How to write an essay to get A1 in your secondary 3 exams

When you reach secondary 3 and 4, most of your essays will be based on argumentative, expository and descriptive writing.

Factual content and real-life examples will form the main part of your essays.

And you will need to rely on good organisation skills to ensure that you have a constant stream of valid points.

Most of you will be wondering how you are supposed to gather enough research material to write essays with strong factual content. I will show you how to persuade your examiners to give you an A1 in this blog.

The first step – How to get material based on real-life instances

Most of you will think that is part is easy as there are lots of news sources on the internet with material which will relate to your composition topics. You should be careful not to copy paste and to have some original content as well. Always insert material which you may have read on the internet with your own views or data gained from your observations.

The second step – How to add the latest information

This is not really that difficult. I am going to give you a really wonderful tip which you will love.

Just turn to Youtube and look at speeches of presidents or famous people in the news. Look out for topics which are based on current world news. Always check to see if the date on the Youtube video is the latest. Then scan carefully for information and make sure that you have understood what they are saying. Use that material in your essay as evidence to strengthen your argument.

How to be a good writer?

People who write noteworthy essays or journals always make sure they have a sound background of reading. They would have read the latest news and have kept up with news bulletins.

Make sure you have several key topics covered. Popular topics about internet, artificial intelligence, topics associated with cyber news, climate change amongst others are always very popular. Many people are always focussed on these topics when they read the newspapers. You should make it a habit to read up so that you can always refer to this when you write an argumentative essay.

Lifestyle topics are also very popular and the best way to write persuasively is to write about the latest trends in society. Make sure that you have several key points covered about how people react in terms of popular habits such as consuming food, shopping, fitness and the way they spend money.

Other popular topics are about family activities and issues concerning families. You may write on these as they are often popular expository topics. You should always be aware of the latest shifts in these trends so that you can showcase your knowledge in your writing.

How to write argumentative essays

For an argumentative essay, you will need about 3-4 main points. These will represent your Stand, or the side you take when you attempt the question.

Then you will need about 3-4 counter argument points. These points counter the main points and they are actually about the opposite view of the main point.

For example, if your Stand Point is about how the internet is actually doing more good than harm, your counter argument point should be that it is doing more harm than good.

So, in effect, your Stand Point may be:

The internet helps one to access information from all over the world and people are able to do research, study and self-learn in this way.

Your counter argument may be:

The internet also has information which may lead one to do harmful actions. There are people get hooked to playing addictive games and these are sometimes harmful.

After this, the last portion should be about the rebuttal where you show a different point which again is the opposite of your stand. This point may be about how the internet can be so time consuming that people lose sight of their daily obligations in terms of their family for instance.

Writing in this way means that you cover all angles and you are able to have diverse views on the same subject.

When you write an expository essay, you will not need to write on diverse views. You may choose to write on both sides but you will not need to counter argue or write a rebuttal. Just a continuous flow of information pertaining to both sides of the issue will be enough for an expository topic. Many students prefer to write this as it is less rigid than an argumentative essay.

Writing to get an A1 means that you will need to be adept at impressing and persuading the examiner. Most students will find that after some practice, writing and adapting to secondary 3 exams will be manageable. All you have to do is to follow the steps I have mentioned. More blogs will follow this, so keep reading and you will find your way to an A1 in due time.