Do–

Stay on point

State your claim and follow it all the way through

Have a decent vocabulary

Have some writing

Practice your handwriting so it is at least eligible

Support each claim thuroughly

Answer the prompt completely

Read the intstructions and rubric thuroughly

Practice before the test!

Don’t–

Use unnecessary sentences/paragraphs–don’t “pad” your paper

Go on “birdwalks”

Plod quotes

Change topic/claim halfway through

Paraphrase/summarize/repeat the prompt

Use a source if you don’t completely understand