The book "Aiming for Excellence in Essay Writing" is intended for students who are examined in this subject and for those who teach it.
It contains codified theory, making it easily understandable, practically useful, and effectively applicable. The exam topics are classified according to what is required of them. Specific examples for each type of topic are selectively provided, exactly as they are formulated.
Subsequently, the content of the answer that should be given for each type of topic and the way in which it should be formulated is provided, as it is important not only what we write but also how we write it. We believe it is crucial not only for the student to know what will be asked and how it will be asked but also to be able to manage it effectively.
This spirit also runs through the examination criteria that follow. There are examination criteria that have been set in exams to familiarize the student with the type of topics that are asked and to manage them correctly, that is, to be able to give accurate, correct, complete, and well-documented answers to them. There are also many other examination criteria, classified by thematic units, with noteworthy texts and topics for their content, structure, and language according to the exam syllabus.
Finally, there are exercises for vocabulary enrichment suitable for student practice, as such are required every year in the Panhellenic Examinations.
Answers are provided at the end of the book for all examination criteria and vocabulary exercises. The criteria and the way they are formulated are, of course, very important. However, we believe that the answers to them are even more important. Therefore, emphasis was placed on both the content of the answers and the way they are formulated and presented. We recommend that students study them carefully and pay special attention to detail to be initiated into the spirit in which they were written and to derive the maximum possible benefit from them.
The diagrammatic presentation of the topic, although it has the adequacy and logical organization required, leaves the student plenty of room for initiative in supplementing the knowledge, ideas, and arguments presented, in their structure and expression. The development of these topics with completeness, sequence, coherence, and elegance is found in volumes a and b of "Persuasive Speech," by Sp. Koutras, published by Savvalas.