What are the the most common essay questions, and how should you answer them?
A simple guide to the wording you can expect to see in exams, no matter subject what you're studying
If you managed to get through secondary school without writing an essay, you are in for a shock when you get to university. No matter what you’re studying, there will come a point when you have write an essay in an exam.
Luckily, we’ve got a handy guide to tackling the most complex essay questions you’ll ever see.
Summarise
In a nutshell, “summarising” is what this paragraph is doing right now. If an exam question asks you to “summarise” something, you have to express the most important facts or ideas about something or someone in a short and clear form.
For example, if the question asks you to “summarise the debate over gun control”, they’re asking you to state in a few simple sentences or paragraphs what people think about the issue and the arguments for and against it.
Contrast
It is easy to confuse the words “contrast” and “compare” – both mean to take two or more things and point out some kind of relationship – for example, similarities or differences – between them.
While most questions might ask you to “compare and contrast”, you’re in luck if they only use one of the words. If you see the word “contrast” in a question, it most likely wants you to examine the differences between two or more things.
Illustrate
A question with the word “illustrate” is asking you to not only explain something, but likely also to use examples to show the meaning or truth of it more clearly.
Justify
