Study skills session How to write an exam essay

During the study weekend session on exam essay writing, I presented an example of the LSE model of
essay writing. This model is a very effective, if not terribly elegant, way of writing essays in the social
sciences. The basic idea is to answer the question first, then justify your answer using a relatively simple
structure.
To demonstrate this approach I wrote an exam essay on how to write an exam essay using the LSE model.
As such you not only have all the explanation of the model you will need, but also an example of what this
looks like in practice. The essay is around 900 words and this is the sort of length we would expect internal
students to be producing in an hour.
After looking at the example essay, we looked at a student essay (the one provided in your study skills
handbook) and discussed how it might be improved if it utilised the LSE model. What I would suggest is for
you to read the essay on writing essays, decide if you would like to use this model and then compare this
structure with your own writing. Generally this leaves students with a clear sense of what might be missing or
what is working well in their work.
You can find more advice on writing good examination essays in your study skills handbook Strategies for
success.
Neil McLean
10 Feb 2009

What is the best way to write an exam essay?

There is no one way to write a good exam essay and different disciplines have markedly differing
writing conventions and styles. However, there are certain elements of good writing style that are
very helpful in any exam essay situation in a social science. These are often referred to as the
LSE essay model. This basic model exploits the classic thesis justification support
argumentation approach common to academic and professional writing. Key elements in this
model are an introduction that answers the set question and prefigures the essays argument. This
is then followed by single idea paragraphs that state this main idea in the opening sentence and
then explain or justify it with reference to literature and detailed illustration. The model ends with a
summarising conclusion that completes the essay with a sense of the significance or logical
inference of the answer given.
In an exam essay, there is a lot to be said for directly answering the set question from the outset.
The principle reason for this is that whether a student answers the question or not is the central
test of the exam essay. In the University of London marking criteria, for instance, the descriptors
for the different degree classes relate to the students success at answering the question
intelligently (UoL Strategies for Success, 2007). Thus, clarity in responding to the question
determines which band the grade will be (40%+ / 50%+ / 60%+ etc.) and within each band, the
justification of the argument is what determines the grades between, say, 61% and 69%. A second
reason for the advisability of front loading the answer is that this facilitates planning an answer in
the exam. A good essay plan starts with the question and a students answer and then the main
reasons for this answer. Then the discussion and illustration of these main reasons can be
planned. Done this way, the plan will match the essay structure.
In order to answer an exam essay successfully, a student needs to understand what the examiner
is asking for by setting the question. This is a matter of both disciplinary preferences and the
actual question words used. With disciplinary preferences, certain courses will expect a more
descriptive or discursive answer. In Sociology, for instance, an examiner will expect a good
student to show he or she understands that the question itself is part of a wider debate in the
literature. It is this understanding of the literature and of the political nature of definitions and
concepts that shows mastery in the discipline. Other disciplines like this will be International
Relations or Psychology, though there will be differences. In Psychology, for instance, it is not only
the theoretical, but also the research literature (and methods used) that are essential to degree
level consideration of the discipline. In more applied disciplines, such as Business or
Management, it may well be that the question types ask for a more factual recall of the course
input. Often such questions ask for lists of protocols, legislation relevant to certain business
functions etc. In these instances, the introduction and paragraphing are best divided appropriately
to the sections of the question itself. More often though, a student may face a question such as;
What is the modern legacy of Taylorism? Answer with reference to at least two separate functions
of the firm (U of L Management examination, 2006). Taking the natural divisions of the question
itself make it logical to divide an answer to this question into three parts. The first would be
defining Frederick Taylors principles of management, followed by discussing whether these still
apply to two areas of business the student is familiar with.
The second issue with answering the question is how to respond to different question words.
There are three main ways in which exam essay questions tend to be asked in social science
essay based exams and they tend to expect somewhat different approaches. The first is the direct
question, as with the example in the previous paragraph. A successful approach to answering this
is to think of as direct an answer as possible and then how you could justify this answer. This will
then break down into the essay structure described above. A second type of exam question is the
evaluative question. These tend to start with phrases such as To what extent / How true is it
/ How far can it be said etc. Any answer to these questions will almost certainly be expected to
show that a categorical answer is not possible. The question will refer to an ongoing debate in the
discipline and neither side of the debate will be seen as having the complete answer. A good
example of this is the nature versus nurture debate in Psychology. Most sensible respondents to

