english regents essay outline

• How to Cite
• Language & Lit
• Rhyme & Rhythm
• The Rewrite
• Search Glass

How to Write an English Regents Task Essay

Writing an English Regents Essay Task Essay can be simple as long you follow your teacher's instructions and read the exam's guidelines. The Regents exam for English is conducted in four parts labeled: Task 1 through 4. For this exam, the number of essays can vary, depending on the new requirements for each school year. Nonetheless, at least one essay is written in one category that examines a student's ability to read, write and listen. The categories are information and understanding, literary response and expression, critical analysis and evaluation and social interaction.

Listen to your teacher's instructions and listen to the passage being read out loud or read it yourself. Take notes from the passage, speech, quote or piece of literature you're being tested on. Notes should focus on the facts presented in the piece, the plot, examples and the key elements: "who, what, when, where and why." Include notes on tone, characterization, message, theme, moral, setting, conflict, imagery, symbolism and foreshadowing when examining passages from a literary standpoint.

Create a short outline, if allowed, from your notes for the essay you're writing. Format your outline in three main sections: introduction, body and conclusion. Include a thesis statement and briefly list points showing how you'll support it in the introduction. List the main points that strengthen the thesis and support your points by adding details and examples in the body. The conclusion section should close your essay, restate your thesis and summarize your main points. Re-read the passage and your notes to make sure you've included the important information. Your outline should give you a basic idea of how your essay will be formed.

Write your essay according to the topic and guidelines you're given. Structure it like your outline so that it has an introduction, body and a conclusion. Add the outline's information, explain each main point and include examples and details to support them. Remember that the general essay guidelines want you to show your understanding of information, reading comprehension, ability to interpret literary themes, and critically evaluating and analyzing passages.

State your thesis in the introduction. If the essay is persuasive, then state a point of view in your thesis and why it is correct. Explain how or why the audience should be persuaded to your side. The persuasive essays are usually about informational and speech passages provided in the exam. Form your thesis according to the exam instructions given for the essay because they usually ask you a question or tell you what they want from the essay.

Declare if you're comparing or analyzing a literary piece in the thesis of a critical lens or thematic essay. Identify literary elements or controlling ideas and briefly define them in the introduction in Task 3 of the exam, as you'll be discussing two different literary pieces. For the critical lens essay, present the lens in your thesis and state your position. Summarize your interpretation and why you agree or disagree in the introduction and mention the two pieces of literature you'll be analyzing to explain your reasoning.

Structure the body to include supporting ideas, details and examples to solidify your thesis. Use the passages provided for details in your persuasive or thematic essays. Take examples, quotes or literary elements from the works you're comparing for your critical essay and use them to explain, analyze and argue your point.

Avoid summarizing plot in your essays unless they are supportive examples. Make sure the body is coherent and logical.

Conclude your essay by restating your thesis. Summarize the points in it you used to support your thesis. For the critical lens essay, briefly point out why your argument was correct.

Things You'll Need

• New York State High School: Regents Prep Center: English: Regents Comprehensive Examination in English
• Massena Central School District: J. Mittiga: How to Write a Regents Essay

Vanessa Knight has been writing since 2007. Her articles for various websites cover topics in literature, writing and technology. Knight holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in literature.

We use cookies to provide our clients with the best possible experience. If You continue to use this site, you agree with our cookie policy. Read more »

• Academic Guidance
• Essay Examples
• Essay Topics
• How To Write
• Other Articles
• Research and Sources
• Synonym Explorations
• Writing Tips

Critical Lens Essay Example for English Regents

A critical lens essay is a type of essay aimed at providing a personal interpretation and analysis of a certain quotation or statement, proving one’s opinion with the help of literature references. Though it contains a word “critical” in its name, it is not meant to be a critical piece. As a matter of fact, a critical lens essay is focused on highlighting strong and weak points of a given quote. Thus, the word “critical” stands for the demonstration of critical thinking skills of the author by means of supporting his claim with certain arguments taken from literary works. Linking one’s opinion to reputable sources makes a convincing effect on the reader, proving your ideas to be true.

