Using personal, first person examples in the essay component?

[veryJasonn]

Hey all!

Is it okay to use (sparingly) some personal examples in the essay component of the exam?

Thanks!

[aqple]

It is perfectly fine, but you should always leave personal examples as your last resort if you can't think of any other examples.

[AbominableMowman]

It is perfectly fine, but you should always leave personal examples as your last resort if you can't think of any other examples.

Really? Our teacher told us that using personal examples was a really good idea because examiners like unique examples rather than the same ones that everyone seems to reuse

[psyxwar]

Really? Our teacher told us that using personal examples was a really good idea because examiners like unique examples rather than the same ones that everyone seems to reuse

Nup because anyone can bullshit anecdotes. You want to steer clear of overused examples sure, but having contemporary examples from this year shows you've been analysing and payng attention to the world around you and actually looking at the effect of language in real, public and verifiable contexts.