Should You Tackle the Essay?

Taking your SATs isn’t all about tackling math problems – it is also about time management. How can you tackle your SAT with an essay within the set time?

As you are studying for your SAT, remember that time management is also fundamental. It is not all about the multiple-choice questions – there is an essay section. Well, don’t fret; this section is entirely optional. This means that you can choose not to do it if you feel like you are not up to it. However, essays don’t have predetermined answers and chances of faring well here are not very high. This is the quagmire that hits most SAT takers. You can choose to risk it all and complete only the “simple” parts of the SAT, and on the other hand, you could try your luck with the passage section. Of course, tackling an article will engage you more and make you spend more time in the test. You are the ultimate decision maker, but there are advantages of going for the essay. Long is the SAT with Essay?

Ordinarily, your SAT possesses three parts that require three hours to handle. However, with the essay that is not mandatory, you get fifty additional minutes. The regular question of the essay in an SAT is writing an article. Your writing will be based is going to be based on a passage which will not be more than 750 words. Therefore, in these fifty minutes, it is your responsibility to comprehensively read and reread the entire text and reply to the prompt. As is the nature of essay writing, this test tries to test your capability of analyzing different literature and picking up valuable points. Whatever you have grasped from the author’s piece is what will constitute your essay. Do fifty minutes sound efficient for tackling this essay prompt? It depends on your skills and capabilities, but having proper time management in the other section of your SAT means that you will have more time for handling your questions. Here’s a breakdown:

• Reading: It will take 65 minutes.
• Writing and language: 35 minutes.
• Math without a calculator: 25 minutes.
• Math with a calculator: 55 minutes.
• Writing prompt (optional): 50 minutes.

There are different breaks as you tackle the SAT exam. You will start with a ten-minute free-time that is between the reading and composition test. Between the different math tests, you will have another five-minute break. If you have chosen to handle the SAT article question, after the math section, you will be assigned only two minutes before you resume with the writing. is integral to know how to handle your time to ascertain that you complete every test within the set time. Knowing how much time you utilize in every question can work wonders in time-management. If you apply natural pacing, it will be easier to gauge how much time you take in every question. This, in addition to a structured approach, makes the whole process easier for you.

If you are passing an exam, this article may interest you.

Writing an essay is often scary because you do not know how to organize your ideas or what to write. Fortunately, the European methodology for writing an essay follows fairly strict rules that will give you a framework and reassure you.

What does it take to write an essay?

Writing an essay is first and foremost about answering a question and expressing your opinion by arguing and giving examples.

There are three main parts in an essay: Introduction – Development – Conclusion

Before writing

In case you have to clear the problematic of a text or an image, choose a question that will not put you in difficulty. It is often easier to answer a closed question than an open question. At least, the plans will be different.

Issues

1. Should we ban the e-cigarette?
2. Can we always choose our profession?
3. Should television be allowed to children under three years old?
4. Is the cigarette dangerous?
5. Why are not more schools imposing the uniform?
6. How to prevent teens from drinking too much alcohol in the evening?

Once the problem and the type of plan are defined, you must look for your arguments and examples.

Examples can be taken in your daily life, your personal experiences, your general culture, ….

The examples can be illustrative, that is to say placed after the argument or argumentative, that is to say placed before or superimposed on the argument.

If you can not clearly explain your argument, it is that it is not good.

Writing

The organization of your essay must be very clear. It’s about seeing the different parts of the essay before you even read it.

• Introduction
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Conclusion

Write the introduction

It must be simple and clear. These are the first sentences read by readers, so you must lay the foundations of your development without revealing your opinion. It is composed of three parts.

Bring the subject

A sentence presenting the theme in its context.

The problem

The question you chose during your reflection. You can ask the question directly or use the indirect speech: We can then ask ourselves if / why / how …

Announce the plan

= Indicate the thread of your thinking to readers so that they follow your development. It is better – because less academic – to announce the plan indirectly, asking questions, articulating a sentence so that the plan emerges. However, if it sounds too complicated, write several sentences outlining your plan with logical articulators.

Write the development

There must be a balance in the parts of your development, so you should be careful to find about the same number of arguments for your parts as you think. Your development must be organized. For this, the use of logical links is essential.

You can give your opinion throughout the essay, but also in the conclusion.

Write the conclusion

Like the introduction, the conclusion is very important because these are the last sentences read by readers. It is composed of three parts.

Replay

Check the consistency of your essay.

Make sure that the ideas are connected in a logical way.

Make sure to eliminate repetitions of words, but also and especially ideas.

Be careful not to contradict yourself.

Avoid clichés and phrases.

Avoid neutrality. You can be tolerant and indicate your tolerance. On the other hand, you can not be neutral and say “I do not care”; “I do not have an opinion,” …

You need help or support to prepare your thesis  contact me to take diploma courses or to ask me a question!

School starts again soon ! Let’s prepare ourselves slowly to go back to school.

Three methodology sheets for written production to help you prepare for an exam.

Write an essay

Knowing how to write an essay is essential if one wishes to pass his baccalaureate.

On the one hand, testing is a difficult written production exercise because you have to be able to discuss any subject – if you are not free to choose your problem – and on the other hand, the essay is relatively simple because governed by fairly strict rules that must be known and applied.

To carry out this exercise, you must keep abreast of the news, know how to give your opinion, know the logical links in order to organize your thought and therefore your text.

Here is the summary sheet.

Write a summary

Like the essay, the summary is governed by strict rules that can change from one country to another.

Indeed, foreign students are often surprised to see that the summary does not tolerate sentences like “The author claims that”, which are actually used for the text comment or even that we keep exactly the same system of enunciation.

