I think Sir Francis Bacon, the father of the English essay, would probably have failed the CSS Essay Exam, if he had left the exam room filling just three pages of the answer book with his signature pithy prose. Doubtless even one page of Baconian prose is a powder keg of wit, wisdom and wisecracks. But remember the CSS Essay is not intended to measure your intellectual erudition or literary brilliance.
It is aimed at assessing your ability to present your point of view on a topic coherently, comprehensively and compellingly. That entails some expectations about structure and detail.
The essay must conform to a recognisable essay architecture and include sufficient and satisfactory resources in its support.
True, both these conditions could be met in a one pager. However, there is a reason why you are allowed three hours to write the essay.
Also, remember the CSS Essay is part of a competition, and the length of the essay you produce will invariably get compared to the average length of a typical essay the examiner is evaluating.
Many successful students recommend the 5000-word mark as the gold standard.
I personally think this figure is on the higher side. Realistically speaking, if you are able to churn out even 4000 words of coherent and compelling prose in the CSS examination room, you have good reason to keep your chin up.
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