an essay question response

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How to Write a Good Answer to Exam Essay Questions

Last Updated: July 9, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Tristen Bonacci . Tristen Bonacci is a Licensed English Teacher with more than 20 years of experience. Tristen has taught in both the United States and overseas. She specializes in teaching in a secondary education environment and sharing wisdom with others, no matter the environment. Tristen holds a BA in English Literature from The University of Colorado and an MEd from The University of Phoenix. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 650,588 times.

Answering essay questions on an exam can be difficult and stressful, which can make it hard to provide a good answer. However, you can improve your ability to answer essay questions by learning how to understand the questions, form an answer, and stay focused. Developing your ability to give excellent answers on essay exams will take time and effort, but you can learn some good essay question practices and start improving your answers.

Understanding the Question

• Analyze: Explain the what, where, who, when, why, and how. Include pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses, etc.
• Compare: Discuss the similarities and differences between two or more things. Don't forget to explain why the comparison is useful.
• Contrast: Discuss how two or more things are different or distinguish between them. Don't forget to explain why the contrast is useful.
• Define: State what something means, does, achieves, etc.
• Describe: List characteristics or traits of something. You may also need to summarize something, such as an essay prompt that asks "Describe the major events that led to the American Revolution."
• Discuss: This is more analytical. You usually begin by describing something and then present arguments for or against it. You may need to analyze the advantages or disadvantages of your subject.
• Evaluate: Offer the pros and cons, positives and negatives for a subject. You may be asked to evaluate a statement for logical support, or evaluate an argument for weaknesses.
• Explain: Explain why or how something happened, or justify your position on something.
• Prove: Usually reserved for more scientific or objective essays. You may be asked to include evidence and research to build a case for a specific position or set of hypotheses.
• Summarize: Usually, this means to list the major ideas or themes of a subject. It could also ask you to present the main ideas in order to then fully discuss them. Most essay questions will not ask for pure summary without anything else.

• Raise your hand and wait for your teacher to come over to you or approach your teacher’s desk to ask your question. This way you will be less likely to disrupt other test takers.

Forming Your Response

• Take a moment to consider your organization before you start writing your answer. What information should come first, second, third, etc.?
• In many cases, the traditional 5-paragraph essay structure works well. Start with an introductory paragraph, use 3 paragraphs in the body of the article to explain different points, and finish with a concluding paragraph.
• It can also be really helpful to draft a quick outline of your essay before you start writing.

• You may want to make a list of facts and figures that you want to include in your essay answer. That way you can refer to this list as you write your answer.
• It's best to write down all the important key topics or ideas before you get started composing your answer. That way, you can check back to make sure you haven't missed anything.

• For example, imagine that your essay question asks: "Should the FIFA World Cup be awarded to countries with human rights violations? Explain and support your answer."
• You might restate this as "Countries with human rights violations should not be awarded the FIFA World Cup because this rewards a nation's poor treatment of its citizens." This will be the thesis that you support with examples and explanation.

• For example, whether you argue that the FIFA World Cup should or should not be awarded to countries with human rights violations, you will want to address the opposing side's argument. However, it needs to be clear where your essay stands about the matter.
• Often, essay questions end up saying things along the lines of "There are many similarities and differences between X and Y." This does not offer a clear position and can result in a bad grade.

• If you are required to write your answer by hand, then take care to make your writing legible and neat. Some professors may deduct points if they cannot read what you have written.

Staying Calm and Focused

• If you get to a point during the exam where you feel too anxious to focus, put down your pencil (or take your hands off of the keyboard), close your eyes, and take a deep breath. Stretch your arms and imagine that you are somewhere pleasant for a few moments. When you have completed this brief exercise, open up your eyes and resume the exam.

• For example, if the exam period is one hour long and you have to answer three questions in that time frame, then you should plan to spend no more than 20 minutes on each question.
• Look at the weight of the questions, if applicable. For example, if there are five 10-point short-answers and a 50-point essay, plan to spend more time on the essay because it is worth significantly more. Don't get stuck spending so much time on the short-answers that you don't have time to develop a complex essay.

• This strategy is even more important if the exam has multiple essay questions. If you take too much time on the first question, then you may not have enough time to answer the other questions on the exam.

• If you feel like you are straying away from the question, reread the question and review any notes that you made to help guide you. After you get refocused, then continue writing your answer.
• Try to allow yourself enough time to go back and tighten up connections between your points. A few well-placed transitions can really bump up your grade.

Community Q&A

• If you are worried about running out of time, put your watch in front of you where you can see it. Just try not to focus on it too much. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you need more practice, make up your own questions or even look at some practice questions online! Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Look up relevant quotes if your exam is open notes. Use references from books or class to back up your answers.
• Make sure your sentences flow together and that you don't repeat the same thing twice!

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.linnbenton.edu/student-services/library-tutoring-testing/learning-center/academic-coaching/documents/Strategies%20For%20Answering%20Essay%20Questions.pdf
• ↑ https://success.uark.edu/get-help/student-resources/short-answer-essays.php

About This Article

To write a good answer to an exam essay question, read the question carefully to find what it's asking, and follow the instructions for the essay closely. Begin your essay by rephrasing the question into a statement with your answer in the statement. Include supplemental facts and figures if necessary, or do textual analysis from a provided piece to support your argument. Make sure your writing is clear and to the point, and don't include extra information unless it supports your argument. For tips from our academic reviewer on understanding essay questions and dealing with testing nerves, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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• Focus and Precision: How to Write Essays that Answer the Question

About the Author Stephanie Allen read Classics and English at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, and is currently researching a PhD in Early Modern Academic Drama at the University of Fribourg.

We’ve all been there. You’ve handed in an essay and you think it’s pretty great: it shows off all your best ideas, and contains points you’re sure no one else will have thought of.

You’re not totally convinced that what you’ve written is relevant to the title you were given – but it’s inventive, original and good. In fact, it might be better than anything that would have responded to the question. But your essay isn’t met with the lavish praise you expected. When it’s tossed back onto your desk, there are huge chunks scored through with red pen, crawling with annotations like little red fire ants: ‘IRRELEVANT’; ‘A bit of a tangent!’; ‘???’; and, right next to your best, most impressive killer point: ‘Right… so?’. The grade your teacher has scrawled at the end is nowhere near what your essay deserves. In fact, it’s pretty average. And the comment at the bottom reads something like, ‘Some good ideas, but you didn’t answer the question!’.

If this has ever happened to you (and it has happened to me, a lot), you’ll know how deeply frustrating it is – and how unfair it can seem. This might just be me, but the exhausting process of researching, having ideas, planning, writing and re-reading makes me steadily more attached to the ideas I have, and the things I’ve managed to put on the page. Each time I scroll back through what I’ve written, or planned, so far, I become steadily more convinced of its brilliance. What started off as a scribbled note in the margin, something extra to think about or to pop in if it could be made to fit the argument, sometimes comes to be backbone of a whole essay – so, when a tutor tells me my inspired paragraph about Ted Hughes’s interpretation of mythology isn’t relevant to my essay on Keats, I fail to see why. Or even if I can see why, the thought of taking it out is wrenching. Who cares if it’s a bit off-topic? It should make my essay stand out, if anything! And an examiner would probably be happy not to read yet another answer that makes exactly the same points. If you recognise yourself in the above, there are two crucial things to realise. The first is that something has to change: because doing well in high school exam or coursework essays is almost totally dependent on being able to pin down and organise lots of ideas so that an examiner can see that they convincingly answer a question. And it’s a real shame to work hard on something, have good ideas, and not get the marks you deserve. Writing a top essay is a very particular and actually quite simple challenge. It’s not actually that important how original you are, how compelling your writing is, how many ideas you get down, or how beautifully you can express yourself (though of course, all these things do have their rightful place). What you’re doing, essentially, is using a limited amount of time and knowledge to really answer a question. It sounds obvious, but a good essay should have the title or question as its focus the whole way through . It should answer it ten times over – in every single paragraph, with every fact or figure. Treat your reader (whether it’s your class teacher or an external examiner) like a child who can’t do any interpretive work of their own; imagine yourself leading them through your essay by the hand, pointing out that you’ve answered the question here , and here , and here. Now, this is all very well, I imagine you objecting, and much easier said than done. But never fear! Structuring an essay that knocks a question on the head is something you can learn to do in a couple of easy steps. In the next few hundred words, I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned through endless, mindless crossings-out, rewordings, rewritings and rethinkings.

Top tips and golden rules

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been told to ‘write the question at the top of every new page’- but for some reason, that trick simply doesn’t work for me. If it doesn’t work for you either, use this three-part process to allow the question to structure your essay:

1)     Work out exactly what you’re being asked

It sounds really obvious, but lots of students have trouble answering questions because they don’t take time to figure out exactly what they’re expected to do – instead, they skim-read and then write the essay they want to write. Sussing out a question is a two-part process, and the first part is easy. It means looking at the directions the question provides as to what sort of essay you’re going to write. I call these ‘command phrases’ and will go into more detail about what they mean below. The second part involves identifying key words and phrases.

2)     Be as explicit as possible

Use forceful, persuasive language to show how the points you’ve made do answer the question. My main focus so far has been on tangential or irrelevant material – but many students lose marks even though they make great points, because they don’t quite impress how relevant those points are. Again, I’ll talk about how you can do this below.

3)     Be brutally honest with yourself about whether a point is relevant before you write it.

It doesn’t matter how impressive, original or interesting it is. It doesn’t matter if you’re panicking, and you can’t think of any points that do answer the question. If a point isn’t relevant, don’t bother with it. It’s a waste of time, and might actually work against you- if you put tangential material in an essay, your reader will struggle to follow the thread of your argument, and lose focus on your really good points.

Put it into action: Step One

Let’s imagine you’re writing an English essay about the role and importance of the three witches in Macbeth . You’re thinking about the different ways in which Shakespeare imagines and presents the witches, how they influence the action of the tragedy, and perhaps the extent to which we’re supposed to believe in them (stay with me – you don’t have to know a single thing about Shakespeare or Macbeth to understand this bit!). Now, you’ll probably have a few good ideas on this topic – and whatever essay you write, you’ll most likely use much of the same material. However, the detail of the phrasing of the question will significantly affect the way you write your essay. You would draw on similar material to address the following questions: Discuss Shakespeare’s representation of the three witches in Macbeth . How does Shakespeare figure the supernatural in Macbeth ?   To what extent are the three witches responsible for Macbeth’s tragic downfall? Evaluate the importance of the three witches in bringing about Macbeth’s ruin. Are we supposed to believe in the three witches in Macbeth ? “Within Macbeth ’s representation of the witches, there is profound ambiguity about the actual significance and power of their malevolent intervention” (Stephen Greenblatt). Discuss.   I’ve organised the examples into three groups, exemplifying the different types of questions you might have to answer in an exam. The first group are pretty open-ended: ‘discuss’- and ‘how’-questions leave you room to set the scope of the essay. You can decide what the focus should be. Beware, though – this doesn’t mean you don’t need a sturdy structure, or a clear argument, both of which should always be present in an essay. The second group are asking you to evaluate, constructing an argument that decides whether, and how far something is true. Good examples of hypotheses (which your essay would set out to prove) for these questions are:

• The witches are the most important cause of tragic action in Macbeth.
• The witches are partially, but not entirely responsible for Macbeth’s downfall, alongside Macbeth’s unbridled ambition, and that of his wife.
• We are not supposed to believe the witches: they are a product of Macbeth’s psyche, and his downfall is his own doing.
• The witches’ role in Macbeth’s downfall is deliberately unclear. Their claim to reality is shaky – finally, their ambiguity is part of an uncertain tragic universe and the great illusion of the theatre. (N.B. It’s fine to conclude that a question can’t be answered in black and white, certain terms – as long as you have a firm structure, and keep referring back to it throughout the essay).

The final question asks you to respond to a quotation. Students tend to find these sorts of questions the most difficult to answer, but once you’ve got the hang of them I think the title does most of the work for you – often implicitly providing you with a structure for your essay. The first step is breaking down the quotation into its constituent parts- the different things it says. I use brackets: ( Within Macbeth ’s representation of the witches, ) ( there is profound ambiguity ) about the ( actual significance ) ( and power ) of ( their malevolent intervention ) Examiners have a nasty habit of picking the most bewildering and terrifying-sounding quotations: but once you break them down, they’re often asking for something very simple. This quotation, for example, is asking exactly the same thing as the other questions. The trick here is making sure you respond to all the different parts. You want to make sure you discuss the following:

• Do you agree that the status of the witches’ ‘malevolent intervention’ is ambiguous?
• What is its significance?
• How powerful is it?

Step Two: Plan

Having worked out exactly what the question is asking, write out a plan (which should be very detailed in a coursework essay, but doesn’t have to be more than a few lines long in an exam context) of the material you’ll use in each paragraph. Make sure your plan contains a sentence at the end of each point about how that point will answer the question. A point from my plan for one of the topics above might look something like this:

To what extent are we supposed to believe in the three witches in Macbeth ?  Hypothesis: The witches’ role in Macbeth’s downfall is deliberately unclear. Their claim to reality is uncertain – finally, they’re part of an uncertain tragic universe and the great illusion of the theatre. Para.1: Context At the time Shakespeare wrote Macbeth , there were many examples of people being burned or drowned as witches There were also people who claimed to be able to exorcise evil demons from people who were ‘possessed’. Catholic Christianity leaves much room for the supernatural to exist This suggests that Shakespeare’s contemporary audience might, more readily than a modern one, have believed that witches were a real phenomenon and did exist.

My final sentence (highlighted in red) shows how the material discussed in the paragraph answers the question. Writing this out at the planning stage, in addition to clarifying your ideas, is a great test of whether a point is relevant: if you struggle to write the sentence, and make the connection to the question and larger argument, you might have gone off-topic.

Step Three: Paragraph beginnings and endings

The final step to making sure you pick up all the possible marks for ‘answering the question’ in an essay is ensuring that you make it explicit how your material does so. This bit relies upon getting the beginnings and endings of paragraphs just right. To reiterate what I said above, treat your reader like a child: tell them what you’re going to say; tell them how it answers the question; say it, and then tell them how you’ve answered the question. This need not feel clumsy, awkward or repetitive. The first sentence of each new paragraph or point should, without giving too much of your conclusion away, establish what you’re going to discuss, and how it answers the question. The opening sentence from the paragraph I planned above might go something like this:

Early modern political and religious contexts suggest that Shakespeare’s contemporary audience might more readily have believed in witches than his modern readers.

The sentence establishes that I’m going to discuss Jacobean religion and witch-burnings, and also what I’m going to use those contexts to show. I’d then slot in all my facts and examples in the middle of the paragraph. The final sentence (or few sentences) should be strong and decisive, making a clear connection to the question you’ve been asked:

  Contemporary suspicion that witches did exist, testified to by witch-hunts and exorcisms, is crucial to our understanding of the witches in Macbeth.  To the early modern consciousness, witches were a distinctly real and dangerous possibility – and the witches in the play would have seemed all-the-more potent and terrifying as a result.

Step Four: Practice makes perfect

The best way to get really good at making sure you always ‘answer the question’ is to write essay plans rather than whole pieces. Set aside a few hours, choose a couple of essay questions from past papers, and for each:

• Write a hypothesis
• Write a rough plan of what each paragraph will contain
• Write out the first and last sentence of each paragraph

You can get your teacher, or a friend, to look through your plans and give you feedback. If you follow this advice, fingers crossed, next time you hand in an essay, it’ll be free from red-inked comments about irrelevance, and instead showered with praise for the precision with which you handled the topic, and how intently you focused on answering the question. It can seem depressing when your perfect question is just a minor tangent from the question you were actually asked, but trust me – high praise and good marks are all found in answering the question in front of you, not the one you would have liked to see. Teachers do choose the questions they set you with some care, after all; chances are the question you were set is the more illuminating and rewarding one as well.

Image credits: banner ; Keats ; Macbeth ; James I ; witches .

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Essay Papers Writing Online

A comprehensive guide to writing a response essay that will help you ace your academic assignments.

Writing a response essay can be a challenging task, as it requires you to analyze a piece of literature, a movie, an article, or any other work and provide your personal reaction to it. This type of essay allows you to express your thoughts and feelings about the content you’re responding to, and it can help you develop critical thinking and analytical skills.

In order to craft a compelling response essay, you need to carefully read and understand the work you’re responding to, identify key themes and arguments, and formulate a clear and coherent response. This guide will provide you with tips and strategies to help you write an effective response essay that engages your readers and communicates your ideas effectively.