It is once again important to master these codes if you want to write a summary in English.

Here is the summary sheet.

Analyze a caricature

In the analysis of the caricature, the great difficulty will be the interpretation because the culture plays a key role for the deep understanding of the message. It will be necessary to know to interpret with the cultural references, the collective unconscious, the symbols and the meanings of the country, more or less obvious according to your nationality and your knowledge.

A caricature can have various subjects: politics, society, culture, family, …

So you must of course keep abreast of the news, know the culture of country, but not only that learned by stereotypes, current and popular culture is also taken by cartoonists.

It’s hard work, but very interesting.

After seeing an example of a letter, I propose to see how to write a test. This article is from my written production guide.

What is a test?

An essay is a type of argumentative text where you have to express your personal opinion. It is an academic text that has no particular recipient (unlike the letter for example). It must include an introduction, a development in 2 or 3 parts and a conclusion.

Setpoint of the test

The subject I propose is about leisure, one of the most frequent topics in the exam.

The benefits of reading are already known. Yet, a recent scientific study reveals a surprising discovery: reading books would make it possible to live longer. A decisive argument that could give young people a taste for reading! What do you think ?

You will express your personal opinion in an essay that is well-argued and constructed of about 250 words.

Model

And here is the example of production that I propose to you.

Young people would read less and less and it would be absolutely necessary to give them a taste for reading. We will try on the one hand to remember its benefits. We will show on the other hand that the pleasure of reading has not disappeared, but that its fashions have changed.

The benefits of reading on studies are first and foremost obvious. A young person who reads enriches his knowledge. By developing his vocabulary, he improves his writing skills. In addition, the regular reader, since he learns to focus his attention, gets better grades.

In addition, reading is no less beneficial to health. We already know that it acts against stress. It allows to escape for a moment the anxieties of everyday life. It can also be said that by stimulating the brain, it delays the long-term effects of aging and is a way to fight effectively against Alzheimer’s disease.

However, all these benefits would fade in the face of new media competition. It must be recognized that young people read fewer and fewer books. Video games and television series offer much more realistic and compelling ways of escape than novels. However, it can be seen that movie successes like Harry Potter can increase the purchase of novels, as it allows readers to extend the movie experience.

The arrival of a new media such as the internet and especially social networks could have made people fear the end of reading. But exactly the opposite happens: the user reads and writes a quantity of messages! As a result, reading has not decreased, but it has become more social. It is likewise more fragmented. Young people who still read books prefer to read them serialized, as shown by the success of apps that broadcast a chapter of romance a day.

In the end, it is incorrect to say that young people read less and that they should be given a taste for reading. They do not ignore the benefits, but their practices are changing rapidly. They probably read fewer books, but their exposure to writing has not decreased with new media, quite the opposite.

To you !

It’s up to you now! You can write your essay (only on the subject presented in this article) and post it in a comment under this article. I will then give you tips to improve your text, if you need it.

How to pass exam ?

The article is a type of text much less requested than the formal letter on exam. But it can always “fall”, you never know and besides, it is an interesting exercise that you can very well meet at another time in your learning of English. That’s why I chose to include it in my Written Production Guide. Here is an excerpt!

Let’s discover the subject

The magazine of your university invites its readers to contribute on the following subject: can one be friend with his teacher on Facebook? You decide to participate by expressing your opinion in an article constructed and illustrated with relevant examples. (250 words)

How to layout an article?

You will not be asked to write an article like a pro, of course. But the layout still counts, so it’s better to follow certain rules.

Article model

And here is the example of production that I propose to you.

The article is a type of text much less requested than the formal letter on exam. But it can always “fall”, you never know and besides, it is an interesting exercise that you can very well meet at another time in your learning of English. That’s why I chose to include it in my Written Production Guide. Here is an excerpt!

Let’s discover the subject

The magazine of your university invites its readers to contribute on the following subject: can one be friend with his teacher on Facebook? You decide to participate by expressing your opinion in an article constructed and illustrated with relevant examples. (250 words)

How to layout an article?

You will not be asked to write an article like a pro, of course. But the layout still counts, so it’s better to follow certain rules.

Article model

And here is the example of production that I propose to you.

BEING FRIEND WITH HER PROF ON FACEBOOK: A GOOD IDEA?

You probably already met a professor on the famous social network and … you hesitated. Invite him or not? It’s risky, but once the precautions are taken, you’ll soon discover the benefits!

Inviting your teacher on Facebook is certainly not without risk. The first obviously is that he refuses your invitation! Indeed, for many teachers the social network remains synonymous with “waste of time”. They will pretend to be too busy to look at your holiday pictures …

Also recognize that a teacher can not be a friend like any other. Moreover, many students doubt that he can have a life after class! It is important for the teacher to know how to keep his distance. In fact, he also plays an evaluative role that must be respected. He may also be worried about his safety, as shown by some cases of harassment on the networks.

However, these are risks that are not very difficult to avoid. Indeed, the term “friend” on Facebook is a bit ambiguous. It should rather speak of “contacts” that will be more or less close depending on your preferences. You can set your account to choose who can watch your photos.

In fact, some teachers choose to create a professional account because they find many social benefits for the social network. First, it is a great way to disseminate course information. Then, a little shy students will find a more reassuring solution to ask questions. Finally, less formalism in the exchanges can subsequently improve the atmosphere in the classroom.

So, do not hesitate to invite your teachers on Facebook. If you know how to keep your distance, you will be able to take full advantage of this new mode of educational relationship.