Writing for the Enceja: what skills are covered?

If you need to write an essay for Enceja this year, we'll help you with some tips on how to pass the exam.

But before looking at the tips and skills related to this testLet's find out more about Enceja.

What Enceja is

Enceja, or the National Examination for the Certification of Competences of Young People and Adults, is a type of assessment designed to certify the completion of secondary education for young people and adults who did not finish at the right age.

Enceja is an alternative to the National High School Exam (Enem) for those wishing to obtain an elementary school leaving certificate.

This exam allows you to obtain a certificate of completion for both primary and secondary education.

Candidates can choose to take the exams for one or both stages, depending on their study situation.

The test covers various areas of knowledge for primary education, involving subjects such as:

• Natural sciences;
• Mathematics;
• Portuguese language;
• Modern foreign language;
• Arts;
• Physical Education;
• Editor;
• History;
• And geography.

For secondary school, the following areas of knowledge are studied:

• Natural Sciences and their Technologies;
• Mathematics and its Technologies;
• Languages, Codes and their Technologies;
• Humanities and their technologies;
• Editor.

Candidates who obtain the minimum score required in each subject area and in the essay will receive a certificate of completion of primary or secondary education, depending on the tests they have taken.

What competencies are covered in the Enceja essay?

The essay is one of the important parts of Enceja and is assessed on the basis of five competencies, according to the criteria established by the Anísio Teixeira National Institute for Educational Studies and Research (Inep).

Now let's take a look at the main competencies covered in the Enceja essay.

One of the main functions of the Enceja essay is the student's ability to write according to the rules and norms of the Portuguese language.

It assesses whether the candidate knows how to apply grammar, spelling, punctuation and how to structure sentences correctly.

The examiner assesses the candidate's ability to understand the proposed topic, relate it to concepts from different areas of knowledge and develop an argumentative essay.

This text must be logical, coherent and cohesive, as well as having a clear and organized structure, with a beginning, middle and end.

In addition, the ability to use language resources to create good arguments that are coherent and supportive is also analyzed. This includes the use of quotations, comparisons and other resources.

We can therefore list the competencies as follows:

1. Demonstration of the correct and standard use of the Portuguese language, including grammar, punctuation and spelling;
2. Writing an argumentative essay with a clear thesis and well-developed arguments;
3. Selecting, organizing and interpreting information;
4. Knowledge of linguistic mechanisms for argumentation;
5. Drawing up an intervention proposal (only for students taking Enceja for secondary school).

Topics to practice writing for Enceja

As well as knowing what the main competencies are for the Enceja essay, the ideal is to practise in the run-up to the test to improve your performance and get used to the type of writing in the argumentative essay.

Check out some of the possible topics you can use to practise your essay:

• Fake News and access to information;
• Remote working;
• Actions to take care of workers' mental health;
• The importance of respect for African religions;
• Sustainable energy;
• Freedom of expression;
• Criminal minority.

And it's possible to practise writing for the Enceja with the themes of previous years, which differ according to secondary and primary education. Take a look:

2017

• Elementary school: "The importance of vaccination for public health";
• High school: "The issue of adoption of children and adolescents in Brazil".

2018

• Elementary school: "Possibilities of safe food for the Brazilian population";
• High school: "The risks of night work for workers' health".

2019

• Elementary school: "New forms of conscious consumption";
• High school: "The organization of time and access to social networks".

2020

• Elementary school: "Affective abandonment of the elderly in Brazil"
• High school: "Combating sexual abuse against children and adolescents in Brazil".

2022

• Elementary school: "The role of oral tradition in preserving culture in Brazil";
• High school: "The fashion industry's challenge to preserve the environment".

How not to fail the enceja essay?

Sometimes, by not reading the notice, or even by not paying attention, Enceja candidates can fail the test.

And so that this doesn't happen to you, let's take a look at some tips and what to avoid when taking the exam.

The first step is to write more than five lines of text; any essay with less than five lines will automatically be scored zero.

Writing texts in a foreign language other than Portuguese can also result in your essay being scored zero.

Another factor that can lead to disqualification is writing an essay that is totally disconnected from the topic and the essay proposals.

What's more, if it doesn't have an intervention proposal, it won't be considered either.

Any kind of speech that violates human rights, including speech that is discriminatory, prejudiced or incites violence, can result in a zero grade.

If the candidate completely copies the motivating texts provided in the test, without producing their own, the essay will be scored zero.

If the examiner cannot understand what is written due to drawings, illegible letters or completely incomprehensible text, the essay may be scored zero.

It is worth mentioning that the text of the essay must be truthful, no false or untruthful information must be used deliberately, the essay may be scored zero.

It is essential that candidates follow the rules and guidelines provided by the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep), which is responsible for Enceja, and avoid any conduct that could result in the annulment of the essay.

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