How is a critical lens essay used?

Writing such type of essay appears to be quite a challenging assignment for students. First, while studying at high school, college, or university, one has to obtain and develop such essential skills as critical and analytical thinking; ability to compare facts, theses, quotes, and ideas, make one’s own statements and prove them, draw right conclusions. Second, a profound research on the given topic should be done, as it determines the further direction of your writing. Finally, a student needs to have an excellent command of grammar, spelling, and punctuation in order to express his/her thoughts clearly and academically correctly.

Thus, critical lens essays are perfect opportunities for professors to check students’ skills and abilities. No wonder this specific type of essay is often one of the tasks on the Regents, a New York State set of exams required for graduation. For this reason, one should know how to write a critical lens essay at the high academic level, because it reflects the general level of education of a student. Hence, the student is evaluated accordingly.

What is a critical lens essay format?

Typically, a critical lens essay follows a standard essay format pattern. Therefore, it consists of five paragraphs, including introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, so it should not be long like a research paper . In order to develop the critical analysis, a student has to use examples from two literature pieces, each one discussed in a separate paragraph. The book titles need to be underlined and capitalized, written in accordance with the capitalization and punctuation rules. As for the language and general tone of writing, it should be objective, without revealing any of the author’s personal beliefs. All the claims need to be referred to reputable literature sources that would support the author’s thesis and present the evidence of its validation. In order for the tone to sound objective, one should avoid using personal pronouns, for example, “I”, “me”, “my”, “you”, “your”, “we”, “our”. On the contrary, it is recommended to replace them with third person pronouns or general words like “people”, “readers”, “audience”.

Tips to make a critical lens essay outline

As it was mentioned above, a critical lens essay template coincides with the fixed classic essay pattern.

Introduction

The first part of an essay is the introduction. This is the first thing that makes an impression upon the reader. So, the intro part should be captivating enough to get the reader really interested in what you have to say. The introduction starts with the quote, which is not just an ordinary sentence from the text, but a significant statement that holds considerable value. It should be universally acknowledged and meaningful; the author’s name should also be provided.

After introducing the quote, a writer has to interpret it in one sentence using his/her own words. Such an interpretation is called the thesis. It plays a role of the foundation of the entire essay, which makes it a crucial part of the paper. Therefore, a key to a high-quality critical lens essay is arranging the thesis in a wise and profound way, as it presents the criteria for the further analysis.

Having provided the thesis, the writer needs to support or refute it. Though, the decision whether to agree or disagree is based not on his personal opinion, but on two literature references related to the quote. Connecting the essay with relevant references affirms the objective approach. The titles and authors of the chosen literature works have to be underlined. The intro part ends with adding a few words about the chosen reference texts topics.

Body Paragraphs

There should be two body paragraphs introducing two literature works mentioned in the introduction. The writer needs to use the references as the means for supporting his thesis. Both topic and concluding sentences demonstrate and prove the connection between the reference examples and the thesis. There should not be any summarizing; just highlighting and analysis of the main points of both literary texts explaining their relevance to the core statement. Moreover, there is no need to retell the plot of the chosen texts. On the contrary, the writing should be laconic, but clear. To convey the arguments in the most appropriate way, some literary elements from the reference texts should be chosen, such as the following:

• Characterization (direct or indirect way to describe the character);
• Conflict (opposition of the ideas, forces, views);
• Figurative language (metaphor, simile, hyperbole, alliteration, personification);
• Flashback (describing the past event that is necessary to know at present);
• Foreshadowing (hints on the events to come);
• Setting (describing time and place of action);
• Symbolism (representing something through another thing);
• Theme (main idea, message of the text);
• Tone (author’s attitude towards the audience or subject).

The last essay part summarizes the arguments and proves the initial thesis right or wrong. The quote and the thesis should be restated here, but the thesis has to be rephrased, not taken from the intro part word by word. If the essay is written in a right manner, then the conclusion would follow in the most logical way and the readers would totally agree to it. While body paragraphs persuade the reader of the correctness of the thesis, the conclusion just states the fact: the thesis is true and it is absolutely confirmed. So, the reader is satisfied, though intrigued to investigate the topic more.

