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The author reviews the research literature to summarize best practices for creating and assessing effective essay prompts, drawing on examples and offering practical guidance. The discussion emphasizes how to balance validity, logistics, and the skills targeted by constructed-response formats.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":20,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/writing-better-essay-exams-idea-76-march-2019/587449/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/writing-better-essay-exams-idea-76-march-2019/587449.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"นรินทร์","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-21","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":8},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What are the two broad types of essay exam items discussed in the paper?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The paper distinguishes restricted-response (short-answer) items with expected correct responses from extended-response items that allow multiple correct answers and require professional judgment to assess.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How can extended-response essay exams support higher level thinking?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"They can elicit reasoning, critical thinking, creativity, synthesis, and argument composition. 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Boye • Texas Tech University |\n\nAbstract  \nEssay exams offer many benefits for instructors who seek to vary their assessment methods and engage students in critical discourse, yet they also pose many challenges and require thoughtful construction and evaluation. The author provides an extensive overview of the literature to illuminate best practices for designing and assessing effective essay prompts, includes examples, and offers suggestions for preparing students for success.  \nKeywords: Essays, constructed response, assessment, examinations  \nSelecting and designing exams can be one of the most difficult tasks that instructors face. They must not only identify the best measurement of their students ’ achievement but consider what method is feasible, given course logistics such as class size and time constraints. Instructors who elect to give exams can choose from selected-response formats, such as multiple-choice items, or constructed-response formats, such as essay and short-answer items. (See IDEA Paper 70 for more information on selectedresponse formats [Haladyna 2018] .) Both formats present many benefits as well as drawbacks, and both require careful development to ensure their effectiveness. In this paper, I focus on constructedresponse formats—more specifically, on best practices for extended-response essay-test item design, implementation, and evaluation.  \nA Few Definitions  \nBefore examining the creation and implementation of essay exams, it is worthwhile to clarify some important terms. There are two broad types of “essay”exam items (Clay, 2001; Nilson, 2017) . Restrictedresponse, or short-answer, questions likely have expected “correct” responses (e.g. ,“List the major components of Freytag’s triangle in dramatic structure.”) . Extended-response questions (the focus of this paper) are those that typically come to mind when envisioning a traditional essay exam—questions or tasks that could have multiple correct responses or lengthier ones (or both); are often more complex than restricted-response items; and, as Nilson notes,“require professional judgment to assess”(p. 299) .  \n( E.g. ,“Analyze the dramatic structure of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, providing examples from the text to illustrate and support your analysis.”)  \nBut what exactly constitutes an extended-response essay question or test item? Of course, the traditional essay question is an open-ended prompt that requires an in-depth written narrative in response, such as the Ibsen example. However, other non-narrative formats could also fit within these parameters. For instance, an extended open-ended math or engineering problem with a variety of potential valid approaches would certainly qualify, with the traditional writing process supplanted by a demonstration of logical progression and application of principles. Although such an item might have a single “correct” response, the multiplicity of approaches and its call to demonstrate an expansive and thorough higher level understanding and application of course material places it firmly within the realm of the types of test items being considered here.  \nThe Pros of Extended-Response Essay Exams There is perhaps no perfect assessment tool, and essay exams are no exception, but they do offer much to instructors who might feel that multiple-choice, true-false, or other similar formats don’t quite meet all their needs.  \nHigher level thinking. The first advantage that most educators likely associate with essay exams is their potential for eliciting higher level cognitive skills (Clay, 2001; Center for Research on Learning and Teaching [CRLT], 2016; Halpern & Hakel, 2003; Jacobs & Chase, 1992; Nilson, 2017; Parmenter, 2009; Reiner, Bothell, Sudweeks, & Wood, 2002; Scouller, 1998; Walstad, 2006) . For instance, essay-test items can allow an instructor to assess students’ reasoning, critical thinking, creativity, or abil","cbCaif08Oy1WIZIE","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaif08Oy1WIZIE","pdf",352832,13,"English","# A Few Definitions\n## Restricted response vs. extended response\n# The Pros of Extended-Response Essay Exams\n## Higher level thinking\n## Authentic assessment","[{\"question\":\"What are the two broad types of essay exam items discussed in the paper?\",\"answer\":\"The paper distinguishes restricted-response (short-answer) items with expected correct responses from extended-response items that allow multiple correct answers and require professional judgment to assess.\"},{\"question\":\"How can extended-response essay exams support higher level thinking?\",\"answer\":\"They can elicit reasoning, critical thinking, creativity, synthesis, and argument composition. However, they do not automatically measure higher-level skills without careful prompt design and evaluation.\"},{\"question\":\"Why do instructors consider essay exams more authentic than selected-response tests?\",\"answer\":\"Essay exams require students to construct responses to complex tasks, which better mirrors real-world demands and can reveal misconceptions more accurately, even though they are not fully immune to assessment drawbacks.\"}]","Writing Better Essay Exams - IDEA #76 - March 2019 | PDF",1792061902,33]