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GED Essay: Brain Freeze on Essay Topics!!

9th December 2008

GED Essay: Brain Freeze on Essay Topics!!

posted in GED Essay, GED Writing, Getting Started Writing, Prewriting, Writing Tips |

Hello, everyone! Tanya wrote a good question, and I thought I’d put it in a blog post, too. She writes:

Im takeing my test next week,and I have a question about,how I start out an essay.Im also a little nervouse about,when they give you a topic,you have to write about it,my brain kinda freezes up.what if I can’t think of anything?How do I go about this? Please help!

Hi, Tanya! I know the essay can be a little intimidating. Here are some things to help…

1)Try to think of some things in advance, that you might use on your essay. You don’t know what the question will be, but you can think of some things that might help, like:
–Who are some people you admire, and why?
–What’s important to you in life? What are your goals?
–What are some important events that happened to you, that really made you think or taught you something?
–What’s an important world event that has a special meaning or memory for you?

Thinking about these kinds of questions gets your juices going… you  might find that you can use them in your essay, or else it’s just good practice!

Also, here are some techniques you can use to brainstorm while you’re in the test. Practice these before the test on some of the questions above, or other practice GED prompts…

1) Freewriting… write down the question and just write for 3-4 minutes, whatever comes into your head. Don’t even worry if it’s a good idea!

2) Listing… write a list of as many things related to the idea as you can think of.

3) Word Web… write the main idea in the center. Then, draw 3-4 lines from the center, connecting to 3-4 related ideas. Write 3 details or new ideas about each related idea.

4) Questioning… write 3-4 questions about the topic, and then try to answer them.

5) Try answering these questions about the topic (and add more if you can think of them!):
–What’s my feeling or opinion about this topic?
–Who’s a person I know who taught me something about this topic?
–What’s a memory I have about this topic?
–How is this topic related to my life?

That will give you some ideas to start organizing into an essay. Some techniques work better for some people, so try these out to see what works best for you. Practicing beforehand really helps, so you’ll have your essay-writing muscles all flexed and ready to go!

Also, it’s really important to try to relax. That means, eat a good breakfast. Get plenty of sleep the night before. Bring some good snacks and water along. Wear comfortable clothes. And don’t worry! Just concentrate on your essay.

Good luck!
Liz

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 at 1:12 pm and is filed under GED Essay, GED Writing, Getting Started Writing, Prewriting, Writing Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

There are currently 8 responses to “GED Essay: Brain Freeze on Essay Topics!!”

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  1. 1 On December 9th, 2008, vic said:

    “Bring some good snacks and water along. Wear comfortable clothes. And don’t worry! Just concentrate on your essay.

    Good luck!
    Liz”

    Elisabeth

    Well Good advice. But still unable to get Idea or moving to start to write essay I am worried to take my test on January 15th . and I need to start or just giving up. I did try reading every day for one month and copying others. Or, what was the other word for copying statements making it your own?
    Still having hard time to come up with an idea to write!

    posted on December 9th, 2008 at 4:11 pm

  2. 2 On January 7th, 2009, GED Newsletter: Writer’s Notebook | Leonard's Newsletters said:

    [...] get the essay topic in front of you, and just can’t think what to say! There are two posts, Brain Freeze on Essay Topics and More about Brain [...]

    posted on January 7th, 2009 at 1:33 pm

  3. 3 On January 21st, 2009, gremodaempody said:

    Nothing seems to be easier than seeing someone whom you can help but not helping.
    I suggest we start giving it a try. Give love to the ones that need it.
    God will appreciate it.

    posted on January 21st, 2009 at 9:19 pm

  4. 4 On March 6th, 2009, Val said:

    I am planning to take the GED in March, I did my pretest and it went well but I am still worried because I need this like yesterday.

    posted on March 6th, 2009 at 2:39 pm

  5. 5 On March 11th, 2009, Liz said:

    Val, don’t worry! If you did well on the pretest, then the most important thing is not to let your nerves bother you. Be confident… you’re prepared! Let me know when you pass!

    By the way, here’s an article about GED “test stress”…
    http://www.passged.com/blog/2008/08/25/the-ged-test-overcome-test-anxiety-increase-your-score/

    posted on March 11th, 2009 at 5:42 pm

  6. 6 On April 24th, 2009, Sarah Howard said:

    My son just called in near tears over his essay on the GED. This is his second attempt (he passed all other sections with flying colors) in two months. He just freezes up when he reads the prompt. A few years ago, he scored a perfect “4″ on our state’s writing assessment, so it is not a matter of ability. He has a heart condition and has been in and out of the hospital a lot and just couldn’t get enough credits to complete his education program. I am concerned about the stress this is causing him and am REALLY concerned that he will give up after today.

    He MUST get his GED to get into college, particularly because of his condition.. Please advise me on how to motivate him to try again! I am willing to do anything I can to help him.

    - An overly concerned mom

    posted on April 24th, 2009 at 8:55 am

  7. 7 On April 24th, 2009, Liz said:

    Sarah, your son is so close to getting his GED, that it’s important he doesn’t give up. Unfortunately, stress is probably the root cause of his problem, since he’s done well on past writing tests. The first recommendation I’d make is to have him brainstorm things that might be useful in writing his essay, to have some ideas prepared. Who are important people in his life? What have been defining events for him? Who does he admire, and why? What are his opinions on controversial issues? He can spend some time going down lists of essay questions… not to write an essay, but to think of his response and his reasons for his response. For each question, ask: Can I make a connection to my life–something I’ve seen, heard, read, thought, done? There are lots of lists of essay topics on the Internet, like this one: http://www.uwc.ucf.edu/Writing%20Resources/Handouts/research_topics.htm The more he’s got his brain going on essay topics, the better he’ll be able to respond to a prompt.

    Another thing that can help is to come at the essay with a structured prewriting format in mind. A good one would be a variation on a thought web. A lot of good writers don’t think about using this kind of assistance, because they haven’t needed it in the past. On the test, he’ll have scrap paper to brainstorm with. Before even reading the prompt, he can make a simple web graphic… a circle in the center for the main idea, connected to three circles for three ideas to develop, each connected to 2-3 circles/lines for details. Now, the task of “getting started” is just filling in a really simple graph. Using topic lists like the one above, he can practice doing some of these before the test. Once he’s done one, writing from a thought web outline like this is a lot easier than facing a blank page.

    But the best preparation is practicing writing GED essays. If he can write them in a comfortable situation at home, it’ll make the uncomfortable testing situation a lot easier to tackle. He should start by first writing a few practice essays, untimed, and then if those go well, he should try practicing timed essays… simulating the GED experience as much as possible. Because your son has trouble getting started with the prompt, he should use prompts he doesn’t know in advance. You can help him out by getting the prompts and being the proctor. The GED Smart ebook has a good section on writing with a list of practice prompts. You can also find prompts on the Internet or check out your local bookstore. You may be able to come up with your own, after reading what the GED essay prompts are like.

    Being this close to passing the GED can be really frustrating, but it’s also really great. He doesn’t need to retest right away, but he can’t let his chance slip away. I hear the stories of a lot of GED students who regret putting it off so long. Now, when he’s passed most of the tests, is the time to get over this last hurdle.

    posted on April 24th, 2009 at 12:43 pm

  8. 8 On July 9th, 2009, Melissa said:

    I am going to classes to help get ready for the GED. It seems like the more I study, the more confused I get. I did better one my first practice test, than I am now. It is really stressing me out.

    posted on July 9th, 2009 at 4:21 pm

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