Key Elements of a Response Essay

A response essay typically includes the following key elements:

• Introduction: Begin with a brief summary of the text you are responding to and your main thesis statement.
• Summary: Provide a concise summary of the text, focusing on the key points and arguments.
• Analysis: Analyze and evaluate the text, discussing its strengths, weaknesses, and the effectiveness of its arguments.
• Evidence: Support your analysis with evidence from the text, including quotes and examples.
• Personal Reaction: Share your personal reaction to the text, including your thoughts, feelings, and opinions.
• Conclusion: Sum up your response and reiterate your thesis statement, emphasizing the significance of your analysis.

By incorporating these key elements into your response essay, you can effectively engage with the text and provide a thoughtful and well-supported response.

Understanding the Assignment

Before you start writing your response essay, it is crucial to thoroughly understand the assignment requirements. Read the prompt carefully and identify the main objectives of the assignment. Make sure you understand what the instructor expects from your response, whether it is a critical analysis of a text, a personal reflection, or a synthesis of different sources.

Pay attention to key elements such as:

• The topic or subject matter
• The purpose of the response
• The audience you are addressing
• The specific guidelines or formatting requirements

Clarifying any doubts about the assignment will help you focus your response and ensure that you meet all the necessary criteria for a successful essay.

Analyzing the Prompt

Before you start writing your response essay, it is crucial to thoroughly analyze the prompt provided. Understanding the prompt is essential for crafting a coherent and well-structured response that addresses the key points effectively. Here are some key steps to consider when analyzing the prompt:

• Carefully read the prompt multiple times to fully grasp the main question or topic that needs to be addressed.
• Identify the key words and phrases in the prompt that will guide your response and help you stay focused on the main theme.
• Consider any specific instructions or requirements outlined in the prompt, such as the length of the essay, the format to be used, or the sources to be referenced.
• Break down the prompt into smaller parts or components to ensure that you cover all aspects of the question in your response.
• Clarify any terms or concepts in the prompt that are unclear to you, and make sure you have a solid understanding of what is being asked of you.

By analyzing the prompt carefully and methodically, you can ensure that your response essay is well-structured, focused, and directly addresses the main question or topic at hand.

Developing a Thesis Statement

One of the most critical aspects of writing a response essay is developing a clear and strong thesis statement. A thesis statement is a concise summary of the main point or claim of your essay. It sets the tone for your entire response and helps guide your reader through your arguments.

When developing your thesis statement, consider the following tips:

Remember, your thesis statement should be specific, focused, and debatable. It should also be located at the end of your introduction paragraph to ensure it captures the reader’s attention and sets the stage for the rest of your essay.

Structuring Your Response

When structuring your response essay, it’s essential to follow a clear and logical format. Start with an introduction that provides background information on the topic and presents your thesis statement. Then, organize your body paragraphs around key points or arguments that support your thesis. Make sure each paragraph focuses on a single idea and provides evidence to back it up.

After presenting your arguments, include a conclusion that summarizes your main points and reinforces your thesis. Remember to use transitions between paragraphs to ensure a smooth flow of ideas. Additionally, consider the overall coherence and cohesion of your response to make it engaging and easy to follow for the reader.

Main Body Paragraphs

When writing the main body paragraphs of your response essay, it’s essential to present your arguments clearly and logically. Each paragraph should focus on a separate point or idea related to the topic. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea, and then provide supporting evidence or examples to reinforce your argument.

• Make sure to organize your paragraphs in a coherent and sequential manner, so that your essay flows smoothly and is easy for the reader to follow.
• Use transition words and phrases, such as “furthermore,” “in addition,” or “on the other hand,” to connect your ideas and create a cohesive structure.
• Cite sources and provide proper references to strengthen your arguments and demonstrate the credibility of your analysis.

Remember to analyze and evaluate the information you present in each paragraph, rather than simply summarizing it. Engage critically with the texts, articles, or sources you are referencing, and develop your own perspective or interpretation based on the evidence provided.

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• Answering Essay Questions

How to Answer Essay Questions on an Exam

By: Angelina Grin

From high school English comprehension exams all the way up to college entrance exams and the GRE, essay questions are a mainstay. They can be broadly broken down into four categories: factual recall, analysis, synthesis, and opinion.

Understanding the Question

Identify the question category, writing your response, check yourself, short answer examples, how to answer long essay questions, tips on how to answer an essay question.

• How can you spot a good essay question?
• Why do students find essay questions challenging?
• What is the #1 takeaway for answering these questions?
• How can I write better answers?

You have one hour to respond to as many as five different short essay questions, each of which requires you to write a paragraph. Writing an essay requires you to break it up into several paragraphs. Within the allotted time, you might be asked to compose just one extended essay , or maybe even two of them.

In this article, we will show you how to answer essay-style exam questions.

What are the Steps for Answering Essay Questions Properly?

There are four basic steps you need to focus on.

You are strapped for time in every exam but understanding the question is the most important part. If you cannot understand what it is that you need to do, you will write a quality answer, no doubt, but it will be misguided and wrong, and you will have wasted all that time, resulting in poor test scores. Therefore, to save time in the long run, you have to understand what relevant facts are being asked of you before you commit to a course of action.

The strategy is to begin the exam by answering essay questions. You'll save time by dealing with the most stressful issue first. You should also pay particular attention to the questions themselves: read them 2-3 times to properly comprehend what they are asking of you, paying special attention to the verbs, and ask the examiner before the test begins if you have any doubts or confusions. It will also make answering the question much easier if you underline or highlight the essential terms inside it.

Speaking of relevant terms, that is what we will talk about next.

Essay questions typically include a list of specific keywords that teachers and professors want students to focus on when composing their responses. For instance, an essay question that asks you to "describe" an issue will be different from an essay question that asks you to "argue" a position. Both of these types of questions are part of an essay. When you read an essay question, it is imperative that you locate and identify the corresponding keyword. The following are some of the most frequently used keywords:

• To analyze something means to explain its what, where, who, when, why, and how components. Include a summary of the benefits and drawbacks, the positives and negatives, etc.
• Compare means to talk about the parallels and dissimilarities that exist between two or more things. Remember to explain why the comparison is helpful in your response.
• To contrast is to discuss the ways in which two or more things are different from one another or to differentiate between them. Be sure to include an explanation of why the contrast is helpful.
• Define means to state what something is, what it does, what it accomplishes, etc.
• Describe means to enumerate the qualities or characteristics of something. It's possible that you'll also need to summarize something, such as an essay prompt that asks you to "Describe the major events that led up to the Civil War."
• "Discuss" calls for a more analytical approach. In most cases, you start by describing the topic at hand, and then you move on to presenting either pro or con arguments. You might need to conduct an analysis of the benefits or drawbacks associated with your topic.
• To evaluate something means to present both the advantages and disadvantages, the perks and drawbacks of a topic. You might be asked to analyze a claim to determine whether it is supported by logic or an argument to determine whether it has any flaws.
• To justify your position means to explain why or how something occurred or by explaining why you hold a particular opinion.
• "Prove" is typically saved for essays that are more scientific or objective. In order to build a case for a particular position or set of hypotheses, you might be asked to include evidence and research in your argument.
• To list the most important ideas or themes of a topic is typically what is meant when the term "summarize" is used. It is also possible that you will be asked to present the main ideas and thoroughly discuss them. The vast majority of questions will not ask for a straightforward summary with nothing else attached.

Okay, now you have a grasp on what the question demands from you. That’s great. The next step involves writing your answer. How to structure answers to essay questions? Let’s find out.

In most cases, sticking to the usual five-paragraph formula will work. This consists of an introductory paragraph, up to three body paragraphs, and a final paragraph where you summarize your arguments and conclude your answer.

There is no universally applicable standard for how to answer essay-type exam questions in college or university. One thing is certain, though: your introductory paragraph has to make a strong impact. It's the first thing people will read, so if it doesn't hook them, the rest of the essay better be excellent. It needs to be competent, at the very least. The introduction should take up about 10% of the total number of words in the essay. If you write a 1500-word essay, for instance, your introduction will be about 150 words.

The body of the essay will nearly write itself once you have a plan in place. All that's left to do is fill in the main ideas. Now that you know what they are, it's time to employ the key terms you found in the question. In order for the text to make sense, each paragraph needs to make some sort of connection back to the topic sentence. You will have access to far more data than is actually useful, so write only that which is absolutely necessary. Avoid fluff. You want to be comprehensive but not at the cost of putting your professor to sleep.

In the concluding paragraph of your essay, you will restate your main points. It is crucial, so make sure to always include one. The examiner will spend the least amount of time on this section, but it will have the greatest impact on the final grade.

You should restate the primary points you made and make direct reference to the question's keywords. The most important thing is that it doesn't add anything to what you've already said. It's too late to say anything else that hasn't already been said.

Following this structure for your essay answers is a good way to learn how to write a paper to answer a bunch of questions essay.

Even with the essay questions answered, you’re not finished yet. When you’re done with your essay answer, give yourself some time to go through what you wrote. No matter how carefully you craft the answer in your head and how quickly you write it, you are bound to make some spelling errors. Even if you go through it and find that you didn’t make any, you can now be sure that you didn’t! That in itself is worth the time to go through and proofread your well-rounded essay.

In this section, we will talk about answering multiple questions in essay format examples. By studying these illustrations, we will see how and why they work.

Hopefully, by reviewing these short essay question examples, you now have a better grasp on how you want to do things. These are the kinds of answers admissions officers look at on personal statements when you apply to graduate school.

In this section, we will take two essay answers that are on the longer side and dissect them. We will discuss what makes them good, and why you should try to model your style after them if you can.

There are a lot of things you can do to improve the essay answers you write. In this section, we will discuss the top five things you can and should do in order to write better answers for your tests.

• To begin an essay prompt response, you should try restating the question as a statement. To show that you have read and comprehend the question, you should begin your essay with an introduction like this. Changing the wording of the question forces you to focus on answering that specific question from the get-go. Take the following as an example of a potential question: "Should drugs be made available for recreational use? Defend your position by providing examples and explanations." You may rephrase that as "Recreational drug usage should be legalized." This is the main argument that you'll elaborate on and provide evidence for.
• In a compare and contrast essay, you still need to have a strong thesis statement. If you're arguing for or against legalizing recreational drugs, for instance, you need to answer the other side's position. However, your essay's position on the issue must be made clear. There are many parallels and contrasts between X and Y, which is a common theme in essay prompts. There is no distinct position presented, which can lead to a low grade.
• Bad punctuation, sentence structure, and poor grammar might lower an otherwise good grade on an essay question. There might not be time to go back and fix your grammar and punctuation, so make an effort to do it as you write. It's always a good idea to check what you've written if you find yourself with some extra time. If you need to write your response down, make sure it is easy to read. If your professor has trouble understanding what you've written, they may reduce your grade.
• Keep in mind that your thesis statement should be an answer to the issue that was posed, and that everything you say should support that simple statement. In a formal essay, you can afford to let your thoughts wander, but in an essay exam, you must respond directly to the prompt. If you don't include everything that's needed, you risk giving irrelevant details and getting fewer points. If you find yourself wandering away from the question, go back and read it, as well as any notes you may have made. After refocusing, proceed with the rest of your response.
• An excellent response to an essay question demonstrates your understanding of the topic at hand and provides a pertinent answer. Think about how you can use the information you've gathered in your research to come up with the most effective strategy for achieving this objective without overanalyzing. You might find it helpful to compile a list of the information you intend to include in your essay response. As you compose your response, you can then consult this checklist. Before you begin preparing your answer, it's a good idea to make a list of all the major points you want to make. In this method, you may double-check your work and make sure nothing important was overlooked.

Following these five tips will have shown you how to answer essay questions but they will also improve the overall quality of your test-taking experience as well. You should put these into practice when you take timed mock tests at home to prepare for the exam . The more you write essays, the better position you will be in when the date for the actual test rolls around.

How can you spot a good essay question? 🔥

You can tell whether most essay questions are good just by reading them. It will be clear about what it wants and to the point.

Why do students find essay questions challenging? 😓

Time management. Reading the essay, noting information, understanding the question–all of these take time, and that makes it tough for middle school students to master and leads to a desire for essay question help.

What is the #1 takeaway for answering these questions? 🥇

Answering questions in essay form can be hard. The main thing you need to do is understand what the question wants. Once you get that, it’s only a matter of writing it down. So give yourself some time while you read it to understand it effectively.

How can I write better answers? ✏️

The key to answering essay questions is to think fast and write fast. You have to recall the main topic from the passage and apply it quickly. And you also have to give yourself enough time to check your answer for errors afterward.

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22 Essay Question Words You Must Understand to Prepare a Well-Structured Essay

(Last updated: 3 June 2024)

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We have helped 10,000s of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students to maximise their grades in essays, dissertations, model-exam answers, applications and other materials. If you would like a free chat about your project with one of our UK staff, then please just reach out on one of the methods below.

Now, we may be experts in best essay writing , but we’re also the first to admit that tackling essay questions can be, well, a bit of a challenge. Essays first require copious amounts of background reading and research so you can include accurate facts in your writing. You then have to figure out how to present those facts in a convincing and systematic argument. No mean feat.

But the silver lining here is that presenting your argument doesn’t have to be stressful. This goes even if you’re a new student without much experience and ability. To write a coherent and well-structured essay , you just have to really understand the requirements of the question. And to understand the requirements of the question, you need to have a good hold on all the different question words. For example, 'justify', 'examine', and 'discuss', to name a few.

Lacking this understanding is a pitfall many students tumble into. But our guide on essay question words below should keep you firmly above on safe, essay-acing ground.

Definition of Question Words with Examples

No matter their nature, question words are key and must always be adhered to. And yet, many students often overlook them and therefore answer their essay questions incorrectly. You may be a font of all knowledge in your subject area, but if you misinterpret the question words in your essay title, your essay writing could be completely irrelevant and score poorly.

For example, if you are asked to compare the French and British upper houses of parliament, you won’t get many points by simply highlighting the differences between the two parliamentary systems.

So, what should you do? We advise you start by reading this guide – we’ve divided the question words either by ‘critical’ or ‘descriptive’ depending on their nature, which should help you identify the type of response your essay requires.

These are the question words we will cover in this blog:

Question Words that Require a Critical Approach

Once you have done this, it’s also important that you critically (more on this word later) examine each part. You need to use important debates and evidence to look in depth at the arguments for and against, as well as how the parts interconnect. What does the evidence suggest? Use it to adopt a stance in your essay, ensuring you don’t simply give a narration on the key debates in the literature. Make your position known and tie this to the literature.

2. Evaluate

It is essential to provide information on both sides of the debate using evidence from a wide range of academic sources. Then you must state your position basing your arguments on the evidence that informed you in arriving at your position.

Also, you may want to consider arguments that are contrary to your position before stating a conclusion to your arguments. This will help present a balanced argument and demonstrate wide knowledge of the literature. Here, a critical approach becomes crucial. You need to explain why other possible arguments are unsatisfactory as well as why your own particular argument is preferable.

4. Critically evaluate

The key to tackling these question words is providing ample evidence to support your claims. Ensure that your analysis is balanced by shedding light on, and presenting a critique of, alternative perspectives. It is also important that you present extensive evidence taken from a varying range of sources.

State your conclusion clearly and state the reasons for this conclusion, drawing on factors and evidence that informed your perspective. Also try to justify your position in order to present a convincing argument to the reader.

Put another way, ‘review’ questions entail offering your opinion on the validity of the essay question. For example, you may be asked to review the literature on electoral reform in Great Britain. You'll need to give an overview of the literature. and any major arguments or issues that arose from it. You then need to comment logically and analytically on this material. What do you agree or disagree with? What have other scholars said about the subject? Are there any views that contrast with yours? What evidence are you using to support your assessment? Don’t forget to state your position clearly.

Review answers should not be purely descriptive; they must demonstrate a high level of analytical skill. The aim is not simply to regurgitate the works of other scholars, but rather to critically analyse these works.

However, when assessing a particular argument or topic, it is important that your thoughts on its significance are made clear. This must be supported by evidence, and secondary sources in the literature are a great start. Essentially, you need to convince the reader about the strength of your argument, using research to back up your assessment of the topic is essential. Highlight any limitations to your argument and remember to mention any counterarguments to your position.

Give a detailed examination of the topic by including knowledge of the various perspectives put forward by other scholars in relation to it. What are your thoughts on the subject based on the general debates in the literature? Remember to clearly state your position based on all the evidence you present.

You should also try to provide some context on why the issues and facts that you have closely examined are important. Have these issues and facts been examined differently by other scholars? If so, make a note of this. How did they differ in their approach and what are the factors that account for these alternative approaches?

‘Examine’ questions are less exploratory and discursive than some other types of question. They focus instead on asking you to critically examine particular pieces of evidence or facts to inform your analysis.

9. To what extent

Such questions require that you display the extent of your knowledge on a given subject and that you also adopt an analytical style in stating your position. This means that you must consider both sides of the argument, by present contrasting pieces of evidence. But ultimately, you must show why a particular set of evidence, or piece of information, is more valid for supporting your answer.

