Master the essay prompt
Every time you encounter a new prompt, you will want to do a few things.
Read every word
Read it again
Mark the prompt
Read every word in the prompt
Reading the essay too quickly is a common mistake that many learners make, especially when they are writing timed essays. They don’t want to waste time reading and want to get to the writing portion as quickly as possible.
But in reality, it saves you time when you fully understand the prompt before you begin writing.
You want to get to the end of your essay and know you have written a response that completely answers the question.
Read the prompt a second time
Wonder why?
Imagine you visit a friend’s house for the first time. You walk in for a moment and are later asked if you like their movie collection. There is a good chance you might not have noticed the movie collection.
When you first experience a room, you take in the general space and maybe remember a few things, but certainly not everything. The way your brain works in this situation is that same as when you read your essay prompt for the first time.
When you first read the essay prompt, you will get an idea of what the topic and question are. But that is not enough for you to grasp the specifics of what is being asked. Also, if you read quickly, you may miss an important detail. A second read through allows you to double check that you haven’t missed any essential information.
But in reality, it saves you time when you fully understand the prompt before you begin writing. You want to get to the end of your essay and know you have written a response that completely answers the question. If you find there are words you don’t know the meaning, it is worth the time to check the definition in a dictionary if you are able.
Don’t forget!
Read every single word of the prompt and to read it more than once.
Read the prompt a second time. If the prompt is challenging, consider another read through until it’s clear.
