Timed Essay Writing Strategies CHAPTER 7
HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
87
REGENTS’ AND OTHER EXIT EXAMS
More than twenty-five states, including
California, Alaska, North Carolina, and Texas, require
a passing grade on an exit exam to be eligible for high school graduation. These
tests vary,
so it is important to get specific information about the test you are preparing to take. How-
ever, most exit exams allow 60 minutes to develop an essay based on one of a choice of top-
ics. A list of topics for Georgia’s Regents’ exam, for example, may be found at:
www.gsu.edu/~wwwrtp/topics.htm (but remember to check with
your school regarding the
test you will be given).
A typical exit essay is approximately 1,500 words, and is either expository or persuasive.
Other possible topics include responses to literature, biographical
narratives, and even busi-
ness letters. Those who grade exit essay exams ask:
■
How well did you address the topic?
■
Were your ideas organized?
■
Did you develop major points and support them with details and examples?
■
Were your word choices and sentence structure effective and varied?
■
How consistent was your style (paragraphing), grammar, spelling, and
punctuation?
■
Did you express yourself freshly and uniquely?
Dostları ilə paylaş: 
