- Avoid "I think," "I believe" in your sentences. Since you are writing the essay, we know that you think and believe the thoughts you have included. Those words are redundant. Eliminating them will make your essay stronger and also save time. Similarly, for your last paragraph, do not begin the first sentence with "In conclusion." We know it's your conclusion because it is your last paragraph. Again, this is a waste of time and redundant.
- Make your counterclaim obvious! For this essay, find claims/arguments to counter in the accompanying texts. Present the opposing argument, then write why you disagree. You want to win your argument. Be sure to attribute/cite the article where you found the author's claim. State your opinion with confidence and support it. Give a specific example that rebuts the author's claim. Do not be vague, general, non-exact. Provide excellent support for your respectful disagreement.
- Avoid unnecessary and "chatty" wording. For example, "Continuing with my discussion" or "As I said before" or "I am going to explain." Just do all the above. Again, this wording is redundant and a waste of time. Timing is of the essence during this assessment.
- Do not refer to the texts as "stories." Be safe by referring to them as "texts," "passages," or "selections." Many of the texts will be nonfiction. "Stories" refers to fiction. The terms that I suggest can be applied to any text. You don't want the reader/evaluator of your assessment to think that you don't know the difference between fiction and nonfiction.
- Avoid summary at all costs. Summarizing the texts is not what the prompt requires. You need to selectively choose only those parts of the text that support your argument.
- You should include a "clincher" sentence at the end of each paragraph that clearly and definitively relates what you have just argued (with elaboration) back to your thesis statement. Use key words from the prompt (or synonyms for key words to avoid redundancy) throughout your essay.
- Avoid digressing or getting "off point." Stick to your task--your argument/thesis and your support. Do not include extraneous information.
- Avoid silly and unnecessary transition words and phrases: "In a nutshell," "In conclusion," "Moreover," "As I was saying," "To begin with," "As I stated before."
- Do not start your essay with a rhetorical question. Most rhetorical questions are weak.
- Do not start your body paragraphs with quotes. Your ideas should lead the discussion.
- Keep your quotes very short. Remember, paraphrase is allowed: Write in your own words, selectively including quoted words and phrases from the texts. Paraphrase requires citation also.
- If your essay has more quoted text than your own words, you have written a bad essay. The scorer wants to see your critical thinking/ideas. Prove that you are insightful.
- Include parenthetical citations when referring to a source. You may also refer to the text within your sentence. For example, "In the article 'Lost Cities,' Schliemann . . ." I do believe that citing the text in parentheses should be a preferred method because the parentheses are more easily seen.
- Do not waste time citing every example if you are continuing to discuss one article. Cite that article only once. The reader/evaluator will know that you are continuing to refer to this article by your content. By doing so, you will save time and avoid unnecessary work. Be sure, however, to add a new citation once you begin referring to a different text.
- Make your opening paragraph no longer than 4 or 5 sentences. Be sure you include a strong, clear, definitive thesis. Do not elaborate on examples in the introductory paragraph; save elaboration for your body paragraphs, which are the most important parts of your essay.
- Likewise, your concluding paragraph need not be long. And do not introduce new ideas or leave the reader/evaluator hanging or confused. Your essay should seem complete.