15 - Writing a brief essay

Writing a brief essay

The three essay types proposed in the exam are narrative, descriptive or argumentative.

·         The narrative essay is one telling a story, so it should use clear vocabulary and predominantly the simple past tense.

·         The descriptive essay should contain vivid creative use of vocabulary.

·         The argumentative essay must always contain two sides to an argument, a development of both with a clear decisive conclusion.

Even a brief essay requires careful planning and organisation. The essential stages are:

1... Picking out the key words in the essay title.

2... Brainstorming your ideas.

3... Selecting the main ideas into a brief essay plan with:

·         an introduction → a sentence or brief paragraph introducing the topic of the essay and referring to the title;

·         developing ideas → two/three paragraphs to develop the topic or give opposing views in an argumentative essay;

·         a conclusion → a sentence or brief paragraph containing your final idea, view or conclusion often beginning with ‘Finally’ or ‘In conclusion’.

4... Writing a rough version of your essay following your plan.

5... Reading carefully over your rough version looking in particular at:

·         grammar accuracy and spelling;

·         varied and interesting use of vocabulary (especially in a descriptive essay);

·         organisation → whether there is a clear introduction, development and conclusion;

·         checking the number of words.

6... Writing out your final version. The clarity of your writing and the logical organisation of your ideas are two essential elements in writing a good essay in English.