5 Rules for Answering ESSAY Questions on Exams

Start building your analytical skills on Brilliant for free at brilliant.org/... - and be among the first 83 people to sign up to get 20% off your subscription.
Huge thanks to Brilliant for sponsoring this video!
Out of all the types of test questions, essay questions inspire the most fear and dread - after all, there's no guessing your way out of them.
Using the 5 rules we'll cover in this video, though, you'll be able to ace the next essay question that crosses you path.
Get my book "10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades" FREE:
collegeinfogee...
Follow Me:
Instagram ➔ / tomfrankly
Twitter ➔ / tomfrankly
Podcast ➔ / thecollegeinfogeekpodcast
Subscribe to My Channel:
buff.ly/1vQP5ar
My Video Gear:
kit.com/tomfra...

[@Thomasfrank]

Virtually no one will notice this, but man am I proud of the color grading on this one. Who knew color could be so hard? Btw, I'm doing some more writing over at my personal site: thomasjfrank.com/articles/ - there's no schedule, no way to subscribe yet, and no share buttons. I'm just going to write when I get struck with an idea that doesn't fit here or on College Info Geek. Check if out if you like!

[@spakeschannel]

Actually, I noticed (but that's because I color grade a lot as a photographer).

[@hritesh_singh]

Oh yes you are right its colors are coming out. । Great work keep it up।

[@mikarau6350]

Literally scrolled to the comments to compliment the color grading

[@Daniel-zv1ji]

Try PEEL to write your paragraph Point:what your idea. Example:give an example of the idea Explains: explain the effect and cause of the example. Link: Connect to the question and your point

[@soniawadhwani5159]

can you explain it further?

[@Rania-vh7wg]

Sonia Wadhwani so for example: Point: one cause of world war two was the unfair clauses of the treaty of versailles. Example,: for example, Germany was named the main reason the war occured even though all countries were participants. Explain: due to the particitipation of orher countries during the fight hitler could not be the sole blamed party. Moreover, the land taken from germany as well as the high reperations made a ww2 inevitable. The question was a matter of when it was going to happen.

[@bethan4770]

Mines Teel- same idea but we just use Thesis instead of point

[@codeinetcetera]

@@bethan4770 TEEL

[@sleepfitaaplus7371]

Seel also works

[@stoicfloor]

First rule above all 5 rules: study or there's nothing to write.

[@user-gg4ti7od6g]

haha～

[@equinox5560]

It’s true tho, but you could always atleast like ask your classmates about it before the exams start so you could get inf about it

[@dannwhatisthisbehaviour7523]

@@equinox5560 I do that a lot

[@Budgetreworks]

Yeah, but they don’t tell me the question

[@m.kbertilla5866]

I like how he's very fluent in speaking and is never out of words....so smooth that its so comfortable listening to it...

[@Sunshine-yk2eg]

This was very helpful! But I had a hard time focusing because of HIS EYES 😂 so beautiful

[@jesseboniface3858]

Tf

[@jefejff]

Here you go, some water 🚰🚰🚰🚰

[@bicl8349]

Tf

[@abhipenikelapati7448]

Sus 😳

[@Sunshine-yk2eg]

@@jefejff thanks. I feel all better now 😌

[@YazminAbat]

Congratulations from Peru! thanks a lot for this one. I have been teaching writing for international exams but haven't found the tip of two-step outline. Because of the rush, students often confuse brainstorming with the outline process. One last step would be to edit oneself to check grammar or vocabulary issues. Thanks Frank. Love your videos

[@JoanStar]

I get extremely happy when Thomas uploads

[@bassamal-kaaki3253]

me more :)

[@lililemmeedititrealquicklilil]

"I got extremely happy when I see an uploads from Thomas "

[@bassamal-kaaki3253]

I actually prefer essay questions and detest multiple choice as they are very tricky. I usually do an outline of what I am going to write about to help me organize my work. Since I know my professor well, I know what he/she is looking for. Give them what they want and you always get the highest grade in the class :)

[@user-wl7ki2lw8l]

Bassam Al-Kaaki exactly!

