Analyzing the Question
Understanding the question means more than understanding the instructions or the words of the question. It means recognizing the focus of the question, and knowing what approach you should take to the topic.
This is, in some ways, the most important aspect of writing the essay, and requires the most thought. You should, therefore, be prepared to spend at least 3 minutes thinking about what approach to take to the question.
Candidates are assessed on their ability to:
Present the solution to a problem. Present and justify an opinion. compare and contrast evidence, opinions, and implications to evaluate and challenge ideas, evidence, or an argument.
You will, therefore, need to decide which of these approaches is the one required for any particular question. You will also need to know when and how much to use definitions and examples.
In this section, we will deal with the following features of a discussion or argument essay:
The Focus
The Context
Definitions
Examples