GED Essay

[Alienware_Dude]

As some of you may know, I'm taking the GED in a few weeks. Now, I don't think I'll have any problems with most of the tests, but the one I am worried about is the essay. All you have to do is write a simple 5-paragraph essay in 45 minutes on a random topic they assign you, but I am absolutely blockheaded when it comes to writing. I just know I'm going to sit there and freeze, and not be able to come up with anything at all. Any ideas for, well, coming up with ideas? I'm studying with a book, but it's only helping a little. Any tips or tricks for writing a timed essay? A gameplan I should follow? I'm all right at writing when I'm not timed, I've done lots of research papers for school, but I am very unimaginative when it comes to writing 'on the spur of the moment', if you will. Any ideas or suggestions would be very much appreciated, and please, no derogatory comments. Writing a 5-paragraph essay may seem simple to some, but that's not the case with me. I have academic strengths, but writing is not one of them.

[Trent Steel]

Practise.
Thats the only way to find out what works for you.
This works for me,
Brainstorm on the topic, get key ideas and list them, use diagrams and such if it helps.
Then plan the order that you want to hit those key points and start writing. If the format allows time for a rough draft do it, quickly, you can add in finer details and correct mistakes during your final draft.
Again you need to find out what works for you and the only way to do that is to practice.

Also, how is this essay being graded (such as spelling, creativity, presentation, etc), that could help others to advise you better.

[bigandy]

Read through the topic, once you've got a good feel for it, come up with 3 main points you want to make about the topic, and present them in your introduction, then finish your introduction with your thesis statement. Then write one body paragraph for each of your main points, and finish off your essay with a conclusion.

Perhaps easier said than done, but it works for me.

[pam123]

Intro. : 1 paragraph
Main body : 3 Paragraphs
conclusion : 1 paragraph

This is something like bigandy's.
Give your imagination a rest, by the way. It's not what they're looking for.
They want to see if you can write coherently for 5 paragraphs and they really don't want to see anything long. If it's a full page of notebook paper you have, at most, one side and half the other.
Skip any L33T speech, don't make any gross spelling or grammar mistakes (perfection isn't required), and make it logical and you get full marks for it.
If you want to show off your vocabulary a few big words, one per paragraph, are okay but don't get carried away (and be sure they're used/spelled correctly).
Unless you absolutely have to ("Eureka!" shouted Archimedes) no quotes or paraphrases.
That's it.