CAW LibGuides: Essay Writing in Exams

Introduction

In this resource, you will learn how to prepare for and approach exam essays effectively.

Exam essays are very common on university courses. Like other essays, they are designed to test your understanding of a topic and your ability to analyse, synthesise, and present ideas in a coherent and organised way. Unlike other essays, they are written under exam conditions, with a set time limit and restricted access to sources. Moreover, they are generally less broad than other essays, with highly specific questions asking us to discuss key concepts or apply particular types of analysis.

This handout uses the APA 7^th edition referencing style; however, the guidance applies to any style of academic referencing.  

What is the purpose of exam essays?

Ordinarily, essays provide an opportunity to expand your understanding of a topic through research and engagement with secondary texts. Exam essays, on the other hand, test your grasp of a concept or your ability to apply a theory or model without the support of a range of sources. The goal of this kind of assessment is to make you ‘think on your feet’. In this regard, it is essential to understand that, while it is important to be able to recall key facts from your module while writing your answers, essay exams are not intended to be simple memory tests. What your examiners want is for you to show that you understand what you have learned on your course and that you are able to communicate this knowledge in a coherent and logical manner.

Closed or open book?

The majority of exam essays are ‘closed book exams’. This means that you have no other sources available to you than those that are supplied by the examiner. Sometimes this may be as little as a question on the exam sheet; other times, you might be given a paragraph or two of text to analyse and respond to. On the other hand, some exam essays take the form of ‘open book exams’. This means that you are able to bring one or more specified texts into the exam with you. This does not contradict the basic nature of an exam essay, because the goal remains to analyse, evaluate or synthesise information under exam conditions.

Before the exam

1. Make sure you know exactly what format the exam will take: how many questions will you have to answer? How much time will you have?

2. Make sure you do not have any gaps in your notes—check with other students or go to your tutor for help.

3. Memorise key facts, names, data, quotes, etc. However, do not try to cover all of the course material. Use points that are necessary to answer the question that has been set.

4. Ensure you are familiar with key terms and concepts.

5. Practice writing under exam conditions:

• Work through past exam papers to get an idea of the type of questions asked.
• If past exam papers are not available make up some of your own questions based on the major topics of your module.
• Test yourself by writing for half an hour (without referring to notes or books) to see how much information you can write down in that time.
• By practising these techniques, you will gradually increase your speed, train yourself to focus your thoughts, and identify any weak areas in your knowledge that you need to revise.

6. Stay well-rested and manage stress: Make sure you get enough sleep before your exam and manage your stress levels. Knowing that you have worked carefully through the recommendations in this resource will help in this regard.

During the exam

1. Allocate 5-10 minutes of your time at the beginning of an exam to read through all the questions very carefully to identify exactly what is being asked.

2. Allocate 10 minutes of your exam time for checking at the end.

3. Calculate how much time you can spend on a question, relative to its mark value— then stick to this time limit!

4. Highlight the key words in each question.

5. Jot down any facts or quotes that may be useful.

6. Make a plan: this will help you to organise your thoughts and to focus on the question.

7. Write neatly and legibly.

8. Be focused: be sure to answer the question completely (refer frequently to the key words you have identified). Express your ideas clearly and logically.

9. Be well organised: plan your essay: make sure you have a clear introduction that states what you are going to discuss, how and why. Finish your essay with a conclusion that summarises the main points you have made in your essay.

10. Use supporting evidence: do not just assert that something is true. Prove it by using facts, figures, examples or quotations to support your point.

11. If you find you have run out of time for one particular answer, stick to your planned time slots and move on to the next question (you can go back and finish off any answers during the final 10 minutes you have allocated for checking). You will gain more marks for a partial answer than for one you have not started. If you do not have time to write your answer in full, jot down some bullet points - you may gain a few marks for this.

12. Check your answers carefully to see whether you have answered the question fully and to correct any grammatical or spelling errors.

Key words

A careful reading of the question you will be answering is a vital part of writing any exam essay. The precise meaning of the terms you find there will depend on their context, but the following is a list of common meanings of directive verbs found in essay questions:

Analyse                      Examine the main ideas or components, consider how they are related and why they are significant.

Compare/contrast     Identify two or more views about the same topic and examine both the similarities and differences.

Critically consider     Identify the pros and cons of an argument and justify your reasoning.

Define                          Provide the meaning of a term or establish the boundaries of a concept or topic.

Discuss                       Consider a topic from various points of view. You should describe and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches or arguments and then draw conclusions.

Evaluate                     Pass judgement on the worth of something. Such judgement must be supported by pertinent evidence.

Explain                       Make clear or plain. Usually this relates to the steps involved in a process, or the causes/effects of an event or phenomenon.

Illustrate                     Use examples, comparisons, diagrams or graphs to explain or demonstrate a point.

Outline                       Briefly review the most important aspects of a topic or the main points of a procedure or argument.

Exercise

Past papers are a very useful resource when preparing for an essay exam. If you are unsure where to find these, then your course leader may be able to direct you. However, if there are no papers available, the following exercise is a good alternative. This is an exercise that you can do multiple times on your own, but that also works very well when done in pairs. If you are able to, swap your completed essay with a friends and give each other feedback. Reflecting on what your friend says, and on your own experience of responding to their work, will help you develop your essay exam skills.

1. Choose a topic related to your course material.

2. Set a timer for 60 minutes.

3. Without using any external resources, write an essay on the chosen topic under exam conditions, following the tips and guidelines provided in this handout.

4. After 60 minutes, review your essay and compare it with the guidelines discussed. Identify areas where you followed the guidelines effectively and areas that may need improvement.

5. Reflect on your experience and consider what strategies worked well for you and what challenges you faced.

CAW offers writing development workshops across all genres of academic writing.  To view all available workshops and book online, visit: https://libcal.coventry.ac.uk/calendar/caw   

To book a one-to-one tutorial with the Centre for Academic Writing, visit: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/cawlibcalhome   

 

Further reading

For other advice on writing essays under exam conditions, consult:

Greetham, B. (2018). How to write better essays. Bloomsbury Publishing.

McMillan, K. & Weyers, J. (2007). How to write essays and assignments. Pearson Prentice Hall.

Mounsey, C. (2013). How to write: Successful essays, dissertations, and exams. 

OUP Oxford.

Citing this resource

Coventry University. (2023). Essay Writing in Exams [Resource]. Centre for Academic Writing.