[@akocyo-yo9887]

Hii, can I have a favor? Uhmm iknow im just a stranger but i really want to learn and I am hoping for your response uhhmmm can you give me any or some tittle thats rlly worth and i'll answer it to enhance or improve my grammar and writing skills Im sorry if im requesting a favor coz i inspired you of how good you are

[@bassamal-kaaki3253]

kitty pro Hey 👋 hope you are well. I am not sure as to what you are looking for. I could not comprehend your comment. Can you please be specific.

[@user-qy6tu9ip9v]

@@bassamal-kaaki3253 My vocabulary is beyond embarrassing.

[@AnjolaoluwaAwe]

Perfect timing, great video!!!!

[@yellowbanannaras1946]

I see you everywhere, even in bts vids the hell😂

[@aaliyahdailey31]

This would have been so helpful my senior year! WHERE WAS THIS 5 YEARS AGO!?!?! 😂😂😂

[@oOcitizenOo]

I've already written this but, Thomas, congrats with 1 million! :) P.S. Essays have never been an issue for me. These are the time limits that put a great pressure on you. Thus, no draft should be written, only catchy phrases, ideas and strong points. At least this works when it comes to taking Cambridge exams/ university non-technical exams.

[@naturallyweird661]

Your channel is one of the best things I found on youtube . It has helped me a lot certainly . Especially the time blocking technique i am using it now and i am to get a lot more work done nowdays . Also you are a motivation.

[@raccoon135]

As a high school English teacher, this video is fantastic. Great work!

[@mariahhassan6554]

Just wanted to let you know, you're amazing!! Just finished reading your ebook and now im super pumped about starting college this year!!!

[@sanjeevjohari717]

Where did you get it from!!?

[@jai_bartlett]

Teacher: we're going to write an essay Me: wait what? *searches Thomas Frank essay*

[@sunshine00575]

this is so helpful, its 4AM and im watvhing this when i have exam in 4 hours time

[@alexfergus7603]

I just wanted to thank you, Thomas, for helping me so much with your videos. You have no idea.

[@serinat2181]

Thank you so much! This couldn't have came at a better time considering my a levels are so soon! Love from England 😊💖

[@18divyanshi]

Your videos are so helpful. They’ve really changed the way I work. Thank you so much man 🌸

[@aino8958]

what a perfect timing! i have an important philosophy exam tomorrow so this was much needed. thank you!

[@anilpeepra407]

Congrats for 1m subscribers

[@doge9321]

Very helpful, have a writing exam tmw and needed some tips.

[@hritesh_singh]

*Can you tell how to make an educated guess*

[@Thomasfrank]

Got a video in the works about something very similar to that ;)

[@hritesh_singh]

Thomas Frank Can you tell how to write an answer very effectively.

[@abdhenehek6742]

So basically a hypothesis it’s best to say If Blank Then Blank because blank

[@muhammadaldobritanokuncoro5527]

Hey Thomas Nice Video. Could you make video improve writing skills ??? I feel that no matter how much books or journals i read, i always have a hard time constructing a good paragraph or sentence.

[@marylancelot]

Essay questions are my favourite type of questions. In Finland matriculation exams last 6 hours and you have to answer 6 essay questions. Most of my friends absolutely hated these tests but to be honest, I kinda enjoyed taking them. Also what I find amusing is that in these essays you are supposed to repeat the question. Thesis statements aren't used until in university.

[@Julianaao2601]

Congratulations on 1M Thomas you absolutely deserve it, you are a saviour 😊

[@darktealglasses]

I'm a big fan of your channel, Thomas! I've followed you for 2-3 years. (I used my old channel to subscribe to you about 3 years ago.) And I found your content very useful. Can you do more videos essay type of exams? I'm very weak at it. I can usually score high in other types of exams but whenever it comes to essay exams, it hurts my overall grades.

[@moody5805]

in our school we use the format of TEEL Topic sentence Example Explanation Link for the two E's doesn't matter how you order them eg: explanation and example. you can also extend yourself by doing topic sentence example explanation example explanation Link only works on body paragraphs

[@bxyanda]

I feel that the explanation should come after example, because you would state something, then explain, not vice versa. Also, a paragraph should generally have one main idea, so 2 examples would be messy

[@prarthana1984]

1 million subscribers. Congrats Thomas. Great video as always✌.