How to choose the right quote?

This is not an easy task to do. The quote determines the quality of the essay, depending on whether it’s relevant or not. Below there is a list of possible quotes that are approved to be used for critical lens essays as they are widely applied at the English Regents.

English Regents critical lens quotes list:

• “Courage is never to let your actions be influenced by your fears” (Arthur Koestler);
• “Individuality is freedom lived” (John Dos Passos);
• “Obedience is the mother of success and is wedded to safety” (Aeschylus);
• “Nobody can acquire honor by doing what is wrong” (Thomas Jefferson);
• “Do what you can, with what you have, and where you are” (Theodore Roosevelt);
• “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get” (Warren Buffet);
• “Some books leave us free and some books make us free” (Ralph Waldo Emerson);
• “The final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands” (Anne Frank);
• “Prejudice is the child of ignorance” (William Hazlitt);
• “If there is no struggle, there is no progress” (Frederick Douglas);
• “It is impossible to go through life without trust” (Graham Green);
• “Fear is simply the consequence of every lie” (Fyodor Dostoevsky);
• “No two persons regard the world in exactly the same way” (J. W. von Goethe);
• “We pay a price for everything we get or take in this world” (L. M. Montgomery);
• “Men are at the mercy of events and cannot control them” (Herodotus);
• “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it” (Helen Keller);
• “Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it” (Rene Descartes);
• “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” (Dr. Seuss);
• “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough” (Mae West);
• “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on” (Robert Frost);
• “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results” (Albert Einstein);
• “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” (John Lennon);
• “It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not” (André Gide);
• “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving” (Albert Einstein);
• “The real hero is always a hero by mistake” (Umberto Eco);
• “It is the human lot to try and fail” (David Mamet);
• “You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it” (Yann Martel);
• “The human heart has ever dreamed of a fairer world than the one it knows” (Carleton Noyes);
• “To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else” (Bernadette Devlin);
• “All that is literature seeks to communicate power” (Thomas De Quincey);
• “It is not what an author says, but what he or she whispers, that is important” (Logan Pearsall Smith);
• “What lasts is what is written. We look to literature to find the essence of an age” (Peter Brodie);
• “Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure” (William Saroyan);
• “All literature is protest. You can’t name a single literary work that isn’t protest” (Richard Wright);
• “The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience” (J. F. Clarke);
• “We do not read novels for improvement or instruction” (Oliver Wendell Holmes);
• “In a dark time, the eye begins to see” (Theodore Roethke);
• “A person is a person through other persons” (Archbishop Desmond Tutu);
• The right good book is always a book of travel; it is about a life’s journey” (H.M. Tomlinson).

The quotations listed above serve as appropriate examples of the NYS English Regents critical lens essay quotes. Thus, they might be widely used during the preparation for the Regents or any other type of exam where a critical lens essay is one of the tasks.

How to write a critical lens essay step by step?

Below there are detailed steps that may serve as an instruction for writing this type of essay. Each step will be followed by the relevant part of a critical lens essay example to make the guideline even more clear.

Step 1. Choose a meaningful quote and introduce it, indicating its author. Add a few sentences before it to get the readers involved and let them follow the logical flow of your thoughts.

Step 2. Interpret the quote, rewrite it using your own words. That would be your thesis.

Step 3 . Agree or disagree with the thesis.

Step 4. Introduce two literary references that prove your thesis. Express in a few words how they support the thesis.

Step 5. Start writing the first body paragraph focusing on the first literary reference mentioned in the intro part. Choose the literary element, through which the text and thesis would be connected. Prove that the text example supports the quote.

Step 6 . Do the same thing focusing on the other literary work while writing the second body paragraph.

Step 7. Summarize everything you have written. State the quote and thesis again, the latter should be rephrased, though. The conclusion has to prove the coherence between the thesis and arguments written above.

Below there is a sample of a critical lens essay that may be referred to during the preparation for the English Regents.

