Essay: Clear Thesis and Specific Support
What the Essay tests
The ISEE Middle Level essay gives 30 minutes to respond to a prompt, often by taking a position on a statement or describing an experience. The essay is not part of the scored ISEE total but is sent to schools, so it should show clear thinking, organization, specific support, and control of language.
Planning and structure
Spend about five minutes choosing a position or experience and outlining. A reliable structure is four paragraphs: an introduction with a thesis; a first body paragraph with a specific example; a second body paragraph with a second example or deeper explanation; and a conclusion that restates the thesis and draws a lesson. For a personal prompt, use one extended narrative rather than a list of vague claims.
Worked example
Prompt: Describe a time you had to learn something difficult. Thesis: "Learning to solve a Rubik's Cube taught me to break large problems into repeatable steps." Body: first attempts failed because I tried to solve all sides at once; I learned one algorithm at a time and practiced ten minutes daily; after three weeks I could solve it. Conclusion: the lesson was not about the cube but about patience and sequencing. This plan gives a clear thesis, concrete details, and a reflective ending.
Traps
- Ignoring part of the prompt or writing about a different topic.
- Replacing specific examples with general statements such as "I learned a lot."
- Spending so long planning that the essay is unfinished.
- Skipping the final proofread; check sentence boundaries, verb tense, and spelling.