in-depth look at what the examiners in past years have been looking for (and what they haven’t been looking for).
Exam Essay / Coursework
Another important reminder is that essays in exam settings are different to the essays you produce for your coursework.
Exam essays are about showing your understanding of the topic. A simple structure is more beneficial than longer essays and in-depth research coursework demands.
Communicate your points clearly. Focus more on your conclusion than that perfect, punchy opening sentence.
During the Exam
Every time I walked into an exam hall, I was itching to spill my memory.
What that means is sitting down at my table, and as soon as the exam began, using the first few moments to write some reminders down.
These reminders often centred around the topics or information I was least confident with.
I found that knowing I had a visual aid from then on helped me settle my exam anxiety.
I would do this for my past papers, too, and when it came to the day of my Gatsby exam, I scribbled down some dates and felt ready to begin.
When you look at the list of questions, make sure you are reading them correctly.
You can then create bullet points to help you with your answer.
These bullet point lists can be as brief as you like, but in my experience, it’s always better to take the time here to calm down and include (at least an idea of) every point you’ll want to make.
Resist the temptation to add in unnecessary information just to pad out the length of your essay — your examiners know and understand you are under a time limit, and there is no word count.
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