AMDG

5 English Module 6

This type of essay should be a reflection on personal experience. As you are writing an essay, you must show the ability to organize your thoughts and your essay should lead to a conclusion so that your essay is not a self-indulgent stream of consciousness without shape. You may be fascinated by yourself and think you are the most incredibly interesting person ever to exist but others might not agree.

Plan your essay so that it has shape. Your writing could be a reflection of something very serious, and you may decide not to bring any humour into it but remember that often a good essay is light in tone, but conveys serious ideas in a deceptively casual manner. Your essay should show perception as well competence in the craft of writing.

Some suggestions - but feel free to adapt them or to write about anything else you fancy:
Concentrating on both facts and emotions, and aiming to develop descriptive detail, write about a memorable day in your life - it might be a time when you were ill, when you were afraid, when you moved house or changed school, or when you were part of a serious or funny family incident.

Write about the problems of growing up. Think about the most pressing problems and concerns for you in the society of today. Do you think these problems are likely to be different from those facing young people 50 years ago or in the future?

Describe a place which is of special significance to you. You could choose a specific time of year and imagine you are looking out from one point, describing first what is closest to you and then start describing things further and further away from you.

Write an account of a journey or visit you have made exploring unfamiliar places - either abroad or within Britain and reflect on events, your feelings and the impressions you had about the people you met.

Describe a person/persons who is/are very important to you. Include anecdotes which illustrate character traits and your relationship with him/her/them. Consider why you feel the way you do, think about similarities and differences and reflect on the influence he/she/they have had on you and your life.

The criteria used to assess your personal essay include:
your ability to use language - breadth of vocabulary, careful word choice, exploiting language to achieve your desired effect, technical correctness;
the way you have structured your essay; the skill with which you have achieved a deliberate tone or mood;
the content of your essay which should be original and well-developed, reaching a satisfying conclusion and offering genuine insight in a challenging way.