In-Class Essays

What is an in-class essay?

An essay written in class, often referred to as an essay exam.

The conditions for in-class essays vary.Some teachers will give you the prompt beforehand

and give you time to prepare, while others won’t.The purpose of an in-class essay is usually to test

your understanding of a certain subject and/or essay writing skills.

A Note on Perfection:

Relieve some of your stress by realizing that your teacher does not expect your essay to be perfect.

In a regular essay you may have 10 days to prepare (prewrite, draft, revise, and edit) before turning in your final draft. This is 240 hours of preparation time.

However, for an class essay, you often have between 1 to 2 hours to write and edit the essay. Therefore, time management is essential.

The in-class essay writing process:

Prepare.Understand the prompt and material.Prewrite.Write.Proofread & briefly edit.Turn in!

Preparing the night before:

Note: Don’t leave your preparation until the last minute. Give yourself time to prepare.

If you know what the essay will be based on, make sure that you comfortably know the material.

Refresh your mind by studying the material.Sleep well.Have pleasant dreams!

Preparing the day of the in-class essay:

Eat a nutritious breakfast.Make time to quickly freshen up on your material

before class.Be on time to class.

You’ve been told all of these tips

many times before, but they actually

do work!

Relaxation Techniques:

Breathing control relaxes tension; breathe easily and deeply.

Think positively.Listen to calming music (The Mozart Effect). Drink warm tea (coffee has shown to release stress

hormones).

This is a wristwatch

Get one.

Rule #1

Bring a watch with you when you take the exam or make sure a clock will be in the exam room. That way, you will know how much time you have left to finish writing.

Time management during the essay.

Make sure to leave enough time for all the steps in the in-class essay writing process.

For example, a 60 min essay should look like:Outlining/Prewriting – 10 minutes.Writing the essay – 45 minutes.Proofreading – 5 minutes.

Understanding your prompt.

Oftentimes, teachers are asking for multiple responses in one prompt. Make sure to address every area (ex. “Describe and analyze the plot and setting of…”—one must describe AND analyze both the plot and setting).

Identify key terms (refer to handout).

Common Essay Prompt Terms

THESE ARE TERMS THAT YOU WILL OFTEN SEE IN WRITING PROMPTS. LOOK AT THE EXPLANATIONS TO

FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO.

• Analyze- to separate something into parts and then discuss those parts and their meanings.

•Classify- to arrange into groups on the basis of shared characteristics.

•Compare and contrast- to show similarities and their differences.

•Criticize- to judge and discuss the merits and faults of your subject.

•Define- to explain or identify the nature or essential qualities of your subject.

•Discuss- to consider or examine by argument, comment or debate, or to explore solutions.

•Evaluate- to appraise the worth of an idea, comment, etc. and justify your conclusion.

Explain- to make clear or intelligible something that needs to be understood or interpreted.

Illustrate- to use specific examples or analogies to clarify or explain something.

Interpret- to define information through an explanation based on personal opinion.

Justify- showing or proving that something is valid or correct.

Prove- to present evidence that cannot be refuted logically or with other evidence.

Relate- to show the connections between two or more things.

Review- to reexamine, summarize, or reprise something.

Summarize- to briefly repeat the major points of something.

Support- to argue in favor of something.

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Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of online courses with those of traditional classes.

Compare and contrast

Voting is an important issue in our society, yet many students do not take the time to vote. Discuss why you believe voting is or is not important for students. Include the reasons why you think there is a low voter turnout among college students. In addition, what do you think are some important issues for college students? Illustrate your ideas by using examples from your own experiences/personal life.

Analyze a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

Analyze a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

Analyze a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

Voting is an important issue in our society, yet many students do not take the time to vote. Discuss why you believe voting is or is not important for students. Include the reasons why you think there is a low voter turnout among college students. In addition, what do you think are some important issues for college students? Illustrate your ideas by using examples from your own experiences/personal life.

Voting is an important issue in our society, yet many students do not take the time to vote. Discuss why you believe voting is or is not important for students. Include the reasons why you think there is a low voter turnout among college students. In addition, what do you think are some important issues for college students? Illustrate your ideas by using examples from your own experiences/personal life.

This prompt has four parts

Short Essays: Long Essays:

Usually ask to briefly define or compare/contrast a topic.

Teachers are looking to see if you know the term well enough to define its meaning.

Be very concise and direct in your answer.

Typically ask a student a question (or questions) using course theories, facts, and material.

Often require an analysis.

Tips for certain types of essays:

Organization/Outlining Techniques.

What is your thesis? Your supporting points? Etc.Use outlines and frequent note taking to organize

your information.For example, if you’re given a prompt that is asking

you to compare and contrast two characters, create graphs listing the similarities and contrasting attributes of each character.

Outlining and notetaking can use any and/or all of the prewriting techniques. Find which methods work best for you!

Thesis Statement:

Developing a good thesis statement is a good place to begin writing your essay.

Your thesis statement consists of your subject, opinion, and perhaps some supporting points.

Examples:

Prompt: Compare and contrast the reasons why the North and South fought the Civil War.

While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.

Incorporating Quotes:

If your essay is literature-based, your teacher will want you to integrate quotes into your essay.

Annotate your material prior to the in-class essay so that you will have important quotes already.

Since you don’t know exactly what you will be writing the day of the exam, pick quotes that are close to the theme or quotes you feel are vital for the characters/storyline.

Proofreading:

Resist the urge to completely rewrite your essay!Make sure to leave a little time at the end of your in-

class essay to look over your work—a masterpiece with punctuation errors or missing words looks like less of a masterpiece.

Winning Essay Techniques

Use keywords (from the prompt and from your material). That is, actually incorporate word-for-word the same language in the writing prompt into your thesis statement or introduction. This will help to keep you on track with the writing assignment and ensure that your instructor sees you followed the prompt.

If you prewrite, turn in your prewriting with the essay. Relate concepts back to class material (ex. If you learned

about setting in class, mention the setting).Students who can provide their own analysis typically get

better grades than those who just repeat the class material.