Question Words that Require a Descriptive Response

It is important that you provide more than one meaning if there are several of them as it shows that you are very familiar with the literature.

2. Demonstrate

Make sure you assert your position with these types of questions. It's even more important that you support your arguments with valid evidence in order to establish a strong case.

3. Describe

‘Describe’ question words focus less on the basic meaning of something, therefore, and more on its particular characteristics. These characteristics should form the building blocks of your answer.

4. Elaborate

In addition, always remember to back any claims with academic research. In explanatory answers it is important that you demonstrate a clear understanding of a research topic or argument. This comes across most convincingly if you present a clear interpretation of the subject or argument to the reader. Keep in mind any ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions as this will help you to structure a clear and logically coherent response. Coherence is extremely important in providing explanatory answers.

A somewhat detached, dispassionate tone can be particularly effective, in contrast to the more assertive, argumentative tone you might adopt for other types of essay question. Just remember that the key objective here is to give a nuanced account of a research topic or argument by examining its composite parts.

7. Identify

8. illustrate, 10. summarise, 11. clarify.

Such questions require you to shed light on a topic or, in some instances, break down a complex subject into simple parts. Coherence is very important for acing such questions, remembering to present your answer in a systematic manner.

12. Compare

Furthermore, you may also want to emphasise any differences, although the focus of your essay should be on establishing similarities.

13. Contrast

How to strategically structure essay based on question words.

Understanding how to structure an essay based on question words is crucial for producing clear, focused, and compelling academic writing. The question words we analised above guide the direction of your response and dictate the type of content required. Recognising the demands of each question word allows you to strategically organise your essay, ensuring that your arguments are relevant and comprehensive. By mastering this approach, you can enhance the clarity and impact of your writing, making your academic work more persuasive and effective.

Here are a few more handy tips to bear in mind when addressing your essay questions:

When you first get your essay question, always try to understand exactly what the question means and what it is asking you to do. Look at the question word(s) and think about their meaning before you launch into planning what to write. Hopefully, our guide has shown you how to do this expertly.

Remember to read the question several times and consider any underlying assumptions behind the question. Highlight the key words and if possible, make a very basic draft outline of your response. This outline does not have to be detailed. But if you follow it as you write, it will help keep your response coherent and systematic.

Finally, remember to read through your essay at the end to check for any inconsistencies and grammatical or spelling errors. Or, if you're in search of the perfect finishing touch, have a professional apply an edit to your final essay. It always helps to have a second set of fresh eyes to assess your work for any errors or omissions.

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Constructed-Response Questions — Here Is How to Answer Them

What Is a Constructed-Response Question?

In most states, constructed-response questions (CRQs) are part of educational testing for teachers. These questions require you to produce or construct the answer and are considered a way to more thoroughly assess your subject knowledge. CRQs can be as simple as writing a sentence or two – or as complex as designing a complete lesson plan.

Multiple-choice tests can measure factual knowledge, but CRQs measure skills like:

• An example might be writing your own definition of each of the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy and then developing a question for each level.
• An example might be explaining why you came to your conclusions about the best way to handle this situation.
• Higher-level thinking typically includes both critical thinking and problem-solving. These skills are seen in determining cause and effect, comparing and contrasting, categorizing, drawing conclusions, or synthesizing information from a variety of sources. An example might be taking what you have learned about classroom management and using it to determine what your first day as a classroom teacher might look like. From that, you might explain how you would solve the problem of two students refusing to do their work and disrupting the class instead.

How Do I Write My Response to a CRQ?

There are lots of different types of CRQs. Luckily, many 240 Tutoring Study Guides include sample prompts and responses modeled precisely after the CRQs for your specific exam. But in general, here is our suggested approach:

1. Read and reread the question or prompt carefully.

Understanding what the question is asking is the critical first step to planning your answer. More mistakes are made from misunderstanding what is being asked rather than not knowing the information. Instead of quickly reading through the question and assuming you understand it, take the time to review and internalize what is being asked. Doing so will allow you to avoid making a costly mistake and risk potentially failing your exam. There are several important questions to ask yourself as you re-read your CRQ:

• “Exactly what is this question asking me to do?”
• “How many parts are there in this question?”
• “Is the answer stated explicitly in what I am viewing – such as a written lesson, graph, chart, etc.?”
• “Is the question asking me to connect something that I am viewing with information that I already know?”

2. Make a sketch or outline.

Jot down the key points you want to make in your response. Be sure to include each part or item you need to answer from within the question. If the prompt requires it, make a list of details or reasons you will use to support your answers.

Depending on your question, this could look as complex as this:

Or as simple as this:

3. Write your response.

Write the answers you planned in the previous step using complete sentences. This is your chance to show what you know about the topic, so make sure to use detailed explanations and relevant vocabulary.

• For responses with multiple paragraphs or parts, use transition words like first , second , then , next , finally , and in conclusion .
• For literary or argumentative essays, answer the question simply and accurately in the form of a complete statement at the end of the introductory paragraph. This should form your thesis statement which directly responds to the question being asked and serves as a type of “roadmap” for your response.
• The number of paragraphs should reflect the number of points asked for in the questions. A prompt might say something like “Give three main reasons for teaching reading skills in all classrooms.” Your response should then include an opening paragraph and three paragraphs that include details of each of the reasons.
• Write a closing paragraph that adequately summarizes each main point of the body paragraphs. The first sentence of the conclusion should rephrase your thesis statement. The second sentence should reiterate how the ideas described in the body paragraphs correspond to your thesis statement.

4. Check your work.

With whatever time you have left, read over your response. Check that you answered all parts of the question clearly. Look for any grammatical or punctuation errors. Remember, you want to show that as a teacher, you can clearly communicate your ideas.

It is also essential to properly pace yourself during the exam in order to allow time to construct a quality CRQ response. 240 Tutoring study guides break down each exam’s structure and provide timed practice to help you understand the best pacing techniques.

TIPS : The most important parts of a CRQ are the introduction, the first and last sentence of each paragraph, and the conclusion. Each introduction sentence to a paragraph should introduce the point of the paragraph and how that point relates to the thesis statement.

How Are CRQs Scored?

Constructed responses are typically graded with a numeric rubric. The rating scale can vary depending on your exam. It might be a 0-2 scale or a 1-12 scale. A scoring guide for a CRQ rubric might look something like this:

How Can I Prepare for the CRQ Portion of My Exam?

Studying for the multiple-choice portion of your exam will also prepare you for the essay response portion because you will apply the same subject matter knowledge. But CRQs also measure complex, higher-level, and critical thinking skills. The best way to prepare is to practice planning and writing responses to a variety of prompts. You can search for sample questions online and on your official exam website. Many 240 study guides include full length practice prompts and sample responses for you to review.

Constructed-Response Examples

The following are some examples of prompts that test-takers might encounter:

• Literature — Write an essay comparing and contrasting the theme of two poems, stories, or plays, including details supporting your response.
• Mathematics — Write a mathematical equation to solve a problem presented in words or graphs. Develop a word problem based on a given mathematical equation.
• Biology — Describe in detail how a biological process occurs in a plant and then explain how it enhances the plant’s ability to survive or to reproduce.
• History — Write an essay comparing two instances of political processes that occurred concurrently or at different times in different regions of the world.
• Teaching Pedagogy – Review a case study, then identify two ways the teacher could improve their lesson with explanations about why each would be effective.

Now that we’ve given you information about constructed-response questions and strategies for tackling them, they’re not so scary, right? Think of CRQs as an opportunity for you to show off what you know about your subject area and your ability to communicate. You’ve got this!

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• CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest I (101)
• CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest II (214)
• CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest III (225)
• CBEST: Mathematics
• CBEST: Reading
• CBEST: Writing
• CTEL 1 Language and Language Development (031)
• CTEL 2 Assessment and Instruction (032)
• CTEL 3 Culture and Inclusion (033)
• CSET Social Science Subtest I (114)
• CSET Social Science Subtest II (115)
• CSET Social Science Subtest III (116)
• CSET English Subtest I (105)
• CSET English Subtest II (106)
• CSET Physical Education Subtest I (129)
• CSET Physical Education Subtest II (130)
• CSET Physical Education Subtest III (131)
• CSET Health Science Subtest I (178)
• CSET Health Science Subtest II (179)
• CSET Health Science Subtest III (180)
• CSET Mathematics (211-213)
• RICA Written Examination Exam
• CSET: Foundational-Level General Science (215)
• California Assessment of Professional Knowledge (APK): Elementary
• California Assessment of Professional Knowledge (APK): Secondary

Ace your FTCE exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the FTCE catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following FTCE & FELE test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• FTCE General Knowledge: Mathematics (828)
• FTCE General Knowledge: English Language Skills (826)
• FTCE General Knowledge: Reading (827)
• FTCE General Knowledge: Essay (825)
• FTCE Reading K-12 (035)
• FTCE Professional Education (083)
• FTCE Prekindergarten / Primary PK-3 (053)
• FTCE PK-3 Subtest 1: Developmental Knowledge (531)
• FTCE PK-3 Subtest 2: Language Arts and Reading (532)
• FTCE PK-3: Subtest 3: Mathematics (533)
• FTCE PK-3: Subtest 4: Science (534)
• FTCE Elementary Education K-6 (060) Subtest 1: Language Arts and Reading (601)
• FTCE Elementary Education K-6 (060) Subtest 2: Social Science (602)
• FTCE Elementary Education K-6 (060) Subtest 3: Science (603)
• FTCE Elementary Education K-6 (060) Subtest 4: Mathematics (604)
• FELE Florida Educational Leadership Examination Complete 084
• FTCE Exceptional Student Education (ESE) K-12 (061)
• FELE Subtest 1: Leadership for Student Learning (084)
• FELE Subtest 2: Organizational Development (084)
• FELE Subtest 3: Systems Leadership (084)
• FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014)
• FTCE Middle Grades 5-9 Mathematics (025)
• FTCE Middle Grades 5-9 General Science (004)
• FTCE Biology 6-12 (002)
• FTCE English 6-12 (013)
• FTCE Mathematics 6-12 (026)
• FTCE Social Science 6-12 (037)
• FTCE ESOL K-12 (047)
• FTCE Physical Education K-12 (063)
• FTCE Middle Grades Social Science 5-9 (038)
• FTCE Chemistry 6-12( 003)
• FTCE Earth/Space Science 6-12 (008)
• FTCE Physics 6-12 (053)
• FTCE Health K-12 (019)

Ace your GACE exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the GACE catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following GACE test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• GACE Program Admission Assessment Reading (210)
• GACE Program Admission Assessment Mathematics (211)
• GACE Program Admission Assessment Writing (212)
• GACE Elementary Education Test I (001)
• GACE Elementary Education Test II (002)
• GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (011)
• GACE Middle Grades Reading (012)
• GACE Middle Grades Mathematics (013)
• GACE Middle Grades Science (014)
• GACE Middle Grades Social Science (015)
• GACE Mathematics (522)
• GACE Science (524)
• GACE History (534)
• GACE English to Speakers of Other Languages Test I (119)
• GACE English to Speakers of Other Languages Test II (120)
• GACE Special Education General Curriculum Test I (081)
• GACE Special Education General Curriculum Test II (082)
• GACE Special Education Reading, English Language Arts, Social Studies (087)
• GACE Special Education Mathematics and Science (088)
• GACE Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education Test I (003)
• GACE Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education Test II (004)
• GACE Paraprofessional (177)

Ace your ILTS exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the ILTS catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following ILTS test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• ILTS Elementary Education (305)
• ILTS Early Childhood Education (206)
• ILTS Middle Grades Language Arts (201)
• ILTS Middle Grades Mathematics (202)
• ILTS Middle Grades Science (203)
• ILTS Middle Grades Social Science (204)
• ILTS Mathematics (208)
• ILTS Learning Behavior Specialist 1 (290)
• ILTS English as a New Language (250)

Ace your MTEL exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the MTEL catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following MTEL test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills: Reading (101)
• MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills: Writing (201)
• MTEL General Curriculum Mathematics Subtest (178)
• MTEL General Curriculum Multi-Subject Subtest (278)
• MTEL Foundations of Reading (190)
• MTEL English as a Second Language (054)
• MTEL Middle School Humanities (076)
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Reading
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Writing
• Praxis English to Speakers of Other Languages (5362)
• CASA Writing (803)
• CASA Reading (801)

Ace your MTTC exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the MTTC catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following MTTC test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• MTTC Elementary Education (103)
• MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084)
• MTTC Mathematics (Secondary) (022)
• MTTC Mathematics (Elementary) (089)
• MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090)
• MTTC Social Studies (Elementary) (105)
• MTTC Integrated Science (Secondary) (094)
• MTTC Integrated Science (Elementary) (093)
• MTTC Lower Elementary (PK–3) Education Subtest 1: Professional Knowledge and Skills (117)
• MTTC Lower Elementary (PK–3) Education Subtest 2: Literacy (118)
• MTTC Lower Elementary (PK–3) Education Subtest 3: Mathematics (119)
• MTTC Lower Elementary (PK–3) Education Subtest 4: Science and Social Studies (120)
• MTTC English as a Second Language (126)
• MTTC Upper Elementary (3–6) Education Subtest 1 (121)
• MTTC Upper Elementary (3–6) Education Subtest 2 (122)
• MTTC Upper Elementary (3–6) Education Subtest 3 (123)
• MTTC Upper Elementary (3–6) Education Subtest 4 (124)
• MTTC Bilingual Education (125)

Ace your MTLE exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the MTLE catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following MTLE test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• MTLE Elementary Education Subtest 1 (191)
• MTLE Elementary Education Subtest 2 (192)
• MTLE Elementary Education Subtest 3 (193)
• MTLE Pedagogy: Elementary (Grades K–6) - Subtest 1 (012)
• MTLE Pedagogy: Elementary (Grades K–6) - Subtest 2 (013)
• MTLE Pedagogy: Secondary (Grades 5–12) - Subtest 1 (209)
• MTLE Pedagogy: Secondary (Grades 5–12) - Subtest 2 (210)
• MTLE Middle Level Social Studies (Grades 5-8) Subtest 1 (032)
• MTLE Middle Level Social Studies (Grades 5-8) Subtest 2 (033)
• MTLE Middle Level Communication Arts/Literature Subtest 1 (196)
• MTLE Middle Level Communication Arts/Literature Subtest 2 (197)
• MTLE Middle Level Mathematics Subtest 1 (217)
• MTLE Middle Level Mathematics Subtest 2 (218)
• MTLE Middle Level Science Subtest 1 (036)
• MTLE Middle Level Science Subtest 2 (037)
• MTLE English as a Second Language Subtest I (194)
• MTLE English as a Second Language Subtest II (194)
• MTLE Mathematics (Grades 5–12) (054)
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Mathematics

Ace your Missouri exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the Missouri catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following MEGA & Praxis test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• Praxis Elementary Education: Teaching Reading (7002)
• Praxis Elementary Education: Mathematics (7003)
• Praxis Chemistry Content Knowledge (5246)
• Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): Grades 7-12 (5624)
• Praxis Social Studies (5081)
• Praxis: ParaPro Assessment (1755)

Ace your NYSTCE exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the NYSTCE catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following NYSTCE test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• NYSTCE Educating All Students (EAS) (201)
• NYSTCE Students with Disabilities (060) - Coming Soon!
• NYSTCE Multi-Subject: Teachers of Early Childhood (Birth–Grade 2) - Coming Soon!
• NYSTCE Multi-Subject: Teachers of Childhood (Grade 1–Grade 6) - Coming Soon!
• NYSTCE Multi-Subject: Secondary Teachers (Grade 7–Grade 12) - Coming Soon!

