According to the Enem 2025 Panel, from Inep (National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira), 4.81 million students are registered for the test this year
With just a few days to go before the , which will be applied on Sundays, November 9th and 16th, teachers reinforce guidance on the main errors that can lead to a zero grade in the essay. According to the Enem 2025 Panel, from Inep (National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira), 4.81 million students are registered for the test this year.
According to Caroline Zanoni, broker at the Redação Online platform, from Florianópolis (SC), one of the fundamental points is to correctly interpret the proposed topic. Avoiding the topic, writing only single words, copying supporting texts or not following the dissertation-argumentative format are errors that nullify the writing.
“The test assesses five skills: mastery of the standard, understanding the topic, organization of the text, argumentation and intervention proposal. Each is worth up to 200 points. Even small mistakes, such as writing outside the margin or making accentuation errors, can reduce the grade”, explains Caroline.
According to her, Enem allows up to two slight deviations from the standard, but repeat offenses already compromise the score. The broker also warns that the use of decorated models or ready-made repertoires tends to harm performance, as it makes the text less authentic.
Another decisive point is the intervention proposal, which must contain agent, action, means, purpose and detail. “Anyone who meets all these requirements and stays focused on the topic already has a good chance of achieving the maximum grade in one of the skills”, highlights Caroline.
For Gabriele Amorim, also a broker at Redação Online, supporting texts can be used as a reference, but never copied. “Students should be inspired by the information, data and graphs, and develop their own ideas. Copying excerpts in full can nullify the writing”, he states.
She cites as an example the 2023 test, whose theme was ‘African cultural heritage in Brazil’. “Some candidates interpreted ‘inheritance’ as something financial, which was completely off topic. This shows how essential interpretation is.”
Errors that ruin the writing
- Completely deviate from the proposed theme
- Failure to present an intervention proposal when required
- Disrespecting the dissertation-argumentative format
- Write only isolated words, drawings or disconnected sentences
- Copy the motivating texts in full
- Have illegible handwriting
- Include content that is offensive, discriminatory or violates human rights
- Errors that reduce the grade
- Lack of adequate interpretation of the topic
- Spelling and accentuation errors
- Text outside the page margins
- Use of decorated essays or ready-made templates
Enem is used by public and private universities across the country as a way of entering higher education, in addition to serving as a criterion for scholarships and programs such as Sisu, Prouni and Fies.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