this question argue for a blend of the two in which, all things being equal, a combination of the two
will best account for how children develop as they do. A student writing an essay in response to
such a question needs to be able to show what research or evidence both sides in the debate have
to show the influence of their chosen explanation and that neither side has all the answers. The
third type of exam question is rather similar to this. This is the discursive question where students
are given a statement and asked to discuss it. That a discussion is possible implies that there are
two (at least) sides to a debate and that both have something to contribute. While you may believe
in one side more strongly than the other, it is probably not possible to dismiss the opposing /
complementary view all together. You will therefore need to answer in a manner similar to an
evaluative question.
In beginning your answer, introductions can be seen to perform three functions; providing context,
answering the question and outlining the coming argument in defence of the given answer. One
way of contextualising the question is to show that you know how the question is itself important to
the discipline (Jordan, 1998). This may be theoretical or more practical depending on the nature of
the course you are taking. It is also helpful to avoid meaningless general statements such as
Globalisation is a worldwide phenomenon. Instead, try to demonstrate the significance of the
question. For instance, Health inequality is a key indicator of underdevelopment. For instance, for
every woman who dies in childbirth in the North, 99 die in the developing South (World Bank,
2006). This opening powerfully shows the importance of addressing the issue of health care
provision and sets up the students answer to the issue. After stating your answer as simply as
possible, you would then outline your argument. Be sure here to argue, rather than just say what
youre intending to do (Oshima and Hogue, 2002). Avoid sentences that start with phrase like This
essay will firstly consider the issue of Instead, say what your argument is. The marker will then
get a swift understanding of your position and will read the rest of your essay knowing that you are
clearly answering the question.
A central cue for the reader in terms of following your argument is that the opening sentences of
paragraphs provide the main idea for that paragraph. This is why these sentences are often
referred to as topic sentences. In your own reading, if you look at articles in this way, you will see
over and again that academics write like this (UoL Strategies for Success, 2007). Social scientists,
and your marker will be one of these, also tend to read in this way. Beginning your paragraphs
with the main idea (thesis) should therefore guide them through your text well and offer the
appearance (at least) of clarity of thought (Levin, 2005). To achieve this successfully, there are
three considerations for good opening sentences. The first is that your topic sentence should
directly address the question e.g. A second reason for A second point is that good topic
sentences belong to the writer, not famous scholars. Starting your paragraph with Habermas
argues generally leads to a descriptive paragraph and what is valued in University of London
exam essays is argument. Start with your main point in answer to the question and then support
this with reference to Habermas. Finally, keep your opening sentences short and clear. By short,
sentences of 15 25 words are common in academic writing and while this allows a degree of
complexity, sentences of this length tend to be relatively straightforward to read. Going above 25
30 words in a sentence strains a readers working memory, as well as a writers ability to be clear
and accurate (McLean, 2007).
Finally, in the LSE model, conclusions restate the argument made and show how this may have
wider significance. One way to look at his is that conclusions are inverted introductions. Rather
than following the context answer argument format, conclusions do the same but in reverse.
The obvious difference is that rather than the contextual statement(s) showing why the question is
important (as in the introduction), in the conclusion writers tend to show why the answer given is
important (Brown, 1992). In applied fields this often has a real world significance, for instance
with a particular policy or business approach becoming redundant or more widely applied. In more
theoretical disciplines, the significance of the answer is more likely to relate to the development of
the positions outlined in the literature. By answering a final questions of so what?, good answers
tend to show a students wider understanding of the broader context of the discipline beyond the
exact question itself.