Ace your NC exams with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the North Carolina catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following Praxis & Pearson test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• Praxis Core Academic Skills For Educators (5752; subtests 5713, 5723, 5733)
• Praxis Elementary Education: Mathematics—CKT (7813)
• Praxis Chemistry (5246)
• Praxis Biology (5236)
• Praxis Mathematics (5165)
• Praxis Social Studies: Content Knowledge (5081
• Praxis Teaching Reading: K–12 (5206)
• Foundations of Reading (190)

Ace your OAE exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the OAE catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following OAE test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• OAE Assessment of Professional Knowledge: PK-12 (004)
• OAE Elementary Education Subtest 1 (018)
• OAE Elementary Education Subtest 2 (019)
• OAE Special Education (043)
• OAE Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Middle School 4-9 (002)
• OAE Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Adolescence to Young Adult 7-12 (003)
• OAE English Language Arts (020)
• OAE Intergrated Social Science (025)
• OAE Mathematics (027)
• OAE Middle Grades ELA (028)
• OAE Middle Grades General Science (029)
• OAE Middle Grades Mathematics (030)
• OAE Middle Grades Social Science (031)
• OAE Biology (007)
• OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (021)
• OAE Intergrated Science (024)
• OAE Health (023)
• OAE Physical Education (034)
• OAE Chemistry (009)
• OAE Earth and Space Science (014)
• OAE Physics (035)
• OAE Assessment of Professional Knowledge (PK-5) (057)
• OAE Primary Education PK-5 (055)
• OAE Primary Special Education PK-5 (058)

Ace your Oregon exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the Oregon catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following NES test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

Ace your TExES exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the TExES catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following TExES & TX PACT test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• TExES Bilingual Education Supplemental (164)
• TExES Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT) (190)
• TExES Chemistry 7-12 (240)
• TExES Core Subjects 4-8 (211)
• TExES Core Subjects 4-8 (211): ELAR (806)
• TExES Core Subjects 4-8 (211): Mathematics (807)
• TExES Core Subjects 4-8 (211): Science (809)
• TExES Core Subjects 4-8 (211): Social Studies (808)
• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391)
• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391): English Language Arts and Reading
• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391): Fine Arts, Health and Physical Education
• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391): Mathematics
• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391): Science
• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391): Social Studies
• TExES Early Childhood: PK-3 (292) EC-3
• TExES ELAR & Social Studies 4-8 (113)
• TExES English as a Second Language (ESL) Supplemental (154)
• TExES English Language Arts & Reading 4-8 (217)
• TExES English Language Arts & Reading 7-12 (231)
• TExES Health EC-12 (157)
• TExES History 7-12 (233)
• TExES Life Science 7-12 (238)
• TExES Mathematics & Science 4-8 (114)
• TExES Mathematics 4-8 (115)
• TExES Mathematics 7-12 (235)
• TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) (160)
• TExES Physical Education EC-12 (158)
• TExES Physical Science 6-12 (237)
• TExES Principal as Instructional Leader (268)
• TExES Science 4-8 (116)
• TExES Science 7-12 (236)
• TExES Science of Teaching Reading (STR) (293)
• TExES Social Studies 4-8 (118)
• TExES Social Studies 7-12 (232)
• TExES Special Education EC-12 (161)
• TExES Special Education Supplemental (163)

Ace your VCLA and Praxis exams with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the Virginia catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following Praxis & VCLA test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• VCLA Writing Subtest (091)
• VCLA Reading Subtest (092)
• Praxis Elementary Education: Multiple Subjects (5001-5005)
• Praxis Elementary Education: Content Knowledge for Teaching (7811-7815)
• Praxis Algebra I (5162)

Ace your Washington exam with full confidence on test day

Get full access to the Washington catalog with a 240 subscription at one low monthly price. Each subscription includes the following WEST & NES test titles, so you can ace one or more exams on a single subscription.

• WEST-E Special Education (070)

Test Your Knowledge with 240’s Free Practice Tests

Discover your strengths and weaknesses and build a free personalized study plan. Select your exam series to get started.

Praxis Practice Tests

Choose your exam below to take a free practice test.

• Praxis Core: Reading (5713) Practice Test
• Praxis Core: Mathematics (5733) Practice Test
• Praxis Core: Writing (5723) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education (5001): Reading and Language Arts (5002) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education (5001): Mathematics (5003) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education (5001): Social Studies (5004) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education (5001): Science (5005) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education (7001): Teaching Reading (7002)
• Praxis Elementary Education (7001): Mathematics (7003)
• Praxis Elementary Education (7001): Social Studies (7004)
• Praxis Elementary Education (7001): Science (7005)
• Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) K-6 (5622) Practice Test
• Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) 7-12 (5624) Practice Test
• Praxis ParaPro Assessment (1755) Practice Test
• Praxis English Language Arts: Content Knowledge (5038) Practice Test
• Praxis Social Studies: Content Knowledge (5081) Practice Test
• Praxis English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) (5362) Practice Test
• Praxis Special Education: Core Knowledge and Mild to Moderate Applications (5543) Practice Test
• Praxis Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education: Content Knowledge for Teaching (7811) Mathematics (7813) Practice Test
• Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): Early Childhood (5621) Practice Test
• Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): Grades 5-9 (5623) Practice Test
• Praxis Early Childhood Education (5025) Practice Test
• Praxis Education of Young Children (5024) Practice Test
• Praxis Middle School English Language Arts (5047) Practice Test
• Praxis Middle School Social Studies (5089) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education: Content Knowledge (5018) Practice Test
• Praxis English Language Arts: Content and Analysis (5039) Practice Test
• Praxis Biology Content Knowledge (5236) Practice Test
• Praxis Health and Physical Education: Content Knowledge (5857) Practice Test
• Praxis General Science (5436) Practice Test
• Praxis Teaching Reading: Elementary (5205) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education: Content Knowledge for Teaching (7811) Reading and Language Arts (7812) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education: Content Knowledge for Teaching (7811) Science (7814) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education: Content Knowledge for Teaching (7811) Social Studies (7815) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education: Three Subjects Bundle (5901) – Mathematics (5903) (AL and CO only) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education: Three Subjects Bundle (5901) – Social Studies (5904) (AL and CO only) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education: Three Subjects Bundle (5901) – Science (5905) (AL and CO only) Practice Test
• Praxis Middle School Science (5442) Practice Test
• Praxis Social Studies Content and Interpretation (5086) Practice Test
• Praxis World and U.S. History: Content Knowledge (5941) Practice Test
• Praxis Physical Education: Content Knowledge (5091) Practice Test
• Praxis Physical Education: Content and Design (5095) Practice Test
• Praxis Chemistry: Content Knowledge (5246) Practice Test
• Praxis Teaching Reading K-12 (5206) Practice Test
• Praxis Health Education (5551) Practice Test
• Praxis Algebra 1 (5162) Practice Test
• Praxis Special Education: Core Knowledge and Severe to Profound Applications (5545) Practice Test
• Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): PreK-12 (5625) Practice Test
• Praxis Early Childhood Assessment (5026) Reading and Language Arts & Social Studies (5027) Practice Test
• Praxis Early Childhood Assessment (5026): Mathematics & Science (5028) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education Assessment (5006) Mathematics & Science (5008) Practice Test
• Praxis Elementary Education Assessment (5006) Reading and Language Arts & Social Studies (5007) Practice Test
• Praxis Middle School Mathematics (5164) Practice Test
• Praxis Mathematics Content Knowledge (5165) Practice Test
• Praxis Special Education: Foundational Knowledge (5355) Practice Test
• Praxis Special Education: Severe to Profound (5547) Practice Test
• Praxis Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge (5511) Practice Test
• Praxis School Leaders Licensure Assessment (6990) Practice Test
• Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA) Reading Subtest (091) Practice Test
• Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA) Writing Subtest (092) Practice Test

NES Practice Tests

• NES Essential Academic Skills: Reading (001) Practice Test
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Writing (002) Practice Test
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Mathematics (003) Practice Test
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Reading (005) Practice Test
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Writing (006) Practice Test
• NES Essential Academic Skills:Mathematics (007) Practice Test
• NES Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Elementary (051) Practice Test
• NES Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Secondary (052) Practice Test
• NES Elementary Education Subtest I (102) Practice Test
• NES Elementary Education Subtest II (103) Practice Test
• NES Middle Grades English Language Arts (201) Practice Test
• NES Middle Grades Social Science (202) Practice Test
• NES Middle Grades Mathematics (203) Practice Test
• NES Middle Grades General Science (204) Practice Test
• NES Middle Grades General Science (205) Practice Test
• NES English Language Arts (301) Practice Test
• NES History (302) Practice Test
• NES Social Science (303) Practice Test
• NES Mathematics (304) Practice Test
• NES Biology (305) Practice Test
• NES Chemistry (306) Practice Test
• NES Earth and Space Science (307) Practice Test
• NES Physics (308) Practice Test
• NES General Science (311) Practice Test
• NES Health (505) Practice Test
• NES Health (509) Practice Test
• NES Physical Education (506) Practice Test
• NES ESOL (507) Practice Test
• NES Special Education (601) Practice Test
• NES Special Education (602) Practice Test
• WEST Special Education (070) Practice Test

Foundations of Reading Practice Tests

• Alabama Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• Arizona Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• Arkansas Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• Connecticut Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• Massachusetts Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• Mississippi Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• New Hampshire Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• North Carolina Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• Ohio Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• Rhode Island Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• Utah Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• Wisconsin Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test

AEPA Practice Tests

California practice tests.

• CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest I (101) Practice Test
• CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest II (214) Practice Test
• CSET Multiple Subjects Subtest III (225) Practice Test
• CBEST: Mathematics Practice Test
• CBEST: Reading Practice Test
• CTEL 1 Language and Language Development (031) Practice Test
• CTEL 2 Assessment and Instruction (032) Practice Test
• CTEL 3 Culture and Inclusion (033) Practice Test
• CSET Social Science Subtest I (114) Practice Test
• CSET Social Science Subtest II (115) Practice Test
• CSET Social Science Subtest III (116) Practice Test
• CSET English Subtest I (105) Practice Test
• CSET English Subtest II (106) Practice Test
• CSET Physical Education Subtest I (129) Practice Test
• CSET Physical Education Subtest II (130) Practice Test
• CSET Physical Education Subtest III (131) Practice Test
• CSET Health Science Subtest I (178) Practice Test
• CSET Health Science Subtest II (179) Practice Test
• CSET Health Science Subtest III (180) Practice Test
• CSET Mathematics (211-213) Practice Test
• RICA Written Examination Exam Practice Test
• CSET: Foundational-Level General Science (215) Practice Test
• California Assessment of Professional Knowledge (APK): Elementary Practice Test
• California Assessment of Professional Knowledge (APK): Secondary Practice Test

FTCE Practice Tests

• FTCE General Knowledge: Mathematics (828) Practice Test
• FTCE General Knowledge: English Language Skills (826) Practice Test
• FTCE General Knowledge: Reading (827) Practice Test
• FTCE Reading K-12 (035) Practice Test
• FTCE Professional Education (083) Practice Test
• FTCE PK-3 Subtest 1: Developmental Knowledge (531) Practice Test
• FTCE PK-3 Subtest 2: Language Arts and Reading (532) Practice Test
• FTCE PK-3: Subtest 3: Mathematics (533) Practice Test
• FTCE PK-3: Subtest 4: Science (534) Practice Test
• FTCE Elementary Education K-6 (060) Subtest 1: Language Arts and Reading (601) Practice Test
• FTCE Elementary Education K-6 (060) Subtest 2: Social Science (602) Practice Test
• FTCE Elementary Education K-6 (060) Subtest 3: Science (603) Practice Test
• FTCE Elementary Education K-6 (060) Subtest 4: Mathematics (604) Practice Test
• FTCE Exceptional Student Education (ESE) K-12 (061) Practice Test
• FELE Subtest 1: Leadership for Student Learning (084) Practice Test
• FELE Subtest 2: Organizational Development (084) Practice Test
• FELE Subtest 3: Systems Leadership (084) Practice Test
• FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014) Practice Test
• FTCE Middle Grades 5-9 Mathematics (025) Practice Test
• FTCE Middle Grades 5-9 General Science (004) Practice Test
• FTCE Biology 6-12 (002) Practice Test
• FTCE English 6-12 (013) Practice Test
• FTCE Mathematics 6-12 (026) Practice Test
• FTCE Social Science 6-12 (037) Practice Test
• FTCE ESOL K-12 (047) Practice Test
• FTCE Physical Education K-12 (063) Practice Test
• FTCE Middle Grades Social Science 5-9 (038) Practice Test
• FTCE Chemistry 6-12 (003) Practice Test
• FTCE Earth/Space Science 6-12 (008) Practice Test
• FTCE Physics 6-12 (032) Practice Test
• FTCE Health K-12 (019) Practice Test

GACE Practice Tests

• GACE Program Admission Assessment Reading (210) Practice Test
• GACE Program Admission Assessment Mathematics (211) Practice Test
• GACE Program Admission Assessment Writing (212) Practice Test
• GACE Elementary Education Test I (001) Practice Test
• GACE Elementary Education Test II (002) Practice Test
• GACE Middle Grades Language Arts (011) Practice Test
• GACE Middle Grades Reading (012) Practice Test
• GACE Middle Grades Mathematics (013) Practice Test
• GACE Middle Grades Science (014) Practice Test
• GACE Middle Grades Social Science (015) Practice Test
• GACE Mathematics (522) Practice Test
• GACE Science (524) Practice Test
• GACE History (534) Practice Test
• GACE English to Speakers of Other Languages Test I (119) Practice Test
• GACE English to Speakers of Other Languages Test II (120) Practice Test
• GACE Special Education General Curriculum Test I (081) Practice Test
• GACE Special Education General Curriculum Test II (082) Practice Test
• GACE Special Education Reading, English Language Arts, Social Studies (087) Practice Test
• GACE Special Education Mathematics and Science (088) Practice Test
• GACE Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education Test I (003) Practice Test
• GACE Special Education General Curriculum/Elementary Education Test II (004) Practice Test
• GACE Special Education Adapted Curriculum: Test I (083) Practice Test
• GACE Special Education Adapted Curriculum: Test II (084) Practice Test
• GACE Paraprofessional (177) Practice Test

ILTS Practice Tests

• ILTS Elementary Education (305) Practice Test
• ILTS Early Childhood Education (206) Practice Test
• ILTS Middle Grades Language Arts (201) Practice Test
• ILTS Middle Grades Mathematics (202) Practice Test
• ILTS Middle Grades Science (203) Practice Test
• ILTS Middle Grades Social Science (204) Practice Test
• ILTS Mathematics (208) Practice Test
• ILTS Learning Behavior Specialist 1 (290) Practice Test
• ILTS English as a New Language (250) Practice Test

Missori Practice Tests

• Praxis Chemistry Content Knowledge (5246) Practice Test
• Praxis English to Speakers of Other Languages (5362) Practice Test
• Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): Grades 7-12 (5624) Practice Test
• Praxis Social Studies (5081) Practice Test
• Praxis: ParaPro Assessment (1755) Practice Test

MTEL Practice Tests

• MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills: Reading (101) Practice Test
• MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills: Writing (201) Practice Test
• MTEL General Curriculum Mathematics Subtest (178) Practice Test
• MTEL General Curriculum Multi-Subject Subtest (278) Practice Test
• MTEL Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• MTEL English as a Second Language (054) Practice Test
• MTEL Middle School Humanities (076) Practice Test
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Reading Practice Test
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Writing Practice Test

MTLE Practice Tests

• MTLE Elementary Education Subtest 1 (191) Practice Test
• MTLE Elementary Education Subtest 2 (192) Practice Test
• MTLE Elementary Education Subtest 3 (193) Practice Test
• MTLE Pedagogy: Elementary (Grades K–6) - Subtest 1 (012) Practice Test
• MTLE Pedagogy: Elementary (Grades K–6) - Subtest 2 (013) Practice Test
• MTLE Pedagogy: Secondary (Grades 5–12) - Subtest 1 (209) Practice Test
• MTLE Pedagogy: Secondary (Grades 5–12) - Subtest 2 (210) Practice Test
• MTLE Middle Level Social Studies (Grades 5-8) Subtest 1 (032) Practice Test
• MTLE Middle Level Social Studies (Grades 5-8) Subtest 2 (033) Practice Test
• MTLE Middle Level Communication Arts/Literature Subtest 1 (196) Practice Test
• MTLE Middle Level Communication Arts/Literature Subtest 2 (197) Practice Test
• MTLE Middle Level Mathematics Subtest 1 (217) Practice Test
• MTLE Middle Level Mathematics Subtest 2 (218) Practice Test
• MTLE Middle Level Science Subtest 1 (036) Practice Test
• MTLE Middle Level Science Subtest 2 (037) Practice Test
• MTLE English as a Second Language Subtest I (194) Practice Test
• MTLE English as a Second Language Subtest II (194) Practice Test
• NES Essential Academic Skills: Mathematics Practice Test

MTTC Practice Tests

• MTTC Elementary Education (103) Practice Test
• MTTC Social Studies (Secondary) (084) Practice Test
• MTTC Mathematics (Secondary) (022) Practice Test
• MTTC Mathematics (Elementary) (089) Practice Test
• MTTC Language Arts (Elementary) (090) Practice Test
• MTTC Social Studies (Elementary) (105) Practice Test
• MTTC Integrated Science (Secondary) (094) Practice Test
• MTTC Integrated Science (Elementary) (093) Practice Test
• MTTC Lower Elementary (PK–3) Education Subtest 1: Professional Knowledge and Skills (117) Practice Test
• MTTC Lower Elementary (PK–3) Education Subtest 2: Literacy (118) Practice Test
• MTTC Lower Elementary (PK–3) Education Subtest 3: Mathematics (119) Practice Test
• MTTC Lower Elementary (PK–3) Education Subtest 4: Science and Social Studies (120) Practice Test
• MTTC English as a Second Language (126) Practice Test
• MTTC Upper Elementary (3–6) Education Subtest 1 (121) Practice Test
• MTTC Upper Elementary (3–6) Education Subtest 2 (122) Practice Test
• MTTC Upper Elementary (3–6) Education Subtest 3 (123) Practice Test
• MTTC Upper Elementary (3–6) Education Subtest 4 (124) Practice Test
• MTTC Bilingual Education (125) Practice Test

North Carolina Practice Tests

• Foundations of Reading (190) Practice Test
• Praxis Teaching Reading: K-12 (5206) Practice Test
• General Curriculum: Mathematics (003) Practice Test

NYSTCE Practice Tests

• NYSTCE Educating All Students (EAS) (201) Practice Test

OAE Practice Tests

• OAE Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Early Childhood PK-3 (001) Practice Test
• OAE Assessment of Professional Knowledge: PK-12 (004) Practice Test
• OAE Elementary Education Subtest 1 (018) Practice Test
• OAE Elementary Education Subtest 2 (019) Practice Test
• OAE Special Education (043) Practice Test
• OAE Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Middle School 4-9 (002) Practice Test
• OAE Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Adolescence to Young Adult 7-12 (003) Practice Test
• OAE English Language Arts (020) Practice Test
• OAE Intergrated Social Science (025) Practice Test
• OAE Mathematics (027) Practice Test
• OAE Middle Grades ELA (028) Practice Test
• OAE Middle Grades General Science (029) Practice Test
• OAE Middle Grades Mathematics (030) Practice Test
• OAE Middle Grades Social Science (031) Practice Test
• OAE Biology (007) Practice Test
• OAE English to Speakers of Other Languages (021) Practice Test
• OAE Intergrated Science (024) Practice Test
• OAE Health (023) Practice Test
• OAE Physical Education (034) Practice Test
• OAE Chemistry (009) Practice Test
• OAE Earth and Space Science (014) Practice Test
• OAE Physics (035) Practice Test
• OAE Assessment of Professional Knowledge (PK-5) (057) Practice Test
• OAE Primary Education PK-5 (055) Practice Test
• OAE Primary Special Education PK-5 (058) Practice Test

ORELA Practice Tests

Texes practice tests.

