10 Academic Writing and Exam Preparation
Prepare for exams with academic writing skills.
55 min
7 oppgaver
Exam strategiesText typesAssessment
Din fremgang i kapitlet
0 / 7 oppgaver
Preparing for Your English Exam
Eksamen i engelsk tester dine samlede ferdigheter i spraket - lesing, skriving, og evne til a reflektere over temaer fra liereplanen. God forberedelse handler om a forstå oppgavetypene og utvikle effektive strategier.
What the Exam Tests:
- Reading comprehension and text analysis
- Written production (essays, articles, short texts)
- Use of English (vocabulary, grammar, structure)
- Knowledge of topics from the curriculum
Common Task Types:
1. Long text: Essay, article, report, speech (400-600 words)
2. Short text: Summary, email, review, etc. (150-250 words)
3. Text-based tasks: Answer questions about attached texts
4. Creative writing: Short story, personal narrative
Text Types for the Exam
Essay (Argumentative/Discursive):
- Takes and defends a position
- Uses evidence and reasoning
- Formal language
- Structure: Intro → Body → Conclusion
- Takes and defends a position
- Uses evidence and reasoning
- Formal language
- Structure: Intro → Body → Conclusion
Article:
- Written for newspaper/website
- Engaging headline and lead
- Can be more personal than essay
- Informative with some opinion
Report:
- Presents findings objectively
- Uses headings/subheadings
- Formal and factual
- May include recommendations
Speech:
- Written to be spoken
- Direct address to audience
- Rhetorical devices (repetition, questions)
- Clear opening and closing
Personal Narrative:
- First person perspective
- Descriptive language
- Shows reflection/learning
- Story structure
Review:
- Evaluates book/film/event
- Summary + opinion
- Recommendation
- Engaging but informative
Assessment Criteria
Content and Subject Matter:
- Relevance to task/prompt
- Depth of reflection
- Use of examples and evidence
- Understanding of topics
- Relevance to task/prompt
- Depth of reflection
- Use of examples and evidence
- Understanding of topics
Structure:
- Clear introduction and conclusion
- Logical organization
- Paragraph structure
- Coherence and flow
Language:
- Vocabulary range and accuracy
- Grammar and sentence structure
- Appropriate register/formality
- Spelling and punctuation
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
- Not answering the actual question
- Weak/missing thesis statement
- List-like body paragraphs (no analysis)
- Poor transitions
- Informal language in formal texts
- Repetitive vocabulary
- Run-on sentences
- Wrong word forms
✏️Example: Analyzing an Exam Task
Hvordan analyserer du en eksamensoppgave for a sikre at du svarer riktig?
Sample Task:
"Social media has become an essential part of young people's lives. Write an article for a youth magazine where you discuss both the positive and negative effects of social media. Based on your discussion, give advice to young people about how to use social media responsibly."
"Social media has become an essential part of young people's lives. Write an article for a youth magazine where you discuss both the positive and negative effects of social media. Based on your discussion, give advice to young people about how to use social media responsibly."
Step 1: Identify Key Words
- "Article" → Text type (not essay!)
- "Youth magazine" → Audience (young people, semi-formal)
- "Discuss both positive and negative" → Balanced, not one-sided
- "Give advice" → Must include recommendations
Step 2: Plan Your Response
Opening: Engaging hook about social media use
Section 1: Positive effects (examples: connection, information, creativity)
Section 2: Negative effects (examples: mental health, addiction, misinformation)
Section 3: Advice for responsible use
Closing: Final thought/call to action
Step 3: Check Against Criteria
- Content: Am I discussing BOTH sides? Am I giving advice?
- Structure: Article format? Engaging headline?
- Language: Appropriate for young readers? Varied vocabulary?
- Length: Meeting word count requirements?
Common Pitfalls:
- Writing only about negatives (one-sided)
- Forgetting to give advice (incomplete answer)
- Using essay format instead of article
- Being too formal for a youth magazine
📝Oppgave 1
Identify the text type required for each task:
a
"Write a text for your school newspaper about the importance of mental health awareness."
b
"Write a text where you discuss whether technology makes us more or less connected. State your position and support it with arguments."
c
"Imagine you are the student council president. Write a text you would present at a school assembly about reducing plastic waste."
📝Oppgave 2
Analyze this exam task by identifying key words and requirements:
Task
"Immigration has shaped societies in English-speaking countries. Write an essay where you explore how immigration has influenced culture and society in ONE English-speaking country. Reflect on both challenges and opportunities."
a
What text type is required?
b
What must you include?
c
What would make this answer incomplete?
📝Oppgave 3
Improve these weak sentences with more sophisticated vocabulary and structure:
a
"Social media is very bad for young people."
b
"Lots of people think climate change is important."
c
"The UK and USA are different in many ways."
📝Oppgave 4
Time management practice: You have 5 hours for the exam. Plan how you would use this time for a typical exam with two writing tasks (long text 400-600 words, short text 150-250 words) plus text-based questions.
a
How much time for reading the tasks and texts?
b
How much time for the long text?
c
How much time for the short text?
d
How much time for text-based questions?
e
How much time for final review?
📝Oppgave 5
Practice exam: Write an article (400-500 words) on ONE of these topics:
Options
1) "The Role of English in Norway Today"
2) "What Young People Can Learn from History"
3) "Digital Communication: Connecting or Isolating Us?"
📝Oppgave 6
Self-assessment checklist: Use this checklist to evaluate your own writing OR exchange texts with a classmate.
Content
Does the text address all parts of the task? Is there depth and reflection?
Structure
Is there a clear introduction, body, and conclusion? Are paragraphs well-organized?
Language
Is vocabulary varied and appropriate? Are there grammar or spelling errors?
Format
Does it follow the correct text type conventions?
Improvements
List 2-3 specific things to improve for next time.
📝Oppgave 7
Final exam simulation: Complete a full practice exam under timed conditions (5 hours). Use previous exam papers or ask your teacher for practice materials.