What types of essays are required in university entrance exams?
Are you familiar with the main types of writing that exist?
Throughout your school years, but especially in high school, you've likely heard from your teachers about the importance of knowing how to write a good essay and how to improve your skills.
The first point we need to make clear is that they were right. To get accepted into the top universities in the country, to get a good score on the ENEM (Brazilian National High School Exam), to pass some job interviews, essay writing is a crucial part.
However, there are various types of writing and situations where each is more suitable, such as in university entrance exams.
What are the main types of essays that exist, and which ones are required in university entrance exams?
First, let's clarify the key question proposed in this article: the dissertation is the main type of essay required in university entrance exams. Some institutions may require a letter-style essay, but this is rarer.
The purpose of the essay is not only to assess the candidate's grammatical knowledge, but also to demonstrate their ability to construct a line of reasoning and maintain it throughout the text, as well as their capacity to present arguments and defend their point of view.
See below for what a dissertation (college entrance exam essay) is and other common types of essays.
Dissertation
The main basis of a dissertation is the argumentation in defense of a point of view, discussing the proposed topic in a comprehensive and in-depth manner.
For this to happen, it is vitally important that the author makes use of statistical data, research, quotations, facts, concrete examples, etc. The text should not be based solely on assumptions.
In both expository and argumentative essays, there is a need for concrete information.
The only difference is that, while in expository writing it is not necessary to use arguments as a means of persuasion, in argumentative writing the author must make their thesis very clear and use their arguments in a way that validates what is being said.
The main and most commonly used type of essay in university entrance exams is the dissertation. This text discusses any topic comprehensively and in depth through argumentation.
The structure of this type of text is divided into three parts, each of which should present a piece of information. These parts are:
- IntroductionIt is presented in the first paragraph and contextualizes the proposed theme, introducing the author's thesis.
- DevelopmentThis section presents the arguments that support the thesis, starting in the second paragraph, along with examples and external data that reinforce the author's point of view. Ideally, it should have three to four paragraphs and include a hook for the conclusion.
- Conclusion: To conclude the dissertation, the text should recap the presented theme, the basis of the thesis, and propose a solution to address or resolve the initial problem. Ideally, it should only be one paragraph long.
Review
You've almost certainly read a review of a movie, book, or product before investing your time and money. The purpose of a review is to provide a critical evaluation.
Like a dissertation, a review is also divided into three parts: introduction, development, and conclusion. However, for a clearer, more elucidative, and enjoyable reading experience, there are some issues that need to be considered:
- Is the reading enjoyable?
- Is the language of the evaluated work understandable?
- Is it clear to the reader who the author responsible for the work is?
- Who is the target audience for the work?
- Why is the work or product being analyzed useful?
- What was missing for the work to be better developed?
Another important detail is that there are two types of reviews: descriptive and critical. In a descriptive review, the author should only point out information about the work being reviewed, avoiding personal opinions.
In a critique, the candidate needs to take a stand and express their opinion with solid arguments and a confrontation of ideas.
Reflective chronicle
A reflective chronicle is a unique narration of everyday events and common situations in the daily lives of equally ordinary people, leading the reader to reflect on what has been presented.
The language used in this type of writing is considered one of the simplest, as its special characteristics include a lighthearted tone in the narrative, designed to provide pleasure to the reader.
Letter
Just like in a critical review, the writing style of a letter requires the author to take a position on the subject being addressed.
Your goal is to present a topic of collective interest and share your ideas about it, along with solutions and suggestions.
A letter can be used as a way to protest and raise important issues.
How can you improve your writing skills in different types of writing?
To have a chance of getting a top score on the college entrance exam essay, there are some preparation steps that can help you.
Some topics that, if you focus on them, can help you a lot are:
Formal Language
It is necessary to pay attention to a more elaborate, fluid, and uniform writing style, giving priority to the formal, standard form of the language, something more grammatically correct.
Reading
The habit of reading greatly helps us expand our vocabulary, improve our reasoning, and assimilate not only grammatical rules more effectively, but also the difference between types of language.
Therefore, try to read all the subjects that are usually asked in the college entrance exam: books, magazines, newspapers, cartoons, etc. This will help prepare your brain to write more easily and smoothly.
Study current topics
College entrance essays almost always have a topic that is relevant nationally or internationally, whether it be political, economic, or cultural.
Base your analysis on essays that received top marks.
Since this essay carries significant weight in your final passing grade, looking at previous essays that achieved the highest score can help you analyze and understand the approach taken and prepare better.
So, are you ready for the college entrance exam?
