Now that you’ve learned about the requirements of a personal narrative essay, it’s time for you to write your own. Remember that a personal narrative should focus on the feelings, memories, and experiences of the author—you—and should tell a story about the author’s life.
Be sure to review all of the information below before submitting your essay.
Formatting Requirements
- Please be sure to include your name, student number, and exam number on the very first page of your essay. You may include this information in a header if you wish to do so.
- Using Microsoft Word, type your paper; it must be submitted in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format for grading purposes.
- Use double-spacing, standard one-inch margins, and a font no larger than the equivalent of Times New Roman 12.
- Your final draft should contain between 750 and 2,500 words.
- Your final draft should consist of a minimum of 3 paragraphs (you need an introduction, a body, and a conclusion)
- Please save your document using your student number, the appropriate exam number, and your last name, all connected by underscore (_) symbols.
Final Review
Ask yourself all of the following questions before you consider submitting your essay for grading. If your answer to even one of these questions is no, then you still have some work to do.
- Does my introduction attempt to hook the reader?
- Does my essay have a clear and specific thesis statement?
- Does my essay accurately tell my story?
- Does my essay indicate why I’m telling my story?
- Have I described only my own experiences?
- Have I used the first-person point of view (the pronoun “I”) throughout the essay?
- Have I clearly indicated where paragraphs begin and end?
- Does each of my paragraphs support my thesis statement?
- Does my conclusion summarize and give closure to my essay?
- Have I effectively proofread my essay?
- Have I met the length requirement?
- Is my essay formatted according to the instructions?
If you’ve answered yes to every question, you’re ready to submit!
Submission Instructions
To complete this examination, follow these steps:
- Use a word-processing program, preferably Microsoft Word, to complete the examination.
- At the top of every page, include your name and student number.
- Be sure to save your work. If you don’t have access to Microsoft Word, you must properly format your document by clicking Save As, naming it using the student number_exam number format (for example, 12345678_007175), and choosing File Type: Rich Text Format. This exam must be uploaded as a .doc or .rtf file to be graded electronically.