<p>My teacher made us write practice TOK (theory of knowledge) essays and i have failed everyone of them. According to her, my essays are full of convoluted, irrelevant paragraphs. Other teachers comment that my writing is great and very insightful. I got a 10 on my SAT writing (i know this isn't excellent, but doesnt it prove that I can write at least a B-avrg paper?)
I need to PRACTICE PRACTICE! Any tips on improving my writing and/or STAYING on topic?</p>
<p>Keep the topic in mind for every sentence you write. If it sounds slightly irrelevant, come up with a different idea. Just use your intuition more.</p>
<p>Anchor back to your thesis.</p>
<p>Thesis: Make it known what your paper's general points will be.
Body paragraphs: Each one must state what its topic is (beginning or middle of it). Evidence must be relevant, and you must have relevant reason for your evidence.</p>
<p>Don't be afraid to slightly change what your thesis says. An introspective, slightly self-modifying thesis can be an interesting read, as if the paper is a continuous exploration. But in the conclusion, reach back to your thesis and confirm you proved it.</p>
<p>Revise. Don't just write something and not read it again. Reread and revise.</p>
<p>Keep everything structured and compartmentalized. Pay attention to your word choice in every sentence. Pay attention to each sentence and how it fits in with each paragraph. Pay attention to each paragraph and how it flows with the rest of the essay. Then review it holistically.</p>
<p>And on each step of the way, make sure you are on track. Writing can be an agonizing process, but to write holistically, putting down every stray thought that sounds good on paper will lead to an overall bad essay. Be meticulous! I often spend 20-30 minutes writing a paragraph and then deleting it after judging that it doesn't fit well.</p>
<p>You know, it might not be that your writing sucks but that your writing is not what your teacher likes. Writing is subjective; not everyone likes the same thing. This particular teacher might like more concrete details instead of introspection, so just change your style a bit for the class if you want a good grade.</p>
<p>Find out what your teacher likes-see what she gives an "A"...also find out from friends whether her grading style IS similar to the TOK. </p>
<p>In addition, you may just have the wrong style for the test. For example, I'm great at pulling out really insightful facts and really meditating on a paper, long-term stuff, but I suck at like 20-min SAT essays, and I've had to learn to get better at short-term writing. So it might be you suck at one style. Good luck!</p>