ESSAY WRITING

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PAPER 3

EXAM GUIDELINES:

TIPS:
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU WRITE ALL THREE PIECES FOR MAXIMUM
MARKS!
DO NOT WRITE SOMETHING YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH!
KEEP AN EYE ON TIME ALLOCATION SUGGESTED PER SECTION.
REMEMBER! PLAGIARISM is a criminal offence!
Plagiarism = copy / lift / piracy / fraud / theft / stealing / thieving / illegal
use of… / breach of copyright!

Please note that I have placed a frame around the writing pieces to separate them from
the document. In your writing paper you will not draw a frame around your writing pieces.

Answer ONE from Section A

The examiner may NOT prescribe what type of essay a candidate should write on a topic.
Know what the rubric states!

Section A: Essay
Eight topics, of which a minimum of two and a maximum of three should be visual stimuli.

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Section A: Essay
Eight topics, of which a minimum of two and a maximum of three should be visual stimuli.

This is the length you are allowed to write for an essay. It is the content and does not include the
title. Do not go over the number of words allowed as everything after the limit will be ignored and
not assessed.

EHL
Gr10 300-350
Gr11 350-400
Gr12 400-450

EXAM AND WRITING TIPS BEFORE WE START

 You have to have paragraphs! No solid writing!
 You have to do planning.
 Do a detailed mind map or list or flow chart.
 Do not waste time. Do not use a ruler to draw perfect blocks for your mind map. Use your
time on the actual writing.
 Edit on your neat work in the same colour ink in which you wrote.
 Time management is important. Allocated time is supplied on the instructions page as well
as the total number of words allowed. (Do not go over the number of words)
 Write about what you know.
 If you are uncertain about the meaning of word select another topic.
 If you select a quote, write about the whole quote i.e. make sure you understand what it
means. A 4-line quote might have one message or more.
 Do not simply repeat the title or quote you have selected.
 Visuals – there must be a clear link but do not describe what you see in the picture. You
can tell a story and the link to the visual can be at the end of the essay.
 Do not retell a film you have seen or a book you have read.
 The marker does not need to know about your drunken parties, sexual exploits or any other
vulgarity. YOU WILL BE MARKED DOWN ON CONTENT which will affect your Language
mark. Content may only be one column lower than language. Content can be marked right
down to Inadequate in this case.
 If your religion is important to you and topical you may write about it but do not simply quote
from the scriptures and/or preach.
 Number according to the numbering on the question paper.
 Be careful of using words you are not sure of – it could impress or flop.
 Register
o formal = no contractions / slang
o informal = slang only in direct speech

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Do you feel as if you struggle to write as well as you can speak?

Try this: Tell a story verbally paragraph by paragraph and then write down what you have said. In
exam conditions you’ll have to “tell” your story in your head and then write. Let’s get writing!

SECTION A: NARRATIVE ESSAY

The narrative essay tells a story. It can also be called a “short story”. Generally the narrative essay
is conversational in style, and tells of a personal experience. This essay could tell of a single, life-
shaping event, or simply a mundane daily experience.
Contains action / something must happen – plot
It is most commonly written in the first person (I). Can be in 3rd person (he, she, they, them)
Limit characters
Has a beginning, a middle and an end.
Usually uses past tense.
Present tense used to create sense of immediacy.
Varying lengths of sentences.
May have a moral lesson.

A narrative essay could tell of . . .

 my brother’s and my fishing trips
 a boring trip to the grocery store
 my near-death experience at the beach.

Topic:
My best childhood memory.
Now do the following:
1. Plan your essay – use the “W” question words if you struggle to plan. Below is an example
to assist you.

Who? What happened? Where did it happen?

My sister and I Slipped away to the Visit to my Aunt
roadhouse She lived close to a
roadhouse

Moral
Don’t be dishonest Childhood When did it happen?
memories I was about 5 years old

Conclusion? Why? How?

Daddy caught us We wanted an ice We climbed the fence
cream

Once your planning is done, decide which will be paragraph 1 through to 6, 7 and 8.
2. Now write your introductory paragraph.
3. When you have written the introduction ask yourself: Do you think this introduction will
make anyone curious to know more?

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SECTION A: DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

Paint a picture with words.