Critical lens essay example for English Regents

Human life is a constant alternating between success and failure. Today one may enjoy the abundance of money and opportunities, while tomorrow may bring something totally different. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, and where you are.” One’s duty in life is to do one’s best, strive to survive and get moving using all the skills and resources available, regardless of the circumstances. Life indeed often forces people to keep trying even in the most unfavorable conditions and teaches that doing this is the only key to win. Both Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe and Love of Life by Jack London support the idea that all the problems can be solved if the person is well motivated and wise enough to direct all the efforts and chances towards one’s goal.

The novel Robinson Crusoe illustrates a strong will of an ordinary man who faced unpredictable circumstances after a shipwreck. He has lost everything and everyone just in a moment. The fate left him alone on the desert island in total despair. Daniel Defoe uses the direct method of characterization showing main hero’s desire to survive. He was not expecting such a fatal failure. Robinson got a tremendous challenge that let him acknowledge himself as a miserable creature but also created perfect conditions for self-discovery. On the unknown out-of-the-way patch of the Earth, he found himself completely helpless and alone in his struggle for life. Nevertheless, Crusoe realized the real value of human life and gathered all the possible means he could ever find on the island, which combined with his brilliant intellect and willpower saved him afterwards. The story is narrated in the form of his own diary, which pictures the hero in the most veritable way. He kept trying over and over again while building his refuge place, acquiring hunting and farming skills. The long twenty-eight years way through failures to victory taught him that the main thing in life is the ability to pull oneself together when there seems like nothing can be done. Robinson proved that it is not the setting and opportunities that matter, but a strong goal-oriented approach to the problem.

Love of Life demonstrates another example of overcoming hardships in life. Gold seekers are lost in the White Desert. While one of them leaves his comrade in trouble, he succeeded to survive. Through the tone of the novel, it is evident that Jack London supports his hero picturing him as a symbol of a victorious will power. Physical exhaustion, freezing cold of the White Desert, pain from the betrayal of the only friend, fear of loneliness, hunger, which is not eased with the miserable stuff that cannot even be called food. Moreover, he suffers from the pain in legs, being severely injured. Torturing body ache is combined with the despair of useless attempts to gain food and unbearable exhaustion, which leads to hallucinations. Yet, in spite of all he has encountered, despite being frightened and despaired, the man found enough courage not to give up but went on with a great passion for life, which helped him during struggles with a bear and a wolf. His irresistible desire to live, tranquility, and patience is what removed the fear and saved him from death. The hero was doing what he could: he was able to walk, he walked; he could only crawl, he crawled; he was obliged to fight with wild animals, so he did. As long as there were those primitive means for survival, no matter how adverse the setting, the man continued his difficult path and, finally, he succeeded.

All things considered, it seems sensible to assume that in order to lead the life to the full and survive despite all the troubles, one needs to use each little thing around, notwithstanding the limits. The core of success is human mind and will that dominates over poor conditions, situations that seem to be impossible, fears, and desperate obstacles. Thus, the saying “Do what you can, with what you have, and where you are” serves as the right motto for the general life philosophy.

• Place an order
• About Writology
• How it Works
• Buy Custom Essays
• Nursing Writing Services
• Do My Assignment
• Buy a Letter of Recommendation
• Buy Research Papers

• Introduction : Curriculum Components
• Writing: Skills-Based Writing Instruction
• Routines: Instruction
• For All Learners : Access
• Unit 1: Identity
• Unit 2: Personality
• Unit 3: Society and its Structure
• Unit 4: Otherness
• Unit 5: Challenging Truths/Coming-of-Age
• Unit 6: Establishing Truths/Coming-of-Age
• Unit 1: The Quest
• Unit 2: The Unlikely Hero
• Unit 3: Dystopia
• Unit 4: The Anti-Hero
• Unit 5: The Monster
• Unit 6: The Tragic Hero
• Unit 1: The Contemporary American Experience
• Unit 2: The Creation of the American
• Unit 3: The American and the Changing Landscape
• Unit 4: The Reawakening of the American
• ELA Regents: Resources
• ELA Regents: Multiple Choice
• ELA Regents: Writing from Sources Essay

ELA Regents : Text Analysis Essay

• Find Resources

Text Analysis Essay

Text Analysis Essay See 4 items Hide 4 items

Regents Readiness

Text Analysis Essay: ELA Regents Slides: Teaching the Text Analysis Essay

Teacher Feedback

Please comment below with questions, feedback, suggestions, or descriptions of your experience using this resource with students.

Text Analysis Essay: Exploding Analysis for the Text Analysis Essay

Text Analysis Essay: Teaching the Composition of the Text Analysis Essay

Text Analysis Essay: Skills-Based Text Analysis Essay Rubric

English Regents: Everything You Need to Know

The Regents Exams are statewide standardized tests in core high school subjects. The English Language Arts (ELA) exam tests students on the key skills of reading comprehension, textual analysis, and argument-based writing in order to assess their readiness for college and a professional career. The exam is required of all students enrolled in high schools in the state of New York.

What is the English Language Arts Regents Exam?

The Regents Exams are statewide standardized tests in core high school subjects. The English Language Arts (ELA) Exam tests students on the key skills of reading comprehension, textual analysis, and argument-based writing in order to assess their readiness for college and a professional career. The exam is required of all students enrolled in high schools in the state of New York .

When Is the ELA Regents Exam in 2024?

The ELA exam will be offered during three periods in 2024:

1. January 23

3. August 19

How Long Is the English Regents?

The ELA exam is three hours long. The test is broken down into three sections of varying lengths.

English Language Art Regents Exam Structure

The ELA exam is broken down into three sections:

1. Reading Comprehension (suggested time: 60 mins)

Students will be presented with three different texts: one literature text, one poem, and one informational text. After reading the texts, students will be asked to answer 24 multiple-choice questions.

2. Writing from Source: Argument (suggested time: 90 mins)

Students will be presented with four informational texts. After reading the texts, students will be asked to write an evidence-based argument using the four texts as their sources.

3. Text Analysis: Exposition (suggested time: 30 mins)

Students will be presented with one text: either a literature text or an informational text. After reading the text, students will be asked to write a two- to three-paragraph expository essay that identifies and explains the central idea of the text, and identifies one of the key writing strategies that the author of the text uses to convey that idea.

English Regents Scores

Is the ela regents hard.

Many high school students find the ELA exam difficult. The texts that students are asked to read and analyze on the test can be long and filled with complicated grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. The ideas in the texts that students are asked to analyze are often conceptually challenging, too. The language on the test may also pose particular challenges to English-language learners.

However, we have found that with the help of a trained tutor, and with committed practice, even struggling students are able to achieve a passing score!

How Is the English Regents Graded?

The exam will be graded according to four different areas of criteria: Content and Analysis; Command of Evidence; Coherence, Organization, and Style; and Control of Conventions. An IVY tutor can help you to master each of the skills specific to these area of focus.

Each of the exam’s three parts is given a raw score that is weighted, giving students the chance to obtain a higher maximum score for each section.

How to Pass the English Regents?

A passing score on the ELA exam is 65 or above. Students may take the exam up to three times in order to obtain a passing score; if a student does not pass after three attempts, they will have to submit an official appeal to graduate from their high school.

How to Get a Good Score on the English Regents?

We encourage our students to use the following strategies to get the best score possible on test day:

• For the reading comprehension sections, read the questions first—then read the passage with the questions in mind. As you read, underline key information.
• For multiple-choice questions, cross out the answers that you know to be incorrect in order to focus on the choices remaining to you. This is known as “process of elimination.”
• For the writing section, make an outline of your essay before writing. The outline should include the main topic of your essay, the main ideas of each of your five paragraphs, and the supporting evidence that you will use in each paragraph.

The best way to get a good score on the ELA Regents exam is to study with the help of an expert in test preparation. At IVY, our tutors can help students to develop the skills of quick problem-solving, time management, and general test preparation necessary for success on exams like the ELA Regents.

