EssaysHow to write these essays
There are two kinds of essays about people. For a great person, follow the order of the life: birth and childhood, education, main work, honours, death, and what we learn from that life. Facts and dates must be correct.
For someone you know, such as your mother, teacher or friend, facts are not enough. Show the person through small, true examples: what she says when you are late, how he helped you once. Our essays leave blanks for names so that you can put in your own. Change the details to match your real life; an honest essay always reads better than a copied one.
A plan for an essay on a great person
- Opening: who the person was, in one clear line.
- Early life: birth, family, schooling.
- Main work: two or three things the person did, in order of time.
- Qualities: what kind of person they were, each quality shown by an incident.
- Closing: what you take from that life.
A plan for an essay on someone you know
- Opening: who the person is to you.
- A picture in words: how they look, speak and spend the day.
- Two small stories: a time they helped you, taught you or made you laugh.
- What you have learnt from them.
- Closing: your feeling for them, said simply.
Words that help
Honest, humble, hard-working, patient, caring, strict but fair, cheerful, role model, inspiration, guide, dedicated, selfless, simple living, devoted to the nation.
Mistakes examiners notice
- A string of praise words with no example. "She is kind" is weak; "she waits at the gate when I am late" is strong.
- Wrong dates or honours for a famous person. If unsure, leave the date out.
- Writing "my mother is the best mother in the world" and stopping there.
- Changing between "he" and "she", or between past and present tense, in the middle of the essay.