in class essay tips

in class essay tips

Effective Strategies for Writing In-Class Essays

1. Introduction to In-Class Essays

In-class essays require that a student sit in class and write to a question set by one of the instructors. Time is allowed for preparation and writing. Some students choose to make an outline based on an organized thought. Remember any prewrite will help with the writing process. In case you are given a topic to write about and you do not have a clue on what to write about, the teacher is actually seeking a response from the student. The best way to go about this is to break it down into smaller parts of the question. The following essay is about the different parts of the question.

Do you cringe when your teacher tells you to write a few paragraphs about an assigned topic in a given time? On the spot writing can sometimes be troublesome. If you have prepared in advance, you will not have a problem. Following some of the following steps will also help the writer.

2. Preparation Techniques

Prior to the exam, or perhaps in the hall as your instructor efficiently leads the class through his own preparation techniques, try not to be satisfied with dreaming up a general but hazy concept of the points you will make. Already en route to the exam, anticipate the last five minutes you have for a final-review scan of your essay; highly specific plans during these last five minutes may permit you to develop them easily. When your layout, which the reviewer would critique instantaneously as the backbone of an excellent job, is completed, you should feel stability; i.e., expected responses to four or more of the seven specific questions will have been answered.

One of the first steps in writing an effective in-class essay is to prepare yourself for the work you will have to do after writing the essay. At home, you should try to complete your work on time. However, in class, plan to make good use of your remaining time; foresee how you will use the end. Feel that you are equipped to go to class with a mental outline for a well-organized essay, and that it is easy to write. Since the mind is like a blank or cluttered blackboard upon entering the hall, organize your “materials” while they are fresh and clean.

3. Structuring Your Essay

An essay is structured like a miniature tree. Its trunk and branches are the introduction and topic sentences. They should be wider than the supporting details or leaves. The leaves are the supporting details or the body of the essay. The roots are the foundation that uphold the tree. In the same respect, the roots are like the conclusion that answers all the points and information raised in the introduction. Content is found from the roots or conclusion, for it sheds light on the entire essay. In essence, this plan of organization should be embedded in the student’s format or blueprint of the essay. The entire essay’s composition should be legible and correctly formatted. With overlapping details, evidence of grammar or spelling errors, or difficult-to-read handwriting, the essay loses its charisma.

A modified outline or blueprint is an important first step to have for a well-organized essay. In an in-class writing essay, it is important to develop an outline before you begin. You need to know where you are going in your writing. This overview of your essay sets the plan for the organization. At this time, you may want to calculate how much time you have available and how you are going to approach the topic. If you are allowed to bring in a cheat sheet, it should be a modified outline or blueprint. This way you will have a guide and a cleaner copy for the instructor to grade. You won’t cram copy from the cheat sheet into your essay and rob yourself of the reward for completing your essay on your own free will.

4. Time Management Tips

Contain yourself. Write no more than one hour, even if the band is playing and you are on a roll. Rely on your outline to keep you on track and to fit everything in you have to say. If you are in danger of running out of room before squeezing in the conclusion, use one of the tips below. If you run out of room, finally, you may find yourself after 55 minutes of writing looking at less than a paragraph of space to finish the essay conscientiously. Never fear: jump ahead. Answer the question from the final question section of the prompt, write your conclusion on the last page of the blue book, and then quickly turn back to the last blank space in the middle of the essay. Sharpen your pencil, and zoom ahead to include the final single paragraph, sentence, or even just phrase to finish your thoughts about the main points from your outline so that readers do not get left hanging.

If you find that you often run out of time when writing an in-class essay, these time management tips may help. With your outline and thesis in front of you, start writing your essay in any blank space you have on the blue book, leaving the first page blank. Insert your thesis and outline on the first blank page of the blue book so that you will be able to refer back to them if you forget what you are writing about. Keep an eye on the time actively. Look at the clock once after the first 10 minutes, once after the first 20 minutes, and then roughly every 5-7 minutes until the last 10 minutes of the hour. This is easier than writing for 30 minutes and then realizing the band has stopped playing. And, even if you think you are going to be the last person to hand in the blue book, do not stop writing until the last minute is up. You are likely to think of at least one more thing to say, even if it is just the last sentence of conclusion.

5. Conclusion and Final Tips

Finally, you should attempt to make your conclusion a reflective spot for the reader and not for you (the author). End on a high note. The perfect in-class essay conclusion can be compared to the musical chord at the end of the piece that makes the listener feel an aesthetic closure on a grand scale. So you should end the essay with a bang, not a whimper: you should give the reader a sense of completion, of truly answering the question have been asking. A string of close-cropping sentences can even be an anti-climactic conclusion. Try to sum up as many of your points as possible, and re-state your position clearly. Save the last word for your best arguments that may have been relegated to the body paragraphs. And do a quick once over, reading through your conclusion to clarify that your last chord (conclusion) is well-ordered and well-blended.

In your conclusion, it is important to wrap up the paper and give the feeling of closure to your work. The conclusion needs to sum up all the ideas and your final synthesis is important. If you end abruptly or try to sum up every argument possible, your conclusion can end up confusing the reader. Remember that your conclusion isn’t just a summary, but a place to reveal your stance on the arguments. Tell the reader what you want them to think, do, or believe after they’ve finished reading. Never use “their,” “their,” or “there” in the conclusion or any conversation with your audience.