ENC1101 Learning Unit 4
Planning for the Timed Essay
The most important part of writing a timed essay is time management . Study the following three-step strategy to prepare for writing the timed essay required in this course. Students may revise this strategy to accommodate their own writing style.
Step 1. 10 Minutes to Plan
- Choose one of the prompts from the two provided and come up with a working thesis based on the language of the prompt
- Quickly list or map the major points to develop the topic (this is the prewriting step)
- Rearrange these points in a logical order on a simple outline; for example, list them in their order of importance , also known as emphatic order (this is the outlining step)
- Draft a more developed thesis statement that might include an essay map
Step 2. 40 Minutes to Write
- Write the essay using double spaces or, if using notebook paper, write on every other line of the paper to allow room for revision
- Write carefully and legibly
- Use an outline or map as a guide, but add and delete as new ideas and examples emerge
Step 3. 10 Minutes to Revise, Edit, and Proofread
- Read the essay for content, and add or delete material as necessary, making certain that the paper remains legible and reads smoothly overall
- Read for appropriate sentence structure and vocabulary; revise as needed
- Correct grammar and spelling errors (1)
Looking at the First Step in More Detail
First, study the prompts given on the test. Choose the one that immediately strikes you as the more interesting or the one which relates the most to your life; this is your symbiotic technology kicking in and letting you know the right choice. The kind of assignment we are dealing with here is meant to generate a personal experience paper rather than an academic report, so all of the essay’s specific information is going to be based on your life and knowledge, so in this case your familiarity with or interest in the topic is going to make a massive difference.
An important rule to remember is that once you have selected a topic based on your instincts, don’t return to the other topic . Pretend the only topic is the one you have picked so you don’t end up wasting time by questioning yourself and going back to the planning stage. Once you’ve made your choice, live with it!
Another important thing to remember is to immediately develop a very basic thesis statement based on the language of the prompt you choose; this will give you a starting point for your prewriting and will ensure that you have a main idea for your paper.
For example, imagine you were given the following two prompts:
A sandwich you most regret making
or
A fictional character you would like to be
These topics give you language on which to build your basic thesis. You might say:
“That tuna sandwich I made last Tuesday is one I most regret..”
or
“Harry Potter is the fictional character I would most like to be.”
Now, these thesis statements aren’t great; their language is very basic, and they