The descriptive essay describes people, places, objects, scenes, feelings, processes etc.

Use SIDES
 Strong verbs
 Imagery
 Detail
 Experience
 Suggestions

Present tense creates a feeling of intimacy

Use adjectives, adverbs and figures of speech appropriately.
Answer questions how, when, where, why and who?
Make details count.

Examples: A descriptive essay could describe . . .

 a tree in my backyard
 a visit to the children’s ward of a hospital
 a hot fudge sundae

I have included an example essay of a learner who wrote a Narrative/Descriptive Essay

incorporating the following words in the essay:

One minute I was small and cold, skulking dead-scared down a black passage, with my hollow
belly thumping and my heart like a time bomb…

Note that this topic lends itself to a narrative style too.

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 EXAMPLE OF NARRATIVE/DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

(The learners had to write an essay which included the following somewhere in the
essay: “One minute I was small and cold, skulking dead-scared down a black
passage, with my hollow belly thumping and my heart like a time bomb…”)

Rulandé Swart
Grade 11
Extended Writing: Term 1/2005 31 January 2005

One minute I was small and cold, skulking dead-scared down a black passage, with
my hollow belly thumping and my heart like a time bomb…

But wait! Let me start at the beginning!

I was working in the house when suddenly something sucked me in. I found myself
in an unknown realm where nothing was normal; a village where children were
floating around and young people were throwing fireballs at each other in a game of
catch. Creatures like you have never seen before roaming the land; an elf, a dream
sprite and even fairies. This is where I had my first experience of witchcraft.

An old woman came up to me and asked me to go with her. She said that she was
the only one who would be able to help me with my destiny. She told me that I was
the chosen one and that magic is the art of performing works of wonder or gaining
knowledge through the supernatural. There are two types of magic: black and white,
each having its own purpose. She taught me that white magic is used to heal and to
counteract the effects of black magic, which is used to kill or injure someone.

Black magic consists of witchcraft, sorcery, and the invocation of demons; white
magic consisted of tolerated forms: astrology, jugglery and slight of hand. She
warned me against the evil magician, Magician of Primal Chaos. He would destroy
me if he ever got the chance. I started to learn spells - all easy at first - but after
about a year she thought I was ready for more advanced spells and she gave me the
Book of Secret Arts.

I had always read about it in stories but never thought it would be real. I worked
hard and did my best for another year and then one day I came face to face with the
dark magician! He looked bigger than I imagined, but I would not let him stop or
destroy me ever. I was standing and then something hit me and the next thing I
remember was… [353 words]

Writers may use Direct Speech in a Narrative but this learner chose to use Indirect/Reported
Speech.

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SECTION A: ARGUMENTATIVE / DISCURSIVE (EXPOSITORY) ESSAY

ARGUMENTATIVE:
Convinces or persuades
Offers a viewpoint/opinion
Formal
Structured
Opinions are logically stated
Draws a conclusion
Write pros and cons of topic
Present both sides of question
Support your argument with examples

DISCURSIVE/ (EXPOSITORY only for enrichment):

Clarifies writer’s ideas
Offers information
Gives pros and cons
Uses arguments to back a viewpoint
Formal and structured
Backs up opinions
Similar to Argumentative but does not require a conclusion – main purpose to present information
and opinions in an interesting way.

Plan and write an essay on the following topic:

Mankind is on the edge.

Since this is creative writing, the interpretation of a topic could be totally out of the box.

You are supplied with topics but you decide what path to follow with the topic. Select a topic that
speaks to you. Something you know you will be able to write about successfully.

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SECTION A: VISUAL ESSAYS

Look at the visuals supplied and then plan and write an essay.
There will be at least TWO visuals in a Paper 3, but a maximum of THREE.
Since this is creative writing, the interpretation of a topic could be totally out of the box.
You are supplied with topics but you decide what path to follow with the topic. Select a topic
that speaks to you. Something you know you will be able to write about successfully.
There must be a clear link to the topic even if it is only cleverly revealed in the last
paragraph.
If you are unsure of which topic to select, read through all the topics and then look at the
visuals, close your eyes and relax to ‘see’ which topic ‘speaks’ to you.
I have included 4 visual topics.

Plan and write an essay on one of the following visuals:

1.

2.

7
3.

4.

8
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