• TExES Bilingual Education Supplemental (164) Practice Test
• TExES Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT)(190) Practice Test
• TExES Chemistry 7-12 (240) Practice Test
• TExES Core Subjects 4-8 (211): ELAR (806) Practice Test
• TExES Core Subjects 4-8 (211): Mathematics (807) Practice Test
• TExES Core Subjects 4-8 (211): Science (809) Practice Test
• TExES Core Subjects 4-8 (211): Social Studies (808) Practice Test
• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391): English Language Arts and Reading Practice Test
• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391): Fine Arts, Health and Physical Education Practice Test
• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391): Mathematics Practice Test
• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391): Science Practice Test
• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (391): Social Studies Practice Test
• TExES Early Childhood: PK-3 (292) EC-3 Practice Test
• TExES ELAR & Social Studies 4-8 (113) Practice Test
• TExES English as a Second Language (ESL) Supplemental (154) Practice Test
• TExES English Language Arts & Reading 4-8 (217) Practice Test
• TExES English Language Arts & Reading 7-12 (231) Practice Test
• TExES Health EC-12 (157) Practice Test
• TExES History 7-12 (233) Practice Test
• TExES Life Science 7-12 (238) Practice Test
• TExES Mathematics & Science 4-8 (114) Practice Test
• TExES Mathematics 4-8 (115) Practice Test
• TExES Mathematics 7-12 (235) Practice Test
• TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) (160) Practice Test
• TExES Physical Education EC-12 (158) Practice Test
• TExES Physical Science 6-12 (237) Practice Test
• TExES Principal as Instructional Leader (268) Practice Test
• TExES Science 4-8 (116) Practice Test
• TExES Science 7-12 (236) Practice Test
• TExES Science of Teaching Reading (STR) (293) Practice Test
• TExES Social Studies 4-8 (118) Practice Test
• TExES Social Studies 7-12 (232) Practice Test
• TExES Special Education EC-12 (161) Practice Test
• TExES Special Education Supplemental (163) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Chemistry 7-12 (740) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Core Subjects 4-8 (790) Practice Test
• TX PACT: English Language Arts and Reading 4-8 (717) Practice Test
• TX PACT: English Language Arts and Reading 7-12 (731) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Essential Academic Skills: Mathematics (703) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Essential Academic Skills: Reading (701) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Essential Academic Skills: Writing (702) Practice Test
• TX PACT: History 7-12 (733) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Life Science 7-12 (738) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Mathematics 4-8 (715) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Mathematics 7-12 (735) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Physics 7-12 (739) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Science 4-8 (716) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Science 7-12 (736) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Social Studies 4-8 (718) Practice Test
• TX PACT: Social Studies 7-12 (732) Practice Test

VCLA Practice Tests

West practice tests.

• WEST-E Special Education (070) Practice Test

• Essay Editor

How to Write a Response Paper: A Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

In academic settings, teachers often ask students to write response essays. These essays require you to think carefully about things you've read, watched, or listened to. Writing a good response essay means organizing your thoughts and explaining them clearly.

This guide will help you write a strong response essay. We'll go through each step, from understanding why you're writing to giving real examples. By the end, you'll know how to share your thoughts on any topic you're given.

What Is a Response Paper?

A response paper is a type of schoolwork where you share what you think and feel about a certain topic or idea. It's different from just summarizing a book or movie. In a response paper, you dig deeper into your own thoughts and reactions.

The main parts of a response paper are:

• Summing up ideas from what you read or saw
• Telling what you think about those ideas
• Connecting the topic to your own life or to bigger issues

Why Write a Response Essay?

Writing response essays helps you grow as a student and thinker. When you write these essays, you learn to look carefully at what others say and form your own opinions. Response essays also teach you to explain your ideas clearly, which is important in many jobs. They push you to think about why you agree or disagree with something instead of just accepting what you read or hear. By writing response essays, you become better at understanding complex topics and seeing different points of view. This can help you make smarter decisions and have more interesting conversations with others.

Response Paper Types

There are different kinds of response papers, depending on the assignment and material:

• Responses to books or poems
• Thoughts on movies, documentaries, or news articles
• Looking at research papers or scientific theories
• Connecting course materials to your own experiences
• Examining arguments in scholarly or journalistic pieces
• Writing about a lecture or show you went to
• Sharing your take on a painting, sculpture, or other artwork

Each type is different, but they all follow the same basic rules.

How to Start a Response Essay

Starting your response essay can be the hardest part. Here's how to begin:

• Read or observe the thing you're responding to carefully. Take notes on important points and your first thoughts.
• Come up with your main idea or argument.
• Draft a plan for your essay to keep your thoughts in order.
• A hook to grab the reader's attention
• A quick explanation of what you're responding to
• Your main idea

Here's an example of how to start a response essay:

"In 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the author presents a haunting portrayal of mental health treatment in the 19th century. The story makes you think about old-fashioned ideas and asks important questions about what it means to be sane and how important it is to express yourself. As I read Gilman's story, I found myself feeling uncomfortable but also very interested in what it means for how we talk about mental health and gender roles today."

Writing Your Response Paper

When you write your response paper, use this structure:

• Introduction: Tell readers what you're responding to. 
• Summary: Briefly explain the main points of what you read or watched. 
• Analysis: Look at what's good and not so good about the material. 
• Personal response: Share what you think and feel about it. 
• Conclusion: Sum up your main ideas and say your main point again.

Use examples from what you read to back up what you say. For instance:

"Gilman describes the wallpaper as 'repellent, almost revolting; a smoldering, unclean yellow.' This shows how the main character's mind is deteriorating and helps us see her growing obsession and worry."

Make sure you don't just summarize. Your own thoughts should be the most important part, backed up by details from what you read.

Response Essay Example

Here's a short response essay example about George Orwell's book "1984":

George Orwell's book "1984" shows a scary future where the government controls everything. The story makes people think about what could happen if those in power get too strong and start manipulating what's true. Even though it was written a while ago, many readers resonate with it today.

The main character, Winston Smith, fights to be himself in a world that wants everyone to be the same. He falls in love with Julia when he's not allowed to and he tries to join others who want to change things. This shows how people want to be free and connect with others, even in the toughest of circumstances.

Orwell's idea of "doublethink" — believing in two opposite things simultaneously — is really important today. We hear about "alternative facts" and see a lot of false information. This makes us think hard about what we read and hear and who we should trust.

Personally, I found "1984" to be a profound and unsettling read. The parallels between Orwell's fictional world and certain aspects of our modern society are striking. This book made me realize how important it is to have privacy and to be able to think for ourselves. It also shows how dangerous it is when any group, whether it's the government or a corporate entity, has too much control over information.

To sum up, "1984" is a powerful book that makes readers question people in charge, care about their privacy and fight to keep the truth and freedom for each person.

This example shows how to mix summary, analysis, and personal thoughts in a clear, interesting way.

Key Points to Remember

To write an exceptional response paper, you need to:

• Understand what you're responding to
• Clearly explain your own thoughts and reactions
• Balance summary, analysis, and your own ideas
• Use examples to support what you say
• Keep your essay organized from start to finish

Remember, the goal is to show that you've thought hard about the material and can think critically about it. If you follow these steps and practice a lot, you'll get better at writing response essays.

Aithor's writing tools can assist you throughout the process of writing your response essay, from generating ideas to polishing your final draft. With practice and the right tools, you'll be crafting insightful, well-structured written responses in no time.

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The Writing Guide

• The First Thing
• Step 1: Understanding the essay question

Identify task, content & limiting words in the essay question

Words, words, words..., academic writing webinar part 1.

• Step 2: Critical note-taking
• Step 3: Planning your assignment
• Step 4a: Effective writing
• Step 4b: Summarizing & paraphrasing
• Step 4c: Academic language
• Step 5: Editing and reviewing
• Getting started with research
• Working with keywords
• Evaluating sources
• Research file
• Reading Smarter
• Sample Essay
• What, why, where, when, who?
• Referencing styles
• Writing Resources
• Exams and Essay Questions

Essay topics contain key words that explain what information is required and how it is to be presented.  Using the essay question below indentify task content & limiting words.  Regardless of your topic or discipline, if you can identify these words in your essay topic, you can begin to consider what you will need to do to answer the question.

Task words : These are words that tell you what to do, for example “compare”, “discuss”, “critically evaluate”, “explain” etc.

Content words : These words in the essay topic will tell you which ideas and concepts should form the knowledge base of the assignment. Refer to subject specific dictionary or glossary.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays. Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.

Before you scroll down to the next box, what can you unpack from this topic? What are you actually going to look for in a search tool like One Search? What are you supposed to do?

• Content Words
• Limiting Words
• Context Words

Task words are usually verbs and they tell you what to do to complete your assignment.

You need to identify these words, because you will need to follow these instructions to pass the assignment.  As you research and write your assignment, check these words occasionally to make sure you are still doing what you have been asked to do.

Here are some definitions of different academic task words.  Make sure you know exactly what you need to do for your assignment.

Don't try to use them in your research - they aren't things to find, only things to do.

The task words from our sample question are:

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays. Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.

• Discuss means to "consider and offer an interpretation or evaluation of something; or give a judgment on the value of arguments for and against something"
• Examine means to inspect something in detail and investigate the implications

So, you would need to give a short description of what essay writing is all about, and then offer an evaluation of the essay structure and the way it presents content.

• Task Words Here are some definitions of different academic task words. Make sure you know exactly what you need to do for your assignment.

The content words are the "meat" of the question - these are things you can research.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays . Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content .

You will often be asked to talk about "the role" something plays or "processes", "importance", "methods" or "implementations" - but you can't really research these things just by looking for those words.

You need to find the keywords - the most concrete concepts - and search for those.  The information you find about the concrete terms will tell you about the "roles" and "methods", the "process" or the "importance", but they probably won't use those words exactly.

One of the core skills of academic research is learning to extrapolate :  to find the connections in the information you can find that will help you answer the questions which don't have clear, cut-and-dry answers in the books and articles.

So, the core keywords/concepts to research are:

• "academic writing"
• "higher education"
• structure and content

Limiting words keep you focused on a particular area, and stop you from trying to research everything in the history of mankind.

They could limit you by:

• Time (you may be asked to focus on the last 5 years, or the late 20th Century, for example)
• Place (you may be asked to focus on Australia, or Queensland, or South-East Asia)
• People groups (such as "women over the age of 50" or "people from low socio-economic backgrounds" or "Australians of Asian descent")
• Extent (you are only to look at a particular area, or the details you believe are most relevant or appropriate).

In this example, you have two limits:

• "higher education" is the industry focus. This could be expanded to include the tertiary or university sector.
• Essays - we are concentrating on essay writing as the aspect of communication.  Note that this is also a content word. There can be (and usually is) some crossover.

Sometimes it can help to add your own limits .  With health sciences, you almost always limit your research to the last five or six years. Social sciences  are not as strict with the date range but it's still a good idea to keep it recent.  You could specifically look at the Australian context.  You may decide to focus on the private sector within that industry.

With the question above you could limit yourself to only looking at first year university students.

Sometimes an assignment task will give you phrases or sentences that aren't part of the task at all:  they exist to give you some context .

These can be ignored when you do your research, but you should read over them occasionally as you are writing your assignment.  They help you know what the lecturer was thinking about (and wanted you to think about) when they set that task.

Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays . Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.

You don't have to do anything with the first sentence of this question - but it does get you to think specifically about the "using essays to communicate knoweldge" - something that isn't mentioned in the task itself.

Obviously, whoever wrote the task wants you to think about the assignments as a form of writing and communication.

It is easy to get distracted and go off on tangents when doing your research .  Use the context words to  help you keep your focus where it should be.

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Most Searched

Common questions, essay questions.

As students consider how they will contribute to the University of Michigan campus community and respond to question and essay prompts, they may wish to highlight things that had an impact on them such as: their involvement in clubs, competing as a student-athlete, studying abroad, going on a mission trip, being engaged in debate, participating in the performing or visual arts, having alumni ties to the institution, making a difference in their community, serving in a leadership capacity, being an entrepreneur, and many others. 

University of Michigan Questions

• Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.  (Required for all applicants; minimum 100 words/maximum 300 words)
• Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests? (Required for all applicants; minimum 100 words /maximum 550 words)

The Common Application Personal Essay

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don't feel obligated to do so. (The application won't accept a response shorter than 250 words.)

• Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
• The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
• Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
• Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
• Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
• Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
• Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Transfer Applicants:   If you are a transfer student, please view the Transfer Essay Questions webpage  for additional required essays.

