(potential to study for an Access course) Writing Exercise - Formal Tone/Narrative?

How would you interpret the following?
*Describe a challenging experience in your life and explain the impact this had on you

Because it has been so long, I can't remember the formalities of it. Would you say that I needed to write a narrative, or take a more formal approach?

I've read a few sample "Personal Experience" essays but they vary so much in style and prose that I'm confused as to which I should be aiming for. For example, George Orwell's "The Hanging" doesn't have an introduction as such; it starts and reads like a narrative. On the other hand, I have read sample essays based on personal experience and they are very formal in tone with introduction paragraphs main bodies and conclusions.

I suppose what I'm asking is: is it a creative writing exercise, or should I stear clear from using informal prose such as "It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains. A sickly light, like yellow tinfoil, was slanting over the high walls into the jail yard."?

-- BTW it's for an application to start adult education so it's quite important to me.

It can be formal in the sense that it is well-structured and presented in a serious way that reflects a respectful attitude, but... everybody loves a story.

Your job is to entertain the reader and offer sentences that feel nice to read.

Here is the important thing to know for good structure: Make the first sentence of every paragraph a PARAGRAPH TOPIC SENTENCE that expresses the main idea of the paragraph.

One paragraph = one idea.
The first sentence in each paragraph tells the idea, and the rest of the sentences in the paragraph explain it and give examples.

All paragraphs are about ideas that relate to the main idea of the whole essay, which you talk about in the intro and conclusion.

Start with your main idea, your message to the reader. Write it in a sentence, and take inspiration from it.

:-)

Susan, I thank you ever so much for that vital tip about the leadoff sentence to every paragraph. I'm told to use no less than 250 words but to keep it relatively short (I have two sides of an A4 sheet of paper to fill), my biggest probelm is that I'm almost at that word count already and all I've done is come up with an intro and conclusion.

Could I ask you to please cast your eyes over the structure I have come up with and what I have written so far? Does the tone of that essay seem befitting? Could I manage by cutting out one of the paragraphs or merging two of the subjects?

Just want to sign my initials for fear of any repurcussions
- JM

Well your full name appears at the bottom of each post! But that is a good thing, because it shows your authorship of the essay. As for repercussions that may result from collaborating in a writers' group like this, I think I would not want to be part of any school that discouraged such collaboration. EssayForum is cool.

The way to know how to condense the essay is to go back to your purpose. What is your purpose? This is not just about writing but also about everything in life. Any words you use that do not promote your purpose are words that thwart your effort, because they distract the reader from your message. That is what efficiency is all about.

So... what do you hope the reader will DO after seeing the essay? With that in mind, cut the content that does not help promote your purpose.

So, what is the main message of the whole essay? Keep that single message in mind, and you will know what to do. :-)