[@sarawilde7493]

Congratulations Thomas! One million subscribers! Yay! ❤️

[@giuliabertacchi4080]

Thank you for this video!! It was very useful, in my school we have only essay question and it's a disaster everytime

[@arunadayananda9306]

Hey thanks.. I think these are the points most ppl miss. I mean one and all study hard. But only a very few think of how to organize ur knowledge for a question. So thank u again for ur great contribution.

[@AngelsAndButterflies]

Okay I have a lot of stuff to say 1. Congratulations on 1 million subs!! You deserve every single one.💞 2. I loved the contrast in this video 😍😍 please keep it up. 3. Whoa do you know my assignments? I need to write an essay for my history class today and an essay question is a part of my language exams. I don't hate them though, I can hide the fact that I don't fully understand some points. Thank you!

[@betterideas]

I still can't un-hear the fact that we both use 'Tarantulas' by Christian Nanzell as the background music of 90% of our videos. Hilarious.

[@betterideas]

Rats! You caught me again!

[@Tanya-uf9gj]

Congrats on the million Thomas!

[@dimplesharma872]

Often while writing answers in exams i find it difficult to remember the examples, certain facts, other dimensions of answer, etc. How to remember more what we have learnt and make the most of it while writing answers?

[@TMM6900]

The lighting today, great!

[@prateeksingh5728]

Annwer writing combined with holistic learning that you mentioned in making notes is the most effective way, don't you agee?? As essay writing is basically about connecting dots and explaining how those connections are made??

[@PsychicReverendDonnaSeraphina]

You are an excellent, organized speaker. Thank you

[@Maelzelmusic]

This was great Thomas! Looking forward to more of your videos. Cheers.

[@Milica7299]

Hi Frank, Your videos are really useful. Can you make a video on how to pass a verbal exam? In Serbia, most of our exams are verbal. Meaning, we need to know the whole textbook, like you do, but the exams are conceptualized a bit differently - we go into the classroom full of students, and professors call out one by one, and everyone, when it's their turn pulls out 3 questions from a pile of questions. You always have 5-10 min to write a concept, and then give the answers. Of course, professors will usually stop you to ask some sub-questions on the spot. How would you tackle the oral exams? So, it's not 1, it's about 7-12 per year.

[@Ronaldoreactstovids]

His content is fun NGL dont lie

[@NashConte]

Thank you so much Thomas. It was such a big help.

[@vikashchand5485]

Great essay.....congrats on 1million subs!!!

[@prateeksingh5728]

Frank, are you ever planning to visit India, we really need someone like. If you ever plan to do that, please let me know. I am huge fan and learnt a lot of stuff because of you

[@journaldude7092]

Great video. And CONGRATS on the 1M followers. Sweet!

[@MariaPaulaTapia]

I'm taking my AP lit exam soon. I really needed this video. Thank you!!!

[@Marsplannet]

“Multiple choice, more like multiple guess” “True or false, more like 50/50 I’ll take it” 😂😂😂😂😂

[@vivi-qd1gs]

Me in a nutshell:

[@MargoBLR]

Perfect timing, i'm about to write an essay tomorrow :D

[@akocyo-yo9887]

Hii, can I have a favor? Uhmm iknow im just a stranger but i really want to learn and I am hoping for your response uhhmmm can you give me any or some tittle thats rlly worth and i'll answer it to enhance or improve my grammar and writing skills Im sorry if im requesting a favor coz i inspired you of how good u are ..

[@junior4751]

Thank you. This was very informative, and simple to understand. I Already, feel like a better writer 😁.

[@angielordlinsag9900]

Thank you for teaching sir it's another learnings again.

[@abisaindamanomhata]

You have done an incredible job Tom...Give yourself a huge round of applous. 👏👏👏👏

[@journeywithamama]

Thanks for this. It was really very helpful with well explained processes.

[@alexmartin7666]

That's great, Thomas! Congrats on 1M! I'm so happy for you right now! You deserve it!

[@hilmyfarzana5734]

Yah its so usefull to write questions.

[@isaacb182]

Thanks for the video Thomas! Do you have any tips for short answer questions?