TOPICS A. Fill-in-the-Blank Items B. Essay Questions C. Scoring Options Assignments Essay questions are a more complex version of constructed response assessments. With essay questions, there is one general question or proposition, and the student is asked to respond in writing. This type of assessment is very powerful -- it allows the students to express themselves and demonstrate their reasoning related to a topic. Essay questions often demand the use of higher level thinking skills, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Essay questions may appear to be easier to write than multiple choice and other question types, but writing effective essay questions requires a great deal of thought and planning. If an essay question is vague, it will be much more difficult for the students to answer and much more difficult for the instructor to score. Well-written essay questions have the following features: Essay questions are used both as formative assessments (in classrooms) and summative assessments (on standardized tests). There are 2 major categories of essay questions -- (also referred to as or ) and . Short response questions are more focused and constrained than extended response questions. For example, a short response might ask a student to "write an example," "list three reasons," or "compare and contrast two techniques." The short response items on the Florida assessment (FCAT) are designed to take about 5 minutes to complete and the student is allowed up to 8 lines for each answer. The short responses are scored using a 2-point scoring rubric. A complete and correct answer is worth 2 points. A partial answer is worth 1 point. How are the scrub jay and the mockingbird different? Support your answer with details and information from the article. Extended Response Extended responses can be much longer and complex then short responses, but students should be encouraged to remain focused and organized. On the FCAT, students have 14 lines for each answer to an extended response item, and they are advised to allow approximately 10-15 minutes to complete each item. The FCAT extended responses are scored using a 4-point scoring rubric. A complete and correct answer is worth 4 points. A partial answer is worth 1, 2, or 3 points. Robert is designing a demonstration to display at his school’s science fair. He will show how changing the position of a fulcrum on a lever changes the amount of force needed to lift an object. To do this, Robert will use a piece of wood for a lever and a block of wood to act as a fulcrum. He plans to move the fulcrum to different places on the lever to see how its placement affects the force needed to lift an object.   Identify at least two other actions that would make Robert’s demonstration better.   Explain why each action would improve the demonstration. | | | Constructed Response and the at . Best Practices 5 Steps for Great Extended Constructed Responses Rob Fleisher In this post, teacher Cara Popecki gives tips to make writing effective, collaborative, and fun. It’s on every major college readiness and state exam, and it also elicits the most groans from students and teachers alike: the dreaded extended constructed response. Students are generally asked to read and answer questions about two passages that share a common theme, and then they must write an essay that incorporates evidence and analysis from both texts. On-demand writing, especially writing that requires students to understand multiple texts, can be really stressful and challenging for students. On this high school Smarter Balanced test , students must read two articles about mandatory financial literacy classes before writing an argumentative essay. Building these types of assignments is also challenging for teachers — where do you find all those paired texts? At CommonLit, we have tried to make this as easy as possible! Use these five steps to create rigorous, high-interest cross-textual assignments that can be implemented all year long. STEP 1: Pick Two Interesting Texts that Share a Common Theme and Genre Extended constructed responses offer a great opportunity to expose students to high-interest fiction and informational texts. We’ve made finding two texts that share a common theme and genre extremely easy. First, go to Commonlit.org and select the library . Use the search filters to narrow the library to the particular grade level that you teach. You can also use the search filters to narrow your search by genre. Once you’ve found a text that will pique your students’ interest, navigate to the “Paired Texts” tab to find a list of related texts. For example, the informational article “Fear Prompts Teens to Act Impulsively” (1090L) comes with a host of great paired text suggestions. One example is the informational text “Raising Elephants” (1020L). The text explains the social interactions that teenage male elephants must navigate in order to make the transition to adulthood. Students reading both texts will have fun uncovering the similarities and differences between the behaviors of teenage elephants and teenage humans. Once you’ve selected your pair of high-interest texts, you’re ready to write the essay prompt. STEP 2: Write an Aligned, Extended-Response Prompt To write an aligned, extended-response prompt, start by reading an example extended-response prompt from a released state test. Here is a sample prompt from a 7th grade Smarter Balanced assessment: Your Assignment: Now that you have completed research on the topic of sleep, the journalism club advisor has asked you to write an explanatory article about sleep and naps for the next issue of the school newspaper. The audience for your article will be other students, teachers, and parents. Next, read the CommonLit suggested pairing prompt for the two articles you have chosen for inspiration. Finally, craft a writing prompt that mirrors the style of the state assessment: Your Assignment: Now that you have completed your research on the topic of social interactions during adolescence, the director of the zoo where you work has asked you to write an explanatory article comparing and contrasting the adolescent phase of humans and elephants for the next issue of the zoo’s newsletter. The audience for your article will be other students and adults who are thinking about visiting the zoo. STEP 3: Create a Student-Friendly Rubric Especially if your students are new to extended constructed responses, they will likely get overwhelmed by a traditional teacher-centric rubric. Our recommendation is to introduce students to a student-friendly rubric and focus your lessons on helping students master one rubric row at a time. CommonLit provides a rubric for short-answer responses that you can edit. You can also create your own student-friendly rubric based on the SAT, ACT, or your state test. If you are showing students a rubric for the first time, don’t just hand them a complex rubric. Make time to go over each section using an actual essay as a model. STEP 4: Help Students Internalize What Success Looks Like If students are going to be successful, they need to develop a vision of mastery that is similar to the teacher’s. Letting students read and score sample student essays (both good and bad) by using the rubric is a wonderful way for students to internalize the goal. For each rubric row, ask students to explain why they gave the score they gave. You can find sample essays either from your own students’ work (keeping them anonymous), from the college readiness exams (SAT or ACT), or from your state assessments (PARCC, Smarter Balance, FSA, STAAR, etc.). Do this activity multiple times throughout the year to really drive it home. STEP 5: Involve Students Through a Peer Revision Process Especially if you have loads of students, it’s nearly impossible to give students thorough feedback on their drafts before grading their work. One great strategy to address this is through peer revision as a way to help students become more proficient writers. To kickoff peer revision, first model some essential revision strategies through a think-aloud: Give specific praise 3–4 times I like the way you… This [word/sentence] is really… Write 1–2 specific suggestions for improvement I recommend that you… Have you tried… Summarize your feedback To sum it all up… Doing regular peer revision will help students understand that writing is a process, not just a product. Many students struggle with writing because they think they only need to attempt it once without revisiting their own work. It’s tough, but if you build the habit with peer revisions, students will become more self-sufficient over time. These strategies are not just for test prep. The best way for students to build confidence as writers is not to just practice but to receive clear expectations, feedback, and assignments that compel them to think analytically. If you are an administrator looking to leverage CommonLit in your school or district, our partnerships team can help. We offer benchmark assessments, professional learning, and more! Chat with CommonLit CommonLit’s team will reach out with more information on our school and district partnerships. Ten Tips for Answering Essay Questions thinking before you pick up your pencil, you can get a higher grade and do less writing. --> TL;DR version: Spend more time thinking and less time writing. Why do instructors ask essay questions? The purpose usually is to gauge your depth of understanding. If your instructor wanted to test your ability to memorize facts he or she would have given you multiple choice or short-answer questions (which are much easier to grade). This doesn't always mean that your answer has to be long. Irrelevant details give the impression that you don't really understand the topic and are using a "shotgun" approach in hopes that something will stick. Before you start: 1. Instead of immediately picking up your pencil and starting to write, read all of the questions before you answer any of the questions. This saves you time in the long run and will almost always earn you a higher grade. 2. Read the question carefully. Be sure you understand what the question is asking. If you're uncertain, ask the instructor for clarification. 3. Check the grade value for the question. Usually the number of points will reflect the level of detail that your instructor expects. 4. Identify key points you will make in your response. Jot these down in the margins or on a separate piece of paper (such as the back of the exam) to help organize your answer. Writing your answer: 5. Answer the question that is asked. This is the most common reason for low scores (other than simply not knowing the material). If the question asks about causes, don't talk about effects. If the question asks you to explain, don't just give examples. If the question asks about the atmosphere, don't talk about rivers and lakes. 6. Use time wisely . Answer the questions you're most confident about first. For each question start with the most important points and then add supporting details later if time allows (and only if the details are really necessary). Don't waste time on things like repeating the question. 7. Organize your response. If you write a collection of random facts the instructor may think you don't really understand the material, even if some of the facts are relevant. 8. Write clearly. Your instructor needs to make sense of your answer. Use complete sentences that follow a logical order. Make sure your handwriting is neat enough to be legible - if your instructor can't read it, they can't give you credit for it. If you use diagrams you need to explain and label them. When you're done: 9. Review your answer. Did you forget any important points? Does your answer include any irrelevant statements? Does your writing need to be clearer? 10. Make any corrections as neatly as possible. Use a pencil (unless your instructor specifies ink) so that you can make clean erasures. Don't assume your instructor can make sense of crossed-out sentences replaced with a trail of arrows pointing to words scribbled in the margins. He or she will probably try, but could fail. Bonus 11th tip: Utilizing Extended Response Items to Enhance Student Learning An Introduction to Teaching Tips & Strategies Policies & Discipline Community Involvement School Administration Technology in the Classroom Teaching Adult Learners Issues In Education Teaching Resources Becoming A Teacher Assessments & Tests Elementary Education Secondary Education Special Education Homeschooling M.Ed., Educational Administration, Northeastern State University B.Ed., Elementary Education, Oklahoma State University "Extended response items" have traditionally been called "essay questions." An extended response item is an open-ended question that begins with some type of prompt. These questions allow students to write a response that arrives at a conclusion based on their specific knowledge of the topic. An extended response item takes considerable time and thought. It requires students not only to give an answer but also to explain the answer with as much in-depth detail as possible. In some cases, students not only have to give an answer and explain the answer, but they also have to show how they arrived at that answer. Teachers love extended response items because they require students to construct an in-depth response that proves mastery or lack thereof. Teachers can then utilize this information to reteach gap concepts or build upon individual student strengths. Extended response items require students to demonstrate a higher depth of knowledge than they would need on a multiple choice item. Guessing is almost completely eliminated with an extended response item. A student either knows the information well enough to write about it or they do not. Extended response items also are a great way to assess and teach students grammar and writing. Students must be strong writers as an extended response item also tests a student's ability to write coherently and grammatically correct. Extended response items require essential critical thinking skills. An essay, in a sense, is a riddle that students can solve using prior knowledge, making connections, and drawing conclusions. This is an invaluable skill for any student to have. Those who can master it have a better chance of being successful academically.  Any student who can successfully solve problems and craft well-written explanations of their solutions will be at the top of their class.  Extended response items do have their shortcomings. They are not teacher friendly in that they are difficult to construct and score. Extended response items take a lot of valuable time to develop and grade. Additionally, they are difficult to score accurately. It can become difficult for teachers to remain objective when scoring an extended response item. Each student has a completely different response, and teachers must read the entire response looking for evidence that proves mastery. For this reason, teachers must develop an accurate rubric and follow it when scoring any extended response item. An extended response assessment takes more time for students to complete than a multiple choice assessment . Students must first organize the information and construct a plan before they can actually begin responding to the item. This time-consuming process can take multiple class periods to complete depending on the specific nature of the item itself. Extended response items can be constructed in more than one way. It can be passage-based, meaning that students are provided with one or more passages on a specific topic. This information can help them formulate a more thoughtful response. The student must utilize evidence from the passages to formulate and validate their response on the extended response item. The more traditional method is a straightforward, open-ended question on a topic or unit that has been covered in class. Students are not given a passage to assist them in constructing a response but instead must draw from memory their direct knowledge on the topic. Teachers must remember that formulating a well written extended response is a skill in itself. Though they can be a great assessment tool, teachers must be prepared to spend the time to teach students how to write a formidable essay . This is not a skill that comes without hard work. Teachers must provide students with the multiple skills that are required to write successfully including sentence and paragraph structure, using proper grammar, pre-writing activities, editing, and revising. Teaching these skills must become part of the expected classroom routine for students to become proficient writers. An Overview of the Common Core Assessments The Purpose of Building a Portfolio Assessment Using Effective Instructional Strategies TLM: Teaching-Learning Materials How Depth of Knowledge Drives Learning and Assessment Asking Questions Can Improve a Teacher Evaluation What Are Some Pros and Cons of the Common Core State Standards? Small Group Instruction What You Will Find in the Ideal Classroom Pros and Cons of Teaching Rubrics - Quick Guide for all Content Areas Why Respecting Students Is Essential for Teacher Effectiveness 7 Back to School Tips for Teachers What Is Cooperative Learning? Effective Learning Environment and School Choice Middle School Students and Their Various Personalities Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Moodle Response Templates Improve Student Responses and Speed Up Grading Consider this scenario: you add open-ended questions (called “Essay” questions) to Moodle quizzes to add variety in question types. When you read student responses, however, you find they are problematic. Students missed answering certain parts of a question or wrote their responses in a difficult-to-comprehend format, leading to point deductions and lost time grading the questions. These problems can be minimized by specifying a Response Template for essay questions in Moodle quizzes. I use a table format with cells for different parts of the response. Cells ensure that students provide clear and complete responses. A set format for responses streamlines grading. Essay Questions in Moodle Quizzes It is important to understand the nature of Essay questions in Moodle quizzes before discussing response templates. Importantly, essay questions are not just for essays. They are simply open-ended questions without a specific length or format for responses (unlike Short Answer questions, which have a strict format). Essay questions can be used to elicit responses of widely varying lengths. Responses can be anywhere from one word to multiple paragraphs depending on the nature of the question. Although essay questions offer considerable flexibility, I have encountered difficulties when using them for questions with multiple parts requiring a longer answer. Students may fail to provide all of the requested information, mix up different parts of the question, or write one long, undifferentiated paragraph that is difficult to comprehend. Enter the response template! Using Moodle Response Templates  How to add a response template in an essay question. Response templates are easy to add into Moodle essay questions. As you create an essay question in a Moodle quiz, click on Response Template in the menu of options for the question and provide the template you have created that you want students to use for their responses. I suggest using tables with cells that students fill in with their responses. Create the tables in Word or Google Docs and copy them into the Response Template cell when drafting the essay question. When students view the essay question in the quiz, the response template will appear in the response cell for them to fill in. Pro Tip! Students need to see the entire response template when they view the essay question in the quiz. Under Response Options, select an Input Box size (5 lines to 40 lines) that will show the entire response template. If you need help with response templates in Moodle Quizzes, reach out to e-LIS with a help request or schedule a one-on-one appointment with an e-LIS Instructional Designer. Creating Effective Response Templates Response templates for essay questions should: 1. enable students to provide clear, complete, and coherent answers to open-ended questions and 2. specify a unified format for student answers that is efficient for the instructor to read. Follow these tips for creating effective response templates: Basic set-up – I use response templates for essay questions that have two or more parts. After drafting this type of essay question, I review how many parts the question has and in what order. For clarity, I create a response template that mirrors this information exactly, using the same key phrases in the response template as in the question and placing them in the same order as in the question. Examples – Let’s say an essay question has the following three parts, state the definition of codeswitching , describe an example of codeswitching provided by the author , and describe your own example of codeswitching . In the response template, I might say definition , author’s example , and your example , in that order. I also include a descriptive header in the response template, such as Understanding Codeswitching . Within each sub-question, I specify how long each part of the response should be so that students provide the level of detail I am looking for. Response templates can also be used for solving a problem in a series of steps that need to be shown and that should be in a particular order. For example, in a phonology contrastive distribution problem, I might ask students to identify the sounds being compared , list the minimal pairs in the data (if any) , state the distribution of the sounds , etc. Each step of the problem represents one item in the response template. An efficient format – In my experience, the best format for response templates is a two-column table with a row of cells for each sub-question. (A header is also needed to link the response table with the question.) Numbered prompts go in the cells of the left-hand column (e.g. definition , author’s example , your example or sounds , minimal pairs (if any) , distribution ). Student answers are written in the corresponding cells in the right-hand column. This format clearly shows whether the student answered all parts of the question and organizes student responses into chunks that are easy for the instructor to read and understand. Conclusion  Response templates are an invaluable tool for both students and instructors. They are helpful for encouraging students to organize their thinking for open-ended (Essay) questions in Moodle quizzes, eliciting complete and coherent student responses, and speeding up grading. Use them whenever an open-ended question requires multiple parts that need to be structured in a particular way . Related Teaching Tips Essays Your Students Want to Write proposes strategies for structuring assignments with questions that engage students in critical thinking and reflection. Stepping in as a Student talks about establishing your teaching presence by taking the role of a student and posting some of the same written work students are doing. “Two Buckets” Assessment Activities discusses the use of a bonus question to ascertain additional information a student might have known on an exam. If the exam is administered in Moodle, a response template could be used for the student’s response, facilitating efficient review by the instructor. Save and adapt a Google Doc version of this teaching tip. About the Author Helena Riha, Ph.D. teaches Linguistics and International Studies. She has taught over 3,500 students in 17 different courses. Helena won the OU Online Teaching Excellence Award and the Excellence in Teaching Award. This is her eighteenth teaching tip. Outside of class, Helena maintains her streak in Wordle . Helena Riha is the current guest editor for the Grizz Tips for Teaching Effectiveness series on the CETL Teaching Blog at Oakland University. Contribute to the Teaching Blog as a guest editor (OU community only) . Others may share and adapt under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC . View all CETL Weekly Teaching Tips .  