Contests

Writing for contests: tips for getting the best performance

See all the steps you need to follow to write the perfect essay for competitive exams and check out the main criteria for competitive exam texts.

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See how to write the perfect essay

Treinando redação para concursos. Fonte: Freepik.
Training writing for competitions. Source: Freepik.

Even though you are already used to studying and writing, writing a good essay for public exams is something different.

To be able to write the perfect essay for competitions, it is not enough to write well, you need to learn the way the organizing committee wants you to write.

Achando o concurso perfeito

How to find competitions through organizing bodies

Step by step guide on how to find the best competition according to the organizing committee!

Calm down, exam candidate, you've come to the right post where you'll discover all the steps to writing an essay for exams that puts you ahead of other students.

Don't want to be eliminated from a competition because of your essay? Keep reading and you will understand all the details about writing for competitions.

What are the types of writing?

Aprenda como fazer a redação para concursos perfeita! Fonte: Freepik.
Learn how to write the perfect essay for competitive exams! Source: Freepik.

There are 2 main types of writing for competitive exams. Let's understand them.

  • Informative writing: this is the type of text where you must reflect on the subject, using arguments to defend your point of view;
  • Expository writing: unlike argumentative writing, in an expository text, you must present facts in a clear and direct manner. You do not need to defend your ideas.

Remember that the type of text you will write will depend on the public competition, the notice makes clear the criteria that will be analyzed in your essay.

Analisando edital do concurso

How to understand the competition notice

Learn how to analyze the competition notice quickly and practically!

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How to write a great essay?

Since you want to be approved for a public office, we will explain all the steps you must follow to write the perfect essay for public exams.

Stay up to date with the latest news

First of all, you need to always be well informed. This is easily done by setting aside 30 minutes of your day to read relevant news.

The knowledge you gain from reading the news helps you develop better arguments. Every candidate needs this skill.

Review the essays from previous competitions

With a quick search you will be able to find the texts that people got the highest score in the competition you will take.

Therefore, you should analyze these essays, seeking to identify the person's writing structure and the pattern of arguments used.

This seems like a simple tip, but if you apply it, you will see that your essays will start to get much higher grades.

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Prepare texts based on texts from recent competitions

Find the topics of the latest competitions in your area. Choose one of these topics each week and write an essay for competitions about it.

This way, you will be preparing for the day of the exam and will have an idea of the topics that may appear in your test.

Furthermore, it is essential to have a person specialized in correcting essays for competitions.

Because, having a writing teacher will help you know where you are going wrong and what improvements need to be made.

Read the essay topic carefully

Many people have had their essays scored as zero because they didn't understand the topic.

Therefore, you need to pay attention and identify the central issue that needs to be addressed.

If you read the topic and still can't understand what is being asked, carefully read the auxiliary texts that will clarify your mind.

By the way, be aware that the arguments presented in the supporting texts cannot be used directly in your essay. If you do, you will end up losing points.

Finally, now that you understand how to identify the subject you should write about, continue reading to write the best essay for competitions.

Make a note of ideas and arguments

Right after finding the central theme of the text, you need to gather ideas, make a list of all the potential arguments you can use.

A good amount of ideas to separate is between 5 and 10. This prevents you from becoming too indecisive and not deciding on the correct arguments.

Develop a structure for the text

Every essay for a competition needs to have a beginning, middle and end. Let's understand what this text should be like:

  • Introduction: in this part you will present your central idea in a summarized manner and may even include an argument;
  • Development: then it is time to present your point of view and use your arguments to explain or defend them. The development is usually divided into 2 paragraphs;
  • Conclusion: in this part you will put together everything you have explained up to that point. You can present a solution based on the arguments you used, remembering that it cannot be utopian.

Furthermore, you need to be careful with the aesthetics of the writing.

Therefore, we recommend that you divide the text into 4 paragraphs, each with a maximum of 5 to 7 lines.

Write the essay patiently

The day of the test is very hectic, so people want to write the essay as quickly as possible to start the questions straight away.

However, writing has a huge impact on your final grade, so you should do it calmly.

A good amount of time to write the essay is from 1 hour to a maximum of 1h30min.

Well, competitions normally provide 4 or 5 hours of testing, leaving plenty of time to answer the questions.

Review and adjust any mistakes made

Right after making the draft, we recommend that you start doing the exercises and when you are halfway through the test, go back to the essay.

This will give your brain time to forget the text and you will be able to identify the mistakes you made more quickly.

Finally, proofread your essay. At the end of the test, reread your essay again to make sure you haven't missed any spelling mistakes.

What are the evaluation criteria?

The writing criteria for competitions are not the same for all competitions.

Still, there are some aspects that they all have.

  • Readability: your text needs to be readable, so take care with your handwriting. Remember that the teacher has a lot of essays to correct;
  • Organization of arguments: your arguments must be very clear and there must be a connection between them;
  • Grammar: Spelling mistakes will make you lose points, so pay attention to punctuation and read carefully.

Initially, these three aspects will be present in all the exams you take. By paying attention to them, your score will improve.

What are the most common mistakes in writing for competitions?

Dominando a redação para concursos! Fonte: Freepik.
Mastering writing for competitions! Source: Freepik.

The most common mistake that happens is that the person doesn't know punctuation.

This makes you lose a lot of points, as grammar is one of the main criteria.

Furthermore, another common thing that happens is not connecting ideas, causing some parts of the structure to not communicate with the other parts.

On the other hand, it is also common for people to write the text directly on the official sheet, due to the rush.

This prevents you from making corrections on the next reading.

By paying attention to these details, you will be able to significantly improve the grade of your essay for competitions.

By the way, another important thing is to choose a good preparatory course that provides essay correction.

Check out the post below and find the best course.

Vendo aula do cursinho online

Find the perfect course for you

See which preparatory course is best for your competitive exam profile!

About the author  /  Felipe Silverio

My name is Felipe Silvério, I study Law at UniFSP, since I was very young I kept the habit of reading, that's why I found myself at work as an editor.

Reviewed by  /  Junior Aguiar

Senior Editor

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