Back in 2005, a group of eight readers for the English Literature Advanced Placement Test essays got together to make the following list from their experience of each of them reading a thousand or more essays. What works? What doesn’t? Here are their tips. Note that most of these would apply to all kinds of writing, not just tests, and not just in English class.

Do…
• Read the selections carefully. Don’t let anxiety rush you.
• Trust your interpretations once you have committed to them.
• Trust your feelings in addition to your thoughts.
• Back up whatever you say with text from the prompt/selection.
• Think about how to structure your essay before you start writing it.
• Organize your thoughts before you begin.
• Write more than a page.
• Focus first on what the author is saying, not on what outside sources may say.
• End with your strongest points.
• Create meaningful separate, cohesive paragraphs.
• Use transitions.
• Elaborate.
• Write legibly.

Don’t…
• Mention a literary term without giving the supporting quotation and then explaining the how and why of its usage.
• Point out rhyme scheme/meter unless you can give a supporting reason for its usage.
• Make observations unless you are going to discuss their significance.
• Use a term you don’t know the meaning of.
• Over-shorten quotations to the point they make no sense to the reader as an independent statement: “And so Tom…dark.”
• Write about what is there unless you can write about why it matters.
• Worry about expounding on the greatness of the author.
• Begin with “Throughout the history of mankind…” or other general statements.
• Begin with “There are many things to compare and contrast in…” or other generalities that at best only restate the prompt.