University of Notre Dame Undergraduate Admissions Tips from Counselors Home › Apply › Tips from Counselors › Tackling the Personal Essay: Tips from a Notre Dame Admissions Counselor Published: August 30, 2024 Author: Zach Klonsinski If you ask almost any admissions professional which part of reading applications is their favorite, it’s likely their answer will be a resounding, “The essays!” Essays are where we get to engage with students’ hopes, fears, dreams, life experiences (and more) in their authentic voice. We are humbled every year getting to “meet” all the incredible young people who are applying to Notre Dame through their essays! Yet, writing an essay introducing yourself can be really hard. Maybe you’ve never done so before, or you haven’t for a really long time, and often it will seem really awkward. That’s OK! It feels hard because it is–or at least it can be. Don’t worry, though! I love sharing tips with applicants about the personal essay that will hopefully help you see it as an opportunity to learn more about yourself and then share that discernment with the colleges who will be fortunate enough to receive your application! Getting started The easiest way to get started is by simply brainstorming! I love using pen and paper (I’m anti-pencil, though I realize that may be a divisive opinion). The physical materials help me feel less constrained by technology, though you may find the technology comforting. Use bulleted lists or short phrases to capture ideas, life experiences, values, and more. Every day, set aside five minutes to write about yourself or your college discernment process without stopping to think. Where does your mind lead you when you get out of your own way? Ask your friends and family to help you identify values that are important to you or things that make you.. well… you! Often it’s easier to highlight and say nice things about someone else than it is ourselves, so lean on those who know you well! Group these collective nuggets to see if any patterns or stories emerge. Do you see any prompts on your application that align with your brainstorming? The Common Application, for example, has seven to choose from, including a make your own prompt! Start writing on one that makes you pause, as that means you might have something to say! Don’t be afraid to go longer than your word count or to use an atypical form of writing. While that specific level of chaos may not work for you, I always recommend staying away from sentences and avoiding constraining yourself while writing because… Editing is more than spelling and grammar! When we want to “edit” something, it can be tempting to start–and just as quickly end–with spell check. (Yes, your essay should have proper spelling and grammar, but please know we are not reading your essay with a red pen “grading” every single comma.) What is far more important–though also far more intimidating–is your essay’s content. What really improved my writing actually had nothing to do with me–rather, it was finding trusted editors to give me honest and constructive feedback. While it’s tempting to have your best friend or family member read your essay, I’ve found my best editors possess a strong rhetorical mind, ask thoughtful questions, and are not afraid to tell me when something isn’t working the way I think it is. This may describe someone close to you, but maybe not. Maybe there’s a classmate or teacher who you have always admired, even if you don’t know them that well. Editing is an incredibly vulnerable process; don’t be afraid to lean into that vulnerability! I promise that a strong editor who works with your voice and style–rather than rewriting your essay how they would have–will help bring forth an authentic essay you didn’t even realize you could write! Speaking of, authenticity will lead to your best essay The best application essay is the one that helps us get to know you. Period. Full stop. Any topic can be a good topic, any topic can be a bad topic. At the end of the day, the topic you choose to write about is only a gateway to help us get to know you! Let’s think of it another way. Say you printed out your essay at your school, without your name or other identifying information on it, and someone who knows you picked it up and read it. If they said, “I bet this is (your name)’s essay,” I can already tell you’re on the right track. There’s something truly you about it! Where can I find more about writing application essays? I’m so glad you asked! On our On-Demand Sessions webpage , you can find a number of helpful recorded sessions from our College Application Workshop series. One of them, co-presented by yours truly, is called “Crafting the Perfect College Essay”. My colleague Maria Finan and I present our own tips and tricks for about 20 minutes and then take questions from a virtual audience for the remainder of the 45 minute session. I invite you to check it out, as well as the other sessions we have recorded! Ready to Write Your App Essays? Advice from an Admissions Counselor on the Notre Dame Supplement Zach Klonsinski is a senior assistant director with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. He is the regional counselor for Minnesota, Missouri (Kansas City), Wisconsin, Rwanda, Kenya, France, Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Monaco, and China - Beijing Read Zach's profile. 12 Tips for Answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Writing a strong personal essay is an essential component of the application process when you apply to Georgia College and State University (GCSU).  In the personal essay questions , the  themes of career goals, personal growth, and community service are often emphasised. The university asks the students to elaborate on why they are interested in a particular field of study or recount a challenging situation they went through and how they managed to resolve it.  Students can demonstrate their skills, achievements, and values by using real-life experiences as examples. In addition, the university’s personal essay questions require students to strike a balance between self-reflection and storytelling. Students must also present clear knowledge of how their experiences and prospective goals relate to the institution’s values.  However, some students do not have enough skills to effectively answer such questions while  applying to university. So, this guide is for such students. Here,  we will provide tips on  writing a personal statement and answering such essay questions in your university application.  How to Answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions? Georgia College aims to extend education outside of the classroom to support students' critical thinking abilities. Thus, they have incorporated such questions into the enrolment applications. Below are the 12 tips that will provide  assistance with your essay  questions and improve your chances of having your application accepted. 1. Know the Best Ideas for Your Essay The personal essay questions Georgia College and State University are meant to add more insight into your application. In addition, the response to such personal essay topics helps the admission committee to know more about you. To write a strong essay, make sure that your thoughts are coherent and reflect your own experiences.  Here, we are providing you with some tricks to come up with amazing ideas: Understand the prompt. Read the question carefully. Get the core ideas. Ideas Brainstorming Recall life events that have shaped who you are today. Think about how your social, academic or cultural backgrounds have influenced you. Remember times when you overcame challenges or achieved milestones in life. Focus on strengths or areas of passion for you. Your ideas must: Be relevant to the prompt. Be realistic. In line with what the university stands for. 2. Reflect on Your Experiences As you prepare to apply to university, remember the experiences that have contributed to shaping you the way you are now. Your essay should show how these developments, interests, and objectives align with the university's mission and values. Think about the following points while you reflect on your experiences: Obstacles and Challenges What barriers or hurdles have hindered your progress in the past, and what methods did you capitalise on to go beyond them? Which abilities were sharpened from these experiences? How did these experiences affect your outlook towards life and your goals? Positions and Duties in Leadership Retrace your steps and recount what you acquired. Restate lessons you learned from playing a leading role. Academic Accomplishments and Interests Reverse the positions, think about yourself, and concentrate on your various achievements in class. How did you develop an interest in these areas, and what have they done to help you reach your goals? Development of the Self and Self-Awareness Apart from considering one’s personal developments, consider the times when challenges or disappointments were faced and dealt with. When and how did you confront these challenges? What did you learn about yourself while doing so? As you think about these events, think about the following questions: What skills did this encounter assist me in developing or improving? What changes has this encounter brought to my ambitions and goals? In what way does this experience relate to my aspirations and objectives? What values or principles did this experience instil or reinforce in me? What precise moments or stories can I draw on? 3. Don't Tell them a Story They Want; Tell them What You Want When crafting your essays for applications, it is easy to get into the comfort zone of writing in a way that seems pleasant to the members of the admissions committee. This approach, however, often fails to showcase your point. Instead, it is advisable to be unapologetically bold and tell the story you want to tell, regardless of who it will appeal to. Understand that it is very important to be real in your essay. When writing your personal statement, consider these points: Focus on how the engagement aspects of your essay have been drawn from your unique experiences.  Explain how being unique comes from expressing yourself on your own rather than what you believe the college would prefer to hear. Explain why authentic stories are more interesting as they are true and emotional. Argue that for your essay to capture attention, it is important to be free, vulnerable, and take risks in your narrative. Expressing your wishes reveals more about your true self, and that is what the college is looking for. 4. Be Authentic Finding one’s values, beliefs, and passions is the heart of authenticity. This starts in the inner space where you try so hard to know yourself and decide which of your values are the most important. There is authenticity in overcoming the temptation to conform to other people’s expectations or remain true to one’s core beliefs. This offered a foundation of integrity and formed the basis of all other forms of honest living. Here are some remarkable aspects of authenticity: 5. Keep it Concise A well-developed statement is probably an important component of your university application. Therefore, this comprehensive guide is an opportunity to demonstrate your unique features, life history and aspirations to the admission committee. Moreover, when it comes to providing an essay that stands out, there is a need to ensure that it is written interestingly and coherently and let it remain on topic. Here are some of the suggestions that can help you achieve this: Ensure that there is no room for ambiguity. Provide your readers with relevant examples. Avoid needless information. Choose simple and straight-to-the-point words. 6. Think Outside the Box! Do not restrict yourself with commonly known details about yourself but be brave and include little more creativity in your paper. Here are a few helpful hints that will assist you in doing so: Refusal may be miserable, but reluctantly tell the admissions committee your fabulous and unique achievements. In ways that are explosive to emotions or stretch one's imagination, draw a picture on the spare part of the essay and tell a story instead of better structuring it. Most people approach the task of doing something different as a way of trying to succeed personally and professionally. 7. Use Proper Grammar and Spelling In a personal statement, an applicant must pay attention to the structure of the essay, including spelling and grammatical conventions. To eliminate such mistakes, it is recommended to: Carry out a basic form to improve the writing of the essay. Utilise online resources for grammar and spell check. Seek feedback. With these guidelines, students make sure that there will be no errors in answers to personal essay questions about grammar. It is also necessary to organise the document properly to be favourable to the admission board. In addition, you can also get samples from  legit essay writing firms in the UK   to understand the structure of personal essays for university applications.  8. Revise Often and Edit Here, we are going to look into the need to edit and revise the answers we have written for the personal essay questions. By following these strategies, you can make your essay stand out. Remove unnecessary elements and improve the organisation of your work. Make your arguments and their supporting evidence stronger. Improve grammatical errors and sentence fluency. Express more of who you are through words and speech. Rectify gaps and inconsistencies in your narratives. Editing your essay requires you to also look at the spelling, grammar or punctuation of the essay. When doing so, particularly pay attention to grammar, punctuation, length of sentences, word choice, and consistency.  How to start Editing your Essay? Essay revision is checking the content, structure, and flow of the essay. While undertaking this process, take into consideration the following: Am I clear and focused in my thesis statement? Does the flow of my answers make sense? Do my anecdotes and examples of work support my points? Am I able to use the same voice/tone throughout the essay? Is there anything else that I could include to give more details? 9. Highlight Your Strengths To stand out from other applicants, highlight your strengths in the essay. Before you put your pen on paper, spare a minute or two and try to recall particular events, achievements, and traits. To focus on your academic achievements, ask yourself: What are the specific achievements I have attained and the strong skills I possess in university? What are the objectives and aspirations I have about my career? What factors make me different from other people? To highlight the strong points in your answer to personal essay questions, you can use examples and narratives. In addition, it is also advisable to highlight your soft skills and let your readers feel your passion and excitement. 10. Demonstrate Your Fit A powerful piece detailing your personal experiences only works when you show how you fit into Georgia College and State University, its beliefs, and its aim. In addition, add the following salient features to your response to personal essay questions: Background in Academia  Talk about your academic history first, highlighting any academic projects that show your readiness for the school you are applying to. Give details of any awards, competitions, or activities that underscore your achievements in your area of study. Experience That Matters Mention any planned internships or previous work experience which is relevant to the degree or course you are looking for. Explain how these experiences shaped your career goals. Link to the University Why do you want to study at Georgia College and State University? Justify why you believe this particular university is the most suitable for you. Explain how you will be useful to the school community considering the faculty members, research facilities and university culture.  Long-term Vision Explain what the future is going to hold for you, particularly how you see the contribution you will make to the field of your choice after you finish the degree. Mention how your university education and experiences will create opportunities for you to achieve these goals and promote positive change as well. You may make arguments that positively reinforce yourself in terms of why you are a strong prospect for the program you are applying to.  11. Get Started Early It is very important to start dealing with the Georgia College and State University personal essay questions as soon as possible. If you plan early, you will have sufficient time to arrange and write the essay content and predictably proofread it. This is why it is necessary to commence at the earliest point. Why, then, should you get started early? Here are some of the reasons: Stress is decreased when you start early! You'll generate more ideas if you give yourself more time to brainstorm! You may demonstrate to the admissions committee that you are serious about attending the university.   You are prepared to put in the time and effort to learn more about it by researching it and its core values. You'll have more time to proofread, edit, and refine your responses. 12. Seek Help When Needed Assistance seeking is very important, particularly when responding to a personal essay question. One can feel immense pressure to perform well, and this is understandable. Furthermore, it’s important to recognise when you are stuck and need help.  A teacher, mentor, or guidance counsellor offers support to craft a good paper. You can also  purchase your essay  from online resources that will lead to successful admission to your desired university.  How to answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions? Here are the tips for answering these question types; Do not be afraid of making your voice heard.  Structure a clear and interesting essay. Make use of the words and writing skills that you already have. Write about yourself. But don't try to encapsulate your whole life! Answer the question that has been asked. Read it over again! Write on the internet in a networked word processor. What should be included in College and State University Personal Essay Questions? It is best to talk about both positive and negative matters, a humiliating experience, or a quality or interest that exemplifies your values. If you are honest about the issue, character flaws, or sad childhood events, the reader will find it far more credible.  In addition, it will exhibit your personal life experiences that the admission panel wants to know. So, by including all the information, you can fulfil the true objective of such essay types in application forms.  The importance of the personal essay questions in the Georgia College and State University application process enables candidates to make the best impression and talk more about themselves. An effective essay can provide a student’s perspective to the admission committees, which are usually standardised, and help to distinguish them from everyone else.  Moreover, students can show in their essays how well they will integrate themselves into the programs by spinning a good and well-organised narrative. Finally, submitting an excellent personal essay shows that the candidate is open and honest. In addition, the applicant understands what the university is all about and its values.  Students who follow such practice can write a good manuscript, which allows them to develop their competencies and increase their chances of being accepted into university. Thus, they can begin their developmental, educational, and achievement-oriented journey and fulfil all their academic and career ambitions. Chris Bates More like this story:. Rediscovering Timeless Style: My Journey with Bronson Mfg Electric Fat Tire Bike Battery Guide: Understanding Voltage, Amp Hours, and Watt Hours If you’re going to Playa del Carmen, head to Fifth Avenue Saturday, August 31, 2024 Most popular. Ventnor City Yardsale Map and List S M T W T F S To Submit an Event Sign in first Today's events. No calendar events have been scheduled for today. Grades 6-12 School Leaders Have you gotten your free poster delivered? ✨ How To Use the RACE Writing Strategy (Plus Free Printables) Plus, how is the RACES writing strategy different? In today’s world, it’s more important than ever for students to be able to articulate their thoughts clearly and concisely through the written word. One easy way to help them strengthen their skills is by using the RACE writing strategy. This structured method guides writers through creating a strong response to reading comprehension and other short-answer questions, including those found on standardized tests. Here’s how it works and how to teach it. Don’t forget to grab our free printable set of graphic organizers. We’ve included options for both RACE and RACES, in color and black-and-white. Plus, get printable images for an easy RACE/RACES anchor chart! What is the RACE writing strategy? How is the races writing strategy different, how to teach the race/races writing strategy. What’s included in the RACES Printable Bundle? This simple method is one of many writing strategies educators use to help students ensure they’re answering questions and writing prompts clearly, concisely, and thoroughly. It’s most commonly used with reading comprehension short-answer essay questions, but it works for any situation where students need to provide a written response in paragraph form. The easy-to-remember acronym breaks the process into four parts, and the best way to explain it is to see it in action. To explore how the strategy works, we’ll use this passage about penguins: “Penguins have special ways to live in their cold environments. Their smooth bodies and flippers help them swim fast to catch fish, squid, and krill. Their thick, waterproof feathers keep them warm and dry, and a layer of fat, called blubber, gives them extra warmth and helps them float. Penguins have special behaviors too, like huddling together to stay warm and protect their eggs and babies from the cold. Their black-and-white feathers help them hide from predators by blending in with the ocean. All these things help penguins survive and do well in very cold places.” Question: How do penguins’ bodies help them survive their environment? First, students turn the question into a statement, to ensure they fully understand what’s being asked. The statement is usually open-ended, because they’ll complete the sentence in the second step. RACE Writing Strategy Example: “Penguins’ bodies help them survive their environment because they …” Then, students answer the question with a clear, succinct response. Essentially, they complete the sentence they began in the “Restate” step with a direct answer. ADVERTISEMENT RACE Writing Strategy Example: ” … help them swim fast, protect them against the cold, and hide them from predators.” In this key step, students back up their answers by pointing to evidence from the text itself. They may quote or paraphrase what’s written to prove their point. RACE Writing Strategy Example: “For instance, penguins have smooth bodies and flippers, along with thick black-and-white feathers and blubber.” Now, students expand on their citation in their own words, so they’re not just parroting back what they’ve read. They explain how the facts they’ve cited help to answer the question. RACE Writing Strategy Example: “Their bodies and flippers help them swim fast to catch their favorite foods, and their waterproof