The essay is the final written task of the test, done in Uzbek: on a given topic or text you must state your own opinion and support it with arguments. What is assessed is not only knowledge but also the culture of thinking and writing: stating a thought clearly, proving it, building the text logically and writing accurately. Most marks are lost through having no plan, making general statements without arguments, drifting off topic and spelling mistakes. The good news is that essay writing is a learnable skill: if you follow the order below, a good essay can be written almost “to a template”, and with practice it becomes quick and fluent.
§1. Understanding the task
Read the topic carefully. Mark the key words: in Kitob — inson hayotida (“The book in human life”) the key is the book’s role in a person’s life, not the history of books.
Identify the task type: giving an opinion (Siz qanday fikrdasiz?), analysing a problem, responding to a text, evaluating a character.
Mind the length requirement: writing much less or much more than the set number of words costs marks.
Answer the question: if the topic is a question (Baxt nimada? — “What is happiness?”), your thesis must be a clear answer to exactly that question.
Going off topic is the costliest mistake: however beautifully written, an essay that does not fit the topic scores low
In a text-based task, first state the main idea of the text in one sentence, then give your own response to it. Retelling the text is not an essay.
§2. Structure: introduction — body — conclusion
Introduction (2–3 sentences). Lead into the topic and state the thesis — your main idea. The thesis should be specific and arguable, i.e. it should need proving: weak Kitob — yaxshi narsa. (“A book is a good thing.”) — strong Kitob insonga hayotiy tajribani o‘z boshidan o‘tkazmasdan egallash imkonini beradi. (“A book lets a person gain life experience without living through it.”) Ways to open: a question (Nega ...?), a famous saying, a short real-life situation. Body (2–3 paragraphs). Each paragraph is one argument, built from four parts:
claim — the first sentence of the paragraph, stating the argument;
explanation — why it is true;
example — from literature, history or life;
link to the thesis — Demak, ... (“So, ...”).
Let the arguments grow in strength: the most convincing one comes last. Use transition phrases between paragraphs: Bundan tashqari, ... (“Besides”), Lekin eng muhimi, ... (“But most importantly”) — they make the text cohesive. Conclusion (2–3 sentences). Restate the thesis in new words, generalise and look ahead. No new arguments in the conclusion.
Introduction — what I want to say; body — why I say it; conclusion — so what
Worked example
Topic: Mutolaa — muvaffaqiyat kaliti (“Reading is the key to success”). Make a plan.
Thesis:Muntazam kitob o‘qish insonning fikrlash doirasini kengaytiradi va uni hayotiy sinovlarga tayyorlaydi. (“Regular reading broadens the mind and prepares a person for life’s trials.”)
Argument 1: vocabulary and speech — a reader expresses ideas precisely.
Argument 2: learning from others’ experience — in «O‘tkan kunlar» the fate of Otabek and Kumush shows us the tragedy caused by old customs.
Argument 3: a historical example — great scholars (Beruniy, Ibn Sino) sought knowledge in books.
Conclusion:Demak, kitob — tayyor maslahat emas, balki o‘z yo‘limizni topishga yordam beradigan chiroq. (“So a book is not ready-made advice but a lamp that helps us find our own way.”)
§3. Choosing arguments and examples
The strongest arguments are literary works: they belong to the exam subject and are familiar to the examiner:
knowledge and upbringing: Abdulla Avloniy’s «Turkiy guliston yoxud axloq» — Tarbiya biz uchun yo hayot — yo mamot, yo najot — yo halokat, yo saodat — yo falokat masalasidir. (“For us upbringing is a matter of life or death, salvation or ruin, happiness or disaster”);
homeland and freedom: Cho‘lpon’s poems, Abdulla Oripov’s poem «O‘zbekiston»;
parents and children: O‘tkir Hoshimov’s «Dunyoning ishlari» (the image of the mother);
work and the land: Tog‘ay Murod’s novel «Otamdan qolgan dalalar»;
a historical figure: Mirzo Ulug‘bek — devotion to science.
Do not retell the example — recall it in 1–2 sentences and link it to the thesis at once. Use only facts you are sure of: a wrong date or title undermines the credibility of the essay. A real-life example can also serve as an argument: something that happened to you or people around you. But it must be specific and directly related to the topic; vague invented stories like “once a man...” do not inspire trust. Combining a literary or historical example with a real-life one enriches the essay.
One well-analysed example is worth more than three listed superficially
§4. Language and linking devices
Opening a point: Menimcha, ... (“In my view”), Fikrimcha, ..., Avvalo shuni aytish kerakki, ... (“First of all, it must be said that”).
Listing arguments: birinchidan, ikkinchidan, bundan tashqari, shu bilan birga.
Contrast: biroq, aksincha, boshqa tomondan.
Giving an example: masalan, buni ... misolida ko‘rish mumkin.
Concluding: xulosa qilib aytganda, demak, shunday qilib.
The style is journalistic or popular-scientific: no colloquial words (zo‘r, ko‘p-ko‘p), slang or fillers like haligi. Avoid repeating a word — use synonyms or pronouns. Use men (“I”) in moderation too: an essay is a personal view, but starting every sentence with men impoverishes the writing. Keep sentences of medium length: very long ones lead to punctuation errors. Remember the comma after introductory words: Menimcha, ..., Birinchidan, ....
§5. Writing a paragraph and strengthening the thesis
A strong paragraph is built around one idea and returns to the thesis at the end. In a weak paragraph several ideas get mixed up or the example is left unanalysed.
Worked example
Strengthen the thesis Kitob — yaxshi narsa.
Its weakness: it is too general and nobody would dispute it — there is nothing to prove.
Ask a question: what exactly does a book give? — other people’s experience.
Express this specifically and arguably: a book lets you gain experience without living through it.
Answer: Kitob insonga hayotiy tajribani o‘z boshidan o‘tkazmasdan egallash imkonini beradi.
Worked example
Build a paragraph for the argument “books give experience”.
Claim:Kitob boshqalar tajribasidan saboq olishga o‘rgatadi. (“Books teach us to learn from others’ experience.”)
Explanation:Inson barcha xatolarni o‘zi qilib ko‘rishga ulgurmaydi, kitob esa bu tajribani tayyor holda beradi. (“No one has time to make every mistake themselves; a book provides that experience ready-made.”)
Example:«O‘tkan kunlar»ni o‘qigan yosh Otabek va Kumush taqdiri orqali kundoshlik va eski udumlar qanday fojiaga olib kelishini anglaydi. (“A young reader of ‘Bygone Days’ understands, through the fate of Otabek and Kumush, what tragedy polygamy and old customs can bring.”)
Link:Demak, kitob bizni hayotdagi achchiq xatolardan oldindan ogohlantiradi. (“So books warn us in advance against life’s bitter mistakes.”)
§6. Timing, checking and assessment
Plan — 3–5 minutes: thesis, arguments, examples.
Writing — most of the time; separate paragraphs clearly.
Assessment criteria (in general terms): relevance to the topic; coherence and structure; well-founded arguments; richness of language and unity of style; accuracy of spelling and punctuation.
Five minutes spent on a plan shorten the writing time: whoever knows what to write writes fast
Check yourself
In which part of the essay is the thesis placed?
Why is Kitob — yaxshi narsa a weak thesis?
What parts make up a body paragraph?
May a new argument appear in the conclusion?
How should a literary example be used?
What do you do in the last minutes?
In which style is the essay written?
How many paragraphs are recommended in the body?
Common mistakes
Going off topic or retelling the text.
General statements without arguments: Hamma biladiki, ... (“Everyone knows that...”).
No conclusion, or one that repeats the introduction word for word.
Colloquial words and fillers.
Missing commas after introductory words and in subordinate clauses.