[@jins60cmshoulders77]

You always post at the perfect time for me , thank you so much !!!!

[@suprajaacharya7479]

Yeah! That's the perfect timing..😀 really thankful for this video!!

[@braken63]

Uploaded right before a test of mine.You're awesome!

[@comingupwithanoriginaluser5320]

Thanks, man always love your videos

[@ClairePenettiere]

Congrats on the 1m subscribers. Soooo deserved :)

[@jagjeetjassal2055]

thank u this will help me ALOT!! 👌👌👍👍

[@AliceQuinnRose]

Could you do another one of these but aimed towards general essay writing. Especially long form ones, such as disitations.

[@Mmmmehedi]

Congratulations on 1m. Thomas Frank / Study info Geek 🙌👍

[@rachelpoole4497]

Great video!! Although I have to mention that tests like the ACT and AP exams don't like five-paragraph essays. They want something more (with the same insane writing limits). I haven't been able to gifure out what that is yet.

[@Arinilabebe124]

Your videos help me a lot 🤔📚

[@lucasgamito8432]

Dude i love your videos! Stay awesome!

[@okhollandboss9708]

you are the best, thanks for helping me with a lot of things!!

[@sarahevans4532]

Love this video, thank you

[@taubadaniels6249]

Well done for 1 million Thomas!! So happy for you, love your videos so much! Keep it up the amazing work 🤘

[@selenaflows]

congrats on 1M subs! you absolutely deserve it!

[@wowexpeditions4476]

Fantastic video

[@MusicalInquisit]

This is basically what I did on the AP US History exam because it is what they are looking for in the outline, especially in the DBQ.

[@aadhyanthk4582]

'Assuming you did study, you have the opportunity to show exactly what you understand about the concept' ok but what if i didn't study?

[@edo3297]

Hi Thomas, can these tips be extended to a general "open answer" scientific exam? I mean. The question is "Talk about the Lyapunov stability", or "Talk about the closed-loop (feedback) control" or stuff like that.

[@saja7443]

This morning I have an English exam - this could not have come at a better time thank you 😊

[@arock8586]

I like your videos Thomas! Love when you summarize books that help focus as an example

[@camilatucci2617]

Another quality video! Love your content!!

[@hritesh_singh]

Can you tell how to write an answer very effectively

[@DDavis-mi2cg]

Love your channel!

[@SteffenThole]

0:12 "Impossible to know without knowing the type of swallow." I now like you and your videos even more, Thomas.

[@Jay_Script]

how does this video have so little views?! This video is so great! You're my role model, and I hope one day we meet because before you my student life was a mess. I can say now I have Good grades, awesome relationships with everybody around me and I have so much fun with friends now! Thanks!

[@justanotheryoutuber6474]

Congrats on 1M subs! :) keep rocking!! 😁

[@chunkycheese278]

Thank you this helped so much thanks 😊

[@YashPatel-jx7un]

very helpful video thank you very much

[@tr3363]

Awesome sir, congratulations for 1M keep it up ;)

[@zafarrehman95]

Thanks a lot Thomas

[@lenafiedler8786]

Essay questions are the best :D seriously! Now we basically only have essay questions, but in secondary school not so much and now I'm sooo much better! And those are the questions that are a lot closer to what and how school should work in my opinion..

[@megangrace1]

this dude has cool eyes. also you explained this well!

[@en2p187]

that's what I'm saying!

[@user-pn2dc8zs7i]

I have a test tomorrow about this we have to go over 50 words or more

[@RexcantorYT]

3:06 Who else saw "tomatoes" there?

[@nicoletraub5605]

YESSS

[@wg3771]

Thank you for this video.

[@Alex-pf9lh]

We see that sneaky tomato! Helpful video, thanks.

[@kunalmehta947]

Helps in thesis statement

[@aaliyahdailey31]

CONGRATS ON ONE MILLION!

[@Sush-d6f10]

Great video!

[@PortugueseFlyingStew]

Does an essay require a cover page? Or no not really? Great video btw.

[@elizabethingram9784]

Thank you, just what I needed. ;-)

[@musamusa990]

Can you share tips to tackle IELT5 and TOEFL essay ?

[@epicly0]

Thank you so much