Today, what an essay is, every high school student knows. As you know, one of the conditions for obtaining certificates of complete secondary education is the passing of mandatory Unified state exams in two subjects: the Russian language and mathematics. So, tests in the Russian language are completed by part C, in which the task is to write essays, reasoning on a given text, that is, an essay. Also, the essay is an element for obtaining high marks for those students who opted for the exam in social studies and history.
Historically, the answer to the question of what an essay goes back to the Latin "exagium", which means "weighing" and the French "essai" - which literally means "pen test." The difference between this type of work and the traditional composition lies in the fact that the content, in addition to references to a literary work, is mandatory and basic is the author’s own reasoning on a particular problem that is being raised at the moment. That is, the purpose of writing an essay is not only the determination of a relevant and exciting topic, which is most often already given in the critical literature on works, but also the identification of one’s position on this subject. And in this case it is not necessary to even agree with the opinion of the author. Much more important is the ability to reasonably and clearly prove their case. Moreover, even the most complex philosophical questions can be stated in ordinary spoken language. There are no strict requirements for composition, that is, the construction of an essay of this type.
Let us pass from the theoretical part of the discussion about what an essay is to the practical part. So, if you set out to learn how to write an essay, then we will immediately please you: the volumes of essays of this type are not very large. Typically, in the aforementioned USE tests, essay criteria require that its content include 150-160 words. In handwritten text with standard letter sizes, this amount of information fits into about 3 notebook pages or one and a half sheets.
It is important to know that those essays that cover a wide range of problems cannot be evaluated as an essay. Therefore, the standards of the essay clearly outline the topic or a narrow range of issues disclosed in the essay. In expressing his point of view, the author should in no case claim that those who read his written study acknowledge his unquestioningness and regard it as truth in the last distance. Quite the contrary, an essay is an invitation to continue the discussion to identify the true point of view. This is a subjective work by which you can evaluate the personality of the author, his worldview, as well as feelings and thoughts.
Essay standards do not allow any plagiarism. All quotes and statements can be used by the author only in a framework that allows the use of other people's thoughts to confirm or, conversely, deny the point of view declared by the author. In the foreground should be clearly and clearly visible the personality of the author himself, who chose an essay to cover an urgent problem. His non-standard view serves as a suggestion to the reader to join in and speak out, and perhaps argue on one or another exciting issue.
Essay criteria, however, do not make it completely different from a traditional essay. On the contrary, an emotionally-shaped vocabulary is welcomed in the essay. But you need to remember that one of the main requirements for an essay is the ability to write in an individual, unique style. Even the essay title may not be directly related to the topic of the essay. The main idea of an essay of this kind is revealed only through a careful study of the author's thoughts.
Although in this article we examined the question of what an essay is from the point of view of an exam, today it is increasingly being used in life. Many employers ask their applicants for a career understanding in the form of a short essay to state applicants for a vacant position. For a modern specialist, the ability to master both oral and written speech is important .