feathers and blubber keep them warm in the cold weather. Predators have a hard time seeing them because their black-and-white feathers blend into the landscape.” Some teachers add an S to the RACE strategy, which stands for “Summarize.” This is the conclusion sentence at the end of the response that reinforces the main points in the answer. A complete answer using the RACES strategy might look like this: “Penguin bodies help them survive their environment because they help them swim fast, protect them against the cold, and hide them from predators. For instance, penguins have smooth bodies and flippers, along with thick black-and-white feathers and blubber. Their bodies and flippers help them swim fast to catch their favorite foods, and their waterproof feathers and blubber keep them warm in the cold weather. Predators have a hard time seeing them because their black-and-white feathers blend into the landscape. All of these body parts help penguins survive in cold and dangerous environments.” Most teachers begin introducing this method in the mid-elementary years, often around third grade. Continue to use and reinforce it throughout the rest of the elementary years and into the middle grades. By high school, students should be very comfortable with RACE/RACES and consider it an important part of their writing strategies toolbox . Try these activities and teaching methods to introduce and use this valuable strategy with your students. Anchor Chart Create and hang an anchor chart students can refer back to throughout the school year. Make things even easier on yourself by using our free printables to create your chart in no time flat! Modeling and Guided Practice As with nearly any strategy, it helps to model the correct behavior for your students first. Use the paragraph above about penguins, or choose any other reading passage you like. Then, walk through the steps together, demonstrating the thinking process and writing out the responses. Next, provide students with another reading passage ( AI can be a real help here , and short stories work too ) and a comprehension question. Ask them to work in groups to try out the RACE/RACES model. Share each group’s response with the class, then work together to evaluate, correct, and strengthen them as needed. Graphic Organizers This organizational tool is ideal for RACE/RACES. Use our free printables (see below), or encourage kids to draw their own simple chart. They can use these organizers to make notes and sketch out their responses before finalizing their answer in paragraph form. Color Coding Pull out your highlighters! After students write their responses using the RACE/RACES method, ask them to highlight the various sections that match each letter of the model (e.g., orange for Restate, yellow for Answer, etc.). This ensures they don’t miss any of the steps in writing a complete response. We’ve included color-coded versions in our graphic organizer set to make the process even easier. Sentence Starters Jump-start the process by providing a list of sentence stems and starters . These are especially helpful for the Cite, Explain, and Summarize sections. Try these examples: The passage says … As noted in the text … The writer tells us that … According to the author … As mentioned in the article … This shows that … The author means … This example demonstrates … This is how we know that … The evidence supports the idea because … In summary … In conclusion … Based on these facts … For these reasons … Find more conclusion sentence starters here. RACE Writing Strategy Free Printables Bundle RACE Graphic Organizer Use the color-coded version of this organizer along with highlighters to help kids create strong short answers. There’s a black-and-white version too. RACES Graphic Organizer These organizers include a Summarize section to help students wrap up their answers neatly. Get a color-coded or black-and-white version. RACE or RACES Anchor Chart Use these free printables to create an easy anchor chart. You can use all the pages for a RACES chart, or leave off the Summarize pages for the traditional RACE writing strategy chart. We’ve even included some fun race-car-themed graphics to jazz things up! Get your free printable RACE writing strategy set instantly by filling out the form on this page. How do you use the race writing strategy with your students come share your thoughts and ask for advice in the we are teachers helpline facebook group ., you might also like. Graphic Organizers 101: Why and How To Use Them An incredibly valuable tool for every student, every subject. Continue Reading Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256 7 signs a job interview went well, according to an HR executive with over 35 years of experience Michael Doolin has worked in HR for 36 years at companies such as PwC, British Airways, and DPD. He said there are signs that can suggest an interview went well, but preparation is more important. Body language, length of the interview, and chemistry with the interviewer could all be clues. This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Michael Doolin, CEO of Clover HR and former human resources director at PwC, British Airways, and DPD in Ireland. The following has been edited for length and clarity. It's very common for job candidates to be uncertain about how a job interview has gone. People get nervous and unsure during interviews — and body language is not easy to read when meeting someone for the first time. Preparing is the best way to mitigate the risk of an interview going poorly. Before entering the room, ensure you're confident in your preparation and yourself. When you come out, ask yourself: Could I have done any better? If you can answer "yes" to that question, your success landing the role will depend on your credibility and whether the interviewers relate to you. You can't always trust your gut feeling on whether it went well. In my experience, I'd say it's right 50% of the time. Alongside your gut reaction, here are seven signs that an interview was successful. You received a job offer The ultimate sign that an interview went well — and this is very rare — is if you get offered the job or the opportunity at the conclusion of the meeting. But don't worry if you haven't received an offer on the spot. I've once offered someone a part time PA role immediately. However, it didn't work out long term because I'd allowed my emotions in the interview to take over from an objective view of the candidate's work record. Positive body language Another subtle sign that an interview went well is the interviewers' body language and how they relate to you. Related stories The general tone and demeanor of your interviewers at the conclusion of the interview can sometimes give you clues. During a successful interview in my career, I noticed the panel smiled and laughed collaboratively. They exchanged compliments openly and asked me questions about non-job-related areas. Good body language includes smiling, laughing, making jokes, and being engaged and curious about what you're saying. Body language isn't a definitive sign, however. People can be good actors. Don't read everything into it. Having a good rapport with the interviewer Having a good rapport with the interviewer does suggest that things have gone well. When I give interviews, I usually ask a fun first question to lighten the mood like "Which football team do you support?" I immediately see people's faces light up or smile. They know I'm not interested in the football team, but it's a way of getting them talking, and it demystifies the process. I always stress that you are being interviewed from the moment you step inside the building. The security guard, the receptionist, the colleagues who meet and greet you. They speak to the people interviewing you, and if you come across well, they might pass that on. If it's a virtual interview, your background tells a story, so keep it professional — never in a bedroom or kitchen. The interview ran over time If an interview lasts longer than anticipated, it's typically a good sign. It's the employer who controls how long an interview lasts. A call running over can indicate genuine engagement, curiosity, and a desire to spend more time getting under a candidate's skin. But really, a good interview should not last more than 50 minutes. The interviewee should be talking 80% of the time, and the interviewer 20%. You asked your interviewers good questions Strong job applicants usually come prepared with questions. Every candidate should ask these two killer questions at an interview to help it go well. Firstly, "If I were lucky enough to be offered this position, what advice would you give me on starting?" That will get the individuals talking and give a better insight into the role. The second question, which should already have come up, is: "How would I be measured in this job?" I tell anybody who asks me for interview tips to ask those two questions. But more importantly, have your own answers ready for their response: be ready to offer examples of how you would work in the job, how you like to be measured at work, and how well you match the answers they give. This is another opportunity to promote your worth. Being asked for your notice period Being asked for your notice period or availability for another interview tends to indicate that they are considering employing you. A good interviewer, however, should have this information before they interview you. Your interviewers made a good impression on you An interview works both ways. It's an equal chance to determine whether a workplace is right for you. If you feel aligned with the workplace and interviewers, there is a higher chance the fit is seamless and the feeling is mutual. You can ask questions that will help to work this out. I suggest asking questions like: "What three words would best describe this workplace, and why? Why did the last individual leave? I notice from LinkedIn that you've worked here for eight years—why have you stayed? Why should I join this business?" Don't get too invested An interview can still have gone well without resulting in a job offer. Employers often get candidates of equal value and then, unfortunately, can make decisions based on more subjective factors, like who they like best. Things happen for a reason. I always advise people not to get too emotionally involved in the interview process. Correction: August 20, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated the percentage of time an interviewer and interviewee should speak. The interviewee should be talking 80% of the time and the interviewer 20%. Main content SI SWIMSUIT SI SPORTSBOOK Top Stories Relationships Real Estate Travis Kelce had a bold response to Taylor Swift's 'love' question at Chiefs event Kayla caldwell | aug 29, 2024. Kansas City Chiefs Swifties rejoice — Travis Kelce basically just said Taylor Swift is “Endgame.”  On Wednesday, August 28, Kelce, 34, had the cutest response when Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network play-by-play announcer Mitch Holthus put him on the spot.  The  New Heights  podcaster was doing a roundtable discussion with Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, Nick Bolton, Justin Reid, and Harrison Butker when Holthus said how much he loved the team. “Do you love me more than Taylor?” “Maybe not.” - Travis Kelce!!! pic.twitter.com/5LzbuEopEf — 🏈👑 (@TayvisHaze) August 28, 2024 “We love you,” Kelce told Holthus, before the emcee jokingly — and sort of awkwardly — asked, “You love me more than Taylor?” to which Kelce didn’t miss a beat, responding, “Maybe not.” The quasi-declaration of love came just days after Adam Schefter seemingly suggested on  NFL Live  on ESPN that Kelce had already bought an engagement ring for Swift, 34.  Laura Rutledge was talking about Kelce investing in a horse named Swift Delivery , when she quipped, “Travis Kelce made a big purchase recently — no, not an engagement ring — but it was Swift adjacent.”  “How do you that know Travis Kelce didn’t buy an engagement ring?" 🤔 @AdamSchefter asking the important questions 👀 pic.twitter.com/29iJdHaIp9 — ESPN (@espn) August 27, 2024 Schefter responded by asking, “I have a question. Laura, how do you know that Travis Kelce didn’t buy an engagement ring?” He didn’t have a response when Rutledge and Booger McFarland reacted and asked if he was confirming the news, which the latter suggested “speaks volumes.”  — Enjoy free dish of rich and fabulous players with The Athlete Lifestyle on SI — Chillin’: Livvy Dunne snaps cute bedroom selfie while relaxing at home Schoolin’: Livvy Dunne’s darling ‘first day of school’ photo foretells No. 1 LSU goal Sizzlin’ sequel: Gabby Williams rocks handkerchief crop top for WNBA fit debut How much?: Washington Commanders beer prices will make you say, water please Ahhhh: Kobe Bryant’s 7-year-old Bianka adorably crushes Dodgers first pitch KAYLA CALDWELL 159 COMMENTS How to Write a Good Answer to Exam Essay Questions: 13 Steps Start with an introductory paragraph, use 3 paragraphs in the body of the article to explain different points, and finish with a concluding paragraph. It can also be really helpful to draft a quick outline of your essay before you start writing. 3. Choose relevant facts and figures to include. Focus and Precision: How to Write Essays that Answer the Question 2) Be as explicit as possible. Use forceful, persuasive language to show how the points you've made do answer the question. My main focus so far has been on tangential or irrelevant material - but many students lose marks even though they make great points, because they don't quite impress how relevant those points are. Guide to Writing an Effective Response Essay 1. Identify the main topic or issue you will be responding to. 2. State your position or stance on the topic clearly and concisely. 3. Provide a brief preview of the key points or arguments you will present in your essay to support your thesis. Remember, your thesis statement should be specific, focused, and debatable. How to Answer Essay Questions on an Exam An excellent response to an essay question demonstrates your understanding of the topic at hand and provides a pertinent answer. Think about how you can use the information you've gathered in your research to come up with the most effective strategy for achieving this objective without overanalyzing. You might find it helpful to compile a list ... PDF Analysing an essay question z Exercise 1. First year students were asked to write an essay on the following question: "The science of ergonomics is central to good modern design.". Discuss this statement. About half of the group wrote essays that answered this question appropriately. The other half wrote essays which really answered other questions. PDF PREPARING EFFECTIVE ESSAY QUESTIONS This workbook is the first in a series of three workbooks designed to improve the. development and use of effective essay questions. It focuses on the writing and use of. essay questions. The second booklet in the series focuses on scoring student responses to. essay questions. How to Write a Strong Response Essay Get an outline of the process for how to write a response essay from the prewriting to the final piece. See all the different steps in action to make writing a response essay a breeze. ... These questions can be modified based on the piece. For example, for a piece of art, look more at the colors or type of art and how this creates different ... PDF Strategies for Essay Writing about the question, and they do not want you to bring in other sources. • Consider your audience. It can be difficult to know how much background information or context to provide when you are writing a paper. Here are some useful guidelines: o If you're writing a research paper, do not assume that your reader has read 22 Essay Question Words You Must Understand to Prepare a Well Definition of Question Words with Examples. Words such as 'explain', 'evaluate' or 'analyse' - typical question words used in essay titles - provide a useful indication of how your essay should be structured. They often require varying degrees of critical responses. Sometimes, they may simply require a descriptive answer. How to Write a Response Essay With Magazine Article Example Conclusion. tell a personal story. finish your personal story. explain the history of the topic. ask the reader what they think. tell why you found this interesting. suggest why this article might interest the reader. explain what you expected the article to be about. tell how you were surprised by the article. How to Focus Your Essay and Respond to the Essay Prompt Some essays, such as academic papers, are written in response to an essay prompt. Learn how to identify an essay prompt's key terms and prepare an organized outline of an essay focused to ... PDF Responding to Essay Questions and Paragraph Writing Read the prompt multiple times. Breakdown and write a quick note that reminds you what you want to talk about to answer that part of the question. Write numbers to determine what order you want to present the information so that it makes sense. Write down any key words relevant to the topic that you need to make sure you address. Constructed Response Questions: Here Is How to Answer Them Jot down the key points you want to make in your response. Be sure to include each part or item you need to answer from within the question. If the prompt requires it, make a list of details or reasons you will use to support your answers. Depending on your question, this could look as complex as this: Or as simple as this: Task 1 Answer: Your ... How to Write a Response Paper: A Step-by-Step Guide with Examples In academic settings, teachers often ask students to write response essays. These essays require you to think carefully about things you've read, watched, or listened to. Writing a good response essay means organizing your thoughts and explaining them clearly. This guide will help you write a strong response essay. We'll go through each step, from understanding why you're writing to giving ... Step 1: Understanding the essay question The content words are the "meat" of the question - these are things you can research. Effective communication is considered a core skill in higher education and is usually conveyed through the medium of academic papers and essays.Discuss the process of writing academic essays and critically examine the importance of structure and content.. You will often be asked to talk about "the role ... Answering Short-Answer Essays With the essay question (short or long), how well you document your answer will often make the difference between an A and B grade. ... Most essay questions contain an action word that you can use to help you organize your response to that question. In general, there are six of these action words. Click the actions to jump to that section. ... PDF Learning & Academic Resources Department/Providing Pathways to Academic Pathways to A. nt/ProvidingWrite it out!Academic Success A Quick Guide for Responding to Essay QuestionsEssay questions are one of the most collectively dreaded ty. es of questions during exams- whether they be from college students or even during job exams. But there are a few tips you can keep in mind to. help make writ. Essay Writing Response navigation. A response paper (also known as a reflection or reaction paper) tends to be the most personal type of academic writing. Its purpose is to explain to a reader how you think or feel about a particular text. You may agree or disagree with an author, and in either case you'll want to explain to your reader why. Essay Questions Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don't feel obligated to do so. (The application won't accept a response shorter than 250 words ... Classroom Assessment There are 2 major categories of essay questions -- short response (also referred to as restricted or brief) and extended response. Short Response. Short response questions are more focused and constrained than extended response questions. For example, a short response might ask a student to "write an example," "list three reasons," or "compare ... Guide: Using the Question and Answer Format in Essays The response confirms whether the statement is true or false. Multiple-choice questions: You choose one answer from a list that contains the correct answer, a close to the right answer, wrong answers and distractors. You eliminate the wrong answers by making an informed guess. ... The structure of the question and answer essay can vary ... Extended Constructed Response Prompts Once you've selected your pair of high-interest texts, you're ready to write the essay prompt. STEP 2: Write an Aligned, Extended-Response Prompt. To write an aligned, extended-response prompt, start by reading an example extended-response prompt from a released state test. Here is a sample prompt from a 7th grade Smarter Balanced assessment: Ten Tips for Answering Essay Questions Read the question carefully. Be sure you understand what the question is asking. If you're uncertain, ask the instructor for clarification. 3. Check the grade value for the question. Usually the number of points will reflect the level of detail that your instructor expects. 4. Identify key points you will make in your response. Jot these down ... How an Extended Response Item Can Enhance Learning "Extended response items" have traditionally been called "essay questions." An extended response item is an open-ended question that begins with some type of prompt. These questions allow students to write a response that arrives at a conclusion based on their specific knowledge of the topic. An extended response item takes considerable time ... Moodle Response Templates Improve Student ... Response templates for essay questions should: 1. enable students to provide clear, complete, and coherent answers to open-ended questions and 2. specify a unified format for student answers that is efficient for the instructor to read. Follow these tips for creating effective response templates: Tackling the Personal Essay: Tips from a Notre Dame Admissions Essays are where we get to engage with students' hopes, fears, dreams, life experiences (and more) in their authentic voice. We are humbled every year getting to "meet" all the incredible young people who are applying to Notre Dame through their essays! Yet, writing an essay introducing yourself can be really hard. 12 Tips for Answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Writing a strong personal essay is an essential component of the application process when you apply to Georgia College and State University (GCSU). In the personal essay questions, the themes of career goals, personal growth, and community service are often emphasised. The university asks the students to elaborate on why they are interested in a particular field of study or recount a ... How To Use the RACE Writing Strategy (Plus Free Printables) It's most commonly used with reading comprehension short-answer essay questions, but it works for any situation where students need to provide a written response in paragraph form. ... Then, students answer the question with a clear, succinct response. Essentially, they complete the sentence they began in the "Restate" step with a direct ... How to Know If a Job Interview Went Well, Ex-PwC Director of HR This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Michael Doolin, CEO of Clover HR and former human resources director at PwC, British Airways, and DPD in Ireland. The following ... Travis Kelce had a bold response to Taylor Swift's 'love' question at On Wednesday, August 28, Kelce, 34, had the cutest response when Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network play-by-play announcer Mitch Holthus put him on the spot. The New Heights podcaster was doing a ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review thesis