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A Formal Essay

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Writing an exam essay

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Look at the following list. Which features do you think are important for a formal essay?

a plan

a friendly style

quotations or examples

humour

understanding of and references to the question

use of Standard English

organization into paragraphs

subheadings

clearly written points

avoid

may be useful but not essential

Essay conventions

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Planning

This is an essential part of any essay. It is the foundation on which your essay will be built.

So how can a plan help?

It enables you to structure and organize your ideas.

It can help you to develop and explore ideas.

A plan helps to prevent you from running out of ideas.

It can help you keep to the time available.

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The question

An essay title may ask you to analyse a text, such as a Shakespeare play.

How do you decide what to write about?

The question will tell you.

Look at the important parts in this question.

In what ways does Shakespeare create a mood of

evil in this scene?

You are looking for a number of ways

You are looking for the theme of evil

You are looking at how the writer works

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Now read these questions and decide on the important parts.

How do the audience’s impressions of Henry as a leader change during this scene?

Discuss the arguments for and against fox hunting.

asking for our opinion

We must discuss the change

It is the leadership qualities of Henry we must look at

Write about/explain

We must look at both sides of the argument

The question

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Structure

A clear organization and structure to your essay is very important if it is going to be easy to follow.

In the KS3 SATs, you will be asked to write an essay on one of Shakespeare's plays.

You will be given 1 hour 15 minutes to answer one question.

You will need to structure your writing to ensure you make all the points you wish to make, as well as using the time wisely.

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Sometimes a structure will be given to you.

In the SATs you may be given bullet points to consider. These are not questions, but starting points for you to develop your own points.

However, you can easily deal with each bullet point in one or two paragraphs, as long as you find the evidence to support you.

Sometimes, you may need to create your own structure.

Do you know how to do this?

Structure

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Structure

Is school uniform a good idea?

Can you write a plan for this essay?Fill the table with your ideas first.

arguments for examples

arguments against examples

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Introduction

In your introduction:

introduce the subject of the essay

refer back to key words in the question

avoid waffling and being vague

grab your reader’s attention.

Now you will need to add an introduction and a conclusion.

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Introduction

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1) The first writer makes it clear what s/he is writing about – the witches. S/he makes a good point about how they are there to frighten the audience. The phrases ‘I am going to…’ and ‘I think…’ sound a little immature and vague.

2) The second writer starts with a relevant quotation - a striking start. The vocabulary used is mature – ‘sinister’, ‘echo’. The use of a question grabs the reader’s

attention. This is the stronger opening.

What did you think?

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Language

It’s important to use the right sort of language or words in a formal essay. You should avoid ‘slang’ or colloquial words, using Standard English instead.

Here are some informal expressions. Can you replace them with something more formal?

There were loads of mistakes.

The acting was wicked.

She was really posh.

The play was boring.

The scenery was rubbish.

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Connectives can also be very useful when writing a formal essay. They can help you change smoothly from one topic to another, and from one paragraph to the next.

Brainstorm as many connectives as you can in the box below.

Connectives

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Connectives

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Language

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Under pressure

You are likely to be asked to write a formal essay in a limited period of time. It is essential that you know how to tackle an essay quickly.

Quickly make a list of 5 essential features of a formal essay.

1. ____________________________________________2. ____________________________________________3. ____________________________________________4. ____________________________________________5. ____________________________________________