We thought timed essay writing was becoming obsolete. 

Enter ChatGPT and just like that, knowing how to write an essay on the spot became one of the top skills we’d recommend before your kids go to college.

College instructors are looking for ways to thwart AI. Having students write their assignments in the classroom is one way they can be sure noone generated their essay online. 

Educators are using “on the spot” writing assignments to gauge attendance and participation as well as comprehension. 

It’s a whole new world!

Class Overview

Made With You in Mind

Writing a timed essay demands a very specific skill set.

Essay Writing 202: Timed Essay teaches multiple approaches to a variety of writing prompts. Students write short essays building on special exercises designed to help them succeed in crafting this type of writing.

This course trains students to 

  • Decode complex prompts—what does the teacher want?
  • Quickly organize insights into an articulate format
  • Flesh out a strong thesis statement
  • Use techniques for writing under pressure
  • Revise in a crunch

Students struggle to master time management skills. We can help! 😁 Learn the ratio of assessment, planning, writing, and revising within a limited time frame. There’s a savvy way to do it!

While individual exams—anything from AP tests to freshman composition to the history class at your local community college—have unique content and structural demands, our approach to timed tests works for them all.

Don’t send your teens into a timed test situation cold turkey! 


What if my teen has never written an essay?

Start with the Essay Writing 101: Analytic Essay, Essay Writing 102: Persuasive Essay, and Essay Writing 201: Critical Response Essay courses or with the Help for High School home study course to learn the essay formats in a non-timed setting. Aim for multiple essay writing experiences across subjects for practice in the form.

However, if your student is graduating soon, sign up. This class will definitely help with college prep, even if the student has never written an essay before!

Highly recommended!

Week by Week

Week One

Writing to a Timer. Students dissect essay prompts to note common features and navigate them successfully.

Week Two

Thesis Statements, Intros, and the First Essay. This week, students learn to plan and structure an essay when they don't know the prompt in advance. On to the first timed essay: the multiple perspective essay.

Week Three

Textual Analysis. Analysis of historical text is the focus this week. Students learn to approach dense text, identify persuasive and other rhetorical techniques at play, and write a considered textual analysis to time.

Week Four

Writer's Choice. Students revisit the techniques learned in class and then choose two different essay prompts (multiple perspectives essay, textual analysis essay, personal narrative essay, and/or quote response essay) for timed writing response.

Registration Details

Join Us!

Tuition:
$249.00 per student
Recommended Ages:

13 - 18

Class Size:
25 students
Class Length:
4 weeks
Class Type:
  • High School

Select from the available class dates below to register for that session:

Sarah Kerr   Register

Word on the Street

I’ve gotten better at organizing my thoughts in a timely manner by taking this class. It’s crazy how much more prepared I feel to write timed essays after just 4 weeks.

Danielle, 17

These skills are also useful in longer essays, writing a short essay first can then be used as an outline.  

Lilian, 17

I feel that I improved as a writer. Before, writing with a time limit stressed me out a lot and I had difficulty keeping my thoughts together especially when I was handwriting. But after lots of practice I definitely feel more comfortable.

Syd, 17

I now know how to look for keywords and get a quick plan for what I'm going to write, instead of just instantly writing with no idea what my points are going to be.

Emmy, 16

More Information

Sample class login

Want to see how our classroom works? Test drive a sample class complete with real class readings, assignments, and instructor comments!

Follow these instructions:

  1. Navigate to class.bravewriter.com. If you are a current student, you’ll need to log out in the upper right corner before proceeding.
  2. Log in using these credentials:
    Username: [email protected]
    Password: Brave1
  3. Next, you will land on our Family Dashboard. You'll find a Parent icon and a Student icon to represent classes where the parent or the student is the primary participant. Click on Parent to view parent participation classes. To find classes with direct student-instructor interaction, click on Student.
  4. Click on the class name of interest and start reading posts!
How Our Classes Work Download a class summary
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