English Regents Exam Day Rules

• Students will be prohibited from bringing cell phones and certain other electronic devices into the test room. Leave your cell phone at home if you can; otherwise, the test proctor will collect it and hold it for you. (Remember to shut your phone off when it is collected!)
• During the test itself, you will be required to use a #2 pencil and fill out a scantron. Bring as many pencils with you as possible!
• You can have water—but only clear water bottles are allowed! Otherwise no food will be allowed in the testing room.
• Every student will be required to sign a pledge confirming that they have not receive outside help during the taking of the exam itself.

How to Study for English Regents? 5 Tips from Ivy Tutors

• Take practice exams! The New York State Regents website has past tests available that you can use for practice. Try to simulate the conditions of the test day when you practice: set a timer, avoid all distractions, and score yourself afterward using the official grading rubric.
• Form a study group! Everybody in your high school will be required to take the ELA Regents. Studying together is a great way to learn from each other—and also to support each other!
• Study every day! Besides taking full-length practice tests, we recommend studying for the ELA exam every day for at least thirty minutes—beginning at least two months before the exam.
• Take care of yourself! Make sure to get a good night’s sleep before the exam and to eat a good breakfast the morning of the exam; wear comfy clothes on test day, too. After closely working with an Ivy tutor to prepare yourself for the ELA exam, all you will need to do on test day is show up (on time!) and use your skills.
• Work with a tutor ! Great preparation for the ELA exam means learning strategies to quickly solve problems and identify correct choices, as well as building the essential skill of time management. Our Regents tutors are experts in creating personalized programs of study and empowering students to cultivate the self-confidence necessary for success.

Take a Diagnostic Exam in NYC

Start with a diagnostic SAT, ACT, SHSAT, ISEE, SSAT, TACHS, or AP test so you know where you stand and where you need improvement. Knowledge is power!

Related Blog Posts

English Regents - Argument Essay Outline Scaffold

• Word Document File

Description

This is a scaffold for writing an argument essay. Can be used for anyone! It may be especially help for ELLs or the SE populations. Excellent for teaching ELLs how to write this essay for state exams (NYS English Regents)

Questions & Answers

Tricia ragusa.

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think

260 King Street, San Francisco

Updated Courtyard facing Unit at the Beacon! This newly remodeled…

Emery Evans

Customer Reviews

The experts well detail out the effect relationship between the two given subjects and underline the importance of such a relationship in your writing. Our cheap essay writer service is a lot helpful in making such a write-up a brilliant one.

What if I can’t write my essay?

Our service is kept secret.

We are here to help you with essays and not to expose your identity. Your anonymity is our priority as we know it is yours. No personal data is collected on our service and no third parties can snoop through your info. All our communication is encrypted and stays between you and your writer. You receive your work via email so no one will have access to it except you. We also use encrypted payment systems with secure gateways for extra security.

Why do I have to pay upfront for you to write my essay?

Earl M. Kinkade

• Plagiarism report. .99
• High priority status .90
• Full text of sources +15%
• 1-Page summary .99
• Initial draft +20%
• Premium writer +.91

Finished Papers

Know Us Better

• Knowledge Base
• Referencing Styles
• Know Our Consultance
• Revision and Refund Policy
• Terms Of Use

Who will write my essay?

On the website are presented exclusively professionals in their field. If a competent and experienced author worked on the creation of the text, the result is high-quality material with high uniqueness in all respects. When we are looking for a person to work, we pay attention to special parameters:

• work experience. The longer a person works in this area, the better he understands the intricacies of writing a good essay;
• work examples. The team of the company necessarily reviews the texts created by a specific author. According to them, we understand how professionally a person works.
• awareness of a specific topic. It is not necessary to write a text about thrombosis for a person with a medical education, but it is worth finding out how well the performer is versed in a certain area;
• terms of work. So that we immediately understand whether a writer can cover large volumes of orders.

Only after a detailed interview, we take people to the team. Employees will carefully select information, conduct search studies and check each proposal for errors. Clients pass anti-plagiarism quickly and get the best marks in schools and universities.

Andre Cardoso

Constant customer Assistance

Paper writing service price estimation.