The Lighthouse

An essay in an exam should usually have the same structure as an essay written outside of the exam. There are normally only two main differences between essays in exams and normal essays. The first is that essays in exams will be a lot shorter (normally you only have an hour to write it!). The second is that you don’t normally need to include references in an exam (though you do need to make sure you get the right names for theorists/theories etc.).

As with a normal essay, make sure you do the following in the exam:

1. Read and fully understood the question. What are the command words? What aspect of the topic are you being asked to write about?
2. Write a plan (usually it is good to follow the structure of the question in your answer, e.g. if the question has two parts give our answer in two parts). Thank about what point you will you make in each paragraph and include that in your plan.
3. Think about your answer to the question. Write a thesis statement and you can then include this in your introduction