If you were to write a youth book on how to play baseball, or a romance novel for adults, your “audience” would be easy to identify. In the first example, you would be writing for an age group between 7 and 11 years old; all readers would be interested in baseball; and would have, say, a beginner to intermediate level of ability and sophistication in the sport. In the second example, you could Google the demographics of who buys romance novels and get a pretty good idea of ​​who might buy your book. Audience identification is critical every time you write, and that’s the case when you’re also writing answers to law school essay exam questions.

When you write the answer to a law school essay exam question, your audience is fictional. Think of your audience (reader) as an informed attorney or colleague (law student) who is fairly familiar with the nature and purpose of law in general; who has read the fact pattern; and that he has a passing familiarity with the law of the subject (torts or contracts, for example), but needs to be reminded of the precise rules of the law. Then proceed as if you were explaining the situation to that person.

For example, that person would not need to read that hunting knives often have sharp edges, that if a person is the manager of a grocery store, it can be assumed that she is the person who should be in charge of the store, or that there is a difference between tortuous assault and criminal assault in that the latter is punishable by imprisonment.

Also, because the fictional reader has read the fact pattern, there is no need to repeat sections or sentences of the question. In other words, if the question includes: “When Mr. Slocum entered the airport he noticed the smell of something burning, and this immediately worried him”… then there is no need to include in your essay, “When Mr. Slocum He entered the airport and noticed the aroma of something burning, and this immediately worried him.” (Rather, it could refer to Slocum’s location, refer to the scent, or refer to Slocum’s concern, if they are key facts in his argument; there is no need to repeat what the reader just read in the question.)

Despite every step of your legal analysis should be in the essay, it’s important not to waste your limited time explaining what your audience is expected to know.

Now let’s take a look at the “real” audience: your teacher. Always write with your teacher in mind. In general, the characteristics of an “A” response include: identification of all issues, significant attention to “gray areas”, incorporation of high-level argumentation techniques (example: using the “slippery slope” argument) , integration of legal principles and facts of the hypothetical with common sense notions, and political support for an adopted position.

However, teachers differ on what they consider “A” grade material. Therefore, it is very important to obtain not only the previous exam questions that your teacher has submitted, but also, if available, their quality sample answers. You should study these answers carefully, because there you will find what qualities your teacher rewards with high marks.

You should also discuss with your professors what they look for in test answers during office visits. You’ll also get a lot of this information during class, so be sure to put that in your notes! Do this with each of your teachers so you know what to expect on a real exam. Whatever you discover, that is what you must practice! Then incorporate your teachers’ suggestions into your practice test answers.

The audience matters all you write…and the audience you write for when you write answers to law school essay exam questions is likely to be a determining factor in the grade you receive.