When writing an essay is it?

Question

better to stick to the word count but waffle on and on and repeat yourself or get straight to the point be accurate and concise but get only 60% of the total word count.

Answer 1

I am always accurate and concise. Much like my briliant answers.

PS:  I ALWAYS lie about my word count and add on an extra 5%. Its not like anyone is actually gonna sit and count them all is it?!

Answer 2

The best option is to hit the word count and not waffle ;)

I find that quotes are brilliant for that, my essays are often filled out with point making quotes, either from a text or a relevant expert on the subject.

We were always taught to PEE in our essays - Point, Example, Explanation. I can while away a good 30% with that :)

Answer 3

I always felt teachers that require a word count for essays sort of miss the point about writing.  Some people can write something perfectly eloquent in about half as many words as the average person, yet they are required to produce more to fulfill a word count.

I think teachers do it to give students a rough idea of how long the essay should be, and provide a way to penalize the lazy students who aren't going to write much no matter what the topic is.

As a teacher, I never used a word count because I knew it would just create more babble for me to read, as students with little to say try to come up with a whole bunch of BS to fill the paper.

I'd get a good read on your teacher and figure out just how much they are going to care about word count.  And if you are going to come up with less than the minimum, make d**n sure the paper is great and doesn't make you look lazy.  I would hope your teacher would waive any penalty if the essay was good enough.

Answer 4

It's better to be straight to the point. At the end of the day you're still making the same number of points, it will just be easier for the person marking it to identify the points you are raising if you write it concisely.