Essay Questions

Essay questions, like the other types of questions discussed here, are also difficult to write well. They are even more difficult to grade, particularly if they are poorly written.

The first thing you must decide when writing an essay question is if an essay is the appropriate measure for the learning outcome. If the answer to that is yes, you must decide what exact performance you are attempting to elicit with the essay question. Next, you must decide on the level of specificity in the question. For example:

1. Write something.

2. Write something about the strike against Hormel Packing Company.

3. Describe the conditions which led to the strike at Hormel Packing Company in 1985.

4. Describe the conditions which led to the strike at Hormel Packing Company in 1985 including—
(1) the grievances of the employees,
(2) the practices of the employer,
(3) relevant social and economic factors,
(4) the positions of the rival labor unions, and
(5) the method of striking.

5. Describe the grievances of the employees, the practices of the employer, and the positions of the rival labor unions in the strike against Hormel Packing Company in 1985. Interpret the significance of these factors in light of the social and economic conditions which existed at the time, and then explain why you believe that the employers were or were not justified in striking.

It is probably obvious to you that the first and second examples are far too ambiguous. But which of the others would you choose to use? Though it may seem extreme to you at first, I would use the fifth example. I would do so because it informs the student of the exact behaviors required for a correct response. If they know the information, they will do well. If not, there are no clues in the question that would "give away" the answer.

There is another major consideration that must be discussed before we move on to the guidelines for essay questions. That is, how should the question be structured?

1. What is/are the verb(s) in your learning objective(s)?
Remember the table of specifications discussed in the Objectives section of this tutorial? Each verb in the question is a task you want the students to perform. They should match the verbs in your objectives.

2. What is the developmental stage of your learners?
The example questions provided above are obviously for high school students. How might you adapt essay questions for first graders? third graders? fifth graders? seventh graders? Don't forget that "essay" questions can often involve drawing pictures, creating diagrams, writing stories, etc. Be creative and aware of the needs and capabilities of your students.

Now we'll move on to the guidelines for essay questions:

1. Clearly define the intended learning outcome.

2. Avoid using essays to assess learning outcomes that can be better measured by “objectively-scored” items or performance assessments. Use essays to assess ability to synthesize, integrate, make connections, speculate, and perform other “high-level” thinking tasks.

3. Frame each question so that—
It elicits the type of behavior you intended to assess.
The students’ task is defined explicitly enough that they will interpret the task in the way you intended.
Its scope is clearly limited in terms of the content to be covered.
Experts in the subject matter can agree on the relative merit of students’ responses.

4. Use several relatively short essay questions rather than one long one.

5. Specify the relative point value or weight given to each question and the approximate time limit students should observe in responding to each.

6. BEFORE administering a question, always write a model answer or at least an outline or list of the important elements that should be included in an ideal answer. You can turn this into a rubric by assigning point values to specific aspects of the response.

7. Before administering any of the questions, ask at least one of your colleagues to review critically each question and proposed answer in light of the objective. Revise each question and proposed answer on the basis of the suggestion obtained.

8. After administering the test, carefully review the range of answers given and the manner in which students appear to have interpreted the question. Make whatever revisions are necessary to improve the question for future use. Also, be open to legitimate alternative responses in your grading.

9. Avoid optional essay questions (choose one). Allowing students to select a question to answer can reduce the reliability of your assessment.