IDS 254: Religions and Modern Cultures—

Additional Advice on Take Home Essay Exams

            This sheet is intended to give you additional advice on what to do and what not to do on the take home essays.  While a number of students did very well on the midterm examination, many students could have done better if they would have followed some of these relatively simple suggestions. 

Do:   

-Read the question thoroughly and more than once.  This strategy will save you points in the long run.

 -Ask questions if you are confused on any of the exam questions. 

 -Answer all parts of the question.  Frequently the questions on the exams will have more than one prompt to address.  Make sure you figure out what types of questions the prompt asks you to address.

Do Not:

-Do not include the actual question on the midterm.  Invest this space to write more.

 -Do not answer all of the questions in one long essay—simply number each question and then get right into your answer for each one separately.

 -Do not preview each discussion with “In the following essay, I will argue….”  Similar to the first “do not,” invest this space to make additional relevant points in your essay.

Additional Notes:

-All of you will see certain parts of your midterm exam underlined and places within the margins marked with a check.  Remember that just because your essay is marked, the marks do not exactly mean that something is wrong or incorrect.  Often I underline certain parts of your text to remind myself (as the reader) what points you are making within certain paragraphs.  Also, the check marks on the margins of